SAUDI ARABIAN: Sambousek

Out of all the recipes I tried in the month of September, the only new recipe I saved for my collection was Sambousek (my pitas were delicious but incredibly pocket-less). Here’s my recipe for Saudi Arabian turnovers.

Filling:
1 pound ground beef
2 grated onions
salt and pepper
1 tsp cumin

Dough:
3 cups flour
2 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3.4 oz oil
up to 8 oz water

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, fennel, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.
2. Add oil to the flour mixture and mix until crumbly.
3. Add just enough of the water to the flour mixture to create a dough. Knead until smooth. Set aside, covered and warm, for 1 hour.
4. Cook beef, onions, cumin, salt and pepper in a frying pan over low heat until beef is browned.
5. When the dough is ready, roll it out and cut it into circles with an 8- to 10-cm diameter. Place 1 TBSP of beef filling in the center of each circle. Fold in half. Seal by pressing the edges, then rolling them upward in a clever pattern.
6. Heat more oil in a large frying pan and fry the sambousek on each side until lightly browned.

North American: Sugar Cookies

I thought I could count on Pillsbury this last weekend when we had a Christmas party at our house. I bought the sugar cookie package, followed the directions, and ended up with a big pile of sugar-cookie-flavored slop. So, twenty minutes before the party began, I sent Jeff to the store for a bag of flour, and I got out my mom’s old recipe. She saved the day! Plus, guest got to help with the baking as well as the decorating. They enjoyed getting their hands dirty.

These cookies are one of my favorite parts about Christmas.

2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP hot water
1 tsp baking soda
4-5 cups flour

1. Cream together the sugar and margarine.
2. Beat the two eggs in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. Add the milk and eggs to the sugar and margarine mixture.
3. Stir in the vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the baking soda and stir. Add to the mixture.
5. Stir in the flour, bit by bit, until the dough becomes thick enough to roll out.
6. Roll out, use your cookie cutters, and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 7-8 minutes at 375 degrees.
7. Cool the cookies on a rack, then decorate like crazy.

NORTH AMERICAN: Pride of Iowa Cookies

My mom has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember. Enjoy.

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine
1 cup pecan meal
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
as many chocolate chips as you like–I dump in the whole bag
3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Mix together everything except the oatmeal. Then add the oatmeal and mix thoroughly. Roll into small balls the size of walnuts. Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes or until light brown.