Greece & the Middle East
The best pistachios in town - sprinkled with rock salt and roasted in lemon juice - are so hard to resist. But nibble a couple while you consider a different kind of feta for your next horiatiki salad. Or decide which flatbread to roll around those grilled lamb sausages you'll sprinkle with dried mountain herbs and smother in thick tzadziki. Don't forget the Egyptian community's recipe for mango mousse with pillowy Persian almond macaroons. Kali orexi! Bil haná wal shifá! Good eating!
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New Year celebrations - something different - 31 Dec 2008
New Year traditions in other parts of the world. read more...
Halalco - 25 Nov 2008
While some of us may back off from offal (though both Joe Palma at Westend Bistro and Amy Brandwein at fyve report their sweetbreads are moving off the menu), those who like a good steak and kidney pie can find the necessary lambs' kidneys at Halalco. If that sounds like a forkful too far, choose the Halal duck. This Halal supermarket is like a holiday to somewhere south of the Bosphorus. read more...
Yogurt - the good stuff - 1 Oct 2008
I'm in despair over American yogurt. It seems that any old fat-free white dairy solution can be called yogurt. Do its eaters know what they're missing? read more...
Stella's Bakery - one of my favorites - 19 Jul 2008
Stella's Bakery is a bakery of European pastries, cakes and breads that's one of the best in the area. read more...
Loomi - what is it? - 30 May 2008
A loomi is a key ingredient in Persian and Middle East cooking. Some soups or stews - particularly Lebanese and Egyptian lentil soup - would be diminished without it. It's the loomi that gives them their sour flavor. read more...
Greek specialties - 30 May 2008
The closest large Greek community is in Baltimore, with its markets and restaurants. But Middle East markets stock plenty of Greek ingredients, and you can learn to cook it yourself. read more...
Ramadan pastries explained - 13 May 2008
During Ramadan especially rich pastries and desserts are made. Considered restorative and nourishing, you can find them until the end of Id al-Fitr, which is the name of the three days of feasting that follow the end of the fasting period. read more...
Yasaman - one of my favorites - 29 Apr 2008
Depending on who's behind the counter, it can be a little daunting shopping at Yasaman. Most of the women who serve are distant and seldom smile. Get over it. You're there for the best walnut macaroons you've ever eaten. read more...
Greek and Middle Eastern food web sites - 29 Apr 2008
Shemali's - one of my favorite markets - 14 Apr 2008
Shemali's is a Lebanese delicatessen that has suffered, along with the Cleveland Park neighborhood around Wisconsin Ave, from the ditherings and delays in redevelopment of the Giant. It used to have a store in the parking lot of the supermarket, large enough to run a lunch counter that served the best bargain in sharwama and the best lentil soup in the District. But when Giant - around 5 years ago - closed down all the premises it leased out to increase its size, Shemali's disappeared to the medical building at 3301 New Mexico Ave NW. It's there you'll find all the Middle East goodies of its previous location. But no lunch counter. Don't despair, though. Gretta and Joseph Chemali (no, that's not a spelling mistake) can sell you a whole stuffed lamb... read more...
Chicken Shish Taouk - 25 Mar 2008
Abdel Hashhoush, chef of Neyla's recipe for Neyla’s chicken kabobs tastes particularly good coming from the wood smoke of a barbecue but is just as delicious cooked under a really hot broiler. The marinades adapts to other meats and fish. read more...
Abdel Hashhoush - Chef of Neyla - 24 Mar 2008
Twice a week, before coming into his restaurant, Neyla chef Abdel Hashhoush squeezes in time for classes in English at the Washington Literary Council. read more...
Lentil Soup with Loomi - 21 Mar 2008
Loomis are boiled and dried limes that are a key ingredient in many Middle East dishes. Find them at Middle East and Persian markets and use them in this deeply flavored slow-cooked soup. It should tide you over until Shemali's deli and lunch counter, famous for its lentil soup, gets back into the Giant complex on Wisconsin Ave - if they ever develop the site... read more...
