Baked Ziti
By Andrew Brandon
This recipe is still something of a draft. Next time I make it I’ll take a picture.
Taco Seasoning
By Andrew Brandon
Nothing fancy here; this is a good substitute for the stuff in the packet. Make a big batch and keep it around and toss a couple heaping spoonfuls onto your ground beef.
Palestinian Salad
By Andrew Brandon
Outside of the Middle East, this salad is known by various names, most often “Israeli Salad”, but because I’m Palestinian I call it “Palestinian Salad”.
1–2–3 Lentil Soup
By Andrew Brandon
I call this “1-2-3” Lentil Soup because it’s an easy way to remember the quantities: 1 onion, 2 carrots, 3 cloves of garlic. This recipe is similar to most traditional Arabic recipes for lentil soup; and like any soup you can really do whatever you want and it’ll still taste great. The main difference I’ve seen is that each person likes to use their own particular combination of spices. Some people also add potato for extra heft, but I usually don’t, mostly because it takes more effort, and I think it detracts from the flavor.
Ruth's Pancakes, Remixed
By Ruth Reichl, adapted by Andrew Brandon
I like pancakes. They’re wonderful when dressed with a wide variety of toppings, such as maple syrup, nuts, or fruit compotes. The only breakfast food I like more than pancakes are waffles. On the other hand, I’m not a morning person, so a good pancake recipe has to be easy. I want to be able to roll out of bed and make delicious pancakes with as little prep as possible. This is one such recipe.
Tahini Sauce
By Andrew Brandon
This sauce is so simple it doesn’t really lend itself to a formal recipe, but I still have to tell you how to make it somehow and this blog template formats every page as a recipe whether I like it or not.
Arab-American Beef Stew
By Andrew Brandon
One of the mainstay meals of my childhood was “beef cubes and rice”, which was one of my absolute most favorite things that my mother and grandmother cooked. It turns out that this is actually Lahma Bil Basal, an Egyptian slow-cooked stew of beef and onions. As a kid, I thought the rice was the entrée and the beef stew was the side, and although I liked the flavor, I didn’t like the soggy onions in the sauce; so I would strain out the sauce and eat a small pile of dry beef cubes upon a mountain of rice.
Baba Ghanouj
By Andrew Brandon
Baba Ghanouj is a traditional Arabic appetizer, essentially the same thing as hummus but with eggplant instead of chickpeas. Pre-grilled eggplant in a jar can be found at Arab grocery stores, and if this is used, the baba ghanouj can be assembled in mere minutes.
Chespin Brussels Sprouts
By Nate Buck, arr. Andrew Brandon
For those not up to date on the latest video game trends, Chespin is the name of a chestnut-themed Pokémon. I owe this recipe to my friend Nate Buck, enthusiast of video games and gastronomy. Nate created this recipe using his knowledge of Pokémon along with The Flavor Bible. It was such a big hit at his Pokémon-themed dinner party that I decided to add it to my repertoire as well. I’ve adjusted the recipe slightly, which is how it’s presented here.
Ali Nazik with Chicken
By Andrew Brandon (inspired by Café Turko)
Ali Nazik is a Turkish dish, consisting of grilled spiced meat served over a savory eggplant-yogurt sauce. It’s often served alongside rice and salad.
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