Juicy Baked Chicken & Potatoes in Mouthwatering Lemon Garlic Sauce

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I originally did this post for EZPZ meals a few weeks back (http://www.eazypeazymealz.com/juicy-baked-chicken-potatoes-in-mouthering-lemon-garlic-sauce/) and I've made this dish so many times since!! The potatoes in this dish are everything! And there is a actual secret that makes the potatos in this chicken & potato dish different than any other chicken and potato dish you've tried!

This particular dish has always been a family favorite and of course everyone fights over the potatoes.  Once you know the secret to why the potatoes are so amazing you'll understand why my mom couldn't simply add more potatoes to satisfy everyone.  If it was going to be amazing, there had to be limited potatoes and they were hot commodity. 

My mom usually uses regular russet potatoes sliced into 1/2 inch thick circles but I thought it would be fun to use a variety of colorful small potatoes.  Either way, they're amazing.  So are you ready for the trick of what makes it amazing?? ...... 

Okay.

Funnily enough, the secret to this dish is a trick that I didn't even know was a trick! The first time I made this dish, not realizing there is method to the madness, I didn't stay true to the trick and the results were off.  

The placement of the potatoes is the trick!

Placing the potatoes at the bottom of the pan makes them so flavorful and juicy because they are pressed down by the weight of the chicken and absorb all the juice from the chicken and the garlic lemon sauce.  A side of rice is usually served with this but a side of salad is just as great!

INGREDIENTS

12-15 small potatoes (or any kind of potatoes)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

6-8 chicken thighs or drumstick skin on BONE IN (the bone will extract a lot of flavor)

2 teaspoon garlic powder

Juice of 3 lemons (roughly 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of water

4 pressed garlics

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven at 400

Rub salt, pepper, garlic powder on chicken thighs, cover and put in fridge

Spread tablespoon of olive oil at bottom of the pyrex or dutch oven

Layer potatoes along the bottom

Place chicken thighs on top of potatoes

In a small bowl whisk together juice of lemons, olive oil, water, garlic, and salt to taste

Pour over chicken and potatoes

Cover and put in the oven for 45 mins or until chicken is fully cooked through

I like to broil on high for 3-5 minutes at the end to give it the skin that nice golden crisp but thats optional of course!

One Pot Creamy Tomato Harissa Shrimp Past

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It’s funny because a lot of my friends think just because I own a food company or a food blog that dinner is always easily available at my home and I never need to ask myself whats for dinner.  I'm here to tell you, this is not true and you are not alone!  I am surrounded by food all the time and I too get stumped sometimes and I don’t always have the time to spend figuring out what to make. 

Enter one pot dinners into my life. 

I’ve just been fascinated with the idea that I use one pot, throw in all my ingredients, and voila dinner is made!  It reminds me a lot of the "ma'loubay" dishes made in the Middle East which is the "upside down" dishes.  Basically a bunch of ingredients are put into one pot with rice and then flipped upside down.  I posted my favorite one here .  

Usually if I was to make a pasta dish it would take me 10 mins just to boil the water and pasta where as with this one pot pasta dish, the entire dish is complete in 20 mins!

Honestly, for me, the olives are everything in this dish.  In fact, my husband picked out all the olives that I ended up just adding more afterwards.  The green olives I get are from the Middle Eastern supermarket.  They have a hint of lemon to them that make them so delicious against the creamy tomato sauce and perfect kick from the harissa. 

Oregano is a very popular herb used in the Middle East to season meats and kabobs.  I used Italian seasoning, which I commonly use in my cooking, to give it that extra flavor.  You can do this dish without the heavy whipping cream if you are trying to be healthier and the dish will still taste amazing.  A lot of the flavor is going to come from the olives, tomatoes, Harissa, seasoning, onions and garlic all being cooked together.

Best of all, Ayla approves :) 

INGREDIENTS

1 box of pasta

1 24 oz can of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup green olives

2 cups chicken stock

1 small onion sliced

5 garlic crushed

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablsepoons olive oil

1 teaspoon harissa (more if you prefer it spicier)

1 cup raw shrimp tails off & deveined

1/2 cup crumbled feta

INSTRUCTIONS

Add first 11 ingredients into a pot (preferably a dutch oven) for 15 minutes

Remove from heat

Add shrimp and cheese cover for 10 mins off heat

Muhammara Chicken

MY MUHAMMARA IS A FINALIST FOR A SOFI AWARD!!!!!  I was literally shaking when I got the call because I know what a big deal it is.  There are thousandssssss of amazing sauces and dips out there and for the judges to pick mine out of such a great group, I was just ecstatic.  When I first decided to package my moms Muhammara, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.  How hard can it be, I thought.  I'm glad I didn't know how difficult and challenging it was going to be because I might have been too intimidated but thankfully I was naiive.  If any of you are ever thinking about taking a recipe to market, please ask me first! There are tons of avenues to take and a lot to know but it is possible so you should do it!  

