Layered Potato and Minced Meat Bake: Mubattan Kusha مبطن بطاطا في الفرن

This version of mubattan includes all the ingredients of the fried version, but they are in layers, with the potato slices sandwiching the meat mixture. A quick and easy recipe makes this the family-friendly Mubatan. With a salad its a complete meal, heartier and healthier than the side dish or appetizer fried mubattan which is often reserved for Fridays and guests.

Serves 4 as Main Meal
Ingredients

500g minced lamb or beef
5-6 medium size potatoes sliced

2 chopped medium size onions
2 chopped medium size tomatoes ( optional )
50g butter ( about 2 tbspoons )
2  cups finely chopped parsley
1 tsp red chilli pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt

Egg Mixture

3 eggs
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tbs chopped dill
2 tbs white flour

salt and pepper

Topping

1 cup dried breadcrumbs

corn oil for brushing
vegetable oil for frying

Cook the minced meat. Put 2-3 tbs butter in the frying pan, add the minced meat and cook on medium heat. Do not cover and stir occasionally until it releases its own liquid. When the minced meat has dried, add 1 cup of hot water, half the amount of chopped onion, all the spices. Cook on  medium heat for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the rest of chopped onions, the chopped parsley, and the chopped tomatoes (if used). Cook for another 10 minutes. The meat mixture should now be somewhat moist, with a little liquid in it. Remove from the heat. Set aside.

Peel and cut the potatoes into thin slice. Brush with corn oil and place on previously heated tray,

 and grill until golden from both sides. 

Layer half the potatoes in a casserole dish.

Beat three eggs with the flour, the chopped herbs, pepper and salt. 

                              Pour half of this mixture over the potatoes layer.                         

 Spread the meat mixture evenly over the potatoes slices, pressing down with a spoon

            

 Layer the other half of the potato slices on top of the filling, in an overlapping pattern.

             Pour the rest of the egg mixture onto this top layer of potatoes.

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Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over the surface, and place the dish in the oven for about 30 minutes. Press the edge of a knife in to see if it is cooked

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 Let it rest before serving

Cabbage Salad: Salatet Kronb سلطة كرنب

This very simple fresh-tasting cabbage salad only takes a few minutes to make. It is particularly good with hot fresh bread and as much olive oil as possible. It is often served with heavier spicy meals as a light and tasty alternative to the usual cucumber and tomato salad. I always make this salad with cabbage rolls, using the white inner leaves which are not used for the Mahshi.

Ingredients:

1/2 cabbage

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp salt

Olive oil

as needed

Lemon as needed

Slice cabbage into thin strips. Add salt and work in to loosen the texture.

Place in a pot with half a cup of water and leave to simmer until cooked but firm. Drain well.

Transfer to a bowl and drizzle a little vinegar, and a lot of lemon and olive oil.

Fried Potato Wedges Stuffed with Minced Meat: Mbatan Batata مبطن بطاطا

Mubatan, or Mbattan which is also called Batata Mbatna, is a Libyan speciality which consists of potato wedges with a herb and minced meat filling, coated in breadcrumbs and egg and fried. They are especially popular in Ramadan.

This addictive appetizer is made by slicing a potato, keeping two slices joined together at the base to form a sandwich which is then filled with the parsley and minced meat mixture.

The art of making mubatan is all about the slicing of the potato. Once you master that, this easy and delicious Libyan dish is bound to become a favorite. An easier and healthier version for everyday is Mbattan in the oven.

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
Vegetable oil for frying
Meat Stuffing:
5oog minced beef or lamb

1 finely chopped medium onion

2 cups finely chopped parsley
1 finely grated garlic cloves
1 finely chopped chilli pepper (optional)

1 tspoon each: black pepper ,cinnamon, ginger
1 tbspoon salt 
1 beaten egg
2 tbspoon breadcrumbs
2 tbspoon butter
1 cup boiling water

Coating:
4 tbspoon fine breadcrumbs
4 tbspoon white flour

2 large beaten eggs

Prepare the stuffing. Put 2 tbs butter in the frying pan, add the minced meat and cook on medium heat. Do not cover and stir occasionally until it releases its own liquid, when the minced meat has dried, add 1 cup of  boiling water, the chopped onion, all the spices and cook on  medium  heat for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the chopped parsley. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes until the excess liquid evaporates.  Remove from the heat, add the beaten egg and 3 tbspoon breadcrumbs and set aside.

The most important stage in making mubattan is cutting the potato. Cut a thin slice widthways which stops three quarters of the way down. Then cut the second slice the whole way, so you end up with a potato slice which opens like a sandwich. Place the sliced potatoes in water while you work.  

         Mix breadcrumbs and  flour in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the two eggs and set aside. Open the wedge and fill it with the mixture, pressing in firmly with your finger along the exposed edges.There should be no gaps, and the sandwich should not be too full either.

Take the filled wedge, holding it from the joined end, and cover just the filling with the breadcrumbs and flour mix. 

Once you have dipped each mubattan piece in flour, set them aside on a plate until you are ready to fry them.

 Dip each one in egg just before placing it in the frying pan.

