Heart of lettuce
When we were kids, we used to always fight over who was going to get the heart of the lettuce. The lettuce was always a romaine (which I believe is native to the region). Most times than not, mom would end-up with it. All of this to say that it...
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Cherry tomatoes bites
My mother these days spends most of her time reading and one of her weekly subscriptions is a French magazine called Femme Actuelle. It is sort of the French equivalent of Good Housekeeping (is that still in circulation?). The magazine contains a medley of mostly informative and practical articles...
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Wildflower tea
Folks who live full-time in the mountain villages in Lebanon are intimately connected with the wild plants of their region. Thus, what will appear on the shelves of the ethnic or Middle-Eastern grocer as a bagfull of colorful dried flowers has actually been painstakingly foraged and dried in the old...
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Apricots with marshmallow topping
Apricots are in season and since it is a short one, let’s eat gobs of them. At least that’s what I do, especially since they are so delicious in Lebanon. The best apricots are picked fresh from somebody’s orchard (bartered with a neighbor for, say, some zaatar). They are tiny,...
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Bulgur salad
Warmer days are here to stay and this salad has the advantage of being hearty yet light and suitable for warm weather. It is a simplified version of what the Armenian community in Lebanon introduced to the natives as itch. Whereas the original itch would include diced bell peppers and a medley of...
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Mulukhiyeh aka Jew’s mallow soup
Mouloukhieh? Everyone would swoon at the mere mention of that word. An invitation at so and so to a mouloukhieh? Teta Nabiha making it for Sunday lunch and inviting Tante Wadad and Khalo Nkoola…always an event. Teta’s double-sized bed would be covered with a clean sheet and on it...
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Lamb stew
This super easy lamb stew (called ‘aleb khodra) is almost identical to a French lamb stew called navarin printanier. The only difference is no eggplants are featured in the French one. The idea is to first cook the meat chunks (preferably with bones) and onions in water and herbs to make...
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Flank steak and peas
Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! This is the easiest menu I came-up with, short of calling for delivery (which is something I have resorted to now and then in Beirut). The steak is marinated for a little while, then grilled on the BBQ or pan-fried for a few minutes...
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Earl Grey Muhallabieh
A few days ago, it was cool, overcast, with a nice ocean breeze. I felt like making an easy dessert and drinking some tea. Tea weather does not hit these Mediterranean shores very often so I had to seize the moment. Earl Grey being my all-time favorite tea, I figured...
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