Certain kitchen jobs are just not fun: Like plucking artichokes. Fortunately, the bottoms are available in all Middle-Eastern shops in the US or Canada and in every supermarket in Lebanon. 

These are filled with a spinach custard; baked and topped with a slice of hard-boiled egg; it would be great too with a poached egg come to think of it!

INGREDIENTS: 6 servings

• 1 bag of artichoke bottoms
• 1 pound of spinach, washed well
• 2 cups of milk 
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 4 tbsp of unsalted butter
• salt, white pepper and grated nutmeg, to taste
• dash of paprika
• 1 cup of shredded swiss or other hard cheese

1. Boil the artichoke bottoms in salted and lemony water for 8 minutes or till tender; drain and set aside. Cook the spinach in 1/2 cup of water till wilted, drain and squeeze well; chop the spinach.
2. Make the white sauce: melt the butter till frothy, add the flour, stir and add the milk gradually stirring till creamy and thick; add the spices to taste. Add the spinach. Cool the mixture and whisk in 2 eggs then the cheese. Spoon into an ovenproof dish and onto each bottom. 
3. Bake for about 15 minutes in a 350F oven; serve with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

This is yet another version of the fatteh, a very popular dish in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. It is prepared as a way to use up stale pita bread and any type of vegetable or meat you happen to have on hand.

According to Clifford Wright, the author of A Mediterranean Feast, this dish is at least ten centuries-old dating  back to Crusader’s time.

This dish is layered: First the spinach stew then the yogurt sauce then the fried pita croutons, sprinkled with fried pine nuts. It is also made with minced lamb and spinach. I just used spinach today. You can substitute any other green, of course.

INGREDIENTS: 4 to 6 servings

Time required: 30 minutes

For the spinach stew:

• 1 pound of frozen chopped spinach (or fresh)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound of minced meat (optional)
• dash of cinnamon, dash of allspice
• 1 bunch of cilantro (if you hate cilantro, switch to basil or parsley)
• 5 garlic cloves, mashed with a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses
• olive oil as needed

For the yogurt sauce:

• 1/2 jar (8 ounces) of yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of tahini
• 3 cloves of garlic, mashed with a pinch of salt

For the bread:

• 2 pitas, cut in small squares with kitchen scissors
• 1 or more cup of oil for frying

For the pine nuts or almonds or both:

• 2 ounces of pine nuts or almonds or both
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

METHOD:

1. Heat some oil in a skillet and fry the pita bread. Watch out! It will be brown in one minute!
2. Remove the bread with a slotted spoon, place on a dish lined with several paper towels ans set aside till needed. You can also place all the croutons in a closed container and used the next day (or a few days later).
3. In a small skillet, melt the butter and fry the pine nuts and almonds if using till golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
4. Mash the garlic and add a portion to the yogurt. Mix and add the tahini and mix.
5. Fry the onion in some olive oil in a large skillet till golden; add the meat (if using) and fry till browned; drain of all fat;  add the garlic and cilantro and stir for a minute in the olive oil till fragrant. Add the spinach, the pomegranate molasses (if using)  and 1/4 cup of water  and cook the mixture for a few minutes, covered. Add a pinch of cinnamon and black  pepper to the mixture.

ASSEMBLY:

1. When ready to serve, heat the spinach mixture a bit; place in a large serving dish or individual goblets; add the yogurt, add the crisp pita croutons, sprinkle the toasted pine nuts. Serve.

NOTE: If using minced meat, fry the meat with the onion then add the spinach and cilantro and garlic  and cook the spinach; drain the spinach and onion of fat, adjust seasoning and set aside.

Taro root is a vegetable that is commonly used in Lebanon, especially during Lent. It is cultivated locally and  known as kolkass; I know from my Egyptian friend Phoebe that the Egyptians love it too; in fact, when I stopped by the Palestinian grocer I found bags of Taro root in the freezer imported from Egypt, all cut up with a spice packet included for a paltry $1.40.

According to Wikipedia, it is one of the oldest vegetable known to man; judging by its gnarled and downright repulsive aspect, I have no problem believing that cave-man AKA Fred Flintstone, used to eat it for a snack. Don’t let appearances fool you, however; this is a “good for you” veggie, recommended by all the higher authorities on health. It is sold everywhere, I found it at Target, Asian and Latino markets, mid-eastern grocers, even plain old American supermarkets and health food stores.

Taro is prepared in several ways in Lebanon; its texture is similar to potatoes,  but it has a very pleasant and distinct flavor: so, as I was saying, it is cooked with lentils, or lamb shanks or even with a tahini and Seville orange sauce. You can substitute it with turnips, rutabagas, or  potatoes.