Hands down the recipe I've been making almost every other day, but you already knew that from Snapchat haha (@nadiahubbi).  So this is an interesting dish because Muhammara is not traditionally cooked in with food, it's served as part of a meze platter and eaten the same way hummus is.  I was playing around with different ingredients in the kitchen and created this dish.  My husband immediately told me to write it down because he knows me better than I know myself, I happen to still be in the stage of denial as to how bad my memory has gotten so I assume I can remember how I made it.  He says, please just write it down in case you forget how you made it.  Glad I listened to him!  

Muhammara has complex flavors stemming from the red peppers, walnuts, pomegranate, chili, among other ingredients.  It's texture is unique because bread crumbs are used and the flavors marry each other well.  This dish is so simple but it screams exotic and mysterious because untouched taste buds will be activated.  The already complex flavors of the Muhammara combined with the sweet potatoes, the chewy dates, and the sweet onions makes for one party in your mouth.  No one is going to believe this dish took less than an 45 minutes to make!  It might take a little longer if you don't have Sweet Pillar Muhammara in stock but have no fear, it's still easy!  I have the Muhammara recipe posted here and you can always make some and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or oil of choice)

1/2 onion sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 lb chicken thigh

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

3 tablespoons of Muhammara

1/2 cup water

1 cup diced sweet potatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

5 medjool dates pitted and sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Sautee sliced onions and crushed garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil (I used vegetable oil) until lightly browned 2-3 minutes

Remove onion and garlic

Add chicken, salt & pepper and light brown on both sides 6-7 minutes

Add browned onions and garlic back to pot

Add sweet potatoes and stir for 1 minute

Add 1 can of tomato sauce, 3 heaping tablespoons of muhammara, 1/2 cup water

Stir and cover on low heat for 13 minutes

Add cilantro and dates and stir

Cover for another 4 minutes

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice

Stuffed Onions

Like I mentioned on my instagram (@sweetpillarfood), I'm so excited to have finally tried this after so long!  Growing up I was very accustomed to stuffed grape leaves; 2 kinds, one with meat and one more lemony  (yabraa and yalangee we called them), stuffed zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, artichoke hearts etc.  It always seemed so difficult and time consuming, and it was, time consuming more than difficult.  Especially that the dishes were being made to serve so many people.  There were special coring utensils to use to core the zucchini and a particular way to roll the grape leaves.  It was a full neighborhood affair and it happened frequently.  In fact, I just got off the phone with my mom who said her two friends were over rolling grape leaves together and she's planning on making stuffed grape leaves tonight, hours before she has a flight to catch to come visit me!  I was shocked she was even cooking let alone making grape leaves but she insisted she had fun with her two friends as they talked and caught up, they finished rolling the grape leaves before she knew it. 

Anyway, so here I am, living in my own little stuffed vegetable world, thinking I've tried every vegetable that was to be stuffed when I meet an older Chaldean Iraqi lady that spoke wonders of all these other vegetables she was stuffing.  Chaldeans for those that are not familiar have an extremely rich history that dates back to before Christ.  They are descendants of the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations and the Aramean legacy or Mesopotamia.  To this day they speak in addition to Arabic, Chaldean which is essentially Aramaic, a slightly different dialect than that spoken by Jesus Christ.  How amazing is that?? To speak the same language Jesus Christ spoke!

So she told me they stuff carrots, onions and potatoes to name a few.  I was so intrigued that I looked more into it and found a recipe floating around the internet that I unfortunately couldn't find again of a Syrian Jewish recipe of stuffed onions with dried apricots.   Syrian Jewish cuisine is slightly different then traditional Syrian cuisine mainly because of religious dietary restrictions.  For example, in Jewish cuisine, dairy and meat are not to be combined so that eliminates some dishes that are common amongst other Syrians. 

I finally decided to give it a go and mixed together my knowledge of stuffed grape leaves and just started creating.  It turned out to be much easier then stuffing any of the other vegetables because the onions were so easy to peel.   In Damascus, it is not common to mix dried fruit in savory dishes so the result of this dish did not taste like any of my mom or grandmothers dishes.  But in other parts of the Middle East, including other parts of Syria like Aleppo for example, mixing dried fruit is very common.  I happen to be a big fan of sweet and savory so I thought it tasted amazing.  The sauce thickened and became a glaze like sauce.  The onion was so soft and tender full of flavor.  I urge you to try this and please let me know how it turns out!!

