Ground Beef and Eggs Omelet-Makhlama. مخلمة

This is a very filling omelet that you can prepare for a brunch or a light dinner. You can always prepare the meat mixture ahead of time and refrigerate. Reheat the meat and crack the eggs. You could scramble the eggs if you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ pound ground lean chuck or lamb

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Arabian spice or black pepper

1 medium tomato, chopped

3-4 eggs

Heat oil in non-stick pan. Sauté the meat and add the onions. Season with salt and spices. Add the tomatoes and stir. When the meat mixture is cooked and tomatoes are soft, crack the eggs on the meat mixture and cover for 4 minutes until the eggs are set. Serve in a pita bread or bread on the side.

Iraqi Tea-Chai الشاي العراقي

The most popular brands of tea used in Iraq are Assam black tea, Ceylon Black tea, and other brands. They are dark and strong when brewed. Sometimes we add a stick of cinnamon to the teapot or a few pods of whole cardamom to falvor the tea.

There is other variety of teas that we serve in Iraq, and they are dried lime tea, and chamomile tea. Hibiscus tea is more popular in the South. These teas are used for medicinal purposes.

We usually consume tea throughout the day, and you can find tea stalls and vendors everywhere. We drink tea with milk in the morning for breakfast. Other times of the day, we drink it black.

You need a teapot, and a kettle with boiling water

Preparation:

2 teaspoons loose black tea or (Lipton loose tea)

2 cups boiling water

Granulated sugar, or sugar cubes

Put tea in the teapot and pour the hot water. Place the cover on top of the teapot. Cover the teapot with a towel to keep the teapot warm and steep for 10 minutes. We traditionally put the teapot on top of the kettle to steep.

To serve it, we put 1 teaspoon or more of sugar in the istikan, or tea cup. Pour tea to half full, and add boiling water to top of the cup. Stir the tea cup and drink. Be careful, the istikan can be very hot. We do not strain the tea as we pour it. Tea leaves settle to the bottom of the istikan.

Sometimes we serve sugar cubes on the side.

Note: we add boiling water to the tea when we pour tea in a cup to dilute it. Tea can be very strong, and gets bitter as it sits longer on top of the kettle.

Spinach with Black Eyed Peas

For this recipe, you could use frozen spinach. You can use lemon juice or dried lime which you can find at Persian and Middle Eastern grocery stores.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (6-ounce) bag fresh spinach

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 (15.5-ounce) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

Juice of ½ lemon or 1 teaspoon crushed dried lime

In a deep pan, sauté the onions and garlic in oil. Add salt and pepper and stir. Add the spinach, lemon juice and back eyed peas and stir. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve it with plain white rice or a side dish.

You can cook this dish with stewing lamb or beef. When the meat is cooked on top of the stove, follow the above recipe and add 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Serve it with rice.

Swiss chard Soup. شوربة السلق

For this recipe, you could add chopped carrots or chopped zucchini.

1 medium onion, chopped

4 large cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cooked white rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch of Swiss chard, washed and chopped

3 cups of water or broth

 Juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon dried mint

Heat oil in a deep pan, and sauté the onions and garlic for three minutes. Season with salt. Add the swiss chard, rice, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add lemon juice and mint. Simmer for ten more minutes.

Serve it with toasted bread.

Bulgur with Mushrooms

 I listed Arabian spice in this recipe. It is called Seven Spices or Syrian Spice too. You can find it in the Middle Eastern grocery stores, or purchase it online from this website (www.nutsonline.com). It is very aromatic and you can use it instead of plain ground black pepper.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup onions, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Arabian Spice

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

½ sup water

1 ½ cup coarse bulgur (no.3 or 4)

In a pot, bring water to a boil and drop the bulgur. Turn off the heat and leave it in the hot water to soften for 10 minutes.

Pour the oil in another pot and sauté the onions. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and spices. Stir for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil.

Strain the bulgur in the colander, and add it to the mushroom. Stir until well coated. Cover, the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is absorbed by the bulgur. Check it needs more salt.

Serve it with chopped scallions, sliced pickles and tomatoes. It tastes even better at a room temperature.

Recipes for Lent

During this time of the year Christians observe Lent, and abstain from all animal, and dairy products. However, fish is allowed, and canned tuna and sardines are consumed.

Our meatless menu includes fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, jams and pickles, and a variety of breads, and halva.

The recipes are economical, delicious, and easy to prepare. You can enjoy them throughout the year.

Vegetarian Zucchini

You can use yellow squash for this recipe too.

4-5 zucchinis

1 large onion, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 large tomato, diced

1 (8 oz can) tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

½ tsp black pepper or Arabian spice

¼ cup olive oil

Rinse the zucchinis and place in a colander. Peel the zucchinis and slice them in ½ inch slices.

Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan. Add the onions and garlic and stir for 5 minutes. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the onions. Sprinkle the salt and spices.

Add a layer of zucchinis and pour the tomato sauce over it.

 Pour a cup of water over the zucchinis and bring to boil, covered.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the zucchinis are tender.

Serve with white plain rice.

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