An idea gleaned from Nathalie’s blog,  cuisiner, tout simplement. Prepare the basic batter for a French toast: Eggs  beaten with milk; flavor it with tomato paste, dip in Parmesan; fry in butter.

I like the French name for French toast: Pain perdu (lost bread).

I have adapted her recipe by adding some spices to the batter and only adding the cheese at the end; if the toasts are fried with the Parmesan straight on, the cheese will harden and the toasts will not have a chance to cook.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 slices of day-old French bread (regular loaf, soft)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4  cup of milk
• 1 tsp of tomato paste or red pepper paste
• salt, pepper, 1 tsp of Aleppo pepper, 1/2 tsp of oregano or wild zaatar
• 1 cup of parmesan or mozzarella balls
• 1/2 cup of bacon bits or ham (optional)
• butter or oil as needed

METHOD:

1. Cut the bread in slices; beat the eggs and milk with the spices and tomato or red pepper paste. Dunk the slices in the batter, heat the skillet with butter and oil and fry the slices on both sides gently for 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the bread with cheese (and ham or bacon if using); cover the pan to allow the cheese to soften and serve.

A quick-to-put-together casserole (is that word dated or what?) with some squash, diced bacon and diced brie; a few sliced almonds on top for a little crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 squash (I picked a Turban squash for its bright orange color), about 1 pound of  squash meat
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped and mashed in a mortar with a dash of salt
• 6 slices of bacon, baked in the oven and crumbled
• 1/2 Brie cheese (6-inch), crust removed and diced
• Spices: salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper or paprika, dash of nutmeg
• 2 tbsp of sour cream or labneh (optional)
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted in the oven at 300F for 10 minutes

METHOD:

1. Bake the bacon strips in a 375F oven for about 12 minutes until crispy (place them on a foil-lined pan to save clean-up time).
2. Chop the onion and fry till golden in a little oil. Cut the squash and microwave for 10 minutes (adding 1/4 cup water to the pan and covering it). When cooled enough, peel and cut in chunks and mash with a fork. Add the golden onion, spices, labneh or cream if using (I did not) and bacon, drained, dried and cut in small pieces. Add the Brie cut in small dice as well and transfer the mixture to small ramequins or a large pyrex-type dish.
3. Bake in a 350F oven until the top is bubbly and the squash is warm. Top with the almonds and serve.

Piquillo peppers are tasty and  mild peppers originating in Spain; I buy them in a jar. I had seen recipes for piquillos stuffed with cheese and served uncooked.

These piquillos are stuffed  with a cheese and egg mixture  bursting  with herbs and spices and baked briefly until they puff up.

Any roasted and jarred peppers can be substituted.

INGREDIENTS: 12 servings for an appetizer or 6 for a main dish

• 3 jars of piquillos
• 8 ounces of goat cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of walnuts
• 1/4 cup of whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of mashed garlic (with salt in a mortar)
• Spices: 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of seven-spice, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme or wild zaatar, 1/2 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper
• 1/4 cup of minced parsley
• 1/4 cup of minced dill (or other herb)

METHOD:

1. Prepare the piquillos by laying them flat on a surface on paper towels. Prepare the cream by placing all the ingredients in a food processor and mixing until a thick cream is formed.
2. Transfer the cream into a pastry bag and stuff the piquillos with that mixture; (or use a small spoon). Place in small ramequins greased previously with some olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 20 minutes. Serve.

Imagine a moist carrot cake in which the cheese frosting is baked with the cake, instead of being plopped on top as it usually is.

I used  homemade labneh instead of cream cheese, but they are interchangeable here.

The cake can be made with a few ingredients, or enriched with almond flour, pistachios, raisins, banana purée, pineapple, etc. Either way it will work.

I used a technique recommended by chef Roland Mesnier, formerly pastry chef at the White House, in his Dessert University; he likes to beat the eggs, sugar and oil for 5 minutes until the consistency is that of a runny mayo, then add the dry ingredients; (he claims it makes for a fine-crumbed cake).

