Sweet Mother of Ali

I thought I should start the first post after my long break by writing about something sweet. And what better subject for a sugarphile like myself, than with what could arguably be one of the most beloved desserts in the Middle East. You cannot go to an Arabic restaurant and not see it on the menu. At buffets it is at the front center of the dessert tables. Also, those who know me know why it is special to me as well.

Omm Ali, Umm Ali – there are many variations to its spelling - is a delicious mixture of baked puff pastry (or phyllo dough), raisins, nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts and/or pine nuts), and sometimes coconut, all covered with a thick sweet cream and baked until golden. It is similar to bread pudding, but richer and made without eggs. Properly made, it is a piece of heaven in a bowl. Creamy but not too rich with bits of dried fruits and nuts. But I also have had many horrible renditions. Poorly made ones resemble soggy, sugary leftover cereal and milk – and taste of the same.

Omm means mother in Arabic, so Omm Ali literally means Ali’s mother. In the Arab culture it is not uncommon for people to often forgo their first names after the birth of their first son and be called Omm or Abu (which means father) name of first son instead. Those without sons are sometimes called by the names of their firstborn daughters, but this is not as prevalent.

Now a bit of history about this famous dish. Arabs love folklore and they certainly have a gift of story telling. So whenever I write about a traditional dish, I try to find the story behind it.

Well, most leads pointed to the origin of Omm Ali as being Egyptian and concocted during the reign of the Mamelukes, a military caste originating in Turkey that ruled Egypt from the 13th to 16th centuries. One Egyptian tourism web site claimed this dessert was named after the first wife of the sultan Ezz El Din Aybek. When the sultan died, his second wife had a dispute with the first wife, (Ali’s mom), which resulted with the death of wife number 2. To celebrate, Omm Ali made this dessert, or probably had ordered it to be made by the palace chefs, and distributed it among the people.

Another version was about a sultan, name unknown, who was hunting in the Nile delta and developed a veracious appetite. He stopped in a small village and the peasants, coveting to please him, requested the best cook of the village, Omm Ali to create something. She whipped up something with the only ingredients she had on hand; dried wheat flakes (perhaps pieces of gullash, an Egyptian phyllo-like pastry), raisins, nuts and coconut. She covered it with sugar and milk and put it into the village communal oven. It turned out to be so good that the sultan requested Om Ali’s dessert the next time he visited.

Yet another story is related by Charles Perry, a retired food writer for the Los Angeles Times and an authority on medieval Arab cookery. Eschewing all prior versions, according to him, Omm Ali was a pudding learned from an English nurse named O'Malley.

Hmm...I like the Egyptian versions better.

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Omm Ali

Ingredients
1 package good quality (i.e. made with butter) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup golden raisins, or other dried fruit (cherries, apricots etc)
1/4 cup unsalted chopped pistachios
1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut (optional)
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom powder
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Unroll the puff pastry sheets, and place flat on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
Break the puff pastry into pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add the raisins, pistachios and coconut (if using), and toss to distribute. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread evenly.
Pour the milk, cream, evaporated & condensed milks into a saucepan, along with the vanilla or cardamom powder. Stir to combine well. Heat until hot but not boiling. Carefully pour over the pastry & nut mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes or until lightly brown on the top. Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm. With whipped cream & caramel sauce if you want to really gild the lily.

Let's Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving recently rolled in and rolled right back out, giving us a nostalgic glimpse of our lives back then. It also added about 4,000 additional calories towards our expanding waistlines.

Last year, much to the dismay of the children, I had eschewed the time-honored festivities. I missed my family and friends and did not want to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner without them. In other words I was feeling sorry for myself. So we went to Chili’s instead and had a bloomin’ onion. It was bloomin’ awful.

But this is now our home. And I am happy to report we have resumed our beloved holiday. I invited a few friends who enjoy turkey and we had a grand time.