Make an incision before boiling them so they're easy to separate

INGREDIENTS

2 large onions

1/2 cup Basmati rice

1 Tomato diced

1/2 tablespoon dry mint

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of red pepper flakes or chilli powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste (1 for filling 1 for sauce)

1/2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoon lemon juice (1 for filling 1 for sauce)

salt

2 cups vegetable broth

3 dates chopped

2 garlic sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Make a one inch incision in the onion and place into boiling water for 8-10 minutes

Remove from boiling water and once they are cooled separate the layers and set aside

You're only going to be stuffing the first 4-6 larger layers

Chop the remaining onion

Heat oil over medium heat

Add onion stir for few minutes

Lower heat to low, add rice and stir for few minutes

Add tomato paste, dry mint, cinnamon, salt and pepper, pinch of red pepper or chilli, pomegranate molasses, diced tomatoes, parsley and lemon juice

Mix everything together over low heat for 3-5 minutes

Scoop roughly 1 tablespoon of filling into each onion

Wrap around and assemble neatly in pot

Top the onions with dates (any dried fruit you like) and garlic

In separate bowl, mix vegetable broth, tomato paste and lemon juice. Salt to taste

Place a heat proof plate on top of the onions in the pot (this will help keep them in tact)

Pour the sauce over them

Cook on low heat for 60 minutes

Sumac Cumin Crusted Salmon

Ok so confession, I didn't necessarily love salmon until recently.  Anyone else feel this way? Anyone?  It used to always taste kinda bland to me.  For a while the only way I would make it, (and the only reason I only did make it is because I knew of the health benefits), was with a touch of olive oil, lemon juice, and rosemary baked in the oven.  It was good but I needed more.  I then did a little Asian switch it up and started adding vegetables and soy sauce and some other flavors and that was good.  Salmon was on its way up for me. BUT then my husbands cousin, who happens to be a male foodie that loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen (lucky wife) told me about this recipe and this has been my go to salmon recipe ever since!  The combination of sumac, cumin and yellow mustard seeds creates this super flavorful crust that is the perfect crunch texture contrast to the melt in your mouth salmon.  It's so good, and it's so easy.  Seriously.

Sautee the kale in the same sumac, cumin, honey mustard rub for a few minutes

Today was a particularly long day for me.  I'm in the middle of production for one of the Sweet Pillar products (can't tell you which one yet :) and there is just so much that goes into producing a product that it's so non stop.  It's like conducting an orchestra, every piece has to be played correctly at the correct time in order for it all to work smoothly and successfully together.  But I digress.  I can talk about this stuff all day I worry I bore people with this food production talk haha. 

I was almost going to pick up take out as it was such a long day AND it was drizzling in Orange County, which means everyone was panicking and it was extra chaotic and busy.  I'm so glad I didn't order take out and made this instead.  I always get my salmon from Whole Foods and it tastes amazing and dinner in its entirety ends up taking 10 minutes from start to finish.

This particular dish is not a Middle Eastern classic that I grew up with although the sumac and cumin are very much staple spices in any middle eastern spice cabinet.  If you're feeling fancy but don't have the time, this is what you should make. 

Yellow mustard seeds

Ground up yellow mustard seeds

Sumac

Sautee in a tablespoon of olive oil

INGREDIENTS

5 pieces of Salmon

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seeds ground up (important to get them in seeds and ground them up yourself)

1 Tablespoon sumac

1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin

Salt & Pepper as desired

1 Tablespoon olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Ground up yellow mustard seeds

Mix yellow mustard, sumac, cumin, salt and pepper together

Rub onto salmon

Heat olive oil in pan

Place salmon and sautee until inside is not raw (5-6 minutes)

Flip salmon on other side for another few minutes

Serve over sauteed kale or with rice

**After I removed the salmon from the skillet I immediately added the kale, mixing it for a few minutes with a wooden spoon and they tasted amazing

Kofta Tahini

THERES MORE TO DO WITH TAHINI THEN MAKE HUMMUS!  I feel like with all the hummus recipes out there I even forget that we use tahini for so much more then just hummus!  And this is one of those things, kthanksbye. 

But seriously, tahini is one of those things that makes me laugh because my mom would have to climb mountains and cross rivers to go to a little ethnic store over a half hour away (thank God my local supermarket carries it now haha) that would import this and we were the only kids in the entire neighborhood that even knew what it was.  She would always do her ethnic grocery shopping on Saturdays because that was when the pita bread was fresh but also because my dad wanted to go too, he's a secret foodie.  It was like a family field trip and we would stock up on fresh pita bread, tahini, all kinds of fresh produce, different cuts of meats, an assortment of middle eastern cheeses and olives.  We would come back home with bags of groceries and I remember my siblings and I not even waiting until the groceries have been put away to stuff our faces with fresh pita sandwiches my mom would make on the fly.   It would be happy chaos in the kitchen as everyone is rummaging through bags trying to figure out what they want to eat.  My mom, the savior that she is, would somehow make this tahini sauce in minutes without anyone even noticing and hand everyone a fresh falafel sandwich using the crispy cucumber and fresh tomatoes we just got drizzled with the tahini sauce, or a Nabulsi cheese with crunchy green pepper and fresh tarragon wrapped in warm pita.  

