Mains · By Sharon
Middle Eastern Feast — 4 Course (Easy to Make Vegan)
In two other appetizer recipes (Baba Ganoush and Hummus), we mentioned the influence of various people in kindling/rekindling our love of middle-eastern cooking, beginning in the late 80s. This 4 course feast emerged from three new middle-eastern cookbooks that were gifted in the family between 2015 and 2017. The 4 courses were initially served to Ulrike/Jakob, Linda/Gary, at one of our feasting nights. Ulrike in particular loved it — she often cooked middle-eastern fare — and when sick with cancer she asked specially for this feast again. The orange-saffron chicken salad and the cardamom rice pudding are singular and amazing! They take a bit of time, but are worth it. To make this a vegan feast, use pressed tofu in place of chicken for the salad, and make vegan kofta (recipes online, some using vegan beef like "Beyond Beef" and some using chickpeas).
Ingredients
First Course — Appetizer
- Hummus and Warmed Olives — see both recipes in the Appetizers section
- Serve with pita wedges or pita crisps
Second Course — Orange Saffron Chicken Salad
- 1 orange, whole
- 2½ tbsp honey
- ½ tsp saffron threads (add more if desired)
- 1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
- 1¼ cups water
- 2¼ lbs chicken breast (boneless/skinless)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- ⅔ cup basil leaves, julienned
- ½ cup mint leaves, julienned
- 2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Fresno red chile, thinly sliced (Fresno chilies look like red jalapenos)
- 1 big clove garlic
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Third Course — Kofta in Pita (makes 12 good-sized kofta; 2 kofta per pita half)
- 500 g package of ground lamb (Superstore carries a New Zealand Spring Lamb in this size)
- 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 red "Fresno" chili (a mild red chili the size of jalapenos), seeded and finely diced
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- ¼ cup very finely diced red onion
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice — ground
- ½ tsp coriander — ground
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ tsp mint — dried
- 1½ tsp oregano — dried
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp fresh-ground pepper
- 6 fresh pita, cut in half
- Garnishes: hummus, tzatziki, and a chopped tomato/cucumber medley (about 15–20 cherry or grape tomatoes and 2 or 3 mini-English cukes, diced)
- Tabbouleh as a side salad (see recipe in the Side Dishes section)
Fourth Course — Cardamom Rice Pudding (with rose-water, rose-petals, and pistachio)
- 1⅔ cups whole milk (3.25 percent)
- ½ cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2–3 tsp vanilla extract (can use one vanilla pod as well)
- 8 cardamom pods (crushed), or 1½ tsp of ground cardamom
- ⅔ cup short grain rice (Arborio is great for this — its high starch content makes wonderful creamy dishes)
- 2 tbsp butter — diced
- 2 tbsp condensed milk
- 1 tbsp mild flavored honey
- ¼ tsp salt
- Garnish: 6 tbsp lightly crushed roasted pistachios (unsalted or salted, your preference), 2 tbsp dried edible rose petals
- Syrup: 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp rose water, 1 tsp water
Orange Saffron Chicken Salad
- 1
Cut orange into 12 thin wedges (cut off top and bottom first). Place wedges in a small saucepan with the honey, saffron, vinegar, and just enough water to cover the orange wedges.
- 2
Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about an hour. You want a soft orange and about 5 tbsp of thick syrup remaining (if water gets too low toward the end of cooking add a bit more).
- 3
Use a food processor to blitz the orange and syrup into a smooth, runny paste (again, add a bit of water if needed).
- 4
Coat the chicken breast with plenty of salt and pepper, then brush half the olive oil (2 tbsp) onto the breasts. Grill breasts until just done (turning so each side gets double grill marks).
- 5
Cool chicken a bit, then tear into rough, medium-sized pieces. Place pieces in a large mixing bowl, pour over half the orange paste and mix together (save the other half for making another of these salads, or use as a topping for grilled salmon).
- 6
Add the remaining salad ingredients to the chicken pieces, pour over the remaining olive oil (2 tbsp) and toss gently. Taste for salt and pepper and for lemon acidity (add more lemon juice if desired). Can also add more olive oil if desired.
Kofta in Pita
- 1
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl using your hands. Make sure it is well mixed.
- 2
Shape into oval meatballs using the palms of your hands (a well-heaped tablespoon is about the right amount to end up with 12 kofta).
- 3
Place the kofta balls onto a stainless steel rack placed on a lined (parchment paper, or foil) baking tray.
- 4
Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
- 5
Serve in pita halves with dollops of hummus and tzatziki, and a spoonful of finely chopped tomato and cucumber on top. Serve tabbouleh as a side salad.
Cardamom Rice Pudding
- 1
Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and ground cardamom in a medium saucepan and heat until almost boiling.
- 2
Remove from heat, allow to cool down, and then leave in the fridge to infuse for at least 2–3 hours.
- 3
Prepare the rose-water syrup in advance as well — stir together the honey, rosewater and water until the honey dissolves. Set aside.
- 4
After the infusing of the milk/cream mixture, add the rice to the cool mixture and simmer over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes. This releases starch from the rice, making the pudding creamier.
- 5
When the rice still has a little chew to it and the pudding is thick, it is ready (if needed, add up to 3 or 4 tbsp of water if the pudding becomes too thick before the rice is done).
- 6
Remove saucepan from heat (if using crushed cardamom pods, pick those out carefully).
- 7
Now stir in the butter, condensed milk, honey, and the ¼ tsp of salt.
- 8
If serving soon, leave on the counter and just reheat when ready for dessert. If making in advance, store in the fridge and reheat (microwave works well).
- 9
Serve in small dessert bowls, sprinkled with crushed pistachios, rose petals, and drizzled with the rose-water syrup.
A note from Sharon
The base for the rice pudding needs to be prepared 3 hours before you serve the dessert. If you anticipate heavy eaters for the meat course, you could easily double the kofta recipe. Drink/wine pairing: a light, acidic red, like a lighter Chianti, or lighter Pinot Noir. Whites would be great as well (just not a heavy, oaked Chardonnay).
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