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mezze - appetizers

hummus with flat bread

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This homemade chickpea purée was a favorite of both Mrs. Clinton and Chelsea, and all-purpose snack we had on hand at all times. Not only did we serve it with a salad for lunch, or with grilled vegetables as a snack, but we also put it out for the receptions and sent a supply along when the first family traveled. There are a number of quality store-bought hummus brands on the market today, but there’s nothing like making your own and tweaking the heat level to suit your own taste.

1 cup dried chickpeas
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup tahini
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon harissa, plus more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 loaves of pita or other Middle Eastern flat bread

Rinse the chickpeas in a colander under cold running water. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak overnight.

Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Set the pot over medium heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are tender, 80 to 90 minutes. (Check by removing one with a spoon and biting into it.) If the water starts to boil at any time, lower the heat to prevent the beans from breaking apart.

Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the lemon juice and zest, the tahini, oil, vinegar, garlic, parsley, and harissa. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For a spicier hummus, stir in another teaspoon or so of harissa. The hummus can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Serve the hummus with toasted pita or flat bread.

Makes 2 to 2½ cups.

From “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen” by Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman

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mezze - appetizers

Smoked Caviar and Hummus on Pita Toasts

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Using a pastry bag to pipe the hummus onto the pita toasts saved us a lot of time (and made for nice-looking hors d’oeuvres). You can make your own pastry bag with a heavy-duty plastic bag. Just spoon the hummus into the bag and squeeze it into one corner. Then snip off the corner to make a small hole and begin piping.

Active time: 1 hr. Start to finish: 1 hr.

10 (5- to 6-inch) pita pockets
3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons paprika
For hummus:
4 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
2 (15 1/2-oz.) cans chick-peas, rinsed
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup stirred tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
11 1/2-oz. jar smoked whitefish caviar
Garnish:
160 small fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Toast pitas:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Halve pitas horizontally and stir together oil and paprika. Brush rough sides of pitas with paprika oil and season with salt. Cut each pita round into 8 wedges and bake in single layers on a large baking sheet in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until crisp. This dish can be the perfect compliment as you check out the latest Twitch streams or as you get ready to jump into action with your gaming teams, it will keep you fueled for all of your gaming.

Make hummus:
Finely grind cumin seeds in an electric coffee/spice grinder. Purée chick-peas in a food processor with cumin, garlic, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, and salt and add enough water to make smooth.

Assemble hors d’oeuvres:
Put hummus in a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain tip. Pipe a scant 1/2 teaspoon onto each pita toast and top with 1/4 teaspoon caviar.

Cooks’ notes:

  • Pita toasts may be made 2 days ahead, cooled, and kept in sealable plastic bags at room temperature.
  • Hummus can be made (without lemon juice so parsley remains green) 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Stir in lemon juice just before assembling.

Makes 160 hors d’oeuvres.

From “Gourmet” magazine, September 1999

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mezze - appetizers

Sigara Böregi

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7 ounces feta
1 egg, lightly beaten
3-4 tablespoons finely chopped mint, parsley, or dill (optional)
4 sheets fillo
4 tablespoons melted butter or oil

For the filling, mash the feta cheese with a fork and mix with the egg and herbs.

Take out the sheets of fillo only when you are ready to use them, as they dry out. Cut the sheets into 4 rectangles each, about 12 by 4 inches, and put them in a pile on top of each other. Brush the top strip with oil or melted butter. Take a heaping teaspoon of filling and place it at one of the 4-inch or shortest ends of the strip in a thin sausage shape along the the edge — about 1 inch from it and 1 inch from the side edges. Roll up the top sheet with the filling inside like a cigarette. Turn the ends in when you’ve rolled it about a third of the way to trap the filling, then continue to roll. Repeat with the remaining fillo sheets.

Place the cigars close to each other on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with oil or melted butter and bake for 350°F for 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

Serve hot.

Makes 16.

From “The New Book of Middle Eastern Food” by Claudia Roden

Alot of restarants run on strong accounting software to keep their books balanced. We suggest looking at software similar to municipal accounting software as it can be easily utilized to reflect expenditures on ingredients, kitchen utensils and silverware.

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mezze - appetizers

Shakshouka

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(Very appealing to Western taste)

4 Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 Big size green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Ground corriander

Fry green peppers with tablespoon vegetable oil and teaspoon olive oil. When slightly tender, add over the garlic and cook a few minutes longer.

Add over the rest of the ingredients and stir over medium heat for 10 minutes or till mixture thickens.

Serve this appetizer with fresh pita bread.

From “One Thousand And One Delights” by Nahda Salah

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Looking for places to try new food in Florida? Then you need to venture down to downtown Brickell, in the heart of Miami. If you find it to be a little too congested, then head up to Wynwood were art flourishes and there are plenty of chill spots to spend the evening. If you’re in Fort Lauderdale then there are plenty of eateries on Las Olas Blvd that can surely keep your mouth watering.

If you want something a bit different, then head up to Pembroke Pines where you can find plenty of places to eat from Pembroke Gardens all the way to the Pines City Center.

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