Now, it's like the world has discovered our little kitchen gem and it makes me smile like ya, I knew about that before I was even born, welcome to the club :)  In the Middle East, they use tahini to make hummus, sauce, breakfast, cookies, cakes, the list goes on.   I tend to make a lot of tomato and eggplant based dishes I'm realizing and when I want to change it up I usually go Asian or this dish.

The sauce is this amazing yogurt based tahini lemony based sauce that like I mention already, we use for falafel sandwiches, shawerma meat sandwiches (we always use a garlic sauce for the chicken shawerma sandwich), fava bean breakfast dish called foul mddamas or on a potato dish.  Usually everytime I make this I'll end up with extra sauce (intentionally) which I store in tuber ware and I'll make falafel the next day and use the leftover sauce.  Done and Done.  But no joke, it might be one of my all time favorite sauces because its so full of flavor yet feels light and smooth.

In fact, I posted and raved about the amazing sauce right here http://www.sweetpillar.com/blog/2015/10/7/zaatar-crusted-shrimp-with-lemon-tahini-drizzle

This dish is kofta skewers baked with a yogurt tahini sauce and then topped with potatoes.  Some people opt to not spend the extra time making little kofta skewers and instead just pressing it onto the pyrex so its one giant kofta pizza basically and then topped with the sauce and potatoes.

I like the addition of the potatoes because it gives the dish an additional texture.  If you notice I leave the skin on the potatoes because most of the nutrients of the potatoes is actually in the skin so I just scrub them really well and leave them on but you can remove the skin or remove the entire potato addition from the dish if you don't like potatoes.  

I first put parsley and onions in the processor so all the juices come out and can be absorbed by the meat.  I then add the spices and parsley onion mixture.  Usually I add this amazing Turkish spice blend that I purchased at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul a few years ago but that has since finished and I don't even know the name of it to purchase more.   When I bought it they put it in a little plastic bag which I transferred to a mason jar and that was it.  No name, no label.  I've tried to hunt it down but haven't found anything comparable.  So if anyone can help, let me know!  But anyway since I've departed ways with my Turkish blend I use a middle eastern all spice which is a mix of cumin, coriander, paprika, etc.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Ground beef (or lamb - if using lamb combine it with beef otherwise it's too heavy)

1 Small onion

2 Garlic clove

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon All Spice (if you cannot find middle eastern all spice you can mix 1/2 teaspoon of each ground cinnamon, paprika, cumin, ground cloves, nutmeg & coriander)

Salt

Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Combine all the ingredients for the yogurt tahini sauce in a food processor and set aside (see link for previous post with ingredients for sauce)

If frying potatoes, heat up vegetable oil and fry at this point and set aside

If baking potatoes, put potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with oil and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes

In food processor pulse onion, parsley, and garlic

Add onion mixture to ground beef along with spices, salt and pepper

Mix with your hands long enough for all the flavors to really mix together (1-2 minutes)

Using your hands make round balls then press them so they elong and are fingerlike length and form kabob shape

Using either vegetable oil or sunflower oil sautee the kabobs in a frying pan. Sautee them about 5-6 minutes so they are brown on the outside but still slightly rare on the inside (we're going to put them back in the oven so you don't want them to overcook but instead finish cooking in the oven)

Place the kabobs on a pyrex

Pour the tahini yogurt sauce over the kabobs and top with potatoes and put in the oven for 5-7 minutes

Garnish with parsley, paprika, and/or pine nuts

Serve with rice or pita bread

Zaatar Crusted Lemon Chicken

First of all, let me clarify how it's pronounced.  It's not zaatar like some sort of Zoro Spaniard sword fighter, it's actually pronounced za'tar.  The apostrophe is a slight pause and a sound that is only found in the Arabic language.  Its a sound released from the depth of your throat, almost like you're about to gag but you decide not to and then continue the rest of the word.

But you know what, zaatar, za'tar, tomato, tomatoe, potato, potatoes.  Pronounce it as you please, I'm not judging.

Zaatar is one of those things that I grew up with and was as common to me as hummus and pizza were.  At home we ate it one of two ways and that was either mezze style right next to olive oil or like an open faced pizza with olive oil called "mana -eesh".  Olive oil and Zaatar go hand in hand like.... peanut butter jelly time.  

