Cheese fatayer puff pastry recipe

Serves 12
15 Mins

Ingredients

6 Kiri® square portions
100g mozzarella cheese
30g double cream cheese
2 tablespoons canned pesto sauce
Readymade puff pastry
6 dried tomatoes (chopped)

For the cream:

2 kiri squares
1 tablespoon double cream cheese
2 tablespoons Kiri® (jar)

Cooking Directions

1 Combine the mozzarella, the double cream, the Kiri squares and dried tomatoes using a blender.

2 Cut the pastry into 12 circles and spread a little pesto sauce on each one of them.

3 Place 1 tablespoon of stuffing over each pastry circle.

4 Seal the fatayer and bake them in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until golden.

KIBBEH (BEEF AND BULGUR WHEAT MEATBALLS) RECIPE

Middle Eastern kibbeh is a finely ground paste of bulgur, onions, and lamb or beef, which is formed into patties or balls, filled with coarsely ground, sweetly spiced meat, onions, and pine nuts, and deep-fried.

MAKES 16

Ingredients

For the Filling

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more to garnish
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
8 oz. ground beef sirloin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tbsp. ground sumac, plus more to garnish

For the Shell

1 1⁄2 cups fine bulgur
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1⁄2 lb. lamb shoulder, trimmed of all fat and sinew
Canola oil, for frying
Plain yogurt, for serving
Mint leaves, to garnish

Instructions

For the filling: Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add salt, allspice, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until meat begins to brown, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl, stir in nuts and sumac, and let cool.

For the shell: Rinse bulgur, squeeze out excess water, and place in a large bowl. Add salt, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, and onion, and set aside. Grind lamb twice in a meat grinder, and add to bulgur mixture; knead mixture in bowl into a pliable paste, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel.

Shape about 1⁄4 cup of the bulgur-meat paste into a ball, moistening your hands with water as you work. Hold ball in one hand and insert index finger of other hand into center to form a hole. Shape ball into a thin-walled (about 1⁄4"-thick) oval with an opening at one end by molding ball around finger, gradually tapering closed end. Mend any cracks in shell with a moistened finger. Fill hole with 1 1⁄2 tbsp. of the filling. Moisten edges of opening, then gather edges together to seal. Gently form kibbeh into the shape of an egg, and keep moist under a clean dish towel. Repeat shaping with remaining filling and bulgur-meat paste to make 16 egg-shaped balls in all.

Pour oil to a depth of 2" into a 6-qt. Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°. Working in batches, fry kibbeh until browned all over, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a serving platter, and spoon some yogurt on the platter alongside the kibbeh. Drizzle oil over yogurt, and sprinkle with more sumac. Serve with mint leaves on the side.

Source: Saveur

Tabouli Salad Recipe (Tabbouleh) Recipe

Tabouli salad or Tabbouleh is a simple salad of very finely chopped vegetables, lots of fresh parsley and bulgur wheat, all tossed with lime juice and olive oil.

Prep Time: 20 minsTotal Time: 20 mins
Yield: 6-8
Category: Salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra fine bulgur wheat
4 firm Roma tomatoes, very finely chopped
1 English cucumber (hothouse cucumber), very finely chopped
2 bunches parsley, part of the stems removed, washed and well-dried, very finely chopped
12-15 fresh mint leaves, stems removed, washed, well-dried, very finely chopped
4 green onions, white and green parts, very finely chopped
Salt
3-4 tbsp lime juice (lemon juice, if you prefer)
3-4 tbsp Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
Romaine lettuce leaves to serve, optional

Instructions

1. Wash the bulgur wheat and soak it in water for 5-7 minute. Drain very well (squeeze the bulgur wheat by hand to get rid of any excess water). Set aside.
2. Very finely chop the vegetables, herbs and green onions as indicated above. Be sure to place the tomatoes in a colander to drain excess juice.
3. Place the chopped vegetables, herbs and green onions in a mixing bowl or dish. Add the bulgur and season with salt. Mix gently.
4. Now add the the lime juice and olive oil and mix again.
5. For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. If you like, serve the tabouli with a side of pita and romaine lettuce leaves, which act as wraps or “boats” for the tabouli.
6. Other appetizers to serve next to tabouli salad:Hummus; Baba Ganoush; or Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Notes

• The finer you chop the vegetables, the better. See additional tips above.
• To serve a smaller crowd, simply cut the recipe in half.
• You can keep tabouli refrigerated in a tight-lid container for 2 days or so. It’s important to try and drain some of the juice out before refrigerating leftover tabouli.

Source: The Mediterranean Dish

Fried chicken biryani recipe

"Biryani " is a mixed rice dish with spices, rice, meat or vegetables. Though biryani is originated in Persia, it is more popular in malabar areas in Kerala.Here am sharing a special chicken fried Dum biryani. For this you can either deep fry or shallow fry the chicken, then mixed with the gravy / masala and finally the dum process which makes the biryani heavenly taste.

