Fattah Recipes

EASY LEBANESE FATTEH WITH CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Tear the Lebanese flatbreads into bite size pieces and deep fry until just golden, avoiding browning them too much. Drain on kitchen towel and set aside
• Toast the pine nuts in a heavy non stick pan until golden, set aside
• In a pot, heat the chickpeas with their water, topping up with boiling water if necessary so they are covered by at least an inch for around 5 minutes
• In a wide mixing bowl, crush the garlic cloves with the salt
• Add the yoghurt, lemon and tahini as well as the chickpeas with a slotted spoon
• Stir well, taste and if necessary adjust the lemon/salt or add a few tablespoons of the water to loosen the sauce
• Heat the butter in a small pot on low heat until it starts to foam and turn golden brown. Turn off the heat and set aside
• You are now ready to assemble your fatteh. Prepare a large serving plate or individual plates and add the bread croutons as a base
• Ladel on some of the yoghurt tahini chickpea sauce on top
• Scatter with pine nuts and drizzle on the brown butter
• Serve immediately

BASIC FRITTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to broil.
• Whisk eggs, water, herbs, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Set aside.
• Lightly spray 10-inch (25 cm) non-stick ovenproof skillet or cast iron pan with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add filling ingredients, sauté or heat, stirring frequently.
• Pour in egg mixture. As eggs set around edge of skillet, using spatula, gently lift cooked portions to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath. Cook until bottom is set and top is almost set, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle cheese over top. Place skillet under preheated broiler for 2 or 3 minutes to melt cheese and puff up frittata or cover with lid and cook for a couple minutes on stovetop.
• Loosen around edge of frittata. Cut into wedges and serve.

EGYPTIAN FAATAH (RICE & MEAT WITH CRISPY BREAD ON BOTTOM)

Steps:

• To prepare bread for bottom of dish: Take pita bread and rip into bite size pieces. In a frying pan, add about a 1/4 stick of butter, add bread pieces and fry until golden brown and crisp. Put these pieces in a glass baking dish, preferably a square sized dish. Set aside.
• Then add to same pan, a little more butter, salt, approximately 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, and a teaspoon or so of cumin stir around a bit until you can smell aroma, then add fried bread pieces to this mixture, stir to coat bread and put back into glass baking dish. Set aside.
• To prepare meat: put some butter in a pot, stir fry meat until brown, add 1 onion quartered, salt & pepper, 1 cube of chicken bouillon and water to cover meat. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and cook until tender, approximately 2 hours. After meat has cooled, take out chunks of meat and put in a bowl, set aside. Reserve soup from the meat separately.
• To prepare the rice: Put some butter into a pot, add shareya (fideo noodles) like a handful or so, keep stirring until golden brown, not too dark, but very golden. Then add two cups of rice, stir a little bit until some of the rice turns an opaque white. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer, cook until tender. Test the rice tenderness after about 35 minutes.
• Now take some of the soup from meat and add to the top of the bread pieces in baking dish to saturate.Add cooked rice on top of bread pieces. Slowly spoon remainder of soup onto rice, looking at glass dish sides to see level of soup, should reach just to top of rice, don't worry, this doesn't have to be exact. Now you're ready to make the sauce and fry the meat to put on top.
• To prepare red sauce: In a pan, add a little oil or butter, crushed tomato, a half teaspoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper, 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and cumin. Add also approximately 3 tablespoons of vinegar, stir this until you smell aroma and it is a bit smooth. It should be a bit thick, not watery, but if too thick you can add a bit of water. Spread with a wooden spoon atop the rice to cover.
• To fry meat: In a pan add a bit of butter or oil, the meat, just a touch of tomato paste, about a tablespoon of fresh crushed garlic, salt & pepper, a teaspoon of cumin. Cook until meat is golden fried.
• Spoon this atop the rice and serve. Enjoy!

FATTET AL MAKDOUS

Steps:

• Heat a nonstick pan on medium. add the eggplant pieces, brushing with olive oil on both sides, until nicely browned. Takes about 2 minutes per side.
• While the eggplants are cooking start preparing the meat, in another skillet over medium heat add 2 Tablespoon oil , then saute onion for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add the meat and spices, stirring well until the meat is almost completely browned.
• Add the tomato paste and stir well to combine, let it cook for another 5 minutes then remove from heat.
• Prepare the pita chips by deep frying( tastiest option), or toasting in the oven until golden brown(healthiest option) or buy a bag of pita chips(easiest option, the one I did).
• Mix the yogurt sauce ingredients well.
• Assemble the dish by layering the pita chips on the bottom of your serving dish.
• Top with a layer of roasted eggplants.
• Then a layer of the saucy meat.
• Then another layer of the eggplants, and so on until the eggplants are finished, make sure to end with an eggplant layer.
• Top with the yogurt sauce and sprinkle some roasted nuts on top , preferably pine nuts.
• Serve immediately... Enjoy!!.

EGYPTIAN STYLE FATAH (RICE, MEAT, CRISPY BREAD, VINEGAR, GARLIC)

Steps:

• Put pita bread in the oven for 3 minutes till it becomes crispy.
• Break into bite size pieces, put in a glass baking dish.
• Pour the soup (about 1 cup) from the boiled meat in the baking dish over the crispy bread.
• Add the cooked rice over the bread.
• Sprinkle a lot of black pepper over the rice.
• In a frying pan cut the garlic into small pieces fry with oil till it is golden; add the vinegar (this will smell very good).
• Take the mix. of vinegar and garlic pour over the rice.
• Place the meat over the rice.
• Serve hot and enjoy.