Potato kibbeh (Kibbeh heeleh)
This kibbeh is a vegan type of kibbeh and is called kibbeh heeleh, which means tricky kibbeh; tricky because it looks like the real thing (with meat) but contains no meat whatsoever. The shell is potato, bulgur and some flour to bind the paste. The filling is made up...
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Grape molasses
I wish I could tell you to get this at your local supermarket! It just is not available commercially, even in Lebanon; my friend Yola got it in the village of Kfarheem (Chouf) and the sale of these jars of grape molasses are strictly for the benefit of the...
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Osso bucco
Italy is not far from Lebanon; to say that the Lebanese love Italian cuisine is stating the obvious. Osso bucco or lasagne verde was served at sidewalk cafés in Beirut as far back as I remember. The Italian influence was not even limited to food, since even centuries ago...
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Cream of carrot and sweet potato soup
Four ingredients: Carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and cumin. A cube of Maggi bouillon or some chicken stock, a ladle of cream and you’ve got yourself a creamy bowl of soup you will inhale. INGREDIENTS: 1 pound of yellow onions 1 pound of carrots 1/2 pound of sweet potatoes 1/2...
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Stuffed onion skins (Salamouni mehshi)
There is a variety of onions called salamouni here, with an elongated graceful shape; they taste just like regular yellow onions but the neat thing about them is that once boiled, their skins stay curled up, making them perfect for stuffing. This recipe is shared by Asma, my wonderful...
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Pita and onion fries
Chef Ramzi Choueiry was the first Lebanese chef to showcase the regional variations in traditional Lebanese cuisine; in his monumental Culinary Heritage of Lebanon he explored the country, stopping at remote villages and transcribing recipes local folks would give him. This happens to be one of them, stunning in its...
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Giveaway result
Result: Number 11 out of 62, powered by RANDOM.ORG Megan Moore gets the book of photographs from the children in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon. Megan please forward me your address at your convenience. Congratulations, hope the children in your school get interested in this book. For anybody else interested...
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Stuffed artichoke bottoms
Certain kitchen jobs are just not fun: Like plucking artichokes. Fortunately, the bottoms are available in all Middle-Eastern shops in the US or Canada and in every supermarket in Lebanon. These are filled with a spinach custard; baked and topped with a slice of hard-boiled egg; it would be...
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Oatmeal bars
Seems like oatmeal bars (and cookies) are in the air; saw some over at Bo’s then at Oui, Chef. Had to make a Levantine version! Cranberries are imported here (from the US) but can easily be replaced by dried cherries or apricot or raisins. These bars are chewy and the...
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