Moussaka (Middle Eastern style)

I love aubergines, probably one of the finest and versatile vegetables that there is. I have to say though, thanks to various cookery programs and articles the British* seem to have some strange ideas about this vegetable. 

Even as recently as 10 years ago I remember watching Delia Smith salt the poor creature and then wring it out in a kitchen towel “to remove the bitter juices”. I am not sure where the fallacy that aubergines are bitter came from, quite possibly some early semi-feral variety. In my decades of aubergine eating I have only once come across one bitter little bugger and that was some teeny tiny baby aubergines I bought from an Asian grocery store.
So I say for the sake of the poor wee veggies, unless you are frying them in which case you want as much moisture drawn out of them as possible to stop them being a little fat-soaking-up sponge – don’t salt your aubergines, they really don’t need it!!!

This recipe is a halfway house between Lebanese style moussaka and Egyptian style moussaka (or mesakaa / messa’aa depending on the transliteration). Both sharing a name and perhaps a few similarities to the more widely known Greek dish. The Lebanese moussaka is vegetarian and contains chickpeas. It’s also usually a stew cooked on a stove top. The Egyptian moussaka may be vegetarian, though more often than not it contains lamb, especially when cooked at home. It also may or may not have a béchamel sauce like the Greek variety, and like the Greek variety it’s baked.

Ingredients
1 large aubergine
1 large tomato
200ml passata
1 large can of chickpeas
1 onion (thinly sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (crush 2 cloves, chop the remainder finely)
Bunch of coriander
Handful of ground walnuts (optional)
Handful of chopped black olives (optional)
Handful of grated halloumi
A splash of pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp ras el hanout (optional)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of harissa (or to taste)

1 Slice the aubergine into 1cm rounds and grill
2. While the aubergine is cooking, fry the sliced onion and crushed garlic in olive oil until softened
3. To the onion, add the spices, passata, chickpeas, pomegranate molasses, olives and ground walnuts (if using, I was clearing out the fridge and had a few odds and ends knocking around)
4. To assemble, get a large oven proof dish, spoon a little of the tomato mixture in the bottom and then layer on the aubergines. Sprinkle with some of the chopped garlic and halloumi and then add more sauce. Repeat until you run out of aubergine reserving a little sauce to add on top. Decorate with the sliced tomato, some chopped coriander and the remaining grated halloumi
5. Bake in a 250C oven for around 30 minutes or until bubbling. I’m not overly fond of over browned cheese so I covered the dish with tinfoil for the first 20 minutes
6. Eat! Delicious served with a salad and topped with a yoghurt tahini dressing, or if you want something a little more filling, a vermicelli rice pilaf

*Not just the British, at least half the recipes I see online that contain aubergine will somewhere mention in the article that salting is required to draw out the bitterness. Don’t believe me?! Have a nibble of a raw slice, go on – it wont kill ya! Sure it may not taste of much, but I guarantee it’s not going to taste bitter!!!

Karkade (Hibiscus) syrup

Karkade (sometimes referred to as ‘red tea’) is a drink made from hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus sabdariffa) popular in Egypt and the Middle East. Often served chilled it is also delicious hot on a winter’s day. The astringent flavour of the hibiscus flowers is counterbalanced by the addition of sugar making a delightfully refreshing brew. Drinks made from hibiscus are popular wherever the hibiscus grows, and anyone who’s been to Mexico will surely be familiar with the aguas fresca ‘agua de Jamaica’.
Anyway, I had originally intended on making my usual rose syrup to serve with mahalabiya, but decided on something slightly different. The tart cranberry-like flavour of the karkade would complement the sweetness of the mahalabiya perfectly, and the jewel-bright redness complements the green pistachios beautifully.
It’s a simple sugar syrup based on 1 part sugar to 1 part water, and it’s equally delicious over yoghurt, porridge or drizzled on some pancakes. Whatever takes your fancy!
Ingredients
1 handful of dried hibiscus flowers
150g sugar
150ml boiling water
1 tablespoon rose water
Squeeze of lemon

1. Put the hibiscus flowers in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Allow to steep for 30 minutes or so (you want the water to be a rich deep red colour), and then strain – don’t throw away the soaked flowers, you can reuse them
2. Add the hibiscus water to a pan and stir in the sugar, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lemon (this will stop the sugar from crystalising)
3. Take off the heat and stir in the rose water 
4. Allow to cool and then refrigerate. Delicious on desserts, yoghurt, ice cream...

Mahalabiya cheesecake with a pistachio base

It probably says something about the excitement of my life, but the other night whilst falling asleep an idea struck me -  Mahalabiya cheesecake...

Or more correctly, mahalabiya in the style of a cheesecake, with the malahabiya resting on a crunchy base. I know, sounds amazing doesn’t it?! I was sure that someone had made something like this before, but a quick search of Google didn’t seem to bring up any recipes. Had I invented something new? 

