Middle Eastern

Classic Hummus

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:57:39 +0000

It’s easy to make hummus at home with just a few pantry items. Serve drizzled with your best-quality extra-virgin olive oil and chopped parsley. Mop it up with warm whole-wheat pita bread or cut-up vegetables.

Bulgur & Lentils

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:55:47 +0000

Bulgur & Lentils

Caramelized onions add deep flavor to this fast take on the Middle Eastern dish Mjadra, a simple vegetarian recipe featuring bulgur and lentils. Serve with a salad of chopped parsley, tomato and cucumber tossed with a lemon vinaigrette.

Eggplant Bulgur Pilaf

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:06:36 +0000

Eggplant Bulgur Pilaf

One of the most important dishes at a Turkish table, this simple pilaf recipe features a combination of eggplant and bulgur. It is often an accompaniment to meat or chicken.

Turkish Lamb & Eggplant Kebabs

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:52:35 +0000

Turkish Lamb & Eggplant Kebabs

Here we combine baharat, a traditional Arabic spice blend, with olive oil, lemon, garlic and tomato paste to make it into a savory rub to flavor lamb-and-vegetable kebabs.

Lamb & Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:43:27 +0000

Lamb & Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

These traditional Lebanese lamb-and-rice stuffed grape leaves are fragrant with mint, marjoram, cinnamon, cumin and allspice. Serve with lemon wedges and plain yogurt for dipping.

Chickpea & Bulgur Stuffed Grape Leaves

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:42:19 +0000

Chickpea & Bulgur Stuffed Grape Leaves

Think hummus meets tabbouleh in these vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, bursting with chickpeas, parsley and bulgur tied together with a lemony, garlicky sauce. The grape leaves will seem soft when just finished cooking, but will firm up as they cool. We prefer these at room temperature or cold—perfect for bringing to work for lunch.

Chickpea Burgers

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:29:02 +0000

Chickpea Burgers

These chickpea burgers are similar to falafel, but with the added whole-grain goodness of brown rice and wheat germ. Serving them on pita breads with thick slices of tomato and a dab of plain yogurt continues the Middle Eastern theme, but if you want to take it even further, drizzle with a little sauce made with minced garlic and tahini thinned with water and lemon juice.

Orange-Tomato Couscous with Chicken

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:10:52 +0000

Orange-Tomato Couscous with Chicken

This cinnamon- and cumin-spiked couscous with chicken takes its inspiration from Morocco. It’s made mostly with pantry staples—all you have to pick up is some chicken thighs, a bunch of cilantro and an orange. The orange slices become tender after cooking—you can eat them skin and all. For a variation, substitute diced, boneless leg of lamb for the chicken. Serve with steamed green beans or a spinach salad.

Lemon & Oregano Lamb Chops

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:35:06 +0000

Lemon & Oregano Lamb Chops

Juicy lamb chops take a trip to the Middle East with a quick herb-and-lemon rub and a tangy cucumber-tahini sauce. Serve with couscous or rice pilaf and a green salad.

Preserved Lemons

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:51:17 +0000

Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are essentially briny, tart lemon pickles. They add their own special sunshine to many slow-cooked Mediterranean and Middle Eastern stews, but they can also be used to add punch up your favorite recipes.

Pickled Turnips

Nifer — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:00:33 +0000

Pickled Turnips

Pickled turnips are a popular Middle Eastern mezes. Adding a beet slice to each jar turns the turnips pink; you can omit this step if you like.

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables for Two

Paula Joslin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:08:45 +0000

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables for Two

Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying summer meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Paula Joslin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:21:51 +0000

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Turkish Chickpea & Lamb Soup

Penelope Wall-Web Producer/Writer — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:37:02 +0000

Turkish Chickpea & Lamb Soup

This recipe was inspired by a hearty lamb and chickpea soup from Turkey. Finishing it with a dollop of pistachio-mint pesto adds another layer of flavor.

Festive Olives

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:58:08 +0000

Festive Olives

Chilies, cranberries, kumquats and fresh mint add festive color and flavor to your favorite black and green olives.