This month, we have chosen simple but hearty Egyptian fare that could be served as a lunch or easy dinner.

Semit
Sesame bread rings

Koshari
A rice, pasta and lentil dish, what I like to think of as Egyptian "chili"

Salada Baladi with Khalta li-l-salata
Green salad with homemade salad dressing

SEMIT

1 sachet active dry yeast

¾ cup warm water

½ cup milk, boiled and cooled to lukewarm

4 c. plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons oil

1 small egg, beaten

sesame seeds

water

1. Soak yeast in ¼ cup warm water and stir to dissolve.

2. Sift flour into a mixing bowl, remove about 1 cup flour and set aside.

3. Add remaining warm water and warm milk to yeast with salt and sugar and stir to dissolve sugar.

4. Pour liquid into center of flour and stir in a little of the flour to thicken liquid. Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until frothy.

5. Blend in remaining flour in bowl and beat until smooth, then beat by hand for 10 minutes or on electric mixer dough hook for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in oil, adding a little of the reserved flour. (Note: I beat the dough by hand-it wasn’t hard.)

6. Turn onto a foured board and knead in as much of the reserved flour as the dough will take. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and satiny. Shape into a ball.

7. Oil bowl lightly, add dough and turn it in bowl to oil top. Stretch plastic film over bowl and leave dough in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubles in bulk.

8. Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead a little, then break off pieces the size of a small egg.

9. Roll a piece of dough into a rope 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick and 20 cm (8 inches) long. Form into a ring, overlapping ends and pressing to seal.

10. Make about 5 rings, then glaze with beaten egg and dip tops in a dish of sesame seeds. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. (Semits will look like small bagels.)

11. Shape remainder of dough into rings, 5 at a time, finishing each lot with egg glaze and sesame seeds.

12. Cover finished semit with a cloth and leave in a draft-free place until doubled – about 30 minutes.

13. Place a baking dish of hot water on the bottom shelf of a hot oven. Bake semit on center shelf of oven for 15 minutes until semit sounds hollow when tapped. When cooked, brush semit while hot with water and leave on baking sheets to cool. This crisps the crust. If a softer crust is desired, omit this step.

Makes 16-18 Oven Temperature: 220 C (425 F)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Koshari (or Kushari) (serves 6)

Lentils are a staple food of the Middle East and Koshari is a popular way to serve them in Egypt. Koshari can be found in "fast food" type of places such as Abu Tariq’s in Cairo, sold from carts by street vendors or made in the home. As with most homestyle foods, there can be many variations of this dish.

1 cup brown lentils

1 cup rice

1 cup uncooked macaroni (orzo, small shells or elbow macaroni)

2 large onions, diced

2 tablespoons oil

2 cups tomato sauce

hot chili powder or sauce

salt

Cook the lentils in salted water until tender and strain. Cook the rice in salted water until tender and drain. Also cook the macaroni, rinse and strain.

Place lentils, rice and macaroni in a cooking pot. Fry onions in the oil until browned, then drain the onions on absorbent paper towel and strain the oil into the lentil mixture. Return to the cooking surface and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning.

Place mixture on each plate and top with tomato sauce, onions and sprinkle with hot chili powder or sauce if desired.

Variation: Omit macaroni and double the amount of rice.

Variation: Combine lentil mixture, sauce and onions in pot, heat and serve on plates.

Salada Baladi with Khalta Li-l-salata

Green salad with homemade salad dressing

Combine your favorite chopped salad vegetables in a large bowl. Serve with the following salad dressing.

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vinegar

salt and pepper

1-2 crushed garlic cloves

pinch of cumin

hot chili (powder or sauce)

Mix ingredients and serve over salad immediately before serving.

Reba’s Mango Milkshakes (serves 2)

2 fresh ripe mangoes, peeled and flesh cut off of pit

Vanilla ice cream

Milk

Combine mangos and ice cream in blender and frappe’. Add milk and mix to desired thickness.

Return to Recipes page