The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Part 20

If you will be baking the vegetables in the oven, the filling must be cooked. Fry the onion in 2 tablespoons of oil till soft, add the ground meat, and stir gently, crushing and turning it over, until it changes color. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, cover with cup water, and simmer for 18 minutes, or until the rice is done.

Rice Filling To fill about 2 pounds of vegetables This meatless filling is for vegetables to be eaten cold. These are usually cooked with olive oil. If the vegetables are to be stewed, the rice is used raw; if they are baked, it has to be cooked. This meatless filling is for vegetables to be eaten cold. These are usually cooked with olive oil. If the vegetables are to be stewed, the rice is used raw; if they are baked, it has to be cooked.

cup short- or medium-grain rice 1 tomato, peeled and chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Salt and pepper teaspoon ground cinnamon or teaspoon ground allspice (optional) If the vegetables are to be stewed, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, kneading well by hand until thoroughly blended. When filling the vegetables, allow room for the rice to expand.

Use boiled rice and pack the vegetables a little more tightly if they are to be baked.

Variation Usual additions are: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill or mint or 1 tablespoon dried, and 5 finely chopped scallions.

A Rice and Chickpea Filling To fill about 2 pounds of vegetables * This too is for vegetables to be eaten cold. This too is for vegetables to be eaten cold.

cup cooked chickpeas (you may use canned ones) cup short- or medium-grain rice 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped Salt and pepper cup chopped fresh mint teaspoon ground cinnamon or teaspoon ground allspice Crush and mash the chickpeas and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Work well with your hand.

Cook the rice if you are going to bake rather than stew the vegetables.

Eggplants Stuffed with Meat and Rice Serves 6 These can be baked, or cooked in a pan with water or stock. They are often cooked with other vegetables stuffed with a similar filling, and sometimes placed in a meat stew. These can be baked, or cooked in a pan with water or stock. They are often cooked with other vegetables stuffed with a similar filling, and sometimes placed in a meat stew.

12 small (3 -4 -inch) or 6 medium (6-inch) long and slim eggplants Meat-and-rice filling (page 306) 4 tablespoons vegetable oil Salt and pepper Juice of 1 lemon Cut off the stem ends of the eggplants and reserve. Soften the pulp by rolling them on the table and pressing them with the palm of your hand. Hollow them, using an apple corer or a special tool for hollowing vegetables (you find them in Arab markets). Insert the corer through the cut end and push it as far as possible, making sure that you don't break through the other end, and twisting it to loosen the pulp and pull it out. Repeat to make a reason- Prepare the filling in a bowl, using raw rice.

Stuff the eggplant sh.e.l.ls three-quarters full with the filling, to allow room for the rice to expand. Close them with the reserved "corks."

Put the oil in a large saucepan. Place the eggplants in it, packed close and in layers. Add enough water, mixed with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, barely to cover them. Cover with a lid, and cook over gentle heat for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants and the filling are tender. Remove the lid at the end so that the water, if any is left, evaporates.

Serve hot.

Imam Bayildi Cold Stuffed Eggplant with Onions and Tomatoes Serves 6 This famous Turkish dish is served as a cold appetizer or first course. Conflicting stories are told about the origin of its name, which means "the Imam fainted." Some say it came about when an imam (Muslim priest) fainted with pleasure on being served it by his wife. Others believe that the Imam fainted when he heard how expensive the ingredients were, and how much olive oil had gone into the making. The dish is part of the range of This famous Turkish dish is served as a cold appetizer or first course. Conflicting stories are told about the origin of its name, which means "the Imam fainted." Some say it came about when an imam (Muslim priest) fainted with pleasure on being served it by his wife. Others believe that the Imam fainted when he heard how expensive the ingredients were, and how much olive oil had gone into the making. The dish is part of the range of zeytinyagli zeytinyagli (cooked in olive oil) dishes Turkey is famous for. It can be cooked in a saucepan or in the oven.

