Fatteh Spinach

 Fatteh  refer to the entire class of Levantine dishes that use crumbled flatbreads in their preparation.

Spinach Fatte
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh baby spinach rinsed
1 onion chopped
¼ cup oil
1 bunch of cilantro rinsed
1 tsp salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp red chili pepper (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
1 juice of lemon

2 cups of long grain rice

1 Pita bread cut up in cubes and toasted

½ cup Pine nuts fried with oil

1 pound yogurt whisk and add water to creamy consistency

In a large pot sauté onion in oil till translucent. Add spinach and sauté add salt pepper and nutmeg until leaves are wilted. Chop cilantro and add to the spinach. Add ½ cup water and the  lemon juice over cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the rice with three cups of water.
Cut pita into ½ inch squares toast in oven till gold in color. Put in a bowl and sprinkle olive oil and set aside. In a small pan sauté pine nuts in a bit of oil or butter, set aside.
Mix the yogurt together with ½ tsp salt and ½ cup water.
In a large serving bowl layer the rice then the spinach and the yogurt over. Add the toasted bread and pine nuts over, and sprinkle with red chili pepper and serve immediately.

Knafeh

Knafeh is a  cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup, typical of the regions of Lebanon, Jordan. It is consumed typically for breakfast in kaak bread or for desert. You can use a medium size baking dish or individual size oven proof ramekins.



Ingredients:

4 cups milk
1-cup semolina smid
1-cup sugar
2 sticks butter + 4 T
2-T rose water
Breadcrumbs
1-pound mozzarella or Akawi cheese shredded
Cornflakes for topping

In saucepan pour milk, add semolina, sugar and 2 sticks of butter boil and turn off heat. Add rose water.
Grease a baking dish, sprinkle with some breadcrumbs and divide milk mixture in half. Pour half in the baking dish and spread mozzarella. Pour the second half of milk mixture and layer. Sprinkle another layer of breadcrumbs.  Add the cut up butter and place in pre-heat 350-oven for 20 -25 minutes. Serve hot with syrup and ciabatta bread.


For Syrup:

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Slice of a lemon
1 T orange blossom
1 T rose water

Prepare syrup, Boil sugar water with the slice of lemon. Remove lemon 10-15 minutes and keep boiling without stirring another 10 minutes. Remove from heat add orange blossom and rose water, let cool.