<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal">Greetings to the list from Henry Kersey of Devon!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chicken Ghallaba</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” cubes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1/3 c olive oil or more/less to taste</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 cups chopped onion</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 T chopped garlic</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">8 T hot paprika (not smoked; can mix hot and sweet if
desired)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 t ground cumin</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 t chili powder</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 28 oz cans stewed tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 15 oz cans tomato sauce</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 large green peppers, cut into strips</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 large red peppers, cut into strips</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 cups sliced celery</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 cups sliced mushrooms</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 large carrots cut in diagonal ¼” slices</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Salt and pepper to taste</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(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.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mujadara</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">¼ cup olive oil</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 lbs yellow onions, sliced thinly</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 ¼ cups green lentils</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 ¼ cups basmati rice</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 cups hot water, in which has been dissolved 4 bouillon
cubes of your choice</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">½ cup dark brown sugar</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 t ground cumin</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 t ground cinnamon</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a great dish and is wonderful served with a dollop
of Greek yogurt or labneh, another cultured milk product.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hummus (a paste made of chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon,
with possibly many other flavors)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Baba Ghanouj (a paste made of roasted eggplant and garlic;
one of my favorites)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Almonds (coated almonds were also period, although probably not in
the bright colors of Jordan almonds!)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Various types of Nuts</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fruit</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dates</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Figs</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Crackers, Pitas or Pita Chips</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice, mint and other
ingredients; easily found canned at a Middle Eastern market)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sweets (baklava, cashew fingers, other types of
phyllo-wrapped sweets)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">Maamoul (amazing shortbread cookies filled with dates or walnuts; readily available at a specialty food store)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Turkish Delight (lokum), a jellied candy usually flavored
with rosewater, walnuts or pistachios</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">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.</span><br><div><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Henry K</span></div></div>