BELHANA WESHEFA

Arabic expression for Bon Appetite. The literal meaning though is “eat in happiness and health”. So I am going to expose you all to a few of things we have tried.

Baba Ghanoug

½ kg of round eggplant
½ C of Tahina paste
½ spoon of crushed garlic. (The more the better they never say what size spoon)
1 medium onion
1 spoon parsley chopped
½ spoon salt (according to taste)
½ spoon pepper (according to taste)
½ spoon cumin (according to taste)
2 spoons lemon juice or vinegar
2 spoons of olive oil or corn oil

Grill the eggplant and onions in the oven
Peel eggplant and cut onion in to small pieces
Mix eggplant and onion in mixer until smooth
Add Tahina paste and mix well
Add salt, pepper, lemon or vinegar
Serve in a deep dish and decorate with olive oil and chopped parsley

This is a cold dish. It tastes remarkably different than what you get in the stores in the Hummus section. They sell it in restaurants separately so you do not get pita bread or anything else with it. Speaking of pita bread it is fabulous here. Never dry and served fresh out of the ovens in restaurants. The stores have them too and you can buy a package of 3 or 6. You see Egyptian people carrying oven racks of bread on their shoulders walking down the street. No we have not tried it off the street, being a little cautious of that.

Pickled everything. Egyptian’s are big on the pickled thing here probably for preservation of the food.

Pickled Cucumber (Mike’s Favorite pickled dish)

1 kg cucumber
¼ C vinegar
3 C of water
5 cloves of garlic
2 ½ T salt
½ bunch of celery

Cut cucumber into 4 quarters, not splitting them to the end
Put water, vinegar, salt, sliced garlic, a celery into a pot
Heat the mixture, do not boil
Pour the mixture over the cucumbers, do not cover
Let cool before placing in jars then the refrigerator
After 2 days drain the juice and use.
Keep refrigerated

Falafel or Tameeya (Highly recommend)

2 C of broad beans
1 medium onion
1 bunch leeks
½ bunch dill
½ bunch mint
½ bunch coriander
6 cloves garlic
1-2 T sesame seeds (optional)
1/3 C water
1 egg
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ t cumin

Soak beans overnight
Chop all vegetables and add to the beans
Grind in a meat grinder
Add water and seasonings mix well
Put paste in the refrigerator for ½ hour
Add baking soda and egg
Shape into patties
Roll in sesame seeds
Deep fry in oil
Serve warm

Serve with Tabouli, Hummus, and Pita bread