Tag: Palestinian

Maqloubeh, the Palestinian spilled rice – Italian Cuisine

In Palestinian homes, rice with chicken and vegetables is often prepared, which has a peculiarity: that of being overturned shortly before its consumption

To eat the maqloubeh no special occasions are needed. In Palestine, in fact, it is one of the most popular specialties in homes, especially on feast days, Fridays, also because everyone likes it, it varies according to the seasons and is so easy to prepare that it is known to be the ideal dish for who does not want to cook. If it were not for a fundamental step: the final one which is also at the origin of the name.

What is the maqloubeh

Maqloubeh in Arabic means overturned, upside down, overturned. This is, in fact, the main feature of this dish: the fact that, a few moments before being eaten, it is turned upside down on a large plate and then brought to the table. They are always moments of suspense, crucial moments in which the diners give an ovation, since it is not at all easy to turn the pot in that world. Indeed, it often happens that the rice falls apart. But no problem, it will be good all the same, since in addition to the shape there is great substance: the maqloubeh, in fact, is always prepared with excellent basic ingredients, usually taken fresh at the nearest market, which vary according to the season. Basically it is rice with chicken (or even red meat), spices and seasonal vegetables, so in the summer it is made more with aubergines and tomatoes, while in the winter with cauliflowers. It can also be done with fish, more on the sea, towards Gaza, or with chickpeas, especially in the Nablus area. But like all home-made dishes, there are countless different versions. We have chosen to rely on Fidaa Abuhamdiya who, among other things, has created with a friend a Facebook page, Maqluba, entirely dedicated to a sort of ironic competition on who best spills the maqloubeh without leaving a trace inside the pot.

Fidaa Abuhamdiya and "Pop Palestine Cuisine"

There is perhaps no better person than Fidaa, a native of Hebron, to talk about maqloubeh, as she is a deep lover and connoisseur of traditional Palestinian cuisine. But it is not just passion: Fidaa, in fact, has studied both nutrition and catering for a long time; then he attended various cooking classes at the Notre Dame in Jerusalem and even participated in the television program Chef Palestine. She later moved to Italy to deepen her other great passion: Italian cuisine. She worked in the starred restaurant Le Calandre and graduated in Science and Culture of Gastronomy and Catering at the University of Padua with a thesis on Palestinian cuisine. But that's not all: he also holds a master's in community nutrition and food education and today works as a blogger and chef for local and international projects. In this intense journey full of life he met many people, including another traveler passionate about Palestinian history and culture, Silvia Chiarantini, and photographer Alessandra Cinquemani. The result was a wonderful, highly engaging book: Pop Palestine Cuisine, a real journey into Palestinian popular cuisine, from Hebron to Ramallah, up to Jericho, Nablus and Jenin. To remind us that in Palestine there is a life beyond war, beyond military occupation, checkpoints. And also a cuisine that is not from the field, but is at home.

The recipe for maqloubeh

We offer you the original recipe with chicken, in its summer version with aubergines and tomatoes. But, as anticipated, it can also be prepared with other types of meat or with chickpeas; so what is not escaped is the final moment of the "overturn"!

Ingredients for 6 people

500 g of rice, 6 chicken pieces, 2 large aubergines (or 1 cauliflower if winter), 3 tomatoes, 1 head of garlic, 2 bay leaves, cardamom to taste, turmeric to taste, nutmeg to taste, black pepper to taste, to taste extra virgin olive oil, seed oil to taste, sea salt, white yogurt, whole or sliced toasted almonds.

Method

1. Rinse the rice in cold water, soak it for about an hour, then rinse it.

2. Cut the aubergines into slices, arrange them on a baking tray, sprinkle them with salt, and let them drain. After an hour they are ready to be fried, so fill a large pan with seed oil or light olive oil and fry the aubergines.

3. Arrange the chicken in a pan with the olive oil and spices, and bake at 200 ° for about an hour. Alternatively, you can also cook it in a pot with water, onion, bay leaf and spices for about 40 minutes with the lid on over low heat.

4. After the cooking time, remove the remaining broth from the pot and place it in a separate saucepan, along with a little water, as you will have to use it later for the final cooking.

