Middle Eastern Recipes
307 recipes found
Bean Tahini Dip
Pitas Stuffed With Hummus and Tomato
Charred Shallots With Labneh and Pita
The flavor of roasted caramelized onions is a universal favorite that add sweetness and depth to countless recipes. When grilled, the onions — and in this case shallots — take on a smoky char as well. Here, they are served on top of thick labneh (strained Middle Eastern yogurt) to be eaten as a side or an unusual dip with grilled pita. This recipe calls for grilling the shallots slowly over indirect heat, giving them plenty of time to soften, brown and absorb the smoke. Or you can use the oven instead if need be, but you won't get that smoky flavor.
Chickpeas and Pita Casserole
There are a number of Middle Eastern preparations made with stale pita or flat bread, also known as fatta. They are comforting dishes, especially this layered casserole made with pita, chickpeas and broth, and garlicky thickened yogurt.
Middle Eastern Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches
Avocado Fattoush With Mint Vinaigrette
The crunchy, juicy salad known in the Middle East as fattoush is just one of the region’s many thrifty and tasty uses for day-old or dried-out bread. Stale bread is better than fresh for some dishes because it will absorb more liquid, such as the juices from a ripe tomato or — in this recipe — a lively dressing with mint leaves, lemon juice and a bit of honey to smooth out the flavors. The Israeli-American chef Einat Admony, who created this rewrite of the classic, took the radical step of leaving out the tomato and adding avocado, a very American ingredient. To make the bread shards very crisp, toast and let cool before breaking. To make them more luxurious, tear up the bread and toast it in a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil, butter, or both.
Lamb Steak With Lebanese Spices
The Lebanese seven-spice mixture baharat (the Arabic word for spices) usually has a base of black pepper and allspice, along with coriander, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, but that's not set in stone. Sometimes powdered ginger, cardamom and hot paprika are part of the mix. There are often more than seven spices, and sometimes fewer. It is an all-purpose spice blend, good for adding depth to stews, and as a rub for meat. London broil is what butchers call a boneless piece of meat from nearly any cut that is broiled or grilled and then sliced before serving, almost like a little roast. A butterflied leg of lamb has four such pieces, and grilling each separately is easier than cooking the whole boneless leg. You can buy chops instead, but they usually cost more.
Roasted Chicken Breasts With Harissa Chickpeas
Harissa paste, the Tunisian hot chile condiment, is a super versatile pantry item. Keep it on hand for creating quick weeknight sauces that pack a punch. Here, store-bought harissa is reinforced with sautéed onion and garlic, then brightened with lemony coriander and fresh parsley. Mashed chickpeas add texture and balance out the spicy, tangy sauce. Couscous and orzo are simple sides to serve with this meal; if you have extra time, roasted squash or steamed cauliflower are also great accompaniments. Leftover harissa sauce makes a great topping for roasted cod or salmon, or use it as a warm vinaigrette to dress up a simple green salad. If you'd like, you can use boneless breasts or thighs, but keep on eye on them. They'll be cooked through in 20 to 30 minutes.
Persian-Spiced Lamb Shanks
Rare grilled lamb chops or a roasted leg of lamb can be delightful and are easy to cook if you’re in a hurry. However, with a little planning, you’ll find it’s the shank of the lamb that deserves the most praise. Careful, slow simmering will coax lamb shanks to a flavorful succulence unlike the other cuts. Lamb shanks are versatile, too, easily adaptable to recipes from many different cuisines. This heady Persian spice mixture yields a braise that is complex and nuanced, yet the flavors are balanced, with subtle hints of orange, lime and rosewater. Basmati rice is the perfect accompaniment. Prepare the lamb shanks up to 2 days before serving, if desired. Refrigerate them covered in broth and reheat for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or over gentle heat on the stovetop.
Armenian Rice
Mixed Greens Galette With Onions and Chickpeas
A tasty way to use bagged greens in a dish with Middle Eastern overtones. I use bagged Southern greens mix for this, a robust mix of collards, kale, turnip greens and spinach, all washed, chopped and ready to go. The filling has Middle Eastern overtones, with lots of well-cooked onion and the Middle Eastern blend of thyme, sesame and ground sumac called za’atar. You can make za’atar yourself or buy it from Middle Eastern markets or Penzey’s Spices.
Cold Rose-Water Soup With Apricots and Pistachios (Mish Mosh)
Carrot Wraps
Chef Ana Sortun, a chef who has a wonderful restaurant in Cambridge called Oleana, presented a delicious carrot “shawarma” at the recent Worlds of Healthy Flavors conference at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif. Her husband is a farmer, and at this time of year she i’s always looking for ideas for using the carrots he grows. These wraps are inspired by Ana’s, but have a slightly less complex paste/sauce than hers. (It is also more Georgian than Turkish.).
Knafeh à la Crème
Green Garlic Tabbouleh
This heady version of classic tabbouleh salad is for garlic lovers only. Instead of the salad relying solely on parsley, the green garlic stems add intensity and pungency to the mix, while a touch of mint adds freshness. You can tone down the garlic flavor by increasing the parsley-to-green-garlic ratio if you like, or vice versa. And if you can’t get young green garlic with floppy, soft green stems, use scallions or ramp greens instead. Garlic chives will also work. This is best made in late spring when green garlic is just coming into season; it will be at its most tender and mildest then.
Acorn Squash Stuffed With Bulgur
Lentils With Pasta and Caramelized Onions
Bulgur and Lentil Salad
The best lentils for this hearty salad are French green lentils or black beluga lentils. They’re more likely to stay intact while cooking than brown lentils.
Med-Rim Bulgur Salad
Bulgur Salad With Pomegranate Dressing and Toasted Nuts
Todd English's Tuna Tabbouleh
Syrian Walnut Baklava
Marhaf Homsi learned to make this Syrian-style walnut baklava from his family in Hama. The baklava he and his wife, Nawal Wardeh, now bake in Brooklyn and sell at their online store, Syrian Sweet Refuge, is less intensely sweet than the sticky confection familiar to many Americans. Cut into large squares, as is traditional in Hama, where the couple ran a bakery for 30 years, the baklava is lightly soaked in a lemon sugar syrup, rather than honey. Use the best quality walnuts available and chop them by hand; Mr. Homsi finds that walnuts chopped in a food processor get bruised and overly pulverized, creating a powdery texture. Be sure to leave time to defrost frozen phyllo dough, which takes 2 hours to thaw on the counter.
Bulgur and Walnut Kibbeh
These patties make a great destination for fine bulgur. Kibbeh (called kufteh in Persian and köfte in Turkish) are usually made with a mixture of ground meat and bulgur, but there are vegetarian versions as well. This mixture of bulgur and walnuts is pungent with garlic and fragrant with parsley and fresh mint. They make a nice appetizer.
