My First Maqluba

Since we're living in a bizarro, upside-down world, why not eat something similarly inverted (albeit far more palatable)? Time then for maqluba,  whose final presentation is achieved by flipping the dish to reveal a stratified plateau of meat, vegetables, and rice.  

Maqluba appears in varying forms in different schools of Middle Eastern cookery, though virtually all involve some form of animal protein (usually lamb), cauliflower and/or eggplant, cooked rice, and multiple spices. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound lamb meat (stew meat or extracted from chops)

• 2-3 cups chicken stock

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 1/4 cup chopped onions

• 1 tablespoon allspice

• 1/4 cup minced garlic

• 1 cup grilled sliced eggplant

• 1/2 cup chopped steamed cauliflower

• 2 cups rice

• 1/4 cups nuts (pistachios are ideal; I used cashews)

Directions

1. Combine lamb meat, 1-2 cups of stock, rosemary, onions, and allspice in a small saucepan. Cook uncovered over low-medium heat until lamb chunks are just barely pink inside.

2. Remove meat from any remaining stock and mix with garlic in a separate bowl.

3. Use all remaining stock (including that left in the saucepan) to cook rice until moist and fluffy. Place in separate bowl.

4.  In bottom of original saucepan, layer eggplant slices, then cauliflower, then meat. Add rice last and push down with spatula to compress layers.

5. Place a large plate upside-down on top of pan. Flip contents of pan as gracefully as possible onto plate.*

6. Top maqluba with crushed nuts and season with salt and pepper to taste.

*My technique, as you can see from the photo, needs some work as my maqluba emerged less angular and more hill-like. 

Recipe: Sheesh Barak

Last week my in-laws were town and Wyatt planned a wonderful surprise. He decided to make sheesh barak, Syrian dumplings with yogurt sauce (knowing I wanted to feature it on the blog but that its complexity intimidates me) and my father-in-law volunteered to do a photo shoot (knowing I have serious issues with food photography). I am so loved.

Master Chef deftly shapes the dough.

Dumpling Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 2-3 shallots (well chopped)

• salt, pepper, allspice (heavy shakes of all 3)

• coriander (optional)

He's obviously done this before.

Dumpling Directions

1. Knead flour well with a pinch of salt and about 3/4 cup of water.

2. Roll out dough on well-floured surface. Cut into 3-inch rounds (dumplings will be sizable).

3. In a separate bowl, combine lamb, onion, spices, and coriander. 

4. Place small scoop in center of each round.

5. Fold over as to form a pocket and pinch shut with knife.

Baker's Dozen Dumplings (plus 1 for good luck).

Sauce Ingredients

• 3 quarts yogurt

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 1 egg white

• 2 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon fresh mint

• 1/4 cup butter

Sauce Directions

1. Combine yogurt, flour, and egg white. Beat mixture thoroughly.

2. Transfer mixture to large pot and cook on high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.

3. Immerse dumplings in boiling yogurt mixture and cook about 20 minutes on low heat. Transfer to large platter.

4. In a small bowl, combine garlic, salt, and mint. 

5. Melt butter in a frying pan and saute garlic mixture for just under a minute. Drizzle over dumplings.

Eat until stuffed.

Recipe: Sujuk (Syrian sausage...sort of) With Hummus

Sujuk is apparently a very common Syrian dish as well as a specialty of Damascus but I managed not to eat it during my two trips. I even dined twice at Naranj, where SyrianFoodieinLondon enjoyed sujuk with hummus and it escaped my notice. Fail. One more reason why it's important to do research before you visit a country in order to compile a comprehensive eating itinerary. But also another reason (as if I needed more) to return to Syria.

Ingredients

• Hummus (duh)

• 1 pound minced lamb

• 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or garlic powder if you're strapped)

• 2 teaspoons allspice

Directions

1. Pan-fry the lamb in ghee until it just begins to turn brown.

2. Add garlic and spices.

3. Lower heat and cook until all water has evaporated and lamb begins to get crispy (but not dry!). Might take 20-30 minutes. 

Spoon onto hummus and eat straight with a spoon. Or, with pita bread if others are watching.

Recipe: Arayes

Don't judge a sandwich by its crust. My attempt at making arayes, a type of Syrian grilled sandwich turned out a bit sloppy but thanks to high-quality, unctuous lamb, fresh labneh, and good amount of chili, the contents were delicious.

Ironically, it was my choice of labneh rather than frozen pita that was probably the undoing of this sandwich. The former was unavailable fresh and the latter (more traditional) only frozen. Next time, I won't overstuff my sandwich and use pita in order to form neater, more compact pockets. Right now, I'll just enjoy this simple, satisfying snack.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 1 small yellow onion (chopped)

• 1 bunch parsley (chopped)

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• Butter

• salt

• pepper

• labneh/pita bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine ground lamb, onion, parsley, chili flakes, and allspice in a large bowl. 

3. Cook meat mixture in a pan on the stoveup until just hints of pink remain.

4. Butter exterior of bread pockets and stuff with meat mixture. Do not overstuff.

5. Cook on wire rack in oven; 10 minutes for medium rare, 20 minutes for well done.

Recipe: Hashweh

I know, I know, it's been fo'evah since I last posted. Although Bridey has been very busy at work and with writing projects, that is no excuse.  I began 2016 on a mission to explore the world of Syrian cuisine and I have barely made a dent in my itinerary.  So, this summer I am recommitting myself to eating, cooking, and researching Syrian food, with a special focus on Damascene dining. To that end, last night I attempted to make Hashweh, also known as 'rice stuffing.' Multiple Middle Eastern countries offer different renditions of this dish, but  there are certain components (ground lamb, medium- to long-grain rice, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, onion) common to most versions. 

Nothing that involves pistachios or raisins could be bad.

A while back Aussie Beef & Lamb gifted me with some generous cuts, which I used for an auspicious family gathering.  The last part of their present was a package of ground lamb, which the lazy cook in me was tempted just to use to make burgers with feta and mint sauce.  However, ambitious Bridey took over and decided to make Hashweh.  The recipe below is modified from that developed by Suzy at The Mediterranean Dish.   I used white onions instead of red and pistachios instead of almonds because for whatever reason I couldn't find slivered almonds (time crunch, couldn't handle advanced knife skills) at Randalls.  I blame their absence on Trump, because, well, these days I blame everything on Trump. Moving on.

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups medium grain rice
• Olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1¾ tsp allspice, divided
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¾ tsp ground cloves, divided
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• ⅓-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• ⅓-1/2 cup pistachios
• ½ cup dark raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain well.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy cooking pot. Add chopped onions in the oil on medium-high heat. Add the ground  lamb and cook 7 minutes.
3.  Add seasonings:  1¼ tsp allspice, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, salt and pepper. Toss together to combine, and cook until the meat is fully browned (8-10 minutes).
4. Drain from fat, leaving the meat in the same pot.
5. Top the meat with the rice. Add the remainder of the allspice, ground cloves and cinnamon. Add 2½ cups of water to cover the rice.
6. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil and allow liquid to reduce significantly.
7. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until moisture has completely been absorbed. Remove from heat.
8. Place a large serving platter on the opening of the rice pot and carefully flip the pot contents onto the platter so that the meat layer is on top of the rice.
9. Garnish with parsley, toasted pine nuts, pistachios, and raisins.

Don't skimp on the spices.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of using high quality spices in the preparation of this dish; also, for those like me who enjoy the type of winter-y sweetness that comes from cinnamon, add a whole stick.

Technically, Hashweh is a side dish, but technically so is macaroni and cheese, nothing prevents me from eating that as my main course.