5. Arrange the chicken pieces in a saucepan, add the aubergines and tomatoes to cover the base of the pan well (they will then be on top of the rice once the dish is turned upside down). Then add the rice, well rinsed and strained.

6. Add the hot broth, the sauce from the cooking of the chicken and the hot water with turmeric and black pepper to cover the entire contents of the pan (be careful not to add too much, as long as the liquid reaches the limit of the rice).

7. Cook over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. For good cooking, it is important that the lid fits snugly against the pan. This dish must cook completely indoors and over very low heat for about 20 minutes, then lift the lid to check that the water has dried and that the rice is cooked. If not, keep the pot on the stove for a few more minutes.

8. When the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and, always with the lid on, let the contents rest for about 10 minutes.

9. We have thus arrived at the moment of overthrow. Place a tray or a very large serving dish on the edge of the pot and turn it over, overturning quickly and deftly. Tap the top and sides with a wooden ladle so that the rice comes off well, then lift the pot and your maqloubeh is ready.

10. Before presenting the dish to your guests, you can decorate as you like with chopped parsley, pine nuts or almonds, whole or sliced, browned first in a pan. Finally, serve with plain yogurt, crunchy pickles and Arab salad.

And while you prepare this dish, listen to some songs by Kadim Al Sahir, ambassador of Arabic song in the world, so you will feel a little like being in that wonderful land that is Palestine.

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The recipe for mansaf, the most Palestinian dish there is – Italian Cuisine

Mansaf is the national dish of Palestine, the one that never fails on all special occasions. Try to prepare it yourself following our recipe

There are some dishes that are found in both Palestine and Israel, since for two years these two cultures have actually found themselves "coexisting" in the same state. In fact, Falafel and hummus are present everywhere, as well as shakshuka (eggs and tomatoes) or fatayers, the classic street food bundles stuffed with meat or spinach.
But the mansaf is not. Because mansaf is the only, if not one of the very few dishes, which does not respect the dictates of kosher nutrition, that is, that followed by observant Jews. This is why it has become the Palestinian national dish, which never fails on all special occasions. "In Palestine there is no marriage without this dish, but also in Jordan and Syria!".

Because mansaf is not kosher

The kosker (or kosher) precepts, meaning "suitable", are based on the Torah, the highest reference of the Jewish religion. Among these the best known is perhaps what prohibits the consumption of meat and dairy products in the same meal; before moving from one to the other, in fact, you have to wait at least for the time of digestion. But meat and dairy products don't even have to be cooked or processed together; for this reason it is necessary to have different pots and plates for the two foods, also because utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food cannot be used. Other rules concern the absolute ban on eating birds of prey, rabbits, pigs, horses, camels, as well as reptiles and insects, while chicken, turkey and duck are allowed. Meat and fish, on the other hand, can be eaten together, but only by rinsing your mouth between them; in addition, only fish that have both fins and scales are allowed, so seafood, caviar, monkfish, crabs, cuttlefish, eels, lobsters are prohibited. And then the moment of the is fundamental slaughter, which must be done by an expert and qualified rabbi who checks the general health and makes the blood drain well, absolutely prohibited. For all these reasons, kosher labeling is given only after various checks and must then be clearly visible on the products, which, moreover, are also purchased and consumed by non-observant Jews, as they are considered safer. So, in the case of mansaf, this prohibition is even more evident, as it involves the use of two ingredients such as lamb, or kid's meat, and sheep's or goat's cheese, kashk, and therefore of two animals who are also related. "In kosher culture it is even more serious to wet the son's meat with the milk of his mother," explains Ibrahim Nimerawi.

When eating mansaf

The mansaf is the national dish of important occasions, such as weddings and Eid, which is celebrated twice. There is Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan and then, two months and ten days later, Eid al-Adha, the feast of the Sacrifice, which this year will be from 30 July to 3 August. The latter is celebrated to remember a passage present both in the Koran and in the Bible, in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a test of faith towards him. But Abraham is blocked by the angel and accepts only that of a ram as a sacrifice. Thus, during this festival, an animal is sacrificed, usually just a ram, to remember the substitute sacrifice that Abraham made as a sign of obedience. In fact, Eid al-Adha is the feast of faith and submission to God par excellence, but also and above all of renunciation, so much so that much of the meat is then given to the most needy of the community. For all these reasons, Palestinians are more related to mansaf than any other dish.

