Sfouf with molasses (Sfouf bi debes)

Carob pods are mainly found in Mediterranean countries. Evergreen carob trees can generally grow wherever citrus or olive trees are grown, meaning a warm, dry climate. The pod's fruit is technically a legume and commonly used as a chocolate alternative, but it has many applications in the food industry.

Carob was first used thousands of years ago. Even the Bible has references to carob. It was once believed that John the Baptist sustained himself using the carob bean, so carob is also referred to as St. John's bread.

In the cuisines of the Middle East molasses is produced from several kinds of foods such as carob, grapes, dates, pomegranates, and mulberries. Carob molasses is a thick syrup made by soaking milled carob pods in water which is then boiled down into a very rich and delicious natural sweetener. In Lebanon, carob molasses was traditionally used as an alternative to sugar. We mix it with with tahini (sesame paste) and eat it as a dessert.

I have already posted a recipe about Sfouf, the yellow semolina cake, but today it's sfouf with molasses, a very healthy cake that accompanies tea or coffee.

Ingredients:
2 cups semolina flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp anis powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup carob molasses
1 cup water (or milk)
1 tbsp tahini 
a handful of raw sesame seeds

Mix the semolina, flour, baking powder and anis in a bowl.

Add the oil, molasses and water to the flour mixture and mix until well combined.

Grease a pan with tahini. Pour the sfouf batter and spread it evenly.

Preheat the oven at 350ºF (180ºC). Bake the sfouf 30 to 35 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool around 10 min before you cut it in squares.

Sfouf au mélasse

Ingrédients:
2 tasses de semoule fine
1 1/2 tasses de farine
2 càc de levure chimique
1 càc d'anis en poudre
1 tasse d'huile
1 tasse de mélasse de caroube
1 tasse d'eau (ou lait)
1 cas de tahini
une poignee de sésame

Mélangez la semoule, la farine, la levure et l'anis dans un saladier.

Ajoutez l'huile, la mélasse et l'eau graduellement et mélangez avec un batteur.

Graissez un moule avec le tahini. Versez la préparation. Enfournez 30 mn à 180ºC.

Laissez refroidir 10 mn. Coupez en carrés.

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Monk's Salad (Salatet el Raheb)

This Lebanese mezze is called Batenjan El Raheb which translates into English as the monk’s salad, a dish obviously popular with and derived from the Christian community. It's a very simple and light salad consisting of eggplants, peppers, onion and tomatoes. It can be thought as a tahini-less baba ghannouj and as a result is even lighter in taste.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 eggplants
1 medium-size tomato - finely diced
1 medium onion-finely diced (or spring onions)
1 green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, mashed
3 to 4 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp sumac

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (210ºC). Prick the eggplant skin all over with a fork. Place them on a baking dish and bake them until the skin blisters black, about 45 mn. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, peel the skin and place the flesh in a sieve over a bowl for about 10 mn to drain excess moisture.

In a mortar, mash the garlic with the salt until mushy.

In a bowl, mix the eggplant with the garlic using a fork. Add the lemon juice and mix.

Spread the eggplant in a salad bowl, top them with the onions, green peppers, tomatoes and parsley. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sumac.d pour over the salad.
Serve with pita bread.

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