Today, I decided to be lazy all the way, using what is in the kitchen already. I am making a stew with taro, spinach, cilantro pesto and serving it over rice. I made the cilantro pesto fresh, but if you have some stashed away in the freezer, now is the time to dump it into the stew.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag of frozen cut up Taro root (or one pound of fresh taro, peeled, cut in cubes and dipped in a bowl of water with a squirt of lemon)
• 1 small bag of chopped frozen spinach (about 10 ounces); substitute any greens like swiss chard.
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 1 can of chick peas, rinsed thoroughly.
• 1 rib of celery.
• 1/4 cup (or more) of cilantro pesto (recipe follows)
• 1 small cube of vegetable bouillon diluted in 6 cups of water (optional)
• quartered lemons to squeeze over the stew (optional)

If using fresh taro root, I would recommend using gloves and after peeling it, you should dump it into a bowl filled with water and a squirt of a lemon.

For the vermicelli rice: Optional you can eat it as is! (no rice)

This is the traditional side dish with a stew in Lebanon; you can forego the rice and use bread or any other grain of your choice.

• 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice
• 1 cup of cut Vermicelli noodles AKA fideos
• 2 tablespoons of oil or butter, a dash of salt

Instructions on making rice: Please refer to the post on lamb shanks with peas & carrots.

METHOD:  Make the cilantro pesto:

1. Grab a bunch of cilantro, wash and dry it and chop off the stems. Chop the cilantro as fine as possible and set aside.
2. Mash the garlic with a dash of salt.
3. Heat some olive oil, add the cilantro and garlic and fry the mixture for one minute or so. Set aside.

Make the taro stew:

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped onions. Cover the pan for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and then uncover the pan and let the onions get some golden color.
2. Add the taro to the pan (frozen or fresh), stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add 6 cups of water (to which a cube of veggie bouillon has been added),the rib of celery,  cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the spinach, the chick peas, the cilantro pesto and uncover the pan to simmer 10 minutes more until the water has evaporated and the stew has gotten more compact.
4. Season to taste, serve as is or with rice or bread.

You know what happens when you are a child and you are not particularly welcome in the kitchen? You start to rely on your sense of smell to give you an indication of what is going on! For instance, if you smell ghee (samneh) sizzling in the pot, you know a stew is being made and it is in the early stages. If the kitchen is filled with the smell of garlic and cilantro, then you know  you are going to get to eat soon!

Spinach and rice casserole is a homey dish for everyday cooking. What makes it exquisite is the cilantro pesto that is added to it, that distinctive flavor from the Lebanese kitchen, which gives it the deliciousness factor. An easy and relatively fast meal, 100% satisfying and healthy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces package of frozen spinach or a fresh bag of spinach
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic, mashed with salt in a mortar (use less if you wish!)
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• Spices: salt, pepper, pinch of allspice and cinnamon (optional)
• 2 cups of Basmati rice (or any other long-grain rice)
• olive oil

Garnish: a handful of pine nuts.

Serve with yogurt.

Serve as the main event for meatless days.

NOTE: In order for this meal to be fast and easy, you should prepare the cilantro pesto in advance. So, the day before or 6 months before, wash and chop the cilantro leaves; peel the garlic cloves and mash them in a mortar with some salt  till pasty. Fry a little olive oil in a small skillet and drop the garlic and cilantro and fry for two minutes, no more! Gather the cilantro and garlic to make a paste and collect in a jar with the olive oil. Freeze or keep in the fridge till needed.

METHOD:

1. In a large pot, heat some olive oil; add the onion.
2. Fry the onion till wilted and golden. Add the spinach and cook, cover the pot, over low heat, for 5 minutes till done. Add the rice and fry for 30 seconds to coat the rice in fat.
3. Add water to the rice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Uncover the pot, add the cilantro pesto and mix well. You will continue the cooking for a few minutes until all the water is gone and the rice mixture is infused with the garlic/cilantro flavor.
5. Adjust seasoning and serve warm with a bowl of yogurt on the side, or skip the yogurt if vegan.

A quick version of a delicious but  time-consuming  recipe. I found these pre-cut sheets of a very thin, phyllo-like bread in the freezer section at the middle-easern store and grabbed them. They are imported from Turkey and evidently used in Turkish cuisine. In our cuisine, we have a pastry that is similar to phyllo, stuffed with a cheese mixture and deep-fried. Irresistible. These are baked and taste crispy and light, with a chewy and cheesy filling.

