Will not speak for other expats, but this is the one dish that beckons after arrival. Something about that  lemony, silky, garlicky, smokey eggplant cream is all that one needs to feel acclimated once again.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large shiny eggplant, about 1 pound
• 1 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt
• 1 tbsp of tahini
• olive oil

METHOD:

1. Char the eggplant over an open flame, either on a gas stove or on a BBQ grill; once the skin is blackened all over, dip into a bowl of cold water to cool it and peel it; place the eggplant on a colander and let it drain.
2. Mash it with a meat mallet and add the juice of a lemon, a teaspoon of garlic (mashed in a mortar with a dash of salt) and just a touch of tahini (You don’t want the taste of tahini to be noticeable).
3. Taste, drizzle with a filet of olive oil  and serve with pita.

NOTE: m’tabbal is a word meaning seasoned or spiced.

This eggplant dish is meatless however it will leave you totally satiated. The walnuts and bulgur do the trick: Paired  with fresh pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses,  garlic and a touch of cinnamon, they deliver depth of flavor and a sweet/tart taste.

I came up with this last summer but go back to it whenever it is pomegranate season; the stuffing can include rice or breadcrumbs or other grains instead of bulgur. Yogurt is a topping that my daughter thought of and it worked very well.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 to 6 eggplants, preferably the long and skinny ones
• 1/2  cup of fine bulgur (#1)
• 1 cup of walnuts, chopped coarsely
• 3 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a teaspoon of salt
• 3 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon or allspice
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp of Aleppo pepper or 1 red chili pepper depending on taste
• 8 oz (1 cup) of fresh pomegranate juice (or bottled)
• olive oil, as needed
• yogurt if desired

METHOD:

1. Peel the eggplants with a vegetable peeler; sprinkle with salt and let them drain some juice for a while (30 minutes or longer). To make pomegranate juice, place pomegranate arils  in a food processor, pulse a few seconds and drain through a sieve collecting the juice and pressing on the seeds with a meat mallet. Mix the juice with the pomegranate molasses and the brown sugar.
2. Mash the garlic, chop the walnuts. Soak the bulgur in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and drain, squeezing the excess water out. Mix the bulgur, walnuts, garlic, cinnamon and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl.
3. Dry the eggplants and fry in hot oil until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes or so. Drain on paper towels and with a knife, score the eggplants in the middle lengthwise; insert the stuffing with a spoon.
4. Place the eggplants in a skillet, add the pomegranate juice and cover. If you have stuffing leftover, add it to the pomegranate sauce (it will give the sauce some body); simmer over gentle heat for 40 minutes or until the eggplants are extra tender and soft. Serve warm or at room temperature with some yogurt if desired.

A recipe from Eric Bernardin the cerebral and creative blogger (and Bordeaux wine expert). He got it from another site that got it from chef Bruno Verjus.Well, I was not about to let this pass untested; after all, they are fiddling with the eggplant, the most revered  of our Levantine vegetable!

It is simply roasted eggplant combined with a touch of (really good) dark chocolate and some nut oil. That’s it. Served on a crostini or with some grilled meat or whatever.

The recipe called for baking the eggplant first for an hour then charring it on the grill, which I thought was redundant; I simply grilled it (skin on) the way it is done in the Middle-East, then when it was soft and blackened all over, peeled it and drained it of its bitterness. Next I mixed it with a touch of melted chocolate and a few tablespoons of oil and added a dash of chile pepper.

Result:  It was creamy, smooth, with a little smoky flavor and no detectable taste of cocoa. Great to play mystery ingredient with your guests.

I will be making this again. Bravo Bruno.

INGREDIENTS: 2 or 3 servings as an appetizer

• 1 large eggplant (after grilling, the meat would weigh about 170 g. or 7 oz)
• 10 g. of dark chocolate (at 70% or more) (about .4 oz)(about one tablespoon)
• dash of salt
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of nut oil, such as hazelnut, walnut or just a mild olive oil
• dash of cayenne (optional)

METHOD:

1. Place the eggplant on the grill or roast (whole) in the oven till soft; run the broiler at the end to blacken it. Peel the eggplant and scoop out the meat; transfer to a sieve and let the juices drain for an hour.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds or less; add to the eggplant along with a dash of salt, cayenne (if desired) and oil. Press through the sieve to remove the seeds and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with chips or pita or as a side to roasted or grilled meats.

