food

In these quarantimes, when we have friends over for a socially-distanced hangout, I want to feed them but I absolutely do not want to spend the whole time cooking – especially when I have barely seen other humans in a week. This is true during regular times but especially true now.

The solution? If in doubt, outsource. Half of this Middle Eastern feast was purchased from a tried-and-true stand at the John Jay Farm Market called Irvington Delight, and the other half homemade. If you feel overwhelmed by cooking, don’t hesitate to leave some of it to the experts.

Methodology: Find a good source for freshly made Middle Eastern food. Buy everything that’s time-consuming to make: grape leaves, babaganoush, tabbouleh, even hummus should you so choose. These things keep for several days in the fridge.

Before people arrive, make a yogurt sauce for the arayes: 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated, 1 garlic clove, finely grated, 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 tsp salt mixed together and chilled for at least an hour.

Gather your serving bowls – you will need many. Take the salads and grape leaves out of the fridge about an hour before meal time and keep in a cool place. Slice the halloumi cheese horizontally and have a couple lemon wedges ready.

When guests arrive, distract them with wine, babaganoush, hummus, pita chips and veggies. Light the grill if it’s a charcoal grill, banking the coals on one side to get hot and cool areas. 

When you’re almost ready to eat, assemble the arayes. This is based on a Lebanese recipe that I found can also be made with any kind of good sausages – lamb or even chorizo, as unorthodox as that may be. Slice open about 1 1/2 lbs spicy sausages, gather the meat and roll into balls a little larger than golf balls. Smush them into 8 pita halves, making the meat layer quite thin, and brush the pitas with olive oil.

Bring out the arayes and halloumi and start with the arayes on the cooler side of the grill. Toast them about 4 minutes per side, until the pitas are lightly charred and feel firm to the touch. Set on a platter and loosely drape with a sheet of tin foil to keep warm. Bring the salads, yogurt dipping sauce and grape leaves out to the table.

Grill the halloumi over medium heat about 4 minutes per side, carefully flipping it with tongs as soon as each side hardens up and releases from the grate. (I use a grilling basket.) Add lemon wedges and serve immediately from six feet away, outdoors.

Which half did you make and which did you outsource? No one will care, and no one will leave hungry.

Note: you don’t need a grill for this feast. You could also make the arayes and halloumi on a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.