Delicious Baklava with vanilla syrup (Baklawa بقلاوة )

Considering that over the last few months I have lived a sheltered life and barely stopped to notice the weather let alone follow current affairs or even family affairs for that matter, it was quite an achievement to go out for a family barbecue yesterday.  But even more so because I made not just one sweet to take - but two!  On top of that I even managed to make a video of the them!!!

Baklava with vanilla syrup (Baklawa بقلاوة  )

Well, there are no more daily trips to the hospital and no more sick kids to nurture through the day and night so even though I am seriously sleep deprived (my gorgeous bundle wakes me every hour and a half all night, most nights) I feel excited to have made a video.  The first for a while and it was the video I had intended to make the day I went to hospital for some monitoring of the baby and ended up having an emergency caesarean and was out of action for over a month.  That video was for Baklava with vanilla syrup (Baklawa بقلاوة  )

 Check it out here: 

Baklava (Baklawa  بقلاوة  ) is quite a well known Mediterranean sweet and can be found in Turkish, Lebanese and Greek restaurants but it has also become more mainstream in the last few years and available in many places.  While there are many ways to flavour Baklava with the use of vanilla, rose water and orange blossom water, the syrup may also be made with honey which adds a very distinct flavour also.  At home my mum made Baklava with vanilla and I too use vanilla whenever I make this dish, but then I absolutely love the flavour and aroma of vanilla so I cannot go past it for a flavouring in deserts or sweets.  I personally find rose water too strong in many versions of Baklava so I stick with the vanilla.  If you were to use rose or orange blossom water be sure to add a little to the syrup at a time and taste it as you go because it is always easier to add more than it is to try and tone down an overpowering flavour.  Start with a teaspoon at a time would be my suggestion.

Baklava with vanilla syrup (Baklawa بقلاوة  )

Anyway, back to the barbecue, I took the Baklava to lunch and considering it was family (who I would have thought would be over traditional Mediterranean sweets by now) I didn't expect a big response to my dish but I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only was most of it gone by the time I bothered to look, my step mother (bless her heart) told me it was perfect!!  Yay :)

So here it is, my perfect Baklava

Syrup:

2 cups/ 500g sugar

2 cups / 500ml water

½ lemon juiced

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

One quantity of syrup 
2 cups / 225g pistachio, walnuts or almonds, coarsely chopped

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,

½ teaspoon ground cloves,

375g / 1 packet Filo pastry at room temperature

250g ghee, melted (or unsalted butter if you really cant get hold of ghee, better still, buy the butter and watch my video of how to make Ghee and make some yourself .  Check it out on YouTube here:

Make the syrup and leave to cool.  Preheat oven to moderate 180°C (350°F/Gas mark 4).  Brush the base and sides of a 30 x 25 cm cake tin with melted butter.  In a bowl combine the chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves powder.  Remove a single sheet of Filo pastry at a time, fold each sheet in half and place in tray. Brush the top with butter and fold in edges to fit.  Repeat using half the packet of filo pastry making sure to brush with butter on each sheet, overlap and fold the sides where necessary.  Sprinkle the nut mixture over pastry and then continue to layer the pastry with the remaining sheets.  Pour remaining butter over the top.  Cut into diamond or square shapes, making sure to cut right through to the base.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the Baklava is puffed and lightly golden on top.  Remove Baklava from oven and pour the cooled syrup over the hot Baklava    Leave to cool before cutting along the diagonals again to remove from the tray. 

Note : Cover remaining pastry with a damp tea towel to keep from drying out.  Baklava can be prepared days in advance, stored in the fridge and baked on the day they are to be served.  They will also keep for several days after baking in a cool oven or air tight container, but do not store in the fridge.

Baklava with vanilla syrup (Baklawa بقلاوة  )

Meatballs in tomato sauce كفتة بالدمعة Kofta bil dema-a

I was looking through the massive amount of cooking footage I still have on the computer and discovered a gem.  While our second child was still a baby and not a toddler I made Meatballs in tomato sauce   كفتة بالدمعة  Kofta bil dema-a.

I have always enjoyed eating good tasting meatballs and Kofta  كفتة   is basically an Egyptian meatball.  Kofta can be made so many different ways and it can be fried, or barbecued  or cooked in a tomato based sauce and left to simmer away absorbing flavours on the stove (or this can be done in a slow cooker).  

The key, as with any type of meatball, is to make sure they are browned first as this seals the meatballs and stops them from falling apart in the cooking process.

When I went back and watched the footage I got to reminisce and enjoy those memories from when the kids where so little.  I think this must be one of my favourites, if not my favourite video.  Take a look and let me know what you think...oh, and the food too!