I am sure I haven’t and it’s already a ‘thing’ being made clandestinely and shared secretly... Anyway, some kitchen experimentation resulted and the initial results were rather good. I only had a large loose bottomed cake tin so had to use that. I had wondered if by using a large cake tin the mahalabiya would set, but it firmed up okay (I used a bit more cornflour that I usually would) and the finished dessert could be cut into slices, but as the tin was fairly shallow I felt that the ratio of mahalabiya to base wasn’t quite right, so after finding some mini deep cake tins I tried again. Wowsers!
The quantities below fill either one standard cake tin (with some base mixture left over for another day) or 2 10cm cake tins. 

For the base
100g pistachios
50g ground almonds
50g sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
50g margarine or butter

For the mahalabiya
500ml milk
50g sugar
1 tsp ground mastic (optional)
5 tablespoons cornflour
3 tablespoons orange blossom water

1. Preheat the oven to 150C
2. Grind the pistachios and mix with the almonds and sugar.
3. Melt the margarine or butter and stir in, along with the orange blossom water and knead into a ball
4. Press the mixture into an oiled cake tin/s (for ease of removal one of the fancy ones with a removable bottom is ideal), you want it to be around 0.5cm thick.
5. Bake for around 10-15 minutes until it just starts to colour lightly, take out and allow to cool totally. It will seem quite soft when you take it out the oven, but will harden on standing
6. When the base is cool make the mahalabiya, when I made the test recipe I was impatient and added the hot mahalabiya to the hot base. Nothing bad happened, but the base stays a little crisper if you wait for it to cool
7. Pour a little milk into the cornflour and mix well until smooth, add the remainder of the milk to a pan with the sugar and bring to the boil
8. Once boiling whisk in the cornflour and milk mixture and the ground mastic (if using). At this point the milk will start to thicken, turn down the heat and keep stirring so no lumps form
9. Cook on a low heat for a few minutes and then take off the heat. Allow to cool slightly and stir in the orange blossom water. I didn’t want the mahalabiya to be too hot when I poured it onto the base, so I left it for a few minutes or so. It will thicken and start to set on standing so keep an eye on it as you want it to be pourable
10. Pour the mixture onto the base and allow to cool completely before refrigerating for a few hours
11. Serve sprinkled with chopped pistachios and rose syrup

Aubergine, halloumi and sweet pepper stacks

I’ll come right out and admit it, I have an inability to follow recipes. Whether it's down to impatience or a touch of kitchen-related ADHD I have no idea. When I cook it’s usually based on something I am familiar with, or something I have eaten and want to try to recreate, or maybe I’ve found some ingredients in the kitchen cupboard and wonder how they'll go together (as an aside, in my student days out of desperation I made a pizza topped with harissa, sweetcorn, cheese triangles and peanuts as I had nothing else in the house. It was edible but not one of my finest moments…). To me it seems an anathema to read a book and follow directions. Having said that, I do own an extensive library of cookery books, and there's no better way to spend a cold rainy afternoon than curled up on the sofa with a book pouring over the recipes. Or indeed sitting in the shade on a sunny day, book on lap. But follow a recipe? It’s not that I think I can improve on the original, more that I end up fine tuning it to my own taste. The recipe calls for walnuts? Eh… I’ll use that quarter bag of chopped hazelnuts languishing in the back of the cupboard. Everything’s fried? I wonder whether I could bake it… The end result is probably more ‘inspired’ by the original than a facsimile. For that reason I never took to conventional baking, if I’m given precise quantities to measure out then I lose interest. I function much better with vague instructions such as “half a packet of this and a few handfuls of that…”

My current cook book obsession is the Comptoir Libanais Express book that I picked up last time I was in London, an instant favourite for the food and also for the glorious photographs and graphics. And that leads me on to the aubergine stacks, I love aubergines. They are probably one of my favourite vegetables, and I love tomatoes as well, however decent flavoured large tomatoes are pretty much scarce at this time of year (at least in my local stores) and if you do find anything larger than a cherry tomato then it’ll taste of nothing and be as tough as old boots. However sweet peppers are abundant and always tasty especially when oven roasted de-skinned and tossed in a balsamic vinegar and herby marinade overnight, and so the recipe metamorphoses…

This recipe is very much a 'prepare the bits and pieces ahead' type of affair, and other than the initial grilling of the aubergines, halloumi and peppers the actual preparation takes minutes. The original recipe (which can be found here) showcases the vegetables in their natural form, I had some leftover muhammara in the fridge and decided to spread that on the aubergine slices as I stacked them up, acting as a flavoured adhesive. The quantities below make 4 stacks (with some leftover halloumi to nibble on...)

