Middle Eastern cooking for beginners --Hushwee

As I've grown older my hearing has declined. However, my sense of smell seems to have become more acute. The fragrance and smell of food transports me to specials places, times and memories. I am able to vividly imagine the smell of a favorite dish by simply viewing an item of food. On a recent trip to the grocery I spotted ground lamb. It's a hit or miss item in my local Kroger. Ground lamb is favored in Middle Eastern cooking. When I saw the package of lamb and my brain immediately smelled Hushwee, referred to as 'rice-meat stuffing' by my Lebanese friends. 

Hushwee with cranberry sauce

More than 20 years ago a small pizza shop opened in my Toledo, Ohio neighborhood. The pizza was good, but I discovered they served Lebanese food. My favorite was Popoff's stuffed grape leaves. I became a regular, and the owner Michelle became my friend. During one of my all to frequent visits, I opened the door and the fragrance of cinnamon and allspice wafted through the tiny restaurant. Begging to know the source, I was presented with Hushwee, a Middle Eastern comfort food and a side of laban (yogurt). I fell deeply in love with Lebanese food. Sadly, my favorite little spot closed before I could purloin the recipes for the dishes I craved.

A couple of years later, I met a man of proud Lebanese parentage. We began dating, and I became the grateful recipient of Middle Eastern Sunday dinners lovingly prepared by his mother. Learning to eat raw lamb (known as kibbe) was my proudest moment! During a Thanksgiving Holiday we made a visit to his sister's home near Chicago. Diane prepared Hushwee with our turkey dinner. It was nirvana! And I discovered it didn't need to be covered in laban, but tasted just as good with cranberry sauce. The dating relationship only survived a year, but my love of Lebanese food has continued to grow. My recipe is derived from a Syrian-Lebanese church cookbook purchased while I lived in Toledo, Ohio. My Lebanese friends will be able to smell this dish by simply looking at the photos. For the rest of you; step out of your comfort zone and try this one. You'll love it.

Hushwee (Rice-meat stuffing) Serves 6 as side dish, 4 as main dish

Total time: 40 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients for Hushwee

Ingredients:
1- 1/2 cups white rice, rinsed. (place rice in bowl of water and soak for 15 minutes, strain)
1 pound ground lamb (or organic ground beef)
3 T butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cups homemade chicken broth (or store-bought if necessary)
1 tsp ground sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp good quality cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice

1. In a large 10-12" saucepan (with a lid), sauté the pine nuts in butter until golden. 

2. Remove with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside. 

3. Add the ground meat to the remaining butter and cook until slightly browned. 

4. Add rinsed rice, browned pine nuts, chicken broth, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice.

Combine Ingredients

5. Stir ingredients and bring to a boil. (About 5 minutes)

Hushwee

6. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.


7.  Serve with laban or cranberry sauce.

Cinnamon Rolls (the easy way)

Personally, I find the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls to be intoxicating.  Spice combined with fragrant yeast dough is pure heaven, at least in my mind.  This recipe makes fabulous rolls the easy way, using the bread maker for the dough.  There is still about 4 hours involved, but very little hands-on time is required.  You still get to enjoy the smells from baking them in the oven.  Enjoy!

Dough:

1 cup water
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
3 1/3 cups bread flour (King Arthur is my choice)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast or quick acting yeast

Filling:


1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Saigon cinnamon)
2 tablespoons softened butter

Directions:

1. Add all dough ingredients to the bread pan in your bread maker in the order listed.  Select Sweet Dough cycle or set time for 1:35 hours.
2. Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch square pan.  Mix 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon.  Roll dough on lightly floured surface into 18 x 9 inch rectangle.  Spread with 2 tablespoons of butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Roll up tightly beginning with the short end of the dough.  Pinch edges of the dough to seal.  Cut rolls into 1-inch slices (easiest using dental floss to keep the round shape).  Place in pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 1 1/4 hours).
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from pan; drizzle glaze over warm rolls.  9 rolls.

Glaze:  Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk (I use heavy cream for a richer flavor) until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.