Cookies Preferences
I hope you've read my blog post about the history of mograbieh and where it comes from. I enjoy using it like you might a pasta or pearl couscous...although there's no denying the hearty deliciousness of the original mograbieh preparation.
The key to preparing the mograbieh for a room temperature dish like this is to spread out the cooked mograbieh in a single layer on a large sheet tray as soon as you've drained it, and douse with some olive oil so the balls don't clump together, get gummy, and continue cooking.I love the flavors of this dish and the crunch of the roasted almonds and hint of allspice that is an homage to the original preparation of the dish.
2 cups mograbieh
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup red grape vinegar
handful of whole coriander, mint, and parsley leaves
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot and add the mograbieh, stirring and allowing it to toast gently. Add the allspice and a pinch of salt and continue to cook. Now add 3 cups water and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mograbieh still has a slight bite to it. Drain and spread out in a tray so it cools quickly and evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
While the mograbieh cooks soak the dry apricots in red grape vinegar (at least 15 minutes). When the mograbieh is cooling add the chopped almonds, olives, and the soaked (drained) apricots. Toss in the whole herbs and the green onions and serve either room temperature or slightly warm.
