Zucchini Fritters (Middle Eastern Appetizers)

 

        What to do with the innards scooped out of your zucchini to make stuffed Kousa???  Have you ever had that quandary??  Probably not, unless you grew up 

in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) where stuffed kousa is prepared.  Well, I wondered on an occasion or two when living in Jordan, but another expat, who had mastered the art of Arab cooking supplied the answer....fritters!  You don't even have to make Kousa (the Arab word for squash) to create this recipe but can skip that step entirely and just grab the freshest, most convenient zucchinis you can find, whether from your own garden or the grocery store to prepare these delicious, crispy, easily prepared appetizers or side dish.  The tomato sauce is the perfect accompaniment and is actually composed of the elements that most kousa, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed eggplant, etc. are served in anyway.  It is a match made in Jordan!  (If you want to make the kousa just for the fun of scooping out the pulp, check my recipe on this blog under the name of "Kousa Sahel".)

Pistachio Butter Chicken Balls

      We arrived in Amman, Jordan at 9:30 pm a few weeks ago. It had the right smell, a hint of cardamom somewhere underneath the predictably hypnotic scent of jasmine, the right juxtaposition of white limestone against red tile roofs, the right feel to the translucent air.  The traffic was appropriately jarring and the revived memories firing.  We were back in our home of 12 years and we were exhilarated and exhausted.  This trip tweaking decades-old memories, piqued our every sense as well.  Exhausted though we were, we could not ignore the sense of taste and hurried at that late dining hour to Fakr Al-Din's, an enchanting restaurant in an old Arab house in the 1st Circle section of Amman.  Proper, black-suited waiters with pleasant "Ahlan Wa Sahlans", led us to our table, garnished with an edible, whole veggie salad garden centerpiece, and the garlic sauce and sumac that rendered it sublime!

      Chicken balls, a Fakr Al-Din's speciality - perhaps invention -  was a surprise years ago when we first applied fork to crunchy chicken shell.  The resulting eruption of melted butter from its core was a surprise but the velvety mild, pistachio mixture lolled milky on our tongues. One is a serving and only on occasion at that.  It had been eight years since we had sampled one but with my successful experimentation at its creation, it won't be that long again!

Pistachio Butter Chicken Balls

1 ½ pounds ground chicken breast

1 egg

1 cup ground pistachios

¾ cup room-temperature butter

2 tab. minced parsley

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

-In food processor, grind shelled pistachio nuts until fine.  Measure out 2/3 cups of the ground pistachios and return to processor with butter then process for about 1 minute. Chill mixture for 30 minutes.  Form mixture into balls about the size of a small walnut.  Chill butter balls until ready to use.

-In food processor, combine chicken, egg, 1/3 cup ground pistachios, ¼ cup panko bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Process until well blended.  Chill mixture for at least 1 hour.

-To form balls, take 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling. Working with damp hands, hold a butter ball in one hand and mold the chicken mixture evenly around the butter, sealing completely.  Roll chicken ball in hands to create a smooth ball. (You will need to re-dampen your hands every other ball.) 

-Roll chicken balls in panko crumbs, pressing crumbs firmly into the chicken layer to coat evenly and completely.  Freeze chicken balls several hours or overnight.  (Can be kept for up to a month in the freezer in a plastic bag or sealed plastic container.)

-Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil into a small pot.  Heat over medium-high heat for several minutes until the surface of the oil is shimmering.  Add the frozen chicken balls and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes until deep golden all over.  (Be sure the oil is not too hot.  The balls should take at least 5 minutes to cook to ensure the chicken is cooked through.  If you hear the oil start to splatter, butter is leaking out from the balls and you should remove that ball immediately.)  Allow to cool 5 – 10 minutes then serve.

-Makes 12 – 14 Chicken Balls.

Make balls of pistachio butter and mix

chicken mixture and chill both.

Wrap chicken mixture thinly

 around pistachio butter balls

and shape into smooth ball.

Roll balls in panko crumbs,

pushing to make crumbs adhere.

Place balls on baking sheet and freeze

  until solid, 6-8 hours or overnight.

Warak Einab Bi Zeit (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

         Um Amer (mother of Amer) was renowned throughout her community for her tightly rolled, pinky-sized Warak Einab Bil Zait (stuffed grape leaves cooked in oil) and her crunchy, succulent Kibbeh (stuffed meatballs) and I was duly impressed. So much so that I asked her, through her interpreting daughter, if she would teach me how to make them. The date was set, my notebook and pen primed but alas, when I arrived, she handed me a platter of already made kibbeh - not to say that I didn't enjoy them, but Um Amer shortly after passed away and the secret of her technique went with her. To this day my kibbeh are still sub-par and I have determined, the creation of my favorite Arab savory must be part of the genetic code of those born in the Levant. However, the Warak (called dolma in Greek)-well mine may not be as pretty and dainty as the neatly stacked pile of a hundred or so that Um-Amer served but they are very acceptable. 

       Warak (grape leaves) are filled with a rice-ground lamb or beef mixture, seasoned with cinnamon and allspice and laced with pine nuts and parsley. The meat may be left out for a vegetarian version. They are either served hot, warm, or cold, the hot version usually cooked in a pot amongst layers of stewing lamb or beef, sliced tomatoes, sometimes stuffed eggplant and zucchini and potatoes - a one pot meal! The cold version is featured as an appetizer as part of the mezza (appetizer course). Olive oil and lemon are added to the cooking pot, then the rolls doused with this magic concoction again after cooking.

