Sage tea
Drinking herbal teas is very much part of the Lebanese culinary mores and traditionally herbs were dried and kept in the pantry for such a purpose. I found stacks and stacks of large bags filled with dried mint, sage, camomile, flower petals imported from Lebanon or Jordan or Syria,...
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Zaatar Scones with labneh
I hope my English cousins (twice removed) do not take offense here. I was just craving some zaatar! In Lebanon one can easily find zaatar croissants in bakeries and coffee shops, which can be wonderful or not depending on the croissant itself. Scones are a lot easier to make;...
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Red lentil and chicken soup
Chicken soup warms the soul, so they say. Chicken and red lentils, with a handful of rice and a squeeze of lemon is a complete meal and can be made at leisure, almost as an afterthought. INGREDIENTS: 2 chicken legs 1 1/2 cups of red lentils 2 lemons, olive...
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Su Beoreg
Anyone who has lived any length of time in Beirut becomes enamored sooner or later with Armenian specialties; a cousin ordered one day a dish of sou beoreg from an Armenian lady she knew who was operating a little commercial kitchen from her home. Sou beoreg is made with...
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Banana Rum cake
Lebanon’s coastline is lined with banana plantations, especially in the south of the country, all the way to the border. Yet, unlike the American kitchen which is replete with banana recipes, there are none in the Lebanese repertoire. In an effort to remedy this, here is a pudding-cake recipe...
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Pork tenderloin with fennel and onion jam
Lebanon is a small mediterranean country; as such, it is covered with wild fennel. I saw this herb growing in the mountains and on the coastline. It can be made into an infusion or incorporated into all sorts of dishes. This dish however uses the fennel bulb offered in...
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Coffee pudding
Lebanese folks fall into two categories: the ones that like to drink their Turkish coffee with ground cardamom mixed in (hale in Arabic) and those who like it just plain. In the Middle-Eastern stores, the packages of Turkish coffee with cardamom have a green border and printed with cardamom at...
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Chicken loaf with cranberries and pistachios
This loaf is made in traditional Lebanese homes with extra-lean ground veal or beef and usually stuffed with carrot sticks or hard-boiled eggs. Seared in fat and simmered slowly in a vinegar sauce. My aunt Wadad is 88 years-young; about four feet tall and eighty pounds or so, she...
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Artichoke bottoms with a yogurt sauce
I made this today in memory of a great lunch I shared with a friend in Beirut recently; he took me to a place called Walima, that used to be located in a traditional old house, unfortunately demolished since; the homestyle restaurant had to move to a nearby location...
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