Jewish Iraqi Meatballs in Schwandar (Beet) Stew

Someone special is joining the Cooking Middle Eastern blog, as my partner in culinary explorations. Eli Cohen is a native of Israel and his family is originally from Iraq...and he happens to be my life-partner (lucky me!). The most interesting and tasty cuisine I've tasted comes out of his mother's kitchen, based on very old family recipes. Here's Eli!

Hi everyone. Koubba (a semolina meat dumpling) is a signature dish in Jewish Iraqi cooking that comes in innumerable different versions of stew types. This version replaces the the Koubba with a meatball while the stew sauce stays the same. It cuts out some significant labor that the Koubba usually requires.

This beet stew is an impressive summer dish to prepare. Its full of color, very healthy and fun especially now when beets fresh and in season. Enjoy!

Halva cookies

Sometimes simplicity in a dessert or cookie lends itself to tasteful bliss. Such is the case with this delicious Halva tea cookie, which comes to us from the exquisite chef Offerico Maoz from Tel Aviv. It's so simple that I resist giving people the recipe, but here you go. Enjoy, my friends and may the wonders of this cookie dance on your tongue, as well!

A Trip to Tunisia

Hot like the desert. This is the descriptive that comes to mind when I think about Tunisian food. Many Middle Eastern cuisines tend to the softer and more subtle flavorings, however, Tunisian is all about the heat. Evidently, so is Lybian.

Spiciness stimulates the appetite. You know what I mean if you live in a hot or desert climate. Think about Mexican or Cajun/Creole cooking. If you haven't tried eating spicy food during a heat wave, try it. Those days of feeling blase, not wanting to eat anything will melt away with the first bite, guaranteed.

Khreimi is a remarkably good tasting, yet extremely simple to prepare (as in less than 30 minutes) Jewish-Libyan/Tunisian. Essential is the spice mixture and nigella, or black caraway seed, which can be purchased in any Middle Eastern or specialty foods store. Enjoy!

Moroccan Omelette with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Onion

I quickly came up with an amazing omelette this morning made with chickpeas that I cooked overnight to make hummus this evening. This omelette is cooked french-style, which is slightly runny, or uncooked on the top. The flavors are Moroccan (cinnamon and cumin) and it goes really well with harissa (Tunisian) and a nice loaf of French country sourdough bread that can be picked up at Tartine after 5:00PM Wed-Sun if you live in San Francisco.

Enjoy this delicious recipe!

I love strawberries. I REALLY love strawberries. Since the season is upon us, I think it most appropriate to post a great recipe I picked up written by Chef Michael Mina. This recipe is made with Grand Marnier and topped with an amazingly refreshing Chantilly Cream sauce. I'm making this tonight for guests coming over for just dessert and will be cheating by using a Bisquick shortcake with added lemon zest (recipe is on the box, GASP!) that my mom has used since I can remember.

A culinary trip to Africa...

This week I chose two dishes from Africa; one from Egypt and one from Ethiopia. Both are signature, staple foods from each country.

Milhouliya is a very common ingredient in Egyptian street food. You'll find it on every corner, served in a million different ways. This particular recipe uses Swiss chard instead of the native Milhouliya, which is a common weed that grows throughout the Nile Delta. You can find dried or frozen Milhouliya in any good Middle Eastern store sold in large bags...I just happened to find some wonderful Swiss chard at the Farmer's Market this week, which makes an excellent, fresh substitution. Combined with the garlic, fava beans (fuul) and lemon, this version is an extremely healthy and nutritious meal, served with rice, especially at lunchtime.

Doro Wat is, similarly, a very common dish found throughout Ethiopia. The spices are reminiscient of curries you find throughout India and there is absolutely no holding back on the quantities here! This particular recipe comes to us by way of Ethiopian Jews living in Israel and is a quick and easy dish to prepare. The traditional recipe is prepared with a cut (into 12 pieces) frying chicken; I North-American'ized this reipe by using boneless/skinless chicken breasts and thighs cut into 1 1/2" chunks, which taste just as good.

B'teavon and Ahava!

Food as Medicine

Have you ever given any thought to what people did before modern-day medicine? Before pills and surgery? Healing foods and herbs have helped people for centuries with many different ailments. Ancients understood the healing properties of the specific foods in their geograpical locations that could cure disease, cleanse the body and correct imbalances.

This week I write about three types of Kicheree, a dish very common in various forms throughout the Middle East and India. Kicheree is an Indian word for, "highly digestable." Kicheree is meant to be eaten during a time of imbalance like flu or colds, or time of digestive problems due to the nature of the ingredients and the way the ingredients are cooked.

Indian Kicheree is truly a healing dish, combining the holy trinity of garlic, onions and ginger. The Iraqi version is a bit simpler, but with its garlic, cumin, lentils and rice, healing nontheless. Did you know that the most perfect combination of protein and carbohydrate is lentils with rice?

Finally, the Iranian version of Kicheree (Adasi) is unique and very tasty with its spices (turmeric is an anti-cancer agent).

Enjoy!

P.S. I will be out for two weeks on vacation, so until then Namaste.