Levantine Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

I found this delicious and super easy recipe on the Lemon Bowl (http://thelemonbowl.com/2013/06/cucumber-laban-lebanese-yogurt-sauce.html), a nice web site that I have mentioned before. 

It is used throughout the Levant and is similar to Greek Tzatziki. My mother used to serve it as a side or dip for many dishes such as stuffed grape leaves. It can be used as a dip for pita bread, or as a filling for a pita bread sandwich, or included in a pita bread sandwich with Lebanese chicken, etc., etc.

Instead of buying yogurt, which is called "laban" in Arabic, my mother used to make her own from starter, which she always had.

This recipe serves a minimum of 6, but could serve 8 to 10 depending on how it's used.

Ingredients

- 2 cups of plain, low-fat yogurt. (I used Greek style.)

- 2 cups of cucumber, finely chopped. (I used the seedless, English cucumbers. Each one equaled about one cup.)

- Juice of one lemon.

- 1 tablespoon of dried mint (The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons.)

- 1 clove of garlic, grated

- 1/4 teaspoon salt (Original called for 1/2 teaspoon.)

- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used white for color purposes.)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Taste, and add any more of the ingredients if desired.

Lebanese Avocado Tahini Appetizer - A Levantine Guacamole

One of the appetizers I prepared for a Levantine dinner recently was this delicious and easy Lebanese avocado - tahini appetizer, which I found at http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/lebanese-avocado-appetizer-abakado-mataheena/161652. I adjusted it a bit to meet our tastes. We and our guests enjoyed it. The recipe below is my version. I served it with toasted pita chips, which I made from good pita slices.

Ingredients

- 3 tablespoons tahini (Available at some Publix stores, Middle Eastern stores, Amazon, etc.)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (Original recipe calls for 4 tbsps)
- 1 & 1/2 cups avocado (Number of avocados needed varies by size. It took me two normal-sized Hass avocados from Publix.)
- 1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
(The original recipe also calls for a pinch of Cayenne. I did not use because one of us does not care for Cayenne)

Directions

Place lemon juice and tahini in a blender or food processor, and blend for a moment.

Pit and peel avocados, and cut into pieces. 

Add the avocado and remaining ingredients, except paprika, into the tahini-lemon mixture, and blend to a smooth paste.

Put on a flat serving platter or in a bowl. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve as is or chilled. 

Serve with toasted pita or arrancas (a crispy Arabic bread - with which I am not familiar)

Fava Beans - Ful Medammes - A Popular Middle Eastern and East African Dish

I recently enjoyed a Middle Eastern dish called Ful Medammes (Foule Mudammes, etc.). It is a fava bean dish that is a staple of Egyptian life. It is served there with pita bread as a breakfast dish. It is also popular in various forms in other Middle Eastern and East African cuisines from Ethiopia up through the Levant. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ful_medames) It can be served as an appetizer or side dish.

The one I tried is a ready-to-serve canned Egyptian version sold by California Garden, which sells five different types, including Egyptian, Lebanese, and "Secret Recipe."  (http://californiagarden.com/index.php/cms/products). I added other ingredients, suggested by a California Garden rep whom I called. The canned Egyptian version has fava beans, salt, lemon juice, sunflower oil, and spices. It is very mild. 

The size of the can was 16 oz. I added a quarter of an onion chopped, about a cup of canned chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Then I heated it. I loved the results and will have it again. The next time, I will have it with pita bread.

It can be purchased at Middle Eastern grocery stores and online at Amazon, etc. I purchased it at the Oasis Cafe on U.S. 41 in Sarasota.

The California Garden Ful Medammes products are produced in the United Arab Emirates.

Pâté de Campagne - a Terrific French Dish

I recently decided to make Pâté de Campagne for a French dinner with friends. The name means, "country pâté." It is different from pâté de foie gras - goose liver pâté. I was delighted with the results.

I found this recipe on Epicurious.com, one of my favorite recipe sites (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/country-pate-em-pate-de-campagne-em-350966). There are a couple of things to keep in mind about this recipe:

1. It serves 20, so it would be great to take to a party. If you serve it to a small group, you can freeze what you don't use or you can give your guests some to take home. I did not try to scale it down for our dinner because I was afraid I might miscalculate.
2. It can be made up to 4 days in advance. I would suggest making it at least a day in advance.
3. It involves a fair amount of work, but is fairly easy to follow.
4. The volume of ingredients is probably about 30% larger than the baking dish called for. However, you can use the leftovers to make burger patties.
5. There is A LOT of PORK involved - ground pork, bacon, and ham.

The slices above represent less than half the amount produced by this recipe.

The pâté is best served with a baguette, cornichons (small French pickles), and Dijon mustard.

I recommend reading the reviews on Epicurious before preparing.

Below is the original recipe, modified with my comments and edited to reflect my experience and preferences.

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of cognac (or something similar - I used Napoleon brandy.)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup minced onion
- 2 & 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 22 slices of bacon (8 -10 slices to be finely chopped and mixed with the pork, and 14 slices for lining the baking dish to wrap the meat mixture)
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- one 6-oz ham steak, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. (Some reviewers suggested omitting this ingredient. I kept it and liked it.)
- coarse sea salt (I omitted this ingredient.)
- 1/4 cup sliced/chopped pistachios (This was not in the original recipe. Some reviewers suggested adding these. I did and thought they were a nice addition.)

Accompaniments
- cornichons
- Dijon mustard
- baguette

Directions

1. Set oven rack to lowest position in oven, and preheat to 350°F.

2. Boil cognac until reduced to 1/2 cup - about 1 & 1/2 minutes. Let cool.

3. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, but not brown.

