8.3 Other Mediterranean

8.3.1 Ras el Hanout

This is a very flavorful Moroccan mixture, one that also turns up in Spanish dishes. This particular recipe is from allrecipes.com, incorporating a few reviewers suggestions.

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Doing so in the freezer will extend the lifetime of the mixture.

8.3.2 Lamb Meat balls

Below are two recipes, one from Turkey and one from Morocco. The Turkish one is an old standby; the Moroccan one a new one. As you can see, the flavoring and preparation are similar. Both can be made with other meats (beef or pork), but lamb is what makes these recipes sing.

8.3.2.1 Turkish

This one comes from Turkish Cookery by Gülseren Ramazanoglu, a small book that my first wife picked up while touring Turkey 30 years ago. It’s a great little book, however it is not available in the US.

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb or veal
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, chopped finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder

  1. Preheat your oven to 350o F.*
  2. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, blending them together with your clean hands.
  3. Shape them into six sausage shaped meatballs and place on a foil covered sheet pan that has had a light coat of spray oil applied
  4. Bake for 12-14 minutes

This goes well with rice.

*The original recipe calls for the meat ball to be fried. That is certainly an option, but it is rather messy and tedious.

8.3.2.2 Moroccan

This comes from the Limerick Lane Winery site. Such sites can be an interesting source of recipes - of course they are trying to sell their wines, but many of the better ones provide recipes with suggested wine pairings as well. I have made a couple of changes, adding panko bread crumbs and deleting the salt (1 tsp) called for in the original recipe.

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 lb ground lamb
1/4 cup unseasoned panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup onion, chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves (I usually don’t bother with parsley - to me it adds color but not flavor)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For topping (optional)

1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
1.2 cup Greek yogurt

  1. Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350o F.
  2. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Form the meat mix into balls. The recipe recommends making 15-18 one ounce balls, but there is nothing wrong with making fewer, larger ones.
  4. Cover a sheet pan with foil and spray it with oil
  5. Place into oven and bake for 12-14 minutes.
  6. If you are making the topping, mix the ingredients for it together.
  7. Serve however you want - I usually do so with rice.

8.3.3 Chicken with za’atar, paprika and lemon

This is a recipe from The Splendid Table, an NPR radio program on sophisticated cooking. Normally, I don’t find their recipes to be all that appealing, however this one looks promising (I haven’t cooked it yet - it will be one for when we have omnivorous company). The key spice in it is za’atar, a Persian blend of sumac, sesame, thyme and salt. Not surprisinggly, I purchase it from Penzeys, however it is often available in international sections of larger grocery stores.

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tbsp. za’atar
1 tbsp paprika (I use Penzeys half sharp)
zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1/2
sea salt and black pepper to taste)

  1. Preheat your oven to 350o F. and line a baking dish with foil.
  2. In a bowl, coat the chicken thighs with the remaining ingredients. Mix well with your hands.
  3. Place them on the lined dish skin side up and bake for 45-60 minutes, until they are nicely browned and the internal temperature has reached 170o F.

Recommended accompaniments ar baked halloumi with lemon, thyme and honey, or spiced orzo polow. If I can find recipes, I will add them at a future date. In the meantime, rice pilaf might be a good accompaniment.

8.3.3.1 The Original Recipe

The Splendid Table credits the cookbook “Persiana Everyday”, by Sabrina Ghayour, for the original recipe, and I couldn’t help but download the book ($8.99 on Kindle) and take a look. Turns out that it does have some differences, notably that it uses a whole chicken and adds orange zest and some additional spices.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, 3-4 lb
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 heaping teaspoons za’atar
zest of two lemons
zest of two oranges
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste

Again, make all of the ingredients (except the chicken) and apply to the chicken. Bake on a foil-covered pan for ~1.5 hours at 425o F, until the breast has reached 155o and the thighs have reached 170o. As always, spatchcocking the bird might facilitate even cooking.

8.3.4 Halloumi Fries

So this is a simple recipe I found here. As soon as I can find halloumi I’ll give it a try.

Ingredients

1 block halloumi
onion powder
garlic powder
ground black pepper
olive oil

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Preheat the oven to 425o F.
  2. Slice the halloumi in to french fry-shaped blocks
  3. Toss together the halloumi with the spices in a small bowl.
  4. Place cheese sticks on the baking strip and drizzle with olive oil.
  5. Cook for 20 minutes, turning them after 10 minutes.
  6. Serve with dipping sauce (if desired). The original source recommends hot honey or marinara sauce.