1536. Dry Date Rangina

Rangina is toasted flour mixed with a hefty amount of ghee or butter to be rendered into a molten lave that is then poured over dates. For such a simple dish or humble origins, it is certainly more than the sum of its parts. So much so that I cannot resist making it every blessed Ramadan.

1535. Shawerma Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are originally stuffed with Asian-flavored vegetables, fried, and dunked in soy sauce. Well, it seems to be the fashion to re-invent and re-interpret everything, and stuffed fried pastry is a prominent candidate to harbor this affliction! But all for good cause (and good fun).

1534. Overnight Stuffed Vineleaves {Slow Cooker}

This version of stuffed vineleaves differs from the other ones on MCW because it is not only the simplest, but it is also the most carnivorous and the slowest to cook. The stuffing is only meat and rice (salt, pepper, and 7 spice). Then the rolls are laid over a layer of sliced lamb neck with bones, and cooked for 16 hours.

1533. Khanfaroosh Saffron Cakes {Machine}

MCW already has a khanfaroosh recipe here, but that is the original rustic one. This is the revamped one using a mini cake machine where 12 tablespoons of batter yield 12 beautifully golden and uniform fluffy cakes, minus all the hassle of frying.

1532. Fresh Zaatar and Feta Mutabbag

This is quite possibly my favorite Palestinian pastry, made using a vibrant mix of fresh zaatar, onions, sumac and feta cheese for a special touch of added flavor, all folded in a thin dough.

1531. Maslawi Iroog

Although I served these Iroog Maslawi as part of a main meal, it is actually commonly served over tea time in Iraq. I am not sure on why it is not classified as a kubba (to me, it is). When broken down, all it is is basic garden vegetables (onion, tomato), garin (burghul, jareesh, flour), and meat (beef and lamb fat).

1530. Desert Rose Baklava

This is a cute yet classy presentation of a baklawa. Pockets of layered buttery filo pastry hold nuggets of fragrant almond baked to an unbelievably crispy crunchy finish, all to be topped off with lashings upon lashings of honey.

1529. Kubba Halab with Bagilla stuffing

Kubba is my kryptonite. Timman bagilla is pretty high up there, too. Combine the two, and you've got yourself a bomb of a kubba.

1528. Kofta Potato Gratin

Ramadan Kareem!

This is a quick and delicious meal that is healthy and wholesome. Kofta patties are stacked in concentric circles with sliced potatoes and laid over a bed of rich pureed vegetables. A fragrant broth is poured over the whole thing before it is baked covered in the oven.

Ramadan 1442

اللهم بشرنا في آخر أيام شعبان بما يسرنا

و بلغنا رمضان بقلوب سليمة يا الله

1526. Simit Breakfast Sandwich

Turkey reminds me in so many ways of my beloved Iraq. This is one such instance, where their fast food is as wholesome and nutritious as can be. None of that bloating addictive junk spread around the world by America. Simit bread is sold for almost nothing in the streets of Istanbul, and in this case it serves as the sandwich base for some fresh feta cheese, ripe tomatoes, and vibrant mint leaves.

1525. Honey Refrigerator Cake

Refrigerator cakes are basically no-bake desserts that are assembled and left to set overnight in the fridge. In Arabic, we skip the complication and just call it sweet. So this is a layered biscuit sweet with a distinct honey flavor.

1524. Whole Fish en Papillote

En papillote is a French way of cooking using moist heat achieved by an enclosed environment. This environment is usually induced by wrapping your raw seasoned food in a parchment paper package. This whole fish is cooked in such a way rendering it so moist and flavorsome.

1523. Macerated Strawberry and Minted Yogurt

I realize that the sugar could have been mostly eliminated here, but this is a treat, using a healthy base of ingredients, so just go with it. Strawberries are macerated for 15 minutes to draw out their juices and make a syrup.