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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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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

Shredded Cabbage and Tahini Dip

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(Egypt)

This salad, actually a dip of shredded cabbage and tahini seasoned with ground cumin, is delicious with grilled fish steaks.

The tahini sauce should be made many hours in advance in order to have time to mellow, while the cabbage should be added at the last minute, so as not to lose its texture. To ensure crunchiness, soak the cabbage leaves in ice water for at least 2 hours before placing them in the creamy dressing.

1/2 small head white cabbage, finely shredded (3 cups)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt plus more to taste
1/2 cup sesame seed paste (tahini)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or, in season, lemon juice mixed with the juice of bitter orange
Ground cumin
  1. Soak the cabbage in ice water 2 to 3 hours.
  2. Make a traditional tahini sauce: crush the garlic to a purée with the salt. In the workbowl of a food processor, blend the tahini with the lemon juice and crushed garlic until the mixture is white and tightens. Add 1/4 cup cold water and blend until smooth. Allow to mellow a few hours for the best flavor. Taste for salt and serve garnished with pinches of ground cumin.
  3. Just before serving, combine the cabbage and tahini and spread over grilled fish.

Serves 2 to 4.

With thanks to Nora George for sharing this recipe.

From “Mediterranean Grains and Greens” by Paula Wolfert

From Miami to Las Vegas you can find the restaurant that is perfect for your time out on the town. While Florida offers delights such as Brickell, Wynwood and South Beach there are many things to explore in the infamous Las Vegas where you can find a number of casinos to get your gaming fix while dining at 5-star restaurants.

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