To call this dish a soup is misleading;  like the Mexican posole it is a grand dish with many components each of which have to be prepared separately.

Mouloukhieh is hugely popular in Lebanon and in Egypt and the exact origin of this dish has not been established yet. Suffice it to say that each region prepares it a bit differently. My Egyptian friend Phoebe who has successfully grown the mouloukhieh plant in her Dallas backyard, never uses any cilantro in hers; omitting cilantro in the Lebanese version would be considered heresy.

This plant is called jew’s mallow in the US and corette in French-speaking countries. It is available frozen in all Middle-Eastern grocers in the US and Canada; it is available fresh in Asian markets in the US, as it is a plant that is consumed in Asian countries.

The method for making mouloukhieh is very simple: Prepare a chicken or beef or lamb broth by boiling the meat with some aromatic spices. Prepare a cilantro pesto using fresh and dried cilantro, garlic and olive oil. Flavor the broth with the cilantro pesto and cook the mouloukhieh leaves in the broth very briefly. Serve the soup with pieces of meat or chicken (or both) over white rice, some toasted pita chips, and ladle some chopped onion and vinegar (or lemon) over the soup when ready to savor it.

For some pointers on how to use the fresh mouloukhieh, click here.

INGREDIENTS: 8 generous servings

• 3-pound whole chicken
• 2 lamb or beef shanks (optional)
• 4  cups of cooked long-grain rice (can use Basmati)
• 3 pita breads, toasted in a 275F oven till golden and dry and crumbled
• Aromatics for the broth (chicken and meat): 1 or 2 carrots, 2 bay leaves, black peppercorns, 1 leek or 1 celery stalk, 1 sprig of thyme, 2 cinnamon sticks, a few sprigs of parsley, any other spice you like to add to your broth.
• 2 packages of frozen mouloukhieh (about 400 g each)
• 3 large onions, chopped fine
• 1 cup of red vinegar or 1 cup of fresh lemon juice
• For the cilantro pesto: 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, 12 cloves of garlic, 1/3 cup of olive oil.
• 1 tbsp of dried  cilantro powder (optional)

METHOD:

1. Place the whole chicken (minus innards) in a pot with cold water to cover and the aromatics; bring to a simmer and let it simmer slowly until cooked, skimming any froth from the surface of the pot. Cool the chicken and debone, reserving large pieces for the mouloukhieh later on. Strain the broth and set aside.
2. If using meat shanks, follow the same procedure; when cooked, set aside and strain the broth. Mix the chicken and meat broth.
3. Wash, dry and chop the cilantro leaves. Peel and chop the garlic and mash in a mortar with a teaspoon of salt. Chop the onions. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and fry the onions till soft and golden then add the mashed garlic and the chopped cilantro as well as the dried cilantro. Stir-fry for a few seconds (till the pesto is fragrant),  then transfer to the broth. Heat the broth and drop the frozen mouloukhieh packages in the broth; bring to a boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes until the mouloukhieh leaves are warmed up.
4. Serve the soup with some cooked white rice, the chicken and meat pieces, a bowl of crumbled toasted pita croutons and a bowl of red vinegar  (or lemon) with a handful of chopped onion.

NOTE: There are  no set rules for how one is supposed to eat the mouloukhieh; growing up, every member of the family had his or her customized way; some people like to fill their bowl with croutons, then rice, then mouloukhieh then chicken and meat, then onion and vinegar. You get to decide!

The tricky part of making this dish is determining the amount of broth versus the amount of mouloukhieh; the soup itself is quite soupy, so if you find your soup thick and muddy add more broth. If on the other hand it looks too watery, add more mouloukhieh.

It is hard to imagine that an appetite would manifest itself the day after this Thanksgiving feast.

It is requesting  lighter fare, however.

INGREDIENTS: 2 servings

• 1/2 cup of lentils (I used green lentils)
• 1/2 cup of diced celery
• 2 cups of leftover turkey meat
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 cup of pomegranate arils
• Dressing: 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp of raspberry vinegar (or any other), 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of harissa (optional).

