Palestinian Spinach and Lentil Soup

Continuing on our culinary journey from Thursday's book club, today's posting will be the recipe for the second soup I created.  This time I was inspired by the Tabikh Sabanikh (Spinch Stew) in my The Gaza Kitchen cookbook by Laila el-Haddad I recently purchased.

However, since I was already using chickpeas in my Egyptian Tomato and Chickpea Soup, I didn't want to have two dishes to have the same main ingredient.  So my search lead me to the Addas Bi Hamoud (Spinach and Lentil Soup) in my Pita the Great cookbook by Virginia T. Habeeb.

Here is my adaptation of both recipes into my own Palestinian Spinach and Lentil Soup creation for book club.

Palestinian Spinach and Lentil Soup by A Crafty Arab

Ingredients
2 cups lentils
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 large red potatoes, cut into one inch squares, skin on
1 packet frozen spinach
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon coriander

Directions
1 - Wash and drain the lentils twice.  Add them to a large pot with the water and after they come to a boil, add the salt.  Cover them and reduce to simmer for an hour.
2 - In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions and the garlic.  Cook them for about 5 minutes until they become translucent over medium heat.
3 - Add the onions and garlic cooked mixture to the lentil pot.  Stir in the potatoes, spinach, lemon juice, and coriander until everything is mixed.
4 - Recover the pot and continue to simmer for another 20 mintues for the potatoes to cook.

Egyptian Tomato and Chickpea Soup

Last night I hosted book club at my home.  We had spent the last month reading Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell and gathered to talk about it.

Since we were traveling to the Middle East, I wanted to make an Arab soup to warm our bodies on a cold and wet November day.  I couldn't decide between an Egyptian Tomato and Chickpea Soup or a Palestinian Spinach and Lentil Soup, so I made both!

Here is the recipe for one and tomorrow I'll share my recipe for the other.  So be sure to come back to this space!

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes, with juice

1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers

3 cups chicken stock

Dollop of sour cream, for serving

Directions

1 - Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, coriander, salt, and caraway, and cook for 3 minutes until garlic starts to brown.

2 - Add chickpeas, tomatoes, red peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
3 - Set the soup aside for a bit to allow it to cool slightly.
4 - Working in batches, puree soup in a food processor.
5 - If the soup has gotten too cold, warm it back up. Add a spoonful of sour cream in the middle for a bit of color and taste.
6 - Sahaa! (Arabic for To Your Health!)

From Publishers Weekly

Russell's enjoyable latest historical is told in the exuberant, posthumous voice (yes, it's narrated from the afterlife) of Agnes Shanklin, a 38-year-old schoolteacher from Cedar Glen, a town near Cleveland, Ohio. After the influenza epidemic of 1919 strikes down Agnes's family, a childless and unmarried Agnes settles the family estate, acquires financial independence and adopts an affable dachshund named Rosie. Accompanied by Rosie, Agnes travels to Cairo during the Cairo Peace Conference, where she befriends Winston Churchill and Lawrence of Arabia among other historical heavy hitters. She also falls in love with the charismatic Karl Weilbacher, a German spy whose interest in Agnes may have less to do with romance than Agnes will allow herself to believe. Agnes's travelogues, while marvelously detailed, distract from the increasingly tense romantic play between Agnes and Karl. When a more worldly-wise Agnes returns home, her life—first as an investor wrecked by the Depression and then a librarian until her death in 1957—remains low-keyed. Though the bizarre, whimsical ending doesn't quite gel, Russell (The Sparrow; A Thread of Grace) has created an instantly likable heroine whose unlikely adventures will keep readers hooked to the end.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

Arab Festival 2013

Recently, I had a booth at the Arab Festival, which occurred at the Seattle Center.  While my sales were low, I was really excited to try out my new grid wall unit.

I had gotten eight walls at a sale this summer, along with about a dozen six inch hooks, four tshirts holders and a lamp that was broken.  When I was at my monthly Crafting at Crossroads event, I mentioned to my friend Kacey (the super mom over at OnAWhimm) my excitement at using my new walls.  I also expressed concern at what to need to buy to be able to use the walls with my crafts.

So Kayce offers up her grid wall baskets to borrow.  How awesome is she?

I got to play around with layout of the wall for a few days.  I even payed my friends Laila, Oraib, and Jill in snacks and products to come over and re-arrange.  The best part of the brainstorm session was little adorable Maya, who just turned two, was reciting the animals on the Arabic Alphabet poster, in Arabic no less, in front of Jill, who spent over a year drawing them.  It was an amazing full circle moment.

After the grid wall unit got to where everyone was happy, I grabbed suitcases and packed it all with only a day to spare.  I didn't end up using all the baskets and hooks, and also left two walls at home, but here is the finished product.  

I'd love to hear what you think about it.

And if you want to come see it in person, consider this your reminder that the 7th Annual Homemade Harvest is coming up second Saturday in November.