Rose water drink
Leena Gerjis, one of the producers atSouk el-Tayeb, specializes in mouneh items; mouneh being all the foodstuffs preserved for the winter season, such as pickles, syrups, jams, etc; I visited her this past Sunday in her home in Ehden, a rustic mountain village house surrounded by a vegetable garden...
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Fried sardines
I mean, sure, I can get fresh sardines and fry them at home; but why should I when I can have them at just about any beach in Lebanon, with a side of tarator (tahini) sauce? INGREDIENTS: 1 pound of fresh sardines (bizri) or any tiny fish 1 1/2...
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Bagna Cauda
Prior to my English cousin Andrew’s arrival, it had been agreed that we would cook together; I realized when he got here and brought with him a jar of homemade orange marmalade made with treacle that the man knew a lot about cooking and food in general. When Andrew...
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Goat kibbeh tartare (Kibbeh Nayeh)
An outing was planned this Sunday to visit one of the producers at Souk el Tayeb and get acquainted with the region ofEhden in which he and his family live. A short hike in the Nature Reservefollowed by a feast at their home was on the program. Mr. Sarkis...
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National Tabouleh Day
Today was National Tabouleh Day, an event organized by Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon’s first organic farmers market in Beirut and Ricardo Mbarkho. While the tabouleh is Lebanon’s most famous salad, it has unfortunately been bastardized elsewhere in the world; it is a rare occurrence to find an authentic tabouleh...
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Pimms
I am spending my days with my English cousin Andrew; when I introduce him to people at parties the first reaction when they see him (he looks 100% English) is: ” How come you have an English cousin?” (Lebanese people are curious and candid); well his grandmother was my...
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Mango and milk pudding
Super easy pudding made with mango nectar and milk; just heat up some mango nectar, add some sugar and when it steams add some cornstarch previously diluted in water; a dash of lemon juice is always good with mango otherwise the taste is dull. Milk pudding is a classic...
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Olive oil and Anise rings
One of the major challenges of blogging out of Lebanon is technical: Even though “high-speed” internet is available even in remote villages, the electricity gets cut off several times during the day; I have often been in the middle of pushing “publish” to hear the distinct “machine is dying”...
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Chicken balls with spaghetti al-pesto
I am in the attic of this grocery store in the village of Deir el-Qamar and using their wireless internet; I mention out loud that I am thinking of spending a week in Greece later this summer; a boy of about 10 (at the most) turns around and tells...
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