UPA is delighted to continue celebrating Palestinian culinary traditions and building human connection through food. This week’s Ramadan Recipe Collection by food blogger Nida Khalaf features four delicious recipes.

WARAK ENAB
(STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Warak Enab is a staple of Levantine cuisine. They are stuffed grape leaves with spiced rice, which can be made either vegan or with meat. Warak Enab must be slowly cooked before it achieves the desired tenderness. These little bites are not only lemony & delicious but are also made with simple healthy pantry ingredients and can be eaten hot or cold! The recipe below is vegan.

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 2 hours

Method:
– Prepare the filling by finely chopping the parsley, onions, and tomato (1 tomato will be used for the filling, the other will be used during the cooking process).
– In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chopped veggies with the rice and add olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning. Give it a taste; you are looking for a yummy, refreshing, and tangy mixture where you can fully taste the flavor. Set the filling to the side.
– In a medium-sized pot, bring some water to a boil and place the grape leaves in the water for 1-2 mins. Remove the grape leaves, and strain them to remove the water.

The Rolling:
– Take one grape leaf at a time, remove the stem at the base of the leaf, place 1-2 tsp of the filling, fold in the sides and roll them like a wrap until the leaves are fully rolled.
– Use a medium-sized pot that is thick in the bottom (a stew pot works perfectly), line the bottom of the pot with slices of tomatoes, assemble the grape leaves in rows neatly & tightly.
– Take the remaining filling juices, strain them, and add to them ½ cup of tomato sauce. Pour the mixture on top of the grape leaves; the grape leaves should be fully submerged; if not, add a little bit of water (optional ¼ cup).
– Season with some salt and pepper, place a small plate upside down on top of the grape leaves to hold them in place and prevent them from floating while cooking.
– Over high heat, bring the Warak Enab to a boil for 10 mins, lower the heat to low and let them cook slowly for 2 hours, with the lid covered.
– Once they are ready, remove the plate, and using kitchen tongs, remove the grape leaves or you can flip them onto a plate. Sahtain & Bon Appetit!

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BROWN LENTIL SOUP & SWISS CHARD SOUP
(SHORABET ADAS OU SELEQ)

A hearty soup packed with nutrients. This soup is lemony and delicately seasoned with cumin, salt, and pepper. Serve with warm bread for a filling appetizer to start the Iftar.

Enough for 3-4 people
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45-1 hour

Ingredients:
– 1.25 cups brown lentils
– ¼ cup chopped onions
– 3 cloves of garlic
– 2 liters of vegetable broth
– ¾ tsp cumin
– 1 tsp salt (to taste)
– ⅛ tsp black pepper (to taste)
– Juice of ½ a lemon (to taste)
– 2 cups roughly chopped swiss chard
– ¼ cup Orzo pasta (Lsan el a’sfour)  

Method:
– In a soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat until translucent. Add the lentils, cumin, salt & pepper, let it sweat for a couple of mins.
– Stir in the broth, and let it cook for 30– 45 mins until the lentils are almost done.
– Add the orzo pasta and swiss chard and let it cook for 10 more mins or until the pasta is cooked. Once ready, add the lemon juice and enjoy with a nice piece of toasted bread.

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STUFFED CHICKEN WITH RICE & MEAT
(JAJ MAHSHY)

Enough for 2-3 people
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: rice 20 mins, minced meat 10 mins, the stuffed chicken ~1.15hr

Ingredients:
– 1 whole chicken (1.5kg)

Chicken spices & seasoning:
– 1 tsp 7 spices or bharat
– 1 tsp old bay spice
– ¼ onion cut into wedges
– 3 cloves minced garlic
– 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– ¾-1 tsp salt (to taste)
– ½ tsp pepper (to taste)
– 3 bay leaves

The stuffing (hashweh):
Rice:
– 1.5 cups rice (medium grain)
– 1.75 cups water (or follow instructions on the rice package)
– ½ tsp salt (to taste)
– 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp ghee (you can replace the ghee with butter)

