Boulettes
Chop and mince 1 pound of round steak, 1 onion and 2 sprigs of parsley. Add 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, 2 tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Season highly with salt, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Mix with 1 egg and form into balls; roll in flour and fry in deep hot lard until brown. Serve hot with tomato-sauce.
Egyptian Cabbage
Parboil a cabbage in salted water; drain and stuff with chopped cooked mutton. Mix with chopped ham, 1 onion and 2 sprigs of parsley chopped fine. Add 1/2 cup of cooked rice, salt and pepper to taste. Place in a buttered baking-dish; sprinkle with bits of butter; add the juice of a lemon, and let bake in a moderate oven until done. Baste often with butter and serve hot.
Layered Chicken and Yogurt Casserole
3 Pounds roasting chicken
2 1/2 Quarts water
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
2 Inch cinnamon stick
1/4 Teaspoon cloves
1 Medium onion — coarsely chopped
2 Large Sprigs fresh thyme
2 Cups plain yogurt
1 Cup long-grain white rice
4 Cloves garlic — finely chopped
juice of one lemon 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
4 Cups toasted pita
3/4 Cup mixed flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint — finely
chopped 3 Tablespoons pine nuts — dry-roasted
2 Tablespoons unsalted pistachios — coarsely chopped
Wash the chicken. Pull off the skin and trim off excess fat.
Place the cold water and chicken in a large soup pot. Add the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, onion, and thyme and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 hour. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile place the yogurt in a sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth. Let drain over a bowl for 1 hour to thicken.
Remove the chicken from the broth with tongs, and place the chicken on a work surface. Let cool somewhat, then pull the chicken meat off the bones, shredding it into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Pour 4 1/2 cups of the broth into a container and place the broth in the refrigerator to cool (If you are in a rush, you can skip this step and use the broth without defatting it). Set aside the remainder of the broth in the refrigerator or freezer for another use. (The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point and the chicken, broth, and yogurt stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours). Skim the fat off the surface of the cooled broth.
Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear, then drain well. Place in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add 2 1/4 cups of the defatted broth. Bring to a vigorous boil, then cover, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meantime, combine the remainder of the defatted broth, the chopped garlic, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and simmer for 5 minutes. (If you have refrigerated the chicken pieces, place them in the broth to rewarm). You are now ready to assemble the fatteh.
Assemble the fatteh on a large shallow serving dish or platter. Leave 1 cup of the toasted pits in triangle-shaped pieces and break up the rest into bite-sized pieces. Spread the broken pieces over the bottom of the dish and lean the triangles up agains the sites, or if using a platter, place around the edge. Pour two thirds of the garlic broth over the crumpled bread. Spoon on the rices, spreading it evenly, then distribute the chicken pieces evenly over the rice Pour the remainder of the broth over the chicken.
Mix together the yogurt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread over the chicken. Scatter the chopped herbs over the yogurt, then sprinkle on the pine nuts and chopped pistachios. Alternatively, you can mix the chopped mint into the yogurt, leaving only the parsley and nuts as top dressing. Serve immediately.
Caviar Spread
You can serve this on crackers, cucumber rounds, or use as a dip with vegetables.
1 package cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. dill, minced
1 scallion, chopped (use the white and the green parts)
1 tbs. milk
Dash of salt
Dash pf pepper
3 ounce container of Salmon Roe
1. In a mixer blend the cream cheese until light and add the sour cream, milk lemon juice, and scallion, dill and salt and pepper.
2. Very gently fold in the Salmon Roe with a spoon.
3. Garnish with sprigs of dill.
Yield: 2 cups