Category: Middle Eastern

  • Black-Eyed Pea, Ground Turkey, and Chard Stew

    This stew is based on one made with ground lamb in Mediterranean Hot and Spicy. I don’t usually cook with black-eyed peas, and don’t think I’ve had many dishes where they were a main component — usually I’ve experienced them as a side dish. This stew was bursting with flavor and, according to Lisa, was […]

  • Moussaka

    I’d been craving lamb, and Lisa was in a I-want-lasagna-but-we-just-had-lasagna mood, so moussaka seemed like the perfect bridge between our two wants. This recipe comes from the book Mediterranean Hot and Spicy; the moussaka was certainly hot (after being in a 400F oven for an hour…) but spicy? Not so much. Mouth-watering? Yes. Mouth-burning? No. […]

  • Baba Ghanoush

    This particular recipe for baba ghanoush (or baba ghannouj, moutabal, etc.) comes from a book called Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors d’Oeuvres, Meze, and More, but honestly, the basic recipe is pretty simple: eggplant, tahini, lemon, garlic. We served it with the gyros we made for the Almost […]

  • Almost Meatless Potluck: Ful Mudammas Gyros

    A few weeks ago, we were asked by Tara Mataraza Desmond and Joy Manning to participate in a virtual potluck in celebration of their recent cookbook, Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet. I like the book’s concept — use less meat in recipes and replace it with novel ingredients […]

  • Kefta Kebabs and Cauliflower with Taratur Sauce

    Two new dishes for us tonight: baked cauliflower with a delicious tahini sauce, and ground turkey meatballs with a pomegranate syrup. We had originally planned to make this cauliflower dish (from Lebanese Cuisine) as part of the Lebanese feast last weekend, but there was already way too much food, and so we made an excuse […]