Place the mubattan in a deep frying pan, and fry on medium-high heat until golden brown. The filling is cooked so frying mbatan is like frying thick potato slices. Crowd as many pieces into the frying pan as possible to keep the oil from overheating so the potatoes have time to cook through.

Remove the mubattan when golden brown, place them on tissues and pat away excess oil. The wedges are now ready to eat.

 If your potatoes are sliced too thick, a trick is to fry them for colour and then cover the mubatan with foil to finish cooking in the oven. Some people pour a spicy tomato sauce over the mbattan before placing them in the oven, but I think they are lighter and crispier plain.

Bseisa and Howira بسيسة و حويرة

Bseisa and Howira are two different mixtures of roasted barley and other cereals ground with fenugreek and aniseed and coriander . This kind of food is North African in origin, known in Tunis and Algeria as well as throughout Libya. Its history goes back a long way, and travellers and nomads used to take bsisa and dates a with them on their journeys since it was full of nutritional value, easy to carry in its ground form, and does not spoil.

Bsisa is bright yellow and Howira sandy brown. 

Howira can also be used as a liquid when added to water, creating a strongly-floured drink. The most common use for bsisa and howira  is to mix them with olive oil into a paste. This is then typically eaten with dates or figs for a quick meal which is energy-rich and healthy. They make delicious Ramadan dips!

Libyan Rice Sausage: Osban عصبان

Osban is a traditional Libyan sausage, stuffed with a mixture of rice and herbs, as well as chopped lamb meat, liver and heart.

Osban might be the Libyan version of haggis, but no one would have osban for breakfast! It is usually served alongside the main meal on special occasions, and must be eaten with mseyer pickles.

Ingredients:

5-6 piece Sheeps intestines, about 30cm long  (sheep casings) or commercial sausage casings


Libyan Herb, Rice and Offal Sausage Stuffing:
500 lamb liver and lamb heart. finely diced
250g of finely chopped lamb meat
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup of olive oil 
2 medium finely chopped tomatoes 

4 cups finely chopped  fresh parsley
3 cups finely chopped fresh coriander
3 cup finely chopped fresh basil 
3cusp finely chopped spring onions

1cup finely chopped  fresh mint 
2 finely chopped hot chilli pepper

11/2 cups of short grain rice washed, soaked for 10-15 minutes and drained 

1 tablespoon each of: dried mint, black pepper, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, turmeric, salt

Wash the intestines with water several times, put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice/vinegar, and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse well.  

In a large bowl mix well all the stuffing ingredients together. Stuff the casings, leaving room for the expansion of the rice. Tie off with thread to seal off the casings, at both ends. You can also use cotton string to tie each sausage at intervals (like a  sausage link) to create smaller Osban.

Prick each sausages at intervals with a needle - be thorough to prevent the Osban bursting while cooking. Put osban in large pot, pour enough boiling water to cover the sausages (about 3cm above osban level). Add 1 tb salt, 1/2 tb cayenne pepper and tb 1/2 turmeric. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium. cook for about one hour (prick osban again with needle if it floats).

Remove osban pieces and place them under the grill or fry in little oil until browned.

The sausages are cut into more manageable osban segments before serving, or else each casing/intestine is tied at intervals with cotton string before cooking, and the sausage-link is cut up into mini-osban as in the above  image.

Ramadan Pastry with Shredded Coconut and Raisins: Kunafa bil Zabib wa Joz al Hind كنافة بالزبيب و جوز الهند

Kunafa is a pastry dessert eaten during Ramadan throughout most of the Arab world. The very fine threads of Konafa pastry are filled with sweet cheese, nuts or even mango. It can be made in a variety of ways, including in individual forms, or in a frying pan on the hob, but cooking it in the oven is probably the easiest when making a larger quantity.

Ingredients:
500g konafa pastry
200g butter, melted

Syrup:
1 1⁄2 cups Sugar
2 cup water
2 tbsp orange blossom water/ rose water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon slice
Filling:
1 cups walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup sultanas or raisins

1cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp orange blossom water/ rose water
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar

Optional

Qashta cream, whipped or double cream to serve

Prepare the syrup by combining the water and sugar and lemon. Simmer for 15-20 min until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Add orange blossom or rosewater and set aside to cool.

Loosen the stands of kunafa pastry with your hands, then pour melted butter over it and work it in.

 Mix the chopped walnuts with, sultanas, coconuts, cinnamon and sugar, add rose water and mix well.

Put half the pastry in a spring-form or loose base baking dish about 24 cm in diameter,  then spoon the walnuts, sultanas mix onto the pastry, spreading evenly. Cover with the remaining pastry, pressing it down with the palm of your hand.

 Cover with foil.

Bake in the oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes, remove foil, return to oven until the top becomes golden. Remove from oven, place a plate over the tin and turn upside down, then pour the cool syrup over the hot pastry (or hot syrup over cold kunafa). Let it rest for 30 minutes.

 Serve warm or cold, with a spoonful of Qashta cream and a cup of Arabic coffee or  a glass of cold Qamar al Din!