harvestofisis-blog

[harvestofisis-blog]

my people's love affair with the joy of nourishing each other !

[harvestofisis-blog]

[harvestofisis-blog]

a lil homage to my oakland roots all the way in egypt: I made my first ever sweet potato pie today for my family it turned out yummm

[harvestofisis-blog]

I’m so happy to be back in my mama’s kitchen in Egypt! She and I made one of my most absolute favoritest dishes EVER.   One of my grandma’s original recipes.  It’s called “Roz Bram” which is this amazing, creamy savory rice dish cooked in the oven in a special earthen clay pot.  It’s made on special occasions to replace regular white rice (in this case the special occasion is ME! lol) Indigenous peoples through out the world cook in clay pots, so it won’t be hard to replicate this dish wherever you are :)

Traditionally, this rice dish is made with meat, but I like to make it vegetarian so that it can be paired with a meat dish and not overpower the flavors.  Using short grain rice in this recipe is a must so that the rice comes out creamy and smooth.  Those are my mommy’s hands grating nutmeg in the picture above!!! Love you mama <3

Roz Bram (Rice baked in milk and cream)

2 cups white calrose rice (short grain sushi rice works well too)

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups warm whole milk

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon for garnish

4 tablespoons clotted cream (or sour cream if you can’t find clotted cream)

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.  wash the rice well and let soak in water for 30 mins while you get all the ingredients ready.

If you don’t have time to make fresh chicken stock, I find those jars of organic chicken broth paste you can find in the supermarket work best as a replacement for fresh homemade chicken broth.  I throw in 4-5 cloves of cardamom to spruce up any store bought stock and let it simmer for a bit.  

Place the rice in the clay pot.  Bring the stock to a boil and pour over the rice.  Dot the surface with 1/2 the butter.  Nestle in the bay leaves. Place the clay pot on a baking sheet and cook in the oven on the center rack till all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 mins.  

Salt the milk to taste, grate some nutmeg over the top, and pour it over the rice slowly dotting the surface with the rest of the butter.  Let cook for another 30 mins.  

Slather the surface of the rice with the clotted cream, and a lil more butter and a lil more nutmeg.  Place pot under broiler for 5 min or until nice and browned.  

Enjoy this creamy deliciousness with a roast chicken (like my mom made) or with a tomato based stew (like my bean stew recipe below) so the beautiful white rice can sop up all the yummy red stewy goodness. I like to serve it all with a crisp salad dressed simply with oil and vinegar.   Yummm! 

[harvestofisis-blog]

yes

[harvestofisis-blog]

I'm in Egypt! Made it back to the motherland and so happy to be here!

[harvestofisis-blog]

samak mashwi (grilled fish) with tahina sauce and sayadiya rice

the last days of summer...please summer stay for a while longer, please!

i've been daydreaming of laying in my favorite body of water, the mediterranean, all month.  nothing makes me feel more joyous than a beautiful, gleaming, fresh whole fish from the mediterranean sea.  i found a beautiful whole branzini at the market today and couldn't resist. 

i come from a long line of professional fish eaters.  sitto (my grandma) was a SERIOUS fish aficionado.  one of her fav things to do was to suck clean every last piece of meat from the bones, head, and tail.  she would always tell us to eat fish because it would make us smart (how did they know back then that omega 3's are good for the brain???) whole fishes with heads intact on the dinner table was normal for my family. 

people don't realize how easy it is to grill a whole fish.  get the fish butcher to scale and gut it for you.  make sure they clean out the gills too because they're bitter. get 1 branzini fish per person.

when i get home, i give it a good rinse, pat dry, and heavily coat entire fish in olive oil, salt and pepper.  don't forget to salt inside the cavity.  i salt WELL, because the skin will get crispy on the grill and there's nothing more heavenly than crispy, salty, fish skin goodness. 

take a couple of lemon slices and layer inside the cavity of the fish along with any fresh herbs you have handy and minced garlic.  i chopped up parsley, cilantro, and a sprig of rosemary. 

while the fish marinates for a couple minutes, start the rice and tahina sauce.