Note: I loved it but my daughter did not.

Normally, this dish is made up of thick slices of eggplant, fried in olive oil and smothered in a garlicky yogurt sauce. This version used extra thin slices (I finally got the hang of the mandoline), fried in olive oil then dried up in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; the microwave crisps them up and the excess oil is blotted out.

The sauce is simply yogurt, with a touch of garlic paste, a mere teaspoon of pomegranate molasses and a generous tablespoon of tahini.

INGREDIENTS: 6 servings

• 4 eggplants or about 1 1/2 pounds
• Olive oil, as needed
• Salt, as needed
• For the sauce: 1 cup of yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic mashed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a mortar till pasty
• 1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cup of fresh pomegranates (optional)

METHOD:

1. Peel the eggplants with a potato peeler; slice in very thin slices and sprinkle with salt. Let the salt drain out the bitter juices for at least 30 minutes. Pat them dry and fry in some olive oil (add only as needed, 1/4 cup at a time), on both sides till browned. Pat dry and microwave for 30 seconds, and maybe another 30 seconds if they are not crisp yet. Doing this step in batches is easier.
2. Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients; serve with the sauce as a dip.

The reason for the summer title is because this dish used to appear every week  at our table when the first heat waves of summer were felt, because it is eaten at room temperature.

Plus it is entirely vegan.

I hated it as a kid; it reminded me of the eggplants we were served at the nun school, big greasy slices of fried eggplant staring at me that I would discreetly slip into the pocket of my school uniform.

Later on, of course, I grew to love it; if you have similar recollections involving eggplant, this is the one dish that might change your mind; the whole concoction is so mellow and soft and tangy from the tomatoes, it is really a delight.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Large eggplant, about 1 pound
• 1 large onion, about 10 ounces, sliced in rings
• Oil, to fry the eggplant and the onions
• 4 Large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 6 garlic cloves (or more, or none) (you can mash a few with salt and add the last minutes of cooking)
• Salt, pepper

METHOD:

1. Peel the eggplant and cut into slices. Sprinkle with salt and let the brown juice drain out, about one hour or longer; wipe dry and fry in plenty of oil till golden-brown on both sides; transfer to paper towels to soak up the extra oil and set aside.
2. Fry the onions till golden then add the cubed tomatoes; add the chickpeas and the eggplants and the garlic cloves whole  and bake in a medium-low oven for 30 minutes; or simmer over the stove gently until the juice from the tomatoes is almost all evaporated. Serve at room temperature with pita bread on the side.

A common denominator to all people who live around the Eastern Mediterranean: They love to stuff their veggies!

In Lebanese cuisine, they are stuffed in two major ways: One includes meat and is served hot; the other is meatless and is served at room temperature.

The vegan variety of stuffed veggies is  used a lot for fasting days, but also for mezzes, when folks will congregate over fifties or so little plates of titbits, drink some arak, and discuss all topics under the sun for hours on end.

I was checking Peter‘s recipe to see how the Greeks differ in  stuffing ingredients; well, it is fairly similar except we like to add lemon juice in our cooking broth. The veggies come out tasting lemony and silky smooth (from the olive oil).

Here is yet another opportunity to add a dash of pomegranate molasses in the broth if you have some.

Keep in mind that this dish is mild-tasting and can easily become bland, so if you like a certain spice, go for it! I tried using cilantro and dill this time instead of the usual parsley and I loved it. Pine nuts are de rigueur, but any other nut will do, even pistachios, why not!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of assorted veggies (could be baby eggplants, calabasa squash, yellow squash, small peppers, onions or carrots)
• 3/4 cup of rice (sushi or Egyptian or Turkish or arborio)
• 1 small onion (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup of finely chopped herbs (I used dill and cilantro)
• 2 cups of finely diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 3 large tomatoes or potatoes to line the pot
• 1 Tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)
• salt, to taste, 1/2 tablespoon of seven-spice or allspice and cinnamon combined
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts

