Savoury Pastries

Garlic bread is a real crowd-pleaser. This pull-apart bread has an insane amount of flavor, between the melted cheese and the garlic, it truly is an explosion of goodness!!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH

3 Cups Flour

2 & 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

1 & 1/4 cup Warm Milk

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp Salt

FOR THE FILLING

1 whole Head of Garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/2 cup melted Butter

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

METHOD

Add yeast and sugar to lukewarm milk, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast foams.

Add salt to the flour and stir. Gradually add the flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Now, use your hands to knead the dough, you might want to add more flour if the dough seems sticky. Knead for around ten minutes until smooth. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Combine the garlic, parsley, salt, and cheeses in a deep bowl. Heat the butter over medium heat, or in a microwave. When the butter melts, add to the garlic mixture, and stir all ingredients until well mixed together.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into small equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, stretch with a rolling pin to a rectangular shape, (make it thin to have a soft bread from the inside and a crispy and crunchy garlicky crust on the outside). Spread the garlic mixture over the strip, then roll it and place it in a lightly greased oven tray. Continue with the rest of the dough balls, placing the rolls in the tray side by side.

Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for half an hour.

Bake in a preheated oven at 100F for 5 minutes, then raise the temperature to 180F, until they are golden on top and golden brown at the edges. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese on top, let it melt in the hot oven after putting off the heat, then serve hot on the table, and enjoy!!!

NOTE

You can save time and work if you buy fresh bread dough from a bakery or a frozen ready bread dough

What can be better than the smell of a freshly baked Lebanese man’ouche topped with za’atar? Nothing, nothing can comfort or satisfy a grumpy morning self than some delicious man’ouche bi za’atar!! It is one of the most important foods of Lebanese cuisine, some other toppings include, cheese, kishik, or minced lamb meat, but the most popular topping is za’atar. Manakeesh has been around since the early times in Lebanon. Manakeesh has a very special place in the hearts of the Lebanese people!!!

INGREDIENTS

3 &1/2 cups Flour

1 cup Warm Water

1 tbsp. Active Dry Yeast

1 tbsp. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup Plain Yogurt

4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Oil

METHOD

In a large bowl combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water, the water should not be too hot, or the yeast will not proof. Leave to rise while you move onto the next step.

In another bowl add the flour, salt and mix well.

By now the yeast should have formed. Add olive oil and mix. Then add the yogurt and mix again until fully combined.

Add half of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, gradually add the remaining flour, now kneading with both your hands, until the dough is smooth, supple, firm, and elastic, at least for 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a deep bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until it doubles in size, for one hour or one hour and a half.

Now you can prepare the different toppings

Place the Akkawi cheese in water and change the water several times to wash out the salt. When the cheese tastes less salty, shred the Akkawi cheese and mix with shredded mozzarella in a medium-sized bowl.

Mix a portion of 1 tablespoon of zaatar to one tablespoon of olive oil. Mix as much as you will need.

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into equal pieces, form into smooth balls, dust lightly with flour cover, and let sit to rest for an additional 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a circle. Top the flatbreads with za’atar mixture and others with cheese.

On medium heat, grease a heavy-bottomed frying pan and place on the stove, when heated enough, place the manouche in the frying pan, tilt, and watch until golden brown at the bottom.

You can make zaatar man’ouche either by applying zaatar mix on top or can top the zaatar with, akkawi or a mix of akkawi, and mozzarella. Can make the topping with any of your favorite cheese mixes. It tastes so awesome! It can be easily made at home.

Serve warm with a vegetable dish of cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and olives on the side.

These cute crispy rice cake bites are loved in many cultures. They are made of some leftover rice, and some additions to hold them together, this is a simple and delicious way to use leftover rice and serve as a snack or starter!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups leftover White Rice, preferably long-grain

 5 Tbsp. Flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup finely chopped Green Pepper

3 tbsp. chopped Parsley

1/3 cup green Onion, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1 cup Sharp White Cheddar, grated on the large hole of a box grater

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup Olive Oil

METHOD

Sauté the onion and the green pepper in a pan with a small splash of oil. Remove.

Mix all the ingredients, rice, flour, eggs, parsley, green onion, and cheese. Add the mixture to the onion and chopped green peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well.

Working in batches, and adding more oil as needed, use a large spoon or measuring cup to place a scoop of the rice mixture in the pan. Press down with the back of a spatula to form a patty. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp on the bottom. Gently flip patty and cook another 3 minutes until golden. Keep warm on a paper towel, covered or plate in a warm oven.