AER's Opet festival nut mix
The Opet festival was held yearly in Waset (Thebes) in Upper Egypt. Its purpose was to reaffirm the king's role as the son of Amun and justify his position as god in his own right by association. Opet was originally the name of a goddess of Waset, the patron of an area of eastern Waset that contained special shrines to Amun. She was the protectress guardian of the shrines.

A spice and nut mixture that can be sprinkled on salads, mixed with olive oil and brushed on pita bread, or coated on fowl or fish and then grilled.

Ingredients
1 cup of shelled palm nuts (use pistachio nuts)
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1 cup almonds
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 tspn salt

Instructions
First, toast the nuts in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Toast the spice seeds and sesame seeds separately in the same way. Cool and combine with the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Grind the mixture until it resembles small breadcrumbs. The mixture should be very dry and crumbly, not a paste. Be careful as overprocessing can release the oil from the nuts making the mixture moist, which you don't want.

To turn this delicious mixture into a dip for leven breads, simply add more oil to turn into a paste.

Bryce Rice
(adapted from a Nubian recipe).

Ingredients
oil for frying
one chicken (and/or a pound or two of stew meat), chopped into bite-sized pieces
one or two onions, finely chopped
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)
chili pepper, chopped
garlic
thyme
bay leaf
ginger
cinnamon
curry powder
two cups chicken broth or chicken stock, or beef broth or beef stock (or Maggi cubes and water)
two or three ripe tomatoes, chopped
sweet green pepper (or bell pepper), chopped
string beans or green beans
green peas
carrots, chopped
cabbage, chopped
four cups long grain rice
one small can tomato paste
handful cooked ham
handful prawns (or dried shrimp or dried prawns)
fresh parsley, chopped
cilantro sausage, chopped
lettuce, shredded
hard-boiled egg, sliced

Method
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Stir-fry the chicken (or beef) in the oil until it is browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the oil and set aside. Add the onions, the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and one or two of the flavoring add-ins (if desired) to the skillet and fry the mixture until the onions begin to become tender. Remove the onion mixture from the skillet and set aside with the meat.

In a large covered cooking pot, bring the broth and two cups of water to a simmer. Place the meat and onion mixture into the dutch oven and cover.

In the same skillet used for the meat and onions, stir-fry the tomatoes and one or two of the vegetable add-ins. Continue frying the mixture until the vegetables are partly cooked, then add them to the meat, onions, and broth in the pot.

Again in the same skillet, combine the rice and the tomato paste. Over low heat, stir until the rice is evenly coated with the tomato paste. The rice should end up a pink-orange color. Add the rice to the pot and stir gently.

Cover the cooking pot and cook the mixture over a low heat until the rice is done and the vegetables are tender (maybe half an hour). Stir gently occasionally and check to see that the bottom of the pot does not become completely dry. Add warm water or broth (a quarter cup at a time) as necessary to help rice cook. Adjust seasoning as needed. Prawns cook very quickly and should not be over-cooked or they will become tough; ham can be added at any time.

Jot's Jackal Juice
(Guaranteed to have one howling at the moon after two glasses).

Ingredients
2 large bottles Sakara Egyptian beer or similar
6 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon freshly grated cinnamon
Half tablespoon juniper berries
2 ibis egg yolks (just use farm fresh chicken or duck)

Sakara Beer
Sakara is the newest brand of beer in the Egyptian market. Its claim to fame is that it is produced using the best technologies from around the world. Although Sakara is a relatively new brand, it has a good share of the Egyptian market nowadays. Perhaps surprisingly, for a Islamic nation, there is considerable production of alcoholic beverages in Egypt. The Al Ahram Beverages Company of Cairo Egypt produces beers and wine for export to Europe.

Sakara Beer is only available in one version, which is Sakara Gold. It is well known for its extra large can. Alcohol content: 4.0 %, Bitterness: 18 EBU, Height: Bottle 282 mm, Can 170.

Geb Goose Asenath (The Great Cackler)
The Nile goose was the sacred animal of Geb and was renowned for its bad temper.

Roast in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 30 minutes, then turn the goose over on to its other side. After a further 30 minutes, remove from the oven and drain off the fat. Turn the goose on to its back and roast for 1 hour, basting frequently, until cooked. Remove from the pan and rest in a warm place.

While the goose is roasting, brown the goose liver and other giblets and trimmings in a little fat. Add the remaining onion, garlic and carrot and roast for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, bay leaf and crushed peppercorns and dry on top of the stove for 2-3 minutes, until the tomato puree caramelizes. Add the port and stock, and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming frequently. Pass the gravy through a fine sieve, return to the pan and continue cooking until reduced to the desired consistency.

Cut the bread in 1 cm croutons and fry gently in ¾ of the clarified butter until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper. Saute the apple slices gently in the remaining butter until tender. Add the drained prunes and heat through. At the last minute, add the bread croutons.

Carve the goose and serve with the apple and prune stuffing and the gravy.

Sementawy Lamb
Ingredients
10 lamb cutlets
1 litre white wine
100ml oil
2 big onions, diced
2 tblsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tblsp chopped celery
1 tsp ground cumin
200ml fish stock

Instructions
Place cutlets into pot, together with diced onion and spices. Add fish stock, oil and wine. Cook 45-60 minutes until wine reduces. Thicken it with a little flour. Serve cutlets together with the sauce.

Caileadair's Crown Satet Steak
This is a recipe used by hunters on safari in preparing zebra, antelope, Thompson gazelle or other game. It is adapted from a Nubian recipe to suit modern tastes.

The goddess Satet of the Elephantine was worshipped originally in the form of an antelope and during the Pharaonic period, her headdress consisted of of a combination of antelope horns and the crown of Upper Egypt. Satet was responsible for the waters of the Nile's first cataract at Aswan and the ancient Egyptians drew correlations between the life-giving waters and the antelopes drinking at the river's edge. The antelope or gazelle came to represent grace and elegance and the symbol of the goddess was sometimes used in place of a uraeus for minor queens or princesses.

Ingredients
4 pounds steak (fillet, rump, or sirloin) cut into 1/2-lb. steaks each 1/2 inch thick (dry each steak completely with paper towels)
2 tablespoons oil
2 ounces butter
salt & coarsely ground pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup sweet (dessert) wine
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons water

Instructions
In 10- to 12-inch skillet heat oil and butter to smoking point. Fry steaks in pan a few at a time according to size of skillet for about 3 minutes on each side, adding fat as required. Season each steak with salt and coarse-ground pepper and set aside in a warmer.

Lower heat and add red wine and dessert wine and stir with the meat residues in the pan. Add garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste thinned with water. Cook until sauce is quite thick.

In a 2-quart saucepan
Combine 3 cups mashed potato and 2 cups mashed yams or sweet potato and beat thoroughly. Spread a bed of potato on a large platter. Arrange the steaks on the potato. Pour the sauce over the steaks. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Enjoy.