Another middle eastern recipe :)

As you may all be aware...Me and my son love middle eastern food (slight understatement) my hubby on the other hand, can take it or leave it so when I make it its rare or when he's not home for dinner hehe! I wanted to try another recipe that was quick and easy to make and perfect family meal, here it is adapted a lot for me and my family's taste but full of middle eastern flavour and perfect for the whole family :))

Mejadra (rice and lentils)

2 large onions

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp ras el hanout

Salt and pepper

250g green lentils (tinned) 

2 tsp ground cumin

1½ tbsp ground coriander

200g basmati rice

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp ground turmeric

1½ tsp ground allspice

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

Salt and black pepper

350ml water

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion, honey, ras el hanout and some salt and pepper on cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes until nice and caramelised and golden colour.

Heat the olive oil and a little butter in a saucepan, add the turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and then add the rice and coat well with the oil and spices. Then add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the caramalised onions and stir gently with a fork. 

Recipe adapted a lot from a yotam ottolenghi recipe 

Zatar topped Cod fillet

I sprinkled some Zatar spice mix on to the cod fillets with a drizzle of garlic oil and placed in the oven for around 15 minutes at 160/150c until the fish flaked nicely :) (I also added some cherry tomatoes to roast with the cod)

Place some of the rice on a plate and top with the cod and squeeze some lemon juice over the cod and enjoy :))

Lahmacun

I always like to try something different so when I saw this middle eastern pizza style dish I know I had to try it...and wow I'm glad I did, it was fantastic and such a wonderful change from your normal style pizza which I must say I'm not the biggest fan of. The enriched dough with the fragrant and spiced minced meat topping with a cooling salad and yoghurt is perfect :) and my three year old absolutely loved it so perfect for kids too :)

Lahmacun
Middle Eastern pizza with spicy minced beef and a salad topping

Makes 2 large or 4 small snack size pizzas

Dough
250g strong white bread flour
½ tbsp salt
2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
½ tbsp caster sugar
60ml sunflower oil
1 medium egg
100ml lukewarm water

Topping
250g minced beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp red chilli flakes
25g flat leaf parsley, chopped
1½ tbsp sumac

3 tbsp tahini paste
25g pine nuts


Olive oil for brushing
Salad (optional)
1 mini-cucumber cut into cubes
2 small tomatoes cut into cubes
10g coriander, roughly chopped
Feta cheese cut into cubes
Yoghurt with fresh mint and parsley roughly chopped and mixed in

Salt and black pepper

Start with the dough. Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Make a well in the centre. Add the sunflower oil and egg and stir as you add the water. When the dough comes together, remove it from the bowl and knead lightly for 3 minutes on your work surface until smooth, and elastic. Oil a bowl lightly and place the dough inside, brush with some olive oil, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for about 2 hours, until almost doubled in size.
Put all of the topping ingredients in a large bowl, apart from the tahini, and pine nuts. Mix well with your hands and pop in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 210°C/200c and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment.
Divide the risen dough two balls, and roll each into a thin disc, about 2mm thick. Cover and leave to rise for 15 minutes.

If you make the salad, mix together the vegetables and add the coriander, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste Stir gently and set aside.

Spread the tahini onto each disc, divide the filling between the dough and spread it evenly so it covers the dough fully. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until just cooked. You want to make sure the dough is just baked, not over-baked; the topping can be slightly pink inside and the pastry golden when you look underneath. Remove from the oven, spoon the salad on top, and finish off with a little of the yoghurt

Adapted from a recipe by yotam ottolenghi

Middle Eastern Chicken with Caramilised Onion and Cardamom Rice

Over the weekend we had friends over and as I had just bought a new middle eastern cook book I was dieing to try out some of the recipes! I'm a huge lover of all types of food and I must say middle eastern food would probably be one of my favourites, the use of flavours, ingredients is out of this world and the first recipe I am posting about is no exeption...but don't worry they are so simple to prepare and great family meals

Middle Eastern Chicken with Caramilised Onion and Cardamom Rice

2 1/2 tablespoons Currants
olive oil
2 onions thinly sliced
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp heaped Ras El Hanout
Salt and pepper

6 chicken thighs
10 green cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon of whole cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
300g basmati rice
510ml boiling water
salt and pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion, honey and ras el hanout, with some salt and pepper. cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is golden and caramelized. Transfer onion to a small bowl.
Combine the chicken with salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon. Mix everything together with your hands.
Heat a large lidded pan over medium-high with some olive oil. Add the chicken, along with the spices, to the pot and cook for 5 minutes on each side. You want it to get golden, and for the skin to crisp up a bit. Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add the rice, caramelized onion, salt, and pepper to the Pan. (Make sure there is olive oil in the pan, otherwise add more) Stir until the rice is coated in the oil/leftover chicken fat. Add the currants to the pan. Stir and then add the chicken to the pot, tucking it into the rice.
Add the boiling water, cover, and reduce down the heat to very low. Continue cooking for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and place a tea towel over the pot. Replace the lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
Then enjoy :))

I used whole grain rice and this requires a little more liquid and longer cooking time

Adapted from a recipe by yotam ottolenghi