METHOD:

1. The best veggies for this dish are the tiny, baby ones: Baby eggplants and small calabasa squash are sold at Middle-Eastern groceries, but if not, just use regular ones and cut them up to fit, using the extra for an omelette or fritters. Core the veggies with a corer or a grapefruit spoon. Reserve the flesh inside to cook later and use for fritters or just eat on the side with a pat of butter or olive oil.
2. Mix in a bowl: Rice, herbs, tomatoes,pine nuts, onion (chopped fine), spices, and lemon juice and olive oil. Add the molasses at this point too. Stuff the veggies leaving a little space on top for the rice to expand. Set aside all the leftover juice to use later.
3. Line a pot large enough to hold all veggies in one layer with thick slices of potatoes or tomatoes. Dispose the veggies on the potatoes or tomatoes. Take a small plate and place it directly on top of the veggies. This is to hold them in place while they are cooking. Now gently pour the remaining lemon and olive oil juice on the veggies, adding extra water to come almost to the top.
4. Cover the pot and place over medium heat. When the broth starts boiling, reduce the heat and let the pot simmers very slowly for one hour. Remove the cover and test by tasting some rice; turn off the heat when ready and let the veggies cool.
5. To serve, place the veggies on a platter and spoon the sauce all around if desired.

NOTE: Traditionally, the flesh of the veggies is used for fritters either served at the same meal or the next meal as an appetizer. To get a recipe for fritters click here.

If using carrots, it is a good idea to parboil them to soften them so that coring is a doable job.

Back in the kitchen; I don’t know about you, but can you envision a weekend without pizza?

I can’t.

How about this pizza? Instead of the tomato sauce, I made a red pepper sauce; topped it with eggplant instead of pepperoni or sausage. Sprinkled with zaatar brought back from the zaatar fields in south Lebanon but any aromatic herb of your liking will do the trick. The cheese is akkawi, sold at all Middle-Eastern stores, but can be substituted for mozzarella.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Eggplants (if possible get the smaller ones, about 6 inches long)
• 1/2 cup of red pepper paste or 1 jar of red peppers
• 1 1/2 cups of water(if using the paste)
• 6 cloves of garlic (less if it is too much for you)
• 2 Tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• salt, as needed
• olive oil, as needed
• 1 batch of whole wheat bread dough (see note)

METHOD:

1. Peel the eggplants, cut into slices (leaving the top attached) and fan out; place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt; set aside for a few hours (or one hour) until the brown bitter juice comes out; pat them dry.
2. In a saucepan, heat some olive oil and add the chopped onions; fry a few minutes till golden; add the red pepper paste and the water and stir to dissolve the paste; bring the mixture to a simmer, add the pomegranate molasses, garlic, cumin and brown sugar. Let it simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until the mixture is thick.
3. Cut the cheese into slices (or shred) and set aside; roll out the dough and cut with a cookie cutter into 4 inch circles; grease a baking sheet and pat each circle on the sheet until it spreads a few inches; slather the red pepper paste first, then the cheese the fan out the eggplant; sprinkle with zaatar on top.
4. Bake in a 500F oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is dry and golden. Sprinkle with olives and serve hot.

This salad is named after a monk who will remain nameless; presumably he lived in one of the monasteries that pepper the Lebanese mountains and like all monks, lived a frugal life eating whatever vegetables his plot of land produced (which was the case for most Lebanese villagers and not just monks!).

In any case, this is a refreshing and healthy salad that is usually part of the offerings at a mezze. I think of making it whenever the temperatures skyrocket, as is the case here these days.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 pounds of eggplant (one or two large or the little ones)
• 1 bunch of parsley or other herb
• 1 bunch of green onions or one small white or red onion
• 4 Tomatoes
• 1 Green pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil, as needed
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 Tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional, but recommended)
• salt, to taste

METHOD:

1. Peel and cut the eggplants into slices and sprinkle with salt; set it aside until it spits out a lot of brownish liquid.
2. In the meantime, cut all the vegetables in small dice, mince the parsley  and transfer to a salad bowl; chop the garlic and mash in a mortar with a dash of salt. Transfer the garlic to a bowl and prepare the dressing: pour the lemon juice and olive oil and pomegranate molasses (if desired) and mix with a small whisk or a fork.
3. Wipe the eggplant slices dry and sprinkle with olive oil; bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes or grill until soft. Chop the eggplant into dice and transfer to the salad bowl.
4. Add the dressing to the salad bowl and combine all the ingredients; taste and adjust seasoning if needed and serve.

