Last week, guest chef Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh led a fabulous hands-on Palestinian cooking class. Twelve students participated, and boy, did we cook up a storm. We started the cooking party with freshly brewed mint tea and a brief introduction. Then the action started with dessert first because we needed time to bake it in the oven. Our dessert that night was Namura, an eggless sweet cake that was soaked in sugar syrup enhanced with orange blossom water. Next, we made homemade hummus from scratch and paused to enjoy our snack. Then we cooked up a Middle Eastern frittata called Ejjeh, and finally we made a Palestinian pizza called Manaqeesh. All-in-all, a good time was had by all, and there were even plenty of leftovers to take home ( see full photo gallery ).  This class was part of our long-running PRINCIPLE OF ETHNIC COOKING class series at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center. This series is now in its third year, and our summer season...

  We're very excited to announce two new collaborations with guest chefs this coming summer. Aliya Dosmanbetova from Kazakhstan will join us on July 10 as our special guest chef. Aliya is a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, and she loves to cook and share her culture. She comes from a big family where everyone cooked, and she has fond memories of helping her mom prepare large meals for many guests in their kitchen. “Cooking for me is more than just preparing food,” says Aliya. “It is a way for me to connect with my heritage, my family, and the memories that shaped me. In her cooking class, Aliya will share three favorite family recipes, including a luscious lamb pilaf. On August 7, Darlene Anderson will introduce us to a healthy vegan soul dinner featuring Kentucky Fried Tofu Nuggets. She swears that you won't be able to taste the difference between the hormone-injected mass-produced fast-food version and her healthy vegan homemade version. "It'...

Namura (aka Basbousa) is an eggless sweet cake that is found all over the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa under a variety of names. This Palestinian version from my friend Fairouz uses semolina flour and a sugar syrup enhanced with orange blossom water for a unique and irresistible dessert treat. This 2-minute video will show you the basic steps (turn on CC for helpful instructions), but the full recipe will take about 60 minutes to make. My goal is always to eat sooner rather than later, so these recipes have been streamlined and simplified without sacrificing flavor and quality. Here's the link to the full recipe: www.cooking-with-paul.com/recipes/palestinian-namoura.html Join us on April 24 when we will be making this dessert with guest chef Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh in our hands-on Palestinian cooking class. As of this minute, there are still 3 seats left, so book soon . Full menu and details:  www.cooking-with-paul.com/classes My new Youtube Channel ...