The challenge with these fritters is to infuse them with flavor as they tend to be bland on their own; so go ahead and add all the spices that your little heart desires and you will be rewarded with a delicious appetizer. Squeeze some citrus juice on the fritters before inhaling them, it will enhance their flavor and help with the absorption of the iron in the lentils.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of red lentils, cooked in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes till soft.
• 1/2 cup of bulgur (#1), soaked in water 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed of the extra water.
• 3/4 cup of rice, cooked.
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of sumac (optional)
• 2 tablespoon of harissa (can substitute red pepper paste of your choice or chili paste)
• 4 cloves of garlic, mashed with salt in a mortar till pasty
• 2 scallions, minced (can substitute shallot) (optional)
• Rind of an orange or a lemon or a lime
• 1/2 cup of minced cilantro
• 1 cup of minced Italian parsley
• 2 Tablespoons of powdered dried mint
• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 1 cup of  sesame seeds (can substitute pistachios, pecans or walnuts, chopped fine)
• 1 or 2 lemons, quartered
• oil for frying, as needed

These are served with a quick salad of diced tomatoes, diced feta and minced parsley dressed in lemon juice and olive oil, with a touch of sumac if desired.

NOTE: I made the effort to buy a feta with a Greek origin and was rewarded with a creamy smooth-tasting cheese, far superior to the other varieties I used to buy. I soaked the feta in water to make it a bit less salty.

For extra flavor, fry the minced herbs and garlic in a little olive oil for no more than 10 seconds, then add to the lentil mixture.

METHOD:

1. Place the cooked (and drained) lentils in a large bowl. Add the drained bulgur, rice, egg, flour, minced scallions, harissa and other spices, rind of a citrus and toss well to combine. Heat a little olive oil in a small skillet, throw the minced herbs and mashed garlic and stir to combine the mixture for no more than 10 seconds. Remove and add to the lentil mixture and toss.
2. Shape the fritters with  an ice-cream scoop and dip in the sesame seeds or other nuts.
3. Heat some oil in a pan (about one inch) and when hot (at 350F to 375F), drop the fritters and cook about 3 minutes on one side and one minute on the other. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.
4. Serve with the salad and some quartered lemon or limes.

A fresh dip of labneh, our daily ritual growing up in Beirut. This labneh though is modified: instead of serving it with tomatoes and herbs separately, I am combining them: one scoop with a pita triangle and you will get it all!

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces of full or low-fat yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint (substitute dry)
• 1/4 cup of fresh flat-leaves parsley
• 1/4 cup of fresh dill
• 2 scallions
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 bag of pita bread, cut into triangles with kitchen scissors

METHOD:

1. Place a coffee-maker filter or a paper towel over a sieve and drain the yogurt for several hours, overnight if possible.
2. Chop the parsley, dill, scallions and  mint very fine. Cut the garlic cloves in small bits and mash them with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a mortar till pasty. Add to the labneh and mix.
3. Add all the herbs to the labneh. Cut the tomatoes in half, empty the tomatoes and cut the flesh into small dice. Drain on a sieve for 30 minutes and get rid of the seeds. Incorporate the tomato bits in the labneh. Fill the tomato cavities with labneh and garnish with a mint leaf.
4. Serve on a plate with pita triangles or chips (toast the triangles in a 300F oven for 12 minutes until light gold).

According to Fayez Aoun, (cookbook author and professor) this dish dates back to the Abbassid empire; it was called madira and was written about by Zaman (967-1007), who featured it in a tale.

Laban is milk (or yogurt) in Arabic and ummo is mother; a lamb cooked in his mother’s milk? Or as I understand it, a dish of virginal tenderness: The creamy yogurt sauce, livened up by the lilting flavor of garlic and the silky smoothness of the lamb shanks contribute to this gustatory experience of absolute purity.

