It sure is peak summer time now in the Northern Hemisphere and perhaps not an ideal time for hot dishes.. at least not in mom’s dictionary. In summer she tends to shift a bit more towards grilling, seafood, vegetarian and dairy-based dishes that don’t make you sweat like crazy when you enjoy them in a …
If you are a fan of stuffed grape leaves or Dolma, you ought try this stuffed cabbage rolls recipe. In Arabic it’s called “Malfouf” which has a dual meaning of “cabbage” as well as “rolled.” It’s also called “Mih-sheh Malfouf” which means stuffed cabbage. Malfouf is a traditional Lebanese dish which involves rolling cabbage leaves …
Winter is knocking on the door, and it’s time for some nice Lebanese-style hot Chili. Fasolia (Phaseolus vulgaris) is the typical name given to different varieties of red beans in Lebanon. And apparently in other countries in the Middle East such as Egypt and Turkey (Fasulye), Fasolia can refer to green beans as well. In …
If you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be writing a blog post about Kibbeh Nayyeh I would have laughed; I didn’t like this dish in the past simply because it has raw meat, and despite the fact that it’s very famous in Lebanon. And I assume that it’s natural for anyone who isn’t …
In Lebanese cuisine, Kafta usually refers to spiced ground meat that can be fried, baked or bbq’d. It is then called Kafta Kabob (or Kabab) if it’s meant for the BBQ grill, and this is what we’re featuring in this recipe. There are of course many ways of spicing up your Kafta, it’s a matter of …
Take a walk on virtually any street in Lebanese cities, you will run into a recurring theme, a ubiquitous “delicacy” store that is on almost every corner, but it’s not Starbucks! We’re talking here about Lebanese bakeries, aka “furen,” Arabic for “oven.” Such bakeries are flocked by Lebanese peeps mostly for a nice breakfast of …
Kibbe Background Kibbe refers to a variety of “meat balls” from the Middle East that are prepared with ground meat, cracked wheat and spices and that are either fried, baked, stewed, BBQ’d or, ehemm, eaten raw (Kibbe Nayyeh). There are probably as many different ways of preparing and cooking Kibbe as there are ways to …
What is Shawarma Shawarma is probably one of the most recognizable Middle Eastern ethnic food names in the West, behind Falafel and Hummus. The name comes from the Turkish word çevirme which means “turning,” and where you have some deeply marinated layers of beef, lamb or chicken stacked on a vertical spit and slowly turning against …
