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...
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...
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've been in Lebanon for a month and a half now and I am starting to blow fuses because of the ridiculously slow internet connection. Apparently, there are only 3 other countries with worse internet than Lebanon and I was shocked to learn that internet in the Palestinian territories is actually much better. Since my arrival to Lebanon, one of the projects I've been working on is the photography for a Lebanese cookbook that was first written...
How many of you agree that consuming processed, fat-free foods is probably the most frightful thing you could do to yourself? Take fat-free yogurt as a simple example; the ones that have slender, gorgeous ladies advertised all over the packaging. I can promise you one thing: these ladies are not eating that yogurt to get that figure. Fat Free anything, in this case yogurt, will have copious amounts of added sugar, high-fructose corn...
Can you believe it's March already? I woke up this morning completely unaware that we had stepped into a new month, till I received the news on Twitter (the source of most if not all my information these days)! Oh how I love March! March means the onset of spring even though it isn't officially spring till March 20th also known as the Vernal Equinox. It's a great month that signals a fresh start, longer days, the chirping of birds, the...
All good things must come to an end, and now here I am back in my kitchen, in my pajamas, my hair in tangles, listening to the chickpeas boil on the stove. I rub my eyes- was it all a dream? I am physically back from Rome where I've spent the last seven days playing Maid of Honor at my cousin Mel's fairytale wedding. Being a maid has never been so fun! It's been hard getting back into the groove after such an extravagant time. (picture courtesy...
Let me apologies for the radio silence over the last week or so. I've been so busy with different things from dealing with projects regarding this blog, FBC and then a last minute trip to Dubai to help with preparations for my cousin's upcoming wedding in Rome. February is going to be a very crazy month. But, I'm not complaining...I'd much prefer to be busy! Valentine's Day is a couple of weeks away and I thought I'd offer you a three-course,...
Hollandaise sauce is one of the 5 mother sauces in French cuisine and is made of warmed eggs, a hint of lemon, then melted butter is added slowly, to form a thick, creamy, smooth sauce. Because of the use of eggs and the application of heat, it deters many from attempting it, as the eggs yolks can quickly curdle, if not enough care is given. I assure you, it's easy to make but first you need to know the facts. Here are the facts to getting a...
This salad is a twist on the falafel (pronounced falefeel) sandwich that is enjoyed around the Middle East. In Lebanon, a falafel sandwich comes stuffed with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, kabiss (mixed pickle varieties; chillies, beetroot, parsnip among others) lathered with tarator (tahini, garlic then diluted with lemon), maybe some batata (fries), wrapped in arabic bread and "BAM" as Emerill would say! Did I just describe heaven? I probably...
For a while... I could never betray my soul mate! But, Muhammara; a red-hot Syrian concoction which in Arabic means 'reddened' is a necessary addition to any worthy mezze spread. If you like Mutable or Baba Ghanouj (Lebanese Eggplant Dip) and Hummus (Lebanese Chickpea Dip) then you will absolutely love this red-dusk temptation. A combination of charred red bell peppers, walnuts and oh...oh...oh pomegranate molasses, makes Muhammara a...
Kebbeh, the national dish of Lebanon, is an emulsification of the freshest minced lamb and burghul with essential 7-spices. In the old days, Lebanese women would pound the meat and the burghul in a mortar and pestle then knead in the spices, a process which can be excruciatingly exhausting. Oh hail, thou food processor! Kebbeh can be eaten raw (kebbeh naye) which is similar to steak tartare and is one of the popular methods of enjoying...
This feisty dip is prepared in several ways in Lebanon, where it’s known as toum. It's an icon of the Lebanese culinary repertoire and I can remember my love for toum beginning early on, when as a child I would make secret midnight trips to the fridge and snack on it by dipping in with some Arabic bread. Usually, at home, pounded garlic is emulsified with olive oil and finished with a squeeze of lemon. In the north of the country, mint may...