Eid Soup Scented with Mastic and Served with Kiftah Meatballs

Eid (or holiday soup) is the name that stuck around after my grandmother started making it on Christmas. After going to church on christmas morning, she served us Eid to warm our bodies from the brisk winter (also because nothing goes to waste in an Arab home) Its customary for my grandmother to pre boil her big cuts of meat whether lamb, beef or chicken. So, whenever she served roasted and stuffed lamb or chicken, she would boil the meat first and reserve the stock to use in this

delicious soup and to flavor the rest of the dishes. In an Arab home during eid (holiday) time, there is always something

stuffed. Whether a meat of choice (often lamb or chicken) or vegetables (grape leaves, eggplants, squash kousa) So, after stuffing her meat and vegetables, my tita was often left with extra hashweh filling. The filling was

often a flavorful rice and spiced minced meat. So, Tita would combine the stock and the leftover hashweh filling to make what came to be called Eid soup. I adjusted the rice hashweh filling to make this soup anytime in the winter,

even when I am not stuffing anything. I make it with mini kiftah meatballs that simmer in the rich golden meat broth. I finish the soup with a

generous sprinkling of parsley just like my grandmother does, and I also

add ground mastic because it has the most luxurious and delicious taste (plus it is the holidays after all!)

And there is nothing a hot bowl of homemade soup doesn’t cure

And nothing can cure what’s ailing you quite like a steamy pot of homemade chicken soup.

So for the recipe I added for you 2 options:

1. Or make the soup with the leftover hasweh rice and meat filling if you have any left over from stuffing your chicken or vegetables. (recipe below)

2. To make the soup with mini meatballs (recipe below)

For the Kiftah meatballs:

https://www.almondandfig.com/single-post/2019/01/11/Kiftah

To make your own homemade stock:

https://www.almondandfig.com/single-post/2019/01/30/Homemade-Chicken-Stock

To make the rice (ruz) hashweh filling:

https://www.almondandfig.com/single-post/2019/04/04/Hashweh

Eid Soup Scented with Mastic and Served with Kiftah Meatballs

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Salt and black pepper

I bay leaf

1/2 tsp of ground cardamom

Pinch of nutmeg

4-5 pearls of mastic finely ground with a bit of salt (in a mortar and pestle) so they dont stick

8 cups homemade chicken stock

1/2 cup short grain rice (rinsed few times until the water runs clear)

1/2 pound of kiftah recipe shaped into small meatballs (if you are using hashweh filling see recipe notes below).

To garnish you can use: chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, or few snips of chives or fresh dill and few cracks of fresh black pepper.

Mastic: An aromatic gum or resin that exudes from the bark of a Mediterranean tree, used in baked goods, chewing gum and as a flavoring.

Directions:

Bring the chicken stock to boil. Add the aromatics and spices. Season with salt and pepper. Once the stock comes to a boil gently drop the mini meatballs, stir gently so the meatballs take their shape about 1-2 minutes. Grind the mastic with a pinch of salt until it turns into fine powder. Add the rinsed rice, give it a stir, and cook until the rice is tender and the meatballs are cooked through 10-15 min. To finish add the mastic powder and let it simmer for an additional minute or so.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, discard the bay leaf. Serve topped with a few cracks of pepper and snips of fresh parsley

Recipe notes:

If are using a hashweh (rice and meat) leftover filling: omit the rice and the meatballs in the recipe.

You can then add the hashweh filling after the chicken stock comes to a boil. And once its cooked through about 15 minutes add your mastic. And serve with a squeeze of lemon and fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy

#soup #wintersoup #meatbas #chickenstock #chicken #shorabah #christmassoup #mastic

White Chocolate and Rose Ghraybeh

Meet one of my all time favorite cookies “Ghraybeh”. No Christmas or any celebration is ever complete without these white as snow cookies. Ghraybeh in Arabic means “swoon” yep these cookies will def have you swooning. If a shortbread cookie married a sugar cookie they will have the most delicious cookie called #ghraybeh. It literally melts in your mouth you prob don’t even need to chew it. I told you it’s my kind of cookie. It’s so effortless; minimal ingredients, comes together in no time, egg free which only means one thing eat the batter straight up, doesn’t need to be chilled, it won’t rise or spread in the oven. How’s that for an amazing cookie!

My Khalto Naheel (my mom’s only sister) is famous for this cookie. She is also known for her elaborate tables and delicious food. During Christmas time she makes these cookies shaped like an “S” for Santa. They are so buttery and so so good. The simple shortbread-like cookies are so decadent yet they feel so light, subtly scented with rosewater and only made with 3 ingredients ok plus flavoring of your choice.

Graybeh by the nature of its simple ingredients and the whipped ghee its meant to be white as snow ok maybe off white. The cookie is baked at gentle heat an no browning required. Traditionally graybeh is topped with a blanched almond or pine nuts.

Ghraybeh is a Middle Eastern cookie that varies from region to region in the Arab world. Although the ingredients are similar but the method might change. It is often made with clarified butter or samneh in Arabic (ghee) or sweet cream butter just like my khalto makes it. I have tried different variations of the fat in the cookie and I found that whipped ghee yields the most decedent results. And the explanation is simple with clarified butter, all of the water evaporates, and the milk solids have been removed, leaving us with only pure butter fat. So beautiful and golden. And since there is no more added liquid to the cookie dough the clarified butter will have a melt-in-your-mouth feel that doesn't even require you to chew the cookie ok maybe chew a little.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsalted clarified butter** cooled, in its solid format

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 teaspoon rosewater

• 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus a few more tablespoons if needed

• 4 oz. qood quality white chocolate melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven.

2. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the butter on high speed until fluffy, creamy and pale, about 6-8 minutes.

3. scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula

4. Add the sugar and rosewater and whip until well combined and fluffy.

5. On low speed, slowly add in the flour, ½ cup at a time.

6. Handle the dough gently and work quickly so it doesn’t dry out.

7. I divide the dough into a tbls size measure using a cookie scoop. Use whatever size you wish.

8. Roll the dough in the palm of your hand and shape it into its iconic shape letter S for Santa for Christmas or whatever you like

1. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan and bake until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch, but still pale, about 15- 20 minutes. The cookies should remain pale and not browned or crisped at the bottom.

2. Remove from the oven and cool completely on the sheet pan before transferring.

Why clarified butter !!

Clarified butter is simply clear butterfat from which the milk solids have been removed. leaving us with only butter fat. Ghraybeh doesn’t require any added liquid to the recipe which means that the ghraybeh shortbread cookies that are made with clarified butter have a melt-in-your-mouth feel and texture that’s so heavenly.

** how to make clarified butter at home:

First always start with unsalted butter; high quality butter. The taste and richness will make all the difference in this 3 ingredients cookie recipe.

Melt the butter over low and gentle heat until completely melted. Turn off the heat. With a spoon skim off the foamy layer that's on top. The melted butter can be poured through cheesecloth. but I prefer this simple method:

As the butter melts, skim the foam that forms on the surface, then set the butter aside to cool completely this will allow the remaining solids to drop to the bottom of the pan so you can pour the clear butter off leaving the solids behind, store in a glass jar. Clarified butter will become solid again.

Recipe tips:

1. Feel the dough if it doesn’t crumble in your hands and hold its shape it’s ready to use

2. Frozen: I have experimented with freezing the dough and it worked beautifully. It didn't spread and didn't crumble. Secret: shape the dough to the size and shape you want and freeze it in a freeze safe container. Bake from frozen. because you need this in your life at all times.

3. Storage: These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

4. If you are crunched for time you could definitely buy a jar of clarified butter they are available now in many grocery stores but at a premium price.

#cookies #christmascookies #arabcookies #christmas #ghraybeh #shortbreadcookies #rosewater #roses #christmasinpalestine

Sfeeha Meat Pies; Holiday Edition

Sfeeha is essentially spiced meat baked on top of fluffy dough. Simple yet so festive and elegant. At an Arab home No holiday table or festive occasion is ever complete without some sort of assortment of savory pastries.

Making dough is so therapeutic to me. The smell as the yeast and the olive oil swirl together .. the joy of watching the dough double in size .. and how soft it feels on our hands .. I love this process so much. It’s both delicious and rewarding.

These open face pastries are either made with meat, cheese, Muhammara or veggies like spinach and herbs like Za’atar. They can be served as appetizers or part of the big feast during the holidays.

Turkeys are often eaten around this time of the year and ruby cranberries fill the markets. So the this holiday sfeeha edition is so festive, light and loaded with flavors. Contrary to most applications that add lots of sugar to cranberry sauces cranberries are actually tart and fruity on their own making them a great compliment to the turkey sfeeha.

My grandmother will always have a stash of savory pastries in her freezer in case family and friends show up at a moments notice.

My kids love these to take to school or after school treat scooped with Labaneh or savory yogurt.

These savory morsels are so fun to make as they are to eat, even the kids get so much joy in playing with dough so get them next to you in the kitchen and make these together. Cheers to holidays filled with joy, peace, laughter and delicious food.

Sfeeha Meat Pies

Holiday Edition

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus time for the dough to rise and rest

Makes: 30-35 pieces

FOR THE DOUGH:

INGREDIENTS

5 cups all purpose flour sifted

1 Tbs active dry yeast

1 Tsp sugar or honey

3/4 cup mix of olive oil and canola oil

1 cup of warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Combine the yeast, warm water and sugar or honey in a small cup set aside until yeast activates. It could take up to 10 min.

Using an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment add the flour, and salt. Drizzle in the warm milk and the yeast mixture, and oils. Mix the dough on medium speed until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. About 3 minutes. If the dough is too wet add in 1 tbls of flour at a time. Raise the speed to high and mix for 2 more minutes. The dough should be elastic, shiny and comes together in a ball.

*You could also kneed the dough by hand as well.

Coat the dough with a tsp of olive oil and cover to rise in a warm place. About an hour or if weather is colder maybe longer. The dough would double in size.

Punch the dough down

Filling:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey (traditionally made with lamb or beef or a combo )

1 jalapeños finely chopped (optional)

1 small red pepper seeds removed and finely chopped

1 onion finely minced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp or Few grinds of fresh nutmeg

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh cranberries or you can use 2 tsp of Pomegranate molasses

1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until combined and incorporated.

To assemble the meat pies:

• Divide dough into small golf size pieces, roll them slightly into a ball

• Let them rest covered for 30 minutes

• Spread the dough with your fingers or with a rolling pin into a circle about 1/4 an inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. You may find it helpful to flip the dough few times on the floured surface so it doesn’t stick. Using your fingers create some dimples on the dough surface to help the meat mixture stick.

• Add one tbls of the raw meat mixture to the dough

• And using the back of the spoon spread it evenly on the dough leaving a small border

• Add few pine nuts on top to garnish and add crunch

• Bake At 350 for 15-20 minutes until meat is cooked and dough is cooked and crisped around the edges

• Run under the broiler to crisp the top if you wish

Recipe Tips:

Sfeeha filling can me made a day in advance and stored in the fridge.

Storage: sfeeha will last few days in the fridge just reheat before serving in the oven or toaster oven.

Sfeeha can be frozen in freezer zip bags up to 3 months. You can bake them from f

rozen but you might have to increase the cooking time by a few minutes.

#dough #savorypies #pastries #holidaytable #palestinianfood #sfeeha #meatpies