Maamoul bars with dates
August 24, 2022 • Category: Sweet Pastries, Pastries/Breads
This recipe took me about 3 months (even longer) to make. I had prepared the dough (it takes one minute or so) and stored it in a bag in the fridge. I kept glancing at it every once in a while thinking about making maamoul using one of the half dozen molds I have. The thought of making maamoul felt really blah and I would just refrain from grabbing that bag of semolina dough.
Finally, after months (3 months? 4 months?) I did grab that bag, gave it a quick sniff. It smelled fine. I thought, well, maybe I can do maamoul madd instead! Just spread the dough in a pan, cover it with a layer of date paste and then a top layer of dough and done!
So I did just that. It worked out SUPERBLY!!! I loved the results even more than when I made maamoul painstakingly, one at a time.
Get the Recipe »
Bayrut by Hisham Assaad
July 30, 2022 • Category: Reviews
This cookbook is a delight. The layout and graphics are exquisite and the photographs are outstanding and really capture all there is to love about my native city. Hisham Assaad did an outstanding job with this work, one that I consider to be Art through and through. Leafing through the pages, I found myself catapulted back in Beirut. The images peppered throughout the book I have seen time and again and some of them were so familiar! Hisham Assaad has a fine photographer’s eye and his shots deliver the essence of this city and its people.
The recipes are also judiciously picked. Mostly classics but approachable for the novice; Hisham has also thrown in some of his own, which I found alluring, such as the octopus with moghrabieh or the vegetarian shish barak with spinach. Incidentally, my friend Rudy in Dallas had picked one of Hisham’s recipes from the book serendipitously before we were to meet in Austin, and made it for us when he visited. Yummy!
What I also loved about this book is that it is such a cohesive work. The layout and book design, the food styling, the location shots, all of it works harmoniously to reflect the charm and allure of Beirut. I cannot imagine a better book showcasing my city.
The above is a delicious take on the classic labneh, which simply mixes in some fresh diced veggies. One bite of yummy goodness!
The classic kibbeh in a pie pan.
Spinach-filled dumplings are baked and served with a garlicky yogurt sauce with the optional rice on the side. Scrumptious!
Get the Recipe »
Red lentil kibbeh
July 26, 2022 • Category: Legumes, Mexican fusion, Whole Grain/Bulgur/Rice, Main Dish, Mezze/Appetizers, Vegan
This is a perfect dish for hot Summer days! Served at room temperature, vegan and lighter on the stomach than heavy stews or red meat kebabs. In Lebanon, it is popular in the South, where locals use lots of fragrant wild edible herbs to spice their kibbeh (called kammouneh). I suspect it is a dish originally from Turkey and specifically Anatolia, and it is a Kurdish chef, Asma, who originally introduced it to me, telling me it is from her hometown of Mardin. I have also had it at Armenian restaurants in Beirut, as it is also part of the Armenian classic cuisine.
Her version though yummy, is a tad too rustic (a bit bland) for my taste, so I have developed my own using Mexican chilies that are widely available and used here in Texas (Texas was a part of Mexico until 1836). If you do not have access to these dried Mexican chilies, you can substitute some jarred red enchilada sauce or a mole, and doctor it up with some fresh local peppers or tomatoes. I have been on a kick upon my return to Texas to flavor my Lebanese food with Mexican flavors, and it has worked really well so far.
Making your own chili sauce is so easy, and it keeps really well in the fridge (about 10 days, more if it is in a sterilized jar); the sauce can be used as a condiment, (just like ketchup), except it is infinitely better, with a richer, more complex taste (depending on the chilies used).
The red lentils cook in water in about 10 minutes, then the bulgur is sprinkled on top and the grains will swell up in a couple of minutes. Then, a stir-fry of onion and spices is added to give this dish a kick of flavor. If the bulgur and lentil pilaf is too dry, add more water or sauce. If it is too wet, add more bulgur.
I went all-out this time, adding tomato and red pepper paste, my own chili sauce, parsley and basil, onions fried, garlic paste, cumin, a dash of saffron, a touch of date molasses (or piloncillo) for a little sweetness, olive and lemon juice, tasting and adjusting along the way.
In Lebanon, (and in Anatolia too, I am assuming), this dish is served with a glass of ayran.
The lentil and bulgur form the canvas to build your own personal kibbeh: Go for it.
Get the Recipe »
Mushroom Basmati rice pilaf
July 16, 2022 • Category: Whole Grain/Bulgur/Rice
This is an adaptation of a Turkish pilaf recipe in which fresh dill is added to the rice and mushrooms. I did not have any so I substituted nutmeg, and added grated parmesan, in effect, traveling from Turkey to Italy! I used Basmati rice, but of course any rice will work. The rice takes on the subtle mushroom flavor, since no meat stock is added to cook the rice, only the mushroom water. It is pure comfort food, and is also easy and fast to fix.
Get the Recipe »
Recent Recipes
Kibbeh Sajiyeh
Want to make an easy and yummy kibbeh that does not require years and years of practice or a cupboard full of spices? This is the answer! Kibbeh sajiyeh is made with Knorr Halal Seasoning and a simple shaping technique. I made this kibbeh sajiyeh using a new spice...
Read More »
Dates with semolina cream
This dessert can be made with several dried fruits, such as prunes, dates or apricots. It is ideal when you are planning a get-together and want to have everything done ahead of time; it will last a few days in the fridge without any problem. The semolina cream does...
Read More »
Freekeh pilaf with bulgur
I noticed this recipe for a freekeh pilaf in a cookbook by Lebanese food writer Nadia Saleh, Splendours of the Levant. She had it listed in the Turkish section. She mentions it as a specialty of Southeastern Turkey. I started researching it a bit online and found out it is...
Read More »
Amardeen and milk pudding
This is a super easy and super yummy pudding with Arabic flavors. The amardeen is one of my favorite snacks and it takes me back to childhood when we would suck on it after school (this was before the world was inundated with chips and candy bars). It is also...
Read More »
