Klecha Iraqi Cookies. كليجة بالتمر والجوز

These are traditional cookies that we make during the Holidays. We serve them to our guests with tea. I use the following ingredients when making a small batch of klecha. Makes 3 dozens

4 cups all purpose flour

½ cup butter or one stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4  cup warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 teaspoon nigella seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil baking pans and set aside.

In a small bowl, put the yeast in warm wa­ter and cover to rise. Combine flour, nigella seeds, cardamom, ground fennel, salt, oil and butter, and rub it with your hands.

Add yeast and water. Knead the dough and add more water if needed. It depends on the flour absorbtion of liquids. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Walnut filling:

1 cup walnuts, chopped

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

In a bowl, mix walnuts, sugar, and cardamom and set aside.

 Take some of the dough and spread it on the work surface with a rolling pin. Cut circles using a cookie cut­ter or a glass. Put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the circle. Fold circle in half-moon shape. Crimp the edges. Ar­range on a pan. Brush with egg wash, and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Date Filling: Use 8-onces soft baking dates or Majdool dates. Cook dates with ¼ stick of butter. Add ground cardamom and cinnamon. Let the mixture cool before using. Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap, and spread the dates on the board using a rolling pin to make a thin sheet.

Roll out a piece of dough on a cutting board. Cover the top with a very thin layer of date mixture. Roll the dough like a jelly roll. Cut 1-inch wide, and arrange in the pan. Brush top with egg wash, and bake for 30 minutes. Put the cookies on cooling rack. Store them in a cookie container.

Summer Squash with Tomato Stew

For this recipe, you could substitute Summer squash for zucchini or use a combination of both.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 medium  yellow squash, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon Arabian Spice

1 teaspoon salt

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon tomato sauce

1 cup water

In a deep pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt and seasonings and stir. Leave it to cook for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes until the squash becomes tender.

Serve as a side dish or as a meal with rice.

Butternut Squash Soup-Shorbat Shijar

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon Arabian spice or a pinch of (black pepper,allspice,cinnamon,nutmeg)
2 cups water or chicken stock
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Heat oil in a deep pan. Saute the squash in oil for 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic and season with salt and spice and cinnamon stick. Stir the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the water and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat until squash is tender. Check if it need more salt.
You could mash the squash with a spoon to thicken the soup.

Spinach with Chickpeas Stew

Have you ever looked at the bag of frozen spinach and wondered what to do with it? Well, here is a fantastic and flavorful vegetarian recipe of a stew that you can eat with bread or with plain white rice. You can use any kind of canned beans for this recipe.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound frozen or fresh chopped spinach

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Arabian spice (combination of black pepper, cinnamon, allspice and cloves)

1 cup water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon ground dried lime (optional)

1 (15.5 ounce) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

In a deep pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions. Season with salt and spices. Spread the spinach on top of the onions and add water, and bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and lemon juice and dried lime and chickpeas, and stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve it in a soup bowl or a side dish.

 

Feta Cheese Omelet

I usually serve this omelet as a light dinner or a brunch. It is light and easy to prepare. You could use egg whites if you prefer.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ teaspoon dried mint, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and pour the eggs in. Leave the eggs to set for 2 minutes on medium heat. Spread the feta cheese on top and cover the omelet for 3 minutes until set. Sprinkle parsley and mint over it.
Slide the omelet to a plate and decorate with a slice of fresh tomatoes and olives.

Chicken Stew with Cranberries

I got the inspiration of the dish when I sampled a Persian chicken dish prepared with pomegranate syrup. 

I decided to cook this dish with the ingredients available in the American kitchen. It is a delicious sweet and sour hearty stew. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion chopped, or sliced

1 pound skinless boneless chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup chopped almonds or walnuts

1 cup cranberry juice

1 cup red seedless grapes

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon honey or molasses

Heat the oil in a deep pan, and sauté the onions.  Cut up the chicken into cubes and add them to the onions and stir. Season with salt, spices and add the cinnamon stick. Add the nuts and stir.

Add the cranberry juice, cranberries and grapes, and bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat and add the honey and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve it in a soup bowl with bread or over plain white rice.

Almond Cookies-Louzina. لوزينة

This a very simple, light and delicious cookie that taste wonderful with ground cardamom. You could use other flavoringns such as rosewater or vanilla.
For this recipe, you need blanched almonds, toasted or raw.  You can buy them ready blanched, but to blanch almonds, you can put 1 cup of almonds in a glass bowl. Add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Place in the microwave oven for 5 minutes. Remove the bowl and drain the almonds in a colander.
Rub the almonds in your hands to remove the skin. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a 300 degrees F. oven for 8 minutes to dry, or leave them on a tray on the kitchen counter for 3 days to dry before storing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs (egg white only)
1 teaspoon ground cardamoms or 1 teaspoon rosewater

Put the almonds and sugar in a food processor and pulse until all almonds are ground. Put the mixture in a bowl, and add the baking powder and cardamom. Add the eg whites and stir with a spoon. It will make soft dough. Spoon the cookie dough on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place a blanched almond on top of each cookie for decoration. Bake for 25 minutes.
Makes 2 dozens.
You can purchase almond flour from the grocery stores but it costs much less to grind it yourself.

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