METHOD:

1. Boil the lentils in 3 cups of water till tender, about 20 minutes; drain and transfer to a bowl. Add the diced celery and pomegranate arils and combine.
2. Crush the garlic clove in a mortar and transfer to a small bowl; add the vinegar, harissa and olive oil. Mix to emulsify. Pour over the lentils and combine. Serve the salad with some leftover turkey pieces and avocado slices.

A dish  in Nawal Nasrallah’s Delights from the Garden of Eden listed as an Iraqi-Jewish traditional meal served on the Sabbath in Baghdad and cooked in a tannour. The tannour was a wood-fired  communal oven; it is still being used in some rural areas in Lebanon today to make bread.

The chicken and rice would bake  in a pot in the tannour for a long time, allowing the rice to develop a delicious crust.

Well, there are no tannour here in Dallas so this was made in an electric oven by  modifying  and streamlining  the recipe to achieve the same results.

This dish can be extraordinarily good if one uses a free-range organic chicken, some homemade tomato sauce, Basmati rice and a cast-iron pan.

I modified Mrs. Nasrallah’s recipe but I will indicate her method as well.

INGREDIENTS: up to 6 servings

• 1 free-range chicken weighing about 4 pounds
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups of Basmati rice
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large onions
• 4 large tomatoes, or a 14 oz  can of good-quality tomatoes such as San Marzano
• Olive oil, as needed
• Spices: 1 tablespoon of seven-spice or 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of allspice, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of white pepper, 1 tsp of cardamom

METHOD:

1. Place the rice in a bowl and cover with water and a dash of salt. Soak the rice for 30 minutes or longer.
2. Rub the chicken with cut chunks of lemon and sprinkle with the spices (minus the cardamom). Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large (I used a 10 inch) cast iron pan (with 4 inch edges all around) and brown the chicken on both sides for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
3. For the tomato sauce: The sauce can be done ahead and frozen. Chop the onions and fry in olive oil till golden; add the tomatoes, peeled and cut in small dice, and stew the mixture for about 30 minutes, adding a teaspoon of sugar if desired. You should have 2 cups of tomato mixture; you may also add tomato paste and some water to the stew while simmering to increase its volume.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set is aside; heat the pot, scraping the chicken bits. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Stir the rice to coat all the rice in oil. Preheat the oven to 375F. Add the tomato stew to the rice and the cardamom and let the stew simmer  for a few minutes until the rice absorbs the tomato liquid. Place the chicken in the middle of the rice mixture, add about 3 cups of water and place the chicken in the oven, covering it with a piece of foil; let it bake for 15 minutes then lower the heat and bake it at 350F for about 45 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all the stock and the chicken is cooked. You may add the eggs 20 minutes before the end of baking with their shell, but I preferred to boil them separately.

Mrs. Nasrallah adds coriander to the spices (1 tsp); she also fries the chicken gizzards with an onion beforehand and adds some spices to them, one cup of tomato sauce and half the rice; she stuffs the chicken with this mixture and sews up the bird. She then browns the chicken and onion in a little oil and adds a cup of tomato sauce simmering the chicken for about 15 minutes. She then adds 4 cups of water and the eggs and simmers the mixture, covered, for about 45 minutes. She then removes the chicken and adds the remaining rice in the pot and cooks the rice 15 minutes; then the chicken and eggs are added back and the dish is left to simmer for one hour or longer until a crust forms.

NOTE: I used a cast-iron pot which gave the rice a crust after 40 minutes of baking in the oven.

Living in Los Angeles and Orange County allowed me to meet and befriend Persians and fall in love with Persian cuisine. It is a refined and exquisite cuisine  and one from which there is much to learn.

The easiest introduction to Persian cuisine is through the rich and varied khoresh or stews. Just as in Lebanese cuisine, every vegetable under the sun is showcased in these stews but what sets Persian cuisine apart is the unabashed use of fruits as well. Sweet and savory are combined in a subtle way that enchants the palate.

