Middle East Feast

Gather some friends and enjoy a delightful evening of rich flavours. The following menu makes a great dinner for six -- ask your guests to prepare dish and make it pot-luck!

* We will be adding two more recipes to this list: Mohamad's family recipe for the delicious Iraqi dish, Mergé temmen, and Suzy's personal account and recipe for the sweet and flaky baklava.

Please let us know if you try this, and how it goes!

Eggplant dip (Baba Ghannuj)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbsp. water
1/4 cup lemon juice
lemon wedges
parsley
olive oil

Set oven at 375 degrees F. Wash eggplant and remove stem. Pierce with a
fork 4-6 times. Place in a baking dish. Bake for 1 hour or until tender.
Remove from oven and run under cold water. Peel and mash. Set aside.

In serving bowl, combine garlic, salt and Tahini. Gradually add water and
lemon juice, beating well. Fold in mashed eggplant. Garnish with lemon
wedges, finely chopped parsley and a sprinkle of olive oil. Scoop up
eggplant with pieces of Pita Bread to eat or serve as a side dish with any
meal.

Tabouli

Ingredients
3 large bunches of parsley
1/3 cup crushed wheat (burghul)
2 cups water
4 green onions, with ends
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped) or 2 tbsp. dry
2 large tomatoes (diced finely)
1.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash parsley well, drain and shake out excess moisture.
Soak crushed wheat in water in a large mixing bowl for 32 minutes. Drain
well. Set aside while preparing other ingredients.

Remove stems from parsley and discard. Chop parsley very fine (3 bunches
should yield 5 cups). Add to wheat.

Chop onions finely and add to the mixture along with the remaining
ingredients.

If not serving immediately, do not add tomatoes and onions until just before
serving. Toss well.

Serve with Romaine lettuce leaves. Tear leaves into bite size pieces and
use to scoop us salad for eating.

Baked Kafta

Ingredients
1 lb. ground lean beef or lamb
1 medium onion (grated)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup parsley (finely chopped)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
2 zucchini, 6-8 inches long (sliced)
2 medium potatoes (sliced)
2 medium carrots (sliced)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cups water

Set oven at 375 degrees F. Combine meat, onion, t tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper
and parsley. Mix well.
Form into 1.5 inch balls, then flatten into patties and fry slightly in a
skillet with the oil, turning over once (do not cook through). Remove from
skillet and place in a baking or casserole dish.

Combine remaining ingredients and add to meat patties. Stir gently. Bake
for 45-60 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Mushroom Salat (Salatet Futter)

Ingredients
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion (sliced in rings)
1 medium green pepper (sliced in strips)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a salad bow. Toss well. May be kept in
refrigerator for 1-2 hours to marinate. Serve chilled.

Lemon Chicken (Djaj Mtabbel)

Ingredients
1 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 frying chicken (cut up)

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, coating chicken pieces well. Marinate in refrigerator for 2-3 hours, turning chicken over several times during this period. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place chicken in baking pan. Bake for 1 hour in the marinating mixture, basting occasionally. Remove chicken pieces onto a serving dish. Pour marinade over chicken
pieces.