Wines of Lebanon by Michael Karam

I am a wine ignoramus; it just so happened that  I had lunch with Kamal and his guests at Tawlet recently; a man with a British accent sitting on my left was introduced to me as  Michael Karam, author of a book on Lebanese wines.

In the course of the following  months, both my English cousin in London and my dad in Beirut received this book as a birthday present.

Yesterday, I picked up this coffee table book, thinking I would spend a few minutes looking at the photos. I could not put it down.

Here is what I liked about this book:

  • This is not a pedantic book for  wine experts who are looking for detailed and technical exposés on Lebanese wines. This book is for people like myself, who are interested in stories. Frankly, the winemakers of Lebanon have quite a story to tell. Michael Karam knows how to draw them out and his tales are captivating.
  • The book is divided into three main sections: a historical background on Lebanese wines, dating back to Phoenician times and beyond. A section on the established winemakers in Lebanon, such as Ksara and Kefraya. Lastly, a series of small chapters focusing on the new arrivals on the Lebanese winemaking scene such as Massaya, Clos de Cana or Domaine Wardy.
  • The photos in this book, taken by famed photographer Norbert Schiller are as compelling as the stories. I especially liked the portraits of Bedouin women, who, as it turns out, play an essential role in the harvesting of grapes (and have for thousands of years).
  • This book informs, but in a leisurely and enjoyable fashion. I am now aware, for instance, that Lebanese winemaking goes back at least 7000 years. That the vast majority of the labor hired to pick grapes are Bedouin women (who get paid on the average $4 a day for their efforts). That winemaking in Lebanon, while ancient in tradition, has been strongly influenced and coached by Bordeaux winemakers. That Lebanon has indigenous varieties of grape that have not been touched by disease yet, unlike their European counterparts.
  • I felt through this book  as if  I knew  the winemakers intimately. Their childhood, their struggles (narrowly escaping bombing, looting, kidnapping), their challenges (trying to sell wine in a country that traditionally drinks arak), their triumphs. Château Musar, for instance, being singled out by a leading wine expert as one of the best wines in  the world.
  • This book managed to spark my interest in wine, interest that had been dormant up until now. I immediately took my daughter out for dinner and ordered a Kefraya Rosé blanc (sweet and delicious) and a Cabernet.

What I did not like about the book:

  • This book is not very technical; since this would have discouraged me from reading it, I don’t consider it a drawback, but I guess some people might.


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Radish greens salad

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This post was originally published on June 7, 2009.

Marie-Therese, who was French and married to a Lebanese,  told me one day (that was probably 35 years ago) that she was helping their family cook, Amira, who was so poor that she had to eat radish greens. I remember this conversation because of the dramatic tone of voice of Marie-Therese and her intense empathy for poor Amira. I was  saddened by the news, because in our household we ate radishes but we would discard  the green leaves.

Today, nutritionists would no doubt encourage people to eat more of these radish greens!

Check this out: 6 times more Vitamin C than the actual radish, calcium, rich in potassium, full of antioxidants, helps gallbladder and liver and relieves flatulence and indigestion…one of the many benefits of eating the poor, overlooked and humble radish greens!

This salad is a balance of flavors and textures. The radish greens provide body and earthiness and a bit of bite, the golden raisins offer sweetness, the onions some slight tanginess and acidity  and the garbanzo beans are mellowing the ensemble!

This recipe was picked out of the more than 600 from Chef Ramzi’s book The Culinary Heritage of Lebanon. I found it and jumped because it reminded me of this friend and her maid and also because I honestly had never tried  a dish of radish greens before.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Greens from 2 bunches of radishes
  • 1 teaspoon of mashed or crushed garlic with a pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup of raisins (substitute cranberries or cherries or dates)
  • 1 onion or 3 scallions; if using onion, cut in rings, scallions need to be chopped fine
  • 1 can  of cooked garbanzo beans (or 1/2 can)

METHOD

  • Wash and dry the radish greens. Chop them coarsely.
  • Make the dressing by mixing the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
  • Add to the radish greens the raisins, scallions and garbanzo beans. Mix and pour the dressing.

Sahteyn!

NOTE:

You can plump up the raisins in some hot water for 30 minutes if you wish. I always cook the canned garbanzo in some fresh water for 30 minutes to get rid of the metallic taste, but it is strictly your call.

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Risotto with tomatoes and cream

This afternoon was earmarked for some shopping in Beirut‘s new and glistening souks, a mall reminiscent of the most upscale ones  in the US. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the garage, a  surprise was in store for us: a vehicle was parked in front of the  garage door, blocking our car. A derelict-looking thing too, not one of those resplendent BMWs, the #1 preferred car here, the car that says “ I am the King of the Road“.

No, this was a car that could have used a few months of tender loving care  at a body shop and upholsterer.

We looked around, hoping to spot the impudent driver. No one in sight, not even on a balcony. What to do? Go home and hope that in a few hours it will be gone? Alice (daugther) suggested getting in our car and honking nonstop to alert the neighborhood. I said:” Try it if you want, but  we are in Beirut here, nobody pays any attention to honking!

Fifty  feet away, I saw a man loitering about; I called him ” are you the driver of this car?”;  ”no, lady” he yelled back; he moved closer and leaned over the windshield, scrutinizing it ” Look, a phone number!”.

Sure enough, on the driver’s side of the dashboard, I saw a phone  number scribbled on a wrinkled tiny piece of paper in pencil. The man said to me ” See, all you have to do is call that  number  on your cell phone”.

He read the numbers out loud to me with  an Egyptian accent. ” Pfft! “, I thought, ” this guy seems to think it is that easy!”

A minute later, I heard a voice on the other end,  apologizing : ” I will be there in a jiffy, lady, I am in the Sabbagh  building across the street, just give me a minute!”.

Living in Beirut can be maddening, charming, exciting, dangerous, fun and  all of these combined.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup of risotto rice
  • 1 small onion
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 large heirloom tomato
  • a cup of porcini mushrooms, either fresh or dried (if dried, soak in hot water for 30 minutes)
  • a few shakes of pink peppercorns and salt to taste
  • one jiggle of white wine (optional)
  • 1/2 cup of whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (optional)
  • a handful of pine nuts, sauteed in butter till brown or toasted

METHOD:

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot; add the chopped onion. Stir until the onion is translucent (cover the pot to speed up the process).
  2. Add the rice and stir for 3 minutes till the rice takes on the color of mother-of-pearl.
  3. Add the white wine and let it simmer till it almost evaporates.
  4. Add the tomato and the mushrooms and stir. At this point, add a couple  ladles  of water  (about 2 cups) and let it simmer, stirring from time to time.
  5. Add some salt, pepper and some cream, let it simmer and meld into the rice.
  6. Add the parmesan cheese last, stir and serve the risotto when it is cooked but still firm to the bite and all the rice, when stirred, moves in the same direction. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

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