Hummus med feta og gulerod

Denne hummus er lidt en luksusudgave peppet op med feta og gulerod. Spis den på et godt stykke brød toppet med fx avocado eller langtidsbagte tomater eller som dip til salater, kød eller fisk.

Ingredienser

1 ds kogte kikærter

1 gulerod

25 g hård feta

1 citron, saften

1 spsk tahin

1 tsk stødt spidskommen

1 fed hvidløg

Olivenolie

Salt og peber

Fremgangsmåde

Blend alle ingredienser sammen, hvor olienolie tilsættes til en blød konsistens er opnået. Smag til med salt og peber.

Falafel

For tiden er jeg svært glad for mad fra mellemøsten, og hér ligger falafler særligt højt på listen over geniale småretter indenfor denne kategori. 

Ingredienser (ca. 40 stk.)

400 g Kikærter (tørre)

75 g Tahin

1/2 Citron (saften)

5 Hvidløgsfed

1 Løg

1 tsk Spidskommen 

1 tsk Koriander

1 tsk Bagepulver

1 bdt Bredbladet persille

1 spsk Salt

Olivenolie til stegning

Fremgangsmåde

Skyl kikærterne og sæt dem i blød i rigeligt vand natten over. 

Hæld vandet fra og blend med de resterende ingredienser. Form små falafler (ca. 25 g) og steg disse i rigelig og meget varm olivenolie indtil gyldne. 

Saltsyltede Citroner

I sin tid kastede jeg mig ud i at lave saltsyltede citroner uden at ane hvordan de smagte, men da både Camilla Plum og Brødrene Price indenfor noget lignende én måned havde dem på programmet, kunne der måske være lidt fornuft i at give det en chance. 

- Og hvordan blev de så....ja, råt fra glasset smager de bestemt ikke rart, men de kommer til gengæld til deres ret i fx chili sin carne, indiske gryderetter og diverse risretter, hvor de giver retten en (for mig nu) uundværlig dimension. Derfor kan jeg kun anbefale alle at have saltsyltede citroner i deres basislager.

Ingredienser

Glas med tætsluttende låg (atamonskyllet)

Økocitroner

Salt

Fremgangsmåde

Skær et antal citroner i kvarte så de passer til størrelsen på dit glas. Citronerne skal med god kraft presses ned i glasset så der samtidig presses saft ud. Når der ikke kan være flere hældes salt på, og der rystes godt og presses yderligere på citronerne, så disse dækkes godt med salt både over, under og i alle mellemrum.

Skru låget på og lad citronerne trække i minimum 4 uger. I mellemtiden skal du dog holde øje med at citronerne er dækket af væske, og synker niveauet for meget hæld da mere citronsaft og / eller salt over.
Opbevares i køleskab.

Hummus

I've never met anyone who didn't like hummus and I can probably count the hummus-dislikers that I'll meet in the future on one hand.
Hummus is fantastic, its great with hundreds of things (e.g. salads, sandwiches, fried fish... you name it) and is one of the easiest things to make in like 2 minutes (as long as you use canned chickpeas or from the time you have them soaked and boiled).
On a festival  earlier this summer, I had a sandwich with hummus and strawberries, which was absolutely fantastic and I'll definately repeat the succes next year when the strawberry season kicks in. Here in august, as other berries like raspberries, black- and blueberries are just perfect, it could be an idea to make a hummus/berries sandwich with some of those.....

Ingredients
250 g Chickpeas (ready to use - that is, canned or soaked and boiled)
2 tbs Tahin
2 tbs Olive oil
4 tbs Lemon juice
1 Garlic glove (or not - as you like)
1 tsp Ground cumin
Salt/pepper

Broad-leaved parsley (topping)
Paprike (topping)

Directions
Blend all the ingredients and season with salt & pepper.
Arrange in a small bowl, springle with a litte olive oil, and top with torn broad-leaved parsley and paprike. Serve and enjoy!

Fyldte Vinblade

To make stuffed wine leaves is a little time consuming but it really pays off in the end - and you'll have enough of these gorgeous small packages for some days, a lot of friends, or a large family. 

Beside serving them with cold yogurt and lime or lemon (which is absolutely neccesary), a bulgur salad and hummus suits them very well indeed. 

