Monthly Archives: October 2009

Cake with Turmeric (Sfoof)

When we were youngsters growing up in Beirut we used to go play every day at the one and only “park” in West Beirut. The park boasted one large fountain and many jacaranda and  ancient eucalyptus trees. In front of the gates, there was always a cart vendor selling these cakes, called sfoof. I was [...]
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Kibbe Pie with chicken, stuffed with onion jam and nuts

There is one dish that gets my creative juices going and that’s kibbe. I mean Paula Wolfert mentions in her book The cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean that there are 50 types of kibbe. I am willing to bet  that there are more. Kibbe pie with chicken is one I did not grow up eating [...]
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Mung Beans and Bulgur (Mung beans mujaddara)

I was intrigued by this recipe. There are several dishes featuring mung beans in Chef Ramzi’s The Culinary Heritage of Lebanon. All the mung beans recipes are from the North, near Tripoli.  This one is a mujaddara, similar to the one made with lentils. In fact, I found dozens of mujaddara recipes, each made with a [...]
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Almond Meringue Sticks with Chocolate Sauce

This recipe can be prepared up to 3 weeks ahead, kept in a tight container it stays crispy and fresh, even frozen! Second, the chocolate sauce can be prepared ahead as well and frozen and reheated the day of the party in the microwave. Third, you can make a lot and leftovers can be eaten [...]
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Orange Blossom Water (Mazaher)and Rose Water (Mawared)

Orange blossom water: It is our foremost flavoring along with rose water in Lebanon when it comes to pastries, puddings or cookies, syrups and jams. We even drink it plain with a bit of water and call it “white coffee”. Most of the orange blossom water production in Lebanon comes from an area south of the [...]
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