SPICY MIDDLE EASTERN-STYLE CHICKPEA, BELL PEPPER, EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND TAHINI STEW (VEGETARIAN) - RAGOÛT MOYEN-ORIENTALISANT AUX LÉGUMES D'ÉTÉ, POIS CHICHES, ÉPICES ET AU TAHINI (VÉGÉTARIEN)

If you follow me via my Facebook page, you might be familiar with my daily " light & healthy supper" posts*. Well to make a long story short, I use this space to share with my fans the detailed desription of the humble, yet delicious, budget-friendly, wholesome and totally improvised meals I cook every evening.

Against all expectations, my quotidian dinner ramblings have become quite popular and a few of the people who enthusiastically read them have told me that I inspire them greatly. Many have even asked me whether I'd consider putting my recipes on the blog.

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
- Sylvia Plath

Of course I'd love to be one of those hyperactive bloggers who publishes on a day-to-day basis and always feels the urge to put pen to paper or grab his/her camera, but unfortunately that's not me. You see, I'm a self-doubting perfectionist who has anxiety issues and suffers from chronic bouts of depression, so unlike many creative souls, I generally cannot be put under any kind of pressure or else my inspiration and mojo disappear. Stress and mood swings kill me and tame my inner fire. As a matter of fact, I am only capable of producing quality material when that big black cloud has ceased to hover over my head and I start to regain my self-confidence as well as my serenity...

Anyway, I have nonetheless been able to quickly take pictures of one of my modest creations that I'm happy to present to you today. This summery "Spicy Middle Eastern-Style Chickpea, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Tomato And Tahini Stew" is really flavorful. Not only is it pleasantly fragrant, but it is also hearty, seasonal, inexpensive and easy to put together.

Nothing artsy-fartsy here, just straight-forward vegetarian grub for foodlovers who care about their well-being, the environment and the state of their bank account without compromising on taste and quality.

* In case you absolutely don't know what I'm talking about, I invite you to visit my "fan page" by clicking on this link.

Spicy Middle Eastern-Style Chickpea, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Tomato And Tahini Stew
Recipe by Rosa Mayland, September 2014.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, cubed
1 Eggplant, cubed
1/2 Tsp Ground cumin
1/4 Tsp Ground allspice
1/6 Ground black pepper
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Tsp Tomato paste
400g Cooked chickpeas
3 Tbs Tahini mixed with 5 Tbs Water
3 Tbs Yogurt
A few drops of red Tabasco
1/2 Tbs Fresh mint, chopped
Fine sea salt, to taste

Method:
1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and then the onion. Cook the onion until translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1/2 a minute.
3. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for about 4 minutes, then add the eggplant and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the spices, quickly stir and add the tomatoes as well as the tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes, until the juices of the tomato have evaporated.
5. Incorporate the chickpeas, the tahini sauce, the yogurt, the Tabasco and the mint. Cook for another minute.
6. Season with salt and serve.

Remarks:
The tomatoes should not have dissolved completely - pieces should remain.
If you find that the dish/sauce is too thick add a little water.
The mint can be replaced by fresh coriander (a handful).

Serving Suggestions:
Serve this dish alone, or with couscous or basmati rice.

Ragoût Moyen-Orientalisant Aux Légumes d'Été, Pois Chiches, Épices Et Au Tahini
Recette par Rosa Mayland, Septembre 2014.
 
Ingrédients:
1 CS d'Huile d'olive
1 Oignon, haché
1 Gousses d'ail, hachée
1 Poivron rouge, coupé en dés
1 Aubergine, coupée en dés
1/2 CC de Cumin en poudre
1/4 CC de Tout-épice (poivre de la Jamaïque) en poudre
1/6 de CC de Poivre noir fraîchement moulu
2 Tomates, hachées grossièrement
1 CC de Concentré de tomate
400g de Pois chiches cuits
3 CS de Tahini mélangé à 5 CS d'eau
3 CS de Yogourt
Quelques gouttes de Tabasco rouge
1/2 CS de Menthe fraîche, hachée
Sel de mer, selon goût