Thanksgiving is an occasion when we eat a certain combination of foods which we most certainly will not eat for the remainder of the year. It is also when we use many kitchen gadgets which we won’t use for the rest of the year either. So out came the turkey baster, citrus zester, pastry cutter, nutmeg grater, yolk separator… I also prepared the dishes according to what I was able to find in the local supermarkets. Here is a breakdown of the items I prepared, along with a few minor details:

Turkey: When I told K I was going to make turkey he began to pale. To put it mildly, he’s not a turkey fan. But Thanksgiving is not the same without big bird, so turkey it was – no compromises here. I saw Butterball turkeys in Megamart, but did not purchase one since we never bought them back home; we had always purchased organic Halal ones. Makes me wonder if they are slaughtered in the Islamic way for the Middle East? I found one with the Halal stamp, and at almost 3 kilos (a little under 7 pounds) it was much smaller then the ones I generally bought back home (think 20-25 pounds). Needless to say we did not have many leftovers.

Stuffing: Stove Top - easily found, with sautéed apples & onions added by me. I baked it separately; as apposed to stuffing it into the turkey itself. I would have made it by scratch, but did not have the time.

Gravy: Graciously supplied by Mr. Turkey himself, with a little chicken stock and roux added as a thickener.

Cranberry relish: I found cans of cranberries for 17 riyals at Megamart, but could not justify spending so much for something that I once used to purchase 2 for a buck. I bought some dried cranberries instead, resuscitated them in water and made a fantastic cranberry-orange-ginger relish.

Mashed potatoes: There is only one kind of potato available here, the good old potato kind. Forget the Russets, Yukon Gold’s, Fingerlings, Peruvian Purples, etc. Occasionally I see small new or red potatoes, which are for the most part flown in from the US or the Indian subcontinent. To this I added ample butter made with milk from cows who graze bucolically on the hills of Normandy.

Other vegetables: Sautéed green beans and broccoli (both fresh) and steamed corn (frozen) – the broccoli added for my 4 year old broccoli lover.

Pumpkin Pie: This is H’s favorite, so we had to have it. Here not many people know what it is, thus requiring me to make it from scratch – including the crust. I never knew I would miss Pillsbury. I had heard that canned pumpkin was available in Doha, but I was unable to find it. I must admit, I also did not trek to every single store in the city. For canned pumpkin? Fuhgetaboudit. I asked one of the stockers in the supermarket I frequent if they had any. Can pomkin? No ma’am. all the while nodding his head sideways. Frankly I believe he didn’t even know what the heck I was talking about. But he was polite so I forgave him. I bought chunks of a lovely Indian pumpkin called Bober and stewed it. I then followed a recipe I found on the Food Network. It came out to be more of a mousse like pie, but delicious nonetheless. I served it with whipped cream from a can (it was French, so I felt better about it).

We also had rolls with butter and vanilla ice cream with passion fruit syrup, made by me a few days ago in one of my creative moods.

Compared to Thanksgiving back home I kept it simple since I did all the preparation and cooking. The day before I had a midterm for one of the classes I am taking, so I was also pressed for time. I must acknowledge this was not completely an American Thanksgiving; it was a Qatari one as well. And, if I may say so myself, everything was fabulous!

It was the first Thanksgiving for our guests, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. They eagerly took home whatever leftovers there were – also an age old custom. After dinner we went outside and lit up firecrackers graciously provided by our quests.

But Thanksgiving is not only a time when our tables groan with the weight of a delectable and copious array of food. It is, more importantly, a gathering of family and friends. There is an old saying that no one should be alone on thanksgiving, so every year we often would have a few new faces at our table. But mainly it is a time to look inwards, reflect upon our lives and give thanks for what we have.

In the end I must add that although our feast was superb and well appreciated, and we are certainly grateful for many, many things, our celebrations would have been complete if some of the seats were filled with loved ones I have left behind.

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Pumpkin Pie
Crust recipe courtesy Joy of Baking, pie recipe from Paula Deen - The Food Network

Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (36 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (114 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Pie:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed – I had prepared my own
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

Directions
Crust:
In your food processor, place the flour, sugar, and salt and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips; evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Can use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry.) Pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. (This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.) Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (177 degrees C).

Pie:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie/tart crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Indulging My Sweet Tooth

Since the preceding Eid is considered the ‘Sweet Eid’ (as opposed to the ‘Savory Eid’ – more on that later), I thought it would be appropriate to post something along these lines.

I once used to say I haven’t met a cheesecake I did not like, but since moving to Qatar my mantra has long been silenced. Cheesecakes here are often eggy and intensely sweet, or are the gelatin based no-bake variety - a sacrilege in my opinion. With the exception of the occasional Sara Lee from Mega Mart, I had mostly given up on them.

