1917. Qalya Mosul

There was an Iraqi cultural fair not long also and it was there that I tasted my first qalya. It is a very basic, very delicious dish hailing from Mosul, in northern Iraq. The main ingredients are lamb fat, boneless lamb chunks, onion, and a dash of date molasses.

1916. Khabbaz and Bread

There is this herb or delicate green in the Arabian countries that is a finer relative to spring onion green and leeks. It's definitely from the onion family, and when I search for the English translation for it, "khabbaz" translates to leek, which it definitely is not. 

1915. Grapefruit Frappe

This iced drink was on repeat off of summer. The grapefruit lends a delicate floral sweet-bitter taste that is so pleasant with the accentuated jasmine iced tea.

1914. Blueberry Chia Yogurt Pudding

I make my own yogurt weekly using two litres of milk. I then strain it to get 1 kilogram of greek yogurt, and about a litre of whey. To make this blueberry chia yogurt pudding, I thin it out a bit using the whey.

1913. Iraqi Firwar Bread

This Iraqi bread gives strong Iraq iroog bread vibes but with a twist. Instead of the meat being mixed in the dough before baking, the meat is enclosed in the dough and flattened into a sort of hand pie.

1912. Raw Date Cinnamon Roll

I'm the kind who heel-pivots 180 degrees at the mention of trendy diet food, but sometimes I am intrigued. This recipe for raw date cinnamon rolls is apparently sold in an expensive New York cafe and was supposed to taste exactly like a glazed cinnamon roll.

1911. Individual Iroog Mosul

I do have an Iroog Mosul on MCW, but it is the family version made in a casserole dish. These are individually sized making them something of a cross between iroog Mosul and kubba Mosul.

1910. Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce

We used to have artichokes quite often in my childhood. It's quite sad how much recent generations are missing out on.

1909. Rice Aubergine Casserole

Where there is courgette, aubergine is not far behind. It was a matter of course to try out the rice courgette casserole in aubergine format.

1908. Digestive Lemon Bars

Taking a shortcut by making these lemon bars from digestive biscuits, they quickly come together for a minimum effort flavorful treat. 

1907. Rice Courgette Casserole

The all-in-one marketing of this dish is admittedly a bit deceptive, as you will need two pots to prepare it in addition to the oven dish, so set your expectations.

1906. Peach Upsidedown Cheesecake

The funny thing about trends is that they fall into three categories: must-try, must-avoid, and a very dangerous why-not. This silly upside down cheesecake trend was a let's-try-it-once, and once is all I'm going to do. 

1905. Sujuk Paratha Rolls

A very simple two ingredients pastry that  packs a lot of flavor due to the heavily spiced sujuk. 

1904. Lemon Feta Shrimp Orzo

This is a quick and flavorful meal that is inspired by Greek flavors and delivers a wholesome nutritional profile. Done from start to finish in under 20 minutes, the same dressing that the pasta is coated in is used to flavor the shrimp. 

1903. Baked Apricot Kofta

My first impulse when asked what's my favorite fruit is, why choose when Allah has given us all? Then, I think of a perfectly ripe yet still firm apricot in season, and it just might be my favorite.

1902. Pistachio Tiramisu

Nothing beats a classic, but sometimes change is fun and also welcome. This pistachio tiramisu gets its flavor from pistachio cream, and does not overwhelm the flavor of coffee.

1901. FMF Hotdog Buns

I'm in my freshly milled flour (FMF) era, and am enjoying the journey of discovery and experimentation immensely. These 40-minute hot dog buns are fluffy and soft, and so so flavorful. 

1900. Iraqi Kubba Jareesh in Loomi Broth

Years ago I mentioned a tale of a thousand kubbas. While still not yet near one thousand, the MCW kubba repertoire is constantly expanding. 

1899. Cyprus Kubba

Cypriot and Turkish cuisines overlap a lot. Even their language is the same.

1898. Haloomi Arayees

These haloomi arayees are as simple and delicious as could be. Switching from Lebanese flatbread to Egyptian bran flatbread really has made all the difference for me. 

1897. Beef Jerky

I finally invested in a dehydrator and beef jerky was the first thing I made.

1896. Cornflakes Chocolate Cake

This is a simple cake, soaked in chocolate milk, and covered in a chocolate ganache with cornflakes in it.

1895. SD Flatbread

I do have favorite sourdough breads I make routinely, but the odd experiment that satisfyingly works out from the get-go is always welcome. Queue: these fresh milled flour, pan cooked, bran-coated flatbreads.

1894. Pistachio White Chocolate Rice Crispies

A simple and straightforward recipe: white chocolate rice crispies with pistachio spread. 

1893. Rice Stuffed Chicken Legs

I don't think that anything roasted necessarily falls under the category of a quick meal, but if you prep this chicken in advance, you can pop it in the oven when you get home, and an hour later you've got an easy, nutritious, and delicious meal ready. 

1892. Pistachio Mascarpone Dates

One of these decadent and delightful mascarpone-stuffed, pistachio spread-coated dates is enough to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

1891. Simple Chicken Cream Pasta

The other day I had six hungry people to feed and I wanted a quick and simple yet delicious pasta. I did a quick search online but nothing was simple enough to make with the basic ingredients I had, so I improvised. 