Ingredients

1 large aubergine

2 red sweet peppers

1 block of halloumi

3 tablespoons of muhammara (optional)

1 bunch of coriander

A few sprigs of tarragon (optional, but gives a nice aniseedy twang to the sauce)

1 tablespoon of zaatar

Olive oil

Lemon juice 

Salt to taste

1. Cut the aubergines into rounds, brush with olive oil and gril until soft. 

2. Cut the sweet peppers into large wedges and roast in the oven until the skin starts to blacken, allow to cool and then remove the skins. Ideally this should be done the day before, I tossed the skinned peppers in a bag with some dried mixed herbs, olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar

3. Slice three quarters of the halloumi and grill until golden brown. Grate the remaining halloumi, the Comptoir Libanais recipe suggests rinsing to remove some of the salt, however I tasted the cheese I had and it wasn't particulary salty. As I wasn't adding any seasoning to the aubergines I decided to omit the rinsing step

4. Preheat the oven to 200C, while the oven is heating prepare the aubergine stacks using 3 aubergine slices per stack. Place an aubergine slice on a baking tray, top with some of the muhammara (if using) then a piece of red pepper. Add another aubergine slice, some more muhammara and then top with the grilled halloumi. Finally place the remaining aubergine slice on top and sprinkle over a little of the grated halloumi

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until sizzling

6. While the aubergine stacks are baking prepare the zaatar sauce. In a blender add the coriander, tarragon, zaatar, lemon juice and a glug of olive oil. Blend and adjust seasoning to your taste 

6. Drizzle some of the sauce on top of the stacks and eat!

Chickpea, chocolate and pistachio pudding

While I am an avid collector of cookery books, I rarely use them for recipes, more for reading or for inspiration. However, I recently bought a copy of the Comptoir Libanais Express cook book and whilst flicking through the pages a recipe caught my attention - one for a chickpea and chocolate dessert. I have to say I was both repulsed and also intrigued by the idea. While I like to think I am pretty open minded as far as food goes (if it's veggie then I'll eat absolutely anything) I have a problem with sweet beans. Some things, as far as my mind goes, are meant to be savoury, and while I am happy to make cookies and halva using chickpea flour, in my mind cooked chickpeas themselves are savoury and the thought of making a pudding with them seemed to be the antithesis of all that is right in the world.

However, I do love a challenge, and was curious so I decided to try and make it. I've adapted the recipe somewhat, the original called for gelatine (I substituted cornflour / cornstarch), and used ground almonds (I've substituted pistachios). I also added some orange blossom water, and rather than a chocolate (or carob) sauce I decided on an orange blossom syrup. 
So... what was the end result like? Actually very nice. The texture was a little grainy, though that was more due to me not having a decent blender and doing the best I could with a stick blender, the taste was quite delicious though. I put a couple of the desserts in the freezer, as I think it could work quite well as a dairy free ice cream...

Ingredients
1 400g can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
400ml almond milk
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
50 g honey (to make it vegan use agave syrup)
5 tablespoons cornflour
100g pistachios
125g dark chocolate
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Rose water syrup
Chopped pistachios 
Rose petals (optional)

1. Add the chickpeas and almond milk to a pan, bring to the boil then turn off the heat and leave for 15-20 minutesto infuse
2. Pour off around 50ml of the almond milk and add to the cornflour, mixing well until you have a smooth lumpess paste
3. Blend the chickpeas, almond milk and cocoa powder until smooth
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan, add the honey and chocolate. Heat gently until the chocolate has fully melted
5. Stir in the cornflour and almond milk mixture and continue to cook on a low heat for around 5 minutes
6. Turn off the heat and add the ground pistachios and orange blossom water
7. Pour the mixture into ramekins (makes enough for around 6) and leave to cool before refrigerating for a few hours
8. To serve tip out on a plate and decorate with nuts and rose petals. Delicious with a fragrant orange blossom syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water, orange blossom water added to taste)

 

Aubergine and chickpea fattet

It's winter and time for comfort food... I could never buy into the 'carbs are the enemy' mentality popular these days as the thought of life devoid of bread, rice and pasta seems to be a very sad existence indeed. When in need of something warm and nourishing I tend to look eastwards and feeling in need of something more substantial for breakfast than porridge I decided on Fattet.  
Fattet (or fatteh / fette) is a dish found over the Middle East, its base being stale fried pita or flatbread (the name comes from the Arabic word for crumbs). There are quite a few different variations of fattet, fattet hummus where a layer of steamed chickpeas cover the bread, or fattet makdous where fried aubergine is added to name but two. The resulting delicious mixture is then usually topped with a yoghurt tahini sauce. Inspired by the delicious fattet moussaka (with the Middle Eastern vegetarian moussaka rather than the Greek style) I ate last weekend, I decided to go for that option, combining the aubergine with a spicy tomato sauce. Also, rather than fry the bread and aubergine I baked them in the oven, while maybe not quite as unctious as the fried version, it tasted perfectly acceptable and probably saved quite a few hundred calories. Don't be put off by the daunting list of ingredients, most of them are for the moussaka (which could be omitted if you want to go with the basic but delicious fattet hummus)