The original recipe of the mansaf

This mansaf recipe has been adapted on the basis of two sources: the first is the book Zaitoun (which in Arabic means olive) of Yasmine Khan; the second is the phone call with Ibrahim Nimerawi, born in Hebron, Palestine, who now lives in Australia, but remains very attached to his original culture. Given the lockdown due to Covid-19, we have not been able to meet in person in Italy, where he often visits his daughter Armani. So, he explained all the steps of this dish on the phone and a few days later I tried to make it at home: it turned out to be very simple, but above all delicious! According to him, the version with meat is better kid and goat cheese, while in the book we find the one with lamb and sheep, so feel free to choose according to your tastes. Either way, Ibrahim continues, it is very important that there are bones: «The more bones there are the better. The ingredients are all fairly easy to find, except one: the kashk, a cheese with sheep's milk (or goat's) which is obtained by processing butter or yogurt. Kashk can appear as a thick, whitish liquid with a consistency similar to whey, or as a dried product that must be softened before being used with a flavor similar to sour cream. We have used a semi-seasoned Apulian goat cheese that we have recommended in our trusted dairy, but alternatively you can proceed with the use of sour cream. Finally, to be sure that the mansaf is doing well, it is recommended to taste this dish with each step.

The mansaf recipe

Ingredients for 4 people

1 lamb shoulder with bone cut into 8 pieces and without fat
300 g white basmati rice
200 g kashk
200 g Greek yogurt
40 g pine nuts
30 g salted butter
1 beaten egg (only the yolk)
4 crushed cloves of garlic
4 teaspoons of cumin
4 teaspoons of coriander seeds
2 teaspoons of ground turmeric
2 teaspoons of ground allspice
4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
cardamom to taste
salt to taste
to taste ground black pepper
saffron to taste
to taste sugar
extra virgin olive oil to taste
parsley to taste
qb then
star anise to taste
1 Arabic taboon bread or 2 pitta bread in 2 cm pieces
400 g chickpeas (as desired)

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the meat well washed because it is essential that it is well cleaned, then seal the pot until it is dark on all sides (do not overcrowd the pot, you may have to do it several times). Add garlic, spices, salt, pepper and fry slowly for a few minutes before pouring enough hot water to cover the meat. Continue to cook without a lid for 5 minutes, removing the foam from the surface with a spoon. Lower the heat, cover and cook for about an hour and a quarter, until the meat is tender. After 1 hour, rinse the rice in cold water until it is transparent, then soak it in a large bowl for 15 minutes.
When the lamb is cooked, mix the kashk, yogurt and egg with a whisk with half a cup of hot cooking liquid. Slowly add the lamb mix, stirring while pouring. It is important to add the mixture several times, so it will not separate. (At will you can add chickpeas at this time, even if they are not present in the original recipe). Cook for about 10 minutes, keeping a slight boil, then remove the lid and continue cooking for 10 minutes, so the sauce will thicken around the meat. Taste and season with salt if needed. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Crush the saffron with the sugar in a mortar, then add 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Drain the rice. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the rice with 600 ml of boiling water, the saffron liquid, cardamom and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover with a little absorbent paper and with a lid cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Heat the bread in the oven at 200 ° / 180 ° in a ventilated mode with olive oil for 7-10 minutes, otherwise you can also do it in a wok-type pan; this bread will be the bed, that is, the plate on which to place rice and lamb. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for about a minute, until they are golden brown. To serve, transfer the rice to the bread in a large serving dish and put the lamb on top. Finish with a sprinkling of pine nuts, parsley and a couple of teaspoons of sumac and eat the mansaf together taking With the hands a piece of bread and collecting rice and lamb.