Anyways, back to my original rambling. Nowadays when my sweet tooth beckons I occasionally indulge it with one of my most cherished and non-form flattering discoveries. Every now and then I will purchase mithai, a sweet or a type of dessert originating from Southeast Asia.

Sweet/mithai shops abound here; not only due to a large expat community, but Qatari’s also adore anything and everything sweet. For me however, just any mithai won’t do, since I find most varieties cloying and overwhelmingly sweet.

No no, I definitely do not covet the golden brown orbs dripping in rose and cardamom infused syrup called gulab jamun. Nor do I yearn for the milky sweet fudge redolent with coconut, pistachios, almonds or cashews - named barfi. And I certainly do not dream of the delicate pretzel like vermilion squiggles; crispy, crunchy on the outside, soft and filled with syrup in the insides, known as jalebi. I can go on since I have a PhD in desserts. And just because I don’t delight in these particular sweets does not mean I can’t wax poetics.

So occasionally when I do get a longing for something sweet, only a trip to a Bengali mithai shop will do. The main reason for this is – you guessed it – these desserts are not cloying and overwhelmingly sweet. They are mostly milk based and are exceptionally delicate with a very short shelf life.

The shop which I frequent is called Madhuban, and is considered the best in Doha. Getting there is part of the adventure, much to K’s chagrin. He is never happy to venture into busy, crowded places. But he is married to someone who does - and in order to keep the harmony at home, he reluctantly obliges. We never go on a Friday, since this is a day off for most people, and the entire area is thronging with single men (about 50% of the expat community here comprises of single men).

It is located in a part of town quite far from where we live, in an area predominantly populated by expats from the Indian subcontinent. You will feel as if you have been transported to India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka/Nepal, all rolled in one. Finding parking is a nightmare, like anywhere else in Doha I suppose.

The neighborhood comprises of just a few street blocks, but it is packed with stores selling everything from loose material along with tailor shops, saris and other ready made clothes – both traditional and western, jewelry and watch stores, electrical items, hardware & software (often pirated), cell phones and their paraphernalia, music and video’s (also pirated), a variety of household goods, religious items - both Islamic and non, books in many languages, exotic and often confusing vegetables & fruits along with many other food items. I am sure I am leaving quite a few things out.

But most importantly, for me are the small hole in the wall restaurants that abound everywhere. They serve food from all the countries I mentioned above. The aromas wafting from these eateries can be detected from afar. So on any occasion we might get, a heavenly beryani, paratha’s, samosa’s & pakora’s etc. from the Pakistani restaurant, or savory dosa’s and delectable sweet-sour-spicy chaat's from the Indian ones. I have not tried any Nepali or Sri Lankan restaurants yet – but one of these days I will. I don’t enter these establishments, since 100% of the clients are male. So we usually get these items to-go and eat them in the comfort of our home, or weather permitting, in a nearby family park.

But the sweet shop is an exception I make. This is the only establishment I do enter, since I want to see all the different and colorful varieties of sweets, from which I pick and choose. Often I make the clientele a bit nervous, since women usually don’t enter these establishments. But, wrapped in an abaya, I always garner respect. I quickly pick my items and go out while K pay’s for them.

Two of my favorites sweets are a milky, melt in your mouth, fudge like squares called sundesh ('good news' in Bengali – very aptly named I think), and mishti dhoi – a caramel flavored sweet yogurt. These satiate my craving for at least a few months.

Things are looking up in the cheesecake department. I have recently found a marvelous cheesecake at a bakery called Opera. But I will continue to frequent my newfound epicurean destination, since, for me at least, new habits as delectable as these, die hard as well.


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Mishti Dhoi

1 quart milk
1 ½ cups sugar
2-3 tablespoons water
½ cup plain yogurt

Boil the milk gently until it is reduced by half. Add 1 cup sugar.
Caramelize the remaining ½ cup sugar until brown and caramelized; be careful not to scorch it. Carefully add the water and add this to the milk sugar mixture.
Allow to cool until warm then add yogurt.
Place in a container and cover with lid. Place in a warm, dark place until set about 8 hours. Or you can use a yogurt maker. Traditionally it is made in terra cotta pots, which imparts its earthen flavor into the yogurt.

