Kuwait

I first heard about Kuwait when I was a wee lad during the first war with Iraq after Saddam's invasion and annexation of the country.  George H.W. Bush was president, I was learning my shapes and colors, and I vaguely remember seeing Desert Storm trading cards on sale at some point.  It was a strange time for me.  That was the first war I got the chance to watch on T.V.

That war (much like the current one) was primarily fought over oil.  Kuwait has a lot of it, their economy is based on it, and the whole world wants it.  This has been the case since oil was discovered there in the 1930's.  But if you look at the food of Kuwait, you can see that it's history has certainly not always been about oil.  Long before oil was discovered, Kuwait served as an important port of trade located along the Indian ocean.  The most important commodities of this trade were spices.  And the food is absolutely filled with strong flavors and scents from these spices.  

Kuwaiti food is a great mix of Persian, Indian, and Arabic influences.  I imagine Kuwait City constantly smells like pepper, rosewater, and hookah.  My apartment smelled like this meal for about a week.  It was great!

Stuffed Dates

There's a beautiful simplicity to this method of preparing dates.  A lot of people in my life apparently hate eating dates, but when served these stuffed ones they happily consume them.  I generally just buy a tub of dates and eat them plain over the course of two weeks.  Amy seems disgusted by this, but I'm glad to see she'll eat these.

1 lb large pitted dates.

1/2 lb blanched almonds

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 tbsp rosewater

1. In a food processor combine the almonds, sugar, rosewater, and just enough water to make a thick and smooth paste.

2. Cut a slit into each date to expose the cavity where the pit once resided.  Fill this cavity with the almond paste.

3. Serve slightly chilled.

Fattoush

Pitas are great, but they go stale really fast.  But stale pitas can taste great, too.  With some random vegetables and a sauce they can become this salad.  We actually didn't have pita on hand, but that's ok because any good quality stale bread works great as well.  We used some day old white rye from our local Ukrainian bakery.  Just make sure to pour on a lot of dressing because the stale bread soaks it up quite efficiently.

For the salad

4 large romaine leaves chopped

3 stale toasted pitas cut into bite sized pieces

4 roma tomatoes chopped

1 red bell pepper sedded and thinly sliced

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1 cucumber peeled and chopped

1 bunch of parsley finely chopped

1/4 cup mint chopped

1 cup crumbled feta

For the dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp ground pepper

2 cloves garlic chopped

Salt to taste

1. First combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk them together.

2. Toast the bread in the oven for ten minutes at 400 degrees or until slightly browned.  Set aside to cool

3. Prep and chop all the ingredients for the salad and combine them in a large bowl.

4. When ready to serve pour on the dressing and taste for seasoning.

Chicken Machboos (Chicken and Rice)

Every country has some version of chicken and rice.  In Kuwait it happens to be considered the national dish.  This dish has a lot in common with the pilau and biryani dishes of Persia and India with it's use of large amounts of spices and chilis.  The yogurt sauce helps cool down any overly spicy bites of the dish.

1 chicken cut into serving portions

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups basmati rice

1 large red onion minced

2 whole green chiles

1 garlic clove minced

1 large tomato roughly chopped

1 large pinch of saffron soaked in a tbsp of water

2 tbsp rosewater

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp lime juice

4 cups stock

Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Grind the spices (except the saffron) and rub them into the chicken.  Set the chicken aside to marinate in the fridge at least two hours.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven and brown the chicken in two batches over medium heat for about five minutes per side.  Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. In the same pot saute the onion, garlic, and tomato for five minutes.  Add the rice and saute another minute stirring frequently for one minute.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.

4. Cut the heat, add the lime, saffron, rosewater and reserved chicken to the pot.  Cover the pot and place it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the top and continue cooking another 15 minutes until the chicken is browned and the rice is fully cooked.  You may have to add a bit more water if the rice is too dry.  When everything is cooked serve with the yogurt sauce.

