Month: April 2019

Posted on

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Healthy Greek Tzatziki sauce

This classic Tzatziki sauce is made of grated English cucumber, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, dill, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Tzatziki sauce can be served as a dip with a good pita bread, Falafel, Kibbeh,  chips and  goes very well with sandwiches, with salads (as a dressing), you name it. This flavorful sauce  takes no time to make it,  but it is very important to let chill so that the flavors will develop.

In a bowl, grate the English cucumber and season it with the ยฝ teaspoon salt. Let stand for about 15 minutes then strain it to get rid of its juice.  Press the cucumber with your hands to make sure that no juice is left. 

Dump the pressed cucumber in a bowl and add yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped dill and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix everything until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours (preferably overnight) to allow the flavors to develop.
Print

Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8
Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber
  • ยฝ tsp salt to use for the English cucumber
  • 1 ยฝ cups Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Juice of ยฝ lemon
  • 1 ยฝ tbsp finely chopped dill
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel off the English cucumber.
  2. In a bowl, grate the cucumber and season it with the ยฝ teaspoon salt. Let stand for about 15 minutes.
  3. Strain the grated cucumber to get rid of its juice.
  4. Press the cucumber with your hands to make sure that no juice is left.
  5. Dump the pressed cucumber in a bowl and add yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything until well combined.
  6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours (preferably overnight) to allow the flavors to develop.
  7. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Total time didn’t include the chilling time.

Posted on

Kibbeh โ€“ Middle Eastern Beef and Bulgur Croquettes

Kibbeh (Arabic ูƒุจุฉ ) is a Levantine dish made mostly of bulgur, ground meat, minced onions, mint and middle eastern spices. Kibbeh is also spelled kebbah, kubbah, kibe and has other spellings, depending on the region. Kibbeh is very fragrant and considered to be a national dish of many Middle Eastern countries. These stuffed balls (foot ball shaped) are usually served as a side dish or a meze. It can be served with a salad, Tzaziki sauce, Tahini dip and you name it.  Kibbeh can be shaped as balls or patties and can be fried or baked. You can find this dish in Brazil, Colombia and may be found somewhere else.

Put the washed bulgur (1/2 cup) in a bowl with ยฝ cup hot water. Let it soak the water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the minced onion and spices.
Add beef.
Get your hand in the bowl to mix everything well and work the kibbeh dough until it is smooth. You may need to add 1 tablespoon water or more if the dough is not homogeneous.
Cover the kibbeh dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Saute the onion and mint in olive oil for 2 minutes.
Add the ground beef and the rest of the filling ingredients. Cook the meat while stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Let cool.
Take out the kibbeh dough from the refrigerator and form balls. Make sure to dump your hands in a bowl of cold water during this process.
Take each ball in your hands and form kibbeh shells by making a hollow in the middle of each ball. Fill up the hollow with the meat filling or kibbeh stuffing (about 1 tbsp in each).
Pinch the top to seal the ball and form a foot ball shape with your hands. Cover the kibbeh formed and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before frying.
Deep fry the kibbeh in batches, in the hot oil until they are brown.
5 from 10 votes
Print

Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 12
Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

For the kibbeh dough

  • ยฝ cup fine bulgur
  • 1 cup ground beef
  • ยฝ medium onion, minced
  • ยฝ tsp cumin
  • ยผ tsp cinnamon
  • ยผ tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves (or less)
  • ยผ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ยฝ tsp paprika
  • ยฝ tsp pepper

For the meat filling

  • 1 cup ground beef
  • ยฝ medium onion, minced
  • ยฝ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ยผ tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves (or less)

For frying

  • Canola or vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. First of all, wash the bulgur with warm water.
  2. Put the washed bulgur in a bowl with ยฝ cup hot water. Let it soak the water for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Once the bulgur absorbed all the water, dump it in a large bowl and add the minced onion, the beef and the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Get your hand in the bowl to mix everything well and work the kibbeh dough until it is smooth. You may need to add 1 tablespoon water or more if the dough is not homogenous.
  5. Cover the kibbeh dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
  6. Prepare the kibbeh filling by putting oil in a large pan, over medium heat.
  7. Saute the onion for 2 minutes, then add the ground beef and the rest of the filling ingredients.
  8. Cook the meat while stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Let cool.
  9. Take out the kibbeh dough from the refrigerator and form balls. Make sure to dump your hands in a bowl of cold water during this process.
  10. Take each ball in your hands and form kibbeh shells by making a hollow in the middle of each ball. Always dump your hands in the bowl of cold water from time to time while forming the kibbeh.
  11. Fill up the hollow with the meat filling or kibbeh stuffing (about 1 tbsp in each).
  12. Pinch the top to seal the ball and form a foot ball shape with your hands.
  13. Place the kibbeh formed (foot ball shaped) in a large plate.
  14. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
  15. Pour the oil in a deep frying pan and heat over medium heat.
  16. Deep fry the kibbeh in batches, in the hot oil until they are brown.

  17. Drain the kibbeh on paper towel.

  18. Serve with a salad, Tzaziki sauce, Tahini dip and you name it.

Recipe Notes

You can add roasted pine nuts to the kibbeh filling if you like.

Translate ยป