RECIPE
Koshari
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
Tomato sauce: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 yellow onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided, plus more to taste
¼ cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes in their juices, coarsely chopped
1 cup water
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Caramelized onions:
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ cup vegetable oil
Lentils and chickpeas:
½ cup beluga lentils
2 cups water
Fine sea salt
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lime, halved
Vermicelli rice:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ yellow onion, finely diced
2/3 cup vermicelli pasta broken into 1-inch pieces
1½ cups Calrose rice or other medium-grain rice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2¼ cups water
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions, optional Crispy onions to garnish
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish
DIRECTIONS
To make the tomato sauce, in a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, Aleppo pepper and black pepper and cook, stirring often, until the paste changes from bright red to brick red, about 2 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the tomatoes, remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and water. Bring to a brisk simmer, then lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. You’ll have slightly more than 5 cups sauce. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 30 seconds. Right before the garlic browns, remove from the heat and pour in the vinegar (this stops the garlic from overcooking), swirling the pan to incorporate. Pour the garlic vinegar into the tomato sauce and stir to combine. (If you want the sauce smooth, use a hand blender to blend the tomato sauce.) May be made a day ahead and refrigerated. For the caramelized onions, separate the onion slices into individual pieces as much as possible. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, stir in the onions, then stop stirring and allow them to brown along the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir to redistribute the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are dark golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, water and a generous pinch of salt. Simmer over medium heat until cooked through but not completely soft, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain, then rinse well in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again. In the same saucepan used to cook the lentils, add the chickpeas. Squeeze both lime halves over the chickpeas and season with a few pinches of salt, then return the lentils to the pan and warm over medium heat. May be made a day ahead. To make the vermicelli rice, heat the oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it is soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the vermicelli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden, then stir in the rice and salt and cook, letting the rice toast slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the water and increase the heat to high. When the water is boiling, give the pot a stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is cooked through, and the water has been fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and sprinkle the Aleppo pepper on top. Cover and keep warm.
To serve, put the warm lentils, chickpeas and macaroni (if using) in a large bowl. Add the rice and stir everything together with a fork, trying not to break up the rice pieces. Taste, adding more salt if desired. Serve koshari on a rimmed platter or in individual bowls. Spoon tomato sauce along the rim as well as a few spoonfuls on top. Sprinkle the caramelized onions, crispy onions (if using) and parsley on top and serve extra sauce and onions at the table.
— Michael Mina, “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots” (Voracious, $40)
RECIPE
Watermelon and Halloumi Salad
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more if desired
3 to 4 ounces (85 to 113g) halloumi, cut into bite-sized (¾-inch) pieces
2 cups watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces (about ¼ of a mini seedless watermelon)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
3 small red radishes, tops and ends trimmed, and sliced paper-thin
A few small purple basil or mint leaves, torn if larger than the pieces of watermelon
¼ cup toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Pinches of Urfa or Aleppo pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a salad bowl, mix together the oil, lime juice and zest and salt. Add the halloumi and mix to coat in the vinaigrette. (You can do this while prepping the other ingredients.)
Add the watermelon, celery, cucumber, radishes and basil and taste, adding more salt if desired. Sprinkle the pistachios on top and garnish with a few pinches of Urfa pepper.
— Courtesy Michael Mina, “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots” (Voracious, $40)
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 smallish chicken (about 3½ pounds)
2 ounces feta cheese
4 cups water, divided 5 sprigs oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 lemon, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
To cook and serve:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped mint, plus extra mint leaves if desired
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed if preferred
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
DIRECTIONS
Lay the chicken breast side down. Starting at the neck, use poultry shears to cut along both sides of the spine to remove the backbone. Switch to a knife and cut out the rib cage (you can save the backbone and rib cage for stock). Flip the chicken over so it’s breast side up and press down on the breastbone to crack it slightly. Next, remove the thigh bone on each leg: cut the ball joints on each end of the bone to pop them out and then cut along both sides of the bone until it is loose enough to remove. (Removing the thigh bones helps the bird lie flatter in the pan when cooking.) If you purchase your chicken from a good butcher, you can ask them to do this prep work for you.
In a blender or food processor, blend the feta with 2 cups water until well blended, then blend in the remaining 2 cups water. Put the chicken skin side down in a nonreactive 9- by 13-inch baking dish and cover with a layer of cheesecloth. Place the oregano sprigs, garlic, lemon, bay leaf and peppercorns on top of the cheesecloth, then pour in the feta brine so the chicken is nearly submerged. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and discard the cheesecloth, brine, lemon, peppercorns and herbs. Put the chicken on a tray and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders and let air-dry breast side up for 30 to 40 minutes while the oven heats up.
Heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin side down, ensuring the skin on the legs is in contact with the pan. Cook until the skin begins to turn golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Put a smaller oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven on top of the chicken to weigh it down. Carefully transfer the pan — with the weight on top — to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees, and the skin is deep golden brown, about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, uncover, and gently flip the chicken over to ensure the skin hasn’t stuck to the pan. If it has and begins to tear as you flip it, let it sit, skin-side down, for 1 to 2 minutes more until it releases. Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest, skin side up, for at least 5 minutes. While the chicken rests, mix together the mint, parsley, chile, green onion, paprika, oregano and olive oil in a small bowl. Using a rasp grater, zest the lemon directly into the bowl and stir to combine, then cut the lemon into wedges to serve with the chicken.
To serve the chicken, cut off the legs, then separate the drumsticks from the thighs. Cut each thigh in half. Cut the breasts off the bone and slice each one into thirds, then cut the wings off. You’ll have 2 drumsticks, 4 thigh pieces, 6 breast pieces and 2 wings. Arrange on a platter. Spoon the herb-oil mixture on top (or serve on the side) and scatter the feta and mint leaves around the plate. Serve with the lemon wedges.
— Courtesy “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots,” by Michael Mina (Voracious, $40)