4. Combine ground pork and chopped bacon in large bowl. Using fork or fingertips, mix together until well blended.

5. Add sautéed onion, garlic, 2 & 1/2 teaspoons salt, thyme, allspice, and pepper to bowl with pork mixture, and stir until well blended. Add pistachios, eggs, cream, and reduced cognac, and stir until well blended.

6. Line a 9x5x3 metal loaf pan with the bacon slices, arranging 8 slices across the width of the pan and 3 slices on each short side of the pan and overlapping the pan on all sides. (You want to arrange the bacon slices in a way that allows you to cover the top with the bacon once you have put the meat mixture into the pan. In other words, you should be able to wrap the entire meat mixture with the bacon slices. I did not have a metal pan, so I used a glass baking dish with the same dimensions. Although items in metal normally cook faster than in glass, I did not change the baking temperature or time, and everything worked fine.)

7. Once you have lined the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the bacon slices, use your hands to lightly press half of the meat mixture (about 3&1/4 cups) into the pan. Arrange the ham strips in a single layer over this half of the meat mixture. Then add the remainder of the meat mixture over the ham.

8. Once the meat mixture fills the pan, fold the bacon slices over the top, covering the pâté. Then cover the pan tightly with foil.

9. Place the pan in a 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan and transfer to the oven. Pour boiling water into this larger baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. (I did not have that size metal baking pan, so I used a ceramic baking dish that was about an inch larger in all dimensions. I also found it easier to pour the boiling water into the pan before I put it in the oven.)

10. Bake the pâté until a thermometer inserted through the foil into the center registers 155°F - about 2 hours 15 minutes.

11. Remove the loaf pan from the larger baking pan and transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet. (The reason for having a rimmed baking sheet is that a fair amount of liquid fat will seep out of the loaf pan during the next step. The rim will keep this liquid fat on the baking sheet.)

12. Place a heavy  skillet or 2 - 3 heavy cans atop the pâté to weigh it down. (That will compact the pâté and force out the excess fat.) The approach I took was to cut a piece of heavy cardboard to a size slightly smaller than the top of the loaf pan. I then put two heavy tomato cans atop the cardboard.) Put this weighted-down loaf pan and baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

13. When preparing to serve, place the loaf pan in a larger pan with hot water for about 3 minutes to loosen the pâté from the sides and bottom of the baking pan. (It took about 5 minutes in my case. I also had to use a spatula to separate the pâté from the sides of the baking dish. Do not unwrap the bacon. This remains part of the pâté.)

14. Invert the pâté onto a platter; discard the fat from the platter and wipe clean. (I did this step differently. I inverted the pâté onto a cutting board. Then I wiped the excess fat from the cutting board and the outsides of the pâté. Then I slice the pâté per directions in the next step.)

15. Cut the pâté crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and place on serving platter. Serve with baguette slices, cornichons, and Dijon mustard.

Apricot & Ricotta Stuffed Celery

If you enjoy celery, ricotta, and apricot, you might enjoy this very easy appetizer combination. I thought it was nice, but not exciting. The full recipe below should serve four to six. I reduced the amount of celery to three ribs because there were only two of us. The recipe is from the Taste of Home web site: (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apricot-ricotta-stuffed-celery)

Ingredients

- 3 dried apricots
- 1/2 cup part skim creamy ricotta cheese (This type of ricotta is normally found in the cottage cheese area of the dairy section in a supermarket.)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 celery ribs 

Directions

Chop apricots with food processor. Add ricotta, brown sugar, orange zest, and salt. Blend these ingredients, then stuff the mix into the celery. Chill until ready to serve.

Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese & Balsamic-Honey Sauce

Since fresh figs are currently in season, I looked for a delicious-sounding fig appetizer/side dish. I found this easy winner at popsugar.com (http://www.popsugar.com/food/Easy-Roasted-Fig-Goat-Cheese-Recipe-9205886). Not only was it easy and tasty, but I used the extra balsamic sauce on pork loin chops that I had prepared as the main course.

Since the recipe on the web serves 6-8 and there were only two of us, I used half the number of figs, but left the ingredients in the sauce recipe unchanged. The smaller number of figs was perfect for the two of us.

The reason I did not change the sauce recipe is that I thought the reduced amount of ingredients would not work well in even a very small saucepan. I then used the extra sauce on the pork loin chops. That sauce was so tasty, I will make the sauce just for the pork chops in the future.

As the recipe suggested, I used mission figs. I purchased them at Publix, which has a buy-one-get-one-free sale on several types of figs this week.

Below is the recipe with the reduced number of figs:

Ingredients

6 Black Mission figs, halved vertically
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry balsamic)
3 tablespoons honey
2 - 3 ounces of soft goat cheese
Flaky sea salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF

While the oven preheats, melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and a hefty pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Place the figs cut-side up in a baking dish. Top each fig half with 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon of goat cheese. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar syrup over the figs.

Roast the figs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are very soft. (It took 15 minutes in our Breville toaster oven.)

Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Thank you popsugar.com!

Crostini with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, Fig Jam

This is a wonderful appetizer, which I found at the Italian Dish Blog (http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2010/4/20/crostini-with-prosciutto-goat-cheese-and-fig-jam.html)


Ingredients
- 1 fresh baguette
- 1/8 cup of olive oil
- sea salt or kosher salt
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons fig jam
- 3 slices prosciutto, each cut in half
- 6 fresh basil leaves


Directions
- Preheat over to 375 degrees
- Slice six 1/2 inch slices from the baguette. Slicing on the diagonal yields longer pieces
- Place on a baking sheet and brush generously with olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt on each slice.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and slightly golden. Watch that they do not burn. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Spread some goat cheese on each crostino (singular of crostini).
- Spread about a tablespoon of fig jam on top of the goat cheese.
- Fold the half slices of prosciutto and place on top of each crostino.
- Lay a fresh basil leaf on each, and serve.