Here, butternut and prunes are simmered slowly in a sweet citrus sauce. The meat used can be veal or beef or lamb or chicken indifferently. Saffron is always added to add another layer of unmistakably Persian flavor.

This recipe is inspired by Najmieh Batmanglij Food of Life.

INGREDIENTS: 4 to 6 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces (thighs or drumsticks)
• 2 onions
• 1 pound of butternut pieces
• 1 cup of seedless prunes
• 1 cup of lime or orange juice
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2  tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of saffron
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil or butter as needed

METHOD:

1. Brown the chicken pieces in a little oil; chop the onions and brown them as well. Add 2 cups of water to the pan, salt, pepper and cinnamon and cover the lid and bring to a simmer; simmer the chicken and onions gently for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, heat a little butter or oil and stir-fry the butternut pieces for 10 minutes over gentle heat. Add to the chicken and onions and add the prunes; add the lime or orange juice, sugar and saffron. Simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes more. Taste to adjust seasoning and serve warm with basmati rice.

An easy cocktail or light party fare. The duck is bought precooked and is simply cut-up and marinated a bit. The apricots are soaked overnight in hot water to soften and get plump. About thirty minutes or so before grilling or warming the sticks in the oven, a sweet and dark sauce simmers until syrupy combining white wine and grape molasses.

INGREDIENTS: 2 to 4 servings

• 1 duck breast, preferably precooked (to save time)
• marinade: olive oil, a dash of thyme or zaatar, a touch of white pepper (optional)
• 1 cup of white wine
• 4 tbsp of grape molasses (can replace with honey)
• 1 cup of dried apricots

METHOD:

1. Cut the duck in bite-size pieces; marinate in a little olive oil and thyme and pepper. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
2. Pour boiling water over the apricots and let them plump up for one hour or longer.
3. When ready to serve, heat the white wine and grape molasses and simmer until syrupy. Heat the grill, assemble the sticks with apricots cut in half and the duck pieces. Grill for a few minutes, watching to prevent burning the sticks. Serve immediately with the sauce.

Do you know what distinguishes a Lebanese home kitchen?

The whiff of fried garlic and cilantro, that’s what. Chicken wings get the garlic and cilantro treatment with the addition of a squeeze of fresh lemon juice the last couple of minutes of cooking.

INGREDIENTS: 2 to 4 servings

• 1 pound of chicken wings (not deboned)
• 2 lemons or more
• 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander)
• 8 cloves of garlic (or less depending on your tolerance)
• Olive oil, as needed, mixed with corn oil (for frying the wings)

METHOD:

1. Clean the wings under running water and by rubbing them with a cut lemon; dry them and sprinkle salt and white pepper on them; heat a generous amount of oil in a large (cast-iron if possible) skillet and brown the wings on all sides for about 40 minutes until browned.
2. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and mash with a dash of salt in a mortar. Mince the cilantro (leaves, not the stems); juice a lemon. Add the garlic to the wings then the cilantro. Add the lemon juice and stir the wings to get them coated with the mixture evenly if possible. This final operation should take place the last 2 minutes (or less) of cooking, so as to keep the garlic and cilantro tasting fresh and  to coat them with the oil.  Serve with additional lemon quarters.

If you are interested in saving some time and still having flavorful meals, why not make some cilantro pesto and freezing it? It will keep very well, for months, and if you make a bunch and fill up an ice-cube plastic tray with it, you can pull it out of the freezer and scoop out one or more cubes each time.

This is what happened here: The drumsticks are cooked almost to completion first and coated the last couple of minutes with frozen cilantro pesto (notice how it even keeps its bright green and pungent garlic flavor). There is an added flavor here, a touch of  pomegranate molasses is diluted in a bit of water or fresh lemon juice and used to dress both the couscous and as an added juice to the chicken.

Pomegranate molasses can be quite tart, so goes easy first; add plenty of extra-virgin olive oil to the couscous and chicken to offset the acidity of the molasses.