6 small (3 -4 -inch) long and thin eggplants Salt cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup good-quality tomato juice 1 teaspoon sugar, or more Juice of 1 lemon FOR THE FILLING.

1 large onions, cut in half and sliced thinly 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped Salt Trim the stalk ends of the eggplants (you may leave the stalk). Peel off /2-inch-wide strips of skin lengthwise, leaving alternate strips of peel and bare flesh. Make a deep cut on one side of each eggplant lengthwise, from one end to the other, but not right through, so as to make a pocket. Soak the eggplants in water with 1 tablespoon of salt and leave for 30 minutes, then drain and dry them.

For the filling, soften the onions gently in the oil, but do not let them color. Add garlic and stir for a moment or two, until the aroma rises. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt, and mix well.

Stuff the eggplants with this mixture and place them tightly side by side, with the opening on top, in a wide, shallow pan. Pour over them the oil and enough tomato juice to cover, mixed with a little sugar, salt, and the lemon juice. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, or until the eggplants are soft and the liquid is much reduced.

If you want to bake the stuffed eggplants instead, arrange them in a baking dish, cut side on top, with the rest of the ingredients poured over. Cover with foil and cook in a preheated 400F oven for 1 hour, or until soft.

Allow to cool before arranging on a serving dish. Serve cold.

Variations Some cooks fry the eggplants very briefly first in olive oil.

If the eggplants are too large for 1 person, cut them in half and make the slash into the cut side.

For zucchini imam bayildi imam bayildi, hollow 2 pounds zucchini by scooping out their centers from the stem end, using an apple corer (see page 315), taking care not to pierce them right through. Stuff with the above filling and set the zucchini in layers, side by side, on a bed of tomato slices in a large pan. Pour over them about cup extra-virgin olive oil mixed with a teaspoon of sugar and a little salt. Cover the vegetables with water and simmer, covered, over low heat, for hour, or until soft.

Karniyarik Eggplants with Meat Filling Serves 6 These eggplants-the Turkish name means "slashed belly"-represent a main dish to be served hot with a rice or bulgur pilaf. The Syrian and Lebanese version is with the meat filling on page 306. These eggplants-the Turkish name means "slashed belly"-represent a main dish to be served hot with a rice or bulgur pilaf. The Syrian and Lebanese version is with the meat filling on page 306.

6 medium (6-inch) thin and long medium (6-inch) thin and long eggplants Salt Vegetable oil 2 onions, chopped pound ground beef or lamb 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 large tomatoes, one peeled and chopped, the other cut into 6 slices to garnish Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 cup good-quality tomato juice Trim the caps and leave the stems on the eggplants. Peel /2-inch strips off the skins lengthwise, leaving /2-inch stripes of skin. Soak in water with 1 tablespoon salt and leave for 30 minutes, then drain and dry them. Fry them very briefly in hot shallow oil, 2 or 3 at a time in a skillet, turning to brown them lightly all over, then drain on paper towels.

For the filling, in another skillet heat 2-3 tablespoons fresh oil, and fry the onions until soft. Add the meat and cook for about 10 minutes, crushing the meat with a fork and turning it over, until it changes color. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes, salt and pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir well, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced.

Place the eggplants side by side in a single layer in a baking dish. With a sharp-pointed knife, make a slit in each one, lengthwise, along one of the bare strips on the top, without reaching the 2 ends (up to about 1 inch from each end). With a dessert spoon, open out the slits and push open the flesh on the sides to make a hollow pocket.

Fill each eggplant with some of the filling, and garnish with a slice of tomato placed on top. Pour the tomato juice into the dish, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are soft.

Variations For Syrian and Lebanese sheikh el mahshi betingan sheikh el mahshi betingan, use 6 medium eggplants with the meat filling on page 306. The juice of 1 lemon may be added to the liquid in the baking dish. It is also common to cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and bake them with the filling spread all over the cut sides.

SYRIAN SAYING:.

"The woman killed herself with work, yet the feast lasted only one day."

