Lebanese Chicken (Frarej)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of olive oil 
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled, 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 or 5 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 4 or 5 chicken pieces

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. In a 9X13 dish, layer potatoes and onions. Pour oil mixture over and place dish in middle of oven for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add tomatoes and chicken pieces, baste all with oil mixture. Continue cooking uncovered until chicken is well browned, about 30 more minutes, basting every 10 minutes.

When serving, I remove with a slotted spoon to let the oil drip away for the sake of calories. It's possible that you could use less oil (I've seen recipes that call for 3/4 cup!). I like dark meat so used chicken thighs, some were with skin, some without. Chicken breasts are good too. If using skinless be sure to baste frequently. Makes 4 servings.

1/3 olive oil. Calories: 649 Carbs 0 Fiber 0
Juice of 2 lemons. Calories  24 Carbs 8.1 Fiber 0.4
2 cloves of garlic.  Calories 9 Carbs 2.0  Fiber 0.1
2 potatoes peeled. Calories  290 Carbs 67.2 Fiber 4.7
4 Roma tomatoes.  Calories 45 Carbs 9.7 Fiber 3.0
4 chicken thighs. Calories 613 Carbs 0 Fiber 0
or
4 chicken thighs without skin. Calories 432 Carbs 0 Fiber 0

Per serving (including all olive oil)
Calories 407.5 Carbs 21.75 Fiber 8.2
Per serving (half the olive oil and using skinless thighs)
Calories 282 Carbs 21.75 Fiber 8.2

Hummus Bi Tahini

A recipe of mine from 18 November 2004, Debi

I'm working from home today and I think I'll have Hummus Bi' Tahini made at home.

I'm doing a substitution -- limes instead of lemons since I have no lemons on hand. It's my first time to do that, but I bet it will turn out fine.

I drained the chickpeas, reserving some of the liquid. I processed the chickpeas, adding dashes of the reserved liquid to keep the beans moving. I don't like the mealy texture of chickpeas, so I puree really well.

When done pureeing, I added the juice of two limes, a teaspoon of minced garlic (equivalent to 2 cloves), and about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pureed more.

Tahini always separates, so every time you use it, you must stir it first to incorporate the oil back in. I used every drop of a quarter cup. While it purees you can see it change to the lighter, finished color. I then added a couple dashes of salt and another quick pulse on the food processor.

Now I always finger taste and will tinker with usually more tahini or lemon (lime) juice as I feel it needs. Today I actually added the second lime after my first taste, and another sprinkle salt. My taste test also told me I could have added a little more Tahini, but it was good enough and less calories this way.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes, or less.

To garnish, I made a little well and put in a tablespoon of olive oil. Sumac or pomegranates are traditional. I didn't have either, so I sprinkled with a scant amount of zaatar -- a mixture of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. Fresh parsley, or even bare would be fine, too.

And the last thing to do is to say, Sahtain! ("To your health!")

Lazy (No Knead) Bread

I'm excited about this very simple recipe.

Last night at 9pm I put in a bowl:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
and a bit just shy of 1 3/4 cup of water.

I blended it together then covered it with a damp towel. I let it sit in my warm kitchen until 10:30 this morning.

When I uncovered the towel, I was amazed. The dough -- of just flour, salt, water and that little bit of yeast-- had risen and had lots of bubbles in it. (Picture 1). I set the oven to 500 degrees and as it was warming, I placed a 6 quart ceramic pot with lid on a cookie pan inside. Meanwhile I dumped out the dough out onto my floured counter. I sprinkled the dough top with some more flour, then folded it in on itself. (Picture 2). I set the timer for ten minutes to wait for the oven to be really heated up. Since there is no kneading, I was free to check my email or whatever.

After ten minutes of warming the oven, I plopped the dough in the pot, seam side up, put on the lid, and back into the oven. After 30 minutes, I removed the lid and let it cook another 15 minutes. And that's it! The "lazy bread" was done.

I suspect I need to lower my heat to maybe 475 or 450 because as you can see the crust was overcooked and the interior was just a tad undercooked. (Pictures 3 & 4). I suspect each oven (due to humidity, pot, type of flour, etc) would need its own minor adjustment like that.

Still, it was incredibly good, especially warm with butter. The crust was the best part, absolutely amazing, like something you'd get from a bakery. It would make wonderful sandwiches, or as a side with a winter stew. I suppose you could add butter or other seasonings if you wanted to crank up the flavor.

I found the recipe featured in the ReadyMade magazine blog, which includes a link to the original New York Times video and to other bloggers and flickrers who have made this bread.

Roasted Peppers

I got this recipe from "Flodia Rigante's Italian Immigrant Cooking", a cookbook that my dear sister gave me. She worked for the granddaughter of the woman who wrote it. If you happen to stumble upon a cheap copy snatch it up quickly as it is a beautiful and interesting cookbook and fun just to read.



