Thought for Food

Pita Bread
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence and JoAnn Cianciulli

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
31/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon olive oil

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, pre-heat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.

Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.

Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the centre. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.

Food Network: Pita Bread

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Middle Eastern, Beef

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Posted by Ian McKenzie at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

14 ounce can Brown lentils
1 cup Small macaroni noodles
1 cup Short grain rice
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 large Onions
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 cloves Garlic — finely chopped
1 cup Tomato puree

Wash rice well in sieve under running water and drain. Heat oil in pot and fry rice over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes for grains to separate.

Cook macaroni and heat the lentils. Toss together lightly with cooked rice.

Peel onions and cut in half lengthwise then slice thinly to give semi-circles. Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Serve over rice mixture.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At Reci-Please

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Middle Eastern

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This recipe is from Real Simple magazine, which frequently has excellent meal ideas and recipes. It is a delicious and easy: I served it with pita bread and a cucumber and tomato salad. Great for summer. The falafel reheated well in the microwave the next day.

Ingredients:
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. freshly chopped parsley
1.5 cups bread crumbs (I used seasoned)
2 eggs, whisked
1.5 cups plain yogurt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
In a food processor, process the chickpeas, lemon juice, and 1/4 water until almost smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add the shallot, cumin, red pepper flakes, 2 garlic cloves, half the salt, 2 Tbs. of parsley, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Mix well. Roll into 16 balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and flatten to form patties. Place remaining breadcrumbs in a dish. Dip the patties in the whisked eggs, then coat with breadcrumbs. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt and pepper with remaining garlic, salt, and parsley. Mix well, cover and set aside.

Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 8 of the falafel patties in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Add the remaining oil if necessary and cook remaining patties. Serve with yogurt dip. [TheRedKitchen]

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 2 Celery stalks, diced
• 1 19 ounce tin of Lentils
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cubed
• 2 medium Potatoes, cubed
• 1 28 ounce tin diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

1. Place large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and butter and heat until butter is melted.
2. Add chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the spices, stir well and continue to cook for another minute.
4. Add the ground beef and scramble fry until no longer pink.
5. Add the remaining ingredients along with enough cold water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
6. Serve with warm flatbread

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)