Méthode:
1. Faire chauffer une poêle à feu moyen, ajouter l'huile d'olive, puis l'oignon et faire cuire ce dernier jusqu'à ce qu'il soit translucide.
2. Ajouter l'ail et cuire pendant 1/2 d'une minute.
3. Ajouter le poivron et le faire sauter pendant environ 4 minutes, puis ajouter l'aubergine et continuer à faire sauter (en remuant régulièrement) pendant 5 minutes.
4. Ajouter les épices, remuer rapidement et ajouter les tomates ainsi que le concentré de tomate et faire cuire pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les jus des tomates se soit évaporé.
5. Incorporer les pois chiches, la sauce au tahini, le yogourt, le Tabasco et la menthe. Laisser cuire encore une minute.
6 Assaisonner avec le sel et servir.

Remarques:
Les tomates ne doivent pas s'être dissoutes - des morceaux doivent rester.
Si vous trouvez que le plat est un peu sec, ajouter de l'eau afin d'obtenir la consistance voulue.
La menthe peut être remplacée par de la coriandre fraîche (une poignée).

Idées De Présentation:
Servir ce plat seul, ou avec du couscous ou du riz basmati.

STUFFED QUINCES - COINGS FARCIS

Lately, I have been delving into the world of Turkish as well as Middle Eastern food and have developped an immense passion for that delightful Mediterranean cuisine. That is why, today, I will grace the pages of this blog with a wonderful seasonal recipe that I have found in famous Egypto-English book author/culinary journalist Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" (a book that does not disappoint)...

"Stuffed Quinces" or "Ayva Dolmasi" is a very scented and refined dish that is typically Turkish, but which can also be widely found in Persia as well as Georgia.

This Middle Eastern speciality is totally irresistible. In my opinion, there's no better way to celebrate autumn than by cooking a savory, spicy and totally original quince recipe which will fulfill your cravings for sweet and sour combinations. And what a fabulous and totally unique approach to preparing that lovely scented fruit. A perfect ode to fall!

Although this dish contains so few ingredients, you might be tempted to add another spice (garlic for example) or play a little around, but for godsake's don't! You would ruin the flavors of this dish which are very delicate, yet very complex and so well-balanced. "Ayva Dolmasi" doesn't lack character or taste and is
highly satifying gustatively speaking.

The quince pulp gives an ambrosial sweetness to the meat filling while the quince shells deliver a suprising tangy sharpness that contrasts luciously with the mellow roundness of the meat as well as the round and nutty taste of the pine nuts. There is no dissonance in this dish, only voluptuous aromas...

You will see, it is impossible to not fall in love with that fine example of the harmonious cuisine from Turkey"!

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With this Turkish recipe, I have decided to participate to Tobias' (at Tobias Cooks) "Mediterranean Cooking Event" in order to share my love for that cusine and maybe get the chance to win a great cookbook... So I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

~ Stuffed Quinces or Ayva Dolmasi ~
Taken from Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 Large quinces (450g each)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs Olive oil
4 Tbs Pine nuts
240g Ground lamb or beef
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground allspice
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Wash the quinces and rub off the light down that covers their skin in patches.
2. Put the quinces on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 170° C (325° F) for 1 to 2 hours, until they feel soft when you press them.
3. For the stuffing, fry the onion in the oil until soft and translucent.
4. Add the pine nuts and stir, turning them over, until golden.
5. Put the ground meat in a bowl with the spices, and work them to a paste with your hands. 6. Add the onions and pine nuts and work them into the paste.
7. When the quinces are cool enough to handle, cut the quinces in half lengthwise and remove the cores and discard them.
8. Then scoop out about one third of the pulp, chop it, and add it to the meat mixture.
9. Divide the meat between the four quince halves and press it into the quinces.
10. Return the stuffed quinces to the baking sheet and bake for half an hour at 180° C (350° F).
11. Serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Remarks:
I used beef, but lamb would surely be tastier.

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with rice pilaf, rice with chickpeas or bread and yoghurt.

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~ Coings Farcis A La Turque ou Ayva Dolmasi ~
Recette tirée du livre "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" de Claudia Roden et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Pour 4 personnes.

