Middle Eastern Cuisine Garlic and Parsley
Garlic is one of nature's most versatile foods. This pungent herb aids poor digestion, reduces high blood pressure, improves circulation and fights high blood pressure, cholesterol, colds, bronchitis and intestinal infections. Heavily used in Middle Eastern cooking, garlic is one of the main ingredients in hummus, a dip made of ground chickpeas and sesame paste and typically served with lettuce and crisp vegetables, sometimes as a sandwich on pita bread (which is also called "pocket bread" because you can open it and fill it). Hummus can also be used as a spread in a sandwich with small patties made from beans or meat.Hummus
2½ cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup dried)
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cup stock or water
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander leaves, minced
Paprika to taste
Combine all ingredients except
paprika and process in a blender or
food processor until smooth. Sprinkle with paprika. Makes 2 to 3 cups.
Hummus is often served with the traditional Middle Eastern dish known as tabbouleh. Made from bulgur (cracked wheat) combined with lots of parsley, mint and vegetables, this salad has been a favorite food in the Middle East and Asia since biblical times. Bulgur is made by boiling wheat berries, then drying and cracking them. Because it has been precooked, this nutritious food can be stored longer than other grains. Like rice, it fluffs up when properly cooked. In ancient Greece, parsley was used to treat urinary tract infection and inflammation. Herbalists use mint to soothe nerves, ease stomachaches and fight cold and flu symptoms.
Tabbouleh
1 cup soup stock
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1/3 cup minced scallions
1/3 cup minced mint
1/3 cup minced parsley
2 peeled and chopped tomatoes
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari
Bring the soup stock to a boil in a pan and stir in the bulgur. Cover the pan and remove from heat. Let sit until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff the bulgur with a fork. Mix in scallions, mint, parsley and tomatoes while bulgur is still warm so that it absorbs their flavor. Combine lemon juice, oil and tamari and drizzle over the bulgur mix. Toss to mix. Let sit to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.
Garlic is used in many different ways all over the world—in stuffing, in pasta sauces and even as the main ingredient in various dishes. My favorite ways to use this tasty wonder worker are as a spread and as a dressing.
Garlic Spread
¾ cup olive oil
7 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Bake in oven set on low heat for 15 minutes. Serve as a side dish or spread on bread.
Garlic-Ginger Dressing
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon each tamari and tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon grated ginger rhizome
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Use on vegetable or bean salads and vegetable dishes.