Sour Turnip Soup

 Ingredients:

1 teaspoon oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup basmati rice, soaked
1 turnip, cut into large chunks
vegetable stock
1/2 cup dill, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
baby spinach
juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste

Cook onion in the oil and add celery. When they are softened, add the seasonings and stir until aromatic. Pour in the rice, turnips, and stock. Cover and simmer until turnips are tender and rice is very soft. Add the herbs and continue cooking for a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt.

Iraqi Lentil Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, small dice

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

a pinch of cinnamon

vegetable stock

1/2 cup brown lentils

1/4 cup vermicelli

vegan meatballs

salt and black pepper, to taste

juice of 1/2 lemon

Cook onion and carrot in the oil and stir in the allspice, turmeric, and cinnamon. Add the stock and lentils and bring to a simmer. Add the vermicelli and meatballs and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper and stir in lemon juice just before removing from heat. 

Sweet Vermicelli

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
2 ounces vermicelli nests
1 cup water
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons pistachios, toasted and chopped

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the vermicelli. Stir until browned and add the water, salt, and sugar. Bring the water to simmer and cook until vermicelli is al dente. Stir in the rosewater and vanilla.

Pour into flat serving plate and garnish with the nuts. Serve warm.

Tashreeb

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon allspice
a pinch of clove
a pinch of cardamom
a pinch of cinnamon
4 cups vegetable stock
2 dried lemons, pierced
1/3 cup chickpeas
1/3 cup broad beans
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
salt, to taste
flatbread, torn into bite sized pieces (preferably dried out overnight)
lemon wedges

Cook the onion in the oil until softened. Add the garlic and tomatoes and bring to simmer. Add the spices and stir until aromatic, then pour the stock in as well as the dried lemons. Simmer the stock for about 20 minutes and add the chickpeas, broad beans, and half the parsley. Return to simmer and season with the salt.

To serve, place bread pieces into bowl and ladle the soup over. Garnish with the remaining parsley and lemon.

Iroog Bread

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 package imitation ground beef
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin
a pinch of chili powder

Add water to yeast and sugar and allow to sit for ten minutes. Stir in salt, flour, oil, and more water (or vegetable stock), enough to achieve a pasty batter like dough. Add remaining ingredients.

Flatten 1/2 cup mounds of dough on WELL greased foil or silicon mat with wet hands, into about 1/4 inch thickness.

Bake at 500 for 15 minutes, until golden and slightly crispy.

Iraqi Biryani

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups basmati rice, presoaked
1 russet potato, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup peas
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup vermicelli
1 bay leaf
1 dried lemon
2 cardamoms
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
11 teaspoon turmeric
a pinch of clove
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
oil
1/4 cup sultanas, toasted
1/3 cup roasted pine nuts or almonds
salt and black pepper
imitation chicken

Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the onion in some oil. Add stock, carrot, peas, bay leaf, dried lemon, and cardamom. Bring to simmer.

Fry the vermicelli in some oil until golden brown. Add some water and stir until water is absorbed and noodles are al dente.

Drain the vegetable stock from the vegetables into the rice and cook until rice is tender. Add half the turmeric and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, combine the vegetable mixture, potatoes, vermicelli, cinnamon, turmeric, clove, cardamom, sultanas, salt, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes and remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and lemon.

Cook the imitation chicken according to package instructions.

To assemble, pour rice onto serving platter. Layer with the vermicelli mixture and top with the imitation chicken pieces.

Kurdish White Beans

Ingredients:

3 cups white beans, cooked
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup tomato puree
1 dried lemon, pierced with a fork

Cook cumin and turmeric in the oil and add tomatoes, puree, dried lemon, and 1-1/12 cups water. Simmer for 20 minutes and add beans. Simmer about another 10 minutes and add salt to taste.

Serve with mixed herbs and fresh mild cheese.

Qeema

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow split peas, presoaked
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 dried limes, poked with a fork or 2 teaspoons dried lime powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 package imitation ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
1 russet potato, cut into shoestring fries and baked (optional)

Cook onion in the oil until translucent. Add the turmeric and tomato paste. Then add about a cup of water. Bring to a simmer and add dried lime, cinnamon, and split peas. Cover and cook until mostly cooked. Add the imitation ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until peas are tender.

Serve with basmati rice and top with the potatoes.

Potato Kubba

Ingredients:

2 yukon gold potatoes, roughly diced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 medium egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
imitation ground beef
1 teaspoon oil
onion
1 small green chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
black pepper
cinnamon
allspice
parsley, chopped


Boil the potatoes and strain. Place them into a bowl with the cornstarch and salt. Mash until completely smooth. When they are a bit cool, stir in the egg. Refrigerate until completely cool.

Cook onion in the oil. Add the green chili and imitation ground beef, then the seasonings.

With wet hands, flatten an egg sized piece of potato and stuff with the "meat" mixture and flatten into disc shapes.

Place each filled kubba onto parchment paper and refrigerate until cold.

To cook, fry until golden brown on both sides or bake with a generous amount of oil. Broil during last few minutes of baking, on each side.

Iraqi Red Rice

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oil
1 cup rice
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried lemon powder (optional)


Cook onion in half the oil until soft. Add rice, remaining oil, and water. Cover and cook until almost tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook until tender.

Coconut Cleicha Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom
1-1/2 tablespoon rosewater and orange blossom water combined
1 egg, separated

Sprinkle sugar and yeast over lukewarm milk and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Mix flour and salt and cut butter into it. Then stir in the yeast mixture and mix well until ball forms. Allow dough to sit in warm area for half an hour.

Meanwhile prepare coconut filling by combining coconut, sugar, cardamom, and flower essences with the egg white. Set aside.

Separate dough into two halves. On a floured surface, roll out balls of dough and use rim of a glass to punch out circles. Fill each circle with some of the coconut filling and seal edges firmly. Place each cookie on a sprayed nonstick baking dish. Brush cookies with the egg yolk mixed with a little bit of milk.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until tops of the cookies are golden brown.

*Variations:
- replace flower essences with vanilla extract
- replace coconut with walnuts

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, finely chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups basmati rice
soy beef crumbles (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground dried lemon

Soak the rice to soften.

Saute the onion and carrot in some vegetable oil until softened. Stir in turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds and add the rice and water. Cover and cook on low heat. Halfway though, add crumbles, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper, and dried lemon. Allow rice to cook through and serve hot.