Kibbeh in Sumac Sauce KIBBEH SUMMAQIYEH
The first time I had this Syrian kibbeh was many years ago, long before the sad destruction of Aleppo, at the home of Joumana Kayali. In those days, the city was the ultimate destination for anyone visiting Syria, not only because of its historic monuments and medieval souks, the most enchanting of the Middle East, […]
Tiramisu Muffins
prep time: 10 minutes cook time: 20 minutes yield: 12 muffins (1 per serving) INGREDIENTS MUFFINS ½ cup coconut flour, or 2 cups blanched almond flour ½ cup Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda 6 […]
Baked Kibbeh KIBBEH BIL SANIYEH
Kibbeh in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, and kofte in Turkey, is a mixture of ground lamb and bulgur that can be shaped as a pie, balls, or disks and cooked in endless variations. The recipe below is for kibbeh bil- saniyeh, which is meat, onion, and nut stuffing spread in between two layers of […]
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Browned Butter Glaze
There’s nothing more special than setting out a huge coffee cake for a Saturday breakfast or brunch. If you are pressed for time in the morning, you can prepare the batter, filling, and glazes a night or two beforehand. Pour the batter and filling into the pan and place the pan in the refrigerator. Then […]
Lamb Shawarma Sandwich SHAWARMA LAHMEH
Before Syria descended into the tragic situation in which it has been since shortly after the uprising, I visited often, and when I went to Damascus, I never failed to go to Siddiq, a restaurant specializing in shawarma grilled over charcoal, no easy feat given that the shawarma grill is vertical. They had that on […]
Grandma Suzie’s Kringle
When Craig and I first met (and our diet and lifestyle were quite different than they are today), we adored camping up on the south shore of Lake Superior in the adorable town of Bayfield, Wisconsin. Every morning we went to a cute bakery in town and ordered the almond kringle. It was ooey and […]
Chicken Kebabs JOOJEH KABAB
There are different marinades for chicken kebabs. The joojeh kebab is made with a simple marinade but there are other yogurt-based variations that are similar to the Afghani Sikh Kebabs. When I was in my friend Feridoonjan’s village, watching him cook a veritable feast for us, he used pieces of chicken breast, but I like […]
Iranian Ground Meat Kebabs KABAB KOOBIDEH
The texture of the ground meat for these kebabs needs to be very fine. You can achieve this by first grinding it twice through the fine disk of a meat grinder and then kneading it with the seasonings. Or you can skip the kneading and pulse the ground meat in a food processor a few […]
Afghani Sikh Kebabs SIKH KABAB
Unlike the Iranians who always serve their kebabs with rice, in Afghanistan kebabs are always served with flatbread with a garnish of fresh vegetables and herbs. They are typical restaurant or street food fare and the meat is either lamb or chicken. The marinade here is made with yogurt and a little oil, which would […]
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
When I worked at Uncommon Ground, we made the absolute best pumpkin cream cheese muffins in the fall. They usually sold out before 8 a.m. Once I was asked to do a presentation at a large company in Stillwater, Minnesota, and the woman coordinating the event asked me to bring a few food samples. I […]