A Gourmet Sunday Arab Dinner On The Homestead

posted on: Jun 1, 2016

BY: Habeeb Salloum/Contributing writer

Sunday dinner was an important ritual during my youthful days on our southern Saskatchewan homestead. Even though I often yearned for bologna and sardines, foods we rarely had, I always looked forward to my mother’s tasty Sunday dinners that varied from week to week. However, no matter what she prepared it was always wholesome and delicious.

Without fail, these repasts always consisted of Arab foods – dishes as old as time that my mother had inherited from her ancestors. Their roots went back to the Greater Syria area where it has been established civilization first began. These foods we relished all during our farming days.

We grew most of the ingredients in our large hand-watered garden but for meat we raised chickens and a few other animals that subsisted on the insects, shrubs and weeds that seemed to be the only growth that flourished on the farm.

Mostly healthy and succulent, these peasant foods sustained us during the lean Depression years when our neighbours had barely enough to eat. When I reflect back on those years of hardship, I am even today astonished of how well we ate.

At the hands of my mother, broad beans, burghul, chickpeas, eggs, grains, lentils, yogurt and all types of cultivated and wild greens, flavoured by just the right amount of condiments, produced hearty scrumptious and healthy meals. By the skilful use of herbs at hand, mostly gathered in the spring in the wild or grown in our garden then dried, we enjoyed dishes of gourmet delights made from these ingredients. Vegetable and yogurt appetizers, salads, soups, stews, stuffed vegetables, bean patties and egg omelettes were on what we thrived.

Yet even though we enjoyed these foods year round, Sunday was the time when our culinary life reached its weekly epitome.   On those Sundays our mother prepared delicious gourmet dinners whose pungent tempting aromas as they cooked stimulated and invigorated the sense of taste and smell. As a child, it was a day to which I looked forward.

The Sunday dinners were not always the same. My mother had a great repertoire of Arab recipes on which to draw. Often the kubba, usually a meat and burghul dish, but vegetables such as potatoes or pumpkins could be its main ingredient, was placed on the table. At other times our Sunday dinner could be made from a selection of foods such as hummus bi-tahini, a rich chickpea appetizer; baba ghanouj, an eggplant appetizer; batata wa summaq, potato and sumac appetizer; mujaddara, a vegetarian lentil delight; stuffed vegetables; all types of Middle Eastern salads and soups, as well as cheese, meat and vegetable pies.

However, my favourite Sunday meal was stuffed stomach and intestines on which we feasted once a year when we butchered a sheep. Their aroma as they cooked would make my hunger pangs increase by the minute as I waited for the feast. By the time they were ready, I was in a dream world mesmerized by my thoughts of the meal-to-come. It was an annual meal that I will always remember.

The dinners would usually end with baklawa, a filo dough pastry considered the king of Arab sweets, ghurayba, a type of shortbread, or Saskatoon berry pies when these berries were in season.

So much good food that kept us healthy thanks to my mother’s culinary skills and her wish to maintain the traditional foods of Syria alive, these dishes remained with me all my life.

Potato and Sumac Appetizer – Batata wa Summaq

Serves 4

This dish can be served for breakfast, as a snack or as a side dish.

4 large potatoes

Oil for frying

2 tablespoons sumac (found in Middle Eastern supermarkets)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup warm water

1 large onion, sliced

Peel potatoes then dice into 1/2 inch cubes

Place oil in a frying pan up to 2 inches deep then heat. Deep-fry the potato cubes until they begin to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon then set aside to drain on paper towels.   Also, retain about 4 tablespoons of the oil in frying pan then set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients, except onion then set aside.

Heat remaining oil in frying pan then sauté onion until golden brown. Set aside.

Place potato cubes on a platter, then spoon sumac mixture evenly over potato cubes. Spread onions evenly over top, then allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Lentil and Rice Soup – Shawrbat ‘Adas Ma’a Ruzz

Serves 8

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 cup split lentils

1/3 cup rice, rinsed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

pinch of saffron

8 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oil in a saucepan then sauté onions until they begin to brown. Add garlic and coriander leaves and stir-fry for further 3 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, except lemon juice. Bring to boil then cover and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes or until lentils are mushy, stirring a number of times and adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat then stir in lemon juice and serve.

Burghul and Chickpea Salad – Safsoof

Serves about 8

This salad becomes crunchier, and tastier if 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas is substituted for the 1 cup of cooked. The dried chickpeas should be soaked overnight then drained. Thereafter, place chickpeas in a small cloth bag, a handful at a time then roll with a rolling pin to break them up. Remove loose skin before using.

1/2 cup fine burghul

1 small bunch green onions

3 medium tomatoes

1 medium cucumber, about 5 inches long

1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mint

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Soak burghul in cold water (enough to cover by about 1/2 inch) for 10 minutes, then water then drain by placing in a strainer for pushing water out by hand.

