Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East and North Africa

By Habeeb Salloum

NEW IN PAPERBACK The vegetarian cuisine of the Middle East and North Africa is a treasure chest of pungent herbs and spices, aromatic stews and soups, chewy falafels and breads, couscous, stuffed grape leaves, greens and vegetables, hummus, pizzas, pies, omelets, pastries and sweets, smooth yogurt drinks, and strong coffees. Originally the food of peasants too poor for meat, vegetarian cooking in the Middle East developed over thousands of years into a culinary art form influenced both by trade and invasion. It is as rich and varied in its history as it is in flavor—culinary historians estimate the Arab kitchen has over 40,000 dishes! Now noted food writer Habeeb Salloum has culled 330 savory jewels from this never-ending storehouse to create Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East—a rich, healthful, and economical introduction to flavors and aromas that have stood the test of time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Interlink Books
• Release date: Nov 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781623710125

Habeeb Salloum

Habeeb Salloum is an accomplished food and travel writer for such magazines as Gourmet, Christian Science Monitor, and Vegetarian Times. He is the author of From the Lands of Figs and Olives, a Middle Eastern and North African cookbook.

Book preview

Arabic Plain Rice

Arabic Bread, Pita

Bread, Yemeni-Style

Cucumber and Pepper Relish

Basic Dough for Savory Pies

Fenugreek Paste

Garlic Sauce

Gulf Spices

Hot Spice Sauce

Lemon and Oil Salad Dressing

Moroccan Spice Mixture

Pomegranate Salad Dressing

Powdered Cheese

Preserved Lemons

Red Pepper Spice

Sesame Tahini Sauce

Spicy Relish

Sumac and Thyme Seasoning

Syrup

Tamarind Butter

Tamarind Relish

Tomato Hot Sauce

Yogurt

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt Cheese Balls

Yogurt Sauce

ARABIC PLAIN RICE

Rizz Mufalfal

Middle East

Serves 4

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup long grain rice, rinsed

2 cups boiling water

salt to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan; then add the rice and stir-fry on high heat for a few minutes until rice is well coated with butter.

Stir in water and salt; then reduce heat to medium and bring to boil. Lower heat to medium low and cover; cook for about 25 minutes. Turn off heat and allow rice to finish cooking in its own steam—about 30 minutes.

ARABIC BREAD, PITA

Khubz ‘Arabee

Middle East

Makes about a dozen medium-sized loaves, or 24 small loaves

Arabs eat bread with every meal, claiming that they cannot taste other foods without bread. It is used for picking up meat, vegetables, and salads, and serves as a scoop for sauces, dips, yogurt, and other semi-liquids. When the loaf is cut into two, the top and bottom of the loaf separate easily and the halves form pockets which can be filled with hot falafel, and/or salads. In tradition, and in daily life, bread is held to be a divine gift from God.

2 packages dried yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups lukewarm water

8 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a mixture of the two)

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup of the water and set aside for about 5 minutes.

Mix flour, salt, and oil in a large bowl; then add yeast mixture and remaining warm water. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more water or flour if necessary. Place in a warm, oiled bowl, turning dough over to coat surface with oil. Cover bowl with a dry cloth and set in a warm place, allowing dough to rise until double in volume (about 2 to 3 hours).

Punch dough down and knead for about 2 minutes. Form into smooth balls the size of small oranges, rolling them gently between the hands. Place balls on dry cloth in warm place, cover with another cloth and let rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°F. On lightly floured board, roll balls one at a time into circles about ¼-inch thick. Bake the loaves 5 to 8 minutes on a preheated baking sheet with the oven rack at the center notch.

Note: The bread will puff up like a balloon during baking and will collapse when cooled. Loaves can be eaten immediately or frozen for long-term storage. For short-term storage, the loaves should be sealed in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. The loaves can be quickly warmed in the oven before being served.

BREAD, YEMENI-STYLE

Khubz Yemeni

Makes about 8 loaves

To truly appreciate the cuisine of the Queen of Sheba’s land, one must dine in a Yemeni home. Dipping this warm bread in Yemeni fenugreek paste, then scooping up the vegetable morsels was, for me, an exotic way of enjoying the foods of that ancient part of the world.

