The holy month of Ramadan is well under way and Eid al Fitr is just around the corner, so to celebrate we’ve put together a series of delicious recipes highlighting the wealth and breadth of culinary traditions across the Middle East and North Africa. We’ll be featuring recipes by fabulous home cooks, chefs and cookbook writers from across the region, who have shared some of their favourite recipes for this special time of year for you to enjoy at home.
Today we’re very excited to share a recipe created by award-winning cookery writer and food artisan Dima Sharif! Her Musakhan Canapés are the perfect dish for iftar get-togethers (the evening meal during Ramadan, after dusk falls and the day of fasting ends), dinner parties or Eid celebrations. This imaginative spin on mouthwatering traditional Palestinian musakhan is the perfect appetiser to serve at your next event – and even better, they are suitable for vegans and vegetarians for the ultimate in stress-free entertaining.
“Food unifies us as human beings, because food is a story, our collective memory and collective sustainability over the many centuries that we have lived on earth. Food is our history, our continuity and our collective voice. Food is the message from those before us, and our message to those after us. Nothing therefore, is more precious than our collective plated heirlooms. This is exactly why I find food to be marvellous and why I chose it to be my medium of expression.”
Dima Sharif
Musakhan Canapés | VE, V, DF, GFO | Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sumac and extra for dusting
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 2 sesame kaek, sliced, sprinkled with olive oil and toasted (if you can’t source kaek buns, you could substitute thinly sliced baguette or a gluten-free equivalent, and add the sesame seeds before toasting)
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds, to garnish
- A few sprigs parsley, finely chopped, to garnish (optional)
METHOD
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, stirring the pan constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Slice your kaek or substitute, sprinkle with olive oil and toast lightly.
- Heat the olive oil, and sauté the sliced onions along with the salt until translucent.
- Add the black pepper and sumac and sauté until soft.
- Quenelle the onion mixture over the toasted kaek slices, sprinkle with sumac, garnish with pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.
- Arrange on plates or trays and place at your buffet or pass around to your guests. Enjoy!
Dima Sharif is the author of multi-award winning Palestinian cookbook ‘Plated Heirlooms’ and founder of MOONEH LLC as well as food brands Pantry Monkey and Aklat. Based in Dubai, Dima is a passionate champion of organic food and sustainability and is the proud founder of the UAE’s first company specialising in preserving local organic produce.
Thanks to her culinary expertise, she has collaborated with international brands like Kenwood and Miele, participated in UN food events, and is regularly featured in magazines and radio shows. Dima also runs dimasharif.com, one of the most successful food blogs in the UAE, and winner of a Top 60 Culinary Blogs Worldwide award. You can keep up with her latest projects and recipes on her website or on Instagram.