Finely chop green onion, tomatoes and cucumber.

Place all ingredients in a salad bowl then thoroughly combine. Chill for about 1 hour then serve.

Hot Kishk Open-Faced Pies

Makes 12 pies

When preparing these pies, the paprika and cayenne can be increased or decreased to taste, and if kishk is not available powdered Parmesan cheese may be substituted.

1 1/2 lb frozen dough or equivalent amount of home made dough

1 cup kishk (found in Middle Eastern supermarkets)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup water

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

If frozen, thaw out the dough and form into 12 balls, then let rest for one hour.

Dissolve kishk and flour in the water, then add the remainder of the ingredients and thoroughly combine to make topping.

Roll balls into 5-inch rounds then divide topping into 12 portions, placing a portion on each round. Spread evenly on the rounds then press topping evenly on the dough with the fingers.

Place on greased baking pans, then bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the bottoms of pies are lightly browned.

Lightly brown top under the broiler, then remove and serve hot.

Yogurt Pies with Qawarma – Fatayer Laban Ma’ Qawarma

Makes 12 large pies

In the Middle East, there are various types of vegetarian and meat pies. For me, this yogurt pie with qawarma (preserved meat in fat) is at the top of the list.

1 1/2 pounds of frozen dough or equivalent amount of home made dough

1 cup qawarma with fat removed or 1 cup lamb or beef cut into tiny pieces and fried

1 1/2 cups yogurt, which has been drained of its water and has solidified (labana – cream cheese maybe substituted for the yogurt)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Thaw out the dough then cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls, then cover and allow to rest for one hour.

In the meantime, prepare a filling by thoroughly combining the remaining ingredients.

Roll each ball to a 4 to 5 inch round or larger if desired. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling (or divide filling into 12 equal portions one portion on each round, fold dough over, shaping into a triangle and closing firmly by pinching the edges.

Place the pies in a well greased baking pan, then bake in a 400F preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until pies turn golden brown. (If a darker colour is desired, brown lightly under the broiler.)

Brush the tops of pies with butter, then serve hot.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Serves about 8

Swiss chard, kohlrabi leaves or other vegetable leaves may be substituted for the grape leaves. Also, the same stuffing as for cabbage rolls may be substituted.

1 lb jar grape leaves

1 cup lentils, soaked overnight and drained

1 cup rice, rinsed

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups tomato juice mixed with 1 teaspoon oregano

Thoroughly wash out salt from grape leaves then set aside.

Prepare stuffing by combining all remaining ingredients, except salt and tomato juice.

Place approximately 1 heaping tablespoon stuffing, depending on size, on wide end of each leaf, then roll tightly, making sure to tuck in ends when rolling. Continue until all leaves are rolled.

Place any extra leaves on bottom of a saucepan then arrange rolls side by side in alternating layers. Sprinkle remaining salt over top, then pour tomato juice over rolls. Cover with inverted plate then add enough water to barely cover plate. Bring to boil, then cover. Cook the stuffed grape leaves over medium heat for 1 hour or until rice is done. Serve hot or cold as main course or for snacking.

Burghal and Potato Pie – Kubba

1 cup fine burghul

3 cups mashed potatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

One recipe of kubba stuffing (see below)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Soak burghul for 10 minutes in warm water then drain by pressing out water through a strainer.

Thoroughly combine all ingredients, except stuffing and olive oil then divide into two even portions. Spread one portion evenly in a 9 X 23-inch well-greased pan, then spread kubba stuffing evenly over top. Spread second portion of burghal/potato mixture on top and smooth. Cut into 2 X 2 inch squares then sprinkle with remaining oil.

Bake in a 400° F preheated oven for 30 minutes or until edges of kubba turn golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

Kubba Stuffing

3 tablespoons butter

1/2-pound ground lamb or beef

1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

l/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a frying pan, melt butter then sauté meat until it begins to brown. Stir in remaining ingredients, then sauté further until onion is limp. Set aside for use as stuffing.

Arabian Shortbread – Ghurayba

Makes 40 pieces

As children we would look forward to this delicious shortbread.

1 1/2 cups butter

1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon orange blossom water (mazahar)

1 egg yolk

3 cups flour

40 blanched almonds

Place butter, 1 1/2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar, orange blossom water and egg yolk in a blender then blend for 1 minute. Transfer to a mixing bowl then gradually add flour while mixing with fingers, until smooth dough is formed.

Form dough into 40 balls, a little smaller than a walnut, then place on an un-greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly to about 1/2-inch thickness. Press an almond on each piece, then bake in a 300⁰ F preheated oven for 20 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Sprinkle with the remaining confectioner’s sugar; then serve or store.

Note: The ghurayba may feel soft at the end of baking time, but they will harden as they cool.