Musakhan Rolls

A memory of a unique, rich eating experience led me to exclaim, "This is it!" when I tasted it again, many years later. What had been to me the Holy Grail of Arab Cuisine led me once again on this pilgrimage to a platter of rice, onion, sumac and chicken dish of my early Middle Eastern years. Once the name was retrieved, I went in search of those who knew the ritual that created this long cherished tasting experience. Musakhan, (not to be confused with the Greek Mousaka) owes its deep, rich flavor to piles of slivered onions, gilded with olive oil and fried to a rich, deep brown, that which we call caramelized today. 

This humble Palestinian Bedouin dish belies its heritage, so rich and deep are the flavors of the chicken braised and infused with onion. It is then elevated to sophisticate with the subtle bite of citrus provided by the granular sumac. The chicken mixture is then piled on a crust of thin towel like bread called "shrak" in Syria, or when not available, split pita and served on a large platter in the middle of the table, family style. An ingredient which might give some pause is the generous amount of oil required which makes for a slippery, finger-licking mess. Not one that I'm opposed to wallowing in but this version is lighter and the ingredients wrapped in a neat and crispy wrap of Arab bread. And I thought I was so clever. On my recent trip to Jerusalem a wonderful café on the Via Delarosa served my musakhan rolls. I was outraged to think they had stolen my recipe but then decided to let it go as they have proprietary rights to anything Palestinian!




Mousakhan Rolls:

• 6 skinned and boned chicken breasts 3 tab. sumak
• Freshly ground black pepper salt to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil shrak – dish towel bread
• 3 medium onions, slivered 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. allspice & cinnamon, combined

-Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon. Brown in 1/3 cup olive oil then place in oven dish with oil, cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until chicken is tender.

-Saute onions in 1/3 cup olive oil until browned and soft (almost caramelized). Chop cooked chicken into small pieces and mix with onions. Sprinkle with 3 tab. sumac. Allow to sit for at least 1 hour.

-Drain mixture of oil and season with salt and pepper.

-Cut bread into 8-inch long and 4-inch wide strips. Place chicken filling at end of each strip and roll securely, not folding in edges.

-Slightly brown each roll in small amount of oil in frying pan, pressing with spatula. Cut in half at a diagonal and serve.

A Pasta Aria

            

        Bowties, alfredo sauce, bacon, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts - what a pleasure that they joined together to play this song!  And we have Magleby's, a restaurant in Provo, Utah to thank for conducting the original version of this symphony of flavors.  

             When vacationing from the Middle East we always topped our list of "Places we have to eat" with this little-known Utah Valley jewel.  Lured in by their fresh, hot cheesy biscuits and soups, not much appetite was left when the entrees arrived.  But this one's aroma insisted that we sit up and take notice!  This Pasta Aria is a creamy, nutty, soul-soothing, dish for a cold winter's night accompanied by clarion notes of sophistication.

Bowtie Pasta Alfredo
1/4 cup butter
3 tab. flour
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
6 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
2 tab. butter
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large tomato, seeded and peeled, cut into julienne strips
1/2 pound fresh mushroom slices
1 pound bowtie pasta
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
additional grated parmesan to sprinkle on top.

-In medium saucepan, melt butter.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Stir in flour and combine well.

- Let roux cook for about one minute stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add milk: blend with wire whip until smooth.  Add chicken broth and then cream and combine. Return to medium/high heat and stir with whip until mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add nutmeg and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese until melted.

-Melt 2 tab. butter, in medium sauté pan and add chicken pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat just until chicken becomes opaque, stirring frequently.  Remove chicken from pan.

-Add tomatoes strips, red pepper flakes and fresh mushrooms to the same pan and continue cooking until mushrooms are soft. Stir in spinach, cover with lid and simmer over low heat until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

-Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente in large pot.  Drain and return to pot and mix pasta with warm alfredo sauce.  Stir in the chicken, bacon and tomato-mushroom-spinach mixture. Mix all together and heat over low heat until hot. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

-Place in serving bowl.  Garnish with toasted
pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

-Serves 6 - 8

Follow directions to prepare chicken, 

bacon & vegetables.

Saute veggies and prepare Alfredo sauce.

Marinated Pepper Ribbons

        Curling ribbons of red and green tangle atop a bed of creamy mild cheese, dressed in a perky marinade of olive oil and garlic.  How playfully delicious!  Unravel one or an entire knot and place on crostini for a smoky pizazz of flavor tempered by the velvet of the cheese.  The vibrant colors speak to us before taste confirms satisfaction to the palette, and this appetizer of  Spanish tapas  origin, is a super dipper for crackers, or a crowning jewel to crostini .  

       The process of roasting and peeling the peppers is a skill that once you've tried and seen how easy it is, will spare you the necessity of purchasing jarred red peppers.  Place the peppers on an oven rack, high in the oven with the heat on broil and char the skins - yes absolutely char them -  until they are bubbly, scorched and blackened, then rotate peppers to another side.  When peppers are charred on all sides, remove them from the oven and place in a plastic bag or into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit and cool about 15  minutes as the skins loosen.  Some recipes recommend peeling the skins off over a bowl to collect any juices that run out to use in your recipe, but if you are not interested in saving the juices, it is much easier to slide the skins off under cold running water.

Marinated Pepper Ribbons
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil 
2 tab. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. fresh oregano or marjoram, finely minced
      (or 1/2 tsp. dried and crushed)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of sugar
1 tsp. capers
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 oz. softened goat or cream cheese 

-Wash and dry peppers.  Place on on oven rack under the broiler and broil on all sides until skins are charred and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and place roasted peppers into a plastic bag or into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rest 15 minutes.

