I feel very fortunate to be able to escape from the hustle-bustle and super charged atmosphere of Beirut into the mountains every weekend; there, only 35 minutes away at 3000 feet altitude, lies a peaceful town surrounded by nature. After spending some time with a seasoned farmer who offered to show me where to find ( and forage) wild zaatar, I got home and realized that there was no food in the house save for some red lentils and a bit of bulgur. Thankfuly the onions were right there in the garden and I snatched a few. This dish is the result.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 green onions, chopped including green tops (or 1 large onion)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (3 tbsp)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1/2 cup coarse bulgur (#3 or 4)
- Spices: Salt, dash of black pepper, 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp red pepper paste or tomato paste
- 1 cup of chopped fresh herbs ( I used dill and zaatar and parsley)
Salah is picking zaatar from a field nearby.
1. Heat the oil in a soup pot; drop the chopped scallions and fry for 2 minutes; add the bulgur and stir to coat with oil; add the red lentils, the spices (less the salt) and the red pepper paste and pomegranate molasses and 3 cups of water with the bouillon cube; cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the bulgur and lentils are done. Uncover, add the salt to taste and the fresh chopped herbs and serve.
NOTE: This dish tastes even better after a day or two.




















Foraging wild zaatar
I followed this man, Salah.
Zaatar is having a growth spurt this time of year and I happily accepted an offer from Salah, gentleman-farmer (originally from Egypt), to show me where and how to forage wild zaatar; there are several varieties of zaatar and this one is elongated and called dukka; folks like to eat it in a salad or pickle it or mix it with cheese. This type of zaatar is not the one made into a mix with sumac and sesame seeds.
Can you see zaatar in there? I could’n't!
getting closer; now zaatar loves limestone, rocky soils, and lots of thorns
Salah was showing me how to snip it with both hands, without touching the root.
Oh, saw some wild sage too! (called as3een in the Chouf and meeramieh in other regions).
Had fun, it was a short 2 minutes away; that’s the beauty of the Lebanese mountains.
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