INGREDIENTS: To make 28 cigars (10 to 12  servings)

• 1 package of cut-up turnover dough or a package of spring rolls, defrosted overnight; you can substitute phyllo sheets, but these have to be cut; there are 28 yufka leaves per package
• 1 pound of shredded mozarella
• 1 pound of feta cheese, desalted in a water bath several times
• 1 onion chopped
• Spices: 1 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 cup of blanched beet greens or spinach or swiss chard (optional) Traditionally, chopped parsley is used (about 1/2 cup) but I was not about to waste those beet greens I had!
• 3 to 4 egg whites
• 1/2  cup of clarified butter or vegetable oil

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 375F

1. After blanching the beet greens, drain and squeeze all the moisture out. Chop coarsely.
2. In a bowl, place the egg whites, cheeses, onion, spices, beet greens and mix well.
3. Place a large sheet of aluminium foil on a work surface; pour a tablespoon of clarified butter and place the yufka on it, rubbing from side to side to coat the leaf with butter fast.
4. Starting from the wide end, place a generous tablespoon of filling and roll it like a cigar. Don’t make it too tight, because the egg whites will cause them to expand a bit and puff up.
5. Place on a cookie sheet previously greased and bake in a preheated oven for about  15 minutes until puffed up and golden.
6. Enjoy immediately if possible! (to reheat, warm for two minutes in the oven)

TIP: These cigars can be prepared ahead and frozen up to two weeks.

They say necessity is the mother of invention; I needed to use up some eggs and spinach and thought of making a country-style omelette inspired by the book on Lebanese rural recipes compiled by the AUB by Marek Battal. Well the recipe calls for whole wheat flour and water added to the eggs and vegetables to make a sort of cake cut into squares and served. I used burghul instead. The result is a dense cake with a texture similar to a quiche, except more rustic  or country-like. Perfect to prepare ahead and serve at room temperature as a snack or a light vegetarian lunch with a salad.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will serve up to 8 as a main course and up to 16  as an appetizer.

• 8 eggs size Large
• 1 bag of frozen spinach (12 oz or 350g) , or collard greens or swiss chard
• 4 scallions, chopped fine
• 6 garlic cloves or 2 teaspoons of mashed garlic
• 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup each of  red and green bell peppers
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or mint or both chopped finely or a mixture of fresh herbs, or more (up to 50g)
• 1 cup of fine bulgur or burghul#1
• 1 cup of chicken broth or vegetable broth or plain water
• spices consisting of salt, paprika, ground allspice and cinnamon, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch of turmeric, cumin, black pepper and whatever else you happen to like, keeping in mind that the cake will be somewhat bland and needs to be spiced up to your taste. I like to add a couple of teaspoons of red pepper flakes and a pinch of cayenne.

METHOD:

1. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
2. Defrost the spinach by  letting  it drain on a sieve over a bowl for a few minutes then squeezing the water out.
3. Chop all the vegetables. Fry them for a few minutes in the olive oil then add the  herbs and the spinach and mix it all well.
4. Add the spinach and veggies to the eggs and mix.
5. In a small bowl, place the bulgur and measure one cup of water and pour it over the bulgur. Let the bulgur absorb the water for a few minutes then place the mixture in the large bowl with the eggs and vegetables.
6. Add the dry spices to taste.
7. Grease a 9 inch cake pan or a rectangular pan with some butter or oil and pour the mixture onto it.
8. Heat the oven to 375F and place the pan in the oven and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes until the top is somewhat puffed up and the mixture is cooked through.
9. Let cool and serve in small squares as an appetizer or in pie slices as a main course.

NOTE:

Although this cake is delicious and light on its own, it can be paired with a tomato coulis or sauce very well, served on the side to dip into.

I wish you could have tasted Asma’s fatayers! They were the best in Beirut!

The dough was so thin and translucent and so buttery. The spinach filling was melting with just the right touch of tartness.

Asma  was  a Kurdish lady and  mother of seven, who immigrated to Lebanon from her native Kurdistan to escape persecution and misery. She was illiterate, but thanks to her superior intellect, managed to teach herself to read and write . She had had her share of tragedies. She had  lost two of her young daughters as shaheed (martyrs) fighting  for Kurdish rights in Turkey. One of her sons, a sweet and thoughtful young man, had immigrated to Germany to try to improve his  life, and after 2 years of despair and frustration due to  his inability to learn the language and find work,  had taken his life at 22 years of age. Despite all of this, she always had a smile and a positive attitude. A role model.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will make 50-70 depending on the diameter of the cutter.