TAHINA SAUCE

whisk the following ingredients until smooth. consistency should be like a salad dressing.

1 tablespoontahini

3 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon white vinegar

salt

cumin

SAYADIYA RICE (Egyptian fish rice)

2 cups of white rice

1/2 an onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons oil

2 1/2 cups of water

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

fry up the onions in oil until nice and brown (but not burnt!).  add the bell pepper and stir for another minute or so.  add the cumin and pepper and stir for 30 sec.  add the tomato paste, salt and the water, and bring to a boil.  throw in the rice, and let simmer on very low for 20 minutes.  DELICIOUS!  This will make the whole house smell delightful.

When the rice is done, fire up the grill!!! the fish will cook 8-10 min on each side.  serve with a lemon wedge and a drizzle of the tahina sauce.  YUMMMM

[harvestofisis-blog]

[harvestofisis-blog]

Happy Eid everyone!  We're celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan for three days.  And no celebration is complete without food, right?  Ma7shi War'a 3enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) are one of my absolute FAVS when it comes to Egyptian cooking.  My mama always made these vegetarian-- I think they taste better without meat too.  I have the fondest memories of going on foraging walks with my mama in our neighborhood in Saudi to find grape vines to pick the fresh leaves. 

One of the main flavor profiles of this dish is tomatoes, and it's tomato season right now! Yay!  My mama always made these with sunflower oil, but I've substituted olive oil in the recipe since it's a healthier. If you've only ever had these from a can, or at an Arabic deli, you're going to DIE at how good these are when they're freshly cooked!!!

This recipe is very similar to the stuffed cabbage rolls I've posted previously, but you omit the dill and the cabbage.

---------------------------------

Ma7shi War'a 3enab (Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves)

1 cup of jasmine rice (traditionally its calrose rice, but I like the fragrance and shape of the jasmine rice better)

About 30 small young grape leaves picked fresh from a grape vine (the kind that come in the jar are good too, just make sure you rinse them well before using.)

2-3 tomatoes, peeled and diced (you can use canned, but it tastes better with fresh tomatoes)

1 small onion, grated

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

1 small bunch of mint, chopped

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 cups of chicken stock or veggie stock

3 tbls of tomato paste

1 large potato

salt and pepper to taste

Soak the rice in water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  This helps the rice cook better once rolled up in the grape leaves.  Toss the rice, parsely, mint, onion, and olive oil together like a salad.  Salt and pepper well (always taste the rice mix to make sure you've seasoned it enough.  You want this mix to taste a little on the salty side because as it cooks it evens out a bit).

If you are using fresh grape leaves, pour boiling water over them for 30 seconds to soften them up.  Trim the stems. 

Slice the potato into slices 1/3 inch thick, and layer the potato slices into the bottom of a deep pot that you've coated with olive oil.  This protects the grape leaves from sticking to the bottom of the pot as they cook. 

Take each grape leaf and fill with about 2 teaspoons of the rice mixture.  Fold the edges of the leaf over the rice, and roll like a little burrito.  :)  Layer into the pot.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Cover the top layer with foil ( to help the top grape leaf rolls cook evenly). 

Bring the stock to boil.  Dissolve the tomato paste into the stock, and pour over the grape leaf rolls in the pot.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the pot with its lid and simmer on low for about 45 mins to an hour.  Taste test as it cooks to check for the done-ness of the rice. 

Your house will smell AMAZING as this cooks.  Breathe deep, and ENJOY!  xoxo

[harvestofisis-blog]

Ramadan Kareem my people!

