Green beans in tarator (Loobieh bel-taheeneh)
Summer is around the corner and with it all the veggies that one’s heart may desire; let’s start with the green beans, shall we? These are simply boiled or steamed a bit and dressed with a tarator sauce. This would be a great side dish for kafta kebabs or a...
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Milk pudding (Muhallabiyeh)
This pudding used to belong to the category: What your mother or grandmother will make at home. Now it is available in Beirut everywhere, in delis, at juice bars, coffee joints, even in supermarkets under a label. I guess there are less and less mothers and grandmothers at home making...
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Zucchini harvest
I had a work-related project and no time to blog so I am posting an image of some zucchini we harvested on Sunday from the orchard; a quick recipe for a traditional salad of just picked Lebanese zucchini, called koossa here. Boil the zucchinis; mash 2 or 3 cloves...
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Mount Ararat pilaf (Ararat Pilav)
When the war officially ended in Lebanon, there was a lot that needed to be done to rebuild the country; Mrs Micha Sarraf and her friends decided to put together a cookbook in order to raise money to help the Red Cross. The cookbook was called Mijotons (tr: Let’s concoct...
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Cocktail pita
These are cocktail or Happy Hour-size pitas; they are sold in bakeries and supermarkets in Beirut. I have not seen any in Dallas however. This could be a fun weekend project, unless you live in Beirut!
Kafta patties topped with potatoes and tomatoes (Kafta bel-saniyeh)
Can’t get any more down home than this! I have seen this pan not only at home growing up but on the table of all my schoolmates. It is cafeteria food, Lebanese-style. Kafta patties (a meat mix with chopped parsley and onion) are topped with sliced potatoes and tomatoes...
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Mulberries
Got a kilo of these (almost 2 pounds!) and asked the vendor if he had plucked them himself (I know how long it takes!); his reply was “no way, lady, we send 6 or 7 guys to do the job!”. These are my favorite berries; wish they were...
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Beet/chocolate pancakes
I seemed to have always met people who either liked or hated beets; I love beets. This, however, is not a beet pancake; it is a chocolate pancake that happens to have beets in it. I saw a beautiful picture of a beet red velvet cake in a Donna...
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Eggplant and ground meat sauce (Batersh)
I first got wind of this dish on Kano’s blog and was immediately interested; the idea to top eggplant dip with a thick ground meat and tomato sauce sounded delicious; it is apparently a specialty of the city of Hama in Syria. I’d like in passing to send many prayers...
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