This is the recipe for making Paneer or Cottage Cheese used in many Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern dishes.

This is the quick method of making Ghee or clarified butter central to many Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern dishes.

It’s filled with color and flavor from the bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions, and red onions. The freshly-squeezed lemon juice and fresh mint give it a clean finish. Serve it plain or as a stuffing for pita bread. It also goes well with Homemade Toasted Pita Chips (see Syrian Chickpea Soup recipe).

There are many incredible little shops near my home where I can buy all kinds of Middle Eastern foods. It’s always a treat to browse the aisles of five-gallon buckets filled with every olive and pickle combination imaginable. On the shelves sit rows of brightly-colored spices and specialties like pomegranate syrup and rose petal jam. The bakery area displays fresh pita breads and sheet pans of honey-glazed baklava dusted with ground pistachios. Everything looks so irresistible that I end up staggering out the door with at least a dozen grocery bags. These shopping expeditions are what inspired me to combine Middle Eastern ingredients in a soup. The tahini from one of these stores is worth the splurge, as the flavor is incomparable. The fresh lemon and concentrated sesame of the tahini complement the nubby chickpeas. 

Homemade toasted pita chips go well with this soup. Though crispy pita chips have recently become a packaged snack food phenomenon, I still think it’s worth the effort to bake your own. This recipe turns out chips that taste crunchy, salty, and garlicky all at the same time—even when made from day-old pita bread. They are simple to prepare, and take just minutes to bake. I always have to hide them from Paul because he will eat them all before I can serve them. The chips and soup both go well with the Israeli chopped salad and make great dipping crackers for hummus.