Guest Author - Elizabeth Bissette
Cornish Hen Innana (Mesopotamia)
2 cornish hens
1 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1 leek, sliced
1 shallot, hopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Serve on flatbreads:
2 c barley flour
1/4 c Crisco
1 tsp salt
Garnish:
1 bunch watercress
1 halved clove garlic
Vinegar to taste
Preheat oven to 400.
Remove hen's legs and set aside. Place hens in pot with 2 tbsp olive oil, vinegar, leek, shallot and garlic. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer, partially covered, until tender, (about 15 min.) Remove, cover to keep warm.
Place legs on roasting pan, coat with tbsp olive oil. Place in oven, roast until browned, (turn once - about 15 minutes).
Flat bread: mix 1/4 c crisco, barley flour and salt, stir in enough broth to a pliable dough. Form into 4 balls, cover with plastic wrap. Oil and heat a skillet.
Sprinkle a surface with barley flour and roll out dough balls into circles. Transfer to hot skillet, cook, turning once, about a minute per side, (will have black marks on it).
Place a hen on each flatbread. Rub breast with garlic, sprinkle with vinegar. Arrange legs alongside the body. Garnish with watercress.
Crabcakes Kahn (Mongolian)
1 1/2 pd crab, minced
1/2 c pork, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp onion, minced
1 tsp dried orange peel, ground
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp asafoetida (in Middle Eastern groceries)
Vegetable oil
Combine ingredients, shape into balls. Heat 1 in vegetable oil. Fry balls until brown, about 2 min per side. Drain 5 minutes.
Mayan Salsa
8 tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 habaneross, chopped
Juice from 1 orange and 1 lime
Salt, to taste
Mix.
Mayan Fruit Salad
1 1/2 c honey
3 1/2 c water
1 tbsp vanilla
1 med pineapple, diced
10 guavas
1/2 pd cherries
1 grapefruit, halved and thinly sliced
In a saucepan, combine honey and water. Over medium heat bring to a simmer. Stir until honey is dissolved. Add vanilla and reduce to low.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Plunge guavas in for a few seconds, remove and peel. Add guavas and cherries to syrup and poach 15 minutes, stirring gently. Add pineapple and poach another 5 minutes. Cool.
Serve chilled. Garnish with thinly-sliced grapefruit.
Egyptian Rice
1 lb ground chuck
1 sm onion, chopped
2 can beef broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 c rice
salt and pepper
Brown hamburger & onion. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until rice is done, about 20 minutes. Spoon into individual serving dishes, add sour cream, sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.
Egyptian Chicken Marinade
1/2 c olive oil
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
Combine and pour over the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Grill halved chickens or cubed on kebobs. Serve with pita bread & lemon wedges.
Libum (Roman)
1 cup all purpose flour
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
bay leaves
1/2 cup honey
Sift flour. Beat cheese until soft and stir into flour with egg. Form a soft dough and divide into 4. Mold one into a bun and place on a greased baking tray with a bay leaf underneath. Heat oven to 425° F. Bake for 35-40 min until brown. Warm the honey and place cakes in it so they absorb it. Stand 30 min.