INGREDIENTS

Marinade
1000 grams Chicken
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoon Chicken masala
1/2 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon Paprika Powder or Kashmiri Red Chilli
1/2 tablespoon pepper powder
3 tablespoon Yoghurt / Lime Juice
Salt to taste
8 tablespoon Oil

Gravy
2 bulbs(approx 80 grams) garlic
100 grams Ginger
4 (approx 580 rams) ripe tomatoes
3 (approx 400 grams) red onion
3 tablepoon Oil
Salt to taste

Garnish
2 (approx 250 grams)  onion
1 bunch coriander leaves
25 numbers Cashew nuts
3 tablespoon ghee
2 tablespoon Oil
salt to taste

Rice
5 cups Water
3 cups(approx 600 grams1)  Tilda Basmati Rice
1 inch Dried Ginger
5 numbers Pepper Corns
5 numbers green cardamoms
1 Star Anise
3 inch cinnamon stick
2 numbers Cloves
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tablespoon ghee
salt to taste
15×15 inch Cheese Cloth
5 inch Cotton String

Dough
1 cup plain flour
Water as required

Instructions

1. Chicken – I choose drumsticks and thighs, (thigh has the best meat of chicken). Skin removed, and shave off most fat.
2. Mix all ingredients (except oil) under ‘marinade’ and rub into the chicken, marinate overnight for best results, if not atleast for 4 hours in a fridge, covered.
3. Chop ginger / garlic / tomatoes / onion finely and store separately.
4. Clean and cut the coriander leaves.
5. Wash rice once and soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain, keep aside till required.
6. Step 1 – Frying Chicken
7. In a non-stick pan, heat half the oil under ‘marinade‘ section, fry half at a time, the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes on each side. Maximum for about 15 minutes, as we want only about 70% done chicken.
8. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the fried pieces onto a plate spread with kitchen towel, to absorb excess oil.
9. Step 2 – Preparing the Garnish
10. While the chicken is getting fried, heat oil under the ‘Garnish‘ section, sauté the cashew nuts for about 2 minutes on low flame, till lightly golden brown on all sides equally.
11. In the same oil, fry the onions till they are crispy. Add salt while doing this, this helps the onion sweat fast and get crispy.
12. Keep aside till needed.
13. Step 3 – Preparing the Gravy
14. Heat the oil under the ‘Gravy Section‘, sauté the onions along with salt, on medium flame till soft and caramelised (about 15 minutes), while stirring occasionally.
15. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
16. Add the tomatoes and sauté till soft and melted, about 15 minutes on medium flame.
17. Step 4 – Rice
18. In the cheese cloth, gather all spices under the ‘Rice‘ section and tie it up, this is known as `Potli` in Northern India.
19. Bring to boil the water along with salt, ghee and polti, lower the flame. Remove the potli.
20. Tip over the rice, bring it to boil, lower flame and simmer for 10 minutes till about 50% done.
21. Leave it open, or better still spread on a large serving tray and allow the steam to escape and the rice to cool down, this prevents the rice from further cooking.
22. Step – 5 Layering and Baking
23. Make a dough of the flour and water under the ‘dough‘ section, roll into a long strip and apply on the edges of the deep bottomed pan.
24. Apply 1 tbsp ghee on all sides of the vessel, (use the ghee mentioned in the ‘Garnish‘ section).
25. Spread a layer of gravy and some chicken pieces. Top it with a layer of rice and spread little ghee, cashew nuts and coriander leaves.
26. Repeat the above step till you have a last layer of rice, decorate with the remaining, coriander leaves, cashew nuts, fried onions and ghee, evenly across the top.
27. Secure the lid on the dough. In a pre-heated oven, cook for 30 mins on medium.
28. Serve hot with a cooling cucumber raita, lime pickle, masala poppadum and sweetened Indian butter milk (aka Lassi).
29. You could also hard-boil eggs, quarter them and decorate on the rice.

Fatayer bil-Sabanegh / Spinach Triangles Recipe

Makes 25-30

The dough for these triangles is used with a number of fillings to make both the triangles below, and the fried crescents known as sambusak in the following recipe. You can vary on the spinach filling here by using purslane (leaves only), sorrel, Swiss chard, dandelion or wild thyme. Whichever you chose, the quantities and instructions will be the same as below.

Ingredients

150g plain white flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush dough
200 g spinach, shredded into thin strips
1 small onion, very finely chopped
¼ tsp Adonis ground black pepper
1 tbsp Adonis sumac
1 tbsp pine nuts
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cooking instructions

Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the oil to the well and, with the tip of your fingers, mix the oil with the flour until well incorporated. Gradually add 90-100 ml water (it is difficult to measure the exact amount of water as it depends on the brand of flour you are using), knead until you have rough dough.

Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Invert the bowl over the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Knead for another 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Put the chopped spinach in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and rub the salt in with your fingers until the spinach wilts. Squeeze the spinach dry and place in a clean bowl. Separate the leaves.

