Libyan Herb Bread - Khubzah bil A3shab خبزة بالأعشاب

This is a recipe for savory bread with a spongy texture which uses sfinz dough, and comes out soft and just right every time.   In Libya, it is customary to sit around to gossip and drink tea in the evening, and the tea (flavored with anything from mint and sage to almonds and rose petals) is usually served with baskets of savory finger  food, from herb bread to stuffed burik and savory cookies.  This recipe is a perfect addition to the basket. 

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup warm milk and 1/2 cup warm water (or one and a half cups warm water) 

1/2 cup warm water for the yeast  (25g fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon dried yeast + 1 teaspoon sugar) 

4 cups fine white flour
About 50ml olive oil
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon baking powder

Flavorings According Taste:
Thyme
Parsley
Rosemary (optional)
Green and/or black olives
Paprika
Chili peppers (optional)
Cheese (optional)

For the dough, put all the liquid ingredients together and mix well with the yeast and sugar. Add the flour with baking powder and salt. It should be a soft dough.

Mix the chopped ingredients with the dough.

Add the olive oil and mix well. Cover and set aside and leave to rest in a warm place around an hour.

Preheat the oven at 220 C. Grease a loose base cake tin (about 20cm by 20cm), pour in the dough and smoothen. Brush generously with olive oil. Put in the hot oven until golden.

Remove from the cake tin and leave to cool. Serve with mint flavored tea. 

Libyan Potato Fritters with Cumin and Coriander: Aqras Batata Mabshura أقراص بطاطا مبشورة

These fritters are easy to make and virtually fail-proof, unlike the more finicky hash browns. They are also very versatile: as a side dish, as part of a selection of finger-foods, or with a salad as the main meal. Harissa or yogurt dips (mild or spicy) are great sauces to serve alongside the fritters. This is the sort of recipe that is easily adapted to taste, or what you have in your store cupboard: vary the seasonings and herbs, add vegetables (e.g peas, paprika, leek, cauliflower) or use up leftovers (e.g chopped cooked chicken, cheese).

Makes about 30 fritters
Ingredients
3 medium potatoes, grated
1 large onion finely chopped
2 red chili peppers, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
2 large garlic cloves grated

3 eggs beaten
3 heaped tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Vegeable oil for frying

            

 Grate the potatoes using the largest holes of your grater, then combine with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix well.

Each fritter should use one heaped tablespoon of the mixture.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fit in as many fritters as you can at a time. Fry on medium heat until golden on each side.

Remove from oil and put on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

The fritters should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and must be served warm. If you have not used the optional chilies in the recipe, or if you like extra-spicy food, serve with harissa. Otherwise, serve with yogurt dips: either mild cucumber and mint yogurt sauce or spicy garlic, chili and coriander yogurt sauce.

Libyan Savoury Cookies: Kaak Malih كعك مالح ليبي

These savoury cookies are the typical accompaniment  to thick Arabic coffee, and they are also served with tea alongside sweet cookies and Libyan special breads. This savoury cookie recipe is very easy and uses store cupboard ingredients, making Kaak Malih an everyday treat. The savoury cookies are usually shaped into simple rings or braided as shown below. These savoury biscuits are light and very moreish so bake a little extra for everyone.

Makes 30  Cookies

Ingredients
100 ml milk
100 ml melted butter
100 ml corn oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 headed teaspoon salt
300 grams flour

Decoration
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Pour the milk, melted butter and oil into a mixing bowl and mix.

Sift the flour salt and baking powder into the bowl.

Combine into a dough, preferably with an electric mixer.

Knead just until  smooth, don't handle the dough too much.

Place in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Roll into ropes and cut  finger size pieces.

Thin out each finger then braid.

Place on an oven tray covered with baking paper.

Brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle sesame seeds on each.

Bake at 220°C in the middle of the oven for around 12 minutes until light gold in colour.

Tuna, Harissa and Olive Stuffed Bread: Khbeiza bil Tonn فطاير تونة و هريسة

This recipe was chosen as FoodBuzz Featured of the day on 11th October!

