Scallops and Leeks

Ingredients:

• 12 - 15 scallops
• 1 pound chopped Leek
• 1/2 cup table-cream
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoon melted butter
• cayenne
• grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Method:

Wash scallops in cold running water to get rid of the sand if there is any. Drain and dry carefully. .
Clean leeks, chop julienne and plunge into boiling salted water, when water returns to the boil. cook for 3-5 minutes (they should still be little firm). Drain. Press dry with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture
Arrange in the bottom of a well-buttered gratin dish, then add the scallops on top of leeks. Moisten with double cream and season generously with salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Spoon over melted butter and cook in a hot oven (230°C/450°F/Gas 8) for 7-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Authentic Baba Ganouj

Baked Eggplant

Ingredients:

• 1 medium large eggplant
• 2 jalapeno pepper
• 2 glove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoon Teheni
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1 1 Bake the eggplant an jalapeno at 400F for 20 - 35 min until very soft, also could be broil on charcoal grill for smoked flavor

2 2 Add all other ingredients and mix them throughly by fork or use food processor, keep some lumps and texture

3 Spread the mixer in shallow plate, top with olive oil and pomegranate if desired... enjoy

Eggplant Cauliflower Pan-fried with Teheni sauce

ffWash the vegetables and slice diagonally across the grain If using broccoli or cauliflower, break (or cut) off florets.

Blanch sliced eggplant and cauliflower first cooking in boiling salted water(see times below), and cook after 1 min add the zucchini and continue to cook for another 2 min then drain.

In a large non-stick frying pan, saute blanched vegetables in 2 tablespoons veg. oil and 2 tablespoon of of olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of crushed dried chillies, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Serve immediately with teheni sauce on the side "see recipe".

• Cauliflower----3 min

• Eggplant----3 min

• Zucchini----2 min

Authentic Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

Refreshing Teboleh Salad Anytime

Called " Taboli, Teboleh or Tabouleh" however this salad became very well known lately, therefore it's easy to find it almost at all super markets and food stores. Tabouleh is a cold famous dish mainly made of parsley and bulgur, it comes from the kitchen of the Levant, including Lebanon, considered a top side and salad dish for the meals.  It is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Also the olive oil is an essential ingredient for this salad, and probably for all the Syrian Lebanese salads . Tabouleh has undeniable health benefits, basically for all it's ingredients. Therefore vegetarians are good friends of this dish, not to mention the slimming diet all well served... Great! Eating a piece of cheese with romaine lettuce at the end. Life is good!!!!

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups chopped parsley
• 4 Tablespoons bulgur, soaked in water for 30 minutes.
• 1 Cup diced onion leaves
• 2 Cups of tomatoes cut into cubes.
• 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

Soak in 1/2 cup of water the bulgur about 30 min till become really soft, add it to chipped tomato with lemon juice and other ingredient, and mix all very well. finally drizzle the olive oil on top and continue mixing.

Let it set for 15min before you serve. For the best result parsley must be chopped by hand not using any kind of processors... enjoy!

Beets Avocado Fresh Salad with my Guitar Background

Spring Vegetable and Balsamic Dressing

Spring is almost here in Washington D.C. Top priority food to prepare is salad and salad and salad... No matter where you are or where you go, to the lake to the river or picnic, always salads fits. Noodle salad, tabouli, fettoosh, and greek salad one most be always ready to enjoy the food and the place as well!
Salads are easy to make, however the secret always is selecting the correct combination of greens with the right dressing and then you're good to go.
Here I used cooked beets and avocado with sweet pepper, the cheese was Halloomi, but other kind of cheese will work, as I did try it with Feta and tasted great!
The aged balsamic vinegar is a good choice always with similar kind of dressing, I mixed balsamic with olive oil, oregano and roasted sesame seeds, and finally black pepper.

Falafel Veggie Berger is Food of Heaven!

No meat or slaughtering.. may be that's why I said heaven!! Where suppose to be the most peaceful and safe place for all.. oh that's is a big introduction for the falafel, or some people still twist the name a little and call it "felafel" but no matter how you call it, it's a great dish and sandwich should everybody try. 

It's amazingly getting popular the last few years in the Washington D.C area, and people loved it, so now you find it every where at the big/small super market. 

I cal falafel the fast food virgin of the Middle East, we grew up on falafel, remember use to eat it twice a week at least. The small little shop near the school was own by "Hael Rad" the man Hael wasn't a business type of guy, rather a carpenter as in the back of his house, he use to sell bamboo and wood lugs, but he found his gold mine -I think- by selling the falafel sandwiches and chewing gums for the nearby elementary school. I don't think he was a good cook, as his wife use to hand him the falafel ready and hot from the small little delivery window connected directly to his house. 

The genius idea of his sandwiches, that you don't have to buy the whole sandwich, you may buy a quarter of the sandwich, something to fit you allowance for the day, like "quarter of pita bread and one piece of falafel inside with parsley and tahini sauce for topping"  and you're good to go.

Falafel is completely vegetable made of garbanzo or fava beans, with selected aromatic spices, storm your appetite before you start eating. Added to the flavor the pita bread vegetable and the great tahini sauce. We will have an excellent recipe for the Falafel next week hopefully will see you then. 

Mediterranean Syrian Meat Pie Beef on Flat bread Sfeha

Ingredients:

• Pita bread dough (Recent recipe)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 peeled chopped tomatoes
• 1 tspn of each salt, pepper and oregano
• 1/2 tspn of each cinnamon and white pepper
• 1-1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 bread crumb
• 1/3 cub of milk
•  2 tspn lemon juice

Method:

Combine all ingredients together and mix it very will for the topping.

cut the dough in to small pieces and put them in a greased pan

spread the dough and add 2 tbsp of the topping and press it firmly by spreading it to cover all the dough.

bake it in the oven for 5-7 min  until done.