I was delighted to get home from work today to discover that the postie had dropped off this month's Kitchen Trotter box. If you're one of those people who have asked me about the foodie globe-cooking subscription service in the past, you'll be pleased to know that they've just launched in the UK too.
As always, I had no idea which country's gastronomy we would be discovering this time so I excitedly opened the box and discovered .. Jordan, a country I know absolutely nothing about. A quick bit of investigation (thankyou Wikipedia !) revealed that it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, Israel and the Palestine to the west. It is also one of the countries bordering the Dead Sea. OK, time to discover the ingredients.
The first item I pulled out of the box was this bag of Zaytoun organic hand rolled Maftoul, from Palestine. It's like a bigger version of couscous.
Next was a little packet of Baklava. I posted a recipe for making these yourself a few weeks ago funnily enough.
There was also a tin of Green Cardamoms (from Guatemala).
The mix for making Salep, a Mediterranean Starch Pudding and Hot Drink, looks interesting. I think this might be what they had on offer in the restaurant in Turkey actually.
Tahini - or pulped sesame seeds - is something I'm never too sure of. I have a half-used tub in the cupboard already, so I'll be looking for extra recipes to use this.
The final product was a bottle of Orange Flower Water (from Tunisia).
The little extras in this month's bow were a pot-holder, all the way from Jordan, and the traditional Kitchen Trotter magnet. Without further ado, I grabbed the recipe cards to see what I'll be making.
The first recipe is more an ingredient than a dish - ghee or clarified butter.
Next is Sfeha, which look like mini pizza-tarts stuffed with spiced meat- yum.
Mansaf - the national dish of Jordan, lamb baked in yogurt served with rice or bulgur.
Couscous Maftoul - I'll be keen to see how this compares to my usual Tunisian/Moroccan-inspired couscous.
Madhouse Daddy loves Middle Eastern cakes and pastries so I've no doubt he'll love Osmaliyeh or Angel Hair Cake - I'll just have to work out where to buy angel hair (kadaif) now !
And finally Sahlab (or Salep), a milky drink. According to Wikipedia, this is widely drunk in Turkey, especially in winter because it is a great cure for colds and sore throats - that's good to know !
I'm really looking forward to trying this lot out. They don't take me too far out of my comfort zone and they look great as warming comfort food for the cooler autumn days. Watch this space and I'll tell you how I get on !
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