So the way its done is as follows;  there is always a slightly shallow bowl of zaatar and another slightly shallow bowl of olive oil.  You take your fresh warm pita bread and dip it in olive oil, then quickly in the zaatar; the olive oil helps the zaatar stick to the bread and then you eat it.  It doesn't end there.  While the bite is still in your mouth you either crunch on a fresh cucumber or drink a sip of hot tea, or both.  And thats how its done, as simple as that.  Obviously the steps to do this become so second nature and it just becomes a dip, dip, crunch, sip and repeat situation.

That's how it's done in Damascus at least, next to your bowl of olives, your plate of lebne, hummus, eggs, jams, cheeses and whatever else you're having for breakfast.  I specify Damascus because in even the close neighboring countries, (literally an hour drives away from Damscus is Beruit, Lebanon), zaatar is consumed in so many different ways.  In fact the zaatar from Syria and Lebanon is slightly different then the zaatar from the Jordan and Palestine region and extremely different then anything I've seen in the US. 

The zaatar that is not from the Middle East will never taste the same because it uses wild thyme specific to the Levant region (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine etc) Zaatar is prepared using this dried wild thyme, toasted sesame seeds, oregano, and sometimes sumac all ground up. In fact, the main difference between the Palestinian version and the Syrian/Lebanease version is the sumac berries and sometimes pomegranate molasses which gives it a shade of red versus the Palestinian/Jordanian version which is the commonly seen green zaatar.  The Palestinian version is pretty famous throughout the entire region and everyone everywhere is always trying to find someone that is coming from there to bring a bag of authentic Palestinian za'tar.  

I learned as I got older that some people don't only serve the olive oil and zaatar in separate shallow bowls but instead they just mix it together and you just dip once (gasp and super shock)  I also learned that some people (my husband taught me this one) make a lebne sandwich with olive oil and zaatar in a pita bread wrap and call it lunch.  Some people make an entire chicken dinner with zaatar and lemons.  I mean the possibilities are endless.  It has a slightly sweet but mainly tart taste which makes it so unique and full of flavor.  

There is so much to say about zaatar, I could go on all day.  Literally!  For now, I'll leave it at this.   ** If you follow me on snapchat (@nadiahubbi)  I said I was going to make an announcement today BUT i'm actually not ready SO I'll save it for next week :):)

I wanted to take make a chicken dish using zaatar and I remember following a recipe years ago pre Pinterest days so of course I had no idea where to find it again.  I perfected this recipe so its easy and the chicken is moist on the inside.  I used bone in skin on chicken thighs but you can easily substitute chicken breast but just make sure its bone in otherwise it will be on the dry side. 

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken thighs bone in skin on

2 Tablespoons zaatar

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup diced potatoes

Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400

Clean chicken

Rub chicken, zaatar, lemon, potatoes, salt and pepper together

Place in 9x9 pyrex

Evenly distribute chicken stock over chicken

Cover and put in the oven for 45 minutes

Uncover for 5 minutes to brown the top

Serve with couscous, rice, or on its own!

Baked Eggplant in tomato meat stew [ Sayniya’it baitinjan a.ka. Tray of Eggplant]

******** When I typed this post I was in the Middle East BUT the internet connection was so poor that I literally couldn't post this!  I had all these plans of posting so much and writing as I learn but that clearly didn't happen.  BUT I'm back in California now and I had enough time with the lack of internet to get lost in my head and swim in ideas that I want to implement in 2016 so get ready for tuesday posts!  Hope everyone had an amazing holiday season and a happy new years.  =)=) *********

The title of this dish literally translates to tray of eggplant, so simple and straight to the point.  I never really paid particular attention to what is consumed in traditional middle eastern cuisine until I started writing down recipes and saving them.  I’ve since noticed that eggplants are maybe the number consumed vegetable, at least in my family.  Does anyone else see this trend too?? We stuff them, ferment them, bake them, fry them, the list goes on.  I have yet to meet a Middle eastern that says they don't like eggplants.  If you’re out there, come forth at once.

