Maftoul Fall Salad with Sumac Dressing

Similar to couscous of Morroco and mughrabieh of Lebanon the Palestinian version is called maftoul. Maftoul is made of bulgur wheat, whole grains that are parboiled, dried in the sun, and then cracked, and hand rolled in durum flour. This process is long and time consuming but it gave the maftoul its name. As the word maftoul in Arabic means "rolled". These practices are common among Palestinian women, and products like this are essential in the Palestinian pantry. These little pearls came in my Palbox all the way from Palestine from a local women cooperative that depends on projects like this as a main source of income. Traditionally maftoul is served as a hearty stew thats perfumed with cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices, and then layered with chickpeas and succulent chicken that's been simmering in the spice broth. I took all these delicious flavors of the tradtional dish and made a beautful salad with roasted veggies and a bright sumac and lemon dressing thats perfect for this crispy fall weather.

Maftoul Fall Salad With a Lemon Sumac Dressing

Serves 6 as a side salad

Prep time: 15 min

Total Cooking time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

2 purple onions cut into wedges

2 cups chopped and peeled butternut squash (seeds removed)

2 cups fresh radicchio chopped or arugula

1 yellow squash diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 small sweet potatoe peeled & diced

9 Oz palestinian fair trade maftoul

2 tbls olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped pistachios (reserve a tbls to garnish the top)

Dressing:

Juice of one lemon

2 tbls of olive oil

1 tsp of sumac

Salt to taste

1 garlic cloves finely minced

Mix all ingredients in a mason jar to combine

Tools:

Double boiler

To roast the vegetables:

** see roasting tips

Preheat the oven to 425 F

Add the cut up veggies to a parchment lined baking sheet

Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper

Toss to combine

Roast for 30- 45 min till veggies are caramelized and cooked through

** Tips for roasting veggies:

1. Cut them the same size so they cook evenly

2. Lay them in a baking sheet in one layer so they caramelize on all sides and not steam

Cooking the maftoul:

Tools you need: For a fluffy delicious maftoul you will need a double boiler

1 tsp of olive oil

Water or chicken broth

Aromatics for the water: this step is optional it will just create a nice scented steam

• cinnamon stick

• 5 peppercorns

• 1 bay leaf

• 5 cardamom pods

• 5 whole allspice

Add water to the bottom pan with the aromatics if using

Brush the bottom and sides of the colander with olive oil. This step will prevent the maftoul from sticking to the colander

Make sure the bottom of the colander does not touch the water

Add the rinsed maftoul to the oiled colander.

Bring the pot to a boil. Cover and let the steam cook the maftoul. After 8 min of cooking give the maftoul a gentle toss to make sure it’s not clumping together cook for a total of 15-25 minutes until maftoul is fluffy and cooked through. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

To assemble the salad:

In a large bowl add the roasted veggies to the cooled maftoul.

Add the dressing, radicchio, pistachios. Toss the salad to combine. Garnish with the reserved pistachios. Serve at room temperature.

This salad can be stored in the fridge for up to one week.

This salad is delicious as a side dish next to roasted chicken or roasted salmon.

Recipe and images by Almond & Fig

www.almondandfig.com

@almondandfig

Recipe made for @palbox

https://www.palbox.org/

#maftoul #palestinianfood #fallsalad #roastedveggies #maftoulsalad

Za’atar Pop Tarts

Happy National Za'atar Day

The name “za’atar” in Arabic زعتر is the actual herb that goes in this incredible aromatic blend that combines both the za'atar herb itself, toasted sesame seeds, and sumac. Though the blend incorporates other various herby flavors and spices in a pungent, olive green combination that is super delicious and awakes your senses.

For all Palestinians za'atar is the most essential breakfast ingredient. A shallow bowl of zaatar and a bowl of olive oil is often placed in a permanent spot in every kitchen. Growing up we often took zeit (olive oil) and za'atar pita sandwiches to school. The olive oil turns green and often stained the paper towel it’s wrapped in it.

As for me today za'atar is not only the flavor of my childhood, and my school lunch but a symbol to our existence as Palestinians and our resilient culinary heritage. My Za'atar is always made by my Tita Um Hana. Handpicked from the mountains and hills of Palestine. It has deep roots and a special aroma, nothing else will ever compare. Here is to an upgrade to my Zeit and Za'atar school lunch sandwich in a savory, flaky, cool, pop tart kind of way.

Za’atar Pop Tarts

Cook Time 15 Mins

Prep Time 15 Mins

Total Time 30 Mins

Yield approximately 12 pop tarts

Ingredients

• 18 Oz or 2 sheets of packaged puff pastry dough, thawed in the fridge (find one with the best quality butter it makes all the difference in flavor)

• Flour for work surface

• ⅓ cup crumbled Nabulsi cheese or feta cheese (optional)

• 6 tbls extra virgin olive oil

• 6 tbls Za’atar blend

• Sesame seeds Black sesame seeds And extra Za’atar to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the olive oil with the Za’atar until it creates a thick paste.