Ingredients
3 pita breads
1 can of chickpeas
1 large aubergine
1 red onion (sliced)
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds 
1 can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon harissa
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
Olive oil
1 handful pine nuts
3 tablespoons low fat yoghurt
3 tablespoons tahini
Pinch of salt
Squeeze of lemon juice
Hot water (to thin sauce)
Fresh coriander
Fresh parsley 

1. Prick the aubergine and bake for around 30 minutes until soft, take out the oven and allow to cool before cutting into large cubes
2. While the aubergine is baking, cut the pita bread into squares (approximately 1 x 1 inch) and spread over a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil (optional) and sprinkle the cumin and caraway seeds over the top and bake for around 10 minutes until golden brown. 
3. For the moussaka: Fry the onion and garlic until softened, stir in the ground spices, harissa, vinegar and tomatoes. I also like to add some pureed soaked ancho chillies which give a delicious smokey flavour. Stir and add the cubed cooked aubergine. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, at the end of cooking stir in the chopped coriander and parsley
4. Heat the chickpeas 
5. For the tahini yoghurt sauce: Mix in a bowl, add salt to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice. Thin the sauce to a pourable consistency with a little boiling water
6. To assemble the fattet: Add some of the bread to the bottom of a bowl, top with a couple of spoonfuls of the aubergine moussaka and some of the chickpeas. Add a bit more bread and repeat. Top with the yoghurt tahini sauce and a sprinkling of pine nuts. Eat!

Koshari (rice with lentils, pasta and chick peas)

I posted a recipe for mujadarra a while back, a delicious rice and lentil concoction found all over the Middle East, rice and lentils are probably one of my 'go to' comfort foods. Easy and quick to make and utterly delicious and satisfying. Nothing like a double dose of carbs to ease a troubled soul. Double dose you say? Pah! I laugh on your double dose, what about a triple, quadruple or even quintuple dose of carbs? Yep, now we're talking, and we're talking koshari!

The Egyptian take on mujadarra. It has the rice and lentils, but snuggling up to them are vermicelli, pasta and chick peas all smothered in a spicy tomato sauce and topped off with fried onions. Oh yeah!
I've side-stepped from tradition slightly with this recipe, it's probably more of a pimped up koshari than the type you'd encounter on the streets of Cairo, as I decided to make the sauce with some canned cherry tomatos and ancho chillies, I also had no ditalini pasta (short macaroni tubes) so mine is the lightweight 4-carb version, but immensely satisfying all the same. I made this with a packet of ready cooked puy lentils - you could use canned brown lentils or cook your own lentils from fresh. As for the sauce, wing it! The ancho chilli gives it a lovely rich smokey flavour, but I've had koshari with a variety of sauces from the thinner vinegary end of the spectrum to the thicker lucious side. It's all good!

Ingredients
200g rice (rinsed)
100g vermicelli
250g cooked lentils
1 can of chick peas
Water (or vegetable stock)
Olive oil

For the sauce
400g can of cherry tomatoes 
4 cloves of garlic (crushed) 
1 large red onion thinly sliced
4 large ancho chillies (soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
Salt to taste
Balsamic vinegar

1. Rince the rice to remove some of the excess starch. Roughly break the vermicelli and fry in olive oil until toasted and golden, add a pinch of salt, stir in the rice and cover with boiling water or stock (I'm not giving amounts here, I pour in the water until it's around 1.5 cm from the top of the rice, it's a pretty forgiving recipe as the pasta soaks up any excess water). Turn up the heat and boil vigorously for 1 minute, then turn down to the lowest heat, cover the pan with a cloth and put on the lid and cook for 30 minutes
2. While the rice and pasta are cooking, prepare the sauce
3. For the sauce, fry the crushed garlic and half of the onion in olive oil until softened
4. Toast the cumin, caraway and coriander seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes and then grind.
5. Drain the ancho chillis (reserving a little of the soaking liquid) and deseed them. Put in a blender and pulse until they form a smooth paste. Add this to the onion and garlic mixture and fry for a few minutes
6. Add the tomatoes, ground spices and balsamic vinegar and simmer on a low heat for around 30 minutes. Season to taste, if you want a spicier sauce add a spoonful or two of harissa
7. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the lentils and chick peas and put the lid back on. I usually leave things to mingle while I am frying the onions for the topping
8. Fry the remaining thinly sliced onion until crispy and caramelised
9. To serve, spoon the rice, lentils and chick pea mixture on a plate, add a ladle or two of the tomato sauce and top with a handful of crispy fried onions. Delicious!