(Photography by Sarka Babicka) Here's one for the weekend I think you'll really enjoy. Great served at a BBQ (weather forecast looks promising) for everyone to nibble on while, say, the za'atar and pomegranate lamb riblets cook. Serve with a fattoush salad (see The Jewelled Kitchen), maybe some grilled sweet potatoes and you've got a lovely hassle-free meal. Happy weekend. x Smoked Mackerel and Chermoula Pâté with Beetroot Crisps...
And so after 2 years of burns, cuts and tears, The Jewelled Kitchen cookbook is officially out today and in bookstores across Europe and Australia, and the Middle East in a week's time (US launch is October 1st). My fellow blogging friends and I are celebrating by taking turns and posting a recipe a day on our respective blogs over the next couple of weeks. Some of us are even in for a reunion over the weekend at the Food Blogger Connect...
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...
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...
I'm still here in my beloved Lebanon and well you can only imagine how many frareej meshweeyeh (grilled chickens) I've had... It's one of my all time favorites with extra toum, of course! Char-grilled butterflied chicken is very much a fast food item in our household. Although we prepare it ourselves when we throw barbecues, we also tend to pick it up ready made on our way back home when we don't have the time and energy. We keep things simple...
It's been a while now that I keep getting requests for a fattoush salad recipe... Well it's finally here! I've guest posted the recipe over at the lovely Michelle, on her blog Greedy Gourmet. Please head over there and do make it soon. It's perfect for the weather we're having now and it makes a wonderful barbecue accompaniment. Bethx
I'm back from a lovely, relaxing holiday in Antigua where I sunned my self brown and drank rum punch galore. I've got some gorgeous pictures I can't wait to share with all of you in my next post. Antigua is so picturesque and I can't wait to return. Holidays are great for rejuvenating the mind and inspiring all kinds of creativity and ideas. I love it when I find inspiration on Holiday. I think it's a good sign that I relaxed the mind and soul....
I've not posted in a while! I'm sorry! Some of you have been in contact asking me if everything is o.k? Thank you for your genuine concern and kind words. I really appreciate it! I've been really busy mainly with FBC 2010, entertaining my sisters who made an awfully quick pit stop on their way back from Lebanon to Hawaii, helping my cousin move in to her new place and well if I'm to be frank: my spirit is in fact hanging low at the moment! I'm...
Ah! Chicken wings...What's not to like! Actually, do you know what I like even more? Little birdies. Yes. You heard me right. The same ones that fly in the sky. They are absolutely, mouth watering, delicious eaten whole; grilled or sauteed and lathered with a sweet and sour pomegranate molasses basting sauce. I am consciously aware that what I've just said is politically incorrect and illegal in most places. But, in Lebanon they are still...
We all know what it's like when the world is spinning at two hundred miles an hour and you're standing there in a dizzy, desperately trying to remain sane and get on with your ever expanding to-do list while tackling tasteless fireballs. I feel like that all too often. In fact, I feel like that right now. But, a while ago, I promised myself to learn to enjoy the moment no matter what it is! When all goes "Pete Tong" - as the cliche goes in my...
Ayayay! Today is a day that's going to titillate your visual senses and change your lives, forever. Unless, you've already been to Mowie's blog and you've already begun receiving wholesome doses of visualgasms. I can never get enough! I am beyond thrilled to have the beautiful Mowie from Mowielicious.com posting here, today. I first fell upon Mowie's blog a few months ago, when Ms. Gourmet published a link back to his post: Self-Saucing...
Tripoli is a city with a lingering history; the air stained with the scent of orange flowers, bustling sounds coming from the streets, markets and mosques, with lavish sweets to appease your lusty cravings, and a beautiful seaside for relaxation. "Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, is located in North Lebanon on the East Mediterranean coast and enjoys a strategic position with the added advantage of offshore islands and natural...
My friend Sacha came over the other day, to show me how to make this cake. It's one of her family favourites and was developed by her au pair, Maria. I've made it twice since Thursday and plan on making it again for my visitors this week-end! Revised 08/09: " keep making this, everyone is swearing the best summer cake they have ever had!" In other words, It's rocking my world. It's a fun, zesty, light and fluffy summer cake that uses no...
" I'm giving away a $50 Sur La Table gift card. READ ON TO ENTER!" I recently made this salad for my niece Vanessa who loved it so much; she now proclaims it one of her favourite salads. After watching me do a few cooking videos for the blog, she decided that she, too, wanted to be part of the "web show", as she likes to call it. Given that this is her favorite salad now, I showed her how to make it on her own. In the video below, Vanessa...
This is a family recipe that's been around ever since I can remember. It's a chicken casserole recipe with Spanish influence, not Indian, contrary to its name. Nevertheless and for unidentifiable reasons my aunt Janane, coined it "Poulet A L'indien" perhaps because the spices hailed from India. I met up with my other aunt, Amale, in Montreal this week. After a few phone calls to Lebanon, we got the recipe from aunt Janane and got busy in...
Can yours pleeease beet for me and forgive me for being so slack over the last month, and not really being an active member of the food obsessing society?! I'm sure you will, right? After all, it's valentines and you are supposed to share love! and forgive?! Especially after sharing the recipe for the cutest and cuddliest hearts ever?! Beetroot Ravoli Ingredients Ravioli 150g cooked beetroot, pureed 300g “oo” flour 1 egg Salt...
I hope you like jammin' too! For all you jam lovers, here's one delicious post. Read on through till the end, because there is a little competition for you. I'm in Nice, France at the moment, visiting my aunt and cousin and having a fantastically delicious time. My Aunt and I headed over to Ventimiglia Market in Italy the other day and bought cases of fruits and vegetables. Every year, my aunt makes her jam for the year while in France and then...
Hummus translates to the word chickpea in Arabic and here I'm sharing a recipe for chickpeas with tahini, which has become a popular dip the world over. It's very simple to make, all it is, is a handful of ingredients pulverised to a fine, velvety smooth dip. But it does require a little time and love. Lots of recipes call for it to be made from canned chickpeas, but honestly, if you try it from dry chickpeas you'll never go back. Whatever you...