Persian markets - 21 Mar 2008
There are a surprising number of Persian supermarkets in the area, selling Persian and other Middle Eastern foods. read more...
Amphora Bakery - one of my favorites - 21 Mar 2008
Amphora Bakery is the place to head for whimsically decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies. And for delicious European patisseries, baked goods and breads of all sorts.
For 25 years the Bilidas and Cholakis families ran the Amphora Bakery next to their restaurant in Vienna. But in 2003, they realized the demand for their cakes, cookies and buns was so great, they needed to find a second location. It's in Herndon. Visit it for your patisserie and you can also spend time with a coffee and a Danish watching the bakers decorate the cakes through the massive windows at the back of a congenial space that feels like some grand artist's sitting room. read more...
Yekta - one of my favorite markets - 21 Mar 2008
When Yekta, a Persian market, began 28 years ago, "It was more of a beer and wine deli type," says Cathy Dadras, the daughter of the family that owns and runs it. "But it evolved." She can be found next door in the kitchen of Kabobi, the restaurant that serves delectable grilled meats over Persian fragrant rice. read more...
Greek specialties - 28 Nov 2007
Greek specialties are stocked by most Middle East markets. But if you want to shop as though you were in Greece, head for International Market & Bakery on a Saturday. read more...
Middle East cooking classes & eateries - 27 Nov 2007
Learn to cook - or eat - the way of the Middle East. read more...
Pistachios - 27 Nov 2007
If you want to go a taste stage further than the nuts you can buy at the Giant and Safeway loose or in cellophane sacks, try the range of different flavored pistachios for sale at Middle Eastern markets. read more...
Lemons - 27 Nov 2007
When buying a lemon for its juice, choose those whose skin feels thin - the ones that respond to a slight squeeze in the palm of your hand. read more...
Pomegranate & other scented juices - 27 Nov 2007
Pomegranates are such a beautiful fruit to look at, but difficult to eat. The juice is high in antioxidants but it is also good to deglaze a roasting pan and give a certain sharpness to a rich sauce or jus. read more...
Turkish restaurants - 27 Nov 2007
This web site doesn't cover many restaurants. But the following come highly recommended by a number of Turkish eatWashingtonians. They should know. read more...
Lebanese specials - 26 Nov 2007
Where to find some Lebanese specialties. read more...
Greek & Middle East markets - 26 Nov 2007
There are a number of well-stocked Greek and Middle East markets around the area. read more...
Feta cheese - 25 Nov 2007
Feta is often overlooked as a cheese. But with its relatively low fat content and range of flavor from mild to forceful, it's worth paying it some attention. True feta cheese, low-fat and healthy, is a far cry from the plastic-packaged sour, salty and pungent packaged cheese from supermarket dairy aisles. read more...
Kosher Chinese food - 24 Nov 2007
A small suggestion... read more...
Butchers - Halah - 23 Nov 2007
You won't have to travel too far to find a good Halal butcher in the area. Some chefs reckon that a Halal chicken will produce a much more tender roast than a regular chicken. read more...
Dried fruits & nuts - 18 Nov 2007
The packages of dried fruits and nuts in general supermarkets are perfectly serviceable. But if you want to offer them as sweetmeats or elevate your fruit cakes to a higher level, buy them loose at a Middle East grocery. read more...
Derma, or 'Kischkes' - 18 Nov 2007
Derma, or in Yiddish "kischkes", is a traditional dish often served at bar mitzvahs and weddings. read more...
Offal - the funky bits - 18 Nov 2007
Country cooks across Europe and Asia respect and use every part of the animal. With meat costs soaring, it's time to learn to love offal. Great dishes have come from elements that can fill more delicate constitutions with horror. read more...
