Egyptian Falafel

This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare, but is worth every moment spent. With the help of an Egyptian friend who does not cook but remembered the main ingredients, I finally developed this very tasty recipe that is enjoyed not only by the Egyptian persons but by all who have made it or tried it.

2 cups dried fava beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil (for deep frying)
3 large green onions, chopped small
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup deep fried dried onions
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly roasted
4 large radishes, sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 large tomato, diced
1 large dill pickles, diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
6 whole 6 1/2 inch pita bread
1 cup finely shredded lettuce (, of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon beau monde seasoning

6 servings

In a large-size saucepan, add fava beans and cover with water; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let beans soak overnight.
When ready to use, drain.
In a small saucepan, add quartered potatoes, cover with water and cook until done; drain.
In a food processor or blender, process fava beans, onion, cooked potato and garlic cloves until smooth.
Add coriander, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and process for a few seconds to blend well.
Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add chopped green onions, bread crumbs, deep fried dried onions, and baking soda; mix well to incorporate.
With dampened hands, form mixture into balls the size of walnuts.
Place on a lightly floured surface and flatten the formed balls slightly into patties.
Measure roasted sesame seeds into a soup bowl.
Dip flattened fava patties into sesame seeds, turn over to coat lightly with sesame seeds.
In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil to medium-high heat.
Carefully drop fafa patties into hot oil and deep-fry for 2 minutes, turn over and deep-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes or until patties are cooked through and golden brown.
Remove from oil with a slotted spoon onto paper towelling to drain.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, add sliced radishes, chopped fresh parsley, diced tomato, diced dill pickle and diced Jalapeno pepper and mix well.
Wrap paper towelling around each individual flat bread or pita bread, place idividually in microwave oven and microwave on HIGH (full power) for 30 seconds.
Microwave reamining pitas in the same manner.
Remove and cut pita at one end to form a pocket.
Stuff 3 or 4 fava patties in pocket.
Then spoon about 3 tablespoons of prepared vegetable mix into the pocket.
Top with finely shredded lettuce and sprinkle with Beau Monde seasoning.
Serve immediately.
You can also use canned fava beans but I prefer the dried fava beans the best.
Note: Deep fried dried onions are available in most East Indian Grocery Stores.
These are the best to use as they are crispier and crunchier than the ones that you can buy in cans.

Home Made Pita Bread

Ingredients:
1 envelope dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups white all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:
1. Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes to proof and ferment it.
2. Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water.
3. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the middle and put the dissolved yeast and salt water into it.
4. With your hands, blend it into a dough.
5. You may need a bit more or less water depending on your flour.
6. Knead the dough in the bowl with your fists for 10-15 minutes or until it is smooth.
7. Pour the oil over the dough and knead it again until the oil is absorbed.
8. Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel and set it in a draft free area to rise to double it's bulk (1-2 hours), then punch it down and knead it again for a few minutes.
9. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
10. Cut pieces of dough, egg size or larger, depending on the size of the pita desired, shape them into balls with your hands and roll them out over a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/4 inch thickness.
11. Set 2 or 3 pitas on a lightly oiled cookies sheet and bake them on the lower rack 2 to 3 minutes each side.
12. Pitas should be white and soft.
13. Wrap the baked pitas in a clean towel until they are cool, then store them in plastic bags to prevent them from drying out.
14. When you are ready to use them, heat a bit of oil in a shallow skillet and fry them a minute or so on each side, or until golden brown.
15. Use them immediately, because they get hard when they dry out.

Egyptian Lamb & Eggplant

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 pinch dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 cup consomme
1 cup rice
1 can tomato (2-1/2 cups)

Instructions:
1. Peel and cube the eggplant, soak in salted water for 15 minutes, rinse and drain well.
2. Cut lamb into 1-inch squares and saute in butter until brown on all sides.
3. Place in a casserole.
4. Fry onion in the skillet until golden brown.
5. Add onion and eggplant, seasonings and consomme to the casserole.
6. Brown raw rice in a dry skillet and blend with canned tomatoes and their juice.
7. Pour over the contents of the casserole.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until lamb is tender, about 90 minutes.

Basboosa - Semolina Cake with Honey and Lemon

Ingredients:
Syrup
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 whole lemon
3 teaspoons honey

Basboosa
3 cups semolina
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup milk

Instructions:
1. To make the syrup: Peel the lemon with a potato peeler to get flat strips of peel.
2. Juice the lemon.
3. Bring the sugar, water, and lemon juice to a boil.
4. Throw in the rind of the lemon.
5. Boil until the lemon rind is hard or the mixture is a runny syrup consistency.
6. Add the honey.
7. Set aside while you make the basboosa.
8. Mix the semolina, flour, sugar, and baking powder.
9. Add the oil and mix until all the batter is well blended.
10. Grease a large cookie sheet tray (10 x 16 inches).
11. Add the milk just before you are about to bake.
12. Dot the mixture into the greased pan by spoonfuls.
13. Level the mixture with your hand (dipped in milk).
14. Shake the tray to level.
15. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.
16. Cut into squares and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes.
17. Pour the syrup over the basboosa immediately after you remove it from the oven the last time.