Myrtle berries (hemblass)
These berries are liked by a lot of folks here. The berries are munched on raw. Here is the link to find out what they are exactly (thanks Bassem!). Now that the weather is finally cool and the air crisp and clean, hunting season has arrived; this is a predicament because in...
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Flan-Cake
This flan-cake is from a best-selling cookbook here in Lebanon called Anahid’s gourmet cooking; this cake had made the rounds of the foodie circles a few years back but reading the recipe I was doubtful that it would work: Pour the custard in the pan, then pour the cake batter...
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Chayote squash salad
Chayote squash in Dallas is always available in Latino markets; it is very light in taste and cooks in a few minutes; here in Lebanon it is grown and called French squash (koossa frenjeh) for some reason. People like to pickle it as it is nice and crunchy. A...
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Cauliflower flan
Thanksgiving caught me off guard this year, I guess geographical location has something to do with it (duh!); feeling a tinge of guilt I decided to partake with one of the recipes in my upcoming mini-Iraqi cookbook. This is real easy to make, provided you have either a charlotte...
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Quince stew (Sfarjalieh ma3 ruz)
If you love fruity, sweet and sour flavors in your food, then this stew is right up your alley. Inspired by a famous stew from Aleppo, Syria but streamlined to the max. The stew combines the flavors of quince, red beets, pomegranate, with a touch of garlic and...
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Grape candy (Uvinha)
Brazil is the country with the largest number of Lebanese expats and immigrants, especially the county of Sao Paulo; one of my grandmother’s brothers, Georges, left the family to make a life there as a young man and my grandmother never saw her brother again. Today, his descendants...
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Potato bulgur pie (Kibbet al-batata)
There are many versions of potato kibbeh; some are strictly vegan, others contain a layer of meat, some are made into balls and stuffed with onions and nuts, etc. This one is made up of mashed potato mixed with bulgur and stuffed with a layer of ground meat and...
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Tuna sauce on pasta
This is a poor man’s pasta dish that delivers a refined taste that will have you begging for more. If you can, use spinach tagliatelle or the best egg pasta you can find; luckily here in Beirut boxed pasta comes straight from Italy and this one cooks in 2...
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Cream of pumpkin soup
The US dollar is readily accepted by merchants in Lebanon; in fact, even if one pays with a credit card the cashier will immediately ask “Dollars or Lebanese?” and compute the bill in the corresponding currency. What is neat too is that if you end up being shortchanged...
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