Even though I'll be breaking fast very simply for the next 30 days, I'm looking forward to sharing some of my favorite foods for Ramadan.  Atayef bil ishta (pancakes stuffed with cream), samboosak (fried meat pies), shorbit 3ads (yellow lentil soup)

mmmmm.  Stay tuned folks!  :)

[harvestofisis-blog]

on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, I am reflecting on so much this year. For the next 30 days, I will fast and pray for the health of my parents, my sister and brother, my niece and nephew, my loved ones. I will cultivate intentional connections with my people and my family in Egypt. I'll remember to pick up the phone to hear my mother's voice more often. I will prioritize building healt...hier, more intentional relationships with the folks in my life who I care about. I will turn off the computer and go for a walk instead. I will juice to break my fast and eat simply. I'll reach out more to people I want to get to know better. I will pray for the safety and security of my loved ones in the Arab world. I will continue to honor the struggles for justice and self determination of my peoples worldwide. I will pray for the well being of my heart. I will pray for the strength to hold gratitude in my heart and mind always. I will make friends with discipline. I will banish negative thoughts from my mind and invite joy into my life every moment. Ramadan Kareem everyone. #RamadanPromise

[harvestofisis-blog]

the baddest ass thing i've seen EVER

PALESTINIAN FEMALE SPEED RACERS

M.I.A eat your effin' heart out...

[harvestofisis-blog]

female graf artist from afghanistan this is dope <3

[harvestofisis-blog]

3ads bil Sal'eh (Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup)

Yummmm...nothing like a warm, steaming pot of soup to banish the rainy day blues.  It has been storming like crazy here in Oakland, and I've been craving this soup so I thought I'd throw up the recipe for you all to enjoy too.  <3

It's actually *not* Egyptian, but Lebanese.  But I did a little remix and added cumin, which makes it Egyptian in my book :)  Cumin is one of those ancient spices that has traditionally been added to bean stews.  My mama always told me to add cumin to any beans that I cook.  Apparently, from a scientific perspective, cumin cuts gas, which makes so much sense why our peoples have used it with beans!  I love the stuff, I make tea with it, I add it to salad dressings and stews and meats.  

Ok, enough babbling on about cumin and on with the recipe.  Take your time, prepare all the ingredients in advance, and enjoy your time in the kitchen!  If you listen close, you might even here my grandmama's flip flops echoing down the hallway...

---------------

Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup:

1 bunch of organic swiss chard (I like the red one), coarsely chopped

1 cup of organic lentils (if you can find the sprouted kind, use it, it's tastier)

6 cups of water

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbl of cumin

3 cardamon pods, cracked

3 tbl olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to boil in a big pot with the cracked cardamon pods.  I like to crack them gently with my teeth and savor the flavor in my mouth as I cook.  Add the lentils and cook for 15 minutes.  

While the lentils are cooking, stir fry the chopped onion and cumin in a pan till golden, then add the garlic and continue frying for 1 minute.  Smells amazing.  Add the chard to the pan and saute till the greens are wilted.  Mmmmmm.

When the lentils are tender, add the greens and onion mixture to the pot, and continue simmering for 10 min.  Add salt and pepper and taste test.  You may want to add more cumin.  

Once it's all nicely simmering, turn off the heat, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the pot.  Serve with a little dollop of yogurt if you feel inspired (now that's *really* lebanese).  

Even better the next day...mmmmmmmmm.

[harvestofisis-blog]

Egyptian Revolutionary Grafitti! Yes my people!

[harvestofisis-blog]

Even though I'm a proud Egyptian, I'm also a California girl at heart, and when it comes to fresh, organic salads, Cali does it well.  I love, love, love taboula! It's one of my favorite salads when the weather is nice, and a lot easier to make than most people think.  Taboula is traditionally from Lebanon, but we eat it through out the Arab world.  The California influence is in the Quinoa-- instead of the traditional bulgur, I make it gluten free with quionoa!

I also like to serve this yummy salad over avocado halves-- not only does it look amazing, but taboula and avocado go perfect together.  Just spoon the salad organically over a halved and peeled avocado, and you have the most amazing lunch.

Don't be scared to get creative with this one.  Sometimes I like to add a can of chick peas, or I'll even toss in some cooked barley.  It all comes out delicious in the end.  

