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In all honesty this ICSA worries me. Mainly for two reasons: 1) this forum has an above average share of excellent bakers and 2) I’m not one of them. So it was with mixed emotions that I began planning for Scientastic’s challenge. Baking was all but out of the question; don’t get me wrong, I can hold my own with pizza dough and my focaccia’s are pretty boss, but the baguette I attempted a few weeks ago could have batted four innings in my daughter’s softball league. That and I don’t have a working scale (shameful, I know). So here I was scratching my head when my (Syrian) wife asked if I could make Arabic food. -Like, we eat a lot of bread-, she went on - you know the expression…- And I did: the conventional “all roads lead to Rome” roughly translates from Arabic into “all roads lead to the bakery”. And there I had my epiphany because, guess what, not only do they eat a lot of bread but nothing goes to waste and bread makes its way into just about everything. In a moment it all fell into place. So with no further ado, I present to you a four course legit Levantine meal where bread is for once the star and not relegated to a basket somewhere on the table. Menu Appetizer Manakish Zaatar with Muhammara Salad Fattoush Main Course Lamb Fetteh Dessert Aish El Saraya Muhammara This bread, walnut and peeper dip owes much of its creaminess to the way we prepare the bread crumbs by soaking them in olive oil. 1 Cup day old bread (Ciabatta or baguette), cubed 3 Tbs Olive oil 1 Jar roasted peppers, drained ¾ Cup toasted walnuts 1 Tbs Pomegranate molasses 1-2 Tbs Harissa  Start by processing the bread into crumbs.  Add the olive oil.  And let the bread soak it up for 30 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process to a smooth paste. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors commingle. Manakish Zaatar These are quick and easy flatbreads topped with zaatar ( a mix of dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds) which can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack, warm or at RT. You can blend your own zaatar or buy it pre-mixed. Penzey’s has it in jars last time I checked. 1 Cup lukewarm water 1 tsp sugar 1 packet of active dry yeast  Proof the yeast for ten minutes. 3 Cups flour 2 Tbs olive oil 1 tsp salt  Using the dough blade on your processor pulse the dry ingredients together with the oil.  Add the yeast and process until a ball forms, about 2-3 minutes (watch out for overheating the dough.)  Grease the dough-ball with a little olive oil and leave it to rise covered for an hour, until doubled in size.  Split the dough into 8 balls and roll each one out into a small disc. Liberally brush the flatbread with a 50/50 mixture of zaatar and olive oil.  Bake on a preheated pizza stone at 425 for 7-8 minutes.  Allow the Muhammara to come back to room temperature and serve alongside the Manakish, cut into wedges for dipping. Fattoush This salad (along with the dish that follows) belongs to the Fattah family of dishes which use pita bread (toasted or fried) as a foundation. In this recipe the pita’s role is not that of an apathetic crouton but it forms the principle ingredient around which all others work together. To keep the bread crunchy, I opted to fry it (which makes it less prone to absorbing the dressing too quickly) but you could always toast it in the oven. 1 Tbs Sumac 1/3 Cup Pomegranate molasses Juice from 1 lemon ½ cup olive oil 1 Tbs dried mint 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp salt  Combine the dressing ingredients  Start assembling the salad. Canon dictates Romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and mint but you can add pretty much anything you like: peppers, radishes, black olives… Slice up 2 pita loaves (I like to use the larger ones).  Pan fry the pita in 1 Tbs olive oil until browned and crispy  Once you are ready to eat, dress the salad. Add some grated farmer’s cheese as a topping if you like or even grilled chicken (kids made me do it…).  The bread should stay crunchy for the length of your meal because of the frying. The tart dressing really cuts back on any oiliness. Lamb Fetteh If you must try any single dish, not just among the ones I have made today but any dish ever; In your life, this is it. Now I hear you say –but mentos, this is just a bunch of bread and yogurt, I know what those taste like…- Let me reassure you that fetteh, even in its simplest form is loving amazing and is miles away better than the sum of its parts. It’s like trying to explain lasagna or bibimbap to someone who only has direct knowledge of their components. The whole experience eludes them. So trust me on this one, you need to do this. If not just for the fact that’s its dead easy to make and scales linearly. Incidentally this is a breakfast dish, although I have always had it for dinner, and to be honest I don’t know how well I would function after eating my usual four bowls of it.  Soak ½ Lb dry Chickpeas overnight. Simmer in 4 cups fresh water until tender with a stick of cinnamon and a couple of bay leaves.  Combine 1 Lb each of ground beef and lamb, seasoning with salt pepper and 1 Tbs ground coriander. Roll into small meatballs.  Brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in batches , draining the fat between them.  Assemble the yogurt dressing. 2 Cups greek Yogurt Juice from 1-2 lemons 1 Cup water ½ cup Tahini 4 garlic cloves, minced Mix the dressing with a wire whisk, slowly adding the water to a thick pouring consistency. Toast two loaves of pita in the oven and when cooled smash them into pieces with your hands.  There are a couple of ways you can serve this: either you layer the ingredients in a baking dish and serve, or you can let the diners assemble their own bowl like we do. Fill your bowl with a handful or two pita chips, add a ladleful of chickpeas (make sure some of the cooking liquid moistens the bread), throw in a couple of lamb meatballs and drown in yogurt dressing. Now here comes the fun part: let everyone add their favorite toppings. At minimum you should have browned butter (a few minutes in the oven does the trick), ground cumin, toasted pine nuts and parsley. But you can go apeshit and pretty much anything goes. Try almonds or the pickled turnips you get in falafel sandwiches. It’s like a trip to Froyo, but completely different.  