Appealing Dishes From The Middle East

Although the exotic cuisine of the Middle East is not widely available in this area, there are a few places such as Casablanca, an informal bar- restaurant in the countryside between Hopewell and Lambertville, that specialize in this appealing cooking style.

There's nothing fancy about Casablanca, but the dishes are home-cooked and well-seasoned with flavorings not generally used in America. Prices are moderate and the Middle Eastern setting is modestly authentic.

The mazza plate ($9) offers a tasty sampling of five different appetizers, each nicely prepared and typical of this type of cooking. Hummus, a refreshing puree of chickpeas sparked with garlic, lemon and olive oil, and baba ghanoush, or puree of eggplant, were perhaps the most familiar. Spread on warmed wedges of soft pita bread, they were a marvelous treat.

The platter also included dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice, spiced with cumin; falafel, heavily herbed ground chickpeas deep- fried to a crisp finish, and sambusik, phyllo dough pastries, one stuffed with ground beef, the other with spinach and feta cheese.

Lahama biajeen ($2.95), a Middle Eastern pizza, was thick dough smeared with tomato paste and heaped with ground lamb and a liberal sprinkling of crumbled feta.

Rich soups with tantalizing aromas included harira ($2), the traditional Moroccan lentil soup, chockablock with carrots, tomatoes and lentils, cumin, coriander, lemon juice and parsley. Seafood chowder ($2), piping hot and very peppery, was thick with carrots, celery, tomatoes, sweet onions and small pieces of an unidentifiable fish.

The main dishes were prime examples of the compelling sophistication of Moroccan cuisine. Bstilla ($9.95), basically chicken pie, is a festive dish of chicken breast, chopped almonds and white raisins wrapped in phyllo dough and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon to satisfy the well-known Arab sweet tooth. In Morocco, the dish is made with pigeons, but Americans are not that adventurous and chicken does quite nicely.

Couscous Casablanca ($10.95), the Moroccan stew, offered chicken and lamb (although ground into patties instead of the traditional chunks) with sweet onions, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, celery and green bell pepper strips crowning a mountain of semolina. It came with the traditional harissa - a fiery dipping sauce of peppers, cumin and other spices.