Ingrédients:
2 Gros coings (450g chacuns)
1 Oignon moyen, haché
1 1/2 CS d'Huile d'olive
4 CS de Pignons
240g de Viande de boeuf ou d'agneau hachée
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/2 CC de Tout-épices (poivre de la Jamaïque)
Sel de mer et poivre, à volonté

Méthode:
1. Laver les coings en s'assurant de bien enlever le duvet qui les recouvre.
2. Mettre les coings sur une plaque de cuisson (recouverte de papier sulfurisé) et les cuire pendant 1 à 2 heures dans le four préchauffé à 170° C, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient mous au toucher.
3. Pour la garniture, faire revenir les oignons dans l'huile afin qu'ils soient transparents et tendres.
4. Ajouter les pignons et bien remuer jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés.

5. Mettre la viande hachée dans un bol avec toutes les épices et pétrir cette masse à l'aide de vos mains.
6. Ajouter les oignons et les pignons. Bien les incorporer dans la masse.
7. Quand les coings sont manipulable (tièdes), coupez-les en deux et retirez les pépins ainsi que les queues.
8. Prélever une petite partie de chair que vous hacherez et incorporerez à la viande hachée.
9. Diviser la garniture en 4 portions égales et farcir les coings.
10. Mettre les coings farcis au four et les cuire pendant 30 minutes à 180° C.
11. Servir avec l'accompagnement de votre choix.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé de la viande de boeuf, mais je suis sûre que ce plat serait encore plus goûteux avec de la viande d'agneau.

Idées de présentation:
Servir soit avec du riz pilaf, du riz aux pois chiches ou du pain arabe et du yaourt.

WALNUT MA'AMOUL - MA'AMOULS AUX NOIX

As this year, both the Eid Ul-Fitr festival (marking the end of the Ramadan) and Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) coincide (20th and 19th of September), I thought that it'd be a good idea if I offered a recipe that brings us back to the time when both Muslim and Jewish people cohabited in harmony and were close...

So after a lot of thinking and some researching, I came to the conclusion that the cookie which would be the best symbol of peace, friendship, respect and tolerance is the Middle Eastern shortbread pastry known under the name of "Ma'amoul" (meaning "filled cookie" in Arabic).

Not only is it adored in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and other Levantine countries, but it also very popular amid Arab Christians as well as amid the Lebanese and Egyptian (Sepharadic) Jewish communities.

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I am organizing an event called "Pastries For Peace" (thanks Kiriel for the idea). Anybody can participate. The roundup will take place on the 7th of December 2009 and the deadline is the 1st of December 2009. Just send your links to grandchampatgmxdotch.

J'organise un jeu qui s'appel "Pastries For Peace (Pâtisseries Pour La Paix)" et qui est ouvert à tous. Toutes vos participations seront visible dès le 7 décembre 2009 et le délai de participation est fixé au 1er décembre 2009. Envoyez tous vos lien à grandchampatgmxdotch.

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Choosing this recipe also meant that the baker I am was going to get challenged as I had never made "Ma'amouls" before and had always been intimidated by Middle Eastern pastries, although I had been dying to experiment with those delicacies since a very long time. I always chickened out because they seemed so complicated to produce. I know, stupid me, as usual...

Anyway, with my pristine tabi (wooden mould) desperately waiting to get used, I could not skip the opportunity to finally jump in the cold water and test my baking skills on a sweet treat which is so different from what we know in the Western world!

Fortunately for me, this incursion into the art of making pastries the Arabic way turned out extremely well. My creations looked not too bad and were mouthwateringly good!

Those "Ma'amouls" are very unusual, refined and unique in aesthetics, flavor and composition. Not only are they very pretty, but they also taste like heaven. With their crisp flaky pastry and soft filling, those nutty, not overly sweet and delightfully fragrant cookies will conquer you instantly.

Eid Moubarak!
&
Shana Tova!

~ Walnut Ma'amoul ~
Recipe by Camille at "Cakes In The City" (France) and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Makes about 50 small ma'amouls.

