Levant: Recipes and memories from the Middle East. Anissa Helou
will change from lemony to an intriguing sweet-savoury flavour. We often had fried eggs for breakfast at the weekend, but I tend to have them for lunch these days.
Serves 4
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 medium-sized organic eggs
1 tbsp ground sumac
Sea salt
100g (3½oz) spring onions (about 1 bunch), trimmed, to serve
Put the olive oil in a frying pan large enough to take all eight eggs and place over a medium heat.
Break each egg into a shallow bowl, making sure it stays whole, and when the oil is hot, carefully slide the eggs into the pan. This way the eggs go in all at once and will cook evenly. Gently shake the pan back and forth to spread the eggs evenly across the bottom.
Sprinkle the sumac all over. Season with salt, bearing in mind that some brands of sumac may have been mixed with salt to bulk it up. Cook until the whites are done and the yolks are still soft. Serve immediately with the trimmed spring onions and good bread.
Burghul with Chickpeas and Pork Belly
BURGHUL BI-DFINEH
Burghul bi-dfineh is a classic dish that seems to have gone out of fashion, which is a shame as it is both healthy and delicious. My mother used to make it with both pork meat and skin, which we loved. The closest I have come to her version here is by using pork belly. I also make it with lamb shanks, with equally good results. You can use frikeh (‘burnt’ cracked wheat – see here) instead of burghul for a more interesting smoky flavour. If you do, I suggest you make the dish with lamb, however. Follow the instructions as below, bearing in mind that you may need to use a little more water with frikeh.
Serves 4
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
2–3 pork or lamb bones (optional)
500g (1lb 1oz) pork belly, cut into 4 chunks, or 4 lamb shanks
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
125g (4½oz) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water (enough to cover the chickpeas by 2–3 fingers) and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cinnamon sticks
250g (9oz) coarse burghul, rinsed under cold water and drained
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice or Lebanese seven-spice mixture
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
450g (1lb) plain yoghurt, to serve
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and brown the bones (if using), then transfer to a large plate. Add the pork (or lamb) to the pan and brown on all sides. Remove to the same plate as the bones, then add the chopped onion to the pan, plus a little more butter if needed, and sauté until the onion is soft and transparent. Return both meat and bones to the pan.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pan. Stir for a few minutes until they are well coated in butter, then add 1.5 litres (2½ pints) of water and the cinnamon sticks. Cover the pan with a lid, then bring to the boil, reduce the heat and let the mixture bubble gently for 1 hour or until the chickpeas and meat are tender.
Remove and discard both bones (if using) and cinnamon sticks. Add the burghul and season with the spices and some salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the burghul is done and the liquid completely absorbed. Wrap the lid in a clean tea towel, then replace over the pan and leave to sit for a few minutes. Serve hot with the yoghurt.
Sumac Chicken Wraps
MUSSAKHKHAN
Here is another recipe from Reem Kelani, my Palestinian singer friend (see also here), which I have adapted by reducing the generous quantities so typical of Palestinian cooking. Mussakhkhan (‘heated’ in Arabic) is probably the best known of all traditional Palestinian dishes. It was found throughout Palestine before 1948, with some regional variations. In Nazareth and the Galilee it is called muhammar (meaning ‘baked’, ‘grilled’ or ‘reddened’). You can prepare it as below, to serve as a starter or snack, or you can make the dough and prepare it more like a pizza to serve as a main course. The recipe here is far simpler and quicker to prepare than if you were to make the main course version. The taste remains the same, with the sumac imparting a lovely tart flavour and giving the meat a pretty reddish colour. As for the Palestinian spice blend, it is made with allspice, cinnamon, dried garlic, cardamom and cloves. The proportions vary depending on who is making the mix. You cannot buy it here but you can buy the Lebanese seven-spice mixture, which is close enough. If not, simply use allspice – its complex flavour with hints of cinnamon and cloves goes well with this dish.
Serves 8
500g (1lb 1oz) skinned and boneless chicken, cut into long strips
35g (1¼oz) pine nuts
4 medium-sized onions, peeled and finely chopped
125ml (4½fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and brushing
1 tbsp ground sumac, plus extra for seasoning
Bouquet garni made with 1 drop of mastic, 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, ½ tsp coriander seeds, 3 black peppercorns, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 dried chilli, 1 bay leaf and a cinnamon stick, all wrapped in cheesecloth
1 large shraak or marqûq bread (see ‘bread’)
For the marinade
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tbsp Palestinian mixed spices or Lebanese seven-spice mixture or allspice
Sea salt
Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl, seasoning with salt. Add the chicken strips to the marinade, turning them in the mixture so that they are well coated in it, and leave to sit for 2 hours.
When the chicken has nearly finished marinating, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), gas mark 7.
Spread the pine nuts on a non-stick baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5–7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven switched on, with the heat lowered to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4.
Put the chopped onions and olive oil in a large frying pan and place over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until they start softening, then lower the heat to medium-low. Add the sumac and continue cooking the onions, over a low heat and adding a little water if necessary, until they are completely done but not browned. Add the toasted pine nuts and cook for a few more minutes.
Sauté the chicken in a separate pan, then add 250ml (9fl oz) of boiling water and the bouquet garni and cook, covered with a lid, until the water evaporates and the chicken is done.
Spread out the bread and cut into long pieces, each wide enough to wrap around the chicken and onions in the shape of a long cigar. Then spread a little onion on each slice of bread, and top with chicken. Sprinkle with a little more sumac and roll the bread tightly around the filling. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and brush the roll with a little olive oil. Finish making the remaining wraps, arranging them in the baking