Monthly Archives: August 2012

Purslane turnovers (Fatayer bel-bakleh)

Fatayer as they are called here belong to the category of savory pastries and can be found at every corner bakery in Beirut and throughout Lebanon. Their taste and quality varies, of course. You can make them with store-bought dough, even frozen biscuit dough in a can; or you can devote 2 or 3 hours [...]
34 Comments

Sunflower seeds

If you are wondering what one does when vacationing in the Lebanese mountains, this is one activity; plucking seeds from sunflowers and eating them raw with  a six-year old niece who is just as eager as I to partake in the fun. I was trying to show Marie (said niece) how to extract the seed [...]
8 Comments

Fig preserve (no sugar added)

If you are lucky enough to get a hold of very sweet figs (these were plucked from our garden in the mountains), here is a quick and delicious preserve made with just the fruits and a little water; I watched in amazement as Jovilyn Corcolla, a young Filipino woman, made it in front of me while [...]
9 Comments

Oatmeal date squares

My daughter is going to college full-time  and working (tutoring English in a remedial school here) and comes home famished; these oatmeal and date bars should help, don’t you think? By the way, if you have a Middle-Eastern grocer nearby, they most likely stock date paste in a package, saving you the trouble of making [...]
20 Comments

Bean mujaddara (Mujaddara Hammaniya)

  A mujaddara is primarily made with lentils and a starch (usually rice) and flavored with caramelized onions. It is a dish that is very ancient (mentioned in the Old Testament). In any case, it is healthy, rustic,  easy to make and easy on the wallet.    In the beautiful village  of Hammana (Mount Lebanon range), [...]
18 Comments