Serve chilled & enjoy!

Ramadan Kareem - Part 2

I haven’t been posting lately due to Ramadan. Ramadan is a very busy time of the year for us. With the exception of A, we are all fasting. H has been fasting the entire month for the past few years. N fasts on and off, though I often have to force her to take a break every few days when she begins to look a bit peaked.

Ramadan is primarily a time to reflect inwards and strive to better ourselves, and also to strengthen our bond with Allah (God in Arabic). So we spend much time in prayer.

We do like to have different foods with which to break our fast. So on any day you will find a multitude of wonderful things on my dining table at Iftaar (which literally means breakfast in Arabic).

There may be fried chicken and mashed potatoes (for H), beryani (for K), pasta with marinara sauce or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (for N). There will always be a light soup such as chicken noodle or vegetable, a variety of fruits, croissants, pour moi bien sur, along with the ubiquitous black beans and samosa’s. There will also be many cold and refreshing drinks (well it is 110 degrees outside you know).

So as you can see, it’s an international smorgasbord – quite fitting for us. We often share our blessings with friends, family, neighbors and people who congregate at the local Masjid at the time of Iftaar. This keeps me quite busy, to say the least.


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The following is a recipe for watermelon juice. I often make this for Iftaar since it is very refreshing. Plus, I often have a lot of watermelon left over. Watermelons here come in one size – extremely large – so we usually can’t eat all of it.

Watermelon Juice

8 cups coarsely chopped watermelon pieces (seeds are fine)
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in blender (you may have to gradually add the watermelon since it won’t all fit at one time) and blend until nearly smooth - the seeds being the exception. Strain the juice through a fine sieve. Serve with plenty of crushed ice. You can change the amount of sugar and lime to your taste.

Much Ado About Mangoes

Mango frenzy has started here with great exuberance. Much to our delight, grocery stores and markets are now brimming with the heady, intoxicating and sinfully sweet fruits. They are, justifiably so, considered the king of fruit and are a class of their own. Some may tell you their flavor and texture resembles a ripe peach or a papaya; don’t believe them.

Though many countries are now mango (maanjo in Arabic) producers and exporters, the best varieties come from the Indian subcontinent, namely from India and Pakistan. The skins are thin and their flesh smooth and fibreless. Once you taste them, I assure you, you will not go back.

Until last year the Central American varieties were the only ones available in the United States. Since beggars can’t be choosers, we had also once gleefully purchased and consumed them without much complaint.

Now however, the US has begun to import mangoes from India as well. Apparently our current (and thankfully soon to be former) President enjoyed them immensely on his 2006 trip to India, and thus recommended their import. They don’t come cheap however, $30-$40 for a 3 kilo or about 7 pound box.

Here in Qatar we are spoiled. We can buy mangoes from all over the world year round - Indonesia, Sudan and Australia come to mind. But we usually wait for the summer to purchase the varieties from India and Pakistan. We start to see them arrive in May, and they continue to linger until August. The peak season is in July, when the quality is best, along with abundant varieties and the lowest prices.

My favorite mango is from Pakistan called the Sindhri. Its origin is from the Sindh province in the southern part of the country. They are a large variety, about 1 pound apiece. When fully ripe their skin turns a brilliant cadmium yellow. They are extremely aromatic and fragrant with a thin translucent skin and a firm, smooth, fibreless flesh. Just 1 can easily suffice as lunch.

Thought these sweet-smelling fruits are now available in copious supply in every grocery, market and corner store, I have my own source from where I purchase them.

I have a tailor (another perk to living in Doha) to whom I occasionally frequent, who is from Pakistan. A few weeks ago I spotted a few empty mango boxes in the corner of his store. It’s my side business he told me, I will be receiving a new shipment any day now. So a few days later K (who usually detests trips to the tailors) and I went to get a box.


They were fresh picked, straight from the orchards in Pakistan. A 10 kilo/22 pound box cost 65 riyals. Elsewhere Sindhri's are selling for 10 riyals a kilo. But we were not there for the price; the quality is far superior from the store bought ones.

There are many recipes for mango-based foods and drinks. Mango ice cream, fresh juice and shakes are very popular here, along with the yogurt based drink called mango lassi. I personally prefer to eat then just as they are.

