First post back in my D.C. kitchen after three and a half months abroad…

I missed you Vitamix.  I missed you Kitchenaid.  I missed all my little gadgets.  I missed the familiarity of cooking in my own kitchen (even if I’m constantly complaining about the lack of counter and storage space).

But, I’m back and recharged, and ready to cook.  Not surprising, I have a burgeoning list of things I want to make.  The list grew longer still after a trip to several farmers’ markets this past weekend.  Hello summer.
Oh yea, the summer growing season is now in full swing.

Today, decided to ease into things with a light and refreshing Middle Eastern-inspired sandwich known as Sabih.

Sabih is a fully-loaded sandwich.  It’s chock full of vegetables and all sorts of good stuff, to include hummus; grilled eggplant; hard-boiled egg; a salad of cucumbers, onions, parsley, and beautiful summer tomatoes; tahini sauce; and my favorite, the green chile-herb condiment known as zhoug.  Sabih is often served with a pickled mango sauce called Amba.  

Zhoug is a traditional Middle Eastern condiment that often accompanies the likes of falafel and other pita-based sandwiches.  This version has parsley, cilantro, green chiles (jalapeno and/or serrano), garlic, and spices (cumin, caraway, and cardamom).  I’ve seeded the chiles such that the zhoug is only mildly hot.  The cardamom in particular adds a nice, subtle, unexpected note.  Zhoug is highly addictive…next time will make a larger batch.

Sabih is a bit like a salad wrapped in a pita.  A great way to incorporate summer vegetables — eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, chiles…

All on top of some grilled flatbread…

I used a Sicilian eggplant varietal that I’m particularly fond of.  As you can see, it has far fewer seeds than the typical Globe variety.

Love the purple fruit and vegetables this time of year…

Sabih

Slightly adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook
1 large Eggplant, sliced ~1/2″ rounds, grilled or pan-fried
Pita bread or flat bread, grilled
Hummus
Cucumber-Tomato Salad (recipe below)
Hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges or sliced
Zhoug (recipe below)
Tahini sauce (recipe below)
Sumac

Assembling the Sabih: Spread the hummus on the bread.  Place the grilled eggplant on top.  Top with cucumber-tomato salad, hard-boiled eggs, zhoug, and tahini sauce.  Sprinkle with sumac.

Note: Sabih is often served with a pickled mango sauce called Amba.  

Cucumber-Tomato Salad

1 large or 2 small cucumbers, small dice
1 large tomato, small dice
2 spring onions, thinly sliced or 1/2 small onion, small dice
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Zhoug

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds
5 ounces green chiles (such as Jalapeno and/or Serrano), seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for topping.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Toast the cumin, caraway, and cardamom seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, a couple of minutes.  Grind to a fine powder.  Combine the ground spices, along with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste.  Top with a little extra olive oil.

Note: Zhoug will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Tahini Sauce

3 1/2 ounces (7 tablespoons) tahini
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small garlic, crushed to a paste with a pinch of sea salt

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Add more water if needed to achieve a consistency suitable for drizzling.