1.25.2013

Lets face it.
It’s cold out.
And I have exactly what you need.

Ok,
I don’t.

But I do have a recipe!







Chickpeas.

There is evidence of chickpeas in the Middle East for as far as 10,000 years ago. A fact that might explain the strong relationship of the Middle East with this legume.

It was only a year ago, that I encountered fresh chickpeas for the first time, only to realize they were growing all around me…
if you ever happen to get your hands on some fresh chickpeas still inside their beautiful pod, soak them in water for about 2 hours, drain, sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven until they get a nice golden color! There you go, the perfect snack.

Well, lets get back to the reason we are here!
Short ribs and chickpea stew…
need I say more?

Enjoy!



Short Ribs And Chickpea Stew

2 cups dried chickpeas
1200g short ribs
2 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. spicy paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. tomato paste

a night ahead-
soak chickpeas in a large bowl with  2 tbsp. of salt.

On the day of preparation-
Rinse chickpeas well with water, and place in a large pot with 9 cups of water. Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are ‘just’ tender.

Cut the short ribs into cubes, and sear in a pot with a touch of oil. Make sure you sear the bones as well, as they have pieces of both fat and meat on them that will give great flavor. Make sure you always sear a small amount of meat in the pot. Set aside the seared meat.
In the same pot, caramelize the onions. Once they get that nice brownish color, add the paprika and black pepper, the seared meat and bones, and mix well.
Add 3 cups of boiling water, Once the content of the pot gets to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 60 minutes till the meat has soften.

Combine both pots together.
add salt and the tomato paste. Mix well.
Cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours on low heat.
After 2 hours, Remove lid and boil for 20 minutes,
to let the sauce thicken.


Just make sure you have good bread around the house when eating this stew, you will need a lot of bread to soak up those yummy juices.

1.21.2013

saturday morning.




I like rituals.

Let me rephrase, I LOVE rituals.


When I lived in London, it was all about
The Sunday Times, brick lane and a bagel.

When I arrived to New York City it was all about
Ludlow St. a record shop and a vegan banana cake.

And when at home, it means one thing. And one thing only
Saturday morning, Spinach Bourekas and my grandma.
Really, doesn’t get any better than that.


My grandma was born in Edirne, Turkey. 
A fact which might help to explain on how ‘Bourekas’ 
or as they are better known in Turkey, ‘borek’, became a staple in our house.


The borek has been a staple in Turkish cuisine since the early era of the Ottoman Empire. Originally made almost exclusively out of home stretched phyllo dough.
Today it has many varieties; flaky pastry filled with cheese, phyllo ‘cigar’s filled with spinach, puff pastry ‘pie’ filled with seasoned meat
(check my recipe for that over here: http://agrainofparadise.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-2012.html)

I choose to share with you today, a ‘snail’ shaped puff pastry with spinach and cheese.



Spinach Bourekas

600g Puff pastry
Beaten egg
Sesame seeds

For the filling:
200g washed and dried spinach leaves
200g crumbled feta cheese
50g grated mozzarella cheese
120g cottage/ricotta cheese
1 tbsp. flour

Finely chop the spinach leaves, and mix well with all other ingredients. On a working surface, cut the puff pastry to strips; 6cm by 24 cm.
In the center of each strip spread 2 tablespoon of filling,
Fold the puff pastry around the filling then roll. Hold the rolled strip and gently stretch it, from a 24 cm strip it should be 40 cm.

Roll the strip so it will be the shape of a ‘snail’ and place on a baking sheet. Carry on with the rest of the strips until you make one big ‘snail’
Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
In a 190c preheated oven, bake for 30 minutes or until it gets a nice golden color.

Serve straight out of the oven.
Serve with a hard boiled egg
and a finely chopped Israeli salad.


Your prefect weekend breakfast.


placing the filling and ready to roll 

rolling.. than stretching.. 
adding another strip to the snail shaped giant bourekas 

and another......

golden, puffed and ready to be eaten!!

you can use the same filling for a phyllo bourekas..