1/2 c Bulgur, fine (cracked wheat)

1/2 sm Onion, cut in half

Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) ——————————–FISH FILLING——————————– 1/2 lb Flounder, fillets, OR

1/2 lb Cod, fillets

2 tb Butter, unsalted

1 md Onion, chopped

2 Scallions, trimmed, chopped

1 tb Cilantro, chopped

– (coriander) (opt) 1 ts Cumin, ground

Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) ——————————–TAHINI SAUCE——————————– 1/2 c Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/2 c Water (approximately)

2 tb Vinegar, red wine

1 ea Garlic, clove, minced

Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) 2 tb Parsley, chopped

Oil, vegetable (for frying) Cover the bulgur with water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and, a handful at a time, thoroughly squeeze out all liquid. Place bulgur, onions, salt and pepper in processor and process with on-and-off turns until nearly smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Transfer to bowl and knead until smooth. Set aside. Fish Filling: ============= Steam fish until just cooked. Flake into small pieces and set aside. Heat butter in a small skillet then add onion and scallions and saute until onion wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in flaked fish, cilantro, cumin and salt and pepper, stirring gently over medium heat 2 minutes. Set aside and cool completely. For Tahini Sauce: ================= Place tahini and a 1/2 cup water in processor or blender; blend until smooth. Add wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper; blend until smooth. Add enough water to bring sauce to pouring consistency. Transfer to small bowl and stir in parsley. Set aside, covered, at room temperature. To Assemble: ============ To assemble, place small bowl if ice water on work surface. Using palms, form golf ball-size balls of bulgur mixture. Dipping fingers in ice water as you work shape each ball into a hollow tube around your index finger, gently pressing mixture into small cigar-shaped tubes about 3 inches long. Moisten fingers frequently and patch any cracks as you work. Slip each shell off your finger and fill with about 1 tablespoon of cooled fish filling using a small spoon. Press ends of tubes over fish filling, forming a tight seal. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in large saucepan to 375 F. Fry kobebas until golden, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately with tahini sauce. Source: New York’s Master Chefs, Bon Appetit Magazine : Written by Richard Sax, Photographs by Nancy McFarland : The Knapp Press, Los Angeles, 1985 Chef: Andree Abramoff, Andree’s Mediterranean Restaurant, New York

1 lb Squid, about 2″ long

1 Flour for coating

1 Salt

1/2 c Olive oil

1/4 c Sauterne wine

1 Lemon, juice of

Wash the squid thoroughly, and pull out the soft backbone and ink sack from the head of each. Remove the black membrane from ove the whole squid. Coat them with flour and sprinkle with salt. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and fry the squid until brown. Pour the wine over the squid, stir, and turn off the heat. Add lemon juice and stir. Let the squid stand in the sauce for ten minutes, then drain. Arrange on a hot serving dish. Serve on small individual plates with forks.

12 md Squid

3 tb Olive oil

Salt Freshly ground pepper 1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley

Few sprigs fresh rosemary 2 c White vinegar (approx.)

————————–PICKLING SPICES & HERBS————————– 8 Black peppercorns

2 Garlic cloves

1 Bay leaf

1 Sprig fresh rosemary

Wash and clean the squid, separating the outer sacs from the heads and tentacles, removing and discarding the translucent cartilage, and small sand bag and ink. Rub salt on the outer sacs and rinse them inside and out with cold water. Heads and tentacles should be rinsed thoroughly. Cut the sacs into 1/2-inch wide rounds. Heat the oil in a frying pan and slip in the squid rounds, heads and tentacles. Cover and simmer until bright pink and tender (approximately 30 minutes), adding salt and pepper to taste, parsley and rosemary during the last 15 minutes. Half fill a clean quart-sized jar with the squid and all the juices remaining in the pan. Add white vinegar almost to the top, then the pickling spices and herbs. Seal the jar tightly and shake. Marinate at least one day before serving. Keep in the refrigerator. To serve, remove from marinade and serve cold, within 10 days.

1 kg Small squid

1/2 c Corn oil

1 md Onion; finely chopped

1/2 c Short-grain rice

1/2 c Tomato puree

1/4 c Water

1 sm Cinnamon stick

2 Cloves

Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 c Dry white wine

Select squid with hoods about 10-12 cm (4-5 inches) long. To clean squid, pull off head and attached tentacles. Cut out eyes and beak and discard. Clean dark skin from head and tentacles by pulling it off or rubbing off with a cloth dipped in coarse salt. Rinse, chop 3 to 4 into small pieces and keep aside. Remainder may be stored and fried later. Clean out hood (body) and remove transparent backbone from inside. Pull or rub off skin. Rinse well, drain and dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and gently fry onion until transparent. Stir in rice and stir over heat for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree, water, cinnamon stick, cloves, chopped squid, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Fill hoods with rice mixture, packing it in loosely as rice expands and hoods contract during cooking. Close top with wooden cocktail picks or sew with strong thread. Heat remaining oil in a deep pan and fry squid hoods until lightly coloured, turning them frequently. Reduce heat, add wine, cover and simmer gently on low heat for 1 hour or until squid is tender. Add a little water to pan if necessary during cooking. Serve hot or warm as a mezethaki (appetizer). Source: The Complete Middle East Cookbook – by Tess Mallos ISBN: 1-86302 069 1 Typed for you by Karen Mintzias