Long Break

I haven’t updated this blog in forever! I was in Egypt for a while visiting relatives, and then I went to Morocco for a Fulbright conference. Then my siblings arrived in Jordan to spend the summer here with me, so things have been very busy! I’m eager to start blogging again though.

Summer has finally come, and with the heat, heavy foods like rice or meat dishes can be off-putting. We like to cook as “lightly” as possible in the summer, with simple, cool dishes. One of my favorites is “Libb Koosa,” or zucchini insides. Usually, people make this dish as a way to make use of the seeds of zucchinis that have already been cored for stuffing. Scoop out the insides of some zucchini, sautee them lightly in olive oil with chopped onion and chili pepper, season with salt and pepper, then serve with bread for scooping it up! That’s really how easy it is. I personally love this dish served cold the next day, but hot is good too.

Scoop out the insides of some zucchini.

Chop up some hot chili pepper (optional).

Sautee chopped onions in olive oil till soft and transparent..

Add the pepper and the zucchini seeds, sautee until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve hot or cold, with fresh bread to scoop it up with.

Really simple :)

His Finger Is Burning?

I have been away for the past ten days, traveling across the West Bank. I didn’t have any internet access, so updating this blog was impossible. But I’m back, and excited to start updating again inshallah :)

My aunts really like one particular Syrian dish that has a very peculiar name. In Arabic, it’s called “7orra2 Usba3oh” – I think. Which sounds something like “his finger is burning,” or perhaps “his finger is spicy.” Every time I ask my aunts to clarify the name and its origin, they end up telling me “who knows about those Syrians.” So I’m still pretty confused. But what I do know for sure is that the dish is REALLY good. It’s a bit strange, because of the combination of macaroni and dill/cilantro, but it’s a nice, light, cool lunch for a hot day. The closest thing I can compare it to in American cuisine would be a cold casserole. My aunts say this dish is a “women’s dish;” something quick and light that women enjoy making and eating, but definitely not satisfying enough for a hungry man, apparently. I’ll let you be the judge!

Ingredients

250 grams of brown lentils

250 grams of macaroni, cooked al dente, any shape (shells, bows, elbows)

3-4 tbsp of flour

3-4 tbsp of tamarind paste, soaked in hot water for a couple hours

olive oil

5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 bunches of cilantro and dill, finely chopped

half a loaf of pita bread, torn into little pieces

Method

Boil the lentils in a pot of salted water, then cover and let simmer until half-cooked. Do not drain! Add the macaroni to the pot of lentils.

Rub the soaked, softened tamarind paste between your fingers over a strainer, letting the juice fall through into a bowl. Extract as much juice as possible out of the paste. Add the juice to the pot of lentils and macaroni.

Dissolve 3-4 tbsp of flour in a bit of cold water, stirring till smooth. Add this to the pot of lentils and macaroni, and stir immediately. The contents of the pot will thicken. You want the consistency to be pretty thick. Add more flour-dissolved-in-water if necessary.

My cousin's son, Wesam, helping us clean the cilantro :)

Chopped, fresh cilantro!

Add half of the crushed garlic, half of the chopped cilantro and dill to the pot, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Add salt if needed. Set the pot aside.

In a frying pan, heat some olive oil, and fry the sliced onions till crispy and golden. Take the onions out and let them drain on a paper towel.

Pour the olive oil left over from your frying pan into the pot of lentils and macaroni. Give it a good stir.

Sautee the rest of the crushed garlic and chopped cilantro and dill in another couple tbsp of olive oil. Stir while sauteeing, until the greens wilt a bit. Set aside.

Fry the torn pieces of pita bread until golden and crispy. Note: In the original dish, they do not use pita bread. The women traditionally prepare a special dough, and roll it out very thinly. They then cut the dough into little pieces and fry it. Pita bread is a much easier and equally tasty substitute.

Now, to assemble: In a baking/casserole dish, pour the lentils+macaroni mixture. Spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the crispy pita bread chips all over the top. Sprinkle the fried onions on top of that. Finally, scoop little spoonfuls of the sauteed garlic+cilantro+dill over everything decoratively.

Chill. Eat with a spoon! The tamarind juice gives the dish a bit of sourness, and the garlic with the greens is a powerful burst of flavor. I know, it looks kind of strange but I think it’s really tasty, and I am glad they introduced me to it!