The best way to eat them is to first roll up your sleeves, or better yet put on an apron, and hold the peeled fruit in your hands. Stand in front of the kitchen sink and proceed to devour the fruit down to the pit, allowing the luscious ambrosial juices to dribble down your chin, hands, wrists and even elbows. Licking is optional, but highly recommended.

We will miss the peak season due to our trip back home, but for now I am content that my kitchen is filled with their sweet and captivating perfume.

Mango Lassi

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network

Ingredients
9 fluid ounces (255 milliliters) plain yogurt
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) milk
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) canned mango pulp or 7 ounces (200 grams) from 3 fresh mangoes, stoned and sliced
4 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

Instructions
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Andak Djaaj?

These days the answer to the aforementioned question, which means do you have chicken is almost always ma’afi, khalaas - no more, finished. Of course, as you may have guessed, we are going through a chicken shortage these days. On rare occasions if I do happen to stumble upon a rare sighting on one of my sojourns, I go into the hoarding mode.

Similar to the egg deficiency this is also due to the recent bird flu epidemic. This is particularly agonizing in a country which, after cheese, loves chicken. Think chicken shwarma, chicken kebob, chicken kefta, chicken samoosa, chicken shish tawouk, chicken sandweesh, chicken puffs, chicken hariss, chicken escallop, chicken fatayer, chicken shorba, chicken beryani…I can continue, but you get my drift.

Prices for chicken have increased tremendously since my arrival as well. When I first arrived a whole chicken had cost 12 riyals, now it is 19 riyals. They sell chickens per piece here, not by the pound or kilo. They are also much smaller then what I am generally used to, so if I am making something that everyone loves, (southern style fried chicken comes to mind), I may use 2 or more.

We have however found a few solutions for this. First of all we have started to eat frozen chicken. I have begun to buy copious amounts of frozen boneless chicken breasts. So we now eat a lot of stir fries. But that’s as far as I will go, since I detest frozen whole chicken. I must admit I am also spoiled. I don’t want to defrost it, remove the skin and cut it into pieces myself. I usually get this done when I purchase fresh ones. This service is efficient, courteous and always free 'Madam chicken ready'.

A friend of mine has found her own solution. She hits the stores as soon as they open, 7:30 am, (it still bewilders me why everything starts so early here) and buys as many as she can lay her hands on and will also be able to squeeze into her freezer.

Now those who know me know I am definitely NOT a morning person. In college I would never register for a class which started earlier then 10:00 am, no matter how wonderfully enlightening and fulfilling it may have been. Even then I would drag my sorry body out of bed at 9:45 am whilst cursing myself continuously. Thank God I lived on campus and my first class was right down the hill. Some of you might be thinking I was too busy partying all night, but alas, not so. I was a CS major and spent many a night, often going into the wee hours of morning, spending quality time with my computer.

But K, who is a morning person, will often go out on weekend mornings and hunt down a few. Occasionally he will go to the wholesale market where one can purchase live chickens and have them ‘prepared’ on spot. Besides chicken, the wholesale market is also a great place to buy eggs, other types of meat, seafood and a large array of seasonal and extremely fresh fruits and vegetables.

Yet I suppose everyone is doing the same and everyone’s freezers are full to the brim with chickens. So, you might ask, what shortage? Maybe this is all an evil marketing ploy…



The following is a recipe for brined roasted chicken. Brining makes the meat well seasoned and juicier. I usually put it on a rotisserie since my oven came equipped with one, but the conventional method works just as well.

Roast Chicken

Ingredients
1 large or 2 Qatar sized chickens – about 3 lbs total
1 gallon water – or enough to cover the chicken in large vessel
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 lemon

Instructions
Put water in a large bowl and add salt, sugar (if using) and garlic. Cut the lemon into half and squeeze juice into liquid. Add rind as well, and mix well. Make sure all the salt has dissolved. Water should be salty, but not painfully so. If it is too salty add more water. Put chicken into this mixture, turn it over a few times, cover and leave in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 F / 220 C degrees. Remove chicken from brine and shake off all water. Pat dry. Place chicken on roasting pan and place in oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and juices are clear.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before carving.

The Weekend Project

Despite the fact there is an extremely large expat community here and our social life is steadily improving, there are some weekends in which we feel lethargic, and are quite frankly, downright bored. These are the times when my children need to be coaxed out of their doldrums, so I sometimes come up with projects to break the monotony and engage them in something enticing. Most often, our activities revolve around the kitchen.

