Monthly Archives: March 2011

Pastato

I saw chef Adèle Hugot cook pasta this way (and call it pastato), I thought “it really is not that much different from what we have been doing with vermicelli and rice in the Lebanese kitchen”. She coats the pasta in olive oil in a wok, then adds the white wine and stock (or a [...]
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Labneh and herb dip

A fresh dip of labneh, our daily ritual growing up in Beirut. This labneh though is modified: instead of serving it with tomatoes and herbs separately, I am combining them: one scoop with a pita triangle and you will get it all! INGREDIENTS: 12 ounces of full or low-fat yogurt 2 cloves of garlic salt, [...]
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Mastic

I was stunned yesterday; I was at the Middle-Eastern store and I was buying a bunch of mastic bags; the young man at the cash register said: ” Excuse me ma’am, but can you tell me what this is for?”. So, I spent a  FEW MINUTES explaining what the mastic or miskeh was,  all the [...]
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Rice pudding parcels

This is a recipe inspired by the Far East; I was discussing making muhallabiyeh with some Filippino ladies in Beirut and suggested giving it an Asian twist; two flavors were immediately mentioned: mango and coconut. So this is what I figured I would do: Make a rice pudding with some coconut milk. Add some diced [...]
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Jumbo french fries (and muhammara)

NOTE: A big thank you and hug to all of you who have reassured me in the previous post: Thanks Khalil, Arthur, Domi, Hegui, Gaininja, Diane, Fiona,  and Murasaki for setting me straight! I can now eat the rest of the box of these baby eels. (They do look cute, with their little eyes protruding). [...]
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