Put the chopped onion in a small bowl. Add a little salt and Adonis ground black pepper and rub the seasoning in with your fingers to soften it. Add to the spinach together with the Adonis sumac, pine nuts, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. The filling should be quite strongly flavored to offset the rather bland pastry. Cover with ac clean kitchen towel and set aside.

Divide the dough into two balls. Place one on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it slightly and sprinkle with a little flour. Roll out into a large circle, about 2 mm thick, turning over the dough regularly and sprinkling with a little flour every now and then so that it does not stick. Use a 7 cm round pastry cutter (if you do not have pastry cutters, use a thin edged glass or cup) to cut the flattened pastry into as many circles as you can. Pick up the excess pastry, knead together and let it rest under the damp cloth.

Preheat the oven the oven to 230 degree.

Turn the circles over, put a teaspoon of stuffing in the middle of a circle. Lift two sides each one third of the circle, and with your thumb and index finger pinch them together half way down, making a thin raised joint. Lift the open side if the circle and pinch it equally to both loose ends to form a triangle with a thin raised inverted y in the middle-make sure you pinch the pastry tightly together so that it does not open during baking. Carefully transfer the filled triangle onto a non-stick baking sheet, or one lined with a silicone pastry mat or parchment paper, and makes the remaining triangles until you have finished both dough and filling. Brush them with a little olive oil.Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. These freeze very well, either before baking or after. All you have to do is to let them thaw and either bake them as above, or reheat in a medium oven.

Sayadiyeh / Lebanese Fish "Risotto" Recipe

Serves 4

You can turn this plain sayadiyeh into a "Sayadiyeh Royale" by adding 60g pine nuts - saute the nuts in a little butter until golden brown and stir into the rice just before serving.

Ingredients

400g white short grain rice
500g fish heads
1 kg white fish filets or steaks
Sea salt
Vegetable oil for frying
4 medium onions, sliced
1 tsp Adonis Fish Spices
1 lemon, quartered

Cooking instructions

Rinse the rice under cold water, then let soak in cold water for about half an hour.

Put the fish heads in a saucepan. Add 900 ml water and place over a medium heat. Just as the water is about to boil, skim the surface clean. Boil gently for 15 minutes.

Rinse the fish filets or steaks in cold water. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and rub them lightly with salt. Fill a large, non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 cm. and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot - dip a piece of bread in the oil; if the oil bubbles around it, it is ready - fry the fish for 1 minute on each side to seal it. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a double layer of kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.

Add more oil to the pan to deep fry the onions and wait until the oil is very hot before adding the sliced onions. Fry until they caramelize and turn a rich brown - be careful not to let them burn. Remove with a slotted spoon onto several layers of kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. Spread the onions thinly to drain well and become crisp.

Strain the fish stock. Return to the pan and add three quarters of the fried onions. Reserve the rest for the garnish. Bring back to boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the stock takes the color of the onions. Strain the brown stock. Liquidize the onions and return to the stock.

Put the stock and onions in a clean saucepan and place over medium heat. Drain the rice and add to the stock together with any loose fish flakes from the fried filets or steaks. Season with the Adonis Fish Spices and salt to taste and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is done and the liquid is fully absorbed. Place the fish filets on top of the rice. Wrap the lid of the pan with a clean kitchen towel and replace over the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes, or until the fish is done to your liking. Carefully transfer onto a serving dish, making sure you place the fish in top of the rice. Scatter the reserved crisp onions all over. Serve hot or at room temperature with the lemon quarters.

Shish Taouk / Chicken Kebabs Recipee

Serves 4-6

Here is a wonderful variation on shish kebab, which you can also prepare with drumsticks or chicken wings.

Ingredients

800g boneless chicken meat (both white and dark) , cut into pieces about 3 cm squared
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
1 tsp Adonis Shish Taouk Spices
Sea salt
1 large pita bread, opened at the seam
10 large cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
Sea salt
100 ml sunflower oil
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp full fat yoghurt (labneh)
1 medium potato, boiled and mashed
1 large pita bread, opened at the seam

Cooking instructions

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken. Mix in well. Let it marinate for about 2 hours.

Put the chopped garlic and a little salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle until reduced to a very fine paste. Drizzle in the oil very slowly, stirring constantly as if you were making mayonnaise. You should end up with a dip with a consistency that is a little looser than mayonnaise. If you find the dip too strong, add strained yoghurt or mashed potatoes or a combination of both. You can also make the dip in a food processor if you have a small enough bowl for the amounts given above.

Turn your grill on to maximum heat or prepare a charcoal fire-the latter being an unbeatable way to grill the meat.

Thread equal quantities of chicken cubes onto 8-12 long metal skewers. Dont cram the pieces too close to each other to allow them to cook evenly. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until done to your liking. Arrange the two layers of pita bread one on top of the other. Slide the chicken kebabs off the skewers onto the bread. Serve immediately with the garlic dip.