Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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Spinach is a wonder food that we commonly overlook at the hypermarket shelves. But the amount of essential vitamins and iron present in a small quantity is more than sufficient to meet out daily dietary intake. Spinach is thought to be originated from Persia and is now cultivated across the globe. Spinach is a seasonal vegetable available from March to May and then again from September to November but can be found throughout the year thanks to better freight services and the greenhouse effect. Spinach is healthy for our overall wellbeing because of the high iron content which is essential for better blood circulation in our body.
Spinach and cheese tart
Ingredients
Spinach 500g
Mushroom 100g
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Olive oil 2-3 tbsp
Cream 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper crushed to taste
Parmesan cheese, grates 5 tbsp
Tart shell
Salted butter 200g
Flour 300g
Egg 1 no
Salt to taste
Water 80ml
Method
Sift salt with flour and keep aside, cream butter and add egg and mix well.
Gradually add flour and mix to a crumbly texture.
Add water and make a soft dough, roll into 5mm thickness.
Cut dough using desired cutter matching with the baking tart mould.
Line the baking shell with the dough and shape.
Pierce the base using a folk and to avoid deshaping while baking.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 12-15 minutes.
Wash and coarsely cut spinach leaves and keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and saute garlic.
Add chopped mushroom and spinach, cook till the mixture is soft and all the moisture evaporates.
Add cream and half of the cheese, adjust the seasoning.
Remove from flame and spoon the prepared mixture in the prepared tart shells.
Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and serve.
Kunafeh
Kunafeh is one of the most popular sweets during Ramadan since it provides the body with the amount of sugar it needs to fast for the entire day. It has a unique mild characteristic taste which differentiates it from the other desserts. Kunafeh is a Middle Eastern cheese cake which is baked in a cake pan with crispy vermicelli top. Of the numerous stories about the origin of Kunafeh, the famous one states that Kunafeh made its way to the eastern Mediterranean through the Turkish Ottomans and then the Palestinians became renowned for their high quality dessert particularly in the Nablus, being the commercial and cultural centre during that time.
Nablusis stuff their Kunafeh with cheese and then garnish it with a touch of clarified butter, sugar syrup and crushed pistachio. You can easily spot many shops selling this freshly made dessert in the streets of Nablus. The dish is prepared with slight changes in the Gulf, where it is made of thinly shredded pastry made in two layers mixed with butter or margarine stuffed with desalted akawi cheese or sometimes mozzarella cheese, baked and then drenched with hot sugar syrup.
The filling also differs from region to region and can include mixed nuts, milk pudding but the original recipe calls for cheese filling. Arabs include this dessert to celebrate almost all happy occasions in their family.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Kunafeh dough 400g
Desi ghee 200g
For filling
Akawi cheese 600g
Semolina ½cup
Sugar syrup 2tbsp
For sugar syrup
Sugar 500g
Water 500g
Rose water few drops
For garnish
Pistachio 50g
Cherry 50g
Method
Grease a baking tray with ghee and spread a layer of half of kunafeh dough.
Keep another baking tray on the dough and place some heavy weight on top to make the dough flat.
In the meanwhile, slice the cheese and keep it dipped in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess salt.
Repeat the above step till the cheese loses its salty taste (approximately 5- 6 times).
Layer this desalted cheese on the kunafeh dough layer.
Add remaining kunafeh dough on top of cheese and press again using another baking tray and heavy height.
Leave aside to set for 1 hour and remove the top tray and apply remaining desi ghee on top.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes at 220 degree C.
Make a thick sugar syrup by boiling together sugar and water and adding rose water to flavour.
Once the top layer has a nice golden colour remove from oven and pour the prepared and cooled sugar syrup as desired.
Garnish with cherry and pistachio and serve hot.
Spinach and cheese tart