Sweet-and-Sour Stuffed Eggplants Serves 6 A Persian filling of meat and rice with yellow split peas is cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce and served hot with plain rice. A Persian filling of meat and rice with yellow split peas is cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce and served hot with plain rice.

12 small (3 -4 -inch) or 6 medium (6-inch) long and slim eggplants 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil cup wine vinegar cup sugar teaspoon powdered saffron For the filling cup yellow split peas cup rice Salt 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons vegetable oil pound lean ground lamb or beef Pepper 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 3 scallions, finely chopped (optional) teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of grated nutmeg Cut off the stem ends of the eggplants, and hollow them using an apple corer or a special tool for hollowing vegetables (you find them in Arab markets). Push the corer into the pulp as far as possible, making sure that you don't break through the other end, twisting it to loosen the pulp and pull it out. Repeat to make a reasonably large hole. (Use up the discarded flesh for another dish.) Prepare the filling. Cook the yellow split peas and the rice in unsalted water for about 18 minutes, adding salt towards the end, when the split peas have softened. Saute the onion in the oil until soft. Put the onion and the rest of the filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, and work with your hand until thoroughly blended. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture so that they are almost full.

Pack the eggplants in a large pan and arrange side by side, in 2 or 3 layers on top of each other. Barely cover with water mixed with the oil. Simmer gently, covered, for about hour. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and saffron, pour over the vegetables, and continue to cook gently, covered, for another hour.

Fattet al Betingan Mahshi Stuffed Eggplants with Toasted Bread, Tomatoes, and Yogurt Serves 6 This Syrian and Lebanese dish, for which the city of Damascus is famous, is complex and requires time, but it is not difficult and it has dramatic appeal, with different layers of texture and flavor. There are those who prefer deep-frying the stuffed eggplants and the bread, and those who stew the eggplants in tomato sauce and toast the bread instead of frying. I have tried both ways and found them both delicious. A little sour-pomegranate concentrate gives a brown color and sweet-and-sour flavor to the tomato sauce. This Syrian and Lebanese dish, for which the city of Damascus is famous, is complex and requires time, but it is not difficult and it has dramatic appeal, with different layers of texture and flavor. There are those who prefer deep-frying the stuffed eggplants and the bread, and those who stew the eggplants in tomato sauce and toast the bread instead of frying. I have tried both ways and found them both delicious. A little sour-pomegranate concentrate gives a brown color and sweet-and-sour flavor to the tomato sauce.

Vegetable oil 12 ounces ground beef or lamb Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice cup pine nuts 6 small eggplants (3 -4 inches long), weighing about 1 pounds 2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate or mola.s.ses (optional) 2 pita breads 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt or 1 cups thick, drained yogurt at room temperature 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional) For the eggplant stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Put in the meat and cook for about 10 minutes, adding salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice, and crushing the meat with a fork and turning it over until it is cooked and the liquid has evaporated.

In a small skillet, fry the pine nuts in a drop of oil, shaking the pan to brown them lightly all over. Stir half the pine nuts into the meat.

Wash and dry the eggplants and hollow them out with a corer (see page 315). Fill them with the meat-and-pine-nut mixture. (Use the eggplant flesh for another dish.) Make the tomato sauce in a wide pan or baking pan. Put in the tomatoes with the sugar, a little salt and pepper, and, if you like, the pomegranate concentrate. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes. Put in the eggplants, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until the eggplants are very soft, turning them over once.

Open out the pita breads, cutting around them with scissors or a serrated knife, and separating them into halves. Toast them under the broiler until they are crisp and lightly browned.

Mix the yogurt with the garlic, if using.

Just before serving, a.s.semble the different components in a wide and deep serving dish. Break the toast into small pieces with your hands into the bottom of the dish. Take the eggplants out of the tomato sauce, and pour the tomato sauce over the toast, which will become soft and bloated. Pour the yogurt all over, and arrange the stuffed eggplants on top. Then sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts.

