May Yacoubi Recipes

MAALOUBA (UPSIDE-DOWN RICE)

Steps:

• For the chicken: Heat the oil with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamom and 1 teaspoon pepper over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery; stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces, including the backbone, skin-side down and sear until the skin is golden brown. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and add 7 cups water to just cover the chicken. Stir in the turmeric and allspice. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a platter and strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the vegetables, spices and backbone and set the stock aside.
• For the rice: Meanwhile, add the basmati and short-grain rice to a large bowl and cover with water. Stir in the turmeric and soak for 30 minutes. Strain the rice and discard the water.
• In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot with a lid, layer the chicken pieces skin-side down, followed by a layer of fried potato slices, a layer of fried eggplant slices and a layer of cauliflower. Add the rice, letting it fall in between the vegetables and chicken. Add the 7 cups of stock until the rice is just covered.
• Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Continue to cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been completely absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest with the lid on for 30 minutes.
• For the salad: Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• Place a large serving platter or plate over the pot and carefully flip to unmold. Garnish the maalouba with toasted pine nuts, parsley leaves and the red chile . Serve the maalouba with the side salad.

TABBOULEH SALAD

Steps:

• Cover the bulgur with water in a medium bowl and soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
• Add the soaked and drained bulgur, parsley, scallions, tomatoes, mint, olive oil and lemon juice to a large bowl and season with salt. Mix with your hands until well combined and transfer a serving platter. Garnish with torn mint leaves and lemon wedges.

BABA GANOUSH

Steps:

• Grill the whole eggplants over the flame of a gas stove or on a rack set over an electric cooktop until the skin is charred all over, a couple minutes each side. Put the eggplants in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam for 8 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin and discard, reserving any liquid in the bowl.
• Roughly chop the eggplant flesh and put in the bowl along with any reserved eggplant liquid. Add the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt and garlic, then season with salt. Mash with a fork until thoroughly combined. The dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
• Transfer the dip to a serving dish and top with pomegranate seeds, crushed walnuts, parsley leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with pita bread for dipping.

BAKED KEBBEH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the dough: put the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 30 minutes then drain well, squeezing the bulgur with your hands to remove excess water.
• Mix the bulgur, lean ground beef, onion, cinnamon, cumin, marjoram and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor and process to combine. Add the ice water and process until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. If necessary, add a little extra ice water to help the dough come together.
• For the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and cook, breaking up into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in the middle, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Spread a little more than half the dough in the bottom and up the sides, dipping your hands ice water as needed to prevent sticking.
• Add the meat filling and sprinkle with the crushed walnuts. Cover the filling with the remaining dough by flattening several balls of dough and placing them over the filling like patchwork. With wet hands, pat and smooth the dough pieces into one mass to completely cover the filling.
• With one finger, make a hole in the center of the kebbeh all the way to the bottom of the pan. Score the dough into 8 portions with a chef's knife. Fill the hole with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and gently turn and roll the pan to oil the top. Press a walnut half into each portion to garnish. Bake until the dough is completely cooked through and the top of the kebbeh is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: stir the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the pomegranates, drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with a mint sprig.
• Remove the sides of the tart pan and slide the kebbeh onto to a serving platter, removing the tart pan bottom. Slice the kebbeh and serve with the yogurt sauce.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Add the flour, yeast and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix to combine. With the machine running at medium-low speed, add 1 cup warm water and mix well. Increase the speed to medium to medium-high and continue mixing, adding more warm water if necessary, until the dough gathers into a ball, completely pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the bowl is clean, about 5 minutes total.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Remove the dough from the bowl, sprinkle with flour and knead by hand until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, place in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm, humid place for 1 hour.
• Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface, kneading lightly to deflate it. With floured hands, pull small portions of dough (slightly bigger than a golf ball) and roll them into balls.
• Flatten each ball with your hands, then roll it thin with a rolling pin. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Once heated add the bread and cook until browned and bubbled on the first side, then flip and cook the other side until it puffs and turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Serve the bread with the pickles, tomatoes, green olives, mint leaves, zaatar and labneh, if you like.

BATATA MAHSHIYEH (STUFFED POTATOES)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel the potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Trim both ends of each potato so they are flat and the potatoes can stand upright, then use a peeler or melon baller to scoop out the center of the potato, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Return the scooped potatoes to the water.
• Heat several inches of oil in a large, heavy pot to 300 degrees F. Drain the potatoes well and pat them dry, then fry until they are slightly golden but not completely tender, 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, taking care to pour any hot oil back into the pot as you remove them.
• Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet or pot. Add the onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef and season with salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until the beef is browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts.
• Stuff each potato with the filling and place upright in a baking dish.
• Pour a thin layer of stock into the baking dish and squeeze the lemon over the potatoes. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender. Sprinkle with parsley leaves.