INGREDIENTS: 3 servings

• 1 Package of chicken drumsticks (6)
• 1/2 Bunch of cilantro
• 4 Cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a teaspoon of salt
• 1 Tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (or more)
• 4 Tablespoons of water or lemon juice
• Olive oil, as needed
• Salt, pepper, to taste
• 1 Cup of couscous
• 1 Small chicken bouillon cube or 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 Cup of broccoli or other vegetable
• 1 Large shallot or 2 scallions, minced

METHOD:

1. Cook the drumsticks in the oven or on the grill. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, add the cilantro and the mashed garlic and cook for 10 seconds; add the drumsticks and coat them in the pesto. Add 1/2 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses and a tablespoon of water or lemon juice and swirl to coat the drumsticks well. Set aside.
2. Prepare the couscous by heating some water with the bouillon cube to boiling; add the broccoli and chopped onion and drop the couscous, cover and let it cook 5 minutes  till tender. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, the pomegranate molasses diluted in a couple of tablespoons of water or lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with the chicken drumsticks.

NOTE: You can add some of the cilantro pesto to the couscous at the end of cooking for additional flavor.

In the early eighties, I had moved to  San Luis Obispo, a charming college town in California bordered by ocean and hills. I had been living in Paris prior:  Every party or pot-luck I was invited to, brought a platter of mini-eclairs filled with store-bought chocolate pudding (for expediency); it was easy to make and people were duly impressed.

This time, the idea of making mini-eclairs and stuffing them with a sweet cream sounds less appealing; instead, these  come with a light chicken liver mousse.

Now, if you are not a fan of liver, trust me, this recipe (discovered by trial and error) has eliminated the strong taste of liver.

How? I blended a few dollops of Puck with the liver and onions. If you can’t get Puck, use sour cream or crème fraiche or cream cheese.

You can make the liver mousse ahead; the day of the party, whip up some cream puff dough and pipe the mini-eclairs that morning; crisp them up right before the guests show up and fill them with the mousse and a few fresh basil leaves.

And watch them disappear.

INGREDIENTS: Mini-eclairs: (Will make about 25)

• 1 cup of water (can be replaced with a light chicken stock if you wish)
• a dash of salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (4 ounces or 115 g.)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour

Chicken liver mousse:

• 1 pound of chicken livers
• 2 large onions
• 1 cup of white wine
• olive oil, as needed
• salt, pepper, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of sumac
• 1/2 cup and up to 1 cup of Puck or any other creamy cheese spread or sour cream (or 4 wedges of the laughing cow)
• 30 fresh basil leaves

METHOD:

1. Pour 1 cup of water (or bouillon) into a saucepan; add a dash of salt, and a stick of butter; let the butter melt slowly and bring the water mixture into a simmer; drop one cup of flour into the saucepan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour mixture (called panade) leaves the sides of the bowl; this should take 3 minutes.
2. Transfer the flour mixture into the bowl of a mixer or food processor or a regular bowl. Add one egg and beat until the egg combines into the flour mixture; continue with the other three eggs and when the mixture is glossy and creamy, stop beating and get a pastry bag ready and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe small 4-inch eclairs and bake them in a preheated 375F oven for about 30 minutes, leaving the oven door ajar to let the steam escape (by planting the handle of a wooden spoon in the oven door) after about 20 minutes of baking. Cool the mini-eclairs and set aside. If you are planning to use them the following day, store them in a ziploc bag and crisp them up a few minutes in a 300F oven the next day.

TO MAKE THE CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE:

1. Slice the onions and fry until golden and soft; add the chicken livers, pomegranate molasses and spices; raise the heat and sear them until cooked but still pink inside. Splash the wine and remove the livers into a bowl. Let the sauce reduce and transfer to the bowl with the livers. Transfer the livers and onions into the bowl of a food processor. Process, adding a few dollops of Puck or sour cream or cream cheese; taste and adjust, if you like it creamier, add more cheese.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Transfer the liver mousse into a pastry bag; slice the mini-eclairs open; line one side of the eclairs with two or three small basil leaves; pipe the mousse on top, close the eclair gently and place on a serving platter.
2. Cover with plastic wrap up to one hour before serving time; remove the wrap and let them come to room temperature. Serve the mini-eclairs with extra basil leaves as a garnish.