INGREDIENTS: 8 servings

• 1 pound of lamb shanks
• 1/2 pound of small boiling onions
• 1 pound of yogurt
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup of cornstarch diluted in a bit of water
• 4 and up to 8 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a dash of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
• Flavorings for the lamb stock: bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, a few allspice berries, peppercorns, a few sprigs of parsley, an onion studded with a few cloves.
• Dried mint leaves, to pass around (optional)
• olive oil, as needed

METHOD:

1. Make a stock with the lamb shanks: Place the lamb shanks in a pot and cover with tap water; add some flavorings (I used bay leaves, a few allspice berries, peppercorns, an onion, a few sprigs of parsley, whatever you have on hand and feel like using). Bring the stock to a simmer and let it simmer gently, skimming it from time to time until the lamb shanks fall off the bone, which could take one hour and up to three hours. (You can use a pressure cooker if you like or a crock pot).
2. Place the rice in a bowl, add a dash of salt and some water to cover and let it soak for a while (30 minutes minimum); if using Basmati rice, rince the water several times until it is clear and soak it for one hour in lightly salted water.
3. Pour boiling water over the small pearl onions; wait two minutes then peel the onions and set aside.
4. Prepare the pesto: peel a few cloves of garlic (about 6 for this dish), cut them up and mash them with a dash of salt in a mortar. If using mint (traditional), crumble the dried mint and place over the garlic; heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, place the garlic and mint on top and stir for a few seconds till fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside; the pesto will be used at the last minute when making the sauce for this dish.

1. When the shanks are ready, strain the stock and place the shanks in a plate, discard the fat and cut the meat in bite-size portions. Set aside. Place the stock over medium heat and cook the pearl onions in it for about 15 minutes over a gentle simmer.
2. Cook the rice in some water or a portion of the lamb stock. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk an egg white lightly, add the yogurt and whisk to mix, add the cornstarch diluted in some water and mix. Place the yogurt mixture in the meat stock and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens (about 15 minutes). Add the meat pieces and stir, and finally add the garlic and mint pesto. Stir for a minute and serve hot over the rice.

NOTE:

You can use beef stewing meat instead of the lamb shanks and proceed as above.

You can flavor the yogurt sauce with fried garlic and omit the mint.

Traditionally, a small bowl of powdered mint is made available for people who want to add more to their plate.

After this past National Tabouleh day contest in Beirut’s souk el tayeb, where tabboulehs of all stripes were entered, including a lovely one with pink geranium petals, I thought I would introduce my version of winter tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh is the national salad of Lebanon and our pride and joy; unfortunately most often than not misrepresented abroad. It is supposed to be a showcase of a typical Lebanese kitchen garden’s bounty, with the main ingredient being parsley, then mint, tomatoes, onion and then, a very timid sprinkle of fine bulgur. In France, however,  tabboulé is often made with couscous, not bulgur, and has almost no parsley!

Question: Do you think that a traditional dish needs to be made according to strict parameters, forever?

This winter version of tabbouleh uses shredded cabbage, chick peas, a sprinkling of dried mint, onion and the usual lemon and olive oil dressing. It is crunchy, lemony, hearty and light at the same time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 avocado
• 2 cups of shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup of bulgur
• 1 cup of chick peas
• 1/4 cup of minced shallots or red onion
• DRESSING:
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced and mashed with a teaspoon of salt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup (or more) of olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon of sumac
• 2 Tablespoon of ground dried mint

METHOD:

1. Shred the cabbage very fine and place in a large bowl. Peel the chick peas and place in the bowl with the cabbage. Pour very hot water over the bulgur in a small bowl and let the grains swell for 10 minutes or so until tender. Drain the bulgur of its water, pressing on the sieve to extract all the remaining water. Place the bulgur in the bowl with the cabbage and chick peas.
2. Peel the cloves of garlic and mince; place in a mortar with a pinch of salt and pound till the garlic and salt form a paste. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl and add the juice of a lemon and the olive oil as well as the sumac and mint. Whisk vigorously and transfer to the salad bowl. Mix all the ingredients. When ready to serve, cut the avocado in half and remove seed and peel. Sprinkle the avocado with lemon and cut in slices, garnishing the salad with it.

In 1988, the American Red Cross awarded the Lebanese Red Cross with a medal commending it for the best rescue effort internationally. Back then the war was still raging and casualties numbered in the thousands. Volunteers from the Lebanese Red Cross displayed heroic courage in their rescue efforts.

