Shish Barak
Recipe by John Bek @ heneedsfood.com
This recipe does not use Sami’s Kitchen products but is a beautiful Middle Eastern dish worth sharing…
Makes about 34 dumplings and serves 4-6
Ingredients – General:
250 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
60 g clarified butter, melted
40 g clarified butter, extra, for serving
2 cloves garlic, finely grated, for serving
1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
Ingredients – Filling:
20 g clarified butter, to brush
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
250 g lamb mince
1 tsp ground allspice (pimento)
Ingredients – Yoghurt sauce:
3 cups natural yoghurt
2 tsp cornflour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Method:
1- For the dough, place flour and 1 tsp salt into a mixing bowl and add ¾ cup water a little at a time, combining until the mixture forms a dough. Cover with plastic and allow to sit for ½ hour.
2- For the filling, melt the clarified butter in a frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat until soft. Add the pine nuts and allow them to brown, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to high and add the mince and allspice, stirring until the mince browns. Season to taste and allow to cool.
3- Preheat oven 190°C and lightly grease a baking tray.
4- Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 4 mm and cut into 6 cm rounds using a drinking glass or cutter. Place a teaspoon of the meat mixture into the centre of each round, fold the round in half to form a crescent, pressing the edges together to seal. Wrap the crescent around one finger to form a hat (tortellini) shape and press the ends together.
5- Arrange on the baking tray, brush lightly with clarified butter and bake for 10-15 minutes.
6- Place the yoghurt in a large saucepan. Combine the cornflour with 1½ cups water and stir until smooth, then add it to the yoghurt with the egg white and 2 tsp salt. Cook the yoghurt mixture over medium heat until it thickens, stirring constantly.
7- Add the dumplings to the yoghurt, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil the sauce.
8- Prior to serving, melt the 40 g clarified butter in a small pan and fry the grated garlic gently. Add the chopped mint and remove from the heat.
9- To serve, arrange the dumplngs on individual plates and drizzle over the yoghurt sauce. Pour the butter over the dumplings and serve with cooked rice.
Featured Retailer: CookandKitchen
This month, we chat with James Wright, CEO & Founder of one of Australia’s latest online foodie havens, cookandkitchen… Check below for a very generous special offer exclusively for Sami’s Kitchen friends. Thanks James!
How long have you been in business?
We launched cookandkitchen in April 2011, having started the development project back in October 2010 and raising some investment capital.
How did the business come about?
By a frustrated foodie for frustrated foodies.
I started writing my blog eatwright.net in 2008 after my life coach recommended that I needed to find an outlet for my passion for food. I was sick of not being able to tell anyone about what I was up to with food at home and friends didn’t really seem that interested. It became a collection of ramblings and reviews about food and what I was creating and eating.
One morning I woke up to an e-mail from a lady in Spain who had just recreated my Fish Pie recipe and I realised I was onto something. I locked myself in a hotel room about 18 months later and didn’t come out until I had written a business plan to transform the way foodies connect.
What do you look for in a supplier?
Do they align with our core values; delicious, creative and pure.
What attracted you to the Sami’s Kitchen range?
The story, it’s all about the story. Hearing about how the brand was born out of a mother’s wish to have her family enjoy traditional cuisine is inspirational.
What is the best part of your job?
When I see a member of the community post something on facebook or share a story on the cookandkitchen blog I know we are delivering on our promise and that’s what this whole social commerce project is all about. It’s wonderful to have a kitchen full of samples to play with and work with such a fantastic supplier community committed to delivering a quality product.
What is your favourite dish?
Impossible to say really! Osso Bucco for something really comforting. Recently I have been cooking up a lot of fresh pasta. My signature dish is a flourless prune and chocolate tart. I love snacking on falafel of course!
Why do you believe a good palate is a blessing and a curse?
I’ve put 8kg on since we started this business. We’ll have to have a diet themed month sooner or later.
Offer:
Receive 15% discount off any order of $50 or more this month by using Coupon Code “SAMIS15“.