1890. SD Discard Cheese Mint Galette

The week after I made the SD zaatar galette, I still didn't need to restock my sourdough freezer stash, so I made another galette, this time cheese with dry mint and olives. A properly heated pan even without the toxic teflon coating become naturally nonstick, so do not skim on pre-heating time.

1889. SD Discard Zaatar Galette

There is a gradual shift in my kitchen that's been in the making for years now, and the transformation is not yet complete. Slowly yet surely, I am replacing teflon pots and pans with stainless steel and cast iron; commercial yeast with sourdough; store-bought and shelf-stable flour with freshly milled wheat; among some other micro-changes. 

1888. Sour Lebna Balls

I was lucky to get my hands on a no-nonsense natural yogurt starter from a Turkish expat who got it from her mom. I have been making yogurt and straining it into greek-style yogurt weekly for months now. It was just a matter of time before experimenting with degrees of sourness and making these lebna balls.

1887. Savory Zaatar Cake

Wonderful Levant flavors are combined in this savory cake that can be sliced and served with lashings of lebne in place of frosting. Fresh zaatar leaves, olives, cheese, and nigella seeds are only some of the flavor notes. 

1886. Purslane Fateer

A couple of weeks ago I had a hanker for lemony, tangy, fresh spinach fateer made from scratch right at home. I checked four or five different sores, online and in person, and none had fresh spinach. In the last one, I found two bundles of purslane, or bakle, so fate was sealed. 

1885. Cypriot Basturma and Haloomi Pitas

Almost ten years ago (!) I published a recipe on freezer Iraqi basturma. It is completely different from the Armenian basturma. These Cypriot basturmas follow a very similar pattern wherein the meat is heavily spiced and garlicked. Freezing them into mini-rods makes the slicing easier. 

1884. Brisket Rashers

America has glorified the consumption of bacon for breakfast. It is a coveted favorite in any hollywood movie. Everyone glazes over the fact that they come from a pig, which is one of the worst things a person can eat, and is absolutely saturated in nitrates and other cancer-causing preservatives. Cue these one-ingredient beef brisket rashers. 

1883. Café Style French Toast

Using just a few key ingredients, this café worthy french toast is a hack worth saving and making on repeat for the weekends. 

1882. Tuna Rice in Seaweed

This is a simple Asian meal putting leftover rice to good use, and the protein form tuna cans. 

1881. Autumn Kale Panzanella Salad

A panzanella salad is enjoyable any time of ear and a wonderful excuse to have bread in your salad. A traditionally panzanella consists of height-of-summer tomatoes. This autumnal version is made up of kale and butternut squash. 

1880. Raspberry Crumb Bars

This is a butter and tangy cookie bar that's basically a pie without all the fuss. 

1879. Onion Pomegranate Roast Chicken

I have mentioned before that while I appreciate a few key roast chicken recipes we have enjoyed time and again, I am always on the lookout for new flavors in a roasted chicken. This recipe brings the flavors of a Palestinian musakhan, in simplified form.

1878. Pomegranate Walnut Salad

This is a nice change to the typical salad: it is very chunky with the pomegranate and walnut, and the only "leaf" element is the chopped parsley. 

1877. Sweet Potato Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl

High protein bowls made with lean ground beef with roasted sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, avocado and hot honey. The combination might seem strange but they really work well together. 

1876. Olympic Chocolate Muffins

Apparently these chocolate muffins went viral at the last Olymics because one of the contestants made them in their shared living quarters. 

1875. Mushallal Cheese Sandwich

I have a soft spot for forgotten traditional Arabian fast food. We have such a negative connotation with the term fast food because the west completely mutilated it with their harmful versions. However, the traditional Arab fast foods are so wholesome and actually healthy and beneficial for the body. 

1874. Red Cabbage Pickle

A crunchy, tangy, and irresistible side to your meals, this is a simple, foolproof way to enjoy pickled vegetables.

1873. Cheeseburger Springrolls

This is a fun new way to have a side of fried goods on the dining table that everyone will love. The spring roll is stuffed with classic cheeseburger flavors: minced meat, onion, pickles, and cheese. 

1872. Mango Chia Pots

These mango chia pots taste like icecream, making them always a treat for breakfast, dessert, or even a snack. 

1871. Crispy Akawi Zaatar Pitas

For some reason, sambusak is an integral part of our Ramadan iftar table. These crispy akawi zaatar pita quarters completely replaced them this last Ramadan. 

1870. Arabian Courgette Casserole

This courgette casserole is a total mish mash of the best element from yogurt stuffed courgettes and lasagne.

1869. Sweet Chilli Wings {Airfryer}

These sticky-sweet-savory-spicy chicken wings are cooked in the airfryer until crispy then tossed in an irresistible sticky sauce with burst of tang and a hint of sweetness.

1868. Candied Walnut Salad

We had this salad on repeat during Ramadan; it was that good. The candied walnuts with the sharpness of the onion combined with the earthiness of the beetroot on a bed of mixed lettuce or peppery rocket leaves could not be beat.