The cake here is baked in a mini-loaf pan, but you can use any size pan or muffin tins, reducing or increasing baking time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggs
• 6 ounces oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup raw sugar or regular
• 1 tablespoon of grape molasses (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of orange rind (optional)
• 1 banana puréed (optional)

DRY:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of almond flour (optional)

Fold in: 8 ounces of shredded carrots (4 large ones), 1/2 cup of raisins and nuts

Cheese layer:

• 8 ounces of labneh or cream cheese or mascarpone
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD:

1. Place the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, rind (if using), grape molasses (if using) in the bowl of a mixer and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes until the texture is a bit thick, like a runny mayo.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and almond flour (if using); mix until they are incorporated. Fold the carrots and nuts into the batter slowly.
3. Beat the egg into the cheese and powdered sugar and vanilla until the cheese batter is smooth. Line 3 mini-loaf pans with parchment paper, preheat the oven to 350F and pour the carrot cake batter into the pans, stopping halfway up. Pour the cheese batter on top, leaving at least half an inch to the rim of the pans. Bake until puffed up and dry. Cool and serve.

To make labneh, line a coffee filter over a sieve and place the sieve on a large bowl (not touching the bottom); drop the contents of a yogurt jar and let it drain its whey for 24 hours. Labneh is born.

It is pepper season; the vegetable gardens are bursting with all kinds of peppers, hatch peppers, green peppers, poblanos, chilis etc. This is a spinach lasagne layered with a poblano/chicken broth/cream sauce; interspersed with chicken and mushroom bits and sprinkled with shredded cheese.

Since this is a project, it is easy to split it up into three major steps: Making the pasta (or using ready-made), making the sauce, assembling the dish.

NOTE: This dish can easily be made with boxed pasta, like penne or fusilli.

MAKING THE STUFFING FOR THE LASAGNE:

• 2 cups of button mushrooms
• 2 large onions
• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken drumsticks and wings
• salt, pepper, a dash of cumin and a dash of allspice
• 1 teaspoon of mashed garlic
• Butter or olive oil, as needed
• 1 16-ounce bag of shredded Italian cheeses

METHOD:

1. Sprinkle spices on the drumsticks and wings and fry in oil or butter until golden-brown; add several cups of water and one onion, quartered and let the chicken pieces cook gently for 45 minutes or until tender. Strain the sauce and use for making the poblano sauce. Shred the chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl, covered.
2. Chop the other onion and fry in butter; clean the mushrooms and quarter them, remove the stem and chop it. Brown the mushrooms until soft and fragrant and add the garlic at the end, mixing well to combine. Add the mushrooms to the chicken pieces and combine. Set aside.

MAKING THE SAUCE:

• 3 large poblano peppers (can substitute any green peppers of your choice)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon of mashed garlic (mixed with salt in a mortar)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of cream (can substitute milk)
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg,  to taste
• olive oil or butter, as needed

METHOD:

1. To roast the peppers: Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler and let them blister on all sides, turning them every few minutes. Transfer them to a plastic bag (pour one tablespoon of water in the bag) and close the bag tightly; let them sit in the bag for 10 minutes, then open the bag and peel and seed them.
2. Chop the onion and fry in half a stick of butter (or replace with 1/4 cup oil) till golden; add the flour and stir till the flour is well mixed and cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir (it will lump up at first, not to worry); add the milk then the cream and stir. The sauce will thicken; add the peppers and garlic  and cook in the sauce for a few minutes, adding pepper and nutmeg if desired.
3. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and puree. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside or refrigerate till much later or the next day.