Chickpea and Eggplant Stew

It may be time consuming to make, but very little effort is involved with this dish.  Chop some vegetables, combine everything, and wait 3 hours while it bakes.  It was so easy I nearly forgot I made it and pulled it out of the oven just before serving.  For many guests this was their favorite part of the meal.

2 cloves garlic minced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion minced

1.5 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight

2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped

1 eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 tsp cayenne

3 cups water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 325 f.  Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy three quart pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes.

2. Now add the eggplant and brown the pieces on all side for about 8 minutes.

3. Add everything else but the parsley and bring to a boil.

4. Cut the heat and put the pan into the oven and cook for 2.5-3 hours or until the chickpeas are tender.  If you only have canned chickpeas throw them in for the last half hour.

5. Taste for salt, garnish with parsley, and serve.

In Conclusion

This was our first feast in the new apartment (sorry for the delay).  Judging by the photos of this post we have some work to do with the light in the dining room.  All the pictures look like bad food shots of the 60's.  It may finally be time to break down and buy a real camera.  But what a joy it was to actually have a meal in our home on a huge dining room table!  It was a great feeling to be able to sit down with all the food and people at the same table.  As usual we made way too much food and nobody left with an empty belly. Cuba is next! 

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

At first glance, St. Vincent and the Grenadines sounds like it would be an obscure reggae group from the mid seventies.  Instead, it is yet another Caribbean island nation with a wonderfully turbulent history that is the byproduct of the waves of colonization that swept the region during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Originally peopled by native Caribs, the island became a refuge for runaway slaves during the 17th and early 18th centuries until it was brought under French control and later ceded to the British.  The island did not declare independence from Britain until 1979; though it still retains commonwealth status.

The food is quite similar to many other Caribbean islands involving a mix of African, British, Indian, and native cuisines.  You might think all of these islands would start getting a bit redundant to us, but the wealth of Caribbean recipes out there seems pretty endless.  This meal was a bit smaller than our others, mainly because we needed a break after the giant food orgy that was our Malta dinner (see previous post).  

Black Eyed Pea and Mustard Green Salad

While most of what we consider to be beans are indigenous crops of the Americas, the black eyed pea is an old world legume native to West Africa.  The great thing about old world legumes is they cook so much faster than their American counterparts.  We were in a bit of a hurry to get this dish out so we used the pressure cooker and were pleased to find the peas came out nice and tender without any broken skin.   The resulting dish is a classic blend of West African and Caribbean flavors, and was a big hit at the dinner.

1 lb black eyed peas soaked overnight

2 cups sautéed corn kernels (frozen is fine) 

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1 lb mustard greens blanched and choppped

2 red peppers seeded and chopped

1 large red onion cut in half and finely sliced

1 bunch cilantro chopped

1 serrano chili minced

1.5 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste.

1. Combine the soaked beans with a pot of water and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes or until they are just tender.  Or skip the soaking altogether and pressure cook them for 30 minutes with three times their dry volume in water.

2. Run the beans under cold water in a colander until they are cool to the touch.   Set the beans aside in a sink to drain for five minutes.

3. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and and gently toss together.  Salt the salad and serve chilled or at room temp.

Stuffed Cucumbers

This makes a great picnic dish.  It takes minimal prep, few ingredients, and tastes great at room temperature or chilled.  

4 medium cucumbers peeled.

1 cup cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped red onion

1/2 serrano minced (optional for those who like heat)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup minced cilantro

1 cup grated parmesan

1. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and, using a spoon, scrape out the middle section of seeds and pulp.  You should end up with eight canoe shaped objects.

2. Now mash together the remaining ingredients for the filling, which is everything but the parmesan and cilantro.

3. Spoon ample amounts of the filling into each of the cucumber halves, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

4. Cut the chilled pieces into serving portions and garnish with parmesan and cilantro.

Chicken and Porter Stew With Dumplings

Anyone familiar with Southern U.S. cooking knows about chicken and dumplings.  This is a nice variation on the same concept.  The porter gravy most likely comes from British influence, but the spicing is similar to most Caribbean sauces and shouldn't taste too strange to anybody who loves the standard southern version.  

