Sultan's Kitchen

[MrsAmera 41]

I have a question about the Manti - if you boil it for 15 minutes doesn't the dough get slimy and fall apart? Is it possible to precook the meat, stuff the dough and then boil or would it mess it up?

[tanyakaraman 0]

I have a question about the Manti - if you boil it for 15 minutes doesn't the dough get slimy and fall apart? Is it possible to precook the meat, stuff the dough and then boil or would it mess it up?

Maybe 15 mins is an overestimate. That's what I have written down, but in reality, I just boil them, tasting one occasionally, until they're soft. Still, some of them do inevitably fall apart, especially if you try to boil a whole bunch at one time...they're still just as yummy tho.

They can be frozen and cooked later as well, much like ravioli. Just coat them well with flour to prevent sticking.

I'm not sure if it would work to precook the meat, mostly 'cause the soft uncooked meat allows you to fold the dough around it more easily (the dough is best if rolled out very, very thin and it's really delicate). It's also key to chop the onions very small, otherwise, big chunks will poke holes in the dough as you fold it over.

The meat does cook just while boiling the manti as long as you don't make them too big...Hershey kiss size at most, and the smaller the better (although more time consuming and tedious to make as well!). We always start out making them really tiny, then as we get tired of working, the manti mysteriously get bigger and bigger

~Tanya

[MrsAmera 41]

Ok that makes more sense. I'm going to try these soon!

[Meriem_DZ 37]

I cooked this tonight for dinner. Habibi really liked it.

Meriem

Algerian Green Bean and Lamb Tagine

3 Tablespoons Oil

2 lbs boneless Lamb Shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 medium Onion, chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Salt, to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Saffron or Turmeric

4 cups Water

1 1/2 lbs Green Beans, cut into 2 inch pieces ( I used frozen)

2 Tomatoes, diced or 1 can of diced tomatoes

1 medium Onion, sliced in rings

4 Tablespoons Parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

Method for making Algerian Green Bean and Lamb Tagine

Heat oil in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the lamb, onion and garlic and sautee til lamb is browned. Add the salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, cayenne and saffron (or turmeric) and sautee a minute more. Add water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. (I put it in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes.) Add the green beans and simmer for about 10 minutes more, until almost tender. Add the 2nd sliced onion, parsley and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Simmer for about 10 minutes more. Serve hot over couscous.

[Henia 11]

I made this few weeks ago ... I have it in my blog under it's Greek name ... mmm good!

[MrsAmera 41]

ETA: Found the address

Edited January 22, 2009 by MrsAmera

[MrsAmera 41]

Mezze Dishes:

Ladies please help me out if you have a great recipe for the following:

Kalaj

Sambousak

Tunisian Brik

Spanikopita

Beid Bi Lamoun - This is a lemon soup that I've had in Greece too...

Falafel

Koshari (Can you freeze this??)

Any other appetizer/mezze dishes that I could freeze to keep for a week or two and heat up for dinner/lunch??

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Not sure about freezing these, but I made these two dishes yesterday and they're yum!

Greek Burgers - I made them into little 2-3 bite sized pieces instead of the whole big patty - I've found they cook easier in a pan when they're smaller. These are for the husband's lunch. I have a 2 sided container - one I put 4 or 5 little burgers, and the other gets carrots or other veggies. I find if I make enough for the week on Saturday/Sunday, they're fine in the fridge through Friday. I added a LOT more olives, because I loooooooove olives. Very tasty.

Homemade Italian Sauce - I'm not a big mushroom fan, but when the mushrooms were sauteing, the smell of heavenly. I doubled the recipe here, and am just keeping it in a big pot in the fridge. Then during the week, I'll throw it up on the stove and reheat for supper.

