Tag Archives: Middle Eastern

Sweet Potato Falafel

Posted on March 21, 2012 | 9 Comments

When Caitlin comes to Cincinnati, she often takes a flight right after work, which puts her into CVG around 8:40 P.M.  That means she’s hungry for dinner.  And since I’ve also been waiting until then to have my dinner, it’s imperative that I arrive at the airport with a strategy in hand.  I can be very slightly grumpy when I’m hungry.

One of the problems, though, is finding a fun place that is not winding down at that hour.  In a city like New York, Chicago, or the like, it’s certainly not a problem.  But in a smaller city like Cincinnati, a lot of restaurants are closing shop by 10:00 P.M.

One afternoon, as Caitlin was readying to leave, I spent a few minutes on Yelp, and found my answer.  The Senate Restaurant was open until 11:00 P.M.  Better yet, it was downtown, a convenient location coming from the airport.  And finally, scanning the menu, I knew it had something I would love.  After I sent the menu to Caitlin, she also agreed that it looked good.  We had a plan.

When we arrived at the Senate, Continue reading →

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Posted in Entrees

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Baked Sweet Potato Falafel

Posted on March 8, 2011 | 7 Comments

Choosing a recipe can sometimes feel like putting together a baseball team.  It is the home chef as general manager.

In each field, the objective is the same — to please the folks at home by offering them a winning dish while remaining within the allotted budget.  The objective is straightforward.  As is the theory behind it:  acquire the best ingredients, assemble, and serve warm.

But this process is never as straight forward as it seems.  Expensive ingredients, like high-priced free agents, may Continue reading →

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Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

Posted on January 10, 2010 | 6 Comments

Try as I might, I’m slow in the kitchen.  For me, prep times are not so much the letter of the law, as they are guidelines, or helpful recommendations.  A ten-minute prep time is, before I know it, the better part of a half-hour.  Where the prep time is an hour or more, I remember to set aside my morning or afternoon.

For that reason, I’m always looking for a quicker way of doing things.  A way to save time without necessarily cutting corners or sacrificing in taste or flavor.  But sometimes, the slow way is the only way.

The first time I made this hummus, I cooked the garbanzo beans for over an hour, before processing them.  And the hummus was fantastic!  The second time around, I decided to see if I couldn’t save myself 90 minutes of cooking.  I could not.  The uncooked garbanzo beans produced a hummus with a granular and fibrous taste.  It was not to be.  Sometimes, it seems, the slow way Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers

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Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)

Posted on December 21, 2009 | 6 Comments

In a country divided between twelve political parties, finding common ground can be no easy task.

Indeed, Israelis are as likely to disagree about politics as they are about food.  Ashkenazim (Jews of European ancestry) have their culinary traditions, and Sephardim (Jews of Spanish and Middle-Eastern ancestry) have theirs.  Even the origins of falafel and hummus have been bitterly debated, with Arabs and Jews alike claiming the food as their own.

Fortunately, all Israelis can rally around sufganiyot.  Sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts, are Continue reading →

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Posted in Breads, Holidays

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Falafel Sandwich

Posted on September 29, 2009 | 3 Comments

Falafel Sandwich

Every dish has two stories behind it.  The first story describes the origin of a dish, and sets out the historical underpinnings behind a recipe. The second story centers around the making of a dish, and notes the step-by-step details of assembling the meal.  In several cases, my posts have focused on the former story.  But in this case, Caitlin assured me that the second story of falafel was far more interesting than its first.

Falafel Prep Collage

The Sunday before Labor Day, Caitlin suggested we make falafel.  Together.  We printed off a recipe, and went to the store to collect the ingredients.  Since we were making it later that night, we bought canned garbanzo beans, though we also went ahead and purchased the dried version as well.  We followed the recipe, but with little success.  Upon hitting the oil, our chickpea mixture slowly disintegrated.  We added a little flour, but that did not help.  Our joint effort at falafel was a disaster.

The next day, I tried shaping a few more falafel balls, hoping the lengthy period of refrigeration might have shored up the chickpea mixture.  Again, no luck.  The canned garbanzo beans were apparently not going to cut it.  I remained undeterred.

Falafel Frying Collage

Later that night, unbeknown to Caitlin, Continue reading →

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Curried Couscous

Posted on June 28, 2009 | 2 Comments

Curried Couscous

Making the perfect couscous is kind of like doing laundry.  It requires washing, drying, steaming, and sorting.  Just boiling a pot of water is not going to cut it.  The same way wrinkled sweat pants don’t quite compare with creased slacks, instant couscous has nothing on old-fashioned Moroccan-style couscous.

And just as dressing well takes effort, so does making the perfect couscous.  But if you have the time, it is well worth the effort.  You will need Continue reading →

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Posted in Sides

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Sweet Almond Milk Couscous

Posted on January 2, 2009 | 1 Comment

seffa

Not every couscous recipe has to be served with dinner.  Seffa, a couscous sweetened with cinnamon, sugar, and rosewater, is one of the more common couscous-based desserts.  This recipe Continue reading →

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Posted in Desserts

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Moroccan Couscous

Posted on January 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

couscous

Couscous is not a grain, as you might think, but a semolina paste.  In fact, couscous is made from the same wheat semolina flour used to make commercial spaghetti.

Couscous originated in the Maghreb, today’s North Africa, and owes its origins to the Berbers, an indigenous people of the region.  The Saracen conquest of Europe in the 7th and 8th Centuries is believed to have introduced the dish to the Western world.

Owing to its origins, couscous is often served Continue reading →

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Baba Ghanoush

Posted on October 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

bg4

As near-eastern dishes go, baba ghanoush is the quiet sibling to the more popular hummus. Both recipes revolve around a similar mix of ingredients, and both dishes are all-but ubiquitous in your pita-bread establishments. And yet, for whatever reason, hummus always seems to get top-billing. It practically co-starred with Adam Sandler in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

It needn’t be this way any longer.

I prefer grilling the eggplants, Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers

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