Shop at cookandkitchen now and order your favourite Sami’s Kitchen product along with other delicious food treasures for 15% less (excluding delivery).
Fatteh with Hummus “crumbled”
Featured Recipe by Norma Dakhoul
This recipe is a popular breakfast dish all over the Levant and dates back as far as the time of The Crusaders. There are many versions with some containing meat, chicken & eggplants. The base is always the same: a layer of toasted (or fried) Lebanese bread, crumbled, preferred filling, drowned with a garlicky yoghurt layer and drizzled with browned buttered pine nuts.
I prefer to have this on a hot summer night as it is light & refreshing. It can be served individually or in a large platter for everyone to share, Mezza style.
Ingredients
1 cup dried chick peas, soaked overnight
500g Greek or European style yoghurt
¼ cup pine nuts
2 tbs unsalted butter (I love Lurpak)
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp salt
Toasted Lebanese bread, crumbled into chip size pieces
Method
Step 1: Soak chick peas in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups of cold water, stand overnight.
Step 2: Drain chick peas, rinse & place in a large saucepan with 6 cups of water. Bring to the boil (watch it here as a lot of scum forms and this will overflow) turn down heat, skim off any scum, cover and simmer gently for approximately 25-30 minutes until firm but cooked. Strain chick peas reserving some of the liquid & add ½ tsp of salt, mix & cool.
Step 3: Toast the bread either in the oven or the grill until golden, cool & crumble. Alternatively, you can brush a layer of bread with olive oil and toast in the oven until golden, crumble. Can also be fried, break into pieces and fry quickly in 1” of oil, drain. This is yummy but not for the health conscious!
Step 4: In a glass bowl, add mashed garlic & ½ tsp of salt to the yoghurt and mix well.
Step: Do this just before serving. In a frypan, toast the pine nuts until they just change colour, add the butter and cook until the butter is browned and fragrant.
To assemble: In a flat plate, spread a layer of bread, another layer of chick peas, then the yoghurt and lastly, drizzle the warm buttered pine nuts on top.
As we say in Arabic, Sahtan – “enjoy in good health”.
This quantity is enough to share amongst 4 people, as an entree.
How long have you been a chef?
Well actually I’m a “home cook” with a passion for Middle Eastern food. Norma’s Lebanese Foods was born to share and educate foodies through regular classes and food tours.
How did you get into it?
Born into a Lebanese family, growing up in Lebanon and helping in the kitchen is akin to an inheritance and a course that cannot be escaped! From my early years in a tiny Lebanese village, I was exposed to food in its’ raw stage and learnt to appreciate it. It wasn’t until about 18 years when I inherited a collection of Women’s Weekly cookbooks that my curiosity for cooking was ignited. I am in my element when I cook whether it’s for my family or educating and teaching foodies about Lebanese food.
Outside of Middle Eastern cuisine, what do you like to cook?
In contrast to Middle Eastern food, I love the richness of Italian and French food. I also love Thai food and the powerful flavours in Indian food but I especially admire and respect the skills of a Japanese chef. And there are still so many cuisines I want to discover and learn about.
What is the best part of your job?
It’s simple, sharing my love and passion for Lebanese food with new people.
What is your favourite dish?
From which cuisine! It’s wonderful to have the knowledge and ability to cook beautiful dishes from different cuisines but it’s simple food prepared with love that appeals the most to me. I would never say no to fresh warm Lebanese bread and olives.
More information on Norma
About Lebanese Food
Food is life in a Lebanese household and sharing it is one of the greatest joys. There are a variety of dishes on the table, starting with small portions known as mezza that is mainly dips and salads.
Lebanese food is one of the freshest and most delicious cuisine you will ever taste. Lamb is the meat of choice and appears in many dishes including kafta in which minced lamb is rolled into sausage shapes and cooked on the barbecue or in the oven.
