Oil In Our Lamps - Menu & Recipes

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into coins
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp orange flower water
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put carrots, 1 tbsp sugar and salt into a saucepan. Add water to cover. Cook until tender 4 - 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add raisins. Let cool. Drain carrots and raisins.
Stir 1 tbsp sugar, lemon juice, oil, orange flower water, cinnamon & 1/8 tsp salt together. Stir well. Pour over the carrots and raisins and mix together and serve.

TABOULEH SALAD

1 c bulgar (cracked wheat)
4 c cold water
1 cucumber - diced
1 stalk celery - finely diced
1 bunch parsley - chopped
4 green onions - finely diced
1/4 c lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place bulgar in water. Let soak for at least 4 hours. Drain bulgar in a strainer. Press firmly and squeeze with hands to remove extra water. Add veggies and mix.
Mix together lemon juice, oil and salt & pepper. Add to salad and serve.

SWEET AND SOUR CUCUMBER SALAD

2 cucumbers
4 green onions
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh dill (or dry can be used)

Partially remove peel from cucumber in long strips using a peeler, leaving a little pretty green on it. Thinly slice the cucumbers into coins. Chop up the onion and place all in a serving bowl.
Mix together the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and dill. Pout over salad and stir lightly.
Can be served immediately, but can let it sit for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

DATE SQUARES

Crumb Layers

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar- packed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine

Filling

1/2 lb dates cut up
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water

Crumb Layers: Measure flour, oats, sugar, soda salt and butter into large bowl. Cut butter into the ingredients until crumbly. Press a large 1/2 - almost 2/3 - into greased 9 x 9 inch pan.

Filling: In saucepan combine dates, sugar and water. Bring to boil and allow to simmer until mushy. If mixture becomes too dry before dates have softened enough, add more water. If you find you have too much water, don't worry. Just keep simmering until some has been boiled away. Spread over bottom layer of crumbs. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over top. Press down with your hand. Bake in 350 *F oven for 30 minutes until a rich golden brown color.


BAKLAWA SLICES

2 cups chopped walnuts or almonds or mixture
1 cup sugar
2 cups clarified butter (Melted, then use only the clear yellow part that floats on top - not the milky layer under neath)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 package (454 g, about) filo dough (NOT puff pastry)
1 recipe Qatar (follows)

Mix together nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Use a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll style pan (big cookie sheet with edge all the way around)
Once dough has been allowed to slowly thaw, remove from package and open it up. Cover with a damp towel. Filo pastry is very thin and will dry out if not covered.
It is easiest to work with a partner. One person covers and uncovers the filo. My five year old did this job and it really speeds things up.
Take one sheet of filo and lay it smooth on the baking pan. Gently butter the whole sheet with a pastry brush. Keep layering filo and butter until half of the package is used.
Spread the nut mixture evenly over everything. Cover with a sheet of filo and butter and continue until everything is used.
Carefully cut into squares or diamonds. Bake 400 *F for 5 minutes then turn oven down to 300 *F. Bake 40 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven. Spoon warm Qatar over everything. Allow to cool before serving.

QATAR (SUGAR SYRUP)

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp orange flower water (Mazahar) or Maa Ward rose water - these can be found at Asian Supermarket or Superstore
1/2 tsp cardamon - ground

Boil sugar and water together 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, then remove from heat. Stir in orange flower water and cardamon. (If you have saffron, a pinch goes nicely in this too)

SWEET BALLS

1 tsp yeast
1/4 cup water @ 2 cups warm water
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 recipe Qatar
Oil for deep frying

Dissolve yeast in first measure of warm water (not hot)
Mix together cornstarch, flour and salt in large mixing bowl. Add yeast and rest of water. Mix well. Add more water or flour so the mix looks like pancake batter. Let rise 1 hour.
Heat oil for deep frying. Drop batter by the tablespoon and deep fry until golden brown (you will need to turn them over part way through)
Remove and let drain on paper towels.
Pour Qatar syrup over the fried balls. Best served the same day so the balls are crispy and not soft.

