Egyptian bread pudding (Oum Ali)

  On the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, this is a popular and delicious Egyptian pastry called Oum Ali. Oum is the word for mother in Arabic. It is a Middle-Eastern bread pudding, made with phyllo dough or rakakat pastry sheets. The neighborhood Middle-Eastern store had a few boxes of ROKAK,...
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Meat pies, Damascus-style

  Meat pies are a must in all of the Levant, however, each region or community prepares them a bit differently; my grandmother used to add drained yogurt (labneh) to hers; these have pomegranate molasses which gives the pies a bit of a fruity flavor. The dough is made with...
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Potato hummus

This should conclude my hummus week (unless I feel the urge to make yet another hummus mañana); this is a classic potato with tarator (tahini) sauce, except I used (organic) sweet potatoes. The lamb chops are marinated briefly in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic paste, Aleppo pepper and  wild zaatar...
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Tuna hummus

This tuna hummus is made in minutes in the food processor; just add some tarator sauce (tahini, lemon, water and garlic) to the tuna, some pimento or Aleppo pepper, some herbs and maybe capers if you like them. INGREDIENTS: 10 servings 2 (5-ounce) cans of tuna in water Juice of...
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Squash hummus

So many varieties of squash are out there for us to enjoy; I like the so-called turban or Turkish turban squash for their interesting shape and colorful orange and green hues. INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 pound (or 3 pound) squash 1/2 cup of tahini 1/2 cup of lemon or orange or...
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Hummus in many versions

Tarator sauce is the key to making a hummus; well, this same tarator sauce is used on just about every vegetable imaginable, even on beans other than chickpeas. Squash, for instance, or pumpkin.



Hatch chile hummus

  Hatch chiles are in season now, and some stores will even roast them and seed them to save us the trouble;  I bought a container and set out to make  hummus. Pick hot or mild chiles depending on your preference. If you have no access to the hatch chiles...
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Tahini

  What is it about the sesame seeds that has captured the imagination and taste buds of peoples alongside the Eastern Mediterranean  (remember “Open sesame!”  from the 1001 nights tales)? and its glorious paste, tahini, used in myriads of dishes, both savory and sweet. All I know is that were...
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Poblano lasagne

It is pepper season; the vegetable gardens are bursting with all kinds of peppers, hatch peppers, green peppers, poblanos, chilis etc. This is a spinach lasagne layered with a poblano/chicken broth/cream sauce; interspersed with chicken and mushroom bits and sprinkled with shredded cheese. Since this is a project, it is...
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