Monthly Archives: October 2010

Couscous with chick peas and grape molasses

This couscous  is inspired by a country dish I had read about in Chef Ramzi’s Culinary Heritage of Lebanon in which chick peas are cooked in grape molasses and water for hours till tender. To add some depth of flavor, couscous, caramelized onions, a whole head of garlic and a generous pinch of  zaatar or oregano [...]
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Chewing-gum, Lebanese style

Chewing gum was a major treat for me growing up in Beirut. It was exciting as well, because my father forbade it , saying that it made us look like camels. My aunt Marcelle lived in the same building  two stories up: every few weeks her  seamstresses  would come over and spend the day: Fittings, [...]
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Kaak (Lebanese crackers)

Kaak is a dry breadstick covered with toasted sesame seeds and flavored with mahlab, a very popular spice in the Lebanese pastry world. A traditional kaak recipe is available here. Kaak is also  made with grape molasses, which makes it sweet and richer-tasting. It can be flavored with zaatar, which gives it a little pungent [...]
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