FLAT BREAD

While making a 2 loaf recipe of bread dough (recipe follows) - add 1 tsp za'atar seasoning to the dough. Let rise, then punch down (Za'atar is a middle eastern spice blend. It is available at the Asian supermarket on the north side)
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper (better than greasing to prevent sticking). Roll the dough into to thin pizza-like disks. Rub with oil. Poke all over with fingers to dimple the dough. Sprinkle with more za'atar. sprinkle with coarse salt (the coarser and chunkier is better)
Let rise 20 - 30 minutes. Bake 375 *"F until golden brown.
Let cool then cut into strips. Dip in hummus.

BASIC BREAD RECIPE FOR ONE LOAF OF BREAD

Between 3 and 4 cups flour
3/4 cup of whole ground grain (oatmeal, millet flour, cornmeal, wheat bran etc)
1 tbsp yeast (either rapid rise or active regular yeast)
1 tbsp oil
2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt

1)Into a large or medium large bowl pour the hot water (either microwave so it is almost boiling, or use water as hot as tap water gets). Add the desired whole grain. Stir briefly. Let sit until the water cools to be warm, about body temperature. This partially cooks the grain and softens it so it does not tear at the gluten when kneading the bread. Also, it partially dissolves the starch, which provides food for the yeast. For this reason, this recipe does not have sugar added to feed the yeast.
2)Add the yeast. Stir to mix. Let rest between 2 to 5 minutes. If the water is too hot (as it started in step one) it will kill the yeast. If the water is too cool, the yeast will dissolve and become active, but it will be slow and sluggish. The water should feel mildly warm to touch. After a couple of minutes thin foam should form on top of the water. This means the yeast has woken up and you are ready to proceed.
3)Add the slat and the oil. Salt provides flavor and acts as a check on the yeast. Unless you are on a absolutely no salt diet, do not decrease the salt. The yeast will work faster without salt and it is easy to over-rise the bread without salt. Most breads have more oil than this. Increasing the oil increases the shelf life of the bread and makes the bread tender. (Traditional chewy French bread, for example, has no oil, and must be eaten the day it is made for peak freshness). You can increase or decrease the oil if you want.
4) Add about 1 1/2 cups flour. Stir vigorously. This activates the gluten, which is important because of how short the kneading time is when only doing one loaf. The dough will be sticky and look lighter in color after stirring. Continue stirring in flour until the dough begins to form a ball. This will be between 1/2 cup and 1 cup more. It will stick to the sides, but hold its shape as you stir.
5) Sprinkle about 1/2 cup flour on a flat surface that is a comfortable height to work on. Scrape out the ball of dough. Turn the dough on the flour so it is covered with flour before you start to knead. Knead the dough. Push away from you with the heel of the palm, not the fingers, gently at first and then firmly as the dough becomes less sticky. With one hand give the dough a quarter turn and fold it towards you. Push down and away with the heel of the other hand. Repeat over and over. If your hands become sticky with dough, sprinkle lightly with flour and rub them together until the dough rubs off. If needed, add more flour if the dough is still sticky after kneading in all the flour. Flour absorbs humidity from the air and will need more or less depending on the day. Also, different whole grains absorb more water in step one, changing how much flour you will ultimately use. When the dough is done it will be smooth, soft, and just tacky. Breads with whole grains are slightly wetter than a white flour recipe, which would be "soft and smooth like a baby's bottom" and not sticky at all. This allows the gluten to work better to lift the heavier grains.
6) Lightly oil the bowl. Drop the dough in the bowl and roll it around until it is coated in oil. This prevents a dry crust from forming as it rises. Put in a draft-free, warm place to rise. I usually store it in my oven, out of reach of children. It you leave it on the counter, cover the bowl with a towel to protect the dough. Yeast can be sulky if it is in a draft.
7) Let rise. The time depends on the temperature of the dough, the temperature of the room, what kind of yeast, and the wetness of the dough, among other things. It will double in size and hold a hole if you press a finger into it. If it has got really floppy it is over risen. Watch it more carefully next time.
8) Optional: if you are using regular, not rapid rise yeast, the dough can be punched down and allowed to rise again. This does improve the flavor and texture of the bread, but is not needed. It is a good idea if you have over risen during the first rise.
9) Punch down. Give it a quick roll in the bread pan to remove some of the oil coating the ball. Knead gently for a minute to release the air that has been trapped in the dough. Do not be rough or you will tear the gluten with it now stretched nicely.
10) Shape into a loaf.
a) tuck under with the fingers until it looks loaf-like (easy and fast, especially with tacky dough)
b) roll out into a rectangle wider than the pan. Fold in one side on third of the way, then fold in the side to cover. Smooth.
c) roll longer than the pan but about the same width. Roll up the dough like a cinnamon bun. Smooth the edges.
11) Oil the bread pan. Be generous with a new pan as bread tends to stick. Maybe sprinkle with cornmeal, or just keep using the same pan over and over and it will become non-stick.
12) Let rise to double. It will either be at the level of the bread pan or slightly rounded above.
13)Bake. The temperature will vary with the oven as most home ovens are not accurate. However, start with 375* F for 35 minutes. If it is burned or very dark, next time lower the temperature 15 degrees. If it is pale and the inside is damp, raise the temperature 15 degrees. Try to find a temperature that bakes the loaf in about 35 to 40 minutes. The crust should be firm and golden. The bottom of the bread should be as golden as the top. If you tap the bottom it should sound "hollow". When you cut it the bread should be firm and not damp.
14) Let cool on a rack, not in the pan. With the first loaves it is hard to let it cool before slicing in. To much hot bread will give a tummy-ache as the bread continues releasing carbon dioxide as it cools, but a slice won't hurt. However, it is tricky to cool bread that ha been cut into without having the cut end go dry. Do not put into a plastic bag until the loaf is completely cooled or it will go soggy and mold. The bread will be fresh for at least two days on the counter. It can be stored in the fridge. Some books claim this makes the bread go stale, but I have not noticed a problem. It can also be frozen if well wrapped to protect from freezer burn.