Minced meat:
– 320 g minced meat (preferably ½ lamb and ½ beef or you can use all beef)
– 1 tsp 7 spice or bharat
– 3 bay leaves
– ½ tsp lemon juice
– ½ tsp salt
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– ¼ onion very finely chopped (optional)
– 1 clove of minced garlic (optional)

– ½ cup chicken broth or water
– ¼ cup toasted almonds and pine nuts

Method:
– In a small bowl, mix the chicken spices and seasoning, along with the garlic, and onion wedges.
– Pad dry the chicken using a paper towel and place it in a roasting pan. Using your hands, rub the chicken with the seasoning; make sure to rub the exterior and the interior. In the chicken’s cavity, place a couple of onion pieces and a bay leaf. Let the chicken marinate for half an hour or so, and in the meantime prep the stuffing.
– To prepare the stuffing (hashweh), cook the rice in a medium-sized pot with olive oil and ghee. Add water and let it boil for 2 mins. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 mins, covered.
– While the rice is cooking, prepare the minced meat. In a medium-size pan, cook the onion and garlic on medium-high until translucent, add the meat and spices, and let them cook for 10-15 mins. In my family, we prefer to add garlic and onions to the meat and stuffing; however, this step is optional, as many families make their hashweh (stuffing) without it and tastes great as well.
– Once the rice is cooked, add the cooked meat with all its juices, and using a fork, mix the rice and meat until well combined. This step makes up the stuffing (hashweh).
– Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken until it is full; use tooth pics to seal the chicken. While you’re stuffing the chicken, make sure not to contaminate the entire stuffing as the remainder will be used as a side (take around 1 cup of the stuffing, i.e. the amount you will use, and place it in a separate bowl for the stuffing processes).
– Place the chicken breast side up, add the chicken broth or water to the bottom of the roasting pan, place in a preheated oven, and roast at 425F for 1hr to 1 hr and 15 mins until golden and done. You are looking for a chicken temp of 165F. – Garish with some pine nuts and almonds and serve the stuffed chicken and the stuffing (hashweh) with some yogurt and Arabic salad! Sahtain!

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LAYALI LEBNAN DESSERT

Layali Lebnan is a pudding-like dessert made with semolina, sugar, milk and flavored with orange blossom syrup and mastic. It’s light, refreshing and the perfect end to an Iftar meal! Some make Layali Lebnan with Eshta only, others making it with cream, in my family we combine both as it renders a lovely light and fluffy texture.

Serve chilled and drizzle with pistachios on top.

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins

Ingredients:
– 4 cups milk
– ½ cup semolina # 2
– 2 eggs
– 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
– ½ tsp Mastic (or Arabic gum)
– 2 tbsp sugar
– Cream: 1 cup whipping cream, a splash of lemon, and 2 tablespoons Eshta (Use the ready-made cans, I use Puck creamy product, if you don’t have Eshta you can omit it).  
– Syrup: 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water, a splash of lemon, ½ tsp of orange blossom water
– ¼ cup crushed pistachio

Method:
– In a small pot, add the milk, sugar, egg, and vanilla, whisk until well combined. Place on medium heat, add the semolina and mastic; continue whisking until the mixture thickens; this should take around 10 mins. The mixture should remain a bit runny as it will thicken as it cools down.
– Take out the mixture and pour it in either a large serving tray with 2-3” high edges or small serving cups. Let it cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
– Prepare the whipped cream, once done, fold in the Eshta. Spread the cream on top of the semolina paste. Garnish with crushed pistachio and serve with room temp orange blossom syrup. This dessert is best served cold with a nice cup of Arabic coffee.

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ABOUT NIDA KHALAF

Nida Khalaf was born and raised in Ramallah, Palestine. She later moved to North America to pursue higher education and settled in Toronto. For Nida, food, family, and culture are intimately tied up; food serves as a memory and a human connection. Preserving recipes passed down from her loved ones and sharing them with her own unique twist, gives her a wonderful sense of nostalgia for her childhood home and the people with whom she shared the cooking and dining experience. Follow Nida on Instagram!