I am surprised that this dish (and its many variations) is not more popular in the US and abroad; I consider it the signature dish of all Middle-Eastern cooking. It apparently goes back centuries to the Abbassid period.

Well, never mind, today I am presenting fatteh, in the eggplant and minced lamb version. Fatteh is a very forgiving dish, omitting  or adding something is not going to affect the end result.

What matters is the layering. Cooked meat, or vegetable, or both, then garlicky yogurt, then crunchy pita croutons, then buttery pine nuts. The eggplant and lamb are cooked in a light tomato sauce with a strong undercurrent of sweet/sour pomegranate molasses.

It usually is a bit on the rich side, so I have tried to lighten it up somewhat; instead of frying the pita croutons, I tossed them in a bag with a tablespoon of olive oil and toasted them in the oven till golden-brown and crunchy. The pine nuts have to be fried in butter (preferably clarified) so I only used a teaspoon of butter. (Frying brings out the flavor of the pine nuts). As for the rest, instead of frying the eggplant cubes in gallons of oil, I tossed them in olive oil and pan-fried them. Drained the minced lamb. (I am trying).

Usually people place the croutons first; since I like them to stay crunchy I placed them on top of the yogurt. Do it your way!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of eggplants
• 3/4 pounds of minced lamb (or beef)
• 1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (8 ounces)
• olive oil, as needed
• 3 pita breads
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts
• Spices: salt, seven-spice, sumac
• 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of oil
• 3/4 pound of yogurt (full or low-fat)
• 8 cloves of garlic (or to taste)
• 1 generous tablespoon of tahini

METHOD:

1. Peel the eggplants and cut in small cubes. Sprinkle generously with salt and place in a sieve over a bowl; let the salt draw out the bitter juices for several hours if possible (you will get at least one cup of dark water).
2. Brown the minced lamb in a skillet. Break it into small pieces with two wooden spoons, add some spices: I added salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sumac and 1 teaspoon of seven-spice mix. Stir and cook until browned. Then transfer to a sieve and let the meat drain its grease.
3. Cut the pita breads with kitchen scissors into tiny croutons, place in a ziploc bag, add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss. When the croutons are shiny, transfer to a cookie sheet lined with foil and bake in a 300F oven till dry, golden and very crunchy.
4. Dry the eggplant with paper towels; pour two or three tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and when hot, pan-fry the eggplants stirring from time to time until they release their flavor, get soft and browned a bit. Transfer the eggplant to the skillet with the minced meat and add 1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses and a cup of tomato sauce. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 20 minutes or so, and let the sauce reduce by one half until the remaining mixture is moist but not too soupy.
5. Melt a teaspoon of butter and one of oil (if using clarified butter, don’t bother with the oil) and fry the pine nuts until caramel-colored. Drain on a paper towel.
6. Mix the yogurt with a generous tablespoon of tahini (optional, but adds a nice nutty taste) and 1/2 teaspoon of mashed garlic (mash the garlic with a dash of salt in a mortar).
7. ASSEMBLY: Place the meat and eggplant mixture on a platter, still warm. Cover with the yogurt, then top with the croutons and pine nuts.

Light but filling, this couscous lined with zucchini will complement a roasted turkey.

For the recipe, click here.

Baba Ghannouj or eggplant dip can be prepared in less than ten minutes (if you use my speedy method).

For complete instructions, click here.

Comfort food straight from Lebanese mountain villages, this bulgur, green beans and squash casserole can be prepared in less than half an hour.

For instructions, click here.

A sweet and tangy dessert bar studded with cranberries made in minutes in a food processor.

An American twist on a Lebanese classic.

For complete instructions, click here.