Eggplant with Tomatoes

Eggplant with Tomatoes

1 large eggplant, sliced
1 large onion, sliced crosswise
1 tomato sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (optional)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Arabian spices (combination of cinnamon, allspice, black pepper)
1 cup water
Rmove the stem of the eggplant. Peel the eggplant lengthwise in 1 inch strips. Cut the eggplant crosswise or lengthwise in ½ inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in the colander and sprinkle with salt. Leave in the sink to drain for 30 minutes.
Remove the eggplants from the colander, and dry with paper towel. Place in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over them. Arrange them on a baking sheet and place them under the broiler for 7 minutes. Turn the eggplant slices to the other side and broil until lightly browned.
Heat oil in a deep pan and sauté the onion, and add the green pepper, and sliced tomatoes. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange the eggplant slices over the vegetables. Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle salt and spices. Bring to boil; reduce heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Check if it needs more water or salt.
Serve it with plain white rice or Bulgur pilaf

Green Beans-Fasulia bil Zeit فاصوليا خضرة نباتية

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 (8-ounce can) diced tomatoes or one chopped tomato

1/2  cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Arabian Spice(cinnamon,black pepper,allspice)
1 pound frozen or fresh green beans

1 1/2 cup water

 In a deep pan, saute the onions in olive oil. Season with salt, and spices. Add the diced tomato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the green beans, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and leave it to simmer for 20 minutes until the green beans are cooked.

Serve with rice.

You can cook this recipe with stewing beef or lamb. First you cook the meat for 45-60 minutes. When the meat becomes tender, add the onions and follow the above recipe. This will be a main meal served with rice.

Saffron Rice with Meat Dressing الرز بالزعفران

We usually decorate rice with sautéed almonds and raisins for special occasions. The meat dressing follows the recipe.

¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups basmati long grain rice
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
a pinch of saffron threads or powder
4 cardamom pods

2 tablespoons rosewater (optional)

Pre wash the rice and strain it in a colander.
Heat oil in a pot, and sauté rice for one minute. Add salt , saffron and cardamom and pour the water. Bring it to boil. When the water is almost absorbed lower the heat, add rose water and leave it to steam for 20 minutes. Stir it and serve it on a plate. Decorate with almonds and raisins.

Meat Dressing
2 tablespoons oil

1/2 pound ground lamb or ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup blanched almonds or pine nuts

1/2 teaspoon salt
In a deep pan, sauté the meat in oil and add the onions and stir for a few minutes until the meat is cooked. Add salt and spices.
In a pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and sauté the almonds. When almonds are toasted, add the raisins and sauté for one minutes and pour the mixture in a plate until ready to spread over the rice.

Kabab Erbil-Kabob. كباب أربيل

1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons flour

Mix all the above in a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Take a handful of meat and insert the skewer in the meat. Shape the meat around the skewers. Wet your hands with cold water while working with the meat.
Grill on the charcoal grill for five minutes on each side. When done, remove them from the grill and sprinkle summac over the kabab. Serve with tannour bread or nan bread.
You can grill tomatoes, onions and other vegetables too.
Serve kabab with pickles, fresh basil, fresh parsley and sliced tomatoes.
If you are not using a charcoal grill, place the kabobs on a tray and put in the oven under the broiler for 5 minutes on each side.

Kibbi Yakhni-Rice Kibbi,Kubba كبة بالرز كبة تمن

We usually make these dumplings for Easter Lunch.
Soup
3 pounds lamb shanks, or stewing lamb with bones
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 (16 -can) chickpeas
Place the lamb, water and onions in the pot. Bring to boil and leave it to simmer for 90 minutes until lamb is tender. Skim off the fat that develops on top. Add more water if needed.
When the meat is very tender, add the salt and chickpeas. Simmer and then drop the rice kibbi in the soup. Leave it to boil until kibbi rises to top for about 15 minutes. Adjust the salt and add more water to the soup before dropping the kibbi, if needed.
To Form the Kibbi:
Stuffing
1 pound ground lamb
1 onion medium, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Arabian Spice or Bahar(combination of cinnamon,allspice, blackpeppr)
Mix all the above and taste if it needs more salt. Set aside.

Rice Kibbi
1 pound cream of rice ( You find it by the cereal section in the grocery stores)
1/2 pound ground chuck or lamb
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup water or more as needed to make a soft dough
Mix all the above the ingredients in a bowl. Put half of the mixture in the food processor. Pulse it, and add few tablespoons of water if needed to make moist dough. Pulse the other half, and mix together.
Take a small piece of this dough the size of a walnut. Shape it like a cup and place the stuffing inside and close it. Make a pattie or a football design of kibbi. Make sure to wet your hands while shaping it. Makes 24 kibbis.

Fava Beans with Rice-Timman Bagila باقلة بالتمن

You can find bagila in the frozen section in the Asian supermarkets or Middle Eastern stores.

You can use fresh fava beans, but you will have to peel every pod and bean.

¼ cup oil

1 onion, chopped

1 pound peeled fresh or frozen fava beans
1 cup fresh dill, chopped (shbint)
1 ½ cup basmati rice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup water
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or stewed lamb
Sauté onions in oil and add fava beans and dill. Add salt and pepper and ½ cup of water. Stir in the cooked meat or chicken. Leave it to simmer for 5 minutes. In a separate pot of boiling water, pour in the rice and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove rice from the stove and pour in a colander to drain. Add rice to the fava beans mixture. Stir it well and leave it to simmer on low heat until the rice grains are cooked.
Serve with yogurt and cucumber salad.

Lentil Soup-Shorbat Adas. شوربة عدس

This is a vegetarian soup. My mother used to cook lentil with chicken or lamb, but his recipe is fast, easy and delicious!

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup red lentils

1/4 cup rice

6 cups boiling water

Place the lentils and rice in a bowl and rinse in warm water. In a nonstick pot, sauté the onions in oil and add the spices. Pour the hot water over the onions and simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain the lentils and rice and add to the onion mixture. Bring to boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Skim off the scum that develops on top. Stir the lentil to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the salt and more spices if you like. You could fry some onions and add them to the soup before serving. Serve this soup as a side dish with kabob or with toasted bread.