Khbeizat are individual stuffed breads often served with tea to afternoon guests. They also make great dinner rolls, turning a bowl of soup into a substantial meal.  The dough  is easy to make and is shaped into mini-loaves, mini-buns, ping-pong sized balls or as crescents as in this recipe. Typical stuffings include white cheese and dried mint, or cheese and olives. Tuna and harissa however is by far the most popular sandwich filling in Libya, so the combination is just made for a stuffed breads like Khbeiza.

Makes 32 pieces

Ingredients

25 grams fresh yeast / 2 tablespoon dry yeast

75 gram melted butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups milk

3 1/2 cups flour (210 grams)

1 tablespoon salt

Filling

400g tuna (2 cans), well drained

Harissa (homemade or commercial) to taste

1 cup olives (pitted and chopped)

Decoration

1 egg, beaten

Habet Baraka (Black cumin seeds/ Nigella seeds) or Sesame seed 

Crumble the yeast into a little warmed up milk and set aside, melt the butter and mix with the rest of the milk then leave to reach room temperature.

Place the flour and salt in your mixing bowl, add the milk and yeast mixture.

Pour in the butter and milk.

Knead to a dough with a soft and smooth consistency, cover and leave to rise (around half an hour).

Meanwhile drain the tuna, mash it with a fork and add harissa to taste.

 Pit and chop the olives and combine with the tuna and harissa.

Divide the dough into four equal balls

Roll each ball into a circle, then cut into 8 triangles.

Place a tablespoon of filling at the base of each triangle, rolling into a crescent shape as below.

Place the Khbeiza on a tray lined with baking paper, brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle a pinch of Habet albaraka on each then leave to rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  

Bake in the middle of the oven at 225°C until golden, usually about 15 minutes

While Khbeizat are best served hot, this stuffed bread is also delicious at room temperature and more reminiscent of every Libyans favourite sandwich eaten that way.

Filo Pastry Meat Pie : Bureek Tajin (رقاق باللحم المفروم (قلاش

Bureek Tajin (also known as Suniyet Ruqaq in Egypt) is a  meat pie served as a side dish, and is a popular accompaniment to soup during Ramadan. Leftovers make a great snack or light meal the next day.

The pie  is  made of two layers of thin dough (each made up of several sheets of filo or Egyptian ruqaq) sandwiching minced meat. As there is no fiddly shaping and stuffing its an easy way to make a large amount of pastry.

Serves 8 as Side dish

Ingredients

 1 pack filo pastry 400g

100 g melted butter or 50g melted butter + 1 cup corn oil

Filling

500g minced meat

2 onions, finely chopped 

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (optional)

1/2 a nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon mixed spices (hrarat)

salt and  pepper to taste

Glaze 

1 egg mixed with 1 cup milk, salt and peper

1 cup stock

Melt the butter and mix with oil

Grease a large oven proof dish about (30x40 cm) with butter.

Divide the filo pastry sheets into two equal piles, then wrap each in a towel. Cover the bottom of the dish with filo, trim and use a second sheet if necessary. Brush with a little melted butter then add another layer of filo, continue until you have used half the pastry.

Soften the onion in a little oil or butter, add the minced meat and the spices, cover until cooked. 

Spread the prepared filling evenly on top of the filo pastry, then cover with the remaining sheets ,brush with a little melted butter in between the layers .

Spread the last of the melted butter over the top layer, cut into large squares and place in the middle of the hot oven  about 220 °C.  

When the top layer has turned golden (about 10 minutes), remove from oven then spoon about 1 cup of stock over the cracks and the edges of the tray. 

Whisk the egg with the cup of milk, add salt and pepper to taste. Then spoon the egg mix over the  the whole tajin surface and around the edges. Return to the oven until all the liquid absorbed, about 20 minutes.

When cooked remove the Bureek Tajeen from the oven and leave to cool before cutting along the marks you have made.