Saffron Lamb Kabobs with Cucumber Yogurt, Tomato Confit and Cinnamon Apricot Couscous - 17 Nov 2007
Tim Elliott, chef of Mie N Yu's recipe is a real Spice Route dish. Apart from the couscous, each component can be prepared well ahead. It's a great dish for a large party, simple to cook and easy to serve. read more...
Figs - fresh - 15 Nov 2007
One of the best treats of the fall, they don't come cheap. So it's a disappointment when you open your wrapped box and find some of them rotten. read more...
Greek cooking - home & away - 14 Nov 2007
The closest large Greek community is in Baltimore, with its markets and restaurants. But Middle East markets stock plenty of Greek ingredients, and you can learn to cook it yourself. read more...
Mango mousse - 10 Nov 2007
An easy and glamorous dessert - and a favorite secret of Washington's Middle East diplomatic community. Okay, the recipe doesn't use 'purist' ingredients and it smacks of some of those weird gelatin desserts of the 1950s. But it works. And is served with great success and admiration. read more...
Tzadziki - 10 Nov 2007
In Greece, luscious thick yogurt is drained, flavored with garlic and sometimes mint, and turned into tzadziki to be served on cubes of bread along with glasses of ouzo. Loosened a little with its own whey, tzadziki makes a wonderful dip for fresh vegetables or crackers and a great sauce for grilled meats. read more...
Cerkez Salad - 9 Nov 2007
This chicken and walnut salad, from Mike Isabella, chef of Zaytinya, is not unlike Chicken Satsivi, a dish of cold chicken with walnut sauce from the Republic of Georgia. But then, take a look at the map and see how close Turkey lies to Georgia. read more...
Baba Ghanouj - 9 Nov 2007
Abdulkader Niori, chef of Lebanese Taverna, adds yogurt to his recipe for this classic Middle Eastern eggplant dip. read more...
Abdulkader Niori - Chef of Lebanese Taverna - 9 Nov 2007
When Abdulkader Niori came to America from Eritrea at age 14, the owners of Lebanese Taverna took him under their wing. Over the years, he climbed from dishwasher to executive chef. read more...
Cinnamon - 5 Nov 2007
Cinnamon is the spice that provoked Columbus's search for the Spice Islands. read more...
Festival foods - 3 Nov 2007
Easter is the most important festival of the year in Greece, with music and communal feasting of whole lambs roasted in the baker's oven or on spits. read more...
Olives - 3 Nov 2007
All olives begin life green. After that, it gets complicated. With so many varieties available, here's a breakdown of the most common to help you avoid the pits... read more...
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya - 9 Oct 2007
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. In June, the restaurant won a RAMMY award. read more...
Salty tale - salt explained - 5 Oct 2007
In the 1920s, table salt manufacturers in the U.S. began to add iodine to their product to prevent thyroid deficiency problems in the mid-West. These days, purist (or pretentious?) foodies like their salts unrefined and in a myriad of mineral colors. read more...
Joe Palma’s recipe for getting a good culinary training is simple. “Find the best possible people you can work for and shut up.”This became the Chef de Cuisine of the Westend Bistro’s game-plan once he’d discovered a passion for food. He earned money as a line cook while studying for degrees in Economics and Philosophy at the College of Charleston.
My favorite markets - Russian Gourmet
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Rules for drinking (and sex) to keep you out of trouble in 2009
New Year celebrations - something different
Ethan McKee - new Chef of Notti Bianchi and Circle One Bistro
This week's ingredient - Scallops
Broad Branch Market - one of my favorite markets
The dish - Goings on in the capital
Roasted Pennsylvania Pheasant Breast, Braised Red Cabbage, Maple Syrup Sweet Potato Mousse and Huckleberry Sauce
The Fishery - one of my favorite markets
Chew On This: Hangover cures that work? Debunking the food myths...
Seared Scallops with Nicoise Salad & Gribiche
Joe Palma - Chef de Cuisine of The Westend Bistro
This week's ingredient - Nems
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