Bougatsa 

(Greek Sweet Custard Phyllo Pie)

I made this using Kouzounas Kitchen's Scratch-Made Phyllo Dough! The filling is the filling for Tamriye (Arabic Semolina Cream Hand Pies), from Sweet Middle East by Anissa Helou. It's a funny story how that happened, actually ... 

I decided that the Tamriye filling by itself would be delicious. (The recipe calls for store-bought puff pastry, which is too rich for me to eat.) The filling smelled so good, with rosewater, but then was very creamy ... too much so to make individual pastries with phyllo, say. (Maybe I used the wrong kind of semolina? I used semolina flour instead of the farina that's like Cream of Wheat.)

Somehow, I came up with the idea of using it as filling in Bougatsa. This would be the perfect occasion to try this Phyllo Dough recipe again! I also used Kouzounas Kitchen's Bougatsa recipe, with this filling instead. At the end, I sprinkled on some ground cinnamon. ... I think this may be breakfast. 

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Scratch-Made Phyllo Dough

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Bougatsa (Greek Sweet Custard Phyllo Pie)

Instant Rava Toast

(Eggless Indian Savory French Toast)

This was from the recipe of Something's Cooking with Alpa. Basically, rava/sooji/semolina/cream of wheat is mixed with yogurt, spices, and veggies. The mixture is spread on a piece of bread, and fried on a griddle on both sides. (Though the recipe calls for butter, I used my usual oil.) Very yummy! When I ran out of bread, I just fried the remaining rava topping as a pancake (1st photo).

This is a great use for leftover bread. For example, I like Calabrese Italian bread from the store, which is oval; sometimes I have to be creative to use the much smaller slices left at the end. That's what is featured here, with defrosted frozen chopped veggies (mirepoix mix = onion, carrot, celery; and green bell pepper).

Something's Cooking with Alpa Website, Instant Rava Toast Recipe -- Open toast sandwich 

Something's Cooking with Alpa YouTube, Instant Rava Toast Recipe -- Open toast sandwich

Basbousa Madeleines

Basbousa, or Namoura, is a cake-like sweet, soaked in syrup, from the Middle East. Normally, it's in the form of squares, but here, I've been inspired by @ahava_x 's post of August 15, featuring it in Madeleine form. These were very light and yummy.

I used the Basbousa recipe kindly provided, but used ground almonds instead of coconut, and coconut oil instead of butter or margarine. I added a pinch of salt, and then, just "for insurance," a pinch of baking soda. I had an open bottle of rosewater 🌹, so I used that to flavor the syrup. It took about 20 minutes of baking at 350 F to get them "done." (I kept checking on them, at 8 minutes, then 14 minutes, and then every minute or 2 afterwards.)

I added the "insurance" of baking soda, as until recently, every time I made any form of Basbousa, it basically ended up heavy like a brick! Very disappointing. I eventually realized that the recipes I was using for Basbousa, which called for "semolina," actually were referring to semolina *flour* (and not the semolina/farina/sooji/rava, like Cream of Wheat, used in many Indian recipes). However, I still get just a little nervous whenever I make Basbousa, lest it should be another brick.

@ahava_x Instagram, 15 August 2017

Sooji Upma 

(South Indian Savory Porridge)

This was made from sooji/rava/farina/semolina (like Cream of Wheat). This is based on the recipe of @justagirlfrommumbai as seen on a recent Instagram Story, as well as her website. I think I added a little too much turmeric! (which changed the color). Also, I have to grind up cashews, so you can't see them here. However, that has nothing to do with the taste. This dish was warm and comforting, as well as nourishing. It's excellent with yogurt.

Just a Girl from Aamchi Mumbai Website, Another Breakfast Post - Sooji Upma

Plain Harcha 

(Moroccan galette or biscuit)

The recipe is from My Moroccan Food. She says that this is popular for breakfast, and often eaten with a honey-butter syrup. Unfortunately, butter is too rich for me, but I topped the warm Harchas with some coconut oil (which quickly melted), and then drizzled them with a little honey. Yum! Even the leftovers are tasty that way.

My Moroccan Food Facebook

My Moroccan Food Website, Plain Harcha/Zaatar & Black Olive Harcha

Dalia 

(Indian breakfast of warm grains, milk, & sugar)

The recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. My version uses sooji/rava/farina/semolina/like cream of wheat, instead of actual dalia (a kind of cracked wheat) or the bulgar wheat the recipe calls for. So, I guess I should really call it Sooji? Here it is pictured with honey and ground cardamom. 

Roti (Plain Indian Flatbread)

This Roti is based on the recipe of Raghavan Iyer in Indian Cooking Unfolded. He recommends a flour that I believe is semolina flour, to be combined with a. p. flour, in place of ata (roti flour). I can't have certain kinds of grains/flours, which for me includes ata. Therefore, I usually use a. p. flour for all Indian breads. This works okay with Parathas, which are stuffed and/or have more fat (oil, in my case), but not so well with plain Roti/Chapatis. It was nice to be able to make them again, and they went fairly quickly!

Khanfaroosh (Semolina Muffins)

These were made with semolina flour. The recipe is from Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East and North Africa, by Habeeb Salloum. He describes this as "a traditional dish in the Gulf region of the Arabian Peninsula," gives directions for making muffins from the batter, and notes that they are actually better when deep-fried. I decided to compromise, and make them in an æbelskiver pan. I knew each batch (of 4) was done when I could smell the rosewater. After I took the first bite, I decided that a few of these would be my dinner (with a little applesauce). And they were!

Basbüssa aka Basbousa/Namoura 

(Semolina Cake Soaked in Sugar Syrup)

Here is a daytime photo of Basbüssa (Semolina Cake), aka Basbousa/Namoura, made from the recipe of Anissa Helou in Mediterranean Street Food. (The previous post photo was taken with my phone, at night.) I wanted to take a nice picture, because this recipe is so awesome! The cake by itself is yummy, and with the syrup, it's sweet yet light.

Basbüssa aka Basbousa/Namoura 

(Semolina Cake Soaked in Sugar Syrup)

This recipe is from Mediterranean Street Food by Anissa Helou. As I mentioned a few days ago, it's only recently (in the last few months) that I've been successful with any recipe of this sweet. Before that, it somehow always ended up like a brick. However, now I feel I can try different recipes with some confidence.

I made a basbousa last week, with a coconut-sugar syrup that I improvised, and it was too heavy and rich for me. (I have to be careful what I eat, but it's possible nobody else would've had a problem.) So, I decided to make this recipe, but to be careful following all the directions, and to use a sugar syrup with plain sugar (and to use less syrup than suggested). That result was much lighter and the cake itself tasted good. Once soaked in sugar syrup, the cake was sweet enough but not weighed down (like the one with the coconut-sugar syrup). I'm very glad, as this is my favorite Arabic sweet.

Anissa Helou Facebook