Last weekend we decided to make cheesecake. Often the cheesecakes we get in bakeries here are excessively sweet and eggy, or are of the no-bake variety. Neither of these appeals to us, nor do they hold a candle to the ones we used to purchase back home, namely the exquisitely sublime ones from my favorite bakery, The Prolific Oven.

In one of my earlier posts I had lamented on the unavailability of Philadelphia brand cream cheese. Admitting there are many other brands available, for a good cheesecake I believe only Philadelphia will suffice. On a recent visit to the grocery store I saw row upon row of them in the cheese section. Cheese is a fundamental part of the Arab diet; therefore the cheese sections are amazingly well stocked. I will write more about this in a later post, since cheese is an integral part of my diet as well. Upon spotting them I decided to purchase a few packages before they became extinct again. At 11 riyals for an 8 oz. package they did not come cheap, thus hastening my desire to use them without much delay, before they had passed their prime.

I also bought a crate of eggs, since after cheese they are the second most important ingredient. Prior to the Philadelphia scarcity, we went through a long period of an egg shortage. Due to the recent bird flu scare, the import of eggs had ceased from a few countries (Qatar imports most consumer items). This brought an increase in the price of eggs, if one was fortunate enough to find them. The price of baked goods also increased. We basically lived without eggs for almost a month. This deficiency ended a few months ago, yet the prices remain unchanged. We now actually have an abundance of eggs, so much so that I no longer can find packs of six that I once bought, only crates of 30 are available. Sometimes the eggs come with chicken poop still clinging to them, thus forcing me wash each and every one prior to storage. Just an interesting bit of information for you all who live in quality controlled sterilized environments!

Back to the cake making. Both N and A like to help in the kitchen. They crushed the cookies for the crust. They break the eggs (clean ones of course), measure the sugar and other ingredients, and gleefully assist in mixing all ingredients together. H, who does not have much interest in the kitchen activities, is blissfully content he will have something delectable to eat after all this madness. He is however, my ally in the massive clean up operation afterwards.

When using a western recipe here, namely American ones, one often needs to be creative and find suitable alternates. Since graham crackers are not readily available, I substituted them with the classic British biscuits called digestives, which are similar in taste and texture. Eggs come in one size only, which are medium – ish. I therefore used 4 instead of the 3 large ones called by the recipe. Due to the addition of alcohol, availability of most liquid forms of vanilla is scarce; hence I used the more commonly available vanilla sugar. Also, I have a gas oven with the temperature dial in Centigrade (something very foreign to me), so I keep a conversion chart to Fahrenheit nearby. After burning a few things I also found out that gas ovens have a temperament of their own and get hot at a much faster speed. On my upcoming visit back home an oven thermometer is high on the shopping list.

The following is a recipe for the cheesecake my children and I made together. I hope you enjoy making and eating it as much as we did.



Boredom Beating Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups crushed digestive biscuits (or graham crackers)
1/4 cup melted butter
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 packages (8 oz. each) Philadelphia brand cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp. vanilla sugar (or extract)
4 medium or 3 large eggs


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 173° C (or350° F). Mix biscuit crumbs, butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Press firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up side of a 9 inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and the remaining 1 cup sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Pour this into prepared crust.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Turn oven off. Open oven door slightly. Let cheesecake set in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Loosen cheesecake from rim of pan and remove rim. Store any leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods.com, with a few of my own substitutions

How to Cook a Camel

Just something I thought you might find interesting!

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Fatayer for Breakfast

One of my favorite things to eat, I have discovered is fatayer (often pronounced feteer or fata-er). Fatayer literally means pastry in Arabic. They are savory pockets of dough and are usually filled with a variety of things, the most popular of all being spinach (sabanekh). Other fillings include cheese (jubn) such as feta or halloumi, chicken (djaaj), meat - usually ground beef or lamb (laham), potato (batata) and a mixture of soft fresh Arabic cheese made from yogurt called labneh, and za'atar. Za'atar is an Arabic herb and spice blend, which can include thyme, fennel, cumin, sumac and sesame seeds, all which are ground together. Other herbs and spices can be included according to different geographic regions.