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 package dried yeast, dissolved in ½ cup warm water

2 cups water

Combine all ingredients; then cover and allow to rest for 1 hour.

Thinly spread 4 to 6 tablespoons of the soft dough on a heated griddle. Cook for about 4 minutes or until bread begins to brown (on one side only). Remove and keep warm until ready to serve.

CUCUMBER AND PEPPER RELISH

Falfal bil-Labid

Tunisia

Serves 4 to 6

Unknown in the Old World before Columbus’s travels, both hot and sweet peppers were brought back to Europe by the Spaniards. And despite the fact that many believe peppers are native to India, it was the Portuguese in the seventeenth century who introduced them to the subcontinent.

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

2 medium sweet red peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares

2 medium cucumbers peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch-long pieces

In a serving bowl, combine lemon juice, salt and pepper; add peppers and cucumbers and stir until they are thoroughly coated. Cover bowl and marinate at room temperature for at least 8 hours before serving.

Note: This relish is traditionally served with couscous in Tunisia, but it can be served with all types of stews.

BASIC DOUGH FOR SAVORY PIES

‘Ajeenat al-Fatayar

Syria and Lebanon

Makes about 18 pies

This recipe is designed for spinach, cheese, leek and all other types of pies.

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup lukewarm water

1 package dry yeast

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup warm milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

Dissolve sugar in water, then sprinkle in yeast and stir. Allow to sit in warm place until yeast begins to foam.

Meanwhile, combine flour, butter, salt, and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Make well in flour; then add milk and yeast mixture. Knead well, adding more warm milk or flour if necessary. Do not allow dough to become sticky.

Shape into ball. Brush the ball with oil and place in a floured pan. Cover with a dampened cloth, place in warm spot, and allow to rise until double in bulk.

Note: The dough can be frozen at this point. Defrost thoroughly before using as directed in the pie recipes.

FENUGREEK PASTE

Hulbah

Yemen

Makes about ¾ cup

In Yemen, fenugreek is the most commonly used spice, forming the basis of an everyday paste or sauce called hulbah. It goes well with zhug—another food enhancer. These are present at all meals and are added to almost every nonsweet food that is eaten. Hulbah, flavored with zhug, is employed by Yemenis as a dressing for salads, a sauce for vegetables and other foods, and a dip.

1 tablespoons ground fenugreek

1½ cups water, plus extra as needed

In a bowl, mix fenugreek and 1½ cups water; allow to stand for at least 2 hours. Drain; then, adding a little water at a time, stir until bubbly. Refrigerate and use as needed—it will keep up to a week.

GARLIC SAUCE

Taratoor

Syria and Lebanon

Makes about ¾ cup

There is no place in the world where garlic is more used and enjoyed, especially in sauces, than in the eastern Arab lands. This simple garlic sauce called taratoor is a common dish of the peasants in Syria and Lebanon. It is used as a condiment with all types of vegetables. It serves extremely well as a dip with boiled, baked, fried, or barbecued potatoes.

2 heads of garlic, peeled

salt to taste

⅓ cup olive or vegetable oil

⅓ cup lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a blender and purée until a creamy sauce is produced. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid; refrigerate until ready to use.

GULF SPICES

Ibzar

Arabian Gulf

Makes about 1 cup

The Arabian Gulf cuisine is characterized by the tantalizing aroma of foods seasoned with the spice mixture called ibzar—an aroma that has infatuated the inhabitants of that part of the Arab world for centuries.

4 tablespoons cumin

4 tablespoons black pepper

4 tablespoons ground coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground mace

Combine all ingredients and store in a tightly covered container.

HOT SPICE SAUCE

Shatta

Sudan

Serves 4 to 6

In the Sudan, a main meal usually consists of five dishes: soup, salad, a meat or fish entrée, shatta, and dessert, accompanied by cinnamon tea.

½ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon ground chili pepper

½ teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

In a bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients. Serve with the entrées in tiny dishes and set before each person.

LEMON AND OIL SALAD