Picnic Lebanese-style

I read Lebanese newspapers online every day, it has become a habit. Yesterday, I picked up an interesting titbit from L’Orient-le-jour. A group of intrepid hikers from different countries including the US were trekking from the northern tip of Lebanon all the way to the southern tip, a total of 440Km (about 300 miles).  Lebanon is tiny, but this constitutes quite an achievement because they are doing it in one month and they are going through paths that are thousands of years old . In addition, their trek has an ecological purpose, as they are trying to help local villagers preserve the natural beauty of their environment and defend it against harmful and unsightly construction. One member of this group has a blog www.trekkinglebanon.com. Photos are included. Very interesting. In addition, there are a number of hiking groups in Lebanon who do more leisurely walks through various areas of interest. When we were kids, we would always reserve Sunday as a family to go on picnics with other families. One time, we were in the Cedars area and I remember meeting the most beautiful young girls I had seen: golden hair, pink complexions, lightly tanned skin, and air of such health that I still 35 years later have a vivid memory of their look. I remember the conversation was about sandwiches and they claimed that every day they  would eat  a sandwich made up of fresh onion and tomatoes and butter. I had never heard of such a combination and I remember going home and trying it at once! Yummy!! Well, onion is so good for you, it is practically a natural antibiotic! Always include it in your sandwich and  the fresh mint or parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes. 

INGREDIENTS: For 1 sandwich

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of labneh (or cream cheese or butter)

A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

A few cherry tomatoes

A few olives

A few Persian cucumbers

2 Tablespoons of fresh parsley or mint

1/4 cup of fresh onion (red or green)

METHOD:

Slather the bread with labneh. Line up the cucumbers in a row, interspersed with tomatoes, olives and mint. Drizzle some olive oil. Roll the bread like a tortilla. Sahteyn!

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