Philoxenia: Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk & Roasted Almond Flakes

A quick search on the internet will explain the meaning of the Greek word philoxenia as the equivalent of hospitality or lover of strangers.  

Nowhere like in the Middle East can you experience a deeper sense of hospitality and generosity. In a land where even time stands still, melted under the intensity of the desert sun, people have a passive awareness of the passage of time: Salaam, and a stranger is greeted, with a warm, yet firm shake of hand, a broad smile and the gesture to come in. No matter where you go - a modest bedouin tent, a luxurious weekend 5-star tent, a simple rented city apartment or the villa of a wealthy family, a stranger will be invited into the front room: a large saloon decorated with big Persian rugs in bold colours, cushions, small coffee tables and sofas placed along the walls. Along with the small talk comes the tea accompanied by a tray of sweets: basbossa (semolina cake soaked with rich sugary syrup), baklawa, or gatayef (small pancakes stuffed with nuts).

Tea is strong and served in small cups, then sugar is added and maybe a leaf of mint will be immersed to add some flavour to the black essence. 

*a photo of a photo* Tea in the Desert,  at an art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh

small coffee cup, art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh, May 2010

Time will go in circles in this cool, dark room which has now become a shelter for the thirsty traveller. Time refuses to obey the laws of physics in the Middle East. It expands and contracts, as if it were under a magician's wand. A problem is treated philosophically, yet with a sense of urgency that we cannot penetrate: mafi mushkila (no problem, in Arabic). 

The host and the stranger will easily find mutual interests and topics of conversation, in spite of what could drift them apart.  They mention the family, the weather, the guest's purpose to such a distant and heat-ridden country, the holidays, the job and the working conditions, the host's travels to the West, current affairs, and the world in general. 

Having in mind the stories of old, I will tell you about a wonderful spiced Lebanese tea that I discovered not so long ago. 

Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk and Roasted Almond Flakes

The Spices

coriander seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cardamom pod

The Tea

black loose tea/2 bags of jasmine tea/green loose tea (your choice)

Milk

Honey or Sugar

Almond flakes

Method

Crush the spices (star anise, cardamom, coriander, cloves, cinnamon) in the mortar and pestle.  

Boil the water. Add the loose tea and the crushed spices, the ground ginger, the sugar/the honey. Let it simmer.

Finally, pour the milk and stir.

In a non-stick pan toast the almonds - make sure you won't overdo them. They blacken in no time (learned that by trial and error!)

Serve the tea hot, topped with almonds.

a full cup of the Middle East

Once they fill with water, the almond flakes will sink to the bottom of the mug. They will hold a soft crunchiness that you will spoon when the tea is gone. The honey makes the tea light and imparts a mild sweetness which is sure to make this amazing chai a treat for you and your guests. 

"Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels" (from the Bible) Hebrews 13/2

"Tell me, Baba", said Joha's son to his father, why do you speak so little and listen so much?"

"Because I have two ears and only one mouth"  (from Tahir Shah's In Arabian Nights)

Ginger up! Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Lunch time today comes with a velvety spiced cauliflower soup. It's the easiest thing in the world to make when you are hungry, as it cooks so quickly. 30 busy minutes in the kitchen are over and it's time to call your family for lunch :)


Type of cuisine: Indian/Vegetarian
Mildly hot
Cooking time: 30 minutes


Oh, I never liked cauliflower :( ....until I discovered Indian cuisine. One day, I came across and fell in love with Aloo Gobi (an enchanting mix of cauliflower and potatoes with selected spices). 
The other day I had a fresh cauliflower in my fridge and going through the options, I made up my mind to turn in into a soup.


A hot soup with spices and pungent flavours is best recommended on cold, gloomy winter days.

The spices

2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger root

2 tablespoons of turmeric

2 tablespoons of cumin seeds (use them for decoration at the end)

1 tablespoon of (yellow) mustard seeds

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds (keep some to use for decoration at the end)

1 tablespoon of onion seeds

You will also need

a cauliflower head (fresh)

chicken or vegetable stock

single cream or yoghurt (I use single cream)

a small onion

Preparation

Break the cauliflower into florets and boil them for 15-20 minutes. Drain (but keep some of the water)

Method

In a pot fry the onion and the spices (ginger root, cumin, mustard, coriander and onion seeds) and cover- they will pop and splatter your cooker with hot oil! (And you could get burned as well).

Pour the water in which the cauliflower has boiled in over the spices and mix.

Add the cauliflower and use a vertical blender to puree the soup.  