         The rolling of the grape leaf is the trickiest part but don't let this deter you.  Once you've tried your hand at it a time or two you'll feel incredibly domestic in the Mediterranean vein!  Grape leaves can be purchased in glass jars in most groceries in the Italian or international sections, or frozen in Middle Eastern groceries.  I prefer the frozen as they are generally more tender.  Better yet, pick your own leaves off your grape vines or as I did this summer, from the neighbor's nosey, wandering vines.  The smaller paler leaves produce a more tender result.

Warak Einab Bi Zeit
60 grape leaves, fresh or preserved
6 ounces ground beef or lamb
1/2 cup medium-grain rice, soaked in salt water
1 large onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
5 leaves mint, finely minced (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, finely chopped
5 tab. olive oil
1/.2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 large sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

-Rinse grape leaves in cold water and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes in 3 or 4 batches.  Remove and rinse with cold water and drain.  

-Gently fry onion in 1 tab. oil until soft.  Add ground meat and brown, breaking up finely.  Add 3 garlic cloves and saute 1 minute longer.  Stir in mint, drained rice, parsley, minced tomato, 2 tab. olive oil, salt, pepper allspice and cinnamon.  

-To shape:  Place a vine leaf, shiny side down on work surface.  Snip off stem if necessary.  Place about 1 tablespoon of filling near stem end, fold end and sides over filling and roll up firmly.  
(See pictures below) Line base of a large heavy pot with unfilled grape leaves.  Carefully place filled grape leaves on bottom of lined pan, seam side down, snuggly fitting them into a single layer - if they don't all fit, create a second layer on top of the first.  Cover filled leaves with a layer of sliced tomatoes.  

-Pour water in pot to just barely cover tomatoes.  Add 2 tab. lemon juice and 2 tab. olive oil.  Place a heatproof plate or pie plate over the tomatoes to hold contents in place as they cook.  Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce to low simmer and cook the rolls about 40 minutes until the water is almost gone. 

-Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Remove the warak from the pot and place in large bowl.  Dress rolls with 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 large clove crushed garlic and 2 tab. fresh lemon juice.

-Serve chilled or at room temperature.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                 

Doights de Fatma (Stuffed filo "fingers")

          Yes, they are long and thin, like fingers, but the name is more curious than descriptive and I still delight in saying it for the humorous effect. “Doights de Fatma” – fingers of Fatma (Some maintain she was the sister of the Propeht Mohammed, some say his aunt, some his daughter.) At any rate, they are “finger-lickin’ good”! 

          Traditionally, in Tunisia, malsouka wrappers are used but we can approximate the requisite crunch with buttered filo sheets. Filled with seasoned ground beef, cubed potatoes and parsley they are rolled spring-roll style then fried to a golden crisp.  Upon each bite, they delightfully crunch into flaky bits; a crunch like that created by stepping on a dried autumn leaf or biting potato chips. The sensation just makes you want tobite again! A squirt of fresh lemon juice brightens the mild parsley and garlic components and velvetizes the milkiness of the potatoes. Anisa, a wealthy adventurous Tunisian hostess, shared a lighter chicken version, the filling similar to the tajin recipe. Gruyere cheese adds a nutty sophistication to the flavors and is accented with the addition of lemon juice as well.

Doights de Fatma:

2 tab. olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced

1/2 cups minced parsley

salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 dozen lumpia/malsouka wrappers or filo pastry sheets 

Oil for frying

-In large saute pan, heat 2 tab. olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute for 5 minutes until onions are soft.  Add ground beef and garlic,and saute until meat is browned.  

-Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper 

and stir in potatoes, parsley and eggs.

-If using filo pastry, melt 1/2 cup butter. Place 2 sheets of filo on a dry working surface.  Brush with melted butter.  Place 1/3 cup beef mixture on the short end of pastry sheets and press filling to 3 inches in length. Roll one time, encasing filling.  Fold 1 inch of edges on each edge over filling then continue rolling tightly to create a spring roll shape.  Rolls should be about 1 - 1&1/2 inch in diameter.  Set aside, seam side down.

-If using lumpia/malsouka wrappers, place wrapper

at a time on dry work surface.  Place 1/3 cup filling 

along one edge of pastry.  Roll tightly as described 

above.  Brush edge of pastry with water and set 

doights aside.  Fry as described above. (You do not 

need to use butter with these wrappers.)

-Heat 2 inches of oil in frying pan until hot (a bread 

cube should brown within 30 seconds)and place 

doights seam side down in oil. Fry over medium-high heat, turning until rolls are golden on all sides.  Pull rolls from grease with tongs and allow extra oil to drip back into the pan.  Set on paper towels to drain and cool slightly.

-Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges. 

Anissa's Chicken Doights de Fatma

2 cups shredded cooked chicken  

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 eggs

1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

1 cup cubed cooked potato

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup butter

2 dozen lumpia/malsouka wrappers of filo pastry

-Saute onion and garlic in 2 tab. oil until transparent.  Stir in chicken.  Beat egg and add to chicken mixture. Cook and scramble over medium heat until egg is lightly cooked.  Cool mixture.  Stir in salt and pepper, cheese potato and parsley.  

-If using filo pastry, melt 1/2 cup butter. Place 2 

sheets of filo on a dry working surface.  Brush with

melted butter.  Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture on the

short end of pastry sheets and press to about 3 inches in length.  Roll one time, encasing filling.  Fold 1 inch of edges on each side over filling then continue rolling tightly to create a spring roll shape.  Rolls should be about 1 - 1 1/2 inch in diameter.  Set aside, seam side down.

-Heat 2 inches of oil in frying pan until hot (a bread 

cube should brown within 30 seconds) and place 

doights seam side down in oil. Fry over medium-high heat, turning until rolls are golden on all sides.  Pull rolls from grease with tongs and allow extra oil to drip back into the pan.  Set on paper towels.

-Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.