[Meriem_DZ 37]

These are 2 of my favorite pages on Youtube. They have lots of Moroccan recipe videos. Most are very simple and I have tried several. The videos are very easy to follow. Here are the links to the Youtube channels for "Cooking with Alia" and "Sousoukitchen". I also posted a couple of their videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/sousoukitchen and http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithalia

Harira حريرة moroccan soup /soupe marocaine

Moroccan Bread (Khobz) Recipe

Bon Appetite!!

Meriem

Edited January 27, 2009 by Meriem_setif

[morocco4ever 63]

I am all into preparing as much of the dinner in advance as possible. I have actually prepared my marinades such as charmoola, when I purchase the chicken. I then pour it into a ziplock back along with the chicken. I make sure to roll it around to cover all of the chicken, then freeze it. In the morning I plop the entire thing into the crock pot to simmer all day on low. I peel and cube the potatoes and cover with water the night before, then when I get home from work all I have to do is to drain and add the other ingredients. I put the chicken on top and bake until the potatoes are cooked. This has worked out fantastic.

Last weekend I decided to make Kefta, although I am not much of a fan. I used Henia's (I think) recipe in the book that Amal made for us, but I used cumin instead of any sweet spices and ingredients, since I don't care for those in meat. I made the meatballs, then browned them a little. Made the tomato sauce with spices and poured them all in ziplock bags as well.

I put one in the crock pot yesterday and when I came home the house smelled wonderful. All I had to do was prepare a salad and served with bread. Okay, this recipe made me a fan of Kefta!

I am notorious for preparing in advance. It is time consuming on weekends after going to the store, but well worth the effort since I work. I even buy a large pkg of hamburger and fry it with onions, then freeze smaller packages to make dishes such as spaghetti later.

[MrsAmera 41]

Ohh I am definetely sold on this idea. I made 2 tajines this weekend and froze them, one will get heated up tonight. I also got a bag of turkey meatballs from Trader Joes, to cook up with some spicy tomato sauce for dinner another night. I premade some bstilla and briouats for my husband to heat up when I'm not around and he's "Starving", and this idea he has loved!!!

I've been trying to scale things down once a week just to see what hubby does/says. One night this week it was salad, fish sticks, hummus and bread. Everyone was happy and I was relaxed to throw it together without too much work!

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Oh goodness, I made really really tasty badami murgh, chicken curry with 100 almonds last night. Here's the recipe off the top of my head:

Heat 3 T oil in pan

Puree 2 small onions, and saute 3 minutes

Add 2 t ground ginger, 2 t ground garlic, 1 t chili pepper (pick your spice level preference), 1 t turmeric, 1 t salt and saute ~7 minutes - add 1-2 T more oil or butter if the mixture gets too dry

Add 1.5 lb chicken cut into serving pieces, add to pan and saute until golden, 5 to 10 min

Add 1 cup water, cover and cook 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through

Puree 100 blanched almonds (3/4 cup)

Add to pan and cook 5 minutes

Add 1 cup yogurt (full fat, low fat doesn't cook at well)

Cook 5 minutes, until sauce is well blended.

Serve over rice and/or daal.

So tasty

You could also make it with veggies instead of chicken. Adjust the cooking time in the middle so that your veggies don't get too mushy.

The recipe originally called for 1.5 c coconut milk, but I didn't have any on hand, and it's got a ton of fat. Full fat yogurt has plenty of fat too, but less then coconut milk.

I think I took a picture. If I did, I'll post later.

Edited January 30, 2009 by UmmSqueakster

[sereia 0]

my mouth is watering!

[UmmSqueakster 54]

best vegetarian dish ever.

Unsloppy joes

I use half as much pepper and a mild chili (aleppo pepper from penzys)

The first time I made it, the husband and I ate it all in one sitting, so now I always make a double recipe. Good to make on the weekend and heat up throughout the week.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

I also made these this weekend for breakfasts this week - fluffy carrot muffins with cream cheese frosting. I actually think they're a bit too fluffy, so next time I make them I'm going to use 1.5 c flour, probably half whole wheat. I tell myself, look 2 cups carrots, gotta be healthy