In a small bowl, take some soup from the pot and dissolve a chicken/vegetable stock in it.  Add to the soup and let it simmer. 

Work in the cream/yoghurt and add the turmeric.  

To serve use the some cumin, coriander or onion seeds to decorate. 

The result should be light, creamy and very tasty. 

The ginger is the base of this delightful soup and it will give it a mild spicy flavour.  

As I can't handle hot chilly too well, most of my Indian dishes tend to be mild. This dish will surprise you with its edginess, given by the fresh ginger root. Don't substitute it for dry powder ginger from the supermarket. It will ruin your soup. Store the ginger in a cold place. It will keep well in the fridge for a couple of weeks. 

A Labour of Love: Beef Sharhat & 1001 Nights

Behind each dish there is a story. Either they are fascinating, mundane, personal, old, new, vintage, made-up or based on true facts, stories must live on and be told for the enjoyment of others or for reflective purposes as though stories we learn. 

I had Beef Sharhat some years ago in a beautiful restaurant here in Bucharest, El Bacha. It is there I discovered and fell in love with Middle Eastern food. Little did I know at the time about the variety of Middle Eastern cuisine, but in time, reading about it and living for two years in Saudi Arabia, I have perfected my skills and now I make lots of Lebanese dishes in a short time. I remember the first time I cooked Middle Eastern it took me six hours! Yes, practice makes perfect, so if you want to start cooking Middle Eastern, take things step by step, start with some dips (labneh, moutabal, hummus), then take your time in marinating the meat, and learn about herbs and spices. 

You will be amazed to see how easy (and healthy) it is to sample Middle Eastern dishes and how many people you can make happy :) Cooking is a labour of love: preparing the dishes with passion, sharing them with the people you love, sitting around the table and telling stories. 

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Lebanese


Cooking time: 30 minutes, but 3-6 hours for the marinade. 


Availability of ingredients: it would be nice if you could find fresh mint, if not, use dry leaves.

Preparation 

(the dish is for 2 people)

To make this dish you need a fillet of beef (the meat must be tender).

Cut the meat into thin slices & marinade it in crushed garlic, (fresh or dry) mint, cinnamon, sweet paprika, coriander seeds, cumin. The meat should marinate for at least three hours in the fridge to let all the spices blend and come together. 

Method

Fry the meat in olive oil until it browns.  

In a separate bowl dissolve a cube of beef stock and add 4-5 diced tomatoes. If it's summer, use fresh ripe tomatoes; if it's winter, use tomatoes from a can (I used half a can). 

Pour the beef and tomato mix over the meat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Add some more spices, to taste: extra mint, extra coriander seeds, more cinnamon.  The water will reduce, making the sauce a bit thicker.

I am sure you will just love it :) Looking at the photograph above makes me want to do it again, but I don't fancy eating beef today...

This recipe is my own. I have reconstructed it out of my recollections of the dish I almost always have in El Bacha. 

As a side dish, I have mujardarra - lentil and rice with red onion marmalade, or Lebanese potato salad - boiled potatoes with spices, and labneh - rich yoghurt with mint, garlic and lemon juice.

About all this, I'll blog some other time. I hope you enjoy both cooking and eating this dish. If you do, drop me a line and tell me all about it.

Traditionals shop in Granada Mall, Riyadh

Potage St. Germain with Strips of Chicken Marinated in Garlic & Coriander

It is a well known fact that, when under the weather, you feed a cold and you starve a fever. And rightly so, at least as far as feeding a cold is concerned. When it's cold outside and you have a cold, there is nothing better than a velvety chicken soup to tickle your sore throat and warm you up. 

Type of cuisine: French/European

Difficulty: easy peasy

Time: 10 minutes preparation time and 30 minutes cooking time

Traditionally, Potage St. Germain is made with the first fresh peas and lettuce of the season. Therefore, it heralds spring.  The site www.mahalo.com traces the history of this potage back to the time of Charlemagne, le roi des Francs.

"Charlemagne is credited with first bringing peas to France, but they were usually eaten dried. It was the Italians in the 14th century [...] who first grew “piselli novi”, “new little peas”, that were eaten fresh rather than dried. When Catherine de Medici married Henry II of France in 1533, fresh peas were [...] brought [...] to his court. [...] Within her lifetime France became known for “petit pois”. It wasn't long before someone thought of substituting the new green peas for the dried ones, and Potage St. Germain was born."

my version of Potage St. Germain

Since it was right after NYE and I hadn't seen the inside of a supermarket for a week or so, I made this soup with what I found in the cupboard/fridge/freezer. 