I’m actually in the Middle East as I type this.  I’m in Kuwait doing culinary research and getting inspiration, and eating tons of amazing food.  Kuwait is part of the Gulf region and very different than the Levantine countries which includes Syria, where my parents are from and really all I knew until I was exposed to people from other Arab countries.  The Kuwaiti Arabic dialect is so different than Syrian dialect Arabic that at my moderate level of Arabic comprehension I actually don’t understand it very easily.  Kuwait itself is a lot more Western developed so walking into a mall here (and there are a ton of large extravagent malls here) you’ll see all the shops you would find in a high end mall in the United States or Europe.   If it wasn't for some of the women dressed in all black you could easily mistake yourself for being in the US.  On the contrary, you won’t find any of that in the Syria.  You will find a lot of authentic shops that have been there for centuries.  I have such a warm spot for Damascus in my heart because I spent quite some time there as a child.   The people are so warm, friendly with a unique sense of humor.  The type of humor that cuts through the awkwardness of meeting someone new and makes you feel like you've known each other forever.  Some of the best food i've ever had was in Damascus.  There is a street lined with shawarma shops in an area of Damascus called the Meedan that have been there for decades and people drive from all over for late night shawarma cravings.  I'm going to try to dig up some pictures of Damascus but in the meantime, tray of eggplant it is!  There are a few variations of this recipe but this is my go to one that I make pretty often.  My mother in law makes a real amazing one where she includes jalapeños for a great kick at the end, i'll get that recipe up soon. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggplants (peeled and cut into 1 inch slices)

Olive oil to brush on eggplants if baking

Vegetable oil to fry eggplants if frying

1 tablespoon vegetable oil to sauté onions

ground beef

1/2 medium size onion

1 can diced tomato

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt

Pita bread or white rice to serve with

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and cut the eggplant in 1 inch slices

Place eggplant on paper towel and sprinkle salt on them for 20 mins

*This step is very important because it will drain the eggplant of excess water. If you skip this step the dish will lack flavor because the excess water will dilute the taste. *

Wash eggplants after 20 minutes and pat dry with paper towel

Either fry them in heated vegetable oil or bake them for 25 minutes at 350

Place the baked or fried eggplants onto a pyrex so they are completely pressed against each other

*The more you squish in the better because they will thin out during cooking.

On a stovetop sauté onions in oil for 1-2 minutes until they are soft and then add beef and brown the meat with salt and pepper to liking

Add 15 oz can of petite diced tomato, chicken stock and tomato paste and let it simmer together so flavors mesh together for 10-12 minutes.

Top the tomato mixture onto the eggplants. Cover and put in the oven for 25 minutes at 350

I like to broil it uncovered for a few minutes at the end to give it a nice overall finish.

"Eggplant Upside down" Rice, Eggplant, & Tomato dish called "Ma'loubay Betinjan"

Upside Down aka Ma’loubay

The name of this dish, ma’loubay literally translates to “upside down” because of the way it is served by first flipping it upside down like a beautiful cake with layers of rice, meat and vegetables.  

Think about it, isn’t everything better upside down.  I actually can’t think of anything else thats better upside down.  Maybe headstands.  But is that really better?  Okay moving on.

I DO know that a rice, meat and vegetable dish IS better upside down because the flavors all marry each other and the best of the flavors fall to the bottom and when flipped upside down it brings the best of the bottom to the top.  #started from the bottom now we’re here haha

There are many variations across the Levantine (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, parts of Turkey) which include mainly a variety of vegetables usually eggplants, cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots.    I’ve seen tons of images, but of course I can’t find a single one to post now, of 2-3 women and men all holding a ginormous pot trying to carefully flip it over.  They’re usually served with yogurt or a simple Middle Eastern salad which includes tomatoes and cucumber.  

I had to experiment with a few pots I own and found one that works perfect for my measurements and I just stick with it.  Usually, every Middle Eastern home has a special straight edged pot that makes it easier for flipping.

This dish could be time consuming because of the prep work required but it is NOT difficult.  Once everything is prepped, its just a matter of layering them together.  Do not be intimidated by how pretty it looks!  And even if your ma'loubay flops when you flip it over it will still be an amazingly tasting and aromatic dish!

Feeds 3-4 people (or just the three of us with just a little bit of leftovers haha)

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 large eggplant sliced
2. .3 pounds ground beef
3. 1/4 diced tomato
4. 2 tablespoon pine nuts (or substitute almonds)
5. 1 1/2 cup jasmine rice
6. 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
7. 3 tblspoon tomato paste
8. oil for frying or for brushing eggplants for broil
9. salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. peel and slice the eggplants 

Lay them on a paper towel and salt them.  

Let them sit for 30 minutes

2. Put the jasmine rice in a bowl and cover with water

Let it sit for 30 minutes

3. Meanwhile, brown the meat with salt and pepper

Sauté the pine nuts with 1 tbl vegetable oil

Combine with meat and set aside

4. On low heat add chicken stock, tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste 

Whisk it all together until paste completely dissolves

5. When the eggplants are done straining wash them off with water and pat dry

Heat up oil and fry eggplants (OR the healthier version is to skip the initial part about straining them and just brush the eggplants with oil. sprinkle with salt and put in a preheated broiler until they are brown on each side).  

