Sunday's Spicy Feast

So, after a couple of days of excess we were feeling the need for some spicy comfort food, and my friend Carleen had been talking on Facebook about the harissa and kibbeh she had made...so I asked for the recipes and can confirm that they are delicious!

Carleen's harissa:

1/2cup crushed dried chillis- soaked in very hot water to cover for 30mins.
1tbsp caraway seeds
2tsp coriander seeds
3 small fresh red chilli. seeded and chopped.
5 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water

Drain dried chillis and set aside.

Place caraway seeds and coriander seeds in a small frying pan on a low heat. Toast them for 1-2 mins until fragrant stirring so they don't burn.

Porcess all ingredients to a smooth(ish) paste. This will fill a 400g jar(ish) and will keep for ages in the fridge.

And the aubergine and chickpea kibbeh:

1/2 cup bulgur
2 cups boiling water
1 tin chickpeas
1tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
2tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 medium sized aubergine, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1tsp lemon juice

Place bulgur in a dish and cover with the boiling water. Leave to stand for 20 minutes. Drain well and squeeze to remove excess water. Place in a large bowl.

Coarsely chop the chickpeas and add to the bulgur. Add the allspice, cinnamon and cumin and season with salt and pepper to taste. stir to combine and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute onions for 5 minutes until softened. Add aubergine (no need to salt-its only older larger ones that tend to be bitter) and cook for about 7 minutes until the aubergine is tender. Stir in pinenuts and lemon juice and season to taste. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350oF. Press half the bulgur mix into the bottom of a lightly oiled 10inch dish, smoothing the top. Add the eggplant mix, the cover with the remaining bulgur and press down to smooth.

Bake until hot and lightly browned (about 30mins). Remove from oven and let stand for 10 mins before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

She also gave me a recipe for vegan feta substitute:

Drain a block of firm tofu (the cauldron brand is ideal) and press out as much water as you can.

Cut into smallish cubes and place in a bag. Add:
2tbsp wine/rice wine vinegar
1tbsp lemon juice
4tsp olive oil
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
2 whole but squashed cloves of garlic
1/2tsp salt (more if you prefer it salty)
lots of black pepper.

Marinade overnight and give the bag a good jiggle every so often. This is amazing in salads. Its not quite as good cooked but it gives you that feta like hit without the fat!

I also made hummus (my recipe this time!):

1 can of cooked chickpeas, semi-drained
Juice of half a lemon
1.5 tbsp tahini
LOTS of garlic (I used about 6 cloves!!)
salt

Blend, sprinkle with smoked paprika and scoff.

With all that I also made baked chicken with za'atar and the harissa, and a salad with rocket and sliced sweet onion and peppers.