We always had Meatballs in tomato sauce   كفتة بالدمعة  Kofta bil dema-a with rice but I know that many people eat meatballs with pasta.  These could easily be eaten served over pasta if you like.  But at home it was rice.  I love the rice soaking up the sauce and I often used to mush up the meatballs and stir it all together through the rice.  I do that for the kids and they love it.  

As with most things feta cheese, olive and a green salad at the table and it is a complete meal.

Love to have your feedback so let me know how you go making this.

Kofta Barbecued

Fried Kofta

Meatballs in tomato sauce   كفتة بالدمعة  Kofta bil dema-a

Hummus bi Tahina حمص بالطحينة Hommus dip

Book 2 in the Egyptian Cooking series is now available from Lulu.  Click the Book shop tab at the top to link straight through.  The book is only $1.95 and I would love your feedback as always.

Well, the series of cooking classes came to an end last night.  I had a great time cooking and getting to know the ladies of the class.  The classes were interactive and fun with the ladies getting involved which was great. I hope that future classes will run as well and I look forward to even more Egyptian dishes becoming widely known.  I think that dips are fairly well known with a large number of dips being available in supermarkets and delicatessens.  Most of them are very easy to prepare at home and can be adjusted to suit your own tastes.

The dip Hummus bi Tahina   حمص بالطحينة  (Hommus dip) is great because it uses chickpeas which are a great source of calcium and vitamins E and B.  Serve it with fresh bread or crackers, batons of fresh vegetables or even use it as a spread for sandwiches.  This is quick to make and healthy too, what's not to like about that!

I have updated the Egyptian cooking videos so now you can click through to more videos through the menu at the top of the page.  The Hummus bi Tahina   حمص بالطحينة  (Hommus dip) is there too.

Hummus bi Tahina   حمص بالطحينة  Hommus dip

150g / ¾ cup / 5 oz. dried chickpeas

juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, crushed

salt, to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin

ground paprika, to garnish

30 ml / 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons/ 60 ml tahini paste (150 ml/ 2/3 cup/ ¼ pint tahini paste)

Put chickpeas in a bowl and cover with cold water and leave overnight.

Drain chickpeas, place in a saucepan and cover with fresh water.  Bring to the boil and cook on high heat for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or until soft.  Drain.   Alternatively canned chickpeas can be used instead of dried.  Use 400 g and drain well.

Place chickpeas in a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency.  Add lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and tahini and blend until smooth. Taste and season as required.

Transfer to a bowl, garnish with paprika.

To watch the video click through below or jump onto Dyna's Egyptian cooking on YouTube.

Red tea كركديه Karkadé

Karkadé is made from the red calyces which form around the seed-pods of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower.  It is this outer covering that is collected and dried to make karkadé.

Red tea كركديه Karkadé 

We didn’t have Red tea كركديه Karkadé available all the time at home but I distinctly remember asking my mum for some and we struggled to source it locally.  I think when my parents went to Egypt we were able to bring some back.  Kept in a plastic container it lasted for years. 

I remember having red tea كركديه Karkadé after that kind of like it was cordial.  Occasionally we would have it in winter, hot and in summer it was a lovely refreshing drink served cold during the heat of the day.  I like it either way.  I made it today hot and my husband drank Red tea كركديه Karkadé hot for the first time.  He seemed surprised that he liked it so I should remember that for next winter when anything hot and sweet is particularly comforting. 

Red tea كركديه Karkadé  in the making

The drink is made in much the same way as a cup of tea.   In a tea pot take a full handful of the dark, almost purple-black, karkadé (The light red kind has less flavour and contains more acid).  Add a litre  or 4 cups of cold water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes.  Strain off what is now a bright red liquid. You can re-boil the calyces again with enough cold water to cover them and give them another three-minute boil to extract all you can.  Add a tablespoonof sugar for each glass (or to taste) stir and serve hot.

To watch the video of how to make Red tea كركديه Karkadé, click the image below :

Alternatively, in a jug pour boiling water.   Add karkadé and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.  Leave for a couple of hours until the water becomes dark red.  Strain the tea and cool in refrigerator until serving.   Drinking tea made this way is believed to be able to lower blood pressure.

Red tea كركديه Karkadé  can come as a very dark red / purple colour.  This has more flavour than the light red variety.  This lighter variety is also more acidic so try and buy the dark Karkade.

