I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes for when I entertain- something healthy and that utilizes much of what I already have on hand is best because sometimes you need to pull something together for surprise guests, and it’s always good to use what you’ve already got on hand, too.
It’s so easy to pull together. Simply chop any type of nuts you have on hand. I like almonds, pistachios and walnuts (mixed together they’re lovely) or just one or two of them.
Simply line a pretty dish with a heaping, generous amount of your choice of cheese, add the nuts, then drizzle a good amount of honey on top. Serve with anything strong enough that can scoop up the ingredients of this dish: rustic bread, hearty grain crackers, or something similar. It also goes well with some fruit on the side like figs, grapes, or cherries. Your guests will love and appreciate something so hearty, rustic, homemade, and tasty.
It is with great pleasure that I was able to bring to all of you an enlightening discussion with the authors of the book, Halal Food: A History, the first and only book (that I know of at least), which covers the complete history of Halal food up to our current times.
You can order the paperback book here. Kindle version here. Audiobook version here. Hardcover here. Audio CD here.
The book is a fascinating read that spans the historic inception of halal as a dietary custom all the way up to today’s halal business industry of food certifiers, global standards, bloggers and chefs. They cover the topic of halal and tayyib and ethical halal (my favorite topics) as points of reference to which the basis of halal has historically stood, including in it examples of consumer goods that aim to reflect such values. I won’t say more here, because now you can watch the livestream that was recorded on Friday at 8AM PST/11AM EST/7PM ISTANBUL time. Hop on over to the My Halal Kitchen Facebook page to see the live stream or watch it here.
Author Bios
Febe Armanios is a Professor of History at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she is also co-Director of the Axinn Center for the Humanities. Her research focuses on comparative religious practices between Christians and Muslims, and among Christian communities in Egypt as well as throughout the Middle East and Balkans. She is a former Fulbright scholar who has authored or co-authored two books, including Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt (Oxford UP, 2011), as well as several articles, chapters, and blog entries. In her writings, she looks at everything from the veneration of saints and pilgrimages, to diverse food and fasting traditions, comparative gender roles, and (recently) at the history of Christian television in the modern Middle East.
Boğaç Ergene (Bo-Atch Air-gen-a) is Professor of History at the University of Vermont. He’s the author and co-author of three books, including Local Court, Provincial Society and Justice in the Ottoman Empire (Brill, 2003) and The Economics of Ottoman Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2016). He also edited or co-edited two books, including Judicial Practice: Institutions and Agents in the Islamic World (Brill, 2009). He’s published multiple articles in major history, law, and economic history journals. His research over the past two decades has focused on Islamic law and legal practice in the Ottoman Empire, a topic which he has explored both qualitatively and quantitatively. He is currently working on a book project that explores perceptions of corruption in the Ottoman context.
French Beans. This recipe includes cumin and sesame but you can use exactly the same method and make what I deem to be the best side for Thanksgiving, which are roasted almonds, no cumin.
I grew up in an Italian family, so Thanksgiving was a beautiful mix of the all-American must-have foods on the table: a scrumptious stuffed turkey with all the dressings, a side of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes smothered in butter, green beans with almonds on top, cranberry sauce, and of course many pumpkin pies to feed the 30+ people at the table for dessert. All of this was our family’s way of following the American Thanksgiving tradition, however, because it was a celebration we also had the typical Italian party foods at the table, too: some sort of pasta like lasagna or pasta with meatballs and for appetizers there would be some sort of antipasto platter to munch on until the big dinner was served.
So, for this Thanksgiving or any other holiday celebration coming your way, you can add a really lovely Antipasto platter with a variety of halal deli meats, some olives, Sicilian capers, cheeses, and pickled peppers (pepperoncini). All you need is to slice some rustic Italian bread thinly and leave it off to the side for guests to make their own mini sandwiches.
One of my neighbors passed on some of their long garden green beans to me, which I relish so much- anything from home gardens, without chemicals and given with a warm heart and smile is absolutely golden.
Since real organic, super fresh foods tend to break down quickly, I processed them the same day by immediately boiling them in salted water for 20 minutes. While they were cooking, I peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes (if you only have canned chopped tomatoes, use those but drain the juices), added a healthy dose of really good olive oil, crushed up 3-4 garlic cloves, and some super fresh chopped parsley.
Divine on its own as a salad, it’s also an absolutely lovely side dish to meat or fish. With it being so super simple to make (especially in this heatwave) it also tastes nice cold, too. I’ve been making this type of salad for years, always thinking it was a “Sicilian” way of making these summer beans, but maybe it’s just a common Mediterranean style because I’ve seen a lot of Turkish recipes go pretty much the same. Either way, wherever it originated or wherever it’s most common just doesn’t matter- it’s simple, healthy and delicious. That’s what matters….
You can order the paperback book 
