Best Of MCW 1001-1100

It's been too long since the last Best Of MCW compilation. This compilation, just like its predecessors, takes us trotting around the globe from Iraq to the Levant, Egypt, Europe, Mexico, Bazil, and around again to India.

Kicking off with the famous Iraqi masgoof fish, this recipe is all the more special because it comes from my dear brother in law. It is very simple, yet it is one of our absolute favorites, because it is just beyond good, and because it comes from him. 

See also part 1 and part 2, part 3 , part 4 , part 5 , part 6 , part 7 , part 8 , part 9 , and part 10 of previous Best Of series

I have been making these little ugly gems for years, yet never thought about blogging it because it was a mindless non-recipe to me. Convenient for breakfast, or a savory snack, or even a light dinner, these haloomi parcels have come through many a time for me.

One minute of prep, one more minute of cooking, and you've got a hefty, satisfying, and healthy breakfast to go or stay. The bagel, actually, is completely optional. You could forgo it for a carb-free scrambled omelette breakfast that is much friendlier to the figure. The result is surprisingly fluffy and far from the expected rubbery outcome.

My mother, Allah rest her soul, used to make the most amazing spinach fatayer. What excelled them was the sour factor, combined with a perfect pillowy pastry. As is traditional, the parcels would be triangular in shape. After several trials, I think I have finally found the recipe closest to my memory of hers.

Muhammara literally translates to "the reddened one." It is an amazing mezze that is fragrant, pungent, and bold. Despite it commonly accompanying other mezzes like hummus, tabboula, and kubba on both Arab and Turkish tables alike, it is somewhat less popular than the rest, despite rivaling each one of them in its flavor.

There was once upon a time when I thought of myself as non-affectionate towards Mexican food. Lately, I can't seem to get enough. Sure, most of the recipes are Mexican-inspired, but the Mexican element is still there. This crispy-crunchy salad is taco flavored, and quite honestly has all the components of a whole meal on its own.

I discovered tacos after my mother died. Before that, we would always eat elaborate home cooked meals together, cooked by her, الله يرحمها. After her, we saw a taco package at the store and that's how we got started. We have been having these tacos for years now, and while they are not totally Mexican-authentic, they definitely are inspired by the Mexican version. This is a very fun and informal meal where each person is encouraged to assemble and customize their own wrap.

This recipe is one of the coziest, simplest, comforting, and non-pretentious Iraqi meals out there. While the burghul can be cooked plain and served with the same simple farmer's salad, I added sauteed fresh mushroom because we love mushroom here on MCW. Using sauteed white desert truffles when they're in season turns it into a phenomenal dish. It is a vegetarian dish, vegan even, yet is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Steamed anything is enough to have me turning the other way, but stay with me for a second. These steamed aubergines are so flavorful, you will forget they were steamed at all! Whole aubergines are pierced throughout and left to steam in a magic shallow bath, resulting in the silkiest aubergines, and the most flavorsome broth.

The Iraqi kebab is different form any other kebab. First off, the Iraqi kebab is made of minced meat, whereas other nations may refer to it as kofta. Then, there is the unique flavor set off by a specific ratio of fat to meat, a simple flavoring of only salt, and some dampened bread to give that special texture to the cooked meat.

Barring salt and oil, you only need three ingredients to make these Iraqi aubergine rolls: aubergines, minced lamb, and tomato paste. From there, you can make it as is, or fancy it up a bit. I like to put sliced fresh tomato just before baking. I sometimes also like to flavor the meat with dried mint and allspice.

This pomegranate lamb baklava is basically a meat pie, made with fillo pastry, and cut in a way similar to the sweet nut baklawa.

It is much lighter than a traditional meat pie, which might contain a cream based sauce or beschamel which renders it more suitable for colder days.

One of the side effects of knitting a tighter, more connected world is the obvious merge of cultures. This Egyptian pasta bake, known simply as macarona, is a staple comfort food in many an Arab home.

A good roasted chicken meal is timeless and never gets old. Low maintenance, and high rewards, it is the ultimate cozy get-together. Any left overs would also make the most delicious sandwiches, and feral cats simply gobble up the carcass, bone and all. Everybody wins. So when you serve this golden roasted chicken on a bed of crispy yet fluffy bed of potatoes, you know you've upped your game.

There are hundreds of curries from a variety of cultures; definitely more than can individually be assigned a unique name. If I had to categorize this curry, I would say it falls under Arab, with Indian influence. The addition of coconut cream to the sauce is magical.

One of my favorite and most underrated desserts is my apple tarts. I published the recipe years ago on MCW, but the photography was not great, and there it lay almost completely forgotten beside all the glorious pictures of apple pie brides that populate the internet every season. This time, I did a couple of enhancements.

Danish pastries are simply hand-sized puff pastry topped with something sweet, be it a custard or jam or canned fruit. These apple chaussons are a French pastry that fits snugly in the Danish pastry department. It is a flakey, butter puff pastry pocket filled with some apple compote (applesauce).

I recently discovered the enjoyment of honey drizzled fruit. It took the experience to a whole new level, which I wanted to share. If you like some tang with your sweet, a sprinkle of fresh lime juice would certainly not be out of place here.

Timbales was a favorite form of food presentation in the seventies and eighties, and continues to be for catering companies and hotel buffets. It is basically a food, savory or sweet, individually portioned into a mold similar to an espresso cup and then unmolded before serving. These dessert date timbales are a modern take on that vintage concept.

While this strawberry brownie trifle dessert is composed of only three ingredients (one of which is a baked slab of brownies), it is so much more than the sum of its parts. Such a casual get together can easily be featured on any elegant buffet table. Strawberries and cream are a classic. Here, they marry brownies and dance in my favorite trifle bowl, a gift from a beloved brother and friend.

I got this cheesecake recipe over twenty years ago from the cook we had at the time. This was my mother's treat, to which she would help herself to a thin sliver of a slice to, because of how rich and decadent it is. I have had the recipe all this time, but I haven't made it for over eighteen years now. It is without exaggeration the single best cheesecake I have ever eaten.

These knafa cones were inspired by a sweet shop I saw them in, and they couldn't get easier to make. Knafa dough is drenched in melted butter and wrapped and pressed around a steel cone before being baked into a golden shell. If you do not have steel cones, create an alternative using aluminum foil pressed into a similar shape. 

This chocolate flan is a play on the famous Brazilian brigadeiro chocolate fudge truffles. The best way I can describe it is a chocolate fudge version of the classic creme caramel. My favorite part about it is that you literally put all the ingredients in a blender, pour into the mold, and bake in a water bath.

This seemingly innocent chocolate cake loaf is actually smuggling almost half a kilo of kinder sticks in its casing. It is best served still slightly warm with some whipped plain cream and fresh raspberries. The ooey fudgy center is by far the best part, albeit at the expense of aesthetics.

صحة و عافية