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.

Zibibiya-New Year Soup

We usually make this soup for the New Year, and drop rice (kibbi-kubba) to cook in the soup.

1 pound stewing lamb with bones

10 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup dibis(date syrup)

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup pited dates

1 cup dried figs

1 cup dried apricots(optional)

2 tablespoon syrup

whole spices: 6 cardamoms,6 cloves,1 cinnamon stick, 6 allspice

1 tbs dried mint

1 tbs dried parsley

Place the stewing lamb and water in a big pot. When it comes to boil, simmer for 40 minutes until the lamb is tender. Add the dried fruit, syrup, salt and nuts. Reduce heat and simmer the lamb sauce for 30 minutes.

Drop the rice kibbi and boil for 20 minutes, until they rise to the top of the soup; add mint and parsley.

Happy New Year

Lamb Chickpea Soup-Shorba

1 pound lamb shank or stewing lamb

2 medium size onions, sliced

2 (15/1-ounce) cans chickpeas

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Arabic spice (mixture of clove, cinnamon, allspice and black pepper)

6 cups water

Wash the lamb and saute it in the pot for 5 minutes. Add onions, water, salt and spices. Bring the pot to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until lamb is tender and falls off the bone.

Drain the chickpeas and add to the soup. simmer for 20 minutes; add more salt if needed.

If you are using dry chickpeas, soak them overnight in water. Drain the water and add to the meat and onions to cook together for an hour.

You can substitute the meat with chicken and you could add dried limes (noomi basra) to the soup to give it a sour flavor.
Serve it in soup bowls with toasted bread. You could place bread in a boul and ladel the soup ove the bread. Then we call it Thireed.

Makes 4 servings.

Coconut Macaroons-Joz il-Hind معجنات جوز الهند

For this recipe, you could add 2 tablespoons of rosewater if you prefer.

3 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconuts
4 large eggs (egg whites)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the coconut in a bowl and add flour, baking powder and cardamom. Whisk the egg white and add sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Pour over the coconut and mix by hand and shape into a walnut size balls.
Line a pan with parchment paper. Arrange the macaroons on the paper. Bake for 20 minutes
Remove the pan from the oven and leave the macaroons to cool for 10 minutes.

Make 3 dozens

Lamb Shank with White Beans Stew-Fasulia Beitha

4 lamb shanks

1 large onion chopped

1 pound white dry beans

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper or Arabic spice(Baharat)

2 dried limes (noomi Basra) optional

8 cups water



Soak the white beans in water overnight. Drain the beans. In a pot, saute the lamb shanks in oil. Add onions,water and beans and bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. When shanks are tender, add tomato paste, noomi basra, salt and spices. Cook for 30 more minutes. You could add more tomato paste if needed.
Serve with white plain rice.

You can buy dried limes from Middle Eastern markets. Wash them before using them. Crush them and remove the seeds. Drop them in the soup and leave them to boil for 15 minutes. They will add a sour flavor to the sauce.

Fresh Dates

Every Summer, during this time, I make a special trip to the Middle Eastern grocery store looking for fresh dates on the stem. They usually come in the market in mid August. They are crunchy and not too sweet. When I keep them on the kitchen counter for few days, the dates ripen and change color to light brown and taste very sweet.

Sometimes, I freeze a bag of them for use in the winter. These yellow dates turn light brown when I freeze them. They taste like candy!

Potato Kibbi-Potato Chap بطاقة جاب

You can make these kibbis and freeze them before frying or deep fry them and freeze them. Then you can reheat them in the oven before serving.

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes boiled
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
½ pound lean ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Arabic spice or
a combination of(allspice, black pepper, cinnamon and cloves)
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Place the potatoes in the food processor and pulse until well mashed. Place it in a bowl and add the cornstarch, breadcrumbs and salt, and set aside.

Prepare the filling. Sauté the meat in oil and add the onions and spices. When cooked, add salt and chopped parsley, and set aside to cool.

Form the potato patties
Take a small piece of potato the size of an egg. Form a cup in your hand and stuff the middled with the meat mixture. Close the pattie and flatten it. Make sure to wet your hands in vegetable oil while forming the patties. Place the patties on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze.

Heat oil in the pan and drop in the potato patties. Add more oil as needed. When golden brown, turn to the other side. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot as an appetizer.