Kanafe Recipe

Kanafe or Knafeh originated in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the modern-day West Bank, where it is filled with Nabulsi cheese. Another name for kanafe is Konafa Nabulsiyye. It plays a central role in Palestinian cuisine and is the most famous throughout the Arab world.

Kanafe is also found in the Balkans and is a feature of Lebanese, Jordanian, Turkish, Greek, and Levantine cuisine.

Serves: 8-10
Difficulty: Easy
Prep and Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 package Kataifi (shredded phyllo/fillo dough)
• 3 sticks of sweet cream butter melted
• 1 15oz package of ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozerella
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons samolina or farina
• 1 cup Mediterranean simple syrup for serving
• Ground pistachios for garnish

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, crumble the kataifi (about 3/4 of the package) with your hands and then add melted butter and mix completely. Put half of the mixture in the bottom of a non-stick pan and spread out as a crust.
• In a large bowl combine the ricotta cheese and mozerella cheese. In a small pan slightly heat the milk for 1 minute and add the samolina and cook for 30 seconds, then add the mixture to the cheese mixture and combine well. Pour cheese mixture in the pan on top of the kataifi crust and spread evenly. Place the rest of the kataifi mixture evenly on top of the cheese mixture to form another crust on top.
• Place pan in oven and cook at 350-400 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and let stand for 30 minutes and then invert into a nice plate and garnish with ground pistachio nuts. Serve with simple syrup.

Baklava

Baklava or baklawa is a famous dessert in Jordan. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. fillo dough
• 1 1/2 lbs. melted butter
• 1 1/2 lbs. walnut meats
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c. water
• 2 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp orange juice
• 3/4 c. honey

Preparation

• Chop walnuts almost into a coarse powder. Mix with cinnamon.
• Coat 11x16 inch baking pan with butter.
• Do 8 times (Place a sheet of fillo dough in pan. Brush butter over sheet of dough.)
• Until out of nut mixture do: (Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Place a sheet of fillo dough in pan. Brush butter over sheet of dough. Place another sheet of dough in pan. Brush butter over sheet of dough.)
• Do 8 times: (Place a sheet of fillo dough in pan. Brush butter over sheet of dough.)
• You now should have ten sheets of buttered dough on top. Cut with sharp knife into small diamonds. Bake at 275 degrees F. for 2 hours.
• While baking, combine water, sugar and juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes. Add honey. Cool mixture in refrigerator.
• When time is up, pour cold liquid over hot pastry. Cool for at least four hours before serving.

Musakhan

Musakhan also musakhkhan, msakhan, mosakhan, or ksakhen is one of Palestine’s most cultural foods and it is typically eaten by hands and because there are a lot of Palestinians live in Jordan it became also famous here, beside that there are some restaurants mainly serve the Musakhan dish. This dish has been passed down by generations, and will be in the future. Musakhan requires some effort and time until it is done, but it's worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole free-range chicken (about 3 1/ 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and sliced thin
• 1/4 cup sumac
• 4 sheets marquq bread (see the Note below) or 2 large khubz 'arabi (Arabic flatbread or pita bread), split open and separated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Cut the chicken into up into two breasts, two thighs, two legs, and two wings. Salt and pepper the chicken.
• In a large, deep casserole, heat 1/ 4 cup of the olive oil, then lightly brown the chicken on all sides over a medium heat, about 20 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining 1/ 4 cup olive oil to the casserole and cook the onions until translucent, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sumac and cook for 2 minutes to mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover a 9 x 12-inch baking dish with two overlapping halves of the Arabic bread or 2 sheets of marquq bread. Spoon half the onions over each, then arrange the chicken on top of the onions and cover with the remaining onions and the juices from the casserole. Cover with the two remaining half leaves of bread or sheets of marquq bread, tucking in the sides crusty side up and spray with water. Bake until the chicken is very tender and almost falling off the bone, about 1 1/ 2 hours. Before the top cover of bread begins to burn, spray with water again or cover with aluminum foil.
  

Note: The size of marquq bread made and sold in the U.S. or Canada varies, so use common sense. It is sometimes found with its Armenian name, lavash bread.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c Uncooked rice NOT instant
• 2 ts Salt
• 1 ts Pepper
• 3/4 ts Allspice
• 3/4 ts Cinnamon
• 2 tb Melted butter
• 2 lb Lean ground lamb
• 100 Grape leaves
• 1 Sliced fresh lemon

Preparation:

Put the rice in a colander and rinse 3 times with cold water. Combine the salt, pepper, allspice and cinnamon and sprinkle over rice, stirring to mix well. Add butter and lamb to rice and mix well. Place grape leaves in a large bowl and cover with boiling water to soften. Remove and drain in colander. Cool. To stuff leaves, place a ts of the rice and meat mixture on each leaf. Beginning at the stem end, roll the leaf up over the filling, folding the sides of the leaf in, halfway toward the center, so the leaf is a nicely tucked, tight little package by the time you reach the tip. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling. Cover the bottom of a large pan with a few of the grape leaves and the lemon slices. In neat rows, arrange the stuffed grape leaves on top of the lemon slices. Invert a heavy dish on top of the grape leaves, so the bottom of the dish is pressing down on them. Add water to the pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for about 35 minutes, or until stuffed grape leaves are tender.