6. When the 30 minutes is over for the rice, sauté for 1-2 minutes in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and mix in 1 tablespoon tomato paste (this is optional but I feel it gives the rice a little more flavor and makes the rice more moldable and easier when flipping upside down).

Now that everything is prepped all we have to do is assemble.

• Start by placing the diced tomatoes at the bottom
• Add the meat and pine nuts
• Layer the eggplants (see image)
• Add the rice inside the eggplants and carefully pour the tomato stock on the rice
• Bring to a quick boil then lower heat and cover for 15 minutes.  
• Keep it covered for an additional 5 minutes
• Uncover, place plate on top of pot, say a prayer and flip that bad boy

This picture was taken right after I flipped it and a lot of the tomato and meat were still stuck to the bottom of the pot.  I fixed that problem by just scraping the pot and putting them back on top.

Mjaddara {Rice & Lentils with Carmalized Onions}

The onions are everything! 

I'm not going to lie, this is not the first dish that comes to my mind when I think of what to make for dinner.  I usually only make it when my husband requests it, which happens to be pretty often.  Buttttt, whenever I do make it, I love it so much and end up eating most of it lol.

This is also the only dish (correct me if i'm wrong) that is Middle Eastern, Vegetarian, and acceptable to eat as a main dish lol.  Usually, at least in my family, if there is no meat, then it's just an appetizer or side dish.  So bring it on meatless Mondays, Mjaddara is ready! 

Growing up my mom always made this with bulgar (#3) and lentils with tons of onions and a tomato salad on the side.  My husband grew up eating it with rice and lentils with a tomato sauce not he side so I tend to make it that way (also because I always have rice handy but don't always have bulgar).  For me, the onions make the entire dish.  The way they melt in your mouth and compliment the lentils is just so good.  

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MJADDARA 

• 2 onions sliced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup lentils
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbl ground cumin
• 3 tbl olive oil
• 1 tbl vegetable oil
• salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Add the oils to a saucepan and immediately add sliced onions before oil heats
• Leave on low heat until onion begins to brown (15-20 mins)
• In separate medium pan lightly sauté lentils with diced onion (1-2 minutes)
• Add 1 cup chicken stock
• Cover and lower heat to medium for 10-15 minutes until lentils are soft
• Add rice
• Add remaining chicken stock
• Add reserved oil from the caramelized onion
• Add cumin, salt and pepper
• Bring chicken stock to boil
• Reduce heat to low and cover for 15 minutes
• Let it sit for 5 additional minutes covered off heat
• Top with onions and serve with tomato sauce

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

• 1/4 chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic
• 5 tomato chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbl tomato paste
• 1 tbl olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Sautee onions and garlic in oil over medium heat
• Add tomatoes and sauté for a few more minutes
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Cover and lower heat to medium for 5-10 minutes (until tomato is soft)
• Add tomato paste and stir
• Cover and continue to let the flavors immerse in each other 5-7 minutes
• Use a handmixer to mix if you prefer it to be smoother
• Serve with Mujaddara

Middle Eastern Rice and Peas with Cucumber Yogurt {Riz ou bazalaya}

I'm eating this dish as I type this post, and I forgot how much I love it!  Miss no appetite ever Ayla is asking for more and I'm sitting here wondering why I don't make this more often!

It's SO easy.  

Is everyone sick of me saying everything is SO easy haha.

But seriously,

It is.  

Like if you can boil water you can make this dish.  But the best part about this meal is the cucumber mint yogurt served on the side.  

SO FRIGGIN GOOD and SO FRIGGIN EASY.

On a separate note, I took a personality test today.  I know it sounds like I'm a weirdo lol but it was one of those emails that every one of my friends took and we talked about the results and the analyzation and mine was so accurate, actually all of them were creepily accurate!  My analysis said I like to inspire people and I couldn't agree more.  

I really hope my recipes and dishes inspire someone, anyone, to explore Syrian and Middle Eastern cuisine.  I was always so intimidated because I saw my grandmother spend allllll day cooking and I assumed it was such a time consuming style of cooking but its actually not that bad!  My grandmother and mother were just cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for an entire tribe basically!  Anyway if anyone wants to take the test its at www.16personalities.com and mine is ENFP.  If you take it please comment and let me know what you got, it's so much fun!  I feel like I know myself a lot better now, and who doesn't want that.