Lebanese sweets just as divine, there are many variations of filo pastry combined with nuts and syrup; there are creamy sweets filled with a clotted cream called ashta plus melting shortbread sometimes filled with a date paste or nuts and much more.
Samis Kitchen August News
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It’s always interesting writing this newsletter every month… After going through emails from the last few weeks as a memory jogger of what we’ve been up to, we also get to review our progress over the month – and it’s been a great one! In fact, we’ve had so much going on that we’ve added a new Featured Chef section to our newsletter this month, with a very interesting interview with our favourite Kiwi chef, Luca Villari. BIG NEWS: The big news is that we will be featuring in Feast, the new foodie magazine from SBS, with monthly exposure from the first issue publishing this month. Keep an eye out for it and let us know what you think. We’re also very excited to have had the Zaatar recipe shown below selected for the upcoming OzHarvest No-Waste Cook Book. It’s great to be spreading the word about Sami’s Kitchen while also contributing to a great cause. Speaking of spreading the word, Barefoot Basics interviewed one of the family members behind Sami’s Kitchen recently. We’ve posted a link to the interview on our Facebook page for you to find it easily. Finally, we are so proud to have been involved in a very special event that took place last week in Sydney. Hope for Orphans Japan is a beautiful project designed to raise funds and awareness for a group of 57 children, orphaned by the recent Tsunami in Japan. The goal was to raise $30,000 to support the Ichi no Seki Fuji no Sono orphanage in the most isolated northern Iwate region, and through the support of our celebrity ambassadors, sponsors and the organising committee, we have so far raised nearly $80,000, which means we will now be able to support 3 orphanages instead of just one. This is an ongoing project to make a long-term impact and empower these children, so if you’d like to get involved in any way or to simply donate, please contact us through the Hope for Orphans Japan website. Sami & Sonia FEATURED RETAILER:
This month, we chat with Clio Pahahatzis from Blackwattle Deli, which is the food haven based at the Sydney Fish Markets… Thanks Clio! How long have you been in business? Too long and yet not long enough. Perhaps a little dualistic but it certainly feels this way. We have been in business for over 22 years now I believe. How did the business come about? The slow natural progression of blood sweat and tears from another migrant story. “We came here with a shoe and three Drachmas” Michael and Helen Pahahatzis (our parents) first began retailing in food many years ago out in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Then one day our father, (he’s the one with the crazy ideas) came home and informed our mother that he got himself a space down at this new place at the Sydney Fish Market. Sure it did not go down well at the time (I believe dinner was not served that evening) but we are still here over two decades later. We are fortunate enough that our parents were keen to keep going, changing, adapting and evolving. Very, very cool. What do you look for in a supplier? I look for a good relationship, not based on sales but trust and communication. I look for good core base values, people who believe in what they do and have a purpose in doing so. I don’t like people who are doing it just for business or money or gain, or to finally afford a yacht one day. If there is heart and passion, I am hooked and will work with them. There must be truthfulness and personality. So many “ho-hum” companies out there peddling their goods, that when an exceptional one comes our way, bringing more than just another bloody bottle of olive oil (or another spice mix) I am more likely to listen. When there is some soul and story behind it, I am far more likely to believe in it. It also helps when you can be in touch with a producer direct (regardless of whether or not they use a distributor) I don’t like chain commands and over systemised companies. There needs to be an ebb and flow in life that takes into account human interaction, flaws and idiosyncrasies. If they are good looking and smell good this also works in their favour. What attracted you to the Sami’s Kitchen range? There was this lovely fella called Hayssam who came in one day all dolled up in his suit and tie. At first we were slightly perplexed as to the formal attire, but his smile was enough for us to take out some time of our day and sit down with him. He told us this little story about his mum and