MAKING THE PASTA:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of flour (all-purpose and cake flour 50/50, or all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1/2 cup  of chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry (can use any other greens)

METHOD:

1. Place the spinach, salt, olive oil and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Mix until pureed; add the flour, one cup at a time, processing each time, until a ball forms; be careful not to add too much flour at once, add it gradually so as to keep the dough moist (not sticky) and pliable; remove into a work surface and knead a bit to make sure it is not too sticky and is firm and smooth. If too sticky, add a bit of flour at a time. Wrap in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for one hour or longer.
2. When ready to roll out, use a pasta machine or cutting one small piece at a time, roll with a pin until each piece is very thin, almost like paper. Keep the remaining dough in plastic to prevent drying it.
3. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 30 seconds and spread on paper towels.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Grease a large serving dish (or several) and pour a bit of sauce at the bottom; place a few lasagne sheets (cut them to fit with a pizza cutter) and pour 4 ounces of poblano sauce, sprinkle some chicken pieces with the mushrooms and about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Continue this operation, ladling sauce, then chicken and mushroom, then cheese. Spread cheese on the top layer.
2. Bake in a 325F oven for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the dish is hot; run under the broiler for 30 seconds if desired. Serve.

TIP: To “puff up” the top layer, sprinkle with shredded cheese and gently pour a few tablespoons of whipping cream over the cheese; run under the broiler for 30 seconds.

When making pasta, it is easier to make it by hand on the counter; if using the food processor or a mixer, add the flour one cup at a time, adding more as the eggs absorb it completely and the dough is still very tacky.

When assembling the lasagne, it is best to add a small amount of sauce rather than too much; the idea here is to showcase the fine pasta, which should be very light and silky; the sauce is an accent and should not smother the pasta.

There is a delightful tradition in the Middle-East called sobhiyeh, (meaning morning), which means a morning get-together. Our neighbors in the Chouf mountains would often invite us to a sobhiyeh (and we would reciprocate) and this would always entail cups of Turkish coffee being served and lots of pastries (savory and sweet) and of course, lots and lots of banter (and gossip). Usually, only women would be present.

May Bsisu in her The Arab Table, refers to this tradition and how she used to be invited to sobhiyeh in Kuwait with other women; how each one would try to outdo the other by producing  a new and delicious pastry.

Mrs. Bsisu came up with the idea of a pull-away cheese roll for one of her sobhiyeh. Here it is, adapted.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1/2 cup of powdered milk
• Dash of salt
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of oil
• Olive oil, as needed

Cheese Filling ingredients:

• 1 package of halloumi or akkawi cheese or mozzarella (8 ounces)
• 1 package of shredded swiss or any cheese of your choice (8 ounces)
• a few tablespoons of minced herbs such as parsley (optional)
• a few tablespoons of nigella or sesame seeds

METHOD:

1. Place the yeast and sugar in a small bowl; stir and add 1/4 cup of warm water; place somewhere warm and let the yeast proof.
2. Combine the flours, powdered milk and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Add the proofed yeast mixture, the oil, egg, and the rest of the warm water and mix till the dough becomes compact and not too sticky. Roll the dough in oil, cover and place in a warm place for one hour or so till doubled in size.
3. To desalt the haloumi and akkawi cheese, soak in cool water; rinse after 15 minutes and repeat the process three or four times until the saltiness is gone; dry the cheeses and grate. Mix with the other cheese and the herbs and set aside.
4. Deflate the dough and shape into ropes; cut each rope into smallish egg-size balls and take each egg and flatten it to enclose one tablespoon of cheese mixture. Fold it well and set aside. Grease a 10 inch pan and place the cheese-filled balls side by side. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds and let the balls rest for 30 minutes.
5. Bake in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes until they are pale gold and baked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This version resembles the Moroccan baghreer, a crêpe made with semolina and yogurt and eaten with honey for breakfast; the pancakes are cooked on one side only and then stuffed; here, they can be simply baked a few minutes in the oven to melt the cheese (or a few seconds in the microwave), and doused with as much syrup as your heart desires. No frying involved; the ataîef are light and billowy and eating a few in one sitting does not feel like a major sin.

