[Sca-cooks] My Middle Eastern Feast...(long)

[Elaine Koogler]

Well, it happened...and it was a howling success, thanks to the assistance
of a number of you folks!  A number of the recipes I used came from two main
sources, Lady Urtatim and the Madrone Culinary Guild.  Several of the Arabic
recipes and one from the Anonymous Andalusian cookbook came from Urtatim and
the Mughal ones from the Madrone group.  Dame Eibhlinn, Lady Flora and THL
Tirzah were of great assistance.  Dame Eibhlinn made wonderful panir for the
event...we served it both wrapped in apricot paste and mixed with herbs.
Lady Flora took over making the Lazizan, a vegetable and rice biryani, and
Tirzah, in addition to making absolutely lovely marzipan fruits that we used
as garnishes (and were hastily consumed by our feasters), was a wonder in
the kitchen!  Dame Hauviette d'Anjou, whom many of you will remember as
formerly participating in this list...and a mainstay of the Midrealm cooks,
flew in to help as well...we had a blast!  Many of the recipes came from
feasts she has done in the past.  I redacted several of them myself,
especially the Rummaniya...I used the veggies and seasonings from the recipe
in "A Description of Familiar Foods" and followed Hauviette's method.

And, just 'cuz I know I'll get asked, the following is the menu.  Anyone
wanting copies of any of the recipes, let me know and I'll send them:

Mezze:

   Hummus Kasa
   Zaitun Mubakhkhar (Smoked Olives)
   Sals Abyad (another type of dip/spread made with walnuts and tahini)
   Sanbusa (meat stuffed pastries)
   Shiraz Laban Bi buqui--Thickened Yogurt with Herbs
   Stuffed Eggs
   Stuffed Grapevine Leaves (purchased)
   Minted Grapes
   Nuhud al-Adhra (Virgins' Breasts-cookies with almonds and semolina flour)
   Rutab Mu'assal (Stuffed Dates)
   Subhani--Dried Apricots with Marzipan
   Panir (wrapped in apricot paste or herbed)
   Rose, Almond, Date, Rasberry and Strawberry Sharbats (purchased)
   Sekanjabin

 Feast:
    Jazr (Carrot dish)
    Lazizan--Vegetable and Rice dish(Biriyani)
    Saag (Indian Spinach dish)
    Shiwa—Lamb Roast
    Minted Grape sauce (concoted from the leftover minted grapes from the
mezze, seasoned with Za'atar)
    Rummaniyya (Chicken w/pomegranates)
    Lavash (Arabic Bread)
    Gullach (early period baklava)
    Lauzinaj (pastry stuffed with marzipan, drizzled with honey)
It was a great success, and very, very little came back...in fact, believe
it or not, people wanted more of the carrots and turnips.  The bread (baked
by my wonderful lord husband, Phillip) disappeared very quickly.

My thanks to all who assisted...both with physical help or with their
recipes.

Kiri