dad all the way over in NZ and his little dream to give them something to retire on as well as excite the foodie in him. A dashing smile here, a bad joke there, and we were hooked. Oh and the spice mixes smelt amazing and the product is sensational. Why do you believe a good palate is a blessing and a curse? Yes… Especially when you don’t have like minded friends or family. It’s the same when you discover anything that is better than standard in all things in life. Whether it be music, clothing etc etc. It allows you to open up your senses, explore more, eat more and feel more. It also makes it hard for you to settle for the substandard. It is also hard to go back and buy into the badly produced and mass manufactured because you know what it does to your body, to the producers (ie farmers) and it’s basically nothing more than a money spinner for people who could not care less. Yes I like to get up on my high horse when it comes to Britney and Kraft. What is the best part of your job? We get to try, explore eat discuss and get excited about food. We also get to listen to great music, dance, sing and occasionally laugh at each other. I would slowly wither away and die in any office environment. What is your favourite dish? Although I am not of British background, there is something about a baked dinner that just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside. Heaps of potatoes and pumpkin with huge servings of chicken or lamb. The stuff dreams are made out of as far as I am concerned. The oven is such a wonderful way to cook, eat nutritionally and still tastes just amazing. Bless the first person who threw some fire into a hole one day and worked it all out. Christie Connolly, our gorgeous food blogger friend from Fig and Cherry Christie’s father is of Lebanese origin, and is very fond of Lebanese cuisine and many Lebanese dishes anchor strong childhood memories… “In my family, food is love. My dear late Tatah (grandmother, in Arabic) was a champion cook and all-round eating ambassador. As soon as you entered her house she would usher you directly to the table to eat. Then, while you sat eating, she would not-so-subtly pace around the table heaping additional food onto plates so that after an hour-long meal your plate was still full! There was none of that Oliver-like ‘may I have some more please?’ in that house. Zaatar is a pungent mix of dried thyme (zaatar in Arabic!), sesame seeds, sumac, coriander, cumin and salt. In Lebanon, families make their own special house blend, so it can vary from village to village. One of my favourite childhood memories is mixing up this concoction and delivering it to my Dad at the breakfast table. Accompanying it was a bowl of labne (yoghurt cheese drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt), a block of cheese (either haloumi, sheep’s milk fetta or shankleesh), fat black olives and a loaf of warm Lebanese flat bread. We would sit together and rip off rough pieces of warm bread, swish it around in the herb mix and eat. Some pieces would get filled with a small piece of cheese before being rolled up and dipped in the Zaatar. This ritual was repeated over and over. It was, and still is, my Dad’s favourite breakfast. Zaatar is not just for breakfast, though. It also makes a fabulous pizza topping. Or in this case, a moreish filling for puff pastry.” Zaatar Batons with Labne dipping sauce 3 sheets puff pastry For the dip 6 tablespoons labne 1. If you are using frozen puff pastry then let it defrost at room temperature for about an hour. 2. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F. Put the zaatar and olive oil into a bowl and whisk to create a loose paste (see picture above for reference). Set aside. 3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first sheet of puff pastry as thinly as you can into a rectangle shape. Spoon a third of the paste in blobs all over the pastry then use the back of the spoon to spread it out evenly. 4. Using your fingers, roll the pastry up like a carpet, from the short end. If the baton seems too fat then roll and rub with the palms of your hands until it thins out. Then cut in half and place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick paper. Repeat with the other two sheets of puff pastry. 5. Brush each of the batons with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes until puffed and golden. 6. Place the labne, tahini, garlic, olive oil and salt in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Serve with the zaatar batons. FEATURED CHEF: Luca Villari Luca is a fantastic chef, a regular food writer for Taste magazine, and currently features regularly on the Good Morning show on TV1. How long have you been a chef?
