Tag Archives: basil

Pasta with artichoke pesto

This recipe I owe to Citron, a wonderful blog edited by Mélanie Mercotte, from Ottawa (Canada); Mélanie’s cuisine is strictly  vegetarian; thanks to her, I have bought a syrup made from brown rice and learned about seitan. Frozen artichoke bottoms are available at the Middle-Eastern grocer imported from Egypt and they are such a time-saver; [...]
31 Comments

White lasagne with vegetables

One who reads guidebooks about Lebanon will no doubt be informed of all the civilizations that the country has experienced:  Phoenicians, Greeks,  Romans ( hundreds of temples left behind) to name but a few; and of course the Ottoman presence which lasted a few centuries. However, there is no mention of the more recent Italian [...]
28 Comments

Eggplant rollups

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a book signing event for a childhood friend. I met a charming and friendly lady there and we exchanged phone numbers. A week later, I was invited to her house for dinner and we were served a feast, one dish after another was laid out on the sideboard [...]
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Potato salad, Southern Lebanese-style (Batata bel-Kammooneh)

Two people in the last 24 hours have had a similar answer to my question: What is the appeal of Lebanon for you? A  24-year old Dutch man  answered: “I  love the warmth of the people; and I enjoy watching the crazy driving“. A  50 year-old French man said: ” Beyond the warmth of the [...]
30 Comments

Broad beans in basil dressing (Fassoulia bel-salata)

Here is the breakdown of our mountain residence household by nationality: mom and dad, Lebanese (2); cousins, Danish (6); moi, son and daughter, American (3); son’s buddy and co-worker, Dutch (1); staff, Filippino (3); gardener, Egyptian (1); brother, wife and kids, French/Lebanese (4). As a result of this convoluted set-up, tempers have flared more than [...]
25 Comments