Serves 48

Preparation 45 mins

Cooking 30 mins

Skill Level: EASY

Ingredients

2 cups semolina flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground mahlab

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup clarified butter, at room temperature

5 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

4 tablespoons orange blossom water, or more as needed

10 tablespoons date paste (such as Ziyad®), cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste

Method

1. Mix semolina flour, all-purpose flour, mahlab, and salt together in a large bowl. Work clarified butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until thoroughly incorporated. Cover bowl and let dough rest at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight.
2. Pour milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until just warm, about 15 seconds. Stir in sugar and yeast until dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour yeast mixture and orange blossom water over the dough and mix until evenly moistened. Pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a ball; it should hold its shape without cracking. Add more milk or orange blossom water if needed. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Sprinkle some flour over the ma’amoul molds and tap out the excess. Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball. Press your thumb into the ball to create space for the filling. Work the edges with your fingers so the sides are even and fairly thin. Drop in a piece of date paste and pinch dough over it to seal.
6. Place cookie into the mold cavity seam-side up. Press down so that the top is flush with edges of the mold. Trim off any excess dough. Invert the mold and tap it against your work surface to release the cookie. Repeat with remaining dough and date paste, arranging cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
7. Bake in the preheated oven, 1 baking sheet at a time, until edges and bottoms are golden but tops are still mostly pale, about 15 minutes.
8. Sift powdered sugar over the cookies while still slightly warm. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serves 6

Preparation 15 mins

Cooking 20 mins

Skill Level: EASY

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Private Reserve Greek olive oil)

½ to 1 cup finely chopped carrots

½ to 1 cup finely chopped celery

½ to 1 cup finely chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 cup rice

Salt and pepper

2 cooked boneless chicken breast pieces, shredded ( about 6 to 8 oz store-bought rotisserie chicken will work)

½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

2 large eggs

Method

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to saute briefly then stir in the garlic.
2. Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.
3. To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately.
4. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like. Serve hot with your favorite bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup cooking oil

16 corn or flour tortillas

1 (28-ounce) can enchilada sauce (or homemade ​red enchilada sauce)

2 cups grated or shredded mozzarella or queso blanco cheese

1/2 cup cotija cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked beef, chicken, or pork, optional

Method

1. Gather the ingredients. Heat oven to 400 F. Pour 1 cup of oil into a medium-sized saucepan and heat until it’s hot, but not sizzling. You want to warm the tortillas in the oil, not fry them.
2. Using tongs, dip each tortilla, one at a time, into the hot oil until it is warmed through and pliable. Remove tortilla from oil and drain it briefly on a paper towel.
3. Pour just enough sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish to cover it. Pour the rest of the sauce into a large bowl. Dip a warm tortilla into the sauce and then place it in the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Place a little less than 1/4 cup of cheese down the center of the tortilla. If you are adding meat, use a little less cheese. Fold half of the tortilla over the cheese, then the other half, so that the tortilla is rolled around the cheese. Turn it over so it is seam-side down and the weight of the cheese will help keep it in place.
5. Repeat each of those steps for each of the tortillas making two layers of enchiladas in the dish, if necessary. Pour any remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the cotija cheese over the enchiladas.

6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until enchiladas are hot throughout and cheese is melted. Serve your enchiladas with a spatula, four to a plate, and enjoy!