Let me to introduce you to the arabesque cousin of Pasta Puttanesca -Italian for 'in the style of prostitutes'- said cousin is the Arabesque Pasta Sharmatesca, pronounced with an Italian accent, to sound classier. The pasta sharmatesca differs to the pasta puttanesca with the addition of makdous which is pickled aubergines stuffed with walnuts and chilli. It’s not entirely a substitute for the capers, which you could do though. I used...
Ask a Lebanese and they’ll shake a bundle of parsley and mint at you as they proclaim that a true tabouleh is one that is herb based. I have certainly been guilty of this. But is that really the case? First, let’s consider the etymology of the word which comes from the Arabic root ‘tabala’ meaning to toss, dress or marinate which also offers us a family of ‘mou-TABAL’ dishes… This said, we can come to understand that the...
Photography by Sarka Babicka This is my take on a popular Levantine dish of chickpeas and yogurt known as fattet* hummus or hummus (chickpea) crumble. The Arabic word fatteh is derived from the root word "fatta" (in Arabic root words are actually only three letters but let's not get into that). To translate it closely it would mean to break up, tear up, or crumble, which is what occurs to the bread in this recipe. This means that a true fatteh...
Dearest Zizi, Congratulations on your beautiful newborn baby boy, Adam! As a new mother and now that your hands are very full, I'll keep it short and simple, offering you some wise quotes to keep in mind: Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell, the name will carry. ~ Bill Cosby Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it. ~ Marshall McLuhan The worst feature of a new baby is its mother's singing. ~ Kin Hubbard...
There are many schools of thought on the origin of the Scotch egg. Of the two most notable, the first claims it was invented by the London department store Fortnum & Mason in 1738 and the other claim is that it traveled from Persia to India with the Moghuls, where it is now known as nargisi kofta. In fact, a version of a kafta-encased egg appears in several volumes of Middle Eastern cookery books, including my upcoming cookbook. Anyone have...
No Thanksgiving or Christmas table is ever complete without a green bean casserole. Over the years, I've made several kinds depending on my mood; there's the classic creamy green bean casserole, the Lebanese version with tomato sauce (loubieh b zeit) or this lighter and refreshing version below. Green beans with feta and caramelised onions Serves: 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes 500g/1lb 2 oz green beans 2 tbsp olive oil 2...
Photography by Sarka Babicka Who doesn’t love roasties? I wrote a post about these a few years back, but thought I’d revisit them as my recipe writing skills have since improved tremendously (thankfully!) You can season them to your heart’s desire and here I’ve chosen to go with sumac; if you like, you can also throw in a few smashed, unpeeled garlic cloves. If you’ve got large appetites, double up the recipe. Sumac...
Wheat Berry & Puy Lentil Salad with Oven-Roasted Aubergine & Harissa-Yogurt Dressing Author: Bethany Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Serves: 4 Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels and the basis of all wheat products. They are high in fibre, with a characteristically chewy texture, and although they take a while to cook, they do not require soaking, which is a bonus. Harissa is a North...
Star Anise Yogurt Mousse with Fig Compote Author: Bethany Prep time: 4 hours 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 4 hours 40 mins Serves: 6 I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet (pun not altogether intended). I picked up the combination of flavors for this recipe early on from my grandmother. She loved infusing her fig jam with aniseed or "yansoun" as it's called in Arabic. Here, I chose to infuse the yogurt mousse rather than the fig jam...
Tabbouleh Author: Bethany Prep time: 25 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 4 Tabbouleh is a salad I can eat (and have eaten) daily for weeks at a time with no complaint. My Teta (Lebanese for Nana) was renowned for making the most delicious tabbouleh (but then so is every other Lebanese grandmother!). Living abroad over the last 8 years, I have noticed that Western versions of this dish use a larger bulgur-to-parsley...
Warm Freekeh Salad with Fig, Feta & Caramelized Onions Author: Bethany Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Serves: 4 I prepared this dish at a recent cooking demonstration during an event hosted by Lebanese Wines at Atelier des Chefs in London. It was incredibly popular and even though I’d made double the quantity required, we actually ran out within the first hour. It’s a lovely salad made from freekeh,...
Loubyeh b’ zeit or green beans in olive oil (although technically it's tomato sauce) is a Middle Eastern one-pot, vegetarian (you may add lamb but that's a whole other post) dish made of green beans, preferably runner beans, that are cooked with tomatoes and olive oil. It’s really incredibly simple to make, requires very few ingredients and one of my favorite ways to have green beans. It will also make a wonderful alternative to the...
My lovely friends Nando from LiveKitchen & Sarka from Cook Your Dream joined me a couple of weeks back to shoot a series of DKS recipe videos. It was a brilliantly fun day and a great learning curve as I'm trying to become more active in v-blogging. Here goes my first shot, I hope you like it! For more info and for the recipe on labneh and some inspired variations visit one of my other posts about it here. Also, here's a recent recipe...
There's something dreamy about courgette blossoms. They are incredibly delicate and I love their vibrant green and yellow tones. I was first introduced to the idea of eating a courgette flower, in my early teens, nowhere else but in Provence by my, then, French step-mother. She didn't do much to them but drop them in a light batter before frying them. They were simple but so wonderfully fulfilling. Having grown up, for part of my childhood on a...
It's hard to define Abu Kassem in a few words but genuine, humble and generous would be a good start. He is known for the za'atar he grows in the fields surrounding his home in the south of Lebanon and considered to be one of the few enterprising farmers who started domesticating the wild za'atar plant (thyme), which was previously only collected from the wild. He's since developed the brand Za'atar Zawtar which combines the fruits of his...
I have been enjoying this salad plentifully over the last month. After all, how can one resist the combination of crisp green leaves, garlicky butter beans, and a runny egg yolk with a sprinkle of sumac? And if that wasn't enough, this salad can be knocked out in no time! Okay, so you may need to use canned beans but I recommend cooking up a big batch of dried butter beans and then freezing them in individual serving sizes, making it more...
Freekeh (frikeh) is my number one grain and preferred starch to use. I find it so versatile to cook with and I cherish the unique, nutty undertone and smoky aroma it carries. This ancient grain is typical to the cuisine of the Middle East. Growing up I enjoyed it the traditional way in the quintessential freekeh ma' djej/ Lahm or freekeh with chicken and/or meat. However, freekeh can be used in risottos, salads (this salad was a big hit when I...
The last few months have been extremely hectic. Thankfully I have been kept very busy with different projects and prospects although this has meant a little less time for blogging. Holiday season is nearing and I'm really looking forward to more recipe creations and new inspirations. One thing that has also been on my mind is creating football friendly food, like these cauliflower fritters with tahini dressing. So, over the next couple of...
On my recent trip to Lebanon, my brother and I spent quality time together making these moreish stuffed Swiss chard fingers and I think they're just the right treat. I had never made them before and when I asked my aunt for the recipe her response went a little like this:" a handful of this, pinch of that, taste and see..." and well we had to make 3 different batches before we got it just right. Making these heavenly chard fingers was also...
I'm back home, in Brighton, after spending two lovely months in Lebanon. I am always so torn between where home lies for me. I feel I belong here and there and I love each place for entirely different reasons. When I'm here I want to be there and when I'm there I want to be here. Now, if I could just get it right... One of the very wonderful aspects of Lebanon that I cherish so much is the natural bounty that abounds. Lebanon is a very blessed...
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