INGREDIENTS  (For the batter) Yield about 25 pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of fine semolina
• 1 tablespoon of powdered whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• Dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon of instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 Large egg
• 2 cups of warm water (add more water if the batter is too thick, it should be a bit on the loose side)

METHOD:

1. Place the yeast in a small bowl, add the sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water and stir; set aside and let it bubble up.
2. Place the flour, semolina, baking soda, salt and powdered milk in the bowl of a mixer. Combine well. Add the warm water and the egg (previously beaten lightly) and then the proofed yeast mixture. The mixture should be like a thin pancake in consistency;  if too thick, add a bit of warm water. Try to get the mixture as smooth as possible, if needed run it through a sieve to get it smoother.  Cover and let it rise for 3 hours.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet (if you have one, or a nonstick) until hot. Dap a paper napkin in oil and brush it on the surface of the skillet. Take a large serving spoon (volume:1/4 cup), fill it with batter and pour it gently on the skillet, letting a circle form. Cook on one side until the bubbles form and the surface is dull. If the pancake is cooked all around, except in the center, don’t worry, pull it out and the residual heat will cook the center in a few seconds. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
4. Fill with the cheese or walnuts and pinch firmly to seal. Cover with plastic wrap until serving time. When ready to serve, either heat in a 325Foven for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 20 seconds per pancake. Serve with the syrup on the side.

Recipe for the batter adapted from May Bsisu’s The Arab Table. (I added more water).

NOTE: A walnut filling would consist of walnut, chopped, with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of orange blossom water (or) rosewater. The nuts can be substituted with pistachios or pecans.

This is the quintessential Ramadan treat. According to Claudia Roden, it has remained unchanged since the days of the Caliph Mustakfi of Baghdad in the tenth century!

These pancakes are traditionally either stuffed with a sweet cheese, or walnuts or clotted cream.

These are stuffed with the ricotta cheese or areesheh that was made a couple of days ago. A store-bought ricotta is fine.

The batter is egg-free and only consists of flour, water and some yeast (and baking powder for extra leavening).

These pancakes are spongy and only fried on one side.

INGREDIENTS: Yield 8 to 12 pancakes

For the pancakes:

• 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup of warm water
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of dry instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

For the filling:

• 1 cup of ricotta cheese ( can use mozzarella, desalted as well or a combo of both)
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water

For the syrup:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water and (or) rose water

OIL for frying, about 3 cups

METHOD:

For the syrup:

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil and add the lemon juice; boil the syrup for 8 minutes or until it gets a bit syrupy (test it on the back of a spoon and see if running your finger will leave a mark). Add the flavorings and simmer a few seconds more then turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. This can be done several weeks ahead and the syrup kept in a jar tightly closed in the fridge.

For the cheese:

Combine the cheese with the sugar and flavoring and set aside till needed, covered.

For the pancakes:

1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl; place the yeast and 1/4 cup of warm water, plus the sugar, in a small ramequin and stir to mix; let the yeast bubble up. At this point,  add it to the flour mixture along with the rest of the warm water. Stir continuously to prevent lumps and then strain the batter through a sieve onto a bowl. Cover the bowl and let the batter rise  for about one hour or up to two hours; it should be bubbly.
2. When ready, stir the batter  to smooth it out (it will feel elastic). Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet and brush with a film of oil; when it is hot, drop 2 tablespoons of batter, tilting the pan a bit to obtain an even circle, about 4 inches in diameter or larger.
3. Let the pancake bake on one side; it will fill up with bubbles and the surface will go from shiny to dull. At this point, remove the pancake and immediately fill with one tablespoon of the cheese mixture (or less, depending on the size of your pancakes), pinching it shut. Set it aside and do the others.
4. Heat the oil till hot but not smoking; drop the pancakes in the oil and fry 30 seconds on each side till golden; remove, place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil and serve warm with syrup.