Variations Instead of cooking the eggplants in the tomato sauce, fry them in enough medium-hot oil to half-cover them, turning to cook them all over. The skins (there is no bare flesh) stop them from absorbing the oil. Lift them out and drain on paper towels.

Mix 2 tablespoons tahina paste with the yogurt.

Eggplants Stuffed with Rice Serves 6 Serve cold as a first course. Serve cold as a first course.

12 very small (3-3 -inch) eggplants Rice filling or rice-and-chickpea filling (page 307) cup extra-virgin olive oil pound tomatoes, thinly sliced Cut off the stem ends of the eggplants and reserve to use as "corks." Hollow them, using an apple corer or a special tool for hollowing vegetables (you find them in Arab markets). Insert the corer through the cut end and push it in as far as possible, making sure that you don't break through the other end, and twisting it to loosen the pulp and pull it out. Repeat to make a reasonably large hole. (Use up the discarded flesh for another dish, such as a stew or a salad.) Prepare one of the fillings in a bowl, using raw rice. Stuff the eggplants only three-quarters full, to allow the rice to expand. Close the openings with the reserved "corks."

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of sliced tomatoes and arrange the stuffed eggplants in layers on top. Cover with another layer of tomato slices, and pour the remaining olive oil all over. Add water to cover the vegetables, and simmer over very low heat, covered, for 30-45 minutes, or until the eggplants and their fillings are cooked, adding a little more water if necessary. The liquid should be very much reduced by the end of cooking. Remove the lid to evaporate it if necessary.

Allow to cool in the saucepan, and turn out onto a serving dish.

Variation In the rice-and-chickpea filling, the chickpeas may be replaced by chopped walnuts.

Mahshi Kousa Zucchini Stuffed with Meat and Rice Serves 6-8 Stuffed zucchini was one of our everyday dishes in Cairo. When my parents settled in London, my mother searched for a long time for a proper zucchini corer but in the end settled for an apple corer to do the job. In the past it was customary to fry the zucchini in b.u.t.ter until lightly colored before stewing, but it is usual now to omit this step. The most common filling is the meat-and-rice one called Stuffed zucchini was one of our everyday dishes in Cairo. When my parents settled in London, my mother searched for a long time for a proper zucchini corer but in the end settled for an apple corer to do the job. In the past it was customary to fry the zucchini in b.u.t.ter until lightly colored before stewing, but it is usual now to omit this step. The most common filling is the meat-and-rice one called hashwa hashwa (page 306). (page 306).

2 pounds small or medium-sized zucchini Meat-and-rice filling (without the onions) (page 306) 1 or 2 tomatoes, sliced 2 tablespoons tomato paste Juice of 1 lemons 2-4 cloves garlic Salt 1 teaspoon crushed dried mint Wash the zucchini and slice off the stem end. With a long, narrow apple or vegetable corer (they are long and thin and you find them in Arab markets), make a hole at this end of each vegetable and scoop out the pulp, being careful not to break the skin and not to break through the other end, which must remain closed. This is done by digging in gently and giving a sharp quick twist before pulling out the pulp. It is a skill that is acquired with a little practice. Keep the pulp for a stew or salad.

Prepare the filling in a bowl. Fill each zucchini two-thirds full only, to allow room for the rice to swell. There is no need to block the openings. (continued) (continued) Mahshi Kousa (continued) Lay a few thin slices of tomato in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan. Place the stuffed zucchini side by side in layers on top of the tomatoes. Mix the tomato paste with 1 cups water and the juice of 1 lemon and pour over the zucchini. Add more water if necessary to cover the zucchini. Cover the saucepan and simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, or until the zucchini are soft.

Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt. Mix with the mint and the remaining lemon juice, sprinkle over the zucchini, and continue cooking for a few minutes longer. The mint is added at the end, because prolonged cooking tends to spoil the taste.

Variations For Syrian stuffed zucchini with tamarind, add 2-3 tablespoons tamarind paste (see page 46) and 2 tablespoons sugar to the 1 cups water and bring to the boil, stirring, until the tamarind is dissolved.

