Egyptian Chili

* (use Matouks if Docs Special is unavailable, or any fiery Carribean Hot Sauce if Matouks is unavailable) If any of you chileheads are fans of North African cuisine in general, and fava beans in particular, I have a great recipe for you to try. Vegetarians on the list take note - no meat in this one. I made this last night, and I was very pleased with how it turned out. The Arabic name for this dish is Foule Mudammes, but I have seen mideast eateries call it Egyptian Chili in parentheses. It has nearly no heat when ordered in most restaurants, but my recipe has corrected that egregious oversight. saute onions and 12 of the scallions in the olive oil until golden Add bell pepper, 4 of the chopped garlic cloves, and chopped serranos and continue sauteing several minutes Lower heat to medium low and add harissa and drained fava beans and cook for 5 minutes stirring often, taking care not to burn anything At this point transfer everything to a large soup or chili pot Add chopped tomatoes, honey, Docs Special, vinegar, and all dry ingredients Simmer for 30 minutes, or until beans have thickened the chili nicely (you may have to add water (or tomato sauce) as needed, if it thickens too much, but by and large this is a thick sort of chili, often scooped up with pieces of pita bread) During final 2 minutes of cooking, add mint, parsley, and cilantro Remove from heat and add the 4 remaining chopped garlic cloves With a potato masher, mash the fava beans completely right in the pot, and stir thoroughly after mashing is finished Top individual servings with lots of feta and goat cheese, and the remaining scallions, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil liberally (you may use either feta or goat, but I like it with both) If you do not like either of these cheeses, you may omit them, but something creamy ought to be added to tame the heat (perhaps a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream) Serve over long grain basmati rice, or bowtie pasta, with warm pita wedges on the side Mild hummus is an excellent accompaniment to help put out the fire (think of it as the guacamole with this chili) To be cute, when I served this I put out a bottle each of King Tut, and Queen Nefertiri Hot Sauces (both contain Egyptian spices and are quite good). I sprinkled a few drops of each on mine, but none of my four chile-loving (and chili-loving) guests reached for any. That made me both content and dissapointed. Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST by "Porter Banister" <porter9@concentric.net> on Oct 13, 1998,