Tita's Famous Misalwa مسلوعه

Everything my TITA (grandma) makes is my favorite ok minus the stuffed lamb liver.. She loves to cook and feed everyone, no one ever goes home hungry. And if you are not there when she makes something you bet that she will save you a portion or 3 you know to "share with your friends" as she would say.

Feeling so blessed to spend last summer with her. I hung with her in the kitchen, her favorite spot in the house doing what she loves most, cooking for her family. I loved watching her as she moved slowly in her kitchen with her walker right next to her. My grandmother is over 90 years old. We don't know her real age as she lost her birth certificate sometime during the chaos of the war. Creamy red lentils with rice, cumin, sumac, lots of olive oil and turmeric. This dish she calls "Misalwa" or others might call it "yellow Mjadarah" is a cold or served at room temperature lentil stew or more of a savory pudding. We started the cooking this dish in her veranda; a little sun room off her kitchen. She sits on a small stool wearing her handmade apron she had sewn, chopping onions on a chopping board that she had refurbished.

After the lentils are cooked, comes the essential part. The Garnishes. Tita takes the garnishes to a whole new level. Each plated dish gets a generous sprinkling of raw onions sprinkled with sumac, crispy caramelized onions sautéed in olive oil that’s pressed from our olive trees, and fresh parsley. Every bowl she arranges is dedicated to a family member. And you can’t leave without finishing your bowl or you will take it home. The garnished bowls sit on the top shelve in her fridge. Always ready for anyone who stops by.

The best thing about this dish is you can eat it straight out of the fridge my grandmother's favorite way of eating it. That's why she loves to make it in the summertime.

Those precious hands helped raise me when I was a little girl, fed me, braided my hair, did my sewing project in grade school (because I sucked at sewing) And with every popping vein and wrinkle there is a life long story and lessons for me to cherish and preserve. If you want to see me cook with my Tita head to my story on Instagram.

In the Arab kitchen and especially in TITA’s kitchen (I think Titas language is universal) simple humble pantry staples are often transformed into big meals the whole family will enjoy.

I ate this dish every summer growing up and now when I go back home to Palestine my Tita will make this for me. I cooked this with her last summer and it was the most beautiful day I will cherish for the rest of my life. Today I remade this recipe in my kitchen for you and for my family to enjoy. May the stories and food of our grandparents live on for generations to come.

Misalwa مسلوعه

Rice & Lentils Savory Summer Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 8-10

Cooking time: 1 hour

3 cups orange lentils rinsed

1.5 cups short grain rice (rinsed few times until water runs clear)

1/3 -1/2 cup extra version olive oil

9 cups of water (plus more for later)

2 large onions thinly sliced

salt and pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

2 bay leaves

Garnishes:

Chopped Parsley 3-4 tbls

1 yellow onion thinly sliced

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp cumin

Directions:

• Rinse your lentils. Add the lentils to a soup pot and add the water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Skim the foam off the top

** Tip: for every cup of red lentils add 3 cups of water or stock

• Add the rinsed rice, spices, bay leaf and stir to combine. Let it cook until the rice and lentils are tender and cooked through about 45 minutes. Make sure you stir often so they don’t stick to the bottom.

• Add more water if mixture is too thick 1/2 cup at a time. (I added an additional 1.5-2 cups of water) because it all depends on the type of rice you use. We are looking for a pudding consistency

• In the meantime In a medium pan heat the olive oil and fry the onions till they are golden-brown. Add a pinch of salt to season. Don’t rush this process it will take up to 30-45 minutes to achieve the right caramelization. Stir your onions often.

• Once the onions are caramelized, use a slotted spoon and strain them on a paper towel but reserve the cooking oil.

• Once the lentils and rice are cooked through. Add the olive oil left over from cooking the onions into the lentil and rice mixture and fold until all the oil is combine into the lentils. The olive oil will make this mixture super silky and pudding like.

• Reserve the fried onions to garnish the top

**Tita plates bowls full and carefully garnishes them.

To serve:

Pour into a serving platter or little bowls.

Garnishes:

Toss the sliced onions with a tsp of sumac and half a tsp of cumin.

Garnish the top of the bowls with the crispy onions, sumac raw onions, fresh minced parsley and a sprinkling of cumin.

**Tita's mixing bowls are from her wedding many many years ago

The best part about this dish it’s Eaten hot or at room temperature or even straight out of the fridge. Serve with chopped vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and olives.

Storing:

This will last for up to a week in the fridge. Making it the best summer lunch or dinner or even as a side.

My grandmothers portions are always huge when she makes food. She likes to feed everyone. These bowls of orange goodness will sit in the fridge and line the top shelves of her fridge. Always ready for whoever comes over hungry or not they must grab a bowl.

I scaled this recipe down for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sahtain صحتين,

Mai

#vegetarian #vegan #legumes #lentilsandrice #stew #savorypudding #grandmasfood #palestinianfood #redlentils

Coleslaw with Yogurt & "Ayran" Dressing

The origin of the term “Coleslaw” comes from the Dutch word, koolsla, which literally meant “Cabbage Salad.”

