Kema or desert truffle
For those of you who recognized it, this is indeed a desert truffle or kema. In Lebanon, these are brought over from Syria. Lina Hamdan, board member of the Lebanese Association of Gastronomy was telling me that these erupt after a storm and lots of lightning. The desert floor...
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Pistachio semolina cake with cream (Mafroukeh bel-festuk)
This dessert is in celebration of St Patrick’s day in Lebanon; after all, there is an Irish contingent based here and a few (scattered) Irish folks in the country. Just met one yesterday as a matter of fact. Notice the sugar cube? It is shaped like a shamrock. The...
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Wheat berry pudding (Ameh maslouk, hboubieh)
This could be considered the Levantine equivalent of oatmeal pudding, even though it is traditionally served on certain holidays such as New Year’s eve or St Barb or on the occasion of a baby’s first tooth. This version is flavored with orange blossom water only. Other versions include anise...
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Tart crust
This is the one I keep making over and over. It is easy to make in a food processor and delivers what I am looking for: sturdy yet buttery and crispy. It can be used for a tarte or bars or even plain cookies. INGREDIENTS: 2 cups of...
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Gratinéed fish
Just because one enjoys cooking elaborate dishes does not mean that meals done in a jiffy are discarded from one’s life. Having made that point, here is a fish plate that can be prepared in minutes. Any white fish fillet will do; the fish is seasoned then coated with...
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Eggplant stew (Mussaka)
A traditional vegan eggplant stew, this one is made with winter eggplants (which have very few seeds). In addition, the eggplants slices were merely roasted with a dab of oil, instead of fried as is the tradition. I am happy to report that foregoing the frying does not take away...
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Lentil and rice pilaf (Mdardara)
There are McDonald’s billboards everywhere in Beirut and the caption says: “YOU DON’T WANT TO EAT MUJADDARA EVERY DAY, DO YOU?”. The photo on the billboard is of a breaded (fried) shrimp sandwich. Call me contrarian, but that billboard immediately made me long for mujaddara or its sister, mudardara. Simpler...
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Savory zucchini and ricotta muffins
Moist, good and good-for-you, here is a muffin you can eat without guilt! INGREDIENTS: 8 oz. of shredded zucchini 4 eggs 1 cup of all-purpose flour 1 tsp of baking powder 1 tsp of baking soda 1/2 tsp of salt 1/2 cup of olive oil (4 oz.) 6 oz. of...
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Pasta shells in pumpkin sauce
This is probably the easiest pasta to prepare and frankly one of the tastiest. Simply cook some pumpkin, mash it and combine it with the pasta. Sprinkle cheese, some toasted nuts and dinner is ready! INGREDIENTS: 6 oz. of shell or tube pasta 1 pound of cut-up and peeled...
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