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)

Spiced Lamb Balls and Savory Beancakes

Whenever we draw a West African country for our chosen country-of-the-month, we always tend to take a deep sigh in the angst over our perceived notions of its sparseness.  Africa, that vast continent, is an enigma for which most Americans tend to know almost nothing - especially in terms of cuisine.  And in a city with a plethora of the world's fare within grasp, we could sadly count on one hand the number of African restaurants which reside here (most of which are Ethiopian, Moroccan or South African - clearly NOT a West African option).  So, when we chose Burkina Faso, I must honestly admit that my heart sank a little and I deemed it something we would take on "later."  That lack of urgency carried me to the very last day of the month before I finally made a Burkinabe meal.  It's a terrible shame to admit such procrastination...especially when the result is so mouth-wateringly good! 

Spiced lamb balls, the West African equivalent of traditional meatballs, are an even more flavorful variation in that they use an addition of six spices to add an exciting depth to their flavor.  And the savory beancakes also possess depth, though they are a bit heavier than I really cared for in a large portion.  After a few bites, the bean flavor was a bit overwhelming.  However, the meal was filling and better than expected.  At the end, a simple banana posed as our dessert (okay, so this might be cheating, but after combing the internet for weeks in search of a non-existent Burkina Faso dessert recipe, a banana was really the only logical and seemingly appropriate choice).  All in all, our meal a la Burkina Faso was a success.  The meatballs will definitely be put into a steady rotation in our house.  The beancakes, not so much.  But, at least we tried something new....as always, that is better than the alternative.

Spiced Lamb Balls - Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Saute onions, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, red pepper, coriander and salt in oil until the onion is soft.  Cool and combine with ground lamb. 
2. Add eggs and crumbs to meat mixture.  Mix well.  Form into small balls.  Chill for 1 hour. 
3. Bake or saute until browned (if baking in the oven, bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, turning a couple of times).  Serve warm.

Savory Beancakes - Ingredients:

• 1 can of black-eyed peas
• 1/2 of an onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, chopped
• 1 egg
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• flour for coating beancakes
• oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Drain the beans and rinse.  Place the beans, onions, carrots and egg into a food processor or blender and season to taste.  Blend until it becomes a smooth paste. 
2. Shape the mixture in flour until a small patty is formed.  Shallow fry in a skillet, cooking until brown on both sides (about 10 minutes) turning occasionally.

(The original recipe for spiced lamb balls came from this site: http://recipes.wuzzle.org/index.php/26/136)
(The original recipe for savory beancakes came from this site: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-burkinabe-savoury-beancakes)

Kofta Kebabs

A most discouraging "fact" I found while trying to prepare myself for Israeli food month - it seems that some food scholars believe there is no such thing as true, honest-to-goodness Israeli fare.  One could say it is the Easter Bunny of all cuisines - it just doesn't exist.  Many writers of articles and blogs (present company excluded) tend to work under the assumption that since the wandering Semites have found their way in the company of many, they must, therefore, have the presence of none.  By that measure, their food is just an amalgamation of all of their neighbors; an adoption over the course of many migrations. 

Though I am not typically one to strike up an argument, this harsh belief was a little difficult for me to swallow.  Particularly because I am part Cajun (another group who adopted and adapted their own cuisine from a variety of sources), I take umbrage at the notion that some cuisines are more "authentic" than others.  Food moves as people move.  And people change as new foods are added to their repertoire.  Neither the Irish had their potatoes nor the Swiss had their chocolate before the Spaniards brought them back from the New World.  And the Italians - fuggedaboutit - there would be no spaghetti if Marco Polo hadn't brought it back from the Orient.  So, do such examples make these countries, and the dishes they become famous for, lose value because they were not completely "indigenous" from the start?  Of course not.  Such food snobbery has no place in a kitchen or in the bellies of men.  Food should remain, as it has always been, a uniting force for mankind - the one way in which we all, despite our differences, can truly come together in happiness.  Especially in the State of Israel, such ideas should ring true - they need to ring true...otherwise, it will just become another rock to throw against the opponent.  And really, what is the point in that?!

So, being as it may, debates and soapboxes aside, our household kitchen decided to try an Israeli dish that is common to the entire middle eastern world: kofta kebabs.  Ground lamb, which was a little difficult time find, was the meat we used; and, the choice was not only authentic but enjoyable.  The mixture of spices and fresh ingredients created a tasty and filling dinner that was enjoyed by all.  Perhaps Israeli food is a fusion of many cultures, but the origin is the same as everyone else's - hunger.

Ingregients:

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1-2 large slices of french bread, finely ground
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• pinch of cardamon
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• pinch of cayenne or chopped chilies
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Put the lamb, crumbled bread, coriander, garlic, onion, lemon juice, spices, tomato paste, cayenne or chilies and spices in a large bowl.  Mix well.  If the mixture does not bind together, add the beaten egg and a little more bread.
2. With wet hands, shape the mixture into four large or eight small patties.
3. Heat a heavy non-stick frying pan, add the patties and cook, taking care that they do not fall apart, turning once or twice, until browned.  Serve hot with pita bread and hummus.

(The original recipe came from "Jewish Cooking" by Marlena Spieler)