Options and tips:

1) This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Do not increase the yeast for two loaves, and just round the tablespoon for three. Yeast multiples. You will probably want more flour on the surface you are kneading on when you dump the dough out of the bowl.
2) Other shapes are possible. For most, knead a little more flour into the dough so it is not sticky which will make it easier to handle and shape. Cooking time and temperature will change.
a. Buns
b. Flatbreads and pizzas
c. Cinnamon buns (roll out the dough into a large rectangle, rub with lots of butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, roll up the dough, slice into rolls with a sharp knife, the slices should be about half the height of the pan to be baked in, rub the pan with more butter, let rise and bake)
d. Braids
e. Round "freestyle" loaves bakes on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal
3) Roll out the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle with a filling, then roll up into a loaf shape and bake as normal. Filling possibilities include grated cheese, cinnamon and brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins, chopped and toasted walnuts. Don't spread the rolled out dough with butter (like cinnamon rolls) as the rolled up dough will separate as it bakes, which makes for messy sandwiches and toast.
4) Wash or soak everything right away. Dough dries to an amazing hardness. In fact, Klondike sourdoughs would recommend using sourdough bread dough as a glue or filler.

BELIZE COCONUT BREAD (from Extending the Table, available at Ten Thousand Villages)
2 1/2 cup coconut milk (available canned or dried, which would need to have water added)
- add 1 tbsp dry yeast. Let dissolve and become active ( 2 to 5 minutes)
- add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup oil. Stir
Stir in 5 cups flour vigorously. Keep stirring in 2 or 3 cups of flour, until the ball of dough comes together and it is ready to be kneaded. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup flour where it will be kneaded. Knead for about 8 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth, soft, and not sticky. Oil the bowl and rube the dough around until it is oiled all over. Let rise in draft free location about 30 minutes, until doubled in size. Test the rise by poking in tow fingers. If the indentation stays, it is ready. Punch down. Divide into three with a knife. Take one ball and roll it out into a fat tube. Take a knife and cut down the middle so you have two long and skinny tubes. The bread should be about as long as the width of the cookie sheet. Roll each one with hands so the edges are smooth. Lay the two long tubes beside each other and twist together to make a simple braid. Repeat for the other two balls. Bake on a greased and cornmeal sprinkled cookie sheet 350*F for 25 - 30 minutes. Parchment paper on the cookie sheet will also prevent the dough from sticking as it cooks.