Travel by Stomach - Saudi Arabia

The cuisine of Saudi Arabia concentrates heavily on meat dishes. The meal is centered around the main meat dish with rice and salad as accompaniments. Al-Kabsa is a signature dish in this cuisine, similar to Biryani made in the Indian subcontinent. The meat ( chicken, lamb or beef) is cooked in a flavorful broth which is then used to cook the rice. The spices used here are similar to the garam masala, but this dish does not use any chillies. It is incredibly aromatic and the key is in not letting the aroma (steam) escape during the cooking process.The fragrance of saffron and cardamom infuses the rice. The sauce, Shattah,is not for the faint of heart! It is fiery yet tasteful and lends itself to variation.

Al-Kabsa

¼ cup butter

3 lbs chicken, boneless skinless breast and thigh, cut into med sized pieces

1 large white onion, finely chopped

6 large garlic cloves, minced

½ c tomato puree

2 med tomatoes, finely chopped

3 med carrots, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups hot water

1 chicken stock cube

2 ¼ cups basmati rice (Do not rinse or soak)

¼ cups raisins

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 whole cloves

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch ground coriander

1 pinch ground cumin

½ tsp saffron

¼ tsp ground green cardamom

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp ground dried limes or lemon zest

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Add chicken pieces, onion, garlic and sauté until onion is tender. Stir in tomato puree and simmer over a low heat for 4 minutes.

Add tomatoes, carrots, all the spices, salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the water and chicken stock cube.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer covered over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside. Add the rice, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add the raisins and continue cooking another 10 minutes till rice is tender.

Place the rice on a large serving dish, topped with the chicken and garnish with the almonds. Serve with a fresh mixed salad with lime vinaigrette. Serve with hot sauce called Shattah.

Shattah.

8 cloves garlic

3 jalapeno peppers

2 green chillies

1 c chopped parsley

1 c chopped cilantro

½ tsp white vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin ground

Tomato paste

1 c water

Blend all ingredients . Add salt to taste.

Travel by Stomach - Greece

One of my favorite cuisines, Greek food is characterized by abundant use of lemon, garlic,butter,olives and cheese. Various vegetables like peppers, eggplant, onions, potatoes are used along with seafood and meat. The ingredients are readily available and the dishes are intensely flavorful, like sunshine on your palate.

Chicken with olives and red peppers – Kotopoulo me elies ke kokines piperies

2 lbs boneless chicken (breast and thigh )

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 cup olives, rough chopped

2 small yellow onions, diced

2 med roma tomatoes diced

2 cups dry red wine

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

In a dutch oven , heat the oil and add the chicken pieces. Cook for about 10 mins, turning the pieces to brown evenly on all sides. Add the onions, peppers and olives. Cook for about 5 mins, then add the wine. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the tomatoes and just enough water to bring it together. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins till the chicken is cooked and most of the water has been soaked up. Serve with steaming white rice, topped with butter and a side of tomato sauce and sauteed mushrooms and peas.

Shredded lettuce and carrot salad

1 head red leaf or romaine lettuce shredded

2 carrots, shredded        

Mint – 6-7 leaves, julienned

Vinaigrette : Lemon juice and extravirgin olive oil with salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing at the last minute and toss before serving.

Fish soup with egg and lemon sauce – Psarossoupa avgolemono

1 lb white fish – fresh or frozen –eg: cod cut into big pieces

½ cup olive oil

1 med onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

2 bay leafs

Salt and pepper to taste.

For the sauce:

2 eggs

Juice of 2 lemons

Clean and wash the fish, cut into bite size pieces. Place 6 cups of water in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Then add the vegetables, bay leaf, olive oil. Cook for 20 mins. Add the fish and simmer for another 15 mins. Then with a slotted spoon take the fish out along with the bayleaves. Strain the broth and return the cooked vegetables to the the broth. Add salt and pepper and warm it up. Add the fish pieces and heat through. Remove the pot from the fire.

Make sauce by beating the eggs and lemon juice.  Add the mixture slowly, 1 tablespoon at a  time to the broth while stirring constantly. The consistency of the broth will thicken as you add more and more of the egg sauce and it goes from clear to a milky white. Garnish with chopped parsley and mint and serve hot.

The instruction for this recipe seemed daunting, but it is easier than it sounds! When adding the sauce to the strained broth, do it very slowly, one tablespoonful at a time. The transformation of the clear liquid to the final milky white soup is phenomenal! The lemony citrus taste is subtle, more of a scent than taste and the overall taste is really creamy. 

Pita

This is an easy recipe to make warm and fresh pita bread at home. The baking time will vary depending on your oven and watch the pita dough as it is cooking in the oven. If it stays in the oven for too long, it will get brittle and you will end up with pita chips instead.

1 package of active dry yeast

½ cup warm water

 3 cups all purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp salt

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 cup luke warm water

Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup warm water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy. (Your kitchen will soon start smelling heavenly - of fresh bread and beer!)

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water in the depression.

Slowly add 1 cup of warm water and stir with wooden spoon till elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, the dough is ready.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all the dough is coated.

Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours or until doubled in size. Once doubled, roll out in a rope and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10minutes. Prehat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of the oven. Be sure to also preheat the baking sheet. Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles, about 5-6 inches across and ½ inch thick.

Bake each circle 2- 3minutes till the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet. Gently push puff down and store immediately in storage bag.