INGREDIENTS FOR YOGURT SAUCE

• 2 cups yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber shredded (1/4 cup)
• 1 T dried mint
• A lot of salt ( cucumbers are very watery and they'll water the sauce down so compensate by adding more salt than usual)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Mix all the ingredients together! As simple as that

INGREDIENTS FOR RICE & PEAS {Riz ou Bazalaya}

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 lb chicken (I used boneless chicken thigh for this one)
• 1 cup sweet green peas
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (or substitute slivered almonds)
• 1 t olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Boil chicken in water covered for 35 minutes (I also add bay leaves, onions, cardamon, cloves, black whole pepper, salt and cinnamon stick.  Feel free to add all or some for more flavorful chicken stock)
• In the meantime sauté the green peas and pine nuts in oil until pine nuts are golden brown and set aside
• Take 2 cups of the chicken stock and let it come to a boil
• As soon as it boils add the rice, reduce heat to low, cover and set timer for 15 minutes
• Let it sit covered for another 5 minutes before removing the cover
• I like to brown the chicken by broiling it in the oven for several minutes
• To serve; put rice first, chicken, and top with peas and pine nuts
• Serve immediately with cucumber yogurt
• Enjoy!

Dawood Basha (Syrian Meatballs in tomato pomegranate sauce

I feel so proud of myself that I actually motivated myself to take step by step photos and upload and write this post!  It takes twice as long to make a dish when photographing step by step because I had to continuously stop, wash my hands, take the photograph etc.  Def challanging when the dish is actually on the stove.  But anyway, this dish is called Dawood Basha which translates literally to Pasha David.  I'm not sure how accurate this story is as its been told to generations and generations.  There was a nobleman aka a Pasha in the Ottoman empire that invented this dish in his kitchen and would eat it all the time because he loved it so much.  It is confirmed that there was a Dawood Pasha governor of Lebanon in the late Nineteenth century but that's all I could find. 

This dish is such a comfort food for me.  It can be eaten with rice or bulgar but I prefer rice.  People of Damascus like to add chickpeas but that is an optional ingredient.   If I have it on hand i'll add it, if not my life goes on.  

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (or lamb)
• 1 medium sized onion
  • 1/4 cup minced
  • remaining sliced
• 1/4 cup bulgar
• 1/2 can of 8oz tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock)
• 1 Tbl pomegranate molassas
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Soak the 1/4 cup of bulgar in water
2. add the bulgar, minced onions, salt & pepper to the ground beef and form into 1 inch balls
3. sauté the meatballs in deep pan, do not cook all the way through or else they will be dry
4. set meatballs aside
5. in same pan sauté the onions
6. add the tomato sauce, water (or chicken stock), pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper
7. Let the flavors cook together for a few minutes
8. Add the meatballs and cook for roughly 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through
9. If adding chickpeas add 5 minutes before the end
10. Serve over rice or bulgar

Tips:

• Add more tomato sauce if it's too diluted
• Add 1 teaspoon of flour if the sauce is not thick enough
• Add more water (chicken stock) if the sauce is too thick

Bamya: Fried Okra in tomato stew

Wow, I cannot believe its taking me so long to publish this recipe but so happy I'm finally posting it!  Let me explain why it took a long time.  First off, I am so not technologically savvy.  Despite it being SO easy supposedly to use these sites, I still find it quite challenging.  And the second reason is I sort of suck at writing down exact measurements, so I actually still need to go back and revise. I'm so used to tasting as I go and adjusting as I need it's tough to write a concrete recipe.  I'm glad I'm doing this though so I can find my recipes in an organized and clear manner (just today I realized that my pages document with all my moms recipes that I've collected over the years and just jotted down as she was cooking is somehow lost! Visiting the genius bar pronto.) that hopefully one day little Ayla can follow and recreate memories.  Thank you for reading and if you make this recipe please post a picture and tag it #sweetpillarfood! And please comment and show me some love!

INGREDIENTS

• Okra (I used frozen cut okra from whole foods frozen section)
• Beef chunk (I've used a variety of meats in the past; ground beef etc)
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Basil
• Beef broth or chicken stock (I usually use chicken stock if I'm making it with ground beef otherwise I use the broth of the meat I'm using)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil beef chunk for roughly 40 minutes on low heat with bay leaf, cardamom, onion and s&p (salt and pepper are essential, the rest are for additional flavor); Set aside
2. Sauté the okra (I used the frozen cut okra from Whole Foods) with oil, garlic and diced onion for roughly 3-5 minutes
3. Add the tomato for additional 1-2 minutes
4. Add 1 cup of water or stock (using the beef broth or chicken stock adds a lot more flavor)
5. Add 1 can of tomato sauce
6. Add the meat
7. Once it boils, cover and reduce heat
8. Let it simmer for roughly 5-7 minutes
9. Add pressed garlic and basil and stir
10. Let is simmer, covered for an additional few minutes

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

• If the sauce is too reduced, add more water/stock
• If the sauce taste too diluted, add a tablespoon or so of tomato paste
• Serve with rice or pita bread and/sliced green peppers (optional)