These turnovers can be baked or fried, the baked ones more commonly available here. Here in the Middle East they are usually eaten as a snack or light lunch, though I prefer them for breakfast. My personal favorite is the egg and cheese (bil jubn wa baydh) fatayer. They remind me of the breakfast egg and cheese bagels one can get in many coffee shops in New York. They are also relatively inexpensive, costing about 3 riyals apiece.

The origin of the fatayer are a bit cloudy, with the Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and Egyptians all claiming it to have originated from them. Since I usually purchase them from Turkish restaurants they must have Turkish roots as well. They may also be a distant cousin of the Greek spinach turnovers called spanakopita.

Fatayer are very light yet filling. If made properly they are delicious, though in the beginning I ate a few which were just awful; bland, doughy and tasteless. I had given up on them for a while, but I spotted them on the menu at a small and insanely popular Turkish restaurant called Turkey Central. There are many Turkish establishments here; their kebabs are arguably the best I have eaten, and since they are inexpensive and extremely child friendly we frequent them often. Upon noticing them I thought, if all the other items on the menu are so good, let’s give the fatayer another chance.

They came unceremoniously on a plastic tray. The soft pillowy dough was baked until golden. Their tops were brushed with clarified butter (ghee) and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I had ordered a variety of fillings, cheese, eggs, lightly spiced chicken and lamb, and not one disappointed. I had found fatayer nirvana; they were doubtlessly the best I had eaten. There was plenty left over, so I had a few for breakfast the next morning. Now I sometimes purchase them solely for this, my infrequent indulgence.



The following is a recipe for spinach fatayer. Though the recipe gives instructions on how to make the dough, pre-made purchased bread dough, fresh or frozen, also works well.

Spinach Fatayer

For dough:
2 pounds (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 envelope yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup warmed milk
1 cup warm water

For filling:
4 bunches spinach, washed and chopped
Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 onion, finely grated
1 tablespoon sumac (available at Middle Eastern stores), optional

Instructions:
To make dough: Combine ingredients in a food processor until a stiff dough results. Add more warm water if needed. Let rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours. Punch down dough and let rest for another hour until it rises again. Cut dough into 2-inch pieces and roll into balls. Place on an oiled pan and cover with a towel. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes.

To make filling: Wash and chop spinach. Sprinkle with salt to cause wilting. Squeeze water from spinach with your hands. Add oil, lemon, salt, onion and sumac if using.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a flat circle. Place 1 tablespoon spinach filling in the center. Pinch ends to meet in the middle to create a triangular shape. Let pies rest 15 minutes. Coat pan with oil and bake pies for 15 minutes or until browned.

Can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 24.
Recipe courtesy of Blanche and Vera Araj from the San Jose Mercury News

A Cure for Homesickness - Part 1

This entry is the first on an ongoing series I plan to write on how we try to cope with recurring bouts of homesickness. Though life here flows at an unhurried and peaceful pace (for which I am unceasingly grateful), we periodically go through these brief spells. Often in these cases I find that food not only brings joy and comfort, it also, if only for a brief period of time, transports one to a place deep in our hearts and minds.

I made tacos a few weeks ago, something we all once used to enjoy but rarely bothered to make at home. The origin of the taco is from Mexico, and it can be best described as the most celebrated and beloved of all Mexican street food. The best place to buy a taco in the United States is at a Taqueria, which are small restaurants that serve informal and authentic Mexican food. But no matter how tempting they were, we never ventured into them due to the fact that traditional Mexican cuisine uses a lot of pork and it’s by products. Therefore we mainly patronized local westernized chains.

A taco is simply a filled flat bread, called a tortilla. It can be made out of wheat flour or corn, the latter being more popular in the United States. It is a Spanish word and means “light snack”. In Mexico it is mainly a popular early morning or late evening treat, since the heavy meal of the day is eaten in the afternoon. It all started many years ago when farmer’s wives would bring their husbands their mid-day meals out into the fields. For practical purposes they would wrap the day’s main dish in the tortillas, thus alleviating the use of cutlery. Urbanization carried this to the cities where it has gained the status it holds today.

