[Cynnabar] Wassail! (and Food!)

[Richard Harper via Barony]

Greetings to the list from Henry Kersey of Devon!


While we are all busily preparing for our Wassail in Jerusalem next week, I
would like to write a little about the food of the Middle East.  Many of us
in the area of Cynnabar are lucky to be able to experience Middle Eastern
cuisine whenever we wish, as the local population bears a high percentage
of people from various Middle and Near Eastern cultures.


The Middle Eastern foods of our period are not much different than those
found today; we can easily recognize such foods as kebabs, pilafs and
sweets and savories wrapped in crispy phyllo dough.  The cuisine of period
Jerusalem would be redolent with rich spices and herbs, earthy vegetables
and meats such as beef, lamb, goat and chicken, spit-roasted, baked or
simmered slowly for flavor development.


I have attached a couple of favorite recipes should anyone wish to be
adventuresome and try cooking some of this wonderful cuisine.  Both of the
recipes are Lebanese in origin and personal favorites of mine from my own
cookbook.


Ghallaba is a slow-cooked stew comprised mostly of tomatoes, peppers and
paprika; it can be made with chicken, beef or goat, or also vegetarian (if
making it only with vegetables, I usually add potatoes later in the cooking
process).


Chicken Ghallaba


4 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” cubes

1/3 c olive oil or more/less to taste

3 cups chopped onion

2 T chopped garlic

8 T hot paprika (not smoked; can mix hot and sweet if desired)

1 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

2 28 oz cans stewed tomatoes

4 15 oz cans tomato sauce

4 large green peppers, cut into strips

4 large red peppers, cut into strips

4 cups sliced celery

3 cups sliced mushrooms

3 large carrots cut in diagonal ¼” slices

Salt and pepper to taste


Brown chicken in a large heavy pot in olive oil with the onions, garlic,
paprika, cumin and chili powder.  Cook until all of the juice boils away,
but do not burn.  Add the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, celery,
and mushrooms.  Stir and bring to the boil.  Boil for ten minutes, then
reduce heat and simmer covered for at least two to three hours, stirring
occasionally.  After an hour’s cooking time, check for seasonings and salt
and pepper to taste.


(This dish improves in flavor the longer it’s cooked; I usually assemble
it, cook for several hours, refrigerate and then cook for a couple of hours
the next day.  If necessary, it can be reduced further by cooking while
uncovered.  As you might have noted, this makes a *lot* of ghallaba; the
recipe does well being halved, but I have always made enough for several
meals at a time as the cooking time is extensive.  This is best served
(IMNSHO) over basmati rice or a rice pilaf with a dollop of excellent
hummus on the side.)


Mujadara is a dish which has roots in many Middle Eastern peasant cuisines;
made primarily of rice and lentils, it gets its signature smoky/sweet
flavor from heavily caramelized onion, cumin and cinnamon.


Mujadara


¼ cup olive oil

2 lbs yellow onions, sliced thinly

1 ¼ cups green lentils

1 ¼ cups basmati rice

4 cups hot water, in which has been dissolved 4 bouillon cubes of your
choice

½ cup dark brown sugar

3 t ground cumin

1 t ground cinnamon


In a large skillet or dutch oven (I use a chicken frying skillet), warm the
olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring
occasionally, until very caramelized.  Go beyond what you think is done;
you should have dark, dark brown onions with a few burned spots when you
are finished.  This may take between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on
the size of cooking vessel.  While the onions are cooking, place the rinsed
lentils in a saucepan, cover with an inch of water and cook over medium
heat, undisturbed, for 20 minutes.  Drain the lentils and set aside.  When
the onions have caramelized sufficiently, add the rice.  Stir to mix well
and sautee the rice for a few minutes.  Add the cooked lentils, water and
bouillon, sugar and spices.  Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and let cook until all the water is
absorbed; this may take 25 – 40 minutes, depending on the size of your
pan.  Check when all the water is gone; if the rice is still crunchy, add a
little bit of water and allow it to steam until done.


This is a great dish and is wonderful served with a dollop of Greek yogurt
or labneh, another cultured milk product.



If you would like to look a little further into recipes from the Mideast,
the internet (naturally) is a treasure trove of information.  One of my
favorite cookbooks is called ‘Feast from the Mideast’ by Faye Levy, an
American who fell in love with Jerusalem as a teenager, moved there, later
married a local man and was so captivated by the cuisine that she became a
chef and food author.


Middle Eastern foods and sweets can be located at several local specialty
food shops; in Ann Arbor we have the Mediterranean Market on Stone School
and Ellsworth, and the Aladdin Market on Packard, among others.



Middle Eastern culture prides itself on its hospitality, and a very
important part of that is meze.  Meze are small dishes like hors d’oeuvres,
and are always available to guests or part of a hafla or party.  We will
have a table of meze at our event and if you would care to bring something
to share, these are the type of dishes you might find:



Hummus (a paste made of chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon, with possibly
many other flavors)


Baba Ghanouj (a paste made of roasted eggplant and garlic; one of my
favorites)


Almonds (coated almonds were also period, although probably not in the
bright colors of Jordan almonds!)


Various types of Nuts


Fruit


Dates


Figs


Crackers, Pitas or Pita Chips


Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice, mint and other ingredients; easily
found canned at a Middle Eastern market)


Sweets (baklava, cashew fingers, other types of phyllo-wrapped sweets)


Maamoul (amazing shortbread cookies filled with dates or walnuts; readily
available at a specialty food store)


Turkish Delight (lokum), a jellied candy usually flavored with rosewater,
walnuts or pistachios


Thank you for reading; I hope this has given a little bit of information on
the foods you’re likely to encounter next weekend.  Should you have any
questions, please post it here and I’ll do my best to answer.

Henry K
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