Cooking with olive oil

Yogurt cheese in olive oil

800g Greek Sheep’s Yogurt
In Palestine , sheep’s yogurt Is drained and made into soft cheese , and little balls of cheese are bottled in olive oil with chili and herbs. Try using garlic- infused oil for this recipe if you have it. Eat the cheese spread on lightly toasted bread.

2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
10ml (2 tsp) crushed dried chilies
15ml (1tsp) chopped fresh rossmarry
15ml (1tsp) chopped fresh thyme or oregano
About 300ml (1 ¼ cups ) olive oil

1. sterilize a 30 cm /12in square of muslin (cheesecloth) in boiling water and lay it over a plate . Mix the yogurt with the salt and tip it into the muslin and tie with string. Hang it over a bowl to catch the whey and leave for 2-3 days in a cool place.
2. Sterilize Two 450g/1 lb jars by heating them in the oven at 150C /300F/GAS For 15 minutes
3. Mix together the dried chili and herbs .Roll Teaspoonfuls of the cheese into balls with your hands and lower into the jars , sprinkling each layer with herb mixture.
4. pour the oil over the cheese to cover them completely, and store in the refrigerator for up 3 weeks.

Musakhkhan
(Whole Wheat Bread topped with Onions, Sumac and Baked Chicken)

In Palestine, a favorite traditional dish made by the peasants is Musakhkhan, a dish that one typically eats with one's hands. - Mayada Amin, Jerusalem.

Cooking time: 1hour.30 minutes. Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Main cooking utensils: 2 pans, deep flat dish, round baking dish. Oven temperature: 350F. Oven position: center, then top to grill.

For 4 people you need:

• 1 small chicken cut into 4 pieces.
• 2 bay leaves.
• 1 kilo onions peeled and thinly sliced.
• 1 cup water.
• 1/4 cup sumac.
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.
• 4 medium size Taboon bread, (whole wheat bread).
• Salt, pepper, allspice, cardamom, (about 1/4 teaspoon of each), 1 cinnamon stick.

To garnish: fried pine nuts and almonds.

1. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, season the pieces of chicken with salt, pepper, allspice, cardamom. Then lightly brown the chicken on all sides over a medium heat, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup water, 2 bay leaves and the cinnamon stick. Cook until chicken is tender for 20 minutes.

2. In another pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onions, cook for 35 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sumac and cook for another 2 minutes to mix.

3. Sieve the cooked onions, saving the oil in a deep flat dish. Dip each bread in the oil mixture, spread on top of it the onions, garnish with the pine nuts and almonds. Put it in a round baking dish. Do the same with the remaining breads and put them on top of each other in the round baking dish.

4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the cooked chicken on top of the bread, garnish with sumac. Bake for 15 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Then grill from the top until the chicken is lightly brown, but not letting the bread to burn. (You can spray the sides with water or keep it covered with aluminum foil from the sides).

To serve: Put each bread in a plate topped with the piece of chicken.

Tip: If you like grilled chicken, broil separate in a baking dish, add some olive oil to avoid sticking and garnish with sumac.

White cheese in olive oil

400 grams of white goat cheese such as feta or Bulgarian cheese
¼ cup extra – virgin olive oil
Dried thyme or oregano

Cut cheese in bite –size cubes.
Place in a glass container.
Add olive oil and Dried herbs.
Serve with toasted French Bread.