As usual, buy organic ingredients if you can, and take your time making this perfect meal.  And share the bounty!

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of parsley.  

3-4 sprigs of fresh mint (I picked mine fresh from the garden).

2 medium tomatoes

1/2 cup multi-color quinoa if you can find it

2 persian cucumbers

1 sprig of green onion (optional)

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil (to taste)

couple shakes of kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

romaine lettuce leaves for garnish

Rinse the quinoa and cook on the stove for 10 minutes.  Make sure you don't overcook it, the quinoa will have a slight crunch to it which will give the salad a nice texture.  

Using a very sharp knife, coarsely chop the parsley and mint.  Make sure there aren't too many thick parsely stems, but it doesn't have to be perfect.  I like to coarsely chop the herbs because I like the texture of a few whole leaves here and there.  

Very finely slice the green onion.  Add to the herb mixture, along with the chopped tomato and cucumbers.  Chopping the tomato and cucumber is the most time consuming part because you want to make sure you chop them evenly in perfect little segments the size of your pinky nail.  The smaller the chop, the better the salad will look.  Make sure you are using a very sharp knife, it will make your experience much more pleasant.  I like to use large grape tomatoes, since they're already small they chop up to the right size.

Once everything is chopped up, cool your quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a sieve.  Drain it well, and then add it to the bowl of chopped up veggies and herbs.  

Add the fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate for an hour.  

Prepare the avocado right before serving, and spoon the delicious goodness right over the avocado half and let the extra taboula just fall off the edge of the avocado onto the plate.  

Yummy!

xoxo

[harvestofisis-blog]

Happy Eid (Fatta time!)

Eid Saa3eed good peoples!  It has always been my favorite time of the year since I was a kid-- new outfit, new shoes, money from the aunties and uncles, and parties!

But of course, the BEST part is the eating part :)

The classic dish for Eid al-Adha is fatta: a traditional Nubian dish.  The streets of Alexandria where my family is from is filled with little lambs ready for the slaughter during this festival.  Each family would slaughter 1 or more lambs and would donate the extra meat to the poor.  I remember as a kid marveling at the scores of lamb skins that would be laid out to dry on the rooftops.  Yeah, it was kind of gross all the blood and slaughtered animal funk, but the yummy dishes that would be crafted in the kitchen soon after were totally worth it!

Okay, enough about blood and guts, here's the recipe.  There's lots of steps to preparing this dish, but don't worry, they're easy.  And as always, be thankful and prepare all your ingredients in advance so you can cook in a relaxed and loving way— food always turns out better when you are not rushed.  xoxo

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs lamb (preferably shoulder/neck cut)

4 cups of water

2 cups white calrose rice

1/2 stick of butter

5 cardomon pods

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

3 tbsp white vinegar

4 cloves of garlic, crushed in a garlic press

2 small mastic rocks

2 loaves of pita bread

1/4 cup sunflower oil

Sear all sides of the lamb in a big stock pot in butter over medium heat.  Throw in the chopped onion, the cardomon, and bay leaves, ground mastic, and enough water to cover the meat.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours on low heat.  

Cut pita bread into triangles, and fry up in sunflower oil till crispy and light brown. Strain on paper towels and set aside.  

During the last half hour of the lamb stewing, melt 3 tbls of butter in a pot, add the rice and a little salt, and stir fry till the rice turns opaque.  Add 3 cups of boiling water, and simmer till cooked.  

Prepare the ta'aliyya at the very end right before serving.   Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan, and brown the crushed garlic till golden in the butter.   Pour the white vinegar in the pan, and cook down for 5 minutes. 

Layer the pita in a deep dish like so:

Pile on the hot steaming rice over the crispy bread, take the lamb out of the stock and layer over the rice.  Prepare the ta'liyya and pour over the entire dish, then ladle several ladle-fuls of the stock over everything till nice and moist.

And there you have it! Egyptian fatta that will feed 4-6. Yum!