Serves 6.
Note: Mint tea, served hot, is a traditional Middle Eastern drink. If you prefer iced tea, either prepare the mint tea in advance and refrigerate it, or serve the tea, cooled, over ice. In that case, use a little more green tea leaves in the preparation because the ice will dilute it.
• 6 1/2 c. almost boiling water
• 3 bags of green tea, or about 1 tablespoon green tea leaves
• 20 spearmint leaves
• 2 tsp. sugar
Directions
Bring the water almost to a boil (green tea leaves need water a little less hot than black tea leaves so the tea doesn’t become bitter). Pour a little of the boiling water into the teapot to warm it; then discard the water.
Add the tea and the rest of the hot water. Let steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mint and sugar. Serve immediately, or cool and serve cold.
Serves 6.
Note: In parts of the Middle East, where this is a traditional salad often served among the appetizer plates called “meze,” tabbouleh (tuh-BOO-luh) is scooped up into lettuce. The base of the salad is bulgur wheat and parsley. Bulgur is made of wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried and crushed; it has a chewy consistency. It can be found in the health-food section of supermarkets, in the aisles with rice and Middle Eastern foods, and in the bulk-food section. Sometimes it’s in a box that simply says tabbouleh salad.
• 1 c. bulgur wheat
• 2 c. water
• l c. olive oil
• l c. fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 1 bunch fresh parsley (either Italian flat-leaf or curly-leaf), chopped, or more
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 c.)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1 c.)
• 2 to 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 c.)
• Salt and pepper
• Lettuce leaves, if desired
Directions
Measure bulgur into a medium-size bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil; pour over bulgur, cover, and let sit for about 30 minutes, until bulgur has absorbed the water. Drain any excess.
Combine the olive oil and lemon juice, and toss with the bulgur.
Add the parsley, onion, cucumber and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving; it tastes best when it’s not too cold. Serve in a lettuce leaf, if desired.
Variation: Add 1/4 cup or more chopped mint to the salad.
Serves 6.
Note: Harissa (hah-REE-suh) is a North African spice mixture (this makes about 1 cup harissa to toss with the lamb). If you would like to serve more harissa on the side, for food safety make a new batch or set some aside). If you use wood skewers, soak them in advance for about 20 minutes.
All About Harissa
The cook controls the intensity of the heat in harissa, which will depend on which chile you use. If it’s dried ancho chiles(which are large and mild), you’ll have a milder flavor than if you use small dried red peppers, such as cayenne. (Often, the packaging indicates the level of heat for a particular chile. Chipotles, for example, are rated 5.5 on a 10-point scale; ancho chiles are at 3.5.)
You can find the chiles already ground in some supermarkets that carry a variety of Mexican chile seasonings. Or you can buy the dried peppers whole and grind them yourself. To grind whole dried chiles, first remove the stems and, if possible, scrape out the seeds if the peppers are hot (wear gloves to protect your hands from the oils). Process to a powder using a blender or food processor. A 1-ounce package of dried chiles makes more than enough ground chile for this recipe.
• 2 tbsp. chile powder, such as ancho or chipotle (see box)
• 3/4 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 garlic cloves)
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 c. extra•virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3 lb. boneless lamb shoulder or leg
• 1 red onion, cut in 1- to 1 1/2-in. chunks
• Vegetable oil
• 12 to 18 skewers
Directions
To make the harissa: Combine chile powder, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and cumin. Adjust seasonings as preferred. If desired, make additional harissa to serve on the side with the kebabs. (Don’t re-use the harissa that was mixed with the raw lamb because of food safety reasons.)
To make the lamb kebabs: Trim exterior fat from lamb and discard.
Cut lamb into 1- to 1 1/2 -inch cubes and toss them in harissa shortly before cooking.
Preheat the grill or the broiler. Oil grate or broiler pan for easier turning of the meat. Alternate meat and onion chunks on skewers, leaving a small space between pieces of meat. Cook over high heat until meat is at preferred doneness, turning once after about 5 minutes, and cooking an additional 2 or 3 minutes for medium rare. Serve kebabs atop a bed of rice.
Makes about 2 cups.
Note: Some variation of this cucumber yogurt dip (called RY-tah in India) is served all over the Middle East and along the Mediterranean to cool the palate when spicy foods are served. For smaller pieces of cucumber, grate it.
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 c. plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/2 small onion, diced (about 1/2 c.)
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
• Salt and white pepper
Directions
Pat the cucumber with paper towels to get it as dry as possible.
Dice to make about 1/2 cup.
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, onion and parsley; stir to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Marinate at least 1 hour in the refrigerator to blend flavors.
Serves 6.
Note: This is best served the day it is prepared, when the ice crystals are large and flaky. They look like tiny snowflakes. Meyer lemons are particularly good with this (but hurry as their season is almost over). If you let the granita freeze solid, you will lose the flaky texture — and end up with sorbet, which isn’t so bad, either.
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 3 c. juice (from 6 large lemons)
Directions
In a saucepan, boil the water, sugar and lemon zest together until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and mix in the lemon juice. Cool.
Pour into a shallow container, such as a 9- by 13-inch pan, and cover. Freeze until the edges are frozen, about 1 to 2 hours.
Remove the pan from the freezer and, using a fork, scrape the ice, moving from the edge to the center. Return to the freezer.
Repeat at least three times, every 30 minutes or so, until the mixture has become large ice flakes. Serve the same day as made.
