Candied pumpkin
This pumpkin jam reminds me of my grandmother, Nabiha Aftimos, who lived in a world that had not succumbed to speed obsession, cell phone dependency or internet. Whatever she made in the kitchen took time, and it was fine and natural by her. She used to make these types of sweets...
Read More »
Onion soup, French-style
Happy New Year 2014! Wishing everyone a great 2014. (Hope PEACE will prevail) We did not have the spectacular fireworks that Dubai exhibited this year; (from what I hear, it was a Guiness World record) Nevertheless, it was joyful and peaceful; a bit irksome was hearing the firing of blank...
Read More »
Bulgur pilaf (Burghol mufalfal ma’al joz)
This bulgur pilaf is a Turkish recipe from Sima Othman Yassine’s Al tabekh al-terkey. It is light, easy, versatile; this version caught my eye because I had all of the required ingredients waiting to be used: Walnuts, green pepper, raisins and (white) coarse bulgur. One important point to note is...
Read More »
Milk and bread pudding (Ashtaliyeh)
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2013!! A wonderful lady in Beirut, Mrs Dora Hassan, gifted us this milk and bread pudding telling me “this was a little dessert she had concocted with her girlfriends”. She calls it ashtaliyeh; the classic ashtaliyeh is a creamy pudding flavored with rose and orange blossom water and...
Read More »
Sweet roll (Kaak alleeta)
This sweet bread called alleeta is one of these old-fashioned treats that are resurfacing in some Beirut bakeries; my aunt recalls how there was always a street cart vendor selling them to kids after school. I did not have a recipe initially, but luckily found it on Facebook through Bass...
Read More »
Kibbeh with tahini sauce (Kibbeh arnabiyeh)
This is the time of year for this classic kibbeh dish; kibbeh balls are smothered in a tahini sauce comprised of no less than 3 different citrus juices (lemon, orange, clementine, grapefruit or tangerine) Kibbeh arnabiyeh is made slightly differently depending on the community; in ours, we made it with...
Read More »
Zaatar flatbread with Jreesh
Jreesh is cracked wheat. Let’s not confuse cracked wheat and bulgur; bulgur is parboiled and cracked wheat is just cracked. Both are wheat. They look similar. A popular ingredient in baking and cooking in the South of the country. In Beirut, some bakeries specialize in this type of man’ooshe or...
Read More »
Date sandwich cake
This is one of those homestyle no-bake desserts put together with leftover dates and cookies and kept in the freezer or fridge for days; perfect for a quick sweet nibble or a treat to offer an unexpected guest. Middle-Eastern stores sell a packaged date paste making the job even easier....
Read More »
Kibbeh mortar (Jurn)
Not so long ago, every Lebanese home had one of those in the kitchen; called a jeren, this mortar was cut out of solid rock and weighed at least a hundred pounds. We had one; my mother was fortunate enough to be able to enlist a cook (with adequate girth) named...
Read More »
