An Edible Mosaic. Faith Gorsky
fresh. Apricot leather keeps best stored at room temperature. It can be eaten as candy, made into Apricot Drink (page 138), or Layered Apricot and Milk Pudding (page 120).
Bulgur Wheat (Burghul): typically made from durum wheat, but can also be made from other types of wheat. It is parboiled, stripped of its outer layers of bran, and dried. It is then ground into three different sizes: #1—fine, #2—medium, and #3—coarse. The fine grind is commonly used in tabbouleh (page 44) and Kibbeh (page 100). Medium or coarse-ground bulgur wheat is prepared similarly to rice in dishes like Lentil and Bulgur Pilaf with Caramelized Onion (page 82).
Cardamom (Hale): Cardamom, which is related to ginger, produces green or black pods that contain fragrant black seeds. (Note: in this book, i’m always referring to green cardamom pods.) the seeds have a unique, warming flavor, with notes of lemon, pepper, and camphor. Once the seeds are ground they have a tendency to lose their flavor quickly, which is why it’s best to leave the pods whole until ready to use. Cardamom is used to flavor both sweet and savory dishes alike, and in Damascus it’s in the ground coffee you buy to make turkish Coffee (page 139).
Citric Acid (Hamud Lamoun): Also called lemon salt or sour salt, citric acid is found naturally in citrus fruits. It has a sour taste and is often used as a preservative, or to give dishes a pleasant tart tang. It’s handy to keep this in your pantry, as it can be substituted for fresh lemon juice in just about any recipe (the one exception I can think of is Lemony Mint Salad Dressing on page 28). To substitute, 1 large lemon = 3 to 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice = ¼ teaspoon citric acid. If you’re using citric acid to replace lemon juice, keep in mind that you may need to add a bit of water as necessary to compensate for the lack of liquid.
Clarified Butter (Ghee or Samneh): Butter that has had the milk solids and water removed resulting in a higher smoke point, which makes it useful for cooking at higher temperatures. Because of its low water content, clarified butter is ideal for use in many rice dishes, as well as in cookies—particularly, Butter Cookies (page 123)—and other confections. Clarified butter can be easily made: melt unsalted butter over low heat and cook it until foam rises to the top. Remove from heat, skim the foam off the surface, and strain the liquid through a double-cheesecloth lined mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the fridge.
Dates (Tamar): the fruit that grows on the date palm tree, Phoenix dactylifera. there are many different varieties of dates, which are divided into the following categories based on their sugar and moisture contents: soft (including Medjool), semi-dry (such as Deglet noor), and dry (for example, Thoory). Dates undergo four different stages of ripening where they change color from green to yellow, orange, or red and then finally to brown; their texture also changes from crunchy to soft, and their flavor becomes sweet. Dates are thought of as a fairly healthy food, containing a wide range of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. Dates play an important role in Middle Eastern cuisine. They contain simple sugars that help to quickly restore energy, which makes them the ideal food to break your fast with during the islamic holy month of Ramadan. Dates are used as the filling for Date-Filled Cookies (page 118).
Dried Limes (Loomi): Made from Persian limes that are dried until the insides turn black. They are about the size of golf balls or a little larger, and the outside color ranges from tan to brownish-black, but the darker variety is generally more flavorful. They taste sour, but without the brightness found in fresh limes, and have a complex, slightly fermented flavor. They are commonly used in dishes from the Arabian Gulf area, including Baked Chicken with Red Rice Pilaf (page 96) and Rice Pilaf with Spiced Smoked Chicken (page 94). If a recipe calls for grinding dried limes, do so right before you’re ready to use them, as their flavor diminishes once ground.
Fava Beans (Foul): Also called broad beans. They grow in slender green pods that are usually anywhere from 5 to 10 inches (12.75 to 25 cm) long and hold about three to eight beans, depending on their size. To remove fresh fava beans from the pod, either pull down on the stem so the pod opens, or cut a slit along one of the side of the pod. Before they can be eaten, the beans’ outer skins must be removed. Do this by blanching the shelled beans for two minutes in boiling water and then plunge them into an ice bath; the skins should slip right off. Once the outer skin is removed, fresh fava beans are delicious sautéed with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro. Although they can be eaten fresh, they are commonly dried. Cooked fava beans are the main component in Mashed Fava Beans with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, & Garlic (page 76) and are also frequently used to make Falafel (page 81).
Grape Leaves (Waraq al Ainab or Dawali): these are the tender leaves that grow on grapevines; they are used to make Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves (page 71). If you have access to fresh grape leaves that have not been sprayed with pesticides, look for leaves that are the size of the palm of your hand or larger, that are free from holes or blemishes. Before stuffing grape leaves, they require a little bit of preparation. Rinse them under cold running water, trim off the stems (without cutting the leaves), and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Rinse and drain them, and then they are ready to use or freeze (they can also be canned in a brine solution). To freeze, pat each leaf dry and then stack them on top of each other (try to place as many in a stack as you will need for a recipe); place the stack(s) in a plastic bag, press out all the air, and freeze. If you don’t have access to fresh grape leaves, you can buy them frozen, canned, or jarred, just be sure to soak them for about 10 minutes in hot water (changing the water three times) before using.
Mastic (Miskeh): A resin that comes from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) in eastern Mediterranean countries such as turkey and Greece. To produce the resin, sap from the trees are dried into pale yellow or ivory colored “tears” that look like small pebbles of beach glass. Mastic is highly aromatic, with a strong licorice-like, piney flavor. Before being added to recipes, mastic should be ground, which is easiest to do by freezing it for 20 minutes, then grinding it in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of sugar (or salt, if the recipe is savory); don’t use a spice grinder, as the mastic will gum it up. It is used sparingly in puddings like Lebanese nights (page 121), and in addition to flavor, it lends a chewy texture to Rose and Pistachio ice Cream (page 131). It can also be chewed with a little wax as a sort of chewing gum.
Marrow Squash (Kousa): this is a type of summer squash similar to zucchini, but lighter in color and smaller and slightly more bulbous in size. It is commonly hollowed out and stuffed for Stuffed Marrow Squash (page 107) in Middle Eastern cooking. When choosing marrow squash to stuff, look for squash that is about 5 inches (12.75 cm) long and about 1½ to 2 inches (3.75 to 5 cm) in diameter at its thickest part. If you can’t find marrow squash, zucchini can be used instead (see hollowing Out Vegetables to Stuff, page 12).
Middle Eastern Cheese (Jibneh): there are many kinds of sheep, goat, and cow’s milk cheeses native to the Middle East. Quite a few are salty and/or brined, and must be soaked in water to remove the excessive saltiness before being used in recipes. In the Middle East, cheese is commonly eaten with smaller meals (i.e., breakfast or dinner), along with tea to balance out the cheese’s