Baklava

One of my favorite desserts of all time is baklava.  I once heard it described as an edible version of heaven and aptly so!  I'm always amazed at how one, single dish can encompass all of the greatest aspect of cuisine - light, buttery puff of pastry dough, a rich array of savory nuts, a handful of zesty spices and an ungodly amount of nature's most densely sweet product: honey.  The perfect combination of flavor profiles live together in harmony by means of whatever shape the baker has chosen - typically a diamond.  Yes, baklava is a jewel in the crown of any cook.

I, myself, have made baklava a time or two.  Far from being an expert, I have made an adequate version.  After all, honey can cover up a variety of baking sins.  In that way, honey is a lot like chocolate.  So, as I endeavored to make this classic dessert, I only made a few notes in the process: 1) Though some recipes call for rose water, I chose to abstain.  Rose water is very pungent and not necessary - unless you like that sort of thing.  2) Nuts used in Jordan and that part of the Middle East are commonly pistachios and hazelnuts, not walnuts as one would typically see in the Mediterranean.  3) Phyllo dough is your friend.  It may seem intimidating, but it will be nice to you as long as you keep it moist.  Aside from this, the only thing left to impart is the bit of heavenly bliss you will experience when you have tasted the final product.  Perhaps peace in the Middle East would be more likely if baklava became a bargaining chip!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped mixed nuts
• 1 package (16 oz.) phyllo dough
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
2. Toss together cinnamon and nuts.  Unroll phyllo dough and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish.  Cover phyllo dough with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
3. Place two sheets of phyllo dough in the bottom of the prepared dish.  Brush generously with butter.  Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top.  Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo dough.  Using a sharp knife, cut baklava all the way through to the bottom of the dish into four long rows, then nine times diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
4. Bake in a preheated oven 50 minutes, until golden and crisp.
5. While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon zest, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it.  Let cool completely before serving.  Store uncovered.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/easy-baklava/Detail.aspx)

Baba Ghanouj

Similar to hummus, baba ghanouj is a dip that is best eaten with pita bread - or, let me make it more emphatically clear, pita is a necessary component to the baba ghanouj experience.  Without it, one might otherwise feel as though they were eating Middle Eastern baby food.

Perhaps because my mood was not in just the right place for such a thing, I didn't exactly take to it as I have some other new edibles.  Despite its fair flavor and list of ingredients I would typically enjoy, the dip just did not strike a notable chord.  I suppose I am just the chickpea, hummus-eating type...and, that's okay.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggplants
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 tsp. salt
• Garnish with black olive, parsley and olive oil

Instructions:

1. Broil or barbecue the eggplants, turning often, until the skin is blackened and blistered, about 20 minutes.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes and then peel the skin from the eggplant.  Optionally, bake the eggplants in an oven set for 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
2. Cool eggplants for about 10 minutes, the cut the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the meat.
3. Puree the eggplant and all other ingredients in a blender or food processor. 
4. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish, if desired.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Baba_Ghanouj_from_Jordan)

Chicken Mansaf

Chicken and rice - how can one not enjoy those simple pleasures?  Simply, cook them in yogurt and let the olfactory repugnance turn your otherwise hungry stomach into a displeased organ.  Yes, I did so want to like Jordan's national dish, but it was one that might ultimately rank as a least favorite...in our home's history.  Ever.

Maybe I was just turned off by the fact that the entire plate of food was white.  Maybe I have never really been able to stomach plain yogurt for the fact that its consistency is just a wiggly disgrace to my proud teeth.  Or quite possibly I just wasn't hungry and I made mansaf on the worst of all days.  I don't know.  All I do know is that this was an endeavor that made our family say...."well, you don't know unless you try."  That's the spirit - those are just the words every cook wants to hear.  Hopefully our next attempt at world cuisine will make up for this one's shortcomings.  As with countries in the Olympics, not everyone can be a winner.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 1 1/2 quarts plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almonds, freshly toasted
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, freshly toasted
• parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-3 cups long grain rice, like basmati
• pita bread

Instructions:

1. Place chicken in a large pot with enough salted water to barely cover it.  Cook over medium heat until almost done, about 45 minutes.
2. In a separate pan, cook enough rice for six servings.
3. In a large saucepan, stir yogurt until it is quite smooth.  Add beaten egg and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Add enough of the liquid from the cooked chicken to make a thin sauce, about the consistency of very heavy cream.  Heat until almost comes to a boil and thickens slightly.
4. Add cooked chicken pieces to the yogurt sauce and finish cooking the chicken in the sauce, at a low temperature.
5. Cover a large platter with pita bread.  Mound the rice in the center to form a pyramid.  Arrange chicken pieces on the rice and pour most of the yogurt sauce over it, reserving the remaining sauce to be added, as desired, by the diners.
6. Garnish with almonds, pine nuts and parsley around the edges of the mound of rice and chicken.  Serve warm and eat with your hands. 

(The original recipe came from this website: http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-mansaf-158813)

Jordan

Capital City - Amman
Currency - Jordanian Dinar
Population - 6,407,085 (July 2010 estimate)
National Language - Arabic
Type of Government - Constitutional Monarchy
Leaders - Abdullah II (King); Marouf al-Bakhit (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "الله، الوطن، المليك" (Allah Al-Watan Al-Malek) - Translates to mean "God, Homeland, The King."

Location - The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, or the Jordanian Kingdom, is located in southwestern Asia.  It borders Saudi Arabia to the east and southeast, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the West, with whom it shares control of the Dead Sea.  The northwestern portion of the country is part of the "Fertile Crescent," though much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert.

Climate - Jordan's climate is considered to be semi-dry in the summer and relatively cold in the winter.

Religion - Roughly 92% of Jordanians are said to be Muslim.  6% of the population are members of the Christian faith (of various denominations).  The remaining 2% of the populous are Bahai and Druze.

Cuisine - The cuisine of Jordan shares many commonalities with its other middle eastern neighbors.  In particular, lamb kebabs, hummus, and baklava are typical of the region.

Most Famous Landmark - Petra, an ancient city completely carved out of a mountain, has been considered one of the most precious cultural properties of man's heritage.  So true, once a person walks through the pink gorge of al-Siq and first lays eyes on the al-Kazneh, it will be clear why this has become known as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World."

If You Learn Only One Thing About Jordan, It Should Be This - The country's title "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan" refers to the direct lineage of its rulers to the line of Muhammad.  Prophet Muhammad's great-grandfather was Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf - from whom the Hashemite family takes their name.  In Arabic, Hashim means pulveriser and, with specific regard to Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf, it referred to his habit of serving crumbled or pulverised bread broth to pilgrims.