A classic of Lebanese home cooking, this sauce can be prepared with or without meat; it is ideal for warm days because the yogurt sauce is not cooked; it is a perfect meal for any day of the w...
What goes by kaak is usually either a dry bread or roll or a biscuit, more often than not covered with sesame seeds. This kaak includes some zaatar in the batter and is savory and can be made in a ji...
This lentil pilaf is called southern mujaddara since it is how folks in southern areas of the country eat it. The bulgur should be dark if possible and when cooked with the lentils becomes soft and s...
This delicious stew is one of the traditional dishes made with this wild vegetable; my grandmother used to prepare it this way and so do lots of folks here. Just sauté the akkoub (tumbleweed) in some...
Pluck its thorny leaves and this is indeed akkoub, a prized (by many) wild vegetable; also known as tumbleweed, cardon (French), or gundelia. Apparently this wild vegetable’s recent claim to fa...
Plucked at high altitude (over 3000 feet) in the Shouf mountains in Lebanon, this vegetable is wild and highly prized for its exquisite taste. (it is also supposed to be full of antioxidants) Anybody...
This is a bunch of fresh chickpeas sold everywhere these days on the side of the road. Street cart vendors used to call on customers with a jingle that went like this: Um Elaibaneh (Mother elaibaneh)...
Awarma is the word used to indicate bits of lamb preserved in lamb fat; it is usually prepared in rural areas and the jars are used up throughout the year to flavor one dish or another; the fat used ...
Last Sunday was the grand opening of Tawlet Ammiq, Kamal Mouzawak‘s latest venture. The restaurant is located in the Bekaa Valley, nudged between the village of Ammiq and a mountain range with ...
The fava beans have been ubiquitous lately; every street vendor, every greengrocer, is carrying mounds of freshly picked fava beans. Some are large (stalks are about 7 inches long) and get plucked op...
These loquats show up in the early summer in Lebanon and have a short season; they can be very sweet and absolutely delightful to eat, a cross between a pear and a peach. I had spotted them in the st...
A dish that is listed in Armenian cuisine and that I had sampled a couple of times and liked very much. I saw some tiny cherries at the greengrocer and figured “now or never!”. In the boo...
Proof that simple is best. Eggs are poached in a tomato sauce made with lots of onions, ripe tomatoes and some garlic; scooped up with pita bread. A mouthwatering luncheon or brunch item from the Leb...
Just like any other natural product, there is honey and then there is honey. This one aptly called Cedar honey comes from bees pollinating in one of the Cedar tree Reserves in Lebanon from two thousa...
This coffee-table book was on display at the local bookstore and it sparked my interest immediately, especially after I realized that the author was also co-owner of one of the finest Armenian restau...
The list of wild herbs is long in Lebanon and this post is just a start. Here Asma, a wonderful Kurdish/Lebanese lady is holding a bunch of wild sage picked up in a forest clearing in a mountain 40 m...
This time of year, grape leaves are perfect: tender, smallish and shiny. They can be used to stuff, can be frozen to use later in the year, or eaten fresh with tabbouleh salad. Here is a classic exam...
This Armenian specialty is a crispy, flaky, sweet bread that is slathered with tahini and doused in sugar prior to baking. You can make it at home like I did or buy it fresh in the Armenian district ...
Even a die-hard cooking aficionado needs a respite; that’s why this technique of cooking fish is so great; first of all, it won’t smell up the kitchen, it takes just minutes to put togeth...
Or how to eat olives and cheese in one bite! Pick a strong goat cheese to offset the pungent taste of the olives; get some pitted olives and a decorating bag with a tiny tube and you can get this fan...
Congratulations to those of you who knew what these roots were! Called shilsh al-halawa or soapwort or Bois de Panama roots , these are used to make natef. Natef is a type of meringue, similar in tex...
Anybody care to guess what this is? And what it is used for?
Beirut is not lacking in fine pastry shops; quite the contrary, I can list several that rival Paris best pâtisseries (there is even a Ladurée shop in Beirut for macarons), not counting my friendAnne-...
Perfect for a weeknight meal (speedy) yet elegant enough for a sit-down dinner. To coat the apples and duck use a superlative honey ( I used that jar of grape molasses on the left) or apple molasses....
Greengrocers, street cart vendors are displaying huge mounds of these fresh almonds (background) and sour plums called janarek. These are eaten here as a snack with a dab of salt, but I have used the...
A large number of Filipinos reside in Lebanon and this dish is inspired by a recipe from an article featuring Filipino cuisine in Fatafeat magazine (12/09 issue). This chicken and veggie dish ...
Had to stop for a kaak on my way to the mountains this weekend at ABU ARAB. ABU ARAB is a kaak place in which kaak is baked on the premises and stuffed with traditional things like zaatar or Picon ch...
Yet another dessert inspired by Femme Actuelle of this week, streamlined to make it faster. A bite of this buttery crumble is offset by the tangy/sweet/mellow pineapple and banana slice. Not too shab...
This is a speedy and delicious type of kibbeh (in Kurdish balloo3) that I tasted at the home of a Kurdish friend whose family resided in Turkey. The lentils cook in water in minutes and are combined...
A mere 25 minutes from Beirut and you can be right smack in the heart of the Shouf region; this region is beautiful and well-preserved by its locals and is made up of lush mountains and valleys as w...
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