Shrimp Machboos

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp shelled
salt
black pepper
2 tsp of kabsa spices (or add pinches of red pepper, cumin, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg coriander, and ground dried lemon)
3 tbs olive oil (or more)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 ripe tomatoes chopped
1/4 tsp ground dried lemon (loomi, noomi basra, omani lemon)
salt
juice of one lemon
2 tbs butter or olive oil
1 3/4 cup rice
3 1/4 cup water
1 rounded tsp tomato paste

Instructions

Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the kabsa spices and rub the seasonings into the shrimp.Sautee in 2 tbsp hot oilve oil for around 2-3 minutes (dont cook them completely) remove from panTake same pan and sautee the onion with the rest of the olive oil until soft. Add garlic, rest of kabsa spices, tomato, loomi, salt, lemon juice, and butter. cook for a few minutes more.Add the rice, making sure each grain is coated with the spiced tomato mixture.Pour on the water, stir in the tomato paste and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes (add more water if the rice seems too dry, if it seems too wet, remove the cover and gently raise the hheat for a few minutes)Turn off flame, and gently stir in the shrimp. Put cover back on, and steam without additional heat for about 5 minutes

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
salt
1 pound carrots-- pared and cut into 2.5 inch X 1/4 inch sticks (generally)
fresh parsley, minced

Ingredients For The Dressing

1 clove garlic crushed with salt (or pressed)
3 tbs lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper (or more)
2 tbs minced parsley
2 tbs minced cilantro

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil, add salt and carrots, and steam over medium heat until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.Prepare the dressing by putting the ingredients together (the recipe recommends putting it in a Tupperware box and shaking it together)Stir the dressing and the reserved cooking liquid into the carrots, cover and simmer about 7 minutes. (the carrots will be soft). Add the fresh parsley and toss. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Potato Kubba

Ingredients & equipement

(For the Potato Shell)

*1/4 cup white rice, any type except converted or instant
*3 Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
*1 or 2 big slices of day-old bread
*salt
*black pepper

( For the Meat Filling )

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 tbs olive oil
* 1/2 pound ground beef
* Salt
* Black Pepper
* equal pinches of cinnamon, cumin, and curry powder (I sometimes just use curry)
*1/4 cup minced parsely
*Oil for sautéing
*Optional- toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Boil the rice in 4 cups of water until tender. Drain and allow to cool down.

2. Steam or boil the potatoes in salted water until tender (roughly 15 minutes). Drain and use a potato masher or mixer to mash.

3. Tear the bread into pieces and whirl them in the food processor-- you should have about a cup of bread crumbs as a result.

4. Measure 1 cup cooked rice, and add to the food processor, processing again with the crumbs

5. Add th potatoes to the rice-bread combo and knead the mixture until a smooth dought is formed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. For the stuffing, gently sauté the onion until soft, add meat and spices, and fry for a while, making sure to break up the lumps of meat. when browned, drain any extra oil and stir in the minced parsely & optional toasted pine nuts.

7. To shape the potato cake, form a ball the size of a lime and insert your finger to hollow out the inside. Fill with about a tsp of the meat stuffing and close the potato mixture around the filling. Flatten slightly between yor palms. At this point I like to place the uncooked kubbe in the refigerator for an hour or so to firm it up. You can also freeze it as is to be thawed and fried later on.

8. Lightly sauté the kubbe in oil until pale golden brown and crisp. Serve hot or at room temp.

Cabbage Rice

Ingredients

*1/2 Head Medium White Cabbage
*1 Large Onion, chopped
*garlic cloves, chopped
*1 lb ground beef
*Tumeric
*salt
*pepper
*red pepper (optional)
*Basmati or Long Grain Rice
*Butter or Oil

Instructions

Put a large saucepan full of water on the burner with salt. When it boils, add the rinsed rice and cook for roughly ten minutes, or until the rice is a little bit cooked, but not yet done. Drain in a colander and run some cold water over it to remove any starch. Set aside.In a frying pan, heat up some oil or butter and gently fry onions until transparent. Add several cloves of chopped garlic and fry for a few minutes more, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, red pepper, and tumeric, stirring constantly to make sure the peices of beef break up well. When browned well, chop up the 1/2 head of cabbage into ribbons and add to the mixture. Fry over a slow heat until the cabbage is wilted. In saucepan, melt some butter or oil and add 1/2 of the cooked rice. Add the cabbage-meat mixture, and then place rest of rice on top. Take your spoon or spatula handle and poke several holes in the rice down to the bottom to insure it steams well. Place a paper towel or a thin dish towel over the top of the saucepan, and then fix the lid on tightly (this traps the steam and makes sure the rice doesn't get soggy). Steam over LOW heat for 20 minutes, or until the rice is done to your liking.

Hummus

Ingredients

*2 cans of chick peas, or 3c cooked chick peas (save water)
*garlic cloves*Tahini Paste (aka Sesame Seed Paste)
*Lemons or Lemon Juice
*Olive Oil Instructions


Place chick peas, 1/2 cup of its water, several tbs of lemon juice, several cloves of garlic, and 3-4 tbs of tahini in a food processor or blender. Puree, adding salt and white pepper to your taste. If the consistency of the hummus isn't thin enough, add either more water or lemon juice to the mixture. Serve with olive oil, salad, and toasted flat bread.

Homemade Cheese (paneer)

Ingredients

*Milk (whole, lowfat, or skim)
*lemon juice or vinegar
*salt*saucepan
*cheesecloth or think white cloth
*cooking thermometer
*colanderInstructions

Slowly heat the milk in the saucepan over low or medium-low heat , stirring occasionally, until it is roughly 175F, or until it is not quite to the boiling point. Add vinegar or lemon juice to the milk a tablespoonfull at a time, stirring slowly, until the milk begins to curdle. When you can tell the difference between the curds and whey (one will look like cottage cheese and the rest like yellowish water), then take off heat and add no more lemon juice or vinegar. place cheesecloth in a colander with edges draping over the rim. SLOWLY pour the curds into the colander and let sit until most of the water has drained off. Add salt to your liking, tie ends of the cloth and hang over the sink for several hours. Alternatively, add salt, form the curds into a square shape, wrap up in cheesecloth, and place on a cutting board. Place something under one end of the board to have it at a slant, and place a heavy book on top of the wrapped cheese to press out the water. Let sit for several hours or overnight in a cool place. Remove cloth and cut into chunks and store in a plastic container in the refigerator.

Yoghurt Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

*Yoghurt, plain
*salt
*white pepper (optional)
*cucumbers
*white onion, minced (optional)
*pressed garlic or minced shallots (optional)

Instructions

Take the yoghurt and place in a bowl. Skin the cucumber, cut lengthwise, and take out the seeds if you wish. Cut the cucumber into very small pieces, or grate it, using the large teeth of a grater. Add to the yoghurt along with salt, pepper, and the optional ingredients. Serve cold as a side dish or with rice dishes, or as a cold sauce in pita bread sandwiches such as falafal.