Unroll the thawed puff pastry dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

Cut it into 4-inch by 3-inch rectangles. Transfer the bottom pie rectangles of each of the pies to the 2 prepared baking sheets.

Place the pop tarts one inch apart on the baking sheet

Top each rectangle with 2 teaspoons of the Za’atar mixture and ½ tablespoon of crumbled cheese (if using) , leaving a ½-inch border around the edges.

Top with the other dough rectangle pressing firmly around the edges to seal. Crimp the edges by pressing down on them with a fork. With a sharp knife slit a tiny cut on the top of each tart.

sprinkle with plain or black sesame seeds and a sprinkle of Za’atar.

** At this point you can individually wrap and freeze the pop tarts for whenever you are looking for fresh flaky Za’atar treat or a cool school lunch.

Otherwise, bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and flaky. If baking from frozen, it can take a bit longer.

They are best served warm. To preheat: do that in the toaster exactly how you would with a pop tart. Serve with whipped Labaneh and chopped cucumbers and tomatoes.

#zeitandzaatar #oliveoil #zaatar #herb #spiceblend #herbblend #breakfast #poptart #savorypoptart #palestinianbreakfast #palestinianfood #schoollunch

Cherry and Mahlab Oat Bars

I love making fruit crumb bars in the summer. With all the berries and delicious stone fruits that’s in season.

Although I am using cherries here but this method works with any fruit. In fact use the crumb recipe and make it with a good fruit jam instead.

I love these bars so much. It’s so hard to decide what part of these bars I like most: the buttery nutty oat crumb topping or the sweet fruit cherry filling. Or the fact that they are pretty easy to make. Whatever it is these bars are packed with summer flavors a good way to enjoy the seasons fruit bounty. And hey I finally baked something in my oven it’s been taking a long summer break.

So here you have it Cherry and Mahlep Oat Bars. Before we proceed to the recipe I wanted to share with you some information on Mahlab this incredible fragrant spice. And since it’s made from the pit of a certain cherry species the flavor worked beautifully in these cherry bars.

What is Mahlab:

Or also called Mahleb or Mahalepi is an aromatic spice made from the ground pit of a wild cherry. It’s been used for centuries to flavor Middle Eastern, Arab, Greek, Turkish, and Armenian baked goods and pastries.

Processing: ground mahlab is quite labor-intensive. Each cherry pit is dried and cracked open to get to the tiny seed kernel inside. Then the seed is ground into a powder before it’s used in baking.

Flavor: Mahlab has a flavor similar to cherry, almonds, maybe even marzipan, and gentle floral notes like a rose. If you use too much mahlab it has a bitter after taste. Think of it as nutmeg a little bit goes a long way.

How to grind Mahlab from kernels:

I like to buy Mahlab kernels instead of powder. The taste stays fresh longer. It’s best to grind them yourself with a mortar and pestle. I add a pinch of sugar so they don’t clump together and speed the process.

Use: use Mahlab in baked goods. A good general rule of thumb for every cup of flour I use 1 tsp of ground Mahlab.

Storing: it’s a seed after all so buy it in small quantities and I like storing it in the fridge.

Cherry compote

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cherries, pitted

• ¼ cup water

• 3 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Wash cherries

2. Remove stems and pit cherries using a cherry pitter (trust me it makes the job so much easier)

3. Add the pitted cherries, honey and water to a saucepan and mix to combine.

4. Bring the fruit mixture to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until Cherries are tender and cooked through.

6. Remove compote from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and allow it to cool. Note: compote will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator.

Store: in a glass jar with a tight lid and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Uses:

Compote is delicious on toast, ice cream, stirred in yogurt or oatmeal, and in any fruit desserts like these crumb bars.

Cherry and Mahlab Oat Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1- 2 tsp freshly ground mahlep powder (if you are new to Mahlab start with one tsp taste your crumb and add another one if you wish)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (don’t use quick cook or instant oats they are too fine)

• about 12 ounces or 1.5 cups of the cherry compote.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F.

• Line an 8-inch square pan or an 8 inch round pan with parchment paper and brush on some butter.

• Melt the butter either in the microwave or the stove top.

• To the melted butter Add the sugars, vanilla, and mix to Combine.

• Add the flour, oats, and gently toss to combine

• Once combined the Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.

• Set 1 cup crumb mixture aside to top the bars

• Using your fingers press down the remaining crumb mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press until you get a flat even crust.

• Evenly spread the cherry compote over the crust making sure you have a nice even layer about 1/4-inch thick.

• Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup crumble topping all over the top of the cherry compote.

• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until edges and compute are set.

• Allow the crumb bars to cool completely for at least two hours before you cut into them otherwise they will fall apart.

These are perfect with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

Note: Store Bars in an airtight glass container for up to one week. `

#seasonaldesserts #fruitbars #cherry #mahlab #crumbbars #summerdesserts