Basbousa

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now. And finally today I was able to get it done which I feel is great timing...  being the first week of Ramadan :-)

Several weeks ago me and Rana... a pal of mine... got together at her place to make this delicious traditional Iraqi dessert called basbousa. It was a lot of fun making this with her. To start off  we went to the Whole Foods near Wallingford to gather some ingredients. And while we were shopping for stuff we ran into Fabio who coincidentally was there promoting something. Still looking good.... front and back :-)

Anyhow, back to the basboussa .... very easy to make and so melt in your mouth awesome good! The texture is very similar to a super moist dense cake. The sweetness comes from the sugar within the dough and also from a sugar syrup which is poured onto the dessert after it is done baking.  Rana was nice enough to share her mother's recipe. We could only find fine semolina at Whole Foods but she recommends using the coarse kind which I believe you can get easily at Mayuri. You can also choose from several different flavors like cardamom, rose water or orange blossom water. We decided on vanilla and fresh lemon :-)

Ingredients

Fine semolina 1 cup ------> I use 1:1 fine and coarse semolina 

Unsweetened coconut flakes 3/4 cup

Raw cane sugar 1 cup   ---->  I prefer using 1/2 cup sugar now

Greek yogurt 1 cup

Melted butter 1/4 cup

Pure vanilla extract 1 tsp

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Fresh lemon rind 1/2 Tbs

Blanched almonds 1/4 - used for garnish

Simple syrup 1 1/4 cup - used later

(

Water 1 cup

Raw cane sugar 1 cup ------> I prefer using 3/4 sugar now

Fresh lemon juice 2-3 Tbs

Boil lemon juice, sugar and water in a pot and let it simmer on medium heat for about 10 mins. Make sure you stir for a bit in the beginning other wise the sugar could burn.

)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine semolina, coconut flakes, sugar, yogurt, butter, vanilla, baking soda and lemon rind in a large mixing bowl.

Use a wooden spatula or knead with your hands to incorporate all the ingredients together. This would take a few minutes and the result should be a lump free, slightly sticky and semi hard dough.

Spread the mixture in an 8" square baking dish, no need to butter the dish.
Make sure the surface is super smooth and very even because this is a hard dough and it won't spread much during baking.

Let this sit on the countertop for about an hour - a necessary step for the semolina to get soft.

Make diamonds or squares and cut the dough into pieces with a knife... like you would for brownies.
Again smooth out any edges that might have become rough while cutting.

Place an almond in the center of each piece and gently press it down.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until light golden brown.

Once baked and out of the oven, reinforce all the cut marks with a knife, this will allow the syrup to get fully absorbed.

Immediately pour the warm sugar syrup on top of it and let it soak for about 10-15 mins atleast.
This dessert tastes best slightly warm. We had this with some Turkish coffee, killer combo! MmMmmmMMm! :-)

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Manaqish bi'l Za'tar

A very popular and delicious flatbread from the mideast.

Wonderful for lunch or something to snack on. I was able to find all the herbs I needed to make this from Penzeys Spices in Seattle. I absolutely love the selection of spices that they have!

(prep time 2 hours)

(bake time 3 mins per flatbread)

(serves 6-8)

Topping

Za'tar 4 Tbs 
(this spice blend usually contains sesame seeds, marjoram, thyme and sumac)
Olive oil 6-8 Tbs  
Sumac 1 tsp *optional - Za'tar contains sumac but I like to add a little extra 

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Dough

All purpose flour 2 cups + some for dusting
Olive oil 2 Tbs
Whole milk 3 Tbs
Sugar 1 Tbs
Salt 1/2 Tbs
Active dry yeast 1 tsp
Warm water 2/3 cup

Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the oil and rub it in.
Now pour in the water and knead to make a dough.
I use my hands so it take me about 8-10 mins, I am sure in a food processor it will be quicker.
Transfer the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly cover it with saran wrap.
Let this sit in a warm dry place.
In about 2-3 hours the dough will be double in size.
Punch it down and sprinkle some extra flour, 2-3 tablespoons, and knead for another 2-3 mins.
Divide the dough into 8 parts.
Roll them into 7" round.
Spread some Za'tar on each round and bake until cooked.

How to bake

I have a pizza stone that I love to bake on.
Both the stone and the oven needs to be super hot to be effective.
So I start by setting the stone on the second shelf of the oven and then I pre-heat the oven to the highest setting, 550 degrees in my case.
I turn the oven off and turn on the broiler on high and let the stone sit under it for 10 mins.
Now I am ready to bake on it.
Before you start, turn the broiler to the low setting.
Slide out the shelf and place the bread on top of it, I like to use a paddle for this.
The bread will be cooked in 3 mins but keep an eye on it.
Use tongs or the paddle to remove the cooked bread from the stone.

Hope you like.

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Shish Tawook

With buttery wild rice and grilled red onions!

This is a very Arabic recipe for grilled chicken kebobs.
I used a dried herb called Zaater to flavor this. You can find this easily in any speciality store. Zaater is milder but very similar to Thyme. You can substitute dried Thyme but cut the amount in half.

(prep time 30 mins + overnight marinating time)
(serves 2 ppl)
Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken thighs 1 1/2 lbs
Heavy cream 1/4 cup
Fresh lime juice 1/4 cup
Sumac 1 tsp
Garlic powder 1 tsp
Onion powder 1/2 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Pepper 1 tsp
Zaater 1 Tbs (heaped)
Salt
(this will not be added in the marinade. Will be sprinkled on the chicken just before grilling)

Cut the chicken meat in 2" cubes.
Mix all the ingredients (minus the salt) in a bowl.
Marinate the chicken overnight or at least 2 hours in this mixture.

Before grilling make sure the meat is room temp.

Skewer the meat on a bamboo stick. (Its a nice practice to soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 mins to prevent burning)
Season with salt and grill for 20 mins or until cooked. Turn sides to ensure even cooking.

Marinated grilled onions

Red onion 4-5 thick sliced rings
Olive oil 1/4 cup
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Chili flakes 1/2 tsp
Salt (added just before cooking)

Marinade the onions in the above ingredients overnight or at least 2 hours.
Season with salt before cooking.
Grill alongside the chicken kebabs.

I served these with wild rice which I prepared according to package instruction. I used 3 Tbs of butter for a cup of rice.
I feel some Hummus would have been nice with this as well!
:-)

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