Print this page
In Season >>
Conversion Chart >>

menu from the middle east Mezze (Starters) Zucchini in Tomato Sauce Hummus Chicken Livers All served with pita bread Main Course Moroccan Chicken Pie with Feta and Artichokes (on video) Tabbooleh Salad Yoghurt and Cucumber Salad Dessert Date and Pistachio Nut Ice Cream Turkish coffee

Zucchini in Tomato Sauce

Serves 6 as part of a mezze table

Ideal served as a starter to a Middle Eastern meal or delicious served hot as a family vegetable dish.

Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning to taste
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 T (45 ml) olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
500 g baby marrows, sliced into 3mm thick rounds
1 x 400 ml Ina Paarman's Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
2 T (30 ml) finely chopped fresh mint

Season the onions with Green Onion Seasoning. Sautè the onions in the olive oil until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic and sliced baby marrows, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add the Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce and Green Onion Seasoning to taste. Simmer for no more than 3 minutes. Stir in mint and leave to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Back to top

Hummus (Chickpea puree)

Hummus is one of the staples of a mezze spread. To save time you can use tinned chickpeas. The secret is to drain them, decant them into a saucepan with 2 cups of clean, fresh water and then to boil them for 15 minutes. This removes the excess salt and 'tinny' taste and softens the chickpeas. Now they are ready to chop in the processor.

1 x 400 g tin chick peas, drained
½ cup (125 ml) tahini paste *
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
Ina Paarman's Braai & Grill Seasoning or paprika
olive oil
parsley for garnish

Boil the drained chick peas as described in introduction. Reserve the cooking water for later in case the puree is too thick.

Put the chickpeas in a blender or food processor. Process to a smooth paste.

Add the tahini and pulse in using on/off mode. Add the lemon juice, garlic and Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning in the same way. Add about ½ cup of the cooking water to thin the mixture out. The consistency should be soft and creamy, but not runny.

Spoon into a shallow dish, raising the hummus at the edges and forming a hollow in the centre. Sprinkle the raised edges with a little Braai & Grill Seasoning and pool olive oil into the hollow. Garnish with parsley.Serve with Lebanese or pita breads for dipping.

*Available in the health food section of most supermarkets. It is a thin 'peanut butter' like paste made from sesame seeds. It is very popular in the Middle East.

Back to top

Chicken Livers

A filling and delicious nibble in pita bread triangles.

500 g free range chicken livers
3 T (45 ml) olive or canola oil
½ onion, peeled and spiked with 5 cloves
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Meat Spice
3 T (45 ml) lemon juice
olive oil
3 T (45 ml) finely chopped fresh coriander

Rinse the livers in a colander and shake off excess water. Preheat a dry, heavy based frying pan over high heat.

Add the oil to the pan and immediately lay the chicken livers in a single layer in the pan.

Place the clove studded onion in the middle. Season chicken livers lightly with Meat Spice.

Fry over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes until livers are browned on one side. Turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the livers are barely cooked. Stir in lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, cover with a lid and take off the heat. Leave to cool and serve in pita bread triangles, drizzled on the inside with olive oil. Garnish with fresh coriander.

The clove spiked onion can be discarded.

Back to top

Moroccan Chicken Pie with Feta and Artichokes

I have tweaked the original recipe a bit and given it the 'gourmet touch' with some of our products. This pie now really has the 'wow' factor.

8 chicken thighs on the bone, with skin on
2 t (10 ml) ground cumin
1 t (5 ml) cinnamon
1 t (5 ml) turmeric
1 cup (250 ml) hot water
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken Stock Powder
1 T (15 ml) butter
2 T (30 ml) canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
200 g feta cheese, drained and crumbled
3 eggs, hard boiled
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh coriander, chopped
2 T (30 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
8 sheets phyllo pastry
100 g butter, melted
1 x 400 g tin artichoke hearts, drained
edible gold dust (optional)

Preheat a heavy based frying pan. Add butter and oil. Add onions and season them lightly with Green Onion Seasoning. Sauté the onions until they are soft and lightly browned. Take time over this, it will take 10-15 minutes. Browning the onions properly is one of the secrets of this dish. Remove pan from the heat.

Remove chicken from the stock. Reserve the stock, strip off meat and discard the skin and bones. Using two forks shred the meat into long thin strips with the grain. Add the meat to the browned onion. Add feta, roughly chopped boiled eggs and chopped fresh herbs.