A few years later, when the war was officially over, a group of ladies came up with the idea of publishing a cookbook as a fund-raiser for the Lebanese Red Cross always short on funds and long on needs. This arak-spiked mint tea is one of many recipes in that cookbook entitled Mijotons by Micha and Maya Sarraf, Wadad Kanaan and Fadia Wardé.

What is arak?

Arak is considered the national drink of Lebanon; it is similar to ouzo and pastis; it has a strong licorice taste. It is always offered during get-togethers with small plates of salted pistachios and other mezzes.

Here however it is  a warm tea to drink at the end of a meal. The taste of arak is subdued giving out only the faintest hint of licorice.

METHOD:

1. Boil one liter of water (or 4 cups); drop a bunch of fresh mint in the water (use several tablespoons of dried if you don’t have any fresh mint available). Infuse for 5 minutes. Drop one tablespoon of tea of your choice and let it infuse 4 minutes.
2. Pour the strained mint tea in each cup, adding a teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of arak per cup. Enjoy this beverage warm.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! ALL THE BEST FOR 2011!

First rain in Beirut today since the beginning of summer,  pouring with a vengeance;  the streets turned into small  rivers;  traffic came to a complete stop; and with the sound of rain,  the cacophony of cars honking. A  five-minute jaunt into Achrafiyeh, the eastern side of town, took me an hour and a half.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the honking became muted. Traffic went  back to normal;  a giant rainbow appeared  on a 180 degree stretch across the sky, embracing the city.

Please, there are no substitutions here and no playing around with proportions!  :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 bunches of flat Italian parsley
• 1/2 bunch of mint
• 1 white onion or 1 bunch of green onions
• 3 heirloom tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of bulgur #1
• 2 large lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• salt, black pepper, a dash of allspice (optional)
• romaine lettuce young leaves to scoop out the salad (or cabbage leaves)

METHOD:

1. Wash and dry mint and parsley; pick the leaves and discard the stems (or recycle).
2. Dice the tomatoes and onions very fine. Chop the parsley and mint very fine, and by hand if possible.
3. Soak the bulgur in water or a mixture of water and residual tomato juice (from dicing the tomatoes) for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze well.
4. Juice the lemons and add the olive oil and spices.
5. Toss the parsley, mint, tomatoes, onion and bulgur in a bowl with the olive oil and lemon dressing. Serve as soon as possible.

NOTE: If you are making the tabbouleh in advance, it is preferable to add the dressing at the last moment to avoid wilting the herbs too much.

“I need a little peace and quiet“, I said  to my daughter  as I drove the 30 kilometers into the Chouf mountains and the village of Deir el Qamar. Enough of the high voltage  hustle and bustle of Beirut. Enough of traffic and cars and noise 24/7.

I am not a fan of team sports; it did not matter. I still HAD to listen to the entire basketball game retransmitted with loudspeakers and a live commentator from the village into all residents, myself included;  its happy conclusion (Lebanon BEAT Canada 81/71) was expressed with thundering fireworks into the night.

So much for a little R&R (rest and relaxation).

What about these lentils? Lentils are God‘s perfect food. No wonder Jacob traded his inheritance for a plate of lentils  (check the Book of Genesis).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of brown lentils
• 1 onion, chopped
• olive oil, as needed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• a few tablespoons of parsley, leaves chopped
• a couple of cloves of garlic, mashed
• dash of cumin, dried coriander, salt, pepper
• one eggplant, slices salted and drained and fried in olive oil (optional)
• a teaspoon of red pepper paste (optional)
• pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Heat some water in a saucepan (about 4 cups); as soon as the water steams, add the lentils; you need to have at least 2 inches of water above the lentils. Simmer the lentils gently, skimming the surface from time to time until they are tender to the bite, about 30 minutes. Ideally, they should have absorbed all the water. If a lot of water is left, drain them. Add a jiggle of olive oil to the lentils, blend and set aside.
2. Heat some olive oil in a skillet; add the eggplant slices and fry on both sides till soft, about 30 minutes total. Drain on paper towels.
3. Add to the lentils all the fresh vegetables: chopped onion, diced tomatoes, chopped peppers, parsley, spices (cumin, salt, pepper), garlic,  blend well. Serve on a platter with the eggplant slices  forming a ring around the lentil salad.

