Wednesdays are “Loubieh bi Zait” days. That’s how it went at home while growing up, with mom setting that day of the week for a traditional tasty dish made from green beans stewed in an onions and olive oil sautee. “Loubieh bi zait” which literally translates to “green beans in oil” is a typical Lebanese …
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 …
Lebanese cuisine is famous for offering a wide array of Kibbe dishes. For those who are not familiar with the term, Kibbe generally refers to ground meat mixed with burghul (cracked weat), spices and herbs and then baked, fried or grilled into an amazingly savory dish. In this recipe, we’re going to feature a vegetarian …
Tabbouleh is a healthy, rich and super-green salad with pure Lebanese origins that is known for its spicy-tangy kick. In traditional Lebanese cuisine, Tabbouleh (sometimes spelled and pronounced as Tabouli) is usually served along with Mezza which is a host of appetizers and hors-d’oeuvres. If you’ve had Tabbouleh salad in non-Lebanese restaurants, you would be …
Lebanese grilled chicken is a garlicky gourmet dish that tends to be our “Sunday special” at home. The recipe is quite easy to make and the secret is in the marinade, and is rather simple.
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 …
Muhammara (pronounced moo-hum-mara) is a popular Syrian Shami dish that is served as a Mezza, ie, appetizer. Its literal meaning is “reddened” which refers to the reddish color of the dip that comes from red peppers. It is quite simple to make, yet quite rich in taste, and mezza lovers would rejoice over it. There …