DOUGH:

3 cups Flour 00 (can be substituted for all-purpose flour)

2 cups organic pastry flour (can be substituted for all-purpose or cake or whole wheat flour)

1 Tablespoon of dry yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

3/4 cup oil (canola, or olive oil)

1 1/2 cups water

STUFFING:

1 lb of frozen chopped spinach (14 oz bag is fine)

1 lb of frozen collard greens (or spinach)

4 medium onions (about 12 oz.)

1/4 cup sumac

1 teaspoon paprika

pinch of cayenne (optional)

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)

Dressing for the stuffing:

1/4 cup lemon juice (bottled is OK)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 or 2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses (optional)

METHOD:

1. Start by making the dough. Proof the yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. While waiting for the yeast to proof, mix the oil with the flour (or flours, if using more than one type) in a mixer fitted with the dough hook or by hand.  When the yeast  has bubbled, add it to the flour mixture, and mix in the water gradually. Knead the dough until it is as smooth as baby skin. Let it rest for one hour or more, while you mix the stuffing.
2. Defrost and thaw out the spinach and collard greens. Place them in a colander and squeeze them out to get 3 cups of juice, at least. You want to get them very dry.
3. Chop the onions very fine and place them in a bowl. Mix in all the spices.
4. Make the dressing: mix the oil, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses in the quantities suggested. Squeeze the onions dry and add them to the spinach and greens mixture, along with the pine nuts. Now, pour the dressing very conservatively until the greens are moistened but no more than that. If the stuffing is too wet, it will open up the turnovers.
5. Cut the dough in half and spread it on a cold  and greased counter as thin as possible, about 1/16 of an inch. If you can’t make them that thin, it is OK, just don’t make them too thick (no more than than 1/8in)
6. Cut rounds with a 4 in. cookie cutter and start spreading one tablespoon of stuffing on each fatayer.
7. Lift the fatayer and pinch 2 ends first and then the third to form a pyramid.
8. Place them in greased cookie sheets and bake them after 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350F. for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the top and bottoms are golden.
9. Cool and eat at room temperature or slightly warm. These can be frozen for a month or longer.

NOTE:

A few tips: Dipping your fingertips in flour while forming the fatayers is a good idea to help seal them. Pinching the tip of the pyramid with flour will seal them better. Also, the type of flour is not as important as is stretching the dough really thin,till almost transparent. The filling is traditionally done with either spinach or purslane (bakleh) but here I have used collard greens for variety and also because it is so readily available chopped and frozen in supermarkets.

Torta Verde

Torta Verde,salad

In Beirut, growing up, we used to go out for Italian food all the time; either for pizza (around the Corniche) or at a cafe in Hamra for lasagna or escalopes milanaise. My mother’s friend who left Egypt after Nasser started nationalizing everything even opened a tiny hole-in-the wall in Hamra making fresh pasta.

This is a very easy and delicious recipe I clipped from an old Bon Appetit magazine circa 1994. I had put it aside and vowed to try it someday. It just so happens that my 15 year old daughter loves quiche and risotto and this dish is both, minus the crust to fuss about….It takes about 30 minutes of attention and the result is great. Perfect if you are looking for a light meal, or to serve when entertaining  because it can be prepared ahead of time. I adapted it slightly.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of chicken broth

2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup of chopped bacon or pancetta

1/4 chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup of arborio rice

salt

1 16 oz package of chopped  frozen spinach, thawed and drained very well

4 Large eggs, beaten lightly  in a bowl with a fork

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper (black or white)

2 teaspoons fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried or substitute thyme

Extra butter to coat the pan, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 Tablespoons whipping cream

METHOD:

1. Heat the chicken broth in a pan till it simmers.
2. Saute bacon, onion and garlic in a large skillet in butter and olive oil.
3. When the onion is translucent and the bacon (or pancetta)is cooked (around 5 minutes) add the rice and stir till it gets coated in the butter and oil, around 3 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, some salt and keep stirring while adding the broth gradually in 1/2 cup increments.
5. Cook the rice by adding more broth or water until the rice is tender and creamy, about 25 minutes in total.
6. Cool the rice and spinach mixture. It should have absorbed all liquid but retained moisture.
7. Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate with butter and sprinkle some breadcrumbs and shake off.
8. Mix the eggs, parmesan and spices in a bowl and then add to the rice and spinach mixture.
9. Pour the whole mixture into the cake pan and spread it evenly. Cook it for 35 to 45 minutes till puffy and firm.
10. Right before serving, sprinkle the mozzarella and a couple tablespoons of cream on the top and run it under the broiler.
11. Serve with a salad on the side.