Ingredients (40-45)
1 Package of wine leaves (vacuum packed)
2 Onions
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
50 g Almonds (chopped)
175 g Basmati rice
6 dL Vegetable boullion
3 tbs Broad-leaved parsley (chopped)
100 g Raisins (chopped)
2 tsp Lemon juice
Salt/pepper
1 1/2 dL Olive oil

Directions
Place the wine leaves in a large dish. Add boiled water and leave them herein for 20 minutes before rinsing well with cold water.
Meanwhile you can prepare the filling. Finely chop the onions and fry 2-3 minutes at medium heat in a little of the olive oil. Add cinnamon, paprika, cayenne pepper, almonds, and rice and fry for another 3-4 minutes during stirring. Add boullion and simmer under the lid for 10 minutes, or untill the rice is cooked and no liquid is left. Add parsley and raisins, adjust with lemon juice, salt & pepper and cool off.
Add a tablespoon of the filling to the stalk end of each wine leaf and fold once, pressing the filling well into the end of the leaf. Tuck in the sides of the leaf and roll it up to make a tight cylinder.
Cover the bottom and sides of a large pot or sauté pan with unfilled wine leaves and place the stuffed wine leaves in one or two layers herein - important here is that they are packed tighly to avoid them to "brake up" during the boiling. Season with a little salt and pepper between each layer. Pour over the rest of the olive oil plus enough water to cover the packed leaves. Place a lid or plate topped with some weight, e.g. a can of tomatoes, on top of the filled wine leaves to keep them fixed to the buttom of the pot. Boil at low heat for 1 hour.
Cool completely off before serving with cold yogurt and lime or lemon.

Bulgur Salat

The most important ingredient of bulgur salad is, at least in my opinion, loads of parsley.
This version contains loads of both parsley and mint, which together with cucumber, spring onions, chili, and olives work extraordinary well - either by itself, as a light lunch, or as a side dish for dinner.

Ingredients (4-6 persons)
2 dL Bulgur
2-4 tbs Lime juice

2-4 tbs Olive oil

Salt/pepper

1 Cucumber
4 Spring onions
1 Large handfull broad-leaved parsley
1 Handfull fresh mint
1 Red chili
150 g Black Olives

Directions
Prepare the bulgur as directed by the manufacturer. Adjust with lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cool off. Remove the inner part of the cucumber. Finely chop cucumber, spring onions, parsley, mint, and chili. Add all the chopped parts, together with the olives, to the chilled bulgur - mix well.

Fladbrød med Tørrede Løg og Nigellafrø

This bread is highly recommendable for diverse soups and Arabic food.

Ingredients (1 bread)
2 dL Lukewarm water
1 tbs Sugar
2 tsp Salt
10 g Fresh yeast
50 g Rye flour
200 g Flour
1 tbs Dried onions
1 tbs Nigella seeds
Olive oil

Directions 
Dissolve the yeast, sugar, and salt in the water. Add first the rye flour and then the rest of the flour little by little. Knead the dough on a well floured table for 5-10 min - the dough will be a little sticky. Let the dough rise for 1 hour in a bowl covered with a tea towel.
Transfer the dough to a baking tray with floured baking paper and form a long flad bread with the hands. Add the dried onions and nigella seed and work them good into the bread. Top with a little olive oil and let the bread rise uncovered for 1 hour. Bake the bread in a 200°C warm oven for 12-15 minutes.

Bonus
Nigella seeds have been used for numerous medical purposes for centuries. Among these are treatments  of stomach-, intestinal,- respiratory-, kidney-, circulatory-, and immune system disorders as they are postulated to be analgesic, antiinflammatory, antiallergic, antioxidants, anticancer, and antiviral.

Bulgursalat med Radisser & Dild

This bulgur version is ideal for fish dishes.

Ingredients (4 persons)

3 dL Bulgur

3 Tablespoons of Olive oil

1 Lime

10 Radishes 

1 Large handfull of broad-leaf parsley 

1 Large handfull of dill

3 Spring onions 

Salt/pepper

Directions

Cook the bulgur as directed by the manufacturer and add olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice to the warm bulgur. Cool off. 

Slice up the radishes and finely chop the parsley, dill, and spring onions- add to the bulgur and season with salt and pepper. 

Try the deluxe Arabic version with a pepper seasoned tuna steak cooked on a very hot pan 1 1/2 minute on each side (season with salt at serving), lots of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, and hummus.

Bonus

"Parsley is rich in iron, strengthens the bladder, and increases mineral (potassium) reabsorption. Dill is said to have an anti-gas property and may be used to relieve digestive problems".