Everyone likes different proportions. This is mine. My wife’s almost looks like soup she adds so much yogurt. Aish El Saraya This dessert, which translates to “Palace bread” is a custard topped layer of toasted bread infused with the traditional Middle Eastern rose water and orange flavors.  You can either use pre-packaged “French-toast” (toasted slices of bread) or you can toast your own sandwich bread, crusts removed. Depending on the size of the bread slices you will need 20-30 slices to make two layers.  1 Cup sugar 1 Cup water Juice from ½ lemon Zest from ½ an orange 1 Tbs rose water Make a simple syrup, by heating the water, lemon and sugar until dissolved. Let cool slightly and flavor with the rose water and zest.  Starting with the first layer, drench the toast in syrup, cover with another layer of bread and repeat.  2 Cups milk 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 1 Cup of heavy cream 4-5 Tbs corn flour Mix the custard ingredients together on a low flame, until it begins to thicken. Let cool until lukewarm.  Pour the cream custard over the bread and allow to reach room temperature  Sprinkle with a uniform layer of ground raw pistachos  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  The combination of creaminess from the custard and the floral aromas of the sweet bread base, is really incredible. This thing went in 1 day in my house, although it should serve 10-12 and there is only four of us… So there you have it. I am very pleased with how cohesive (culturally speaking) the menu turned out. The food tasted really awesome BTW, and for once I made my wife happy. It’s with my head held up high that I submit this entry into the upcoming fray of sourdough buns, French baguettes and rosemary gently caress-the-whatevers that you baking crowd will unleash. Me, I have done my part.
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Jun 1, 2015 20:08
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| # ? May 6, 2024 22:57 |
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Manakish zaatar looks like the sort of thing I'd make a big batch of over the weekend, thinking I'd have it for the whole week and by Monday night it'd all be gone. Nice job.
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Jun 1, 2015 20:28
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Looks really delicious. I love me some fattoush.
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Jun 1, 2015 22:29
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I might kill myself with Palace Bread some day.
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Jun 2, 2015 00:52
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Good job. I am definitely going to have to try making fetteh! I love the fact that the whole meal was a coherent menu. Still time to submit a bready drink...
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Jun 2, 2015 08:55
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Yes, all looks very good. The Levant was the first place I thought of for inspiration in this - I'm glad that's where you went.
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Jun 2, 2015 18:00
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Veritek83 posted:Manakish zaatar looks like the sort of thing I'd make a big batch of over the weekend, thinking I'd have it for the whole week and by Monday night it'd all be gone. I often half-rear end manaish (another common pronunciation) with pre-made naan and a few pieces of white cheddar or mozzarella cheese, since finding Akkawi cheese in the US is a pain. This is about the only thing my husband can handle making on his own, once I showed him how, and he's adept at making it for me + houseguests when we're all hung over from the night before. But, as you pointed out, making it from scratch is clearly the better option. Well done you!
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Jun 12, 2015 01:29
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the_chavi posted:I often half-rear end manaish (another common pronunciation) with pre-made naan and a few pieces of white cheddar or mozzarella cheese, since finding Akkawi cheese in the US is a pain. This is about the only thing my husband can handle making on his own, once I showed him how, and he's adept at making it for me + houseguests when we're all hung over from the night before. But, as you pointed out, making it from scratch is clearly the better option. Well done you! Thank you so much! We are fortunate to have a Lebanese bakery close by, that's where I got the bread and the Aklawi for the Fattoush.
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Jun 12, 2015 13:30
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This looks amazing. I'd eat that in a heartbeat. My wife LOVES muhamarra.
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Jun 12, 2015 20:53
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I loving LOVE zaatar! You also did a great job of being creative while keeping it within a consistent cuisine, which can be difficult. I've never had that dessert, though... I 'll have to try it out sometimes, it sounds amazing.
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Jun 18, 2015 14:24
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| # ? May 6, 2024 22:57 |
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this looks really fuckin tasty. I was meh on the icsa theme (mainly because I, too am a horrible baker), but I saw a mentos entry and had to click. gonna go read all the others now too, excellent entry!
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Jun 19, 2015 22:16
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