Sayadieh - Fish and Rice

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. fish
• 3 c. rice
• 1 c. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1/2 c. parsley leaves
• 1 sliced carrot
• 2 tbsp. pine nuts
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

Wash, clean and cut fish into 3 inch pieces. In a saucepan heat oil and butter. Saute and brown pine nuts and almonds. Reserve. In same pan, brown fish. Remove to another pan and add parsley and carrot. Cover with water and simmer. Brown the onions in the pan with the oil. Remove the fish from stock and place in serving plate. Using the stock prepare the rice. Add rice to onions. Brown well then add fish stock and water to make 5 cups. Add seasoning. Boil. Cover and let simmer. Pour rice in center of plates. Arrange fish around. Garnish with pine nuts, almonds, and parsley.

Kofta Kebab Recipe

The lamb kofta kebab (spicy minced lamb) is famous dish and you can find it in most Jordanian restaurants.

Prep time: 12-15 minutes - Cooking time: 12 minutes

Ingredients - Serves 2

• 1lb 2oz (500g) of lean minced lamb
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp of harissa paste
• 2 tsp of ground ginger
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 2 tsp of ground all spice
• 2 medium pitta breads
• 3oz (100g) of mixed salad leaves
• 1 oz (25g) of grated carrot
• 1 oz (25g) of grated white cabbage
• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

For the Garlic Yoghurt sauce

• 6oz (200g) of zero fat Greek style natural yoghurt
• 1 cloves of garlic, finely grated
• 6 fresh mint leaves
• A good pinch of sugar
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preparation

• First pre-heat your grill to hot. Then take the minced lamb and place it in a large bowl with the ginger, cumin, harrisa paste, all spice, chopped mint and half of the spring onion. Season well then combine together thoroughly with your hands.
• Break the mixture into two pieces then pass a metal skewer through each piece and mold it around the skewer in a long sausage shape. Place the kebabs under the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked through and starting to brown.
• Meanwhile wash your salad leaves then place them in a salad spinner to dry them. If you don't have a Then combine the leaves in a bowl with the rest of the spring onion, grated carrot & grated white cabbage, then put to one side. Take the pitta breads and warm them in a dry pan over a low heat for 2-3 minutes, then slice them in half and fill them with some of the salad.
• Then simply plate them up and when the kofta kebabs are ready place them alongside. Serve with some of the garlic yoghurt and a wedge of lemon.

Shish Kebab Recipe

Here's a shish kebab recipe that couldn't be simpler to make and can be cooked either on the BBQ or under a hot grill.

Prep: 15 minutes - Cooking time: 10-12 minutes - Marinating: 2 hours

Ingredients - Serves 2

• 1lb 12oz (800g) of lean lamb leg
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp of dried oregano
• 2 tsp of ground ginger
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

• 3oz (100g) of mixed salad leaves
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp of white wine vinegar
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• First take your lamb and remove any traces of fat and sinew, then cut into even sized 1 inch pieces. Next place the lamb chunks in a large freezer bag then add the oregano, cumin, ginger, garlic and some seasoning.
• Next add the lemon juice and squelch the ingredients together in the bag so that everything is combined. Place in a cool place and allow to marinate for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile prepare your green salad. Wash the salad leaves and dry them in a salad spinner then combine with the chopped onion in a large bowl.
• Next take the cucumber and using a speed-peeler remove the skin. Then half it length-ways, and half each piece length-ways again. Take each piece and remove all of the watery centre part that contains the seeds, chop into equal sized 1cm wide chunks then place them in the bowl, combine with the other ingredients and place in the fridge.
• Combine the extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar and season to suite but don't add to the salad ingredients until you're ready to serve.
• When the lamb is marinated pre-heat your grill while you thread the lamb pieces onto some metal skewers. When the grill is hot place them under it and cook for 10-12 minutes until cooked through but still tender; turning every 3-4 minutes and basting with the remaining marinade.
• Then simply add the dressing to your green salad and serve with your shish kebabs.

Shish Tawook

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbls. catchup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. mixed Arabic spices or all spices.
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

Preparation:

• Mix yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, thyme, catchup, oil and spices together.
• Add chicken and marinate for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator.
• Put chicken on skewers and cook over hot coals until done.
• Serve with Arabic bread and garlic sauce.

Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbls. mayonnaise
• 1 tbls. olive oil
• 1 small potato boiled and peeled

Garlic Sauce Preparation:

• Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix until light and creamy.
• Refrigerate.

Kebab

Ingredients:

• 500 gr lean ground mutton
• 100 gr fat from lamb tail, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (use mixer) or 1 tbspfull red pepper paste
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• Salt

Preparation:

• Mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Make a fist-sized ball and skewer it. Squeeze it on the skewer so that it thins and lengthens to acquire the shape shown in the picture. Cook on a grill. You can also barbeque tomatoes and green peppers on the side.

• Serve with pita bread. Kebab will taste better if you prepare the meat in advance and keep it refrigerated overnight.