Red tea كركديه Karkadé 

It may be difficult to source in some areas but the best bet would be in Mediterranean delicatessens or possibly health food shops.  Speciality tea shops sell it too (something like T2 tea). T2 offers over 180 teas (wonderful for all you tea lovers out there) and amongst the lot they have a variety of tea blends which contain Hibiscus in them.  They are called Very Berry Fruitea,  Vanilla Slice, French Earl Grey, Strawberries & Cream, Citrus Punch, Passion, Strawberry Sensation, Ruby Red Rosehip, Raspberry Rush, Red Chai, Botanica, Fruit Royale, Spring, Sweet Spice, Riotous Rose, Fruit Blush, Pumping Pomegranate.  

They also, thankfully, stock Just Hibiscus which is unblended so the best option if you want to try true Red tea كركديه Karkadé, plucked from the heart of the hibiscus flower.

I got my last stock from Dad (as per usual) and so did not have to go hunting for it myself.  If you have had Red tea كركديه Karkadé or know where to get the tea from locally perhaps you could leave a comment here so that others might be able to find it too.

Red tea كركديه Karkadé 

I am not a tea drinker, per say, herbals occasionally but I do think that even if you are not a tea drinker then this one is for you.  Give it a try - you might be surprised at how nice this tea can be!

Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi

Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi   

It has been a while since I put up a video so that seemed like the best thing to do now.  I realise I put up the recipe for Basbousa way back in June but I now I have the video to go with it.  And just in case you don't feel like hunting for the Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi  Blog from June here is the recipe I put up back then.

 2 cups semolina, (1 cup coarse and 1 cup fine semolina if you can get it)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup plain yoghurt

125g unsalted butter, melted

Syrup :

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

juice of half a lemon

a few drops of vanilla essence.

To make syrup:  Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until syrup thickens.  Add vanilla and leave to cool.

For the Basbousa, combine semolina, sugar, baking powder, and yoghurt in a large bowl.

Add melted butter and mix. Transfer mixture into a greased tray, 30cm x 25cm, and press firmly.  Cut into squares. 

Bake at 180°C (350°F/Gas mark 4) for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove Basbousa from oven and pour cooled syrup over hot Basbousa.

As for the video, I thought I had the kitchen to myself but I do get an impromptu visitor, which was nice but as they say the show must go on. 

The video is on YouTube but as usual just click on the link below to view how to make Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi. 

Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi   

 

Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi   

Basbousa with Yoghurt بسبوسة بالزبادى   Basbousa bil Laban Zabadi   

Slow cooked broad beans فول مدمس Ful Medames

Slow cooked broad beans  فول مدمس Ful Medames

I caught up with some friends yesterday morning, one of whom is pregnant.  I love to find out how other people experience their pregnancies and births partly because there is so much that differs between women and even with the one woman’s experiences with multiple pregnancies.  The other part is because human development (and with all animals) is an incredibly amazing process that I can’t help but be enthralled by it.  Anyway back to my pregnant friend.  We were talking about what if any cravings she is having and I was shocked when she said that actually she wanted to know how to make Ful.  She is not Egyptian but has been to Egypt and loved it there so that explains her exposure to this dish.  I thought it was wonderful she has been craving this dish as it is not one that I would have thought of to post.  I did however promise that this would be my next blog.

So, about Ful Medames, Slow cooked broad beans,  فول مدمس 

This is THE national dish in Egypt.  A delightfully tasty dish that is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  Ful is the Egyptian word for Broad beans (also known as Fava beans), and medames is a word meaning "buried." It refers to the original cooking method, which involved burying a sealed pot of water and beans under hot coals. 

My parents use a special metal pot specifically for cooking Ful ,  (pictured below) and it was filled with the pre -soaked dried beans, covered with water and left to cook over the lowest heat for 6 or 7 hours.  However you could use a normal pot or simply buy canned Broad beans.

Ful can be made in advance and can be cooked, cooled then refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months.  Thaw out in the fridge overnight.  Then heat and add the remaining ingredients.

This dish takes me back to Saturday morning breakfasts when my dad would get up early and get fresh bread then make a huge spread of Ful medames, Tameya (falafel), boiled eggs, with feta, pickles, olives, chopped tomatoes and other salad items at the table.  I think about this now and how difficult it is to get up and arrange such a hearty breakfast for my own family (although we have been known to have it for dinner).  

Dried fava or broad beans are typically used.  Leave the beans covered in water to soak overnight. Then drain, add fresh water and boil in a saucepan until lovely and tender which may take several hours.  On the other hand the beans could be boiled in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time to 30 or 45minutes although be aware that the beans may break down using this method so it is not ideal.  When cooked drain and remove the flesh from the skin. Alternatively, the skins can be left on and mashed with a fork or as I prefer to do simply blend it all together with a stick blender and then add the remaining ingredients.