• 3/4 pound of ground chicken (with a bit of fat)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (packed) of minced herbs, such as basil and cilantro
• 1/2 cup of shredded kashkaval cheese (or any hard cheese such as swiss or cheddar)
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a dash of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of sumac, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• DUKKAH to coat the chicken croquettes: 1 cup of ground toasted almonds, 1/2 cup of ground toasted pecans, 1/2 cup of toasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups of vegetable oil
• 1 lime, quartered

Serve with a creamy mustard vinaigrette: Place two tablespoons of your favorite honey-mustard in a bowl; add two tablespoons of rice vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well to combine.

METHOD:

1. Place the chicken in a bowl; add the minced herbs, the egg, the spices, garlic paste and shredded cheese. Pour the cup of flour in a small bowl, beat the eggs in another bowl, pour the dukkah in the third bowl. Shape the chicken into balls with a cookie dough scooper and dip them in flour. Line them up on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of foil.
2. Pour the oil in a large skillet and heat it to 375F. Dip the chicken balls in egg then in the dukkah. Place in the fridge while the oil heats up. Fry for about 5 minutes till golden and cooked and drain on paper towels. Serve with a mustard sauce and wedges of lime if desired.

NOTE: Kashkaval is a sheep’s milk cheese that is sold at all Middle-Eastern and ethnic stores; it is mild in taste and very popular in Lebanon.

There is a very easy way to tell if a dish is popular or not.

This one was gone in minutes. Which surprised me considering I had used chicken livers.

Hear me out: Each beoreg gets slathered with muhammara (red pepper paste sauce); topped with  sauteed liver with onions (bite-size) then covered with a cheese pillow.

If you are not a liver and onions fan, you can substitute a meaty chunk of roasted eggplant.

Either way, these beoreg will  not last.

INGREDIENTS:

• For the dough: 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 Tablespoon of yeast
• 1 teaspoon of brown or white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 6 ounces of water
• 1/4 cup of sesame seeds, toasted golden
• 1 egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of water
• For the liver and onions: 1 pound of chicken livers
• 1 large onion
• 1 Tablespoon of pomegranate molasses
• 1 cup of wine (red or white)- can substitute chicken stock
• salt, pepper, a dash of allspice, a dash of sumac
• olive oil, as needed
• 1 1/2 cups of prepared muhammara sauce (click here for a recipe)
• 1 pound of sweet white cheese or mozzarella or any melting white cheese

METHOD:

1. Pour 2 ounces of warm water in a small bowl; add the yeast and sugar and stir. Place in a warm place for 5 minutes to bubble up; in the meantime, place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process and add the olive oil; when the yeast mixture is bubbling, add it along with additional warm water to the bowl until the dough is compact and leaves the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a work surface, sprinkle with some flour, knead a few seconds and cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for one hour or until it doubles in size.
2. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling; slice the onions and fry in olive oil till golden; add the chicken livers (dry them first with a paper towel) and saute on high heat for 5 minutes until they are browned but still pink inside, adding the sumac and other spices along. Transfer the livers to a bowl; splash some wine in the skillet and let it reduce until the onions are colored, soft, almost caramelized and the wine is almost gone. Transfer to the chicken livers bowl. Cut the cheese in slices about 4 inches across; if the cheese is too salty, let the slices soak in water and replace the water every 15 minutes; this should reduce the salt considerably.
3. Now take the dough and punch it down to deflate it. Roll it into a large circle and cut into small circles (about 3 inches across) with the rim of a glass or a cookie cutter; the thinner the dough, the more beoregs you will be able to get.
4. Take each circle and stretch it a bit with your fingers or a rolling pin; slather some muhammara sauce on it, then place a generous tablespoon of liver and onion on top; top with the cheese and pinch the ends to form a little boat.
5. Whisk the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water and brush on the edges of the beoreg; sprinkle some sesame seeds.
6. Place on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper or silpat. Bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes or until the beoregs are dry and shiny. Serve warm or at room temperature.