I’ve been a chef for 17 years, but was always around a kitchen even from a young age, my parents owned a little Italian restaurant in Takapuna, Auckland. How did you get into it? I got into cooking watching my parents in their restaurant, my Dad was the pizza maker and mum was the chef, that’s when I became interested in food and decided to follow in their footsteps. What sort of cuisine has influenced your cooking? The cuisine that has influenced me the most is Italian of course, but I am trained in different cuisines also. I love food from different cultures, you never stop learning as a chef, and when you think you know it all, you learn a different type of cuisine. What do you like about the Sami’s Kitchen range? I like experimenting with the Sami’s kitchen range, coming up with new ideas. I’ve tried so many similar products on the market and I find Sami’s Kitchen spice blends to have more flavour. Open a packet and smell the aromatics. My favourite is the Zaatar blend, I can taste the thyme, coriander, sesame, cumin and sumac, very well balanced spice blend, great with seafood. What is the best part of your job? Best part of my job is seeing a smile and an empty plate after I’ve cooked someone a meal. And teaching and educating people about food. What is your favourite dish? I don’t have one particular dish, but any dish that someone has gone out of their way to cook for me I cherish as no one likes to cook for a chef. |
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Makes 12
Health Tip:
Recipe by Luca Villari
Ingredients
6 Tbsp virgin oil plus extra for garnish
1 small red onion peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 small leek cut in half washed and diced
2 cloves garlic sliced
150 gm pearl barley,soaked in warm water for 20 minutes then drained
150gm puy lentils soaked in water for 15 minutes then drained
800ml veg stock
2 large tomatoes,cut into quarters peeled then diced
1 Tbsp chopped coriander
300gm good quality hard haloumi cut into 5mm slices
3 Tbsp Sami’s Kitchen Zaatar spice blend
zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
Method
Heat 3 Tbsp virgin oil in a pot, toss in the onion carrot and leek, cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, then barley. Add stock and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes
Add the lentils and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Take off the heat and fold in zest and coriander, season to taste and set aside. Reheat when needed.
Place cut haloumi on a plate. Sprinkle with the zaatar evenly on both sides, drizzle with half the remaining olive oil. Scatter the parsley evenly on the haloumi on both sides.
Preheat a non stick fry pan till hot add a drizzle of oil seal the haloumi for 15-20 seconds on each side or till nicely browned. Place warmed ragout on plate, arrange 2-3 slices of haloumi on ragout, drizzle with remaining oil and serve.
Zaatar Facts
Zaatar is a mix of thyme, roasted sesame seeds, sumac and salt. Mix zaatar with a little olive oil and serve as a dip or spread on flat bread.
Some varieties may add savoury, cumin, coriander or fennel seed. One distinctively Palestinian variation of zaatar includes caraway seeds, while a Lebanese variety sometimes contains sumac berries, and has a distinct dark red color. Like baharat (a typically Egyptian spice mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice or rosebuds) and other spice mixtures popular in the Arab world, zaatar is high in anti-oxidants.
Zaatar, both the herb and the condiment, is popular in Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Zaatar can be used as a seasoning for meats and vegetables or be sprinkled onto a plate of hummus. It is also eaten with labneh (yogurt drained to make a tangy, creamy cheese), and bread and olive oil for breakfast, most commonly in Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as other places in the Arab world. The Lebanese speciality shanklish, dry-cured balls of labneh, can be rolled in zaatar to form its outer coating.
Fresh zaatar, the herb itself, rather than the condiment, is also used in a number of dishes. Borek is a common bread pastry that can be stuffed with various ingredients, including zaatar. A salad made of fresh zaatar leaves is also popular throughout the Levant. The recipe is a simple one consisting of fresh thyme, finely chopped onions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
A traditional beverage in Oman consists of zaatar steeped in boiling water to make an herbal tea.
How long have you been in business?
Too long and yet not long enough. Perhaps a little dualistic but it certainly feels this way. We have been in business for over 22 years now I believe.
How did the business come about?
The slow natural progression of blood sweat and tears from another migrant story.
“We came here with a shoe and three Drachmas”
Michael and Helen Pahahatzis (our parents) first began retailing in food many years ago out in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Then one day our father, (he’s the one with the crazy ideas) came home and informed our mother that he got himself a space down at this new place at the Sydney Fish Market. Sure it did not go down well at the time (I believe dinner was not served that evening) but we are still here over two decades later.