Blot excess fat off the stock with a double layer of absorbent paper towel. Whisk White Sauce Powder into the reserved stock. No need to cook, it will thicken in the oven. Add to chicken mixture. Taste for seasoning and add Green Onion Seasoning to taste if needed.

Carefully unroll the phyllo pastry. Keep it covered with a slightly damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Brush one sheet with melted butter and line a 25 cm round ovenproof dish with it, leaving the pastry edges to hang over the sides. Turn the dish slightly clockwise. Repeat with four more buttered sheets of pastry, turning every time. The points of the pastry will form a star all around the dish.

Spoon the filling into the dish. Position one whole artichoke in the middle of the filling so that it sits on top of the filling. Cut the remaining artichokes into quarters and arrange on top of the filling. Fold the star points of phyllo pastry back onto the filling.

Butter another sheet of phyllo and tent it on top of the pie. Repeat with the final two sheets of pastry. All this preparation can be done in advance. The pie can be kept refrigerated for a day or two or frozen for a month.

TO BAKE: preheat oven to 180°C. Bake pie for about 30-40 minutes. A frozen pie will take at least another 10 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with baking paper or foil.

When the pie comes out of the oven brush it lightly with gold dust before serving, for a final touch of glamour!

Back to top

Tabbooleh Salad (Parsley, Tomato and Bulgar)

Tabbooleh is normally served with firm lettuce leaves e.g. cos lettuce. The leaves are used to scoop up the salad.

1/3 cup (80 ml) bulgar wheat
1 cup (250 ml) warm tap water
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken Stock Powder
3 firm very ripe tomatoes
1 bunch of spring onions
1 big bunch of fresh parsley, rinsed and dried
1 cup (250 ml) mint leaves
½ t (2.5 ml) cinnamon
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Greek Lemon Vinaigrette
1 punnet cos lettuce

Cover the bulgar wheat with water, add Chicken Stock Powder and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Drain off surplus water in a sieve. Place in a mixing bowl. Halve the tomatoes, put cut sides down and first slice and then dice the tomatoes into ½ cm x ½ cm cubes - add to bulgar wheat.

Slice the spring onions with green tops and add.

Chop the stemmed parsley and the mint leaves and add. Mix the cinnamon and Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning. Sprinkle spice mix over the salad. Add Greek Lemon Vinaigrette and turn with two spoons until well tossed. Serve and eat with lettuce leaves.

Back to top

Yoghurt and Cucumber Salad (Laban ma khyar)

This salad is also often used as a dip, but then the cucumber is grated.

2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
2 cups (500 ml) double cream Greek yoghurt
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh mint, chopped

Layer the cucumber slices in a colander with the Seasoned Sea Salt. Leave to drain over a bowl for at least 30 minutes. Place a saucer over the cucumber (right side up) and push down on the saucer to expel as much liquid as you can. Mix the cucumber and chopped mint with the yoghurt.

CHEF'S TIP:

To firm the yoghurt - line a sieve with muslin or white absorbent kitchen paper and add yoghurt. Drip it overnight, covered, over a bowl in the fridge.

Back to top

Date and Pistachio Nut Ice Cream

Our Cheesecake Mix is an excellent base for home-made ice cream. Try this delicious variant inspired by the Middle East.

1 cup (250 ml) cold water
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman's Lemon Cheesecake Mix
3 cups (750 ml) fresh cream
100 g dried dates, cut into small pieces
100 g pistachio nuts, shelled. Rinse, if salted, and chop coarsely
fresh figs, pomegranate seeds or dates to garnish
fresh flowers to garnish

Measure the water into a medium size mixing bowl. Sprinkle the Cheesecake Mix over and beat until well blended. In another mixing bowl, whip the cream until stiff. Using the same beaters, whip the cheesecake mixture once again until smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream, fold dates and chopped nuts into the cheesecake mixture using a spatula or metal spoon. Stir until evenly blended.

Spoon into a 2 litre dome shaped mould or deep pyrex mixing bowl lined with a double layer of cling film - see masterclass for technique. Freeze overnight.

Remove from the freezer, to the fridge, about half an hour before serving to make dishing up easier. Garnish with gay abandon!

Back to top