For the Stew

2 lbs thigh or breast meat (boned) cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

5 tbsp canola oil

12 oz bottle of porter or other dark beer

1 cup chicken broth

1 red onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1.5 cups chopped red bell pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup chopped parsley

For the Dough

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter softened
3/4 cup milk

1. First mix all the dry ingredients for the dough.  Then mix in the butter gently with a wooden spoon.  Gradually add the milk until the dough forms a firm paste.  Set the dough aside in the fridge and begin to make the stew..
2.  Cover the chicken pieces in flour and salt.  Heat the oil in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the coated chicken pieces and cook them for five minutes or until all sides are crisp and browned.  Remove the chicken and set aside on paper towels.
3. Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic.  Cook for five minutes or until softened.
4. Add the tomato paste, thyme, pepper, cayenne, and beer.  Raise to a boil.  Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile raise a pot of water to a boil and drop tablespoon sized portions of the reserved dough into the water and boil for two minutes or until they float at the top.
6. Raise the heat on the chicken until the sauce becomes a thick gravy.  Cut the heat and salt it to taste.  Serve the chicken and sauce over prepared dumplings and garnish with chopped parlsey.

Doughboy Failure

We tried to make a sweet pastry dessert called doughboy.  Aside from being made out of dough, I'm not sure why it is named that.  We only found one recipe and despite several attempts at varying the ratios, nothing seemed to make it work.  It kept turning into a large overly dense monster that tasted like a bad cookie.  Here's a picture of Amy looking sad about our failure.  To accentuate her sadness she chose to wear a wet towel on her head.  We were so disappointed in our failure that we could not to include a recipe.  Sorry but we were out of ideas on how to save this one.  We hope you liked the dinner portion of the meal. 

  

Conclusion

Despite the doughboy failure, I still have to say the meal was a reasonable success.  True it was much more casual than some of our giant feasts, but I think we deserved a casual cheap dinner.  I was excited to again cook food that I'm mostly familiar with.  It made the prep work a great deal less stressful and the meal that much smoother. This was the last meal in our former apartment, from now on all meals will be photographed with a large dining room table in a proper dining room.

Malta

For anybody who doesn't know, Malta is an island nation of the Mediterranean located between Sicily and North Africa.  Historically speaking, this location has made Malta an island of strategic importance throughout history.  And like most islands of strategic importance, a lot of people have fought over it.  In the past several thousand years Malta has been claimed by just about every Mediterranean power including the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, French, and lastly the British.  It wasn't until 1964 that Malta became independent of the British Empire.  But enough about the history!  Like most contested island nations, Malta's food is a great mix of cooking styles that contains elements of all the cultures it has hosted throughout the years.  


We did not pull Malta from our pig.  Instead my good friend Paul and his lovely girlfriend Kristen were in town from D.C.  Kristen happens to be the only person I know with a bunch of Maltese people in her family tree.  She also happens to be quite proud of this fact.  So naturally we had to cook a large Maltese feast in honor of her visit to Chicago.  While I knew absolutely nothing about Maltese food or culture going into this meal, I was lucky to have a lot of help from Kristen with menu planning and recipes that had been handed down through the generations of her family.  The result of all these efforts was our most attended meal.  But more on that after the recipes.

Pastizzi Stuffed With Cheese and Greens


These stuffed pastries were a big hit at the dinner and are truly delicious.  And I think it's safe to say I will never make them again, at least not from scratch.  The process of making pastizzi dough is one of the more labor intensive activities I've performed in my kitchen, and I'm too lazy to clean up that much shortening ever again.  We were fortunate enough to have the Mizzi family recipe as a guide to help us through this strange process.  We also managed to find a visual aid of somebody's youtube clip of their family's old Maltese grandmother making this stuff on a dining room table. The looks of joy on everyone's faces made these little pockets of fat worth all the effort. 

