Mary4488

Hi all, I started making shanklish yesterday, and am waiting for the cheese to drain sufficiently so I can make the balls and store it in a crock. Does anyone make it? If so, I am wondering how long it should stay in a crock before it is molded sufficiently. I will let it dry out completely before I store it, but I cannot remember how long the last phase takes. Thanks! Mary

Thanks for the welcome, Rachel. I live in Jacksonville, and we probably have in excess of 15 or 20 Middle Eastern restaurants and grocery stores, so it's a snap to have all the ingredients we need for our food. Obviously, we also have every southern ingredient you can imagine! Yes, the fig preserves are wonderful with the savory bits and pieces, especially with the olives. My grandmother used to make shirred eggs, bacon, and the aforementioned mazza (Arabic appetizers), and we would all sit around the table in the breakfast nook and feast! Of course, she also made a full lunch and supper, as well. The cooking that went on in her kitchen was staggering. Just today, I made a dish called shishk barak, which is yogurt soup with dough filled 'hats' of lamb, onions, pine nuts and spices. The soup is flavored with mint, garlic, salt and pepper, and it is a divine dish! I also am in the process of making this extraordinaryly pungent cheese called shanklish, which won't be ready for a month or so. Anyway, this is a southern thread, so I had better get off the ethnic food chat! Mary

Hi all, I am new to this site, and so excited by all of the great information I have found! I am a 2nd generation Southerner (yes, we in north Florida are most definitely Southern), of Middle Eastern descent, so I was raised on the 'best of the best' foods imaginable! Though the majority of our foods were ethnic, Mom was raised in SC, so we had some great southern foods as well including: Grits (only butter and salt) Peach everything Fig preserves (always served at breakfast along with strong coffee, pita bread, olives, and string or feta cheese) Greens of all sorts Creamed corn Corn bread Fried chicken... heavenly! Friend pork chops Congo squares (sort of like blonde brownies) Banana pudding (almost a staple) Macaroni and Cheese Candied carrots to name a few. As a side note, if anyone is interested in Middle Eastern (Syrian and Lebanese) recipes, give me a shout. Mary