Middle East: Fact Sheet
IMA CUISINE (Israel)
Yael Shochat, the owner and operater of Ima Cuisine in downtown
Auckland, introduces Peta to a traditional Israeli breakfast.
Contacts:
Ima Cuisine
67 Shortland St
Auckland City
Ph: 09 373 3787
www.imacuisine.co.nz
BLINTZ WITH CITRUS & RICOTTA (serves 6)
PASTRY CREAM:
1 litre milk
2 tsp vanilla bean
140g corn flour
150g sugar
1 tsp salt
5 eggs
70g butter
300g ricotta
2 tbsp candied orange peel (make it yourself if possible it will
taste better)
METHOD
Bring milk to the boil with split vanilla bean. Beat corn flour
with eggs to a smooth paste (it's best to start with 3 eggs then
add the other two). Scrape out vanilla seeds into milk and discard
the vanilla pod. Beat with a whisk over low heat until thick.
Mix 1 part pastry cream with 1 part ricotta and candied peel for
the filling
ORANGE SYRUP:
Juice from 3 oranges
3 tbsp sugar
Orange for garnish
METHOD
Cook orange juice from 3 oranges with 3 tbsp sugar to make a light
syrup.
CREPES:
100g melted butter
3 eggs
1 cup flour
Milk
Pinch of salt and sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
METHOD
Make crepes in the food processor by processing butter, eggs,
flour, vanilla, sugar and salt then adding milk until it's the
consistency of cream.
Fry the crepes on one side. Fill with pastry cream and fold to get
a little square parcel.
Fry the blitz/parcel in butter and pour over the orange syrup,
decorate with orange segments.
CANAAN CHEESE (Israel)
Canaan Cheese is a family success story. This Israeli family packed
up their life on the Kibbutz near Jerusalem and moved to New
Zealand where they make a variety of award winning cheeses in their
west Auckland factory.
Contacts:
Canaan Cheese
119 Lansford Crescent
Avondale
Auckland
Ph: 09 820 5555
www.canaancheeses.co.nz
Cooking demo venue
Nosh
133-135 Apirana Avenue, St Johns, Auckland
www.noshgourmet.com
LEILA MACDONALD (Lebanon)
For Leila Macdonald marrying a New Zealander 47 years
ago meant moving away from her family, friends and the familiar
tastes of Lebanon. Today Leila is a very successful real estate
agent but she still keeps her taste of home alive by cooking
Lebanese food for the people around her.
Leila started her day shopping for Lebanese supplies at the Pita House in Onehunga. Later her son David helped her prepare a couple of traditional Lebanese favourites for her lunch guests.
Leila MacDonald www.barfoot.co.nz/profiles/personal/spprofile.asp?id=ML1
Middle Eastern Food Store The Pita House
277a Neilson Street
Onehunga
Phone 636 2005
Email:
pitahouse@xtra.co.nz
SHEIKH AL MIHSHI
4 small (or 2 large) eggplants
2 large onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
Olive oil
500g premium mince (beef or lamb - must be very lean)
Salt and pepper
Allspice
2x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes or 10-12 fresh tomatoes
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C. Peel the eggplants by removing the peel in 1cm
lengthwise intervals to give a striped effect. Cut in half
lengthwise. Brush the eggplant with olive oil. Put the halves face
up in an oven proof serving dish
Bake in oven until soft when pricked with a fork (about
30-45minutes depending on size).
Make a well/hollow in the eggplants.
Brown the onion and mince, then add a pinch of allspice, salt,
pepper and the pine nuts.
Heap the meat mixture into each eggplant.
Pour the tinned tomatoes over top or if using fresh tomatoes whiz
them in a food processor first.
Place the dish in the oven for 45-60 minutes until simmering and
eggplants are very soft.
FATTOUSH
3 Lebanese breads
2 cups parsley, chopped
1/2 cup mint
1 large onion, chopped finely
1/2 a crisp or Cos lettuce chopped
2 Lebanese cucumbers cut in half and chopped
3-4 big tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp sumac
Salt to taste
Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of crushed garlic
METHOD
Toast the bread until crisp and lightly browned.
Break bread into small pieces about 3cm in size.
In a big bowl put the parsley, mint, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers,
onion and bread.
Sprinkle salt and sumac on top of the bread.
In a bowl mix the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.
Pour this over the other bowl.
Mix well with spoons or hands.
JULIE LE CLERC (Lebanon)
A couple of years ago, food writer and cook Julie Le Clerc
travelled to the Middle East to try and find out more about her
Lebanese born grandfather's heritage. Although the trip failed to
reveal any new leads - it did re-inspire her love for Lebanese food
and on her return she wrote a book about her experiences.
Today Julie gets together with a local Lebanese friend, Carmel Jennings who shares her recipes for traditional chicken skewers and tabouleh.
Julie's book 'Taking Tea in the Medina' was first published by Penguin in September 2006.
