Feast from the East (Middle, that is)

In the days of the Ottoman Empire and well before, some Arab tribes would welcome a very important guest by preparing a special dish that puts Turducken to shame (as though Turducken weren't already a bit of a shame). They would start by stuffing a quail into a chicken. The chicken would then be stuffed inside a larger bird, two of which would then be stuffed inside the carcass of a sheep. Repeat this 3 more times for 3 more sheep, then stuff all 4 sheep into the carcass of a camel. Roast for a long time. Serve with..........pride, I suppose.

After failing to procure a camel, we decided to scale back our ambitions, and prepared a lovely feast of mezze. If you've ever had hummus, or falafel, you've had Mezze. It could be seen as the Middle Eastern equivalent of tappas, I suppose. I've listed below what was included in the spread, along with the person responsible for making it.

• Dolma (Kitchen Monkey)
• Hummus (Liz)
• Yoghurt Dip (Nick)
• Tabouleh with Cauliflower and Fennel (Nick)
• Feta with some sort of honey & spice glaze (Mary)
• Pita & Olives (Guapo)
• Swordfish and Tuna Kebab (Kitchen Monkey)
• Laban al Loz - Almond Drink (Liz)
• Egyptian Dessert Cous Cous - (Kitchen Monkey)
• Dates soaked in Coffee and served with Yoghurt - (Nick)

Later I'll be posting detailed instructions on how to make dolma (stuffed grape leaves), one of my favorite dishes to make and always a surefire hit with guests. I'll post recipes for the cous cous and the kebab later in the week. Salam.