Middle - Eastern feast

Last weekend I made a Middle-Eastern Feast for about ten people. I made the some of the usual suspects - Tabouli, Labne and home made Pitas; but I also tried my hand at some other recipes (not the restaurant usuals). These included Muhammra, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Persian Chicken and Eggplants in Pomegranate Sauce.

Below are some pictures ...

Above is a picture of Muhammra. I decided to not make the usual Hummus or Baba Ghanouj, but instead the lesser known but very tasty Muhammra. The main ingredient in this dip is red bell peppers instead of eggplant or chickpeas. It certainly was a crowd pleaser.

Tabouli - The quintessential Middle eastern food. Chopped Parsley, cilantro, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice, cumin, paprika. A fresh and juicy salad.

Stuffed bell peppers (not whole but halved). Since there were so many dishes, I halved the bell peppers so that people didn't feel intimidated digging into one.

Warm Pitas baking in the Oven. Pitas are soo easy to make, I caught myself wondering, why did I ever buy these in the market?

Labne - Yogurt Dip.

This is one of my favorite yogurt dips of all time and very easy to prepare.

Garlic cloves, Yogurt, Paprika, Parsley, Cilantro, Cumin pdwr and salt to taste.

Homemade Pizza!

Homemade Pizza! There's nothing quite like it. Freshly baked pizza with melting cheese, aromatic herbs and your favorite toppings. It can't go wrong :))

Since this was my first time making the actual pizza dough. I stuck to one of my favorite chef's recipes. Tyler Florence's 'Basic Pizza Dough'. Find it here -

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html

Now he recommends leaving the dough to rise for about an hour ish. I've read on other baking 101 information sites that if you've never handled dough before, leave it for at least 2-3 hours. Evidently we might end up over mixing and that takes more time to undo.

Anyway, this is my recipe for the pizza sauce.

About 10-12 tomatoes small (meaning 2-2 1/2" tall) I used our garden ones (roma).

Since I used roma, I used about a tsp of sugar. If you use sweeter ones, skip the sugar. If you use higher acidity ones, sugar is a must.

Fresh Basil leaves - about 6-8 chopped up nicely

Garlic - 1 clove

Freshly ground pepper - 2 tsps

Salt - Use sparingly. Remember you are layering flavors here. Other ingredients will have salt as well.

Pinch of red chilli flakes.

I cooked the sauce for about 8 minutes, I like it slightly chunky, not completely smooth. If you like smooth, blend it to your liking.

Toppings -

I made one half as a Margherita Pizza, so I used traditional toppings such as beautiful Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, tomatoes. Key to the Margherita Pizza is that the Mozzarella isn't diced or shredded, its sliced in wedges, so it melts and spreads amazingly. Also another tip, I added basil leaves on top of the whole thing. But since it was very fresh it burnt even though I just had it in for 10 minutes. I would suggest that you lay down the basil and then the cheese on top.

On the other half, I used Parmigiano Reggiano, Muenster and some Mozzarella. Added Pepperoni and diced Prosciutto. These are my hubby's favorites.

So instructions in short.

Make the dough.

Roll it to about 12" diameter. About 1/4" thick, for a thin crust pizza.

Preheat oven to 500F including your pizza stone if you have one.

Add pizza sauce.

Add toppings.

Bake at 500F for 10 minutes. 12 if you oven uses more heat.

Note, I didn't have a pizza stone, didn't know if I needed one. Now that I've made a pizza and ruined my cookie sheet (it warped), I realize it might be better to invest in a baking/pizza stone for my future breads and doughs.

Considering it was my first time making pizza dough, I have to say, it was easier and yummier than I thought. Of course, I need more practice throwing the dough like the true Italians. But not too shabby :))