Roasted Peppers

12 Roasted and Peeled Bell Peppers (red, yellow, green if you have)
1/2 C minced garlic (i use the "gasp" jarred kind)
1/2 T fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 T salt
1/8 T pepper
1/2 C olive oil

Slice the peppers into thin, julienne strips and place into a lidded container. Arrange by color, e.g. all red, green, yellow in separate rows. Mix all the remaining ingredients into a small bowl, the pour over the peppers, put on lid and refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve as a side dish, in salads, or rolled up in pita or tortillas.

For Irene - Rima's Baked Salmon Fillets

Rima's Salmon Fillets

For Irene

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets or other firm fish, like halibut or orange roughy

1/3 cup mayonnaise – Light or extra-light works just fine

2 tbsp grainy mustard or Dijon or other sharp mustard

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp chili powder or paprika

Pinch of ground white pepper or cayenne – optional

For sauce:

Juice of ½ small lemon (more or less, depending on taste)

No need for extra salt because of mustard

Preparation

Preheat oven at 425ºF

Place fillets on foil-lined baking sheet.

Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, honey, water, and spices

(I always forget this step, so it’s in bold here)

Remove 1/4 cup for sauce and stir in lemon juice; set aside.

Brush or spoon remaining mixture over salmon.

Bake in preheated oven 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork (check after 10).

Serve with reserved sauce. Tastes great with rice and a salad.

Rima's Ratatouille

Perfect Chunky Ratatouille

4 Tbsp. olive oil (or more if you’re not afraid)

1 large onion (Vidalia or Spanish, or any other sweet onion), coarsely chopped

1 yellow or red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

1 eggplant, cut into large cubes (peeled if you prefer)

3 or 4 zucchini or vegetable marrow, cut into large cubes

1 can tomatoes (diced or whole, chopped)

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp. dried thyme or oregano or mix both (fresh is better for the herbs, about 1 tbsp leaves)

Optional: 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (I don’t use it, but you can add it for garnish if you like)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes.

Add garlic and bell pepper; cook about 1 minute but be careful not to brown the garlic.

Add eggplant and zucchini; salt and pepper. Cook about 5 more minutes until vegetables start to soften.

Add can of diced tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and herbs.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Uncover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Remove from heat.

If using basil, stir in now (If freezing, leave out basil.)

Serve at room temperature – tastes even better the next day.

Serve with Toasted Pocket Bread Points for dipping:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cut pocket or pita or Arabic bread in triangular shapes, with about 2 inch sides, like large tortilla chips for dipping.

Arrange in single layer on baking sheet and drizzle with good olive oil. Season with any seasoned salt you like, like garlic salt, seasoned salt, celery salt – or something like Mrs. Dash to reduce sodium.

Bake until crisp and brown (takes just a few minutes).

Make Ahead and Freeze Breakfast Burritos

Make Ahead and Freeze Breakfast Burritos

Equipment:

1 Large Crock Pot, I use a 4.5 Quart one.

2 Large Cookie Sheets coated with Olive Oil or enough sheets for 24 burritos widely spaced.

1 Large Plastic folding cutting board. Nice to have, but can use counter/table surface instead.

1 Plastic Straw

Sausage/Egg Mixture:

24 Flour Tortillas or Wraps, Burrito Size

2 Lb Pork Sausage, frozen or fresh

1 Lb Ground Turkey, frozen or fresh

2 Large Onions, chopped small. Spanish are best, but may use any kind.

1 ½ Cups Green Chiles, chopped small. May be fresh, frozen or canned.

18 Large Chicken Eggs or 36 Guinea Eggs or combination

Salt and Pepper To Taste

Assembling Needs:

1 Recipe of Egg/Sausage Mixture

1 ½ Cups Grated Irish Potatoes, frozen or freshly grated

3 Cups Cheese, Grated. May be Longhorn, Cheddar, Mexican Blend, Colby etc.

Oiled Cookie Sheets

Cook sausage, ground turkey,onions and in crock pot until well done. Add add eggs and chopped chili and cook until eggs are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Assemble burritos: Warm tortillas if they are likely to break, otherwise use as is. Lay a tortilla on a clean surface, I use my fold up cutting board. Add 2-3 tablespoons of sausage/egg mixture, 2 tablespoons potatoes, 2 tablespoons grated cheese. This is pretty subjective depending upon the size of your tortilla and how well you can roll them once filled. Roll into the traditional burrito shape, first folding in the ends, then roll and place on but not touching each other on the oiled cookie sheet.

When a complete sheet is full place in freezer overnight. The next day you can take the burritos out of the freezer and place in gallon sized bags and *remove as much air as as possible to prevent frost from forming on the burritos. We find that our 1200 watt microwave will cook these nutritious breakfasts on high for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook another 20 seconds.

* To remove the air from the bags after filling: Fill a soup pot with water, deep enough to immerse the bag. Zip up the bag except for the corner where the straw has been inserted, then immerse into the water filled pot, keeping the corner out of the water. The air will magically whoosh out the straw then you can use the straw to suck out any remaining air pockets. Then in one swift motion, remove straw and quickly zip the bag shut.