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Ful mudammas and the Palestinian breakfast: the recipe – Italian Cuisine

Breakfast time for Palestinians is very important. Breakfast is a powerful meal that must give strength throughout the day

Forget hood and brioche or milk and corn flakes: breakfast in Palestine is another story entirely. First of all it is salt, then it is composed of many dishes based on eggs, cheeses and legumes and it is one of the traditions that Palestinians care most about; perhaps because the Israeli occupation has also arrived in the kitchen, as many dishes of Palestinian origin are now passed off as "traditional Israelis".
Armani NimerawiAn Australian of Palestinian origin, she tells us that once upon a time it wasn't like this: "Meals were always shared because at the beginning we were all Palestinians as inhabitants of Palestine and religion was secondary, it didn't matter if you were Muslim, Christian or Jewish. After the creation of the state of Israel, however, things changed: to support the myth of their country and legitimize its existence, they took Palestinian food and labeled it as Israeli; just the same food that previously belonged to everyone . In reality, these are two kitchens that have points in common, but basically they are different: traditional Jewish cuisine, as well as kosher food, which are two different things and do not coincide, have customs, while Palestine, in how much other state, it has others. Starting from breakfast, where Ful Mudammas never fails.

The Palestinian breakfast

There doesn't have to be a special occasion to have such a breakfast in Palestine. In fact, as anticipated, it is one of the most important meals and moments, to which they are most linked. Let's not forget that the Palestinians are a people of breeders and farmers, used to working in the countryside, both on very cold and very hot days. For this reason, breakfast must be salty and nutritious, in order to give energy throughout the day; and this tradition has remained even for those who no longer work in the countryside. Indeed, it is precisely the youngest ones who care about keeping the customs of the older ones. Always present are the eggs: that they are boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled with tomato and meat, or omelettes with herbs and vegetables; then there is always thereHummus chickpeas, the babaganoush of eggplants and the labneh, a yogurt filtered on cheesecloth (which in this way becomes hard and loses whey), which in the Middle East never fail. All accompanied by various types of bread, such as pita, since it is a must to pucciarla in various sauces. But the king dish of the Palestinian breakfast is the ful mudammas.

What is ful mudammas

The name corresponds to the main ingredient, ful in fact it means Fava beans, while mudammas cooked. It is in fact a cream of dried beans, also widespread in Syria and Lebanon, but almost certainly originating from Ancient Egypt, where you eat very often, almost always for breakfast, just like in Palestine. Always Armani, an expert and passionate about cooking and food and wine culture, who now lives in Ascoli Piceno, reveals that often a sauce, prepared in a mortar with crushed garlic, salt, oil and parsley. Then always above can be added chopped tomatoes or chickpeas, which are a variant not present in the original recipe, but which is often found, perhaps because ful is almost always cooked together with hummus. You can add them on top as a decoration at the end, or blend some of them together with the beans. In this way, Armani jokes, the ful becomes a real "Palestinian cement", since it is even heavier and really blocks the appetite all day long! But shouldn't that be the case, have a very substantial breakfast and then stay lighter during the day?

The recipe of ful mudammas

Here is the original recipe of ful mudammas directly from a Palestinian family, to prepare a super breakfast even at home.

Ingredients

400 g of dried broad beans
2 large cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
1 lemon
Parsley
Green chilli pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
Chickpeas (to taste)

Method

Leave the beans to soak for a whole night. Then drain them and put them on the fire in a pot with plenty of unsalted water. Continue to cook keeping the beans covered for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary. When the beans are ready, collect them with a slotted spoon and put them in a container. With a fork mash a good part leaving the rest of the whole. Mix everything together. In a bowl mash the garlic with cumin, lemon juice and salt. Add the beans and mix. If it is not very creamy, add the cooking water. Transfer the ful to a plate and sprinkle with parsley, finely chopped chilli pepper and plenty of olive oil. At will you can also add chickpeas or Armani's sauce and then bring to the table together with everything else!

And while you eat it, imagine yourself at that time at the beginning of the coexistence between Arabs and Jews, when being close to each other they brought food to others: the Jews, for example, during Ramadan to avoid them cooking during the day and make sure they have suhur or iftar ready; and the Arabs to try their specialties as a sign of welcome. In fact, it was the kitchen itself that brought together and brought together, before politics, economic and commercial interests destroyed any type of possible coexistence, the one to which man is naturally led.