Dough

5 cups flour

2 cups iced cold water

salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tub of crisco (Personally, I'm more of a lard man.)

Filling

3 lbs. ricotta cheese

1 lb mustard greens blanched, drained, and chopped
2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

grated cheese to taste (I use approx. 3/4 cup)  **Use whatever cheese you prefer~I use romano cheese

1. Mix together the dough ingredients either by hand or by mixer fitted with dough hook for about 15 minutes or until the dough forms a smooth ball..

2. Cut dough into thirds and pull/stretch/roll out as thin as possible.  Lay on a table and continue pulling until paper thin.  Spread Crisco all over dough.  Be very liberal with the Crisco. Start rolling from one end.  Pulling and stretching the entire time.   When that piece is done, (it should look like a long, layered sausage), pull the next piece, repeat the process, pulling thin and crisco.  Before you start rolling, lay the rolled piece on one end, and roll onto it.  Continue again with the third piece.  When the dough has been rolled, it should be one, thick, layered piece.  Place in fridge overnight to sit.

3. Next day, let sit on counter to get to room temperature.  When filling is ready, start cutting very small slices and stretch out in the palm of your hand.  Fold around filling, and place on cookie sheet to flash freeze.  When ready to bake.  No need to thaw, just place on a baking pan  with sides.  Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Kapunata

It was an extremely hot day when we prepped this meal.  So it was great to take a break from the kitchen after beating piles of dough into submission and stand next to a grill on full blast.  Despite the heat of the grill, the final product is a cool and refreshing salad that goes perfectly with a hot day (which I assume they have many of in Malta.)

3 medium size zucchini cut into thirds lengthwise

1 lb carrots peeled 

3 red peppers cut in half and seeded

2 red onions peeled and cut in half

3 roma tomatoes left whole

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 tsp cayenne or to taste

2 tbsp capers

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup raisins

1/2 lb feta

1 tsp sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 lemon juice

Salt to taste

1. Grill the zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, and tomatoes until they are soft and nicely browned on the outsides.  Set them aside to cool.

2. When the vegetables are cool chop the zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes into bite sized pieces.  Cut the onions and peppers into thin strips.

3. In a very large bowl combine the vegetables with the remaining ingredients and serve garnished with extra cilantro and feta.

Pasta Salad

Ok, we were cheating a bit here.  We've made plenty of pasta salads in our day, and this isn't all that different from the standard concoction.  But we were feeding an absurd amount of people and needed something else cheap to fill people up that required minimal effort...which I'm pretty sure is how pasta salad came about in the first place.  Also we have it on good authority that this stuff  gets eaten in Malta.

1 lb dried farfalle pasta cooked in salted water

2 grilled red peppers

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup vinegar

2 tbsp capers

1/2 cup sliced olives

1 bunch of parsley

1 tsp ground pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl, mix well, and serve!

Mashed Fava Salad

Funny thing about fava beans is everybody thinks you're serving them fancy food when you feed them favas.  While it is true that fresh favas are kinda pricey and can be super tedious to prepare, dried skinned favas are quite cheap and readily available at most Mexican grocery stores.  Also, they go quite nicely with the classic Mediterranean dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. 

1 lb dried skinned fava beans soaked overnight

1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped mint

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 tsp hot paprika or cayenne 

Salt to taste

1.  Drain the favas and then cook them in a large saucepan with enough water to cover them over medium heat for 45 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain the cooked favas and run them under cold water in the sink until they are cool enough to handle.

3. In a large bowl combine the favas with the garlic, pepper, oil, lemon juice, and parsley and mash them with a potato masher (I used a wine bottle.)  At this time salt it to your taste.