NOTE: The tricky part here is the thickness of these pancakes; they should be rather thick, but not so thick that they don’t cook enough and stay soggy in the middle. If that happens, add a bit more water to the batter and whisk to combine before frying the next one. I would start with a couple of tablespoons and gradually increase the water if that does not help.

Recipe for the batter was adapted from Nada Saleh Fragrance of the Earth

When making the farmer’s cheese of the previous post, a lot of whey is left; in order to make areesheh, a type of ricotta cheese, a quart of milk and some fresh lemon juice is added to the pot; the mixture is brought to a boil and, presto, curds appear; they are transferred to a glass bowl (over a colander lined with paper towels) and the cheese is ready.

I have made this cheese with a traditional Ramadan treat in mind: Atayef, a Lebanese-style pancake, which is filled with either cheese or walnuts or cream (ashta). More on these later…

Had the best areesheh in Tyre last summer, made  by some local folks, which I will track down next time I am in the neighborhood.

A simple and traditional way to enjoy areesheh, which is served at rural restaurants and cafés, is with a drizzle of local honey and some bread.

INGREDIENTS:

• Remaining whey from previous recipe
• 1 quart of whole milk
• 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• Optional: Salt or sugar or honey to serve

METHOD:

1. Add to the remaining whey the quart of milk and the fresh lemon juice; bring to a boil.
2. When the milk starts to curdle and develop big lumps of curds, remove them with a slotted spoon and drop into a sieve lined with paper towels over a glass bowl. Let the cheese drain for an hour or longer.
3. Serve as is or salt or sweeten with a bit of sugar or honey.

This is a good, plain, white cheese that can be easily made without any special equipment in one leisurely afternoon. It is close to the Mexican queso fresco. Its taste improves the day after, as it gets more compact. Eat it plain with some bread; or serve it  with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh herbs.

INGREDIENTS and supplies: The quantity will yield about 6 balls of cheese.

Recipe is adapted from Linda Dalal Sawaya’s Alice’s kitchen

• 1 Large gallon-size bowl
• 1 large colander or sieve
• 1 cheesecloth or cotton muslin and several small ones (8in squares approximately) to squeeze the cheese (about a dozen)
• 1 8-quart stainless steel or enamel-lined pot to cook the milk in
• 1 small ramequin to crush the rennet tablet in
• 1 Gallon of whole organic milk (if possible)
• 1 rennet tablet
• 1 Tablespoon of salt
• 2 Tablespoons of extra milk (for mixing with the rennet)
• 1 tray to place the formed cheese balls
• 1 glass bowl with a cover or plastic wrap to store the cheese

METHOD:

1. Let the milk sit at room temperature for at least one hour; (it needs to be at room temperature)
2. Crush the rennet tablet in small ramequin with 2 tablespoons of milk and set aside.
3. Heat the gallon of  milk till warm in the pot. Add the rennet dissolved in milk and stir with a large spoon or whisk. Remove the milk from heat, cover the pot and let the milk mixture stand for 2 hours undisturbed.
4. Heat the milk again until the mixture curdles; stir the mixture frequently and keep heating it until the whey appears (the clear liquid when the milk separates). At this point, you will pour the milk carefully into the colander that is draped with a cheesecloth. Keep the whey that collects underneath if you wish to make areesh, a ricotta-type cheese later on.
5. Scoop out a generous amount of curds (careful, it is HOT) and place on a smaller piece of cheesecloth; enclose the cheese curds and squeeze the ball to press out as much liquid as possible. Place the ball of cheese on a glass tray. Continue with the remaining curds until all have been formed into cheese balls.
6. Sprinkle salt on the cheese balls and let them sit at room temperature for one hour till cool; press them some more to squeeze even more water out and store them in the fridge in a glass bowl covered in plastic wrap or a cover. The cheese can be served right away, but it will taste better the next day.

NOTE: The cheese will keep for 7 days refrigerated.

You can use goat milk instead.