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| Image by Chris Mejorada for ITP Publishing |
I love fattes and all types of Syrian tabakh, but I
don't actually cook it as often as I would like to for two main reasons. It such comfort food, almost too much comfort food for me, and makes me feel like being at home with the family and then taking a nap right away! That's not ideal when I
have to run around town. The other reason is that although it tastes absolutely delicious,
it misses my Mami's touch which makes me miss her
tremendously!
But for BBC Good Food ME's Mother's Day issue, I created a menu,
which reminded me of the best mother in the world – mine J And
this Fatteh was one of the dishes I made. I can't wait to see her tonight as I'm
off to Beirut again. So I will leave you with this delicacy for lunch.. Sahteen
:)
Serves 4 - 6
Prep & Cook Time: ~ 45 minutes
· 4 medium
sized eggplants, cut into large pieces
· 6 cups
low fat yoghurt
· 4 medium
loafs Arabic flat bread
· 800g
lean minced beef
· 1 garlic
clove, using garlic press
· 2
onions, finely chopped
· 1/3 cup
toasted pine nuts
· 1/3 cup
freshly chopped parsley
· 1 tbsp
tomato paste
· 2 cups
beef or chicken stock
· 1 tbsp
tahina (sesame paste)
· 2 bay
leaves
· 1 tsp
sugar
· salt and
pepper to taste
1. In a bowl, whisk the
yoghurt with a little water, sesame paste, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
2. Cut the Arabic bread into
squares, and either sauté them in a pan with a little oil, or toast them in the
oven and set aside.
3. Heat a little sunflower oil
in pan and cook the eggplants until they are almost ready, for about 10 - 15
minutes. Add the tomato paste, some hot water, sugar, seasoning and cook for a
few more minutes until they are done.
4. In another pan, heat some
olive oil, sauté the onions until translucent, add the garlic and cook a few
more minutes before adding the minced meat, half the parsley and bay leaves.
Cook for about 8 – 10 minutes, until the meat is done, then add the hot stock
and simmer on low heat for just a few minutes.
5. Now assemble the dish by
starting with half the toasted bread, layer the meat on top, then add the
eggplants, followed by the yoghurt and finish by adding the remaining bread and
parsley (and some eggplants to decorate if you wish). Enjoy!
As featured in BBC Good Food ME March 2012
This recipe takes more time than my usual dishes, so you can keep it for a w-e when you have a few hours to spare :) I just came back from Damascus, where I visited my granny Megdo.. This post is for her..
Megdo is famous in Damascus for being an incredible cook.. And believe me that when you're renowned for being an amazing cook in Syria, it really means something! I remember that she always looked so classy in the kitchen, wearing the most elegant outfits, high heels and making everything look so simple while chopping, stirring and cooking.. Today my mother and aunt are great cooks due to Megdo, and I hope I have a little something of her’s too.. This is Megdo’s Yalanji recipe (stuffed vegetables), a classic Syrian dish..
Serves about 4 persons
- 4 medium green peppers
- 8 small eggplants
- 2 thinly diced onions
- 2 thinly chopped tomatoes
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup of rinsed Egyptian (short grain) rice
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup debs reman (pomegranate molasses)
- juice of one lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- bottled water
- ¼ cup sunflower oil and some to cook
- salt & pepper to taste
In a large pot that fits all ingredients heat some sunflower oil and cook the onions, then add garlic, tomato, parsley, mint, salt & pepper to taste.. Add the rice & molasses and cook for a few minutes then transfer to a bowl and cool the mixture down.. Add the olive oil, knead everything with your hands and set aside..
Cut the heads of the peppers & eggplants and remove the insides.. Be careful not to pierce the skin.. Now gently stuff the veggies with the filling and place in the pot.. Use a chunk of the filling to seal the stuffed eggplants.. Fill with water (covering veggies x2 as they will absorb a lot), add the sunflower oil & lemon juice, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.. Rest a plate on top of the veggies as a lid, and place something heavy to keep everything in place, then gently cook until veggies are soft (about 2 hours), adding more water if necessary.. Once they are ready, let it cool for an hour then gently remove the peppers & eggplants, and serve warm or cold.. Sahten! Megdo’s famous Yalanji..
