Middle Eastern Recipes
315 recipes found
The Loomi
Tea made from dried limes makes an unusual and aromatic cocktail mixer.
Zvia's Afghan Spice Rub
This blend that I learned from a Manhattan street vendor can be rubbed into beef, pork or chicken two hours before grilling. It also adds a pungent note to tuna, swordfish, bluefish or bass if rubbed onto both sides of the steaks or fillets about an hour before grilling. In either case, the rub can be left on the meat or fish while grilling to make a blackened, seasoned crust. Used as a spice, it can be stirred into boiled rice or summer soups to taste.
Lamb Flatbread With Za’atar
A favorite Middle Eastern street snack is a small freshly baked flatbread, brushed with a mixture of olive oil and za’atar, the flavorful Middle Eastern spice mixture that contains wild thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. It is uncommonly good. For a more complex, pizzalike flatbread, this recipe adds spiced ground lamb and feta, along with a shower of herbs. But if you simply want the plain za’atar version, omit the lamb topping altogether.
Bbulgur Wheat Salad (Tabbouleh)
Fesenjan
This rich, tangy Iranian chicken stew from Azita Houshiar is a highlight of the Persian holiday Shab-e Yalda, a winter-solstice tradition that predates Islam by thousands of years. The chicken is drenched in pomegranate molasses and cooked with a copious amount of ground walnuts, which results in a gravy that is sweet, tart and thick with flavor.
Yogurt Cucumber Relish
Baked Beans With Pomegranate Molasses, Walnuts and Chard
This Iranian-inspired rendition of baked beans is sweetened with pomegranate molasses, which you can find in Middle Eastern markets.
Bulgur Bowl With Spinach, Mushrooms and Dukkah
This is a simple skillet supper, a bowl of bulgur topped with a savory mixture of mushrooms and spinach. It gets a final flourish of dukkah, a Middle Eastern seasoning made with toasted nuts (or in some places chickpea flour), seeds and spices that is as much a snack as it is a seasoning; a favorite way to eat dukkah is to dip vegetables or bread into olive oil and then into the dukkah. There are many versions of the mix. Ana Sortun, a chef at Oleana in Cambridge, Mass., and the author of “Spices: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean,” adds coconut to hers. The recipe for the dukkah makes more than you will need for this meal, but it keeps well (I keep mine in the freezer) and it is great to have on hand.
Styrian Bean Salad
Grilled Lamb Chops With Yogurt and Mint
Bulgur With Olives And Mushrooms
Charred Lamb and Eggplant With Date-Yogurt Chutney
You can marinate the meat ahead of time or, in a pinch, make it while the eggplant roasts. Use half the marinade to slather the meat and to the rest, add almonds, dates and cilantro, and spread that over the finished cubes of eggplant. Then roast and broil the lamb to char the surface and keep the meat juicy and rare. Nice dinner!
Armenian-Style Chicken And Bulgur Wheat
Lamb With Peaches
Fish Dumplings in Turmeric Sauce (Belehat Arouss)
Omani-Style Lamb
Eggplant, Tomato and Chickpea Casserole
This dish is based on a Middle Eastern staple traditionally served with fresh Arabic bread at room temperature, though I like to serve it warm. The casserole tastes best if made a day ahead.
Sweet and Sour Lamb With Okra (Bamia)
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Baba Ghanouj, Deconstructed
For this summery recipe, eggplant is charred on the stove – or, if the weather cooperates, on a grill – and fanned out onto a plate. Drape over it some olive oil and tahini, a deeply flavored tomato mixture and a sprinkle of good salt.
Baked Frittata With Green Peppers and Yogurt
This is an Iranian-style omelet. Iranian cooks often add saffron and yogurt to their omelets, which they bake or make on top of the stove. The beautiful bright yellow frittata will puff in the oven and then settle as it cools.
Avocado With Spiced Tahini-Yogurt Dressing
Tahini Sauce
Iranian Beet, Plum and Celery Soup with Kubbeh (Meat Dumplings)
Red Lentil Kofta With Spinach
These bite-size bulgur and lentil balls can be part of a mezze spread — an assortment of appetizers — or they can be served as a side dish.