Middle East Mayhem - Our Favorites from the Middle East and Mediterranean

Alright, so this week we are venturing out of the good 'ol US of A!  We are taking you all on a voyage across the sea to the beauty of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  You will experience the saltiness of kalamata olives, crunchy cucumbers and creamy hummus!  We hope you have a wonderful time!

Layered Hummus
By: Andrea Madigan-Wilken


Igredients:
2 cups premade hummus
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup of tomatos, chopped
1 cup of cucumbers
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

• In a small bowl, place chopped cucumbers and lemon juice, stir well. Set aside.
• In 1 additional bowl place your chopped tomatoes and feta cheese drizzle with the olive oil and stir gently, so as not to break up the cheese.
• Using a small serving bowl make your first layer of hummus, top with the cucumber mixture, for the next layer add more hummus. Next, add a layer of the chopped green onions and kalamata olives. Finally, add one last layer of hummus and top with the tomato and feta mixture.

Super Easy Tatziki

By: Vanessa Madigan

I make a lot of spicy food and my favorite topping for many of my spicy creations is my quick and easy recipe for Tatziki.  It is cool and refreshing and goes great on everything from burgers to kabab.  This is super easy and I'm sure you will be able to use it for so many of your creations!

Ingredients:

2 lb Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cups Cucumber, finely chopped

2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar

1 Clove of Garlic, crushed

Directions:

• Take your chopped cucumber and place in a fine strainer with the 2 tsp of salt, let them sit for about 1/2 of an hour so that much of the liquid drains from the cucumber.
• While the cucumber is draining, take your yogurt and place it in cheese cloth in a colander or strainer to help drain off the excess liquid.  If you do not have cheese cloth you can put the yogurt directly into the colander, the yogurt should be pretty firm and you wont lose much through the holes.
• When your cucumber is drained, place it in a medium sized bowl with the vinegar, olive oil and garlic, stir well.
• Add your drained yogurt to the cucumber mixture and stir well, season with salt to taste.
• Refrigerate for about an hour and serve with your favorite pita, burger or whatever!

 

Egyptian Koshari

By: Vanessa Madigan

Koshari is an Egyptian staple and I sure do love it.  I have heard it told that on Richard Nixon's Presidential trip to Egypt, he found Koshari and Belly Dancing to be his favorite experiences in the land of Pharaohs.  I in part agree, I sure do love Egyptian food and it is part of what I love about my Egyptian travels.  It is a pretty amazing concoction that is considered the National Dish of Egypt. We make Koshari at home, I will say that Ayman (my fiance) and his brother Girgis always make it waaay to hot.  Which is a shame, because, it is so delicious and you just want to scarf it down.  There are many restaurants in Egypt that serve Koshari, it is traditionally served with fried onions on top, we skip that part because we aren't cool and Ayman doesn't like it.   This is the recipe I learned from Aymans mom and the recipe we enjoy at home.  I hope it brings a bit of Egypt into your home and you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

16 oz. Elbow Macaroni Noodles

2 Cups White Rice

1 Cup Brown Lentils

1 15 0z. Can of Chick Peas

Water for Rice and Lentils about 24 oz.

2, 6 oz cans of Tomato Paste

1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Water for tomato sauce

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 Cup White Vinegar

1 Jalepeno, chopped

Directions:

Prepare the Lentils:

• Place the lentils in a dish and pick over them to remove any rocks or debris.
• Rinse under cold water and drain
• Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of cold water.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Cook for about 45 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain if necessary and set aside.

For the Sauce:

• Put olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan, heat over medium low heat.
• Add the 5 cloves of crushed garlic and saute for several minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add the vinegar and let simmer for about a minute.
• Next add the tomato paste to the vinegar and garlic and stir well, refill 1 of the tomato paste cans 4 times and add the water to the tomato sauce.  It should be about 24 oz. of water or a 2:1 water to tomato paste ratio. Stir well.
• Finally, add the jalepeno, salt and black pepper.
• Let the sauce simmer and reduce until it has thickened a bit.  About 15 minutes.

The Rest:

• Boil your Macaroni and cook until just tender.
• Make your rice.
• Drain you 2 cans of chick peas

To Build your Koshari:

• Place a layer of pasta in the bottom of a single dish, top with a layer of rice followed by a layer of lentils and finally a few chick peas maybe 10-20 per dish.
• Top the dish with the tomato sauce (and fried onions if you are awesome!) and serve immediately!  This dish is Helwa Awy! (Arabic for Very Good!!!)