-Under cold running water, rub the skins off the peppers, split open and wash out the pulp and seeds.  Slice pepper flesh into long 1/2 inch wide strips.  Place in a medium bowl.

-Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over pepper slices in  bowl.  Chill 30 minutes or longer.

-Mound softened cheese (cream cheese if you prefer a milder taste) in the middle of a serving platter.  Form into a round disc about 1/2 inch think.  Drain excess marinade off of peppers and place the peppers on top of the cheese.  Serve with crackers or crostini.

-To prepare crostini:  slice a baguette crosswise thinly and place slices on a cookie sheet.  Brush each side with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until they are dried and golden.

Spanish Pastry

Yes, these members of the bar-cookie family are as beautiful and delicious as the picture suggests! Spanish Pastry bears a resemblance to a Spanish torte, has the airy crunch of a French cream puff and yet the cream cheese frosting is as one would expect, uniquely American! A culinary hybrid perhaps? Regardless of its origin, this is a gem of a recipe and has been a party favorite (and a closet - last feast before the famine goody before starting a diet) choice for many years. My brother once said he would eat anything frosted with cream cheese frosting (we didn't put him to the test) but his wife rode a bicycle 2 miles to purchase the cream cheese for this recipe. Shared with me many years ago by a European woman who may have had her recipe cards clearly marked with the country of origin, these pastries are comprised of a unique pate choux body, layered on a shortbread crust, baked in 6 inch wide strips, cut into finger-sized cuttings, frosted and finally, garnished with almonds. Add some dried cranberries if you want a festive pop of color for either Christmas or Valentine's. Makes 36 servings.

Spanish Pastry
1 cup soft butter
11/2 cups flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tab. vanilla extract
sliced almonds

-(Shortbread) In medium mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup soft butter and 1 1/2 cups flour.  Blend until smooth (add 1 - 2 tab. water if mixture is not smooth.) On cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pat shortbread into two, 12 by 6 inch strips.

-(Cream Puff Pastry/Pate a Choux) In medium sauce pan, pour water and add 1/2 cup butter and salt.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat until butter is melted.  All at once, pour in flour and stir over heat for 2 - 3 minutes until mixture pulls away from the sides and balls around the spoon as you stir.

-Remove pate a choux dough from heat and place in electric mixture.  Mix for about 2 minutes at medium speed, allowing some of the heat to escape.

-Stir in 1 egg at a time, beating well after each (for about 1 minute on medium-high speed).

-Mound half of pate a choux mixture down the center of each strip and using a knife or cake spreader, cover the entire surface of the shortbread layer with the choux mixture.  Sculpt into peaks.

-Bake in 380 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until puffed and golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. (The pate a choux layer may collapse some upon cooling.)

-In a mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and well blended.  Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Frost cooled pastry and garnish with almonds.  Allow to sit for an hour or so or chill, then cut crosswise into finger length strips.  Makes 36 servings.

Caroling Sandwiches

"Caroling, Caroling Now We go..." sometimes in costume, sometimes with lanterns, often in tune and always with bellies warmed by the comforting glow of hearty soups and Caroling Sandwiches - so named not because they sing but because we always prepare them for this annual event.  I acquired this recipe for hot  ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches in soft buttery rolls (carolers always scorn my short-cut efforts when I use anything other than homemade) - from a friend who had lived in Israel for several years.  I don't know the origin of this recipe but I doubt it is Israeli due to the unkosher character of the ham cavorting with cheese, no less, but the piquante nutty velvet of the butter and mayo sauce in trio with smoky ham and melted Swiss cheese bursting at the seams, is as glorious as the music of any heavenly choir!

Caroling Sandwiches
12 soft ranch or potato rolls, split
12 slices deli ham
12 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup soft butter
2 tab. finely minced green onion
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tab. poppy seeds

-Blend until smooth:  butter, onion, worcestershire sauce, mustard, cheese, mayo and seeds.

-Spread liberally on each roll half.  Place slice of ham and cheese in middle of each roll.  Place filled rolls on cookie sheet and cover loosely with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Potato Refrigerator Rolls (A favorite for Caroling Sandwiches)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm mwater
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes
7 - 7 1/2 cups flour

-Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, potatoes and 4 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  

-Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl, then turn greased side up. Cover bowl tightly.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until ready to  use.  (Dough can be kept up to 5 days in refrigerator.)  

-Punch down dough by kneading lightly. Shape dough as desired for rolls. Let rise  in warm place, covered with towel or plastic wrap for 1 1/2 hours before baking.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

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.

Lubia bi Zait (Middle Eastern Green Beans)

      Green beans, sauteed onions and juicy tomatoes make beautiful music as solitary notes of garlic and lemon juice ply us to the table. Yes, it's all healthy and hearty, but it's the crunchy squares of fried pita bread nestled in tangy labneh garnishing the top that sets my fork to tapping. 

      Lubia (green beans) bi Zait (in oil) is something of a green bean stew indigenous to the Levant (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria). Soumaya, our Lebanese friend, called this a common family dish and would also add browned ground beef to make a meal of it. (Labneh is a thickened yogurt product similar in thickness to sour cream but much more tart. Plain Greek yogurt will do the trick!)

Lubia bil Zeit

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed of stems
3 large ripe tomatoes diced or 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 medium onions, slivered
4 cloves of garlic crushed
4 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
3 loaves pita bread, cut in 1 inch squares
1/4 cup oil for frying

-Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onions and fry till soft and golden.  Add garlic and beans. Keep frying on low heat for 15 minutes, or till the beans start to soften. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes. 

-Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in another skillet.  Add pita bread squares and fry turning frequently until they are browned and golden.  Set aside.

-Serve beans warm or at room temperature, topped with thickened yogurt (Greek style) and garnished with pita croutons.  Serves 6 - 8.