4. Garnish the dish with extra olive oil, mint, and paprika.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Octopus Stew

Buying a whole octopus is not something I often do, although now I wonder why I don't make it more of a routine.  You might think that being a Chicago resident impairs my ability to buy a decent octopus.  Fortunately, we have a wholesale seafood market located in the west loop about two miles from my home.  Here, I experienced the joy of digging through piles of octopus to find just the right one.  When selecting an octopus make sure there's enough of it to feed your guests and also make sure it doesn't smell like it's rotting.  And be prepared to either serve it 24 hours or immediately store it in the freezer.  I'm sure the Maltese have a much easier time finding decent octopus, and if you live near a seafood market it's definitely worth considering as a good crowd food.

5lb whole octopus cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 lb peas

2 carrots finely chopped

2 large red onions finely chopped

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

5 tomatoes coarsely chopped

2 potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

1 bottle of red wine

2 tbsp capers

1/2 cup chopped olives

3 tbsp flour mixed with an equal amount of water

Salt and pepper taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

1. Simmer the cut pieces of octopus in a large sauce pan for 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until the pieces are tender.

2. In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, and carrots.  Cook these over medium low for 5-8 minutes or until they are tender.

3. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, octopus, and thyme to the pot and stir together for another two minutes.

4. Pour on the bottle of wine and raise to a simmer.  Cook covered for 45 minutes.

5. Add the capers, olives, peas, and flour paste to the pot, stir well, and cook on high heat for ten minutes or until the stew has thickened.  Garnish the pot with parsley and serve.

Baked Pasta

I went to a lot of weddings last year.  A good number of these weddings were in Northwest Indiana (The Region).  At each of these weddings I was served some sort of a rendition of this dish.  At first I was surprised when Kristen sent me her family recipe, but I probably shouldn't have been.  Baked pastas dishes are delicious and popular all around the Mediterranean.  It should come as no surprise to anybody that they remain popular with the descendants of immigrants in the Midwest.  And they go great with weddings because they make great crowd food.  We ended up tripling this recipe and made way too much.  Kristen's brother Mike left with a giant sack of leftovers and a big smile on his face.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed in a couple tablespoons of olive
oil.
1 16 oz can of tomato paste
2 lbs mostacciolli noodles, boiled
6 lg. eggs, lightly beaten together
2.5 cups grated Romano cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb fresh mozzarella cut into 1 cm thick slices.

1. Add the meat to the sauteed garlic/olive oil mixture and brown it over
medium heat. Drain the fat. Add the tomato paste, plus one can of water.
Salt and pepper to taste and stir and simmer for 30 minutes or so.
2. Mix cooked noodles with the sauce, add the beaten eggs and stir the whole
mess up.
3. Stir the cheese (saving some for the top) into the mixture. Dump into
greased baking pan and sprinkle with more grated cheese and
maybe a little more salt and pepper.  Top with mozzarella.
4. Bake for one hour at 400 degrees until the top is nicely browned and crispy.

Conclusion

Many pots, pans, bowls, plates etc. later, we discovered that we had 27 people in attendance at this meal.  For space concerns, the meal was relocated to my former apartment (now Carl's), which seemed proper in many ways because Paul also used to reside there.  Cooking for 27 involved a lot of logistical challenges in terms of portioning recipes and ensuring enough seats were available.  I'm proud to say with a lot of help we pulled it off and more than enough food was present to gluttonously feed everyone in attendance.  The intense heat and lack of A/C forced the meal to the back patio where we set up three folding tables in a row, giving the meal a truly feast like setting.  While I have no desire to cook for such a large crowd again for a good while, I really enjoyed myself and feel a great sense of accomplishment when looking at all these photos.

Now I should apologize for the extreme delay this post has had.  We moved a block away about a month ago and were too lazy to write the post as we were packing and moving shipments of things between apartments.  Unfortunately, once we moved into our place a month long struggle to get AT&T to connect our internet ensued.  I'm pretty sure I logged 8 hours on the phone trying to schedule and reschedule a service rep to come over.  Anyways, we finally have internet again and sincerely apologize for the wait.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines is next!