Mid-Day Magic

One of the things I miss most about living in the Middle East is the food.  Not how utterly scrumptious the food is - although that too - but more the pace and rhythm of cooking and eating.  Although fast food is making inroads, it has not yet created the cultural transformation of societal eating habits that it has here (in North America).  Food is prepared more slowly and eaten more slowly.  A comparison of "traditional" cuisine is really telling.  Whereas a perusal of our cookbooks here (in NA) reveals a number of packaged, pre-prepared, sort-of ingredients, slower cultures have the audacity to include such steps as rolling, stuffing, and shaping into triangles.
Another factor in slow food cultures is the timing of the main meal.  Instead of waiting for the evening grand finale, Egyptians - and most Middle Eastern countries - still have ghada': a big noontime meal.  I think it goes back to the days when Egypt was primarily an agrarian society (hard to imagine now) and a bologna sandwich at noon was just not going to cut it.  Most government jobs still give a generous lunch hour(s) to accommodate going home, having a large, relaxing meal, and loosening your buttons, followed with a pot of ultra-sweet tea. 
Having the kids home from school and having my husband on reduced holiday hours has allowed us to follow this schedule for the last little while.  And for those of you in North America enjoying the Winter Break, I HIGHLY recommend trying it - at least once.  It gives you ample time to digest and means that you can clean up and close down the kitchen for big business for the day.  Usually we'll just have a toasted feta sandwich and tea for the evening meal.   Even if the time taken is the same, it just feels so much more leisurely. 
Today's ghada' was a simple two-dish affair:  Sauteed Kale with Cumin and Smoked Paprika courtesy of Warda at 64 sq ft kitchen and Chana Cholay (Curried Chickpeas). *  
Normally children and kale don't mix, but wonderful things happen when you eat your big meal in the middle of the day! :)

When in doubt, throw on olives and a lemon wedge

* You MUST try Warda's Weeknight Potatoes.  They will change your life (and your waistline) forever.