Serves 2

¾ can/ 325g or 1 cup cooked broad beans

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ - 1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch pepper

1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste

Remove the broad bean flesh from the skins and mash or puree the flesh with a fork.  Alternatively puree the beans and skins together for a smooth consistency.  And add the oil, garlic, cumin and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper and taste to check that for the balance of flavours, adjusting if necessary.

Slow cooked broad beans  فول مدمس Ful Medames

For a heartier Ful medames you can add ½ a tomato, ½ small onion and ½ small Lebanese cucumber which are all very finely diced.  A boiled egg can also be added and mashed into the beans along with some feta cheese.  If adding these, check the flavour and add more garlic, oil, lemon juice, cumin or salt as required.  Serve with fresh Lebanese bread (By hand, break off some bread and form a scoop by pinching in two edges.  Then use it as a spoon to scoop up the cooked broad beans  فول مدمس Ful Medames!

Mesa-aha, مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant Ovenbake

Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant Ovenbake

I took the kids to the park this morning for a play date and one of the mothers was talking about a Moussaka that she made, a classic Greek dish.  She said that it had eggplant, meat and béchamel but was not very tasty. I said I was not sure about the taste but that it reminded me of Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, an Eggplant Ovenbake that my mum used to make and which I LOVED eating at home .  Mum would slice the eggplant and salt it then leave it out in the sun for several hours in a colander to drain out the bitter liquid. I remember going out to check on the eggplant slices because I couldn't wait for it to be made so I could eat it.   Oh! So delicious.  This was such a treat for me and I remember coming home from University and on more than one occasion my mum would make me this – my comfort food.  We ate this at home with rice and a salad.

A while back while going through the recipes I had written down trying to replicate of my mother’s home cooking, I thought initially both the eggplant and zucchini dishes (Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant Ovenbake) and the Zucchini Ovenbake or Causa bil béchamel) were made the same way.  That is vegetable, meat, vegetable, meat and finally béchamel sauce.  I then decided that the eggplant must have had the béchamel sauce while the zucchini did not.  I made both dishes and photographed them but for some reason I wasn’t sure that this was right either.

I rang my dad (since my mother has passed away and there is no way of asking her) and asked him about the two dishes because I couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right somewhere but I just couldn’t work out what.

He was able to shed some light on my very undefinable problem.  Apparently, while I had béchamel on the eggplant dish my mother didn’t and while I had no béchamel on the zucchini dish my mother did.  Well…that certainly cleared things up but it meant I had to recreate the photos for both dishes.  I now have a photo version with Béchamel for each recipe and truth be told it is great on both.  

Well, I dont know if this is as good as mum's but here is my version (without  béchamel, the way it should be).


Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant Ovenbake


1 kg eggplant

2 tablespoons salt

¼ cup/ 60 ml tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion finely chopped

750g minced or ground beef or 500g beef mince and 250g lamb mince

250g tomato puree or Passata sauce

400g can of diced tomatoes

1 tub/140g tomato paste

2 teaspoons mixed spice / allspice / mace

1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs

Salt, pepper to taste

2 cups / 500ml water

¼ cup breadcrumbs

Serves 6

Slice the eggplant in to 1 cm or ½ inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally, tossing to coat them.  Cover them with a plate that is weighted down by a can or jar. Place the colander in the sink for at least 30 minutes to an hour so that excess moisture and bitterness can be drawn out (or outside sitting in the sun for 5 or 6 hours as my mum used to do). Remove the excess salt off the eggplant then fry, in batches, in oil until golden.  Drain on paper towel.

To make the meat sauce

Heat oil in a large pan then add onion and fry over medium heat until translucent.  Add mince and cook breaking up any lumps until it is browned and almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Add chopped tomato, tomato puree, and tomato paste, herbs and spices then cook for 2 minutes before adding 2 cups water.  Bring it to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until meat is cooked and the liquid has reduced, and almost completely evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.  Taste and add more spice if required.

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas mark 4). 

To assemble

Grease a 20 x 15 cm tray with butter or oil and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over.   Tap the tray to spread the crumbs in a thin layer and remove any excess.  Layer half the zucchini over the base then cover with half the cooked mince.  Repeat with another layer of zucchini and the remainder of the meat.  Spread the béchamel sauce evenly over the top and bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant ovenbake

Here was the original photo of the eggplant dish, so creamy and absolutely delicious.  I think that I would very happily make it this way with béchamel again.


Mesa-aha,  مسقعة, Moussaka, Eggplant Ovenbake (with Beshamel)