LEG OF LAMB THE LEBANESE WAY
This is one of Lebanon’s national dishes. During festive occasions, an entire lamb is cooked the same way, but that can be difficult to do at home. 6-8 PORTIONS INGREDIENTS Lamb Shank With Bone, About 2.2 Pounds (1 Kg) 6 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil About 10½ Cups (2½ L) Of Water 2 Carrots, Cut Into […]
KOFTA KEBAB
MINCED MEAT SKEWERS We make sure to use as high a temperature as possible when grilling meat to give it a nice, grilled surface so that it retains its natural juices inside. Meze dishes are usually followed by skewers with various kinds of grilled meats, such as kofta — ground meat. This is usually served […]
Layered Fragrant Rice Pilaf
INGREDIENTS 1 cup sultana or golden raisins, soaked in ½ cup rosewater 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cardamom ½ cup toasted slivered almonds ½ cup toasted chopped pistachios ½ cup dried pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries) zest of 1 orange ½ cup dried apricots, chopped 5 cups water 2 tsp salt 2 cups white basmati […]
Baby Okra Stew
There is an endless choice of stews in Arabic cuisine. This is one of my favorites. Try to find baby okra, which has fewer seeds and looks much prettier. My mother used to squeeze a little lemon over the stew at the end of cooking. I like to add the citrus notes of lemon and […]
SHISH TAOUK
MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS This dish is one of the best dishes from the Ottoman Empire. The secret behind the juicy chicken is the marinade. It is the mother of all marinades. 4-6 PORTIONS INGREDIENTS ⅖ cup (50 g) minced garlic 2 tablespoons mustard ⅖ cup (95 ml) lemon juice 3 cups (710 ml) olive […]
Stuffed Baby Zucchini in Herb Yogurt Sauce
Meat and vegetables are served in many inventive ways in the Middle East. By far one of the most delightful is cooking a range of foods in yogurt. We, like our Turkish neighbors, love yogurt. Some people claim it to be the secret to living a long life. The zucchini in this dish can be […]
Vermicelli Rice
6-8 Servings INGREDIENTS ¼ cup clarified butter 1 cup vermicelli pasta (Italian semolina pasta) 2 cups white basmati rice, presoaked, rinsed and drained 4 cups water Sea salt INSTRUCTIONS Break apart the vermicelli into small pieces. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter and sauté the vermicelli until golden brown. Stir in the […]
MOLOKHIYA FROM DEYRINTAR
ROYAL CHICKEN DISH FROM THE SOUTH OF LEBANON Molokhiya is a leaf plant of the mallow genus that is well liked throughout Lebanon. The word means “royal” and is also the name of this dish. In the United States, we can substitute it for spinach or chard. This is how you cook it in the […]
ARABIC STEW WITH GREEN BEANS
Beirut is often referred to as “Paris ofthe Middle East,” and sometimes the food there is very similar to French cuisine. This is an Arabic variation of a classic French meat stew. 6 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS About 5 cups (900 g) green beans, such as string beans 1 tablespoon butter 1⅘ cups (270 g) finely […]
Jute Mallow and Chicken Stew
My mother used to tell me how much she missed mloukhiya (jute mallow) when she first moved to Canada. Now it is widely available frozen, dried and fresh in Middle Eastern supermarkets. It’s a tender leaf that doesn’t require a lot of cooking. A part of the jute family, it has an earthy taste that […]