A day in Beirut
If you find yourself in Beirut, here is what you could be doing: an early morning stroll on the Corniche, followed by a break for breakfast, on a cafe overlooking the Pigeon Grotto (see pic)…then, maybe a couple hours of swimming at one of the private beaches nearby, such...
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Eggplant stuffed with rice and herbs
These days I am mainly eating. And eating very well, I might add. Relatives and friends are showering us with their kitchen creations. We feel so pampered and so special. I am also taking advantage of my stay here in Beirut to quiz everybody on their secrets for making...
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Fish stew, Bahrain
This dish was amazing. I adapted the recipe to make it simpler in execution. I made the sauce ingredients in the food processor. I transferred the sauce into a pyrex dish, placed the fish steaks on the sauce and then baked the fish for about 20 minutes in a...
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Cardamom and farina pudding (Khabeesa)
The day I made khabeesa, we enjoyed the fragrance of Arabia in our house. The cardamom and saffron permeated the kitchen and living room and it was intoxicating. I LOVED this dish! I found myself eating it for breakfast, then a bite after lunch, then a sliver in the...
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Shish Barak(meat dumplings in yogurt sauce)
My friend Hoda Soueid had graciously offered to show me how to make sheesh barak, the dish I remember most fondly from my grandmother’s. Tiny little dumplings made in a soft and very thin dough smothered in a yoghurt sauce and served over rice. Comfort food Lebanese-style! So good...
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Clotted cream
Nothing equals the sheer ecstasy in savoring a full cream ashta. I had the absolute best ashta of my life in Baghdad in the early seventies , at the home of Dr El-Khalidi who ordered it and had it served for us with fresh eggs in the morning. In...
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Pasta with zaatar pesto ( Zaatar akhdar pasta)
I discovered this recipe here in Beirut. The chef who created it is a woman, Marlene Mattar, who was in charge of a cooking segment in the Lebanese TV channel NBN. It is basically a pesto sauce but uses fresh zaatar called zaatar akhdar here as well as flat...
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Bohsali pastry
My daughter wanted to visit the campus of the Lebanese American University (LAU) and I thought ” and I want to visit Bohsali”. This place is an institution here in Beirut. It had been around forever! How many people can remember going there on sundays for knefe bel-jebn and devouring...
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Cherries from Lebanon
It is my contention that we only end up overdosing on desserts when we are deprived of delicious fruits. I can’t tell you how it feels to be able to eat cherries right now in Beirut! When you can enjoy this heavenly treat, who needs candy or cake?