Dressings for this cabbage salad is often mayo based but you know it wasn’t always the case. A recipe in The Sensible Cook: Dutch Foodways in the Old and New World, made by the author's Dutch landlady in 1770, mixes thin strips of cabbage with melted butter, vinegar and oil. Since mayonnaise was a mid-18th-century invention, coleslaw as we most commonly know it is only about 250 years old.

well you see nothing against mayo or anything (I personally enjoy it) but my entire family doesn’t eat it, so I am always challenged to come up with new ways to substitute. So I came up with the idea to mix yogurt with Ayran and it made for a delicious zesty salad dressing that's lighter and tangier. I hope you will love my twist on this creamy dressing giving it a slight Middle Eastern accent.

Ayran, is a savory yogurt based refreshing summer drink. its a bit like a savory lassi or kefir. Some also call it Shanineh or Laban Mkheeed which translates into shaken yogurt. And I am sure there is many other names for it depending where you are from. It’s pretty much thinned out yogurt with its whey or water, a dash of salt and then frothed up to make a refreshing drink. Sometimes finished with dried mint (the way I love it). This drink is often served with kebabs, bbqs or spicy dishes. It’s often consumed in Turkey, Iran, the Middle East and beyond.

I hope you are going on a picnic, setting for a barbecue or spreading a large beach blanket in the sun, on the sand by the waves this weekend. Whatever it is you are doing I hope you make this refreshing crunchy salad, it makes a great addition to your summer dishes. I have combined a summer must make salad with a my favorite summer drink into one refreshing recipe. Its cool creaminess, crunchy texture, and tangy flavor balances out the richness of smoked and grilled meats and of course perfect to top off your burgers.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 -3/4 cup whole milk or 2% Greek yogurt

1/2 cup shanena or yogurt milk drink (if you can’t find this yogurt drink you might substitute with buttermilk or you can make your own. You will find the recipe below)

1/2 tsp of Aleppo peppers

1/2 tsp sumac

1/2 tsp crushed dried mint

1 garlic clove crushed

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar. Close the lid tightly and give it a big shake and store in the fridge until ready to use.

To make your own Ayran, Shanineh, or Laban Mkheed yogurt drink. Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain good quality thick yogurt

1 cup (Whey) or ice cold water

Salt to taste

Mint (optional)

Directions

Blend the yogurt ,water or whey, salt in the blender untill completely frothy.

Serve ice cold with a sprinkling of mint.

Coleslaw ingredients

3 Red cabbage shredded

3 cups white cabbage shredded

2 carrots shredded

3 broccoli stems (shredded)

I head fennel shredded

1 green Apple shredded

1/2 cup fresh mint

Juice of a Lemon (optional, depending on the tanginess of your yogurt)

Directions

In a medium serving bowl, combine the prepared veggies, toss without the dressing to combine.

Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss until all of the ingredients are lightly coated. Serve the rest of the salad dressing on the side. Taste and add lemon juice if the slaw needs a little more zing. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.

The wonderful thing about cabbage based salads is that they don’t wilt easily making this a perfect summer salad. Pack it for a picnic or enjoy it alfresco with some burgers or kebabs.

#summersalad #coleslaw #yogurtdressing #ayran #shaninehyogurtdrink #summer #crispysalad

Qamar Al Din (Apricot Fruit Leather) Margarita

Growing up we had a lot of plum and apricot trees. So my grandmother didn’t let anything go to waste. She would gather the ripened fruit run it through her food-mill. She would then boil the fruit pulp with sugar, strain. She would layer it in big flat trays and the apricot purée is then left to dry under the sun, no oven was used to dehydrate the purée. Once it has completely dried, She would then plastic wrap it and share it with all of us. She got really mad if someone dippier their fingers in the purée while it was drying in the sun. This dried apricot leather is thick and has a deep fruit flavor.

She did the same with plums and grapes but she added Nigella seeds to the grapes. Although my grandmother didn’t make margaritas out of this paste it was often enjoyed as a snack or dissolved to make summer drinks that’s so very popular in the Middle East. But I bet if I made her this Qamar al-Din margarita she might just think i am pretty cool lol ok maybe after she has a few margaritas.

Total prep time: 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 14 ounces Qamar Al Din package**

2 cups of water (enough to fully submerge the fruit leather)

6 ounces tequila

4 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

2 ounces Qamar al Din syrup

2 tsps triple sec or grand Marnier

1 tbls coarse salt (optional to rim the glasses)

Ice cubes

Lime wedges to garnish

** you can find Qamar Al-Din at ethnic markets and Middle Eastern or Arab stores. If you cant find it substitute with apricot nectar.

Qamar Al Din Syrup:

Take the Qamar out if it’s wrap and chips it to bite size pieces. A pair of scissors might be easier for this job. Place the qamar el din fruit leather in a bowl, add the water and soak 4-5 hours stirring every hour or so. If your fruit leather is soft and pliable it will take no more than an hour or less to soften.

Add the Soaking water and the softened Qamar Al Din to a high speed blender and whiz until it’s super smooth. Strain from

Any unblended lumps if you have to.

• refrigerate until ready to use

*leftover Qamar Al Din syrup is great in smoothies, lemonade or ice tea.

Directions

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur and Qamar al Din. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds.

• With a lemon wedge run it through the rim of your glass then dip it into the salt and rim the edge.

• Strain margarita mixture into the glass. Add more ice, a lime wedge and maybe a Qamar Din fruit Leather to snack on.

To make this a mocktail (non alcoholic) Drink:

Substitute the tequila with club soda and follow the exact steps.

#drinks #colddrinks #summerdrinks #margarita #apricot #apricotleather #qamaraldin