Here we go.

From the cupboard: garlic, onions, coriander, a handful of green lentils, a cube of chicken stock. 

From the fridge: 2 carrots, 1 pepper, a celery root (just a slice, for the flavour), parsley, and some cream

From the freezer: frozen peas and chicken breast (you'll only need a half)

Method

Fillet the chicken in very thin slices, Asian style. In a mortar and pestle crush the coriander seeds and the garlic. Mix and let it rest.

If there are any fatty bits, remove them and boil with more 2 slices of chicken breast to make your own chicken stock. Add the parsley for more flavour. 

Fill a pot with water and boil the vegetables.

When the vegetables are soft, remove them. Keep the peas. Sift the vegetable soup in a different pot. Add the natural chicken stock and dissolve the cube in this thin, clear broth. (Yes, the taste will be divine)

Mash half of the peas with the vertical blender or in the food processor. The rest of the peas will be added towards the end.

Now it's time to add the chicken to cook for 15 minutes or so. Add the mashed peas (and mix slowly) and then the rest of the peas. 

Before serving, add a spoon of single cream to make the soup smoother and softer.

chicken, green lentils, sweet peas

Mop it with a fresh baguette. And a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice will certainly chase the cold away. 

As a matter of fact, according to www.dukehealth.org, the expression "feed a cold, starve a fever is one of the many pearls of wisdom passed down through the ages by our well-intentioned but unscientific mothers." [...] "The rationale behind “feed a cold, starve a fever” may have been that eating food and drinking tonic helped the body generate warmth during a cold, while laying off the calories helped temper the inner heat during a fever."

chicken islets floating in a green sea

No matter where the truth lies, somewhere between myth and truth, there is no denying that this traditional French sweet soup is good both for the body and the soul. 

From Lebanon with Love: Spicy beef pizza

Yesterday I was so busy that all I ate was 2 bowls of Weetbix, which were delicious, by the way. However, I woke up with a mild headache so I decided to cook something more substantial. A quick inspection of my fridge/freezer brought the following ingredients to light:

* lean minced beef- half a tray

* diced tomatoes - half a can

* 1 red onion

* spices

* parsley

* mint

* pine kernels (for decoration)

* frozen dough (the naan I kept in the freezer)

Lebanese style pizza is also called Arayes- a meat pie. It's amazing to have it as a snack or for lunch, with labneh (yoghurt dip with mint), mutabal (eggplant dip with tahina sauce), hummous and green salad as side dishes.

spicy beef Lebanese pizza with hummous

Method

1. Put the minced beef in a wok and add the spices: cinnamon, coriander, cumin, garlic, mint, sweet chilly, grated onion. Fry the meat and add half a can of diced tomatoes (I used Cirio) and let the meat brown nicely.

2. Flatten the bread, brush it with olive oil and use a spoon to lay all the beef onto the base.  Chop some parsley, sprinkle some pine kernels and some extra tomatoes to keep the pizza moist during the baking process.

3. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and leave it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Although the original recipe uses lamb, I used beef instead as it is very difficult to find lamb in Romania, especially in winter. This one of the reasons why I make kofta with beef as well.

Mezze

This is a very easy recipe to make when you are a bit peckish and you need to feel a gap.

Hummous with pine kernels, Raita and Tamis

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Indian
Difficulty: super easy
Time: 5 minutes for the Hummous and Raita, 20 minutes for the Tamis
Cost: very cheap

For the Hummous, you will need:

a can of chickpeas

a jar of yoghurt

2 spoons of tahina sauce

cumin

coriander seeds

sweet paprika

a pinch of salt

freshly squeezed lemon juice

pine kernels and sumac for decoration

Method
Place all the ingredients in a bowl as in the image below.

Use the vertical blender or the food processor to mix everything thoroughly until it becomes a velvety paste.
Adjust the taste with salt and lemon and decorate it with pine kernels, a drizzle of olive oil and some cumin or mint.

Raita

a jar of yoghurt

a spoonful of cumin

salt

lemon juice

olive oil to pour on top

Method


Mix them and enjoy! 

Tamis

In a bowl mix the flour, salt and zataar (or thyme). 
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, pour it over the flour and knead for 5 minutes then let it rest next to the oven or a warm place.

Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle and flatten it.

Leave them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius till they swell and change colour.

Enjoy! 


(sorry for the quality of the shots, it wasn't a special occasion or anything like this, just a quick snack)