We are fortunate enough that our parents were keen to keep going, changing, adapting and evolving. Very, very cool.
What do you look for in a supplier?
I look for a good relationship, not based on sales but trust and communication. I look for good core base values, people who believe in what they do and have a purpose in doing so. I don’t like people who are doing it just for business or money or gain, or to finally afford a yacht one day. If there is heart and passion, I am hooked and will work with them.
There must be truthfulness and personality. So many “ho-hum” companies out there peddling their goods, that when an exceptional one comes our way, bringing more than just another bloody bottle of olive oil (or another spice mix) I am more likely to listen. When there is some soul and story behind it, I am far more likely to believe in it. It also helps when you can be in touch with a producer direct (regardless of whether or not they use a distributor) I don’t like chain commands and over systemised companies. There needs to be an ebb and flow in life that takes into account human interaction, flaws and idiosyncrasies.
If they are good looking and smell good this also works in their favour.
What attracted you to the Sami’s Kitchen range?
There was this lovely fella called Hayssam who came in one day all dolled up in his suit and tie. At first we were slightly perplexed as to the formal attire, but his smile was enough for us to take out some time of our day and sit down with him. He told us this little story about his mum and dad all the way over in NZ and his little dream to give them something to retire on as well as excite the foodie in him. A dashing smile here, a bad joke there, and we were hooked. Oh and the spice mixes smelt amazing and the product is sensational.
Why do you believe a good palate is a blessing and a curse?
Yes… Especially when you don’t have like minded friends or family.
It’s the same when you discover anything that is better than standard in all things in life. Whether it be music, clothing etc etc.
It allows you to open up your senses, explore more, eat more and feel more. It also makes it hard for you to settle for the substandard. It is also hard to go back and buy into the badly produced and mass manufactured because you know what it does to your body, to the producers (ie farmers) and it’s basically nothing more than a money spinner for people who could not care less.
Yes I like to get up on my high horse when it comes to Britney and Kraft.
What is the best part of your job?
We get to try, explore eat discuss and get excited about food.
We also get to listen to great music, dance, sing and occasionally laugh at each other. I would slowly wither away and die in any office environment.
What is your favourite dish?
Although I am not of British background, there is something about a baked dinner that just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside. Heaps of potatoes and pumpkin with huge servings of chicken or lamb. The stuff dreams are made out of as far as I am concerned.
The oven is such a wonderful way to cook, eat nutritionally and still tastes just amazing. Bless the first person who threw some fire into a hole one day and worked it all out.
Featured Chef: Luci Villari
Luca is a fantastic chef, a regular food writer for Taste magazine, and currently features regularly on the Good Morning show on TV1
How long have you been a chef?
I’ve been a chef for 17 years, but was always around a kitchen even from a young age, my parents owned a little Italian restaurant in Takapuna, Auckland.
How did you get into it?
I got into cooking watching my parents in their restaurant, my Dad was the pizza maker and mum was the chef, that’s when I became interested in food and decided to follow in their footsteps.
What sort of cuisine has influenced your cooking?
The cuisine that has influenced me the most is Italian of course, but I am trained in different cuisines also. I love food from different cultures, you never stop learning as a chef, and when you think you know it all, you learn a different type of cuisine.
What do you like about the Sami’s Kitchen range?
I like experimenting with the Sami’s kitchen range, coming up with new ideas. I’ve tried so many similar products on the market and I find Sami’s Kitchen spice blends to have more flavour. Open a packet and smell the aromatics. My favourite is the Zaatar blend, I can taste the thyme, coriander, sesame, cumin and sumac, very well balanced spice blend, great with seafood.
What is the best part of your job?
Best part of my job is seeing a smile and an empty plate after I’ve cooked someone a meal. And teaching and educating people about food.
What is your favourite dish?
I don’t have one particular dish, but any dish that someone has gone out of their way to cook for me I cherish as no one likes to cook for a chef.