Contacts www.julieleclerc.co.nz
CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH GARLIC SAUCE (TOUM SAUCE)
500g chicken tenderloins or strips of chicken breast
meat
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garlic Sauce:
1 whole head of garlic
Salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice
Olive oil (about 1 cup)
METHOD
In a mortar and pestle (or food processor if your blade is low
enough to mash the garlic before anything else is added) crush
garlic with salt to a paste. Drop by drop add oil (as if making
mayonnaise or aioli) until you have a solid white sauce. Lemon can
be added at the end for a flavour boost.
Thread the chicken on skewers and barbeque. Once the chicken is
cooked, spread sauce over the hot chicken and serve at once
LEBANESE TABOULEH
1/4 cup coarse burghul
2-3 bunches Italian parsley
3 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup mint, finely chopped
Juice of 2-3 lemons
1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Good pinch ground allspice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Iceberg lettuce leaves, washed to serve
METHOD
Soften the burghul by covering in water and then draining
immediately leaving a residue of water to fatten the grains. Do
this 2-3 times over several hours before using. Burghul should
still have a little bite to it when ready (like al dente). It will
soften more once dressed.
Strip leaves from the parsley and discard stalks. Coarsely chop
parsley.
Place burghul, parsley, tomato, spring onion and mint in a salad
bowl. Add lemon juice, oil, allspice and season with salt and
pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Place lettuce leaves on a
separate plate. We only ever eat tabouleh with a freshly washed
platter of crisp ice burg lettuce. Place a scoop of tabouleh in an
inner lettuce leaf and eat over a plate as the juices drip
everywhere - this is the utter joy of tabouleh. To me, the lettuce
is the perfect partner and half the taste is lost without it
GILDA KIRKPATRICK (Iran)
Iranian immigrant Gilda Kirkpatrick has used her
background and knowledge of 'things Persian' to help renovate one
of Auckland's most iconic houses. For A Taste of Home Gilda invites
her friends over for lunch and cooks a traditional feast to
celebrate No Rooz, the Persian New Year and start of spring.
Taxi Driver Saeed Yaghobieh
021 702 700
Corporate Cabs car # 156
CATERERS (Iraq)
Coming to New Zealand from Iraq and not being able to
find work easily meant that Angham and Faris Nazo had to do what
many immigrants have to do - make a career change. For them it has
been a complete shift - from working in the airline industry to
working incredibly hard to establish a catering business that now
provides them with their bread and butter and a chance to share
their Middle Eastern taste of home.
What could be better then for the local Iraqi community than a night at Angham and Faris's house where a favourite feast can be guaranteed along with a good dose of Iraqi friendship and fun?
Contacts Zezenya Catering
138 Chapel Road, Botany Downs
Phone 273 8070
DOLMA
2 courgettes cut in half and remove flesh
1 silver beet with leaves cut in half
1 cabbage with leaves cut in half
1 eggplant cut in half with the flesh removed
1 capsicum (cut the top of the capsicum off, like a lid)
1 onion finely chopped
4 tomatoes (2 with the flesh taken out)
1/2 kg minced lamb, cooked through
1/2 kg rice cooked
Garlic finely chopped
Salt
Mixed spice
Tomato paste
1 tsp citric acid
Vine leaves
METHOD
Mix the chopped onion, garlic, two chopped tomatoes, rice, cooked
lamb mince, salt, mixed spice, tomato paste and citric acid.
Put the chopped vegetable flesh in the bottom of a heavy pot with salt. Stuff the capsicum, tomato, courgette and eggplant with the meat mixture. Roll the mixture into the silver beet, cabbage and vine leaves. Put everything in a pot, add one cup of water, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp citric acid and salt and pepper. Cover with a heavy plate and cook on the stove on a high heat. When it comes to the boil lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes
POTATO CHAP
1kg potato
1/2 kg mince (beef or lamb)
2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of parsley
1 tbsp mixed spice
1 tbsp oil
METHOD
Clean and boil the potatoes until cooked. Cool, then peel the
potatoes. Mash the potatoes and add bread crumbs, eggs and salt and
mix thoroughly.
Add the oil to the pan, add meat, frying until the liquid is
evaporated. Add mixed spice and parsley and remove from heat. Take
a small ball of the potato and make a big hole in the middle. Put a
teaspoon of the meat inside the potato, then close over the hole
and flatten in a tray gently. Do this until the mashed potato and
mince is finished. Deep fry each potato chap until golden.
BAKLAVA
Filo pastry
1 tbsp crushed pistachios
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp lime juice
Unsalted butter - melted
METHOD
Boil the water, sugar, lime juice for 10 minutes. Set aside to
cool. Take the filo pastry and spread 2 layers with melted butter.
Take another 2 layers and spread with butter and put on top of the
first. Continue for approx 7 layers. Spread a tablespoon of
pistachios evenly across. Roll the pastry like a sausage and put it
in a non-stick pan, then bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Take it
out and pour the syrup over.