Iranians favor the filling with yellow split peas on page 313, and serve the zucchini topped with yogurt.

For mahshi cousa bi banadoura mahshi cousa bi banadoura, cook the zucchini in the following tomato sauce: Fry 1 large chopped onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until golden. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, and when it begins to color add 1 pound peeled and chopped tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Mahshi Kousa bel Laban Stuffed Zucchini Cooked in Yogurt A delicious version, to be served hot with plain rice or with delicious version, to be served hot with plain rice or with roz bil s.h.a.ghria roz bil s.h.a.ghria (rice with vermicelli, page 340). (rice with vermicelli, page 340).

Prepare stuffed zucchini as in the preceding recipe for mahshi kousa mahshi kousa, using the meat-and-rice filling. Arrange them in a saucepan, and only just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the zucchini are nearly done, adding a little more water if necessary.

Stabilize about 1 quart yogurt for cooking (page 113) so that it does not curdle.

Crush 3 garlic cloves with a little salt. Add about 1 teaspoon crushed dried mint, and mix well. Fry this mixture in 1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter for moments only, until it begins to color, and stir into the yogurt. Pour this over the zucchini and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes longer.

Serve hot.

Mahshi Kousa bel Mishmish Stuffed Zucchini with Apricots This was a family favorite.

Soak 1 -2 cups dried apricots of a tart, natural variety for 1 hour.

Prepare and stuff zucchini as in the basic recipe for mahshi kousa mahshi kousa on page 315, using the meat filling (without rice) on page 306. on page 315, using the meat filling (without rice) on page 306.

Drain the apricots, reserving the soaking water. Cut them open without separating the halves completely. Arrange a layer of fruit halves over the bottom of a large saucepan. Place a layer of stuffed zucchini side by side over the apricots, and cover them with a second layer of apricots. Continue with alternate layers of vegetables and fruit, ending with a layer of fruit.

Mix the water in which the apricots have been soaked with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the juice of 2 lemons and pour into the pan. Add water if necessary, barely to cover the vegetables. Cook, covered, over very low heat for about 1 hour, until the stuffed zucchini are soft, adding water a ladle at a time, as the liquid in the pan becomes absorbed.

Peppers Stuffed with Rice Serves 6 Serve cold as a first course. Choose peppers that can stand on their bases. Serve cold as a first course. Choose peppers that can stand on their bases.

1 large onion, finely chopped 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cups short-grain or risotto rice Salt and pepper 1-2 teaspoons sugar 3 tablespoons pine nuts 3 tablespoons currants 1large tomato, peeled and chopped teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice 2teaspoons dry mint 3tablespoons chopped dill or parsley Juice of 1 lemon 6 medium green or red bell peppers Fry the onion in 3 tablespoons of the oil until soft. Add the rice and stir until thoroughly coated and translucent. Pour in 2 cups water and add salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir well, and cook 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed but the rice is still a little underdone. Stir in the pine nuts, currants, tomato, cinnamon, allspice, mint, dill or parsley, lemon juice, and the rest of the oil.

To stuff the peppers, cut a circle around the stalk end and set aside to use as caps (with the stalk). Remove the cores and seeds with a spoon, and fill with the rice mixture. Replace the caps. Arrange side by side in a shallow baking dish, pour about inch of water into the bottom, and bake at 375F for 45-55 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Serve cold.

Variation Stuff the peppers with meat or meat-and-rice filling, page 306, and serve hot.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Herbed Rice Serves 4 You can serve these hot or cold. You can serve these hot or cold.

1 medium onion, chopped 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoons tomato paste cup short-grain or risotto rice 1 cups water Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon chopped mint 1 tablespoon chopped dill 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Juice of -1 lemon or 1 tablespoon sumac teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 firm, large (beefsteak) tomatoes or 10 small tomatoes For the filling, fry the onion in 1 tablespoon of the oil till golden. Stir in the tomato paste and the rice. Add the water, salt, and pepper, stir well, and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Mix in the mint, dill, parsley, lemon juice or sumac, allspice, cinnamon, and the remaining oil.

