Monthly Archives: February 2012

Grape molasses

I wish I could tell you to get this at your local supermarket! It just is not available commercially, even in Lebanon;  my friend Yola got it in the village of Kfarheem (Chouf) and the sale of these jars of grape molasses are strictly for the benefit of the sheikh and his community. This is [...]
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Osso bucco

Italy is not far from Lebanon; to say that the Lebanese love Italian cuisine is stating the obvious. Osso bucco or lasagne verde  was served at  sidewalk cafés in Beirut as far back as I remember. The Italian influence was not even  limited to food, since even centuries ago Italian architects and decorators were commissioned [...]
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Making stuffed onion skins (Video-clip)

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Stuffed onion skins (Salamouni mehshi)

There is a variety of onions called salamouni here, with an elongated graceful shape; they taste just like regular yellow onions but the neat thing about them is that once boiled, their skins stay curled up, making them perfect for stuffing.  This recipe is shared by Asma, my wonderful Kurdish friend, who told me it [...]
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Pita and onion fries

Chef Ramzi Choueiry was the first Lebanese chef to showcase the regional variations in traditional Lebanese cuisine; in his monumental Culinary Heritage of Lebanon he explored the country, stopping at remote villages and transcribing recipes local folks would give him. This happens to be one of them, stunning in its simplicity: just fry pita croutons and [...]
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