Qamar al deen (apricot leather) is a common ingredient found in most Middle Eastern kitchens. My mother-in-law’s Syrian kitchen is stocked with stack upon stack of it; her favorite way to use it is to make thick, smoothie-like drinks (especially during Ramadan), but she also loves eating it as is (like candy!) or making it into pudding....
Chicken with Cherry Sauce
The other day Mike came home with this: The day after, he came home to this: (Isn’t it amazing what flowers can do? ;) )...
Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Stew
Rich and flavorful Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Stew is a wonderfully delicious nourishing comfort food that’s perfect for warming up with on a cold evening. When I was thinking of making this dish it started out in my mind as Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Stew with Quince. Until Mike informed me that he doesn’t like quinces, with the too-similar resemblance in flavor and texture they bear to apples (yes, he doesn’t like apples either). So I improvised and added potato and carrot (both Mike-approved) instead. We both enjoyed the end result so it was worth the substitutions I made; Mike said it reminded him of a Kuwaiti dish he used to […]...
Golden Raisin Chermoula Chicken with Bulgur Pilaf
Chermoula is a marinade or sauce used in Moroccan and other North African cuisines; it is typically used on seafood, but also may be used to flavor chicken and other meats.* Chermoula usually contains garlic, oil, herbs (frequently cilantro), lemon (I’ve seen both pickled lemon and/or lemon juice used), and spices (such as cumin, paprika, and/or cayenne pepper). The bright, fresh flavors in chermoula add a vibrant, refreshing quality and punch of flavor to whatever dish it’s used in. I made a few changes to the traditional chermoula to really make this lovely condiment my own. I added golden raisins for a little sweetness and instead […]...
Turkish Cigarette Börek (Sigara Böreği) with Roasted Tomato Sauce
***There’s still time to enter my latest giveaway! For a chance to win a $65 CSN gift card, check out this post.*** Turkish Cigarette Böreks are a fast, delicious, and elegant-looking appetizer. They are cigarette-shaped phyllo pastries stuffed with cheese (usually feta) and herbs (such as dill and parsley); they can also contain veggies and/or meat. In this recipe, I lightened up the traditional version by baking the böreks instead of deep frying them. Also, because it’s what I had in my fridge, I used a mixture of spinach and garlic instead of parsley in the cheese stuffing and I thought they were fantastic. I […]...
Syrian Ice Cream (Éma’a)
At the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan comes a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr, which means “The Festival of Fast-Breaking”. People greet each other by saying Eid Mubarak (“Blessed Festival”), and during this time charity is given to needy families, gifts are given to children, and people get dressed up and visit family and friends. As you can imagine, food of every kind (but especially sweets) is abundant....
Shakriya (Arabic Meat in Yogurt Sauce)
I’m going to be honest right from the start. This soup really is an acquired taste. The first time I had it, not only did I think the very idea of it was strange (it’s basically yogurt soup), but I didn’t like how it tasted either (it was tangy!). I was able to spend quite a bit of time in the Middle East when my hubby and I first married…and the longer I stayed the more my tastes changed. It was right around the time I started enjoying slimy green soup that I also started to like Shakriya. Even though Mike and I no longer live […]...
Jew’s Mallow Soup (Molokhia)
If you’re not familiar with this dish, you might think that I went a little crazy. (Scroll down and take a look…you’re probably thinking, is that swamp water she’s cooking?) This green soup is a traditional Egyptian dish called Jew’s Mallow, Jute Mallow, or Nalta in English (it’s called Molokhia in Arabic). It’s said that the word Molokhia was derived from Molokia, which means “for royalty” and rightly so because it’s so delicious. The consistency of this soup is something that must be surmounted if you’re going to eat it, since Molokhia has a very mucous-like feel (similar to cooked okra). Although Molokhia is […]...
Arabic Stuffed Zucchini (Kousa Mahshi)
I learned to make this dish while visiting my mother-in-law in Syria. She is a truly amazing woman; she excels at whatever she puts her hands to, and of course she is a fantastic cook! Since I’m a beginner at speaking Arabic and she’s a beginner at speaking English, our time together in the kitchen involved a lot of pointing, gesturing, nodding, and excitement when the other person finally understood what was being communicated. But that just made it all the more memorable. In Syria, the zucchini is a lot smaller than the zucchini typically found here (a 6” zucchini there is pretty big!), so […]...
Moroccan Stew
This stew has a lot of flavors going on, with the sweet golden raisins and spicy-hot chilies, not to mention the spices and other savory flavors galore. I know it might sound weird to put raisins in a stew, but for me they really make the dish! Moroccan Stew (Yield: 6-8 servings) ½ lb beef, cubed 1 TB olive oil 2 medium-large onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 small chilies, minced (optional) 1 tsp coriander 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp curry ¼ tsp black pepper 2 bouillon cubes 1 bay leaf 5 c water 1 […]...
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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 