This one pot dinner simmers with depths of flavor and delicious spices that braise juicy chicken legs in rich flavor. Trying to capture that warm earthy flavor of juicy braised chicken in North African spices, I experimented with this dish several times until it was perfect. The tangy, juicy lemons and zesty olives balance the sweet bursts from the apricots and figs which become perfectly caramelized and textured as you scoop a bite. The layers of flavor continue with earthy cinnamon, cloves, and allspice brightened with coriander and ginger. Follow on below for this surprisingly easy and fool-proof one pot dinner meal! Serve this alongside Moroccan couscous, white rice, or simply mop it up with some bread.

In this recipe, I use red pepper paste such as Minna red pepper paste, or simply make your own by roasting red bell peppers over an open flame (I do this right on my gas stove flame!) Once the pepper is charred all around, set aside until it cools to peel off the blackened skin. Blitz and save in a jar with some olive oil. Enjoy this with many sauces, seafood, or as a sandwich spread!

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I found my clay pot in the pictures at Home Goods, which often has similar cookware. I highly recommend clay cookware if you want to try to make Mediterranean or North African stews. cast iron Moroccan tagine such as this!

These petit four cookies have been a family tradition around the holidays for as long as I can remember. Betefor, as it has been called in our home is a sweet butter cookie sandwich. My mother would glue together chocolate and vanilla cookies with some apricot preserves arranged on a large tray during the last few nights of Ramadan. It is a heavenly delight most often enjoyed on Eid morning along with maamoul and kahk, marking the end of Ramadan and the welcoming back of breakfast and cookies with tea!

The recipe for these delicate little cookies is very simple: butter, sugar, flour vanilla, and eggs. As I made these cookies countless times over the years, I found myself refining the vanilla flavor by adding fresh vanilla bean into the sugar mixture. I then began adding a drop of pure rose extract. The scent is divine.

A Family Tradition

My mother would pull out her worn red recipe book in which she hastily jotted down the recipes from her mother and her grandmother in preparation for her big move out of her home in Alexandria, Egypt. I can still see the aged paper with fading blue ink sitting on the kitchen counter as we measure out the ingredients.

The fun of piping all types of cookie shapes and later gluing them together with apricot preserves is such a memorable experience. This was the first recipe I attempted when I became a new mom with my little 6 month old bundled in her seat, unaware of the family tradition I was introducing into our family. Several phone calls (perhaps hundreds by now:) to my mother about each step, ensured I would have this fragrant vanilla and chocolate cookie sandwich to share with my own children for years to come.

You can use any fruit preserve in the center, but I absolutely LOVE the flavor and scent of the apricot on this sweet butter cookie. The apricot delicately balances with the rose and vanilla infused into each bite. Setting up the cookie assembly line with bowls of apricot preserves, melted chocolate, sprinkles, and chopped pistachios is the best part of this tradition. In preparation for Eid, the festive holiday marking the end of Ramadan and daily fasting, we make huge trays of these cookies to enjoy on Eid morning and to share with friends and neighbors. All the children of the family would gather around the table with grandma to sandwich the cookies together, dip into chocolate or jam, and then finally into a bowl of sprinkles or chopped pistachios. Chocolate on noses, jam covered fingers, and sprinkles rolling all over the table are a tell tale sign that betefor preparation is well underway! I savor that first cookie bite on Eid morning, when we resume our habitual breakfast and tea with biscuits. The cookies taste even better the next morning after assembly, as the preserves infuse their scent throughout the cookie and release some moisture making each bite melt in your mouth!

The Ingredients

This cookie recipe is traditionally made with clarified butter, which we call samnah. Samnah is made by melting unsalted butter in a pot and allowing the water to evaporate. It is really simple. This yields a heavier butter with no water. It also smells divine.

I use unbleached all purpose flour, or pastry flour if I have it on hand. Do yourself a favor and measure it precisely by weight. After several trials we have concluded that 725 grams of flour is your best bet. This is roughly 6 cups.

You can certainly use vanilla extract or vanilla powder, but it does not come close to the heavenly scent of pure vanilla beans. I order mine from SloFood Group. Rose extract is optional, and you only need a small drop. It goes a long way and scents the cookies beautifully.

Then, eggs, powdered sugar, and optional cocoa powder is all you need. I like to use dutch processed cocoa because it is darker in color and shows better inthe cookie dough.

Grab some apricot preserves, or your favorite flavor jam, melt some chocolate chips, and some sprinkles or crushed nuts to assemble and decorate these festive cookies.

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Karkaday iced tea is easy to make and very refreshing on a sweltering hot summer day. It is naturally tart and floral, and it pairs well with any fruity combination you may desire. It can also be served hot. Either way, I love to add honey and mint. My iced version includes lemon slices and frozen summer strawberries to further infuse flavor and nutrients.

Hibiscus tea is quickly making the headlines of medical and health news. It is possibly one of healthiest drinks one can consume with vigorous levels of antioxidants and the single most potent blood pressure reducing food source!

The hibiscus flower used to make this tea is different from the tropical varieties we see throughout gardens in the west. You need dried hibiscus flowers from Egypt to get the authentic karkaday flavor and to use it as a tea. I found a great source for organic hibiscus online from Egypt here.

When brewing loose tea, it is important to use a pesticide free organic version so that you are not leaching harmful chemicals into your drink! I mostly use loose leaf tea nowadays, and for this I simply fill my stainless steel infuser. I love this tea infuser for all my teas.

Now sit back, and imagine you are sipping this tea on the Nile coast on a hot summer day!