Cut a small circle around the stalk and cut out a cap from each tomato. Remove and discard (or save for another dish) the pulp and seeds with a pointed teaspoon. Fill with the rice stuffing and replace the caps. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20-30 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft, keeping watch so that you can remove them if they start to fall apart.

Variations A Lebanese version has 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup and cup chopped walnuts in the rice filling. Another has 3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts and 3 tablespoons raisins. For these, use the master recipe, omitting the herbs and the sumac. Lebanese version has 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup and cup chopped walnuts in the rice filling. Another has 3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts and 3 tablespoons raisins. For these, use the master recipe, omitting the herbs and the sumac.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Roast Peppers, Tuna, Capers, and Olives Serves 6 This version of the Tunisian This version of the Tunisian mesh-weya mesh-weya (page 85) can be served hot or cold. I prefer it cold. (page 85) can be served hot or cold. I prefer it cold.

4 red bell peppers Salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil cup flaked canned tuna 2 tablespoons capers cup chopped black olives Peel of preserved lemon (page 459), chopped 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 6 large tomatoes For the filling, roast and peel the peppers (see page 84), remove the seeds, and cut into strips about inch wide. Mix with the rest of the ingredients except the tomatoes.

Cut a small circle around the stalk of each tomato and cut out a cap. Remove the pulp and seeds with a pointed teaspoon. Fill with the roast-pepper mixture and replace the caps. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are a little soft, keeping watch so that they do not fall apart.

Variation In Tunisia they may add 1 or 2 garlic cloves, 1 minced hot chili pepper, and 1 teaspoon of tabil tabil (page 48). (page 48).

Sheikh el Mahshi Banadoura Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Meat, Currants, and Pine Nuts Serves 4-8 This is to be served hot. This is to be served hot.

8 medium tomatoes 1 onion, chopped 3 tablespoons sunflower oil pound lean ground lamb or beef Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon currants or raisins 2 tablespoons pine nuts or coa.r.s.ely chopped walnuts teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Cut a circle around the stalk end of the tomatoes and cut out a cap from each. Remove the pulp and seeds with a pointed teaspoon.

Fry the onion in oil till golden. Add the meat, salt, and pepper. Turn the meat over and squash it with a fork until it changes color. Stir in the currants or raisins and the pine nuts or walnuts, and add cinnamon, allspice, and parsley.

Fill the tomatoes with this and cover with their tops. Put them close to each other in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, being careful that they do not fall apart.

Variation Dilute 2 tablespoons tomato paste in about cup water. Season with salt and pepper, and add 4 tablespoons oil and the chopped tomato pulp. Pour over the stuffed tomatoes before baking.

Mahshi Kharshouf Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms with Meat and Pine Nuts Serves 4 This old cla.s.sic is prestigious in the Arab world. In Egypt, during their season, artichokes were sold by vendors who brought crates to the kitchen door, and our cook pared the bottoms. Nowadays I use frozen artichoke bottoms that are so good you cannot tell they are not fresh. Look for them (a flat-cup variety) as produce of Egypt in Middle Eastern stores. This old cla.s.sic is prestigious in the Arab world. In Egypt, during their season, artichokes were sold by vendors who brought crates to the kitchen door, and our cook pared the bottoms. Nowadays I use frozen artichoke bottoms that are so good you cannot tell they are not fresh. Look for them (a flat-cup variety) as produce of Egypt in Middle Eastern stores.

1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons sunflower oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts 10 ounces ground veal, lamb, or beef 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Salt and pepper teaspoon allspice teaspoon cinnamon 1 small egg, lightly beaten A 14-ounce package frozen artichoke bottoms (about 9), defrosted, or 9 or 10 fresh ones (see page 282 for preparation) Juice of -1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil Fry the onion in the oil till golden. Add the pine nuts and stir till lightly colored. Mix the raw meat, flat-leaf parsley, salt and pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and egg, and knead to a soft paste with your hands. Then work in the onions and pine nuts.

