Aruk and Little Herb Omelets

I had loaned this cookbook Shuk: From the Market to Table, The Heart of Israeli Home Cooking by Einat Admony and Janna Gur a long time ago and if it was not for the library being closed, I may have never better explored this cookbook. I had looked through it and nothing had jumped out initially, but after a second glance, I found these two nuggets of tastiness. I now think I want to add this book to my cookbook collection. I had potatoes that needed to be eaten up and the parsley in my garden was needing trimming. One of the best parts about this recipe was that besides the spice mix, everything else was very basic ingredients. The best part about these recipes were the high amount of fresh herbs.

UPDATE - made this when the D'Anna's came and visited Memorial Day weekend and made a fresh salad to counteract the fried food. It was a huge hit and included Kohlrabi which I've never had before, it tastes like broccoli stem which I happen to love. I also forgot to add the jalapeno and take a photo. See below for added recipe.

Frying omelet

Presentation is difficult

I decided to do things the long way as well, and make my own spice blend and sauce as well. Jacob handled the frying of the Aruks while I handled the other aspects. The final result was Amazing. Jacob loved the Aruks the most, but agreed with me that everything was really good together as well. I had frozen pita bread a while back, so I defrosted that for this meal and it helped to tie the dish together. It was exceptionally tasty to spread the sauce on the pita, and top the pita with a bit of Aruk and omelette.

Some things I did this time were:

• For baharat, I didn't have dried rosebuds and only could find ground allspice, not allspice berries. The end result was still amazing, but can imagine it would be even better with whole berries and rosebuds. I also ground up the spices with my mortar and pestle. 
• I used the baharat on some chicken breast the following night as a dry rub, and it was very tasty. 
• I made the red pepper and tahini sauce ahead of time because I wanted it to be cold to spread on it. 
• I used the guidance provided in the book on how to roast your red peppers and it was very easy. Cut in half and remove seeds and membranes. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange them skin side down and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in oven on high broil setting and cook until the skin is charred and flesh feels soft (20 to 25 minutes). (small chiles will need less time) Transfer the peppers to a zip-loc or lidded container and let cool to make skins easier to remove (I forgot this step which I do not recommend). 
• I used a serrano pepper as my chile since my grocery has nearly no hot pepper options. 
• I used 3 large Russet potatoes and didn't weigh them. I actually don't think I measured nearly anything for any of the recipes in this post.
• The patties were a little salty in my opinion, next time I would halve the amount of salt. 
• It was fascinating to grate an onion and see all of the water that came out which I dared Jacob to drink. (He didn't).  
• I added an extra egg to the potato fritters because the first few fell apart while frying and the next ones stayed together much better. 
• We used vegetable oil for the frying. 
• The omelets were so yummy and the perfect herby complement to this meal. In the description in the cookbook, they rightly say "not omelets with herbs, but herbs with a bit of eggs to hold them together."

Baharat

Makes: Around 1/2 cup

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

    2 1/2 tablespoons allspice berries

    1 teaspoon caraway seeds

    2 heaping teaspoons dried rosebuds

    2 tablespoons ground ginger

    2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Steps:

1. Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the allspice and toast, stirring continuously, until just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and let cool. 
2. In the same pan, toast the caraway until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a separate small plate and let cool.
3. Grind the allspice and caraway seeds separately in a spice or coffee grinder and transfer them to a small bowl. Grind the dried rosebuds and add them to the bowl. Add the ginger, cinnamon, pepper and stir to combine. 
4. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place up to 1 year. 

Red Pepper and Chile Tahini Sauce

Makes: Around 2 cups

Time: 10 minutes (not including the roasting process)

Ingredients:

    2 large red bell peppers, roast, cored, seeded, and peeled

    1 medium Fresno or other medium-hot fresh red chile, roast, cored, seeded, and peeled

    1 cup best-quality tahini

    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed

    1 medium garlic clove, finely grated or minced

    1 teaspoon honey

    1 tablespoon sweet paprika

    1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

    1/2 cup ice water

Steps:

1. Put bell peppers and the chile in a food processor or a blender and add the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, and puree until completely smooth. 
2. Add the honey, paprika, and salt and pulse again to blend. 
3. With the motor running, slowly stream in the ice water and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. 
4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Aruk (Iraqi Herb and Potato Patties)

Serves: 4 to 6 (about 24 patties)

Time: 2.5 hours (including 1 hour for potato cooking and cooling and 30 minutes of resting)

Ingredients:

     3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)

     1 large yellow onion

     2 large eggs, lightly beaten

     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

     1/4 cup chopped scallions

     3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

     3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

     1 teaspoon cumin

     1 teaspoon sweet paprika

     1 1/2 baharat

     1 tablespoon kosher salt

     Freshly ground black pepper

     Vegetable or olive oil, for frying

     Red Pepper and Chile Tahini Sauce

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the potatoes in their skins until complete soft when poked with a skewer or thin knife, about an hour. Let them cool on the counter. 
2. Scoop out the cooled potato flesh and roughly mash in a large bowl. Grate the onion into another bowl. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can, and then add the onion to the potatoes. 
3. Add the eggs, flour, scallions, parsley, cilantro, cumin, paprika, baharat, salt, and several twists of pepper, and mix thoroughly. If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this will stabilize the texture). 
4. Line a tray or plate with two layers of paper towels. Fill a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat the oil over medium-high heat. 
5. While the oil is heating, rub your hands with additional oil and shape the potato mixture into patties about 2 1/2 inches across.
6. Working in batches, add the patties to the hot oil and fry until they are deep golden-green and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the paper towels to drain. Repeat to cook the remaining patties. 
7. Service hot or warm, with pepper tahini sauce. Aruk latkes are best fresh out of the skillet, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a day; reheat them at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. 

Little Herb Omelet

Makes: 8 omelettes

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

     5 medium eggs

     2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

     1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

     1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

     1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

     1 teaspoon kosher salt

     1 cup finely chopped parsley

     1 cup finely chopped cilantro

     1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

     1/2 cup finely chopped dill

     1 very small onion, finely chopped

     2 tablespoons canola oil

     1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

1. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the flour, tumeric, cumin, chile flakes, and salt, and whisk until nicely foamy. 
2. Add the parsley, cilantro, scallions, dill, and onion, and mix thoroughly until fully combined. 
3. Heat both oils in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
4. Pout about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each omelet into the hot pan. Don't crowd the skilled, once you pour the mixture it tends to spread. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each sides, until the patties are golden brown, and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil. 
5. Repeat with the rest of the herb and egg mixture. If the skillet gets dry, add another tablespoon of oil. Serve warm with a dollop of tahini (or the tasty Red Pepper and Chile Tahini sauce). 

Chopped Avocado, Cucumber, and Kohlrabi Salad

Serves: 3 to 4

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

     4 Persian or 2 large regular cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

     1 medium Kohlrabi or small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

     1 medium red onion, finely chopped

     1 jalapeno chile, cored, seeded, and minced

     1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

     1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

     1/2 cup lemon juice

     1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

     Freshly ground black pepper

     2 ripe but firm medium avocados, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

     Lemon wedges, for serving

Steps:

1. Combine the cucumbers, kohlrabi, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and mint in a large bowl. 
2. Add the lemon juice, salt, and a few twists of pepper.
3. Toss, then add the avocados and toss gently once more, taking care not to mash the avocados. 
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Service at once with lemon wedges, for squeezing. 

EAT