There is a café in the chic ABC mall in Beirut called Casper and Gambini; this is where I tried this mint-lemonade for the first time on a hot sweltering day. It came in semi-frozen form like a margarita and the combined taste of fresh mint and fresh lemons was so cool and tangy and refreshing!  I had to  get their recipe. Well, that did not happen so I came up with my own.

Here it is: this morning I drank the entire batch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 ounces of lemon juice
• sugar syrup: 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water
• 2 bunches of mint (can reduce to one bunch only)
• ice cubes, as needed
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• powdered sugar as needed

METHOD:

1. First make the syrup by placing granulated sugar and water in a pan and heating the mixture till it dissolves.
2. Juice enough lemons to get about 6 ounces.
3. Wash one or two bunches of mint and cut off the leaves from the stalks.
4. Place syrup, lemon juice, ice cubes (several, I used about 8), mint in a blender
5. Run the machine until the mixture is smooth and looks like a frozen slush; taste for sweetness adding one tablespoon or more of powdered sugar if needed. Serve

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 inhabitants, I love the chaos of the country (le bordel)”.

Coming from highly organized countries, they see Lebanon as a place where anything goes; a place where people are extraverted and fun and super-friendly and  undisciplined and adaptable  and enterprising.

An extended visit to Lebanon also reveals a richness and diversity in landscapes and cuisines; take this dish for instance: the kammooneh is a typical Southern Lebanese creation, an unusual pesto-like blend of spices combining basil and walnuts and chili peppers and cumin and rose petals; normally combined with bulgur, here I mixed it with potatoes for a rich and summery potato salad with a twist.

INGREDIENTS:

• A handful of basil leaves
• A handful of mint leaves
• 1 or 2 chili peppers
• A handful of walnuts
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• a few dried rose petals
• olive oil, as needed
• one smallish onion, cut in quarters
• salt, pepper, as needed
• one half-pound of potatoes

METHOD:

1. Boil the potatoes and cool a bit; peel and dice; set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, place all the ingredients and process to a paste; taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Mix with the diced potatoes and serve at room temperature.

Recipe inspired by Nada Saleh  Splendor of the Levant and adapted.

Today was National Tabouleh Day, an event organized by Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon’s first organic farmers market in Beirut and Ricardo Mbarkho.

While the tabouleh is Lebanon’s most famous salad, it has unfortunately been  bastardized elsewhere in the world; it is a rare occurrence to find an authentic tabouleh salad outside of Lebanon!  The event today  was open to anyone  and plates of  tabbouleh samples  distributed graciously; a competition was organized in three categories, traditional tabouleh, winter tabouleh and creative tabouleh.

I was intrigued by a tabouleh that contained geranium petals and was dressed with sumac in addition to the traditional fresh lemon juice and olive oil; winter tabouleh was offered by one contestant with lentils and parsley; an Armenian tabouleh was on display with bulgur and tomatoes and peppers.

NOTE: The traditional way of eating tabouleh is cupped in a cabbage or lettuce leaf; for the traditional recipe, click here.

Recipe for the creative tabouleh presented today (reconstituted):

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon of sumac
• 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• salt, a dash of allspice

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TABOULEH:

1. 2 bunches of flat-leafed parsley, stems discarded or used elsewhere, leaves chopped very fine
2. 1 large white onion, chopped very fine
3. 1 handful of fresh basil, shredded
4. 1 handful of pink geranium leaves, unsprayed, please!
5. 1/4 cup of small bulgur, soaked in lemon juice or tomato juice or water for a few minutes till softened
6. 4 large tomatoes, diced small
7. 2 small green peppers, diced small

METHOD:

1. Drain the bulgur and keep the juice (if lemon or tomato) for the dressing
2. Mix all the chopped and diced vegetables together; add the geranium flowers at the last minute, after tossing with the dressing, so that the flowers do not wilt.
3. Serve in cabbage leaves or romaine lettuce leaves.

NOTE:

According to the Academy of Gastronomy in Lebanon there are several components that make up an authentic tabouleh:

• use of flat-leaved parsley
• use of bulgur
• use of tomatoes, onion, olive oil and lemon juice