Take lumps of the meat mixture and fill the artichoke bottoms, making little mounds. Place them in a shallow baking dish.

Mix the lemon juice with the olive oil and about 1 cup water and pour into the dish. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes, until the meat is done.

Serve hot or cold.

Variations You may add teaspoon turmeric to the water in the baking dish.

For an alternative filling: Mix the ground beef with 1 egg and 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed dry. Add salt and pepper, -1 teaspoon thyme, and a pinch of nutmeg, and knead well.

A Tunisian version of the filling is ground veal with 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, salt, and pepper, mixed with 1 lightly beaten egg.

Mahshi Ba.s.sal bel Tamarhendi Onion Rolls Stuffed with Meat in Tamarind Sauce Serves 4-6 This elegant dish with an exquisite sweet-and-sour caramelized flavor is a specialty of Aleppo in Syria. The onion layers are used to make little rolls around a filling. In Egypt we soaked the tamarind pods and used the filtered juice. Now I find that the Indian tamarind paste obtainable from Middle Eastern stores is perfectly good to use. This elegant dish with an exquisite sweet-and-sour caramelized flavor is a specialty of Aleppo in Syria. The onion layers are used to make little rolls around a filling. In Egypt we soaked the tamarind pods and used the filtered juice. Now I find that the Indian tamarind paste obtainable from Middle Eastern stores is perfectly good to use.

2 large mild onions 1 pound lean ground lamb or beef Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoons tamarind paste (page 46) 1 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons sunflower oil Peel the onions and cut off the ends. With a sharp knife, make a cut on one side of each, from top to bottom, through to the center- and no farther. Throw into a big pan of boiling water and boil for 10-15 minutes, until they soften and begin to open so that each layer can be detached. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, separate each layer carefully by easing your fingers inside each. If they don't detach easily you may have to throw the onions back into boiling water after one or two have been removed.

For the filling, knead the ground meat with the salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and parsley. Put a walnut-sized lump into each curved onion layer and roll up tightly. Line the bottom of a wide, shallow pan with discarded bits of onion (this is to protect the rolls). Pack the stuffed onion rolls tightly on top.

Melt the tamarind paste and 1 tablespoon of sugar in about cup boiling water and pour over the onions, adding more water to cover if necessary. Place a plate on top to hold the onions and simmer, covered, on very low heat, adding more water as required, for about 45-60 minutes, until they are very soft and the water is absorbed.

Now arrange the rolls in one layer on a flat, heatproof serving dish, sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar, and caramelize under the grill. It gives them a warm, wrinkly look. They are best served hot but are also very good cold.

Variations For Saudi Arabian onion rolls, stuff the onion layers with the following meat-and-rice filling: Fry pound ground meat in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, crushing and turning it over, until it changes color. Add teaspoon ground cinnamon or teaspoon ground allspice and cup American rice, and barely cover with water. Simmer for 18 minutes, or until the rice is done.

Instead of the tamarind sauce, pour over the rolls a mixture of water-just enough to cover-with 2 tablespoons oil and 1-2 tablespoons vinegar. Finish them in the oven to dry them out a little and give them a nice wrinkly look.

Mahshi Ba.s.sal Stuffed Onions with Meat Filling Serves 4-8 4 large Spanish onions, peeled Meat filling (page 306) 2 tablespoons tomato paste Salt and pepper Boil the onions whole in water for 30 minutes, until they are tender, and drain. When they have cooled a little, cut in half crosswise and remove the centers, leaving a sh.e.l.l of about 3 layers and patching any little holes left at the bottom with pieces of onion.

Prepare the filling and stuff the onions with it. Place them side by side in a baking dish. Mix 1 cup water with the tomato paste, add salt and pepper, and pour into the bottom of the dish. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 40-50 minutes.

Persian Sweet-and-Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Serves 6 This is sometimes made with lettuce leaves. This is sometimes made with lettuce leaves.