Ingredients for the "Pastry":
500g Fine semolina (or 400g fine semolina and 100g flour)
30g Powder sugar
1 Pinch Salt
1 Tsp Baking powder
250g Unsalted butter, at room temperature
60ml Milk
60ml Orange blossom water
Ingredients for the "Filling":
150g Walnuts
The zest of one organic orange
2-3 Tbs Powder sugar
2-3 Tbs Water
Powder sugar for dusting

Method for the "Pastry":
1. In a big bowl, mix together the semolina (and flour if you use any), sugar, salt and baking powder.
2. Add the butter and rub between the fingers until the mixture is flaky.
3. Add the milk and orange blossom water and lightly knead the dough for 1 minute.
4. Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap in plastic foil and put in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Method for the "Filling":
5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: put all the ingredients in a mixer and blend until it ressembles a paste.
6. Preheat the oven to 160°C (° F).
7. Take a small portion of dough and shape it into a ball. Make a hole with your thumb.
8. Fill the hole with the walnut paste and close the ball. Process in the same way with the remaining pastry and filling.
9. With the help of a floured tabi (decorative mould) shape the balls into ma'amoul cookies by packing each ball into the mould and then tapping the cookies out onto the work area with a sharp firm hit to the top of the mold.
10. Transfer cookies to baking sheet with a spatula and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes (stop baking as soon as the sides are starting to get golden brown).
11. Let cool on a rack.
12. Cover the cookies with powdered sugar.

Remarks:
I found two videos for you (video 1 & video 2) that might help you. Check them out if in doubt when it comes to shaping those ma'amoul!
Maamoul are very delicate cookies which you have to manipulate wih care. Let them cool completely before manipulating them.
If you don't have a tabi, then just shape the balls as indicated, put them on the baking sheet and flatten them slightly and decorate the cookies with tweezers.

Serving suggestions:
Eat those cookies with mint tea or Arabic coffee.

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~ Ma'amouls Aux Noix ~
Recette par Camille de "Cakes In The City" (France) et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Pour environ 50 petits ma'amouls.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte":
500g de Semoule fine (ou 400g de semoule fine et 100g de farine)
30g de Sucre en poudre
1 Pincée de sel
1 CC de Levure chimique
250g de Beurre, à température ambiante
60ml de Lait
60ml d'Eau de fleur d'oranger
Ingrédients pour la "Farce":
150g de noix de Grenoble
Le zeste râpé d'une orange bio
2-3 CS de Sucre en poudre
2-3 CS d'Eau
Sucre glace, pour la finition

Méthode pour la "Pâte":
1. Dans un grand saladier mélanger la semoule (et la farine si vous en utilisez), le sucre, le sel et la levure.
2. Ajouter le beurre ramolli et travailler du bout des doigts pour obtenir un mélange sablé.
3. Ajouter enfin le lait et l'eau de fleur d'oranger, puis pétrir la pâte pendant une minute.
4. Former une boule de pâte que vous laisserez reposer pendant 1 heure au frigo, emballée dans un film plastique.
Méthode pour la "Farce":
5. Pendant ce temps, préparer la garniture: mettre tous les ingrédients de la garniture dans un mixer afin d'obtenir une masse collante et homogène.
6. Préchauffer le four à 160°C.
7. Prendre une petite portion de pâte, la rouler en boule et y creuser un trou en y enfonçant le pouce.
8. Remplir la cavité de farce et refermer la boule. Poursuivre jusqu'à épuisement des ingrédients.
9. Façonner chaque petite boule à l'aide d'un tabi (moule à ma'amouls/voir 3ième image depuis le haut) en l'enfonçant dans le creux du moule, puis en le tapant ensuite très énergiquement sur une planche à découper pour démouler le ma'amoul.
10. Disposer les biscuits sur une plaque à pâtisserie recouverte de papier sulfurisé et faire cuire pendant 12 à 15 minutes (arrêter la cuisson quand les bords commencent à dorer).
11. Laisser refroidir sur une grille.
12. Saupoudrer de sucre glace avant de les servir.

Remarques:
J'ai trouvé 2 vidéos qui pourraient vous intéresser (video 1 & video 2). Jettez-y un coup d'oeil car elles sont très utiles afin de comprendre comment former un ma'amoul!
Les Maamouls sont des petites choses très friables, il faut donc les laisser refroidir complètement avant de les manipuler.
Si vous n'avez pas de Tabi, disposer simplement les boules de pâte sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte de papier sulfurisé. Les aplatir légèrement avec la paume de la main et les décorer à l'aide d'une pince de décoration.

Idée de présentation:
Servez ces biscuits avec un thé à la menthe ou un café arabe.