White Beans Soup فاصوليا بيضة

This is a vegetarian soup that is filling and very delicious.  I usually purchase dry beans and soak them in water overnight. The next day, I strain them and follow the recipe. Make sure to add salt when beans are cooked, otherwise they will take a long time to cook.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound white beans soaked in water

6 cups boiling water

1 (8-ounce can) tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Heat oils in a deep pot and sauté the onions for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and beans.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Check the beans if they are soft and cooked. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and stir. Cook for 20 more minutes and add more water if needed. Add vinegar and check the salt and seasoning. Serve in a bowl as a soup or with white rice. Bean soup thickens when it cools. You can add more water when reheating it.

Sesame Bread-Qosa, Gursa. كرصة الموصل بالسمسم

This is typical bread baked in the northern part of Iraq. My aunt who lived in Mosul used to bake it in a tannour oven, but I successfully bake it in a conventional oven.

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

3 ½ cup all purpose flour

½  cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 egg, beaten

1/2  cup sesame seeds

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup of warm water, and add sugar and stir. Cover and set aside to activate the yeast, and should starts bubbling within 5 minutes.

Measure the flour in a bowl and add the salt and nigella seeds, fennel and stir. Pour the oil in the flour and rub it in your hands a little. Pour the yeast mixture and the rest of the warm water, and stir.

Knead the dough using your hand or a food processor.  Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and leave it to rise in a warm place for one hour.

Remove the dough and put it on a floured board. Cut it in 4 portions. Form the dough in nice smooth balls and cover with a towel to rise for 30 minutes.

Take the ball of dough and flatten it using your hands. Slash the top with a knife. Bush with egg wash and sprinkle one tablespoon of sesame seeds on top. Arrange the dough on oiled pan. Cover with a towel and leave it to rise for 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F. for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven.

When cool, keep this bread in the fridge or put them in the freezer bag and freeze, until ready to use.
This is very delicious bread to serve with feta cheese with tea or with dinner. Enjoy!

Makes  4

Lamb Shanks with Potatoes

2 pounds lamb shanks

3 cups boiling water

1 cup tomato sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Arabian Spice(combination of cinnamon,allspice,cardamom,black pepper)

3 potatoes, peeled and sliced in ½ inch slices

Place lamb shanks in a deep pot. Sauté for 5 minutes and turn on both sides. Add onions, garlic, salt and spices and stir. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add water and stir. Cover pot and simmer on medium low heat for 90 minutes. When shanks are tender, add the potatoes and adjust the salt and spices. Simmer for 30 more minutes until potatoes are tender.

Serve with saffron rice, and salad.

Wheat Berry Salad

This salad is very filling and you can enjoy it as a vegetarian dish or as side dish with grilled meat.

You can purchase this wheat from Middle Eastern grocery stores or Health Food stores. We usually cook this wheat as a pilaf with meat stock and serve it warm with lamb shanks or chicken. I wanted to make a salad to serve with crab cakes and decided to boil the berries and mix with veggies.

Wheat berries take at least one hour to cook. I try to soak them in water overnight or for a few hours before I boil them. They will cook faster within 20 minutes.

2 cups wheat berries, soaked in water for 6 hours

4 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

1 Persian cucumber chopped

5 radishes, chopped

½ cup parsley, chopped

1 sprig of scallions, chopped

½ cup black olives

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

In a deep pot, bring water to a boil. Strain the wheat berries and put them in boiling water. Cover the pot halfway and leave it to cook for 30 minutes. When the berries are soft, put the wheat berries in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Transfer the berries to a salad bowl and drizzle the vinegar and olive oil, and lemon juice over the berries. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Add olives, cucumbers, scallions, parsley and radishes, and stir. Cover and refrigerate for an hour for the flavors to blend.

You can add chopped tomatoes and celery if you wish.

Serve it with grilled chicken, or fish.

Eggplant Omelet

This is a very filling and satisfying omelet. I grilled vegetables on an outdoor grill. I had leftover eggplants and decided to make this dish for a brunch, or a light dinner. Traditionally, we dice the eggplants and sauté them in oil until soft. In this recipe, I used grilled eggplants.

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to drizzle over eggplants

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper, or Arabian spice

1 large American eggplant

½ cup scallions, chopped

½ cup leek, sliced

½ cup green pepper, chopped

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

Slice the eggplant in half an inch thick. Sprinkle salt over the slices. Put eggplant in a colander to drain for 30 minutes.

Pat the slices with paper towel to remove moisture, and spread on a baking sheet.  Drizzle extra olive oil over the slices. Put the slices under the broiler for 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions, leeks and green peppers for 5 minutes.  Season with salt and spices.  Arrange a layer eggplant over the onion mixture.

Crack the eggs in a bowl, and scramble them. Pour the eggs over the eggplants. Cover and cook on top of the stove for 5 minutes until eggs are set.  Sprinkle the parsley over the omelet and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with bread.

Vegetarian Bulgur with Peasالبلغر مع البزالية

When my friends invited me for grilled kabob, I decided to make this dish to take with me. It is perfect to serve with meat kabob or vegetable kabob.

1 ½ cup coarse bulgur

1 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Arabian spice (bahar)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen peas

½ cup pitted black olives

¼ cup water

In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add salt, and drop the bulgur in the water. Leave it to boil for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the stove and pour the bulgur into a colander to drain.

In a deep pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions. Season with salt and spices. Add the peas and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the black olives. Add the bulgur to the onion and peas mixture and add ¼ cup of water. Cover the pan and leave it to simmer on low heat for 15 more minutes until bulgur is soft. Check if it needs more salt.

Serve it with cucumber yogurt salad and pickles.

If you cook this recipe as a side dish, you can serve it with grilled kabob, or grilled chicken.

Phyllo Cheese Roll

These rolls are very delicious. You can serve them for a brunch or as an appetizer. You can prepare these rolls and freeze them. Bake them when you are ready to serve them.

Makes 2 rolls

1 pound feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup ricotta cheese

1 egg

½ cup parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried mint

½ cup fresh dill, chopped

1 pound phyllo

Olive oil

Put the feta cheese, ricotta cheese and egg in a mixing bowl and stir. Add parsley, dill and mint and stir to combine, and set aside

Use 5 phyllo sheets for each roll. Roll out the sheet of phyllo and brush with olive oil. Place another sheet on top and brush with oil. When 5 sheets are stacked and covered with oil, spread the cheese mixture along one side of the phyllo stack to make 2 inches wide filling.

Roll up the phyllo to the end of the stack. Place the roll on an oiled tray with the seam down. Score the top of the roll into 8-10 sections.

Bake in 350 F oven for 35 minutes. Leave to cool and cut it through the scores.

You can keep the roll uncut. Wrap it with foil and freeze it. When ready to serve, place it on 300 degrees F oven for 10-15 minutes. Do not microwave it. Phyllo will become soggy.