Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow

I decided to participate in the eighth Weekend Cookbook Challenge (WCC), putting a cookery book of choice to practical use. Truthfully, I use my cookbooks whenever I cook, but I haven't quite gotten around to using all of them yet, and being required to use them makes the compulsive cookery book shopper in all of us feel less guilty; the idea behind WCC is thus beneficial as one feels simultaneously accomplished and spiritually cleansed. The theme for this WCC is a foreign dish, one that is foreign to the cook, that is.

I'm sure that half of the dilemma in submitting to WCC is deciding which cookery book to use. Fortunately, I knew from the outset that I wanted to make a small meal (main dish, side vegetable plate, and dessert) from Claudia Roden's magnificent The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Because the Middle East is a vast area and is constituted of many cultures, it was very difficult to decide what to make. I resolved myself to making dishes from Ms. Roden's country of birth, Egypt. I served Hamam Mahshi bil Burghul (poussin/squab/pigeon stuffed with bulgur wheat, raisins and pine nuts), Bamia bel Takleya (okra with garlic and ground coriander/cilantro), and Assabih bi Loz (almond fingers).

How did it all taste?

I could not find poussins when shopping, so, sticking to the small bird notion, I bought cornish hens instead. The coarse bulgur wheat that was cooked inside the hens absorbed the hens' juices and made for a most flavorful and comforting accompaniment to the tender and juicy hens.

I wanted to make the okra dish because I had never used okra before - I'm not even sure if it is available in New Zealand because I had never heard of it before moving to the U.S. Knowing in advance that badly cooked okra resulted in a slimey mess, I was prepared to not enjoy the result, but it didn't turn out slimey at all (perhaps due to cutting off the stems and caps). The seeds contained in the okra gave the skin infused with garlic and coriander an little kick without overpowering heat.

My angelheart Eric is not a fan of orange-blossom water, but I wanted to make the almond fingers anyway since I had not worked with filo before. My goodness, how fiddly it is! One has to ensure that the sheets not in use are covered with a damp cloth so they do not dry out; they are susceptible to dry air. Fortunately, I was well-armed with this information due to Roden's clear and concise guidance. Eric thought that the almond fingers tasted like soap; I, on the other hand, like orange-blossom water and thought that the combination of the crisp filo and the almond paste made for a delicately flavoured and other-world-transporting dessert. I miscalculated the amount of almond I needed, so I added walnuts that I had on hand, but this is not a real deviation as Ms. Roden suggests using walnuts to create a Turkish variation.

The following recipes take into account my ingredient subsitutions and portion sizes (for two people).

Hamam Mahshi bil Burghul (Pigeon, Squab or Poussin stuffed with Bulgur, Raisins, and Pine Nuts)

2 cornish hens (approximately 1.25 pounds each)

For the marinade:
1/3 large onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1/3 lemon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter)
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice

For the stuffing:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/3 pounds coarse bulgur wheat
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter)
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes

1) For the marinade, combine all ingredients in a blender until liquidised.
2) Marinate the birds for 30 minutes (for deeper flavour, however, the birds could stand up to being marinated for longer, which is what I will do next time).
3) For the stuffing, bring chicken stock to a boil in a pan, then add the bulgur wheat, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Stir together, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is tender.
4) Preheat oven to 350 deg. f. (180 deg. c.)
5) Fry the pine nuts in 1/3 tablepoon of vegetable oil until lightly browned.
6) Add the pine nuts, raisins, and remaining vegetable oil to the bulgur wheat and mix well.
7) Stuff the hens 2/3 with the bulgur mix, allowing room for bulgur to expand, and then secure the legs with kitchen twine (toothpicks can be used on smaller birds).
8) Rub some of the marinade on the hens, then put them in the oven spine side up for 25 minutes.
9) Turn birds over (breast side up) for 20 minutes, while at the same time roasting the remaining bulgur wheat mix covered with foil for 15-20 minutes. The birds are cooked through when the juices from the thick part of the thigh run clear.

Bamia bel Takleya (Okra with Garlic and Coriander)

1/3 pound small, young okra with stems and caps sliced off
1/3 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups water

1) Fry the onion in the 2/3 of the vegetable oil until golden.
2) Add the okra and saute gently for 5 minutes.
3) Barely cover with water, add salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.
4) Heat the garlic and coriander in the remaining 1/2 of the vegetable oil, stirring for 1 minute or until garlic is lightly coloured.
5) Stir garlic and coriander into okra, and cook for a two minutes before serving hot.

Assabih bi Loz (Almond Fingers)

1/4 pounds filo pastry sheets (approximately 4 sheets)
3/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange-blossom water
3 tablespoons butter, melted
confectioners' sugar (for decoration only)

1) Mix ground almonds and walnuts with the suger and orange-blossom water.
2) Cut the filo sheets into 4 rectangular strips about 12 by 4 inches (30.5 by 10 cms) and pile them on top of each other, covering the top one with a damp cloth.
3) Preheat oven to 325 deg. f. (170 deg. c.)
3) Take the top sheet of filo, cover lightly with melted butter, and roll a heaped teaspoon of the almond filling into a sausage shape before placing it 1 inch (2 cms) from the edge of one of the short ends of the filo sheets.
4) Roll edge of filo sheet over almond filling.
5) Roll into a cigar shape, folding the longer sides slightly over the almond filling midway.
6) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or butter the baking sheet).
7) Repeat with all filo sheets. Makes approximately 16.
8) Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until lightly golden.
9) Serve cold sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Labels: Claudia Roden, Weekend Cookbook Challenge