Walnut and red pepper paste (Muhammara)
My favorite condiment. Muhammara (which means “made-red” in reference to the red chili peppers in it), is versatile and quick and easy to prepare. The key is to use good walnuts and red pepper paste. If these conditions are met, it will take 3 minutes to make with a food processor. The...
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Tomato rice (Harrak osba3o)
The name of this dish in Arabic is “burnt his finger”. Presumably this is such an irresistible food a child burnt his finger eating it without waiting for it to cool down. Prior to making this I was unconvinced; how can something so simple be that good? it is...
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The Jewelled Kitchen by Bethany Kehdy
I discovered Bethany’s blog a few years ago and was impressed by the stylish designs and gorgeous photography. This Spring, I even met Beth in person with her team who tagged along; we had lunch in Beirut at one of these Ottoman-era houses converted into a funky coffee...
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Zucchini mussaka (Msa’3et al-koossa)
Most couples in Lebanon work and have hectic lives. The days of dangling a basket from one’s balcony to collect veggies from a street cart vendor are pretty much over. I know several restaurants in town with names like “your mom’s cooking”; they offer traditional, homestyle foods that most...
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Molasses no-bake cookies
These cookies (which have the texture of a soft taffy and the taste of toffee) are made with a technique that has always intrigued me; they are very traditional and come from rural areas. Folks lived a very simple (primitive) life, without oven or any appliances. I have seen...
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Spaghetti with tuna, Asian-style
I tend to cook Mediterranean food most of the time (duh). I just had a can of tuna and spaghetti in the pantry, nothing else, and figured I’d make spaghetti Asian-style, with a splash of soy sauce and lots of toasted sesame seeds. Luckily, the garden in the mountain was...
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Stuffed zucchini flowers
Even though these flowers are not used here in Lebanon (wonder why), I could not bear dumping them. They are easier to stuff than, say, grape leaves. I dipped them in a quick batter after stuffing them and fried them for a few minutes. I discovered that in Turkey, these...
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Fish kibbeh stuffed with seafood
Met this talented photographer ( check out his image of a woman in the desert) at a work assignment and he said: “Let’s shoot some extreme food images”. I said: “How about a fish kibbeh stuffed with more fish? “. He replied: ” Live fish?” I smiled. Here is the fish kibbeh...
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Rose water (Maward)
Rose water is used in amost all sweets, desserts, puddings; in the south, folks add rose petals to their spice mix called kammooneh. In the Gulf countries, rose water is even added to rice dishes; it is sold in all the ethnic markets or health-food markets in the...
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