Due to the large Mexican immigrant population, the taco has also gained much popularity in North America as well. In the states which border Mexico and therefore have a much larger Hispanic community, it is widely preferred over the common hamburger. It is also sometimes folded and deep fried to give it a crunchy texture, though this is mainly an American invention. Most common fillings are grilled chopped beef, ground beef or grilled chicken. Toppings include but are not limited to, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, sliced olives, sour cream, limes wedges (to squeeze on top) and a variety of both spicy and mild sauces called salsa. Some popular types of salsas are salsa fresca (fresh salsa), salsa verde (green salsa made with tomatillo's), salsa roja (red salsa made with dried chilies) and guacamole (the popular avocado dip). Hence, one can customize their taco according to taste.

I had used a boxed taco dinner kit (won't win any points on Iron Chef!), which contained the ubiquitous folded and fried corn tortillas, seasoning for the ground beef and a packet of salsa. The results were fine, though I personally prefer tacos made out of soft tortillas and grilled beef. But, it certainly did what I had hoped it would do, delight the children and make us blissfully nostalgic.

So the old proverb and cliché is true; “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy”. And so we all await patiently for the arrival of summer, when we can go back for an all too brief visit to the country…

The following is a recipe for salsa fresca (fresh sauce), also known as salsa cruda (raw sauce) or pico de gallo (rooster's beak).


Salsa Fresca

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 small green chili, seeded and finely diced (hotness of chili can be decided according to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Can be used as an accompaniment for a variety of meat & seafood. Enjoy!

Goin Plum Crazy

A popular way to shop for sundry items here are at small local stores, which are located in every neighborhood. Some residents just call the store and place their orders. In a few minutes a bicycle riding employee will deliver the items to their home. Another way is to drive right up to the store and honk. An attendant will come out, take your order them deliver the items in a few minutes. They are similar to 7-11, but with car hops. Tipping the workers is optional, but many do so.

I frequently go to these shops, mainly when I am out of something specific and I don’t want to drag myself though a major grocery outlet. On a few occasions (such as when I am by myself in sweltering 120 degrees heat) even I have honked, though not without guilt. The workers are very polite, especially towards women. But I mainly go with my eldest son in tow, who goes out and gets what I need. To sweeten the deal, I often give him a few extra riyals to purchase whatever he wants. To cover all bases, I usually tell him what I need in English, Urdu and Arabic (if I know it), so that I am not surprised at what he brings back. Though not fluently, the workers know all three languages.


A few weeks ago I stopped by my local produce store to get some garlic & mint (Urdu- lehsun & podina, Arabic- thum & nana). Since I try to convince my children to eat as healthily as possible, I also told H to get any fruit he wants. A few minutes later out he comes with the items I asked for along with an entire crate of plums. Apparently they only sell specific items by the crate. Many people here not only have larger families, they also have an entire staff of maids, nannies, drivers etc, and therefore purchasing in larger quantities makes sense.

For the next few days I pushed the plums. Every day I would put a few in lunch boxes, and every day everyone would angelically claim to have eaten them. After a few days I had enough. The plums, which were very ripe to begin with, were beginning to look unappetizingly soft. Yet I was left with almost 1/2 of a crate of soggy plums that were inedible in their current state. I was now in a quandary to what to do with them. They were too mushy to make a tart (or a cobbler, grunt, fool, brown betty…). And being the frugal person I am, throwing them away was also out of the question. After deliberating for a while, I decided to make chutney out of them. Needless to say, I had never made plum chutney before. If it turned out into an inedible mess, then along with the plums I would have to throw out many other ingredients. This thought did briefly cross my mind, but in my rabid determination to be prudent, I did not allow myself to go there.

Thankfully this did not happen. The final result surpassed my expectations. Even K, who is no chutney fan, admitted that it was not bad. And whoever has tried it has requested the recipe.

Plum Chutney

This jewel colored chutney explodes in the mouth with its complexity of flavors, being sweet, tart and spicy all at once. If properly stored, this will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Ingredients:

12-15 very ripe small plums
2 cups sugar
½ cup good quality vinegar, such as apple cider
3/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Wash plums thoroughly. Place all ingredients in a medium sized non reactive sauce pan, such as stainless steel. Cover and bring to a simmer over very low heat. Stir occasionally. The plums will break open and release their juices. The chutney is done when it starts to thicken and look like jam. This will take about 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove the pits. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Makes approximately 2 cups.

Note: With the exception of plums, all remaining ingredients can be adjusted according to taste.