Feb 23, 2012

Bulgur with Tomatoes

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For centuries, and especially during WW2, bulgur (or burghul in Arabic) has been a main ingredient in Lebanese cuisine. It is made out of whole wheat and has a lot of vitamins it is very nutritious.

In Lebanon you can find many kinds of bulgur (e.g., fine grain, rough, white and dark). The recipe I made today is also suitable for people fasting during Lent. It is a very old recipe popular in the villages mainly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 red tomatoes peeled and cut into small dices
  • one cup of rough white bulgur
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • salt, pepper, and a dash of black spicy pepper
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil

Preparation:

  • In a pot heat the olive oil, fry the onion
  • When the onion start to take color, add the tomatoes and let it cook slowly on a low fire
  • Add the bulgur over the onion and mix all the ingredients well
  • Put the tomatoe paste, the salt and the spices
  • Cover with 2 cups of water, let it boil, then cover the pot and let it simmer on low fire untill all the grains absorb the water
  • Serve it with salad and vegetables.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Lent, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Feb 22, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Cookies are always fun to make. The recipe for these cookies I have from my mother, and I’ve been making it since 20 years and let me tell you, it is  a big hit! The feeling of these soft cookies melting in one’s mouth will make anyone’s mood shift quickly into a blissful state, problems will dissolve as the cookies crumble, and the day will seem brighter.

I know there’s a plethora of stores showing off their latest cookie recipes, but today I’d like to show you how you can make these fluffy delicious mouth adventures on your own. And believe me you cannot go wrong with it!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 butter softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4  all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 C. Grease lightly few cooking sheet
  • Cream the sugars with the butter and shortening until light and fluffy
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, stir in the vanilla
  • Sift together, the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and the salt, add to the sugar mixture, beating well
  • Fold the chocolate chips
  • Make from the dough small ball, place it on the cooking sheet and press it with fingertips
  • Bake for about 12 minutes.
  • Cool it on the tray before removing to a rack to cool completely.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Feb 21, 2012

Fattoush (Lebanese Salad)

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“Fattoush” is a traditional Lebanese salad, made of mixed vegetables, bread and special seasoning and since this dish is made out of vegetables it is suitable for people fasting during lent.

My grandfather used to tell me the story of how the Lebanese started to make this salad. In some village in Lebanon, after a group of people finished their food and salad, if they were still hungry and there was remaining dressing in the salad, they would dip bread in the dressing and eat it. Eventually toasted bread found its way into the salad regularly, until finally they added more kinds of vegetables and adjusted the dressing to have what we know today as the traditional Fattoush.

And here is the recipe. I’ve left out the quantities because you can tailor it to your own taste.

Ingredients:

  • lettuce
  • tomato
  • cucumber
  • green onion
  • radish
  • purslane (baqle in arabic)
  • parsley
  • salt, olive oil, summak, olive oil, frying oil, arabic bread(pita)

Preparation:

  • Wash the lettuce, tomatoes and cut them
  • Peel the cucumber and cut it in dices
  • Peel the radish and slice them
  • Cut the green onion in slices
  • Peel the leaves of the purslane and wash properly
  • Chop few leaves of parsley
  • Cut the arabic bread and fry in the oil for few minutes until it becomes light brown color
  • Put all the vegetables in a serving bowl and mix together
  • Add the salt, summak and the olive oil
  • At the end put the fried bread and mix with the vegetables
  • You can decorate with few cherry tomatoes if desired.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT.. BON APPETIT

Filed Under: Lent, Salad, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 20, 2012

Cauliflower Gratin

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Cauliflower Gratin

On this occasion I would like to wish all Christians a blessed Ash Monday! Ash Monday, or the first day of Christian lent, marks the beginning of forty days of fasting where Christians should avoid meat, chicken and even fish and they should eat only vegetables and fruits. Tomorrow I will post something related to lent and an applicable dish for the occasion.

Today however, the dish I made is taken from French Cuisine, and is made from cauliflower, white sauce and cheese. While it contains no meats, the milk and cheese may be unsuitable for those strictly following lent.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cauliflower, about 1 kg
  • 80 gs of butter
  • 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • 4 cups of milk
  • salt, dash of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup of mozarrella cheese and 1/2 cup of emmenthal cheese both shredded

Preparation:

  • Wash the cauliflower and cut it, boil to half cooked in a casserole with salted water, then drain the cauliflower
  • In the meantime prepare the white sauce: put the butter in a pan and melt it, add the flour and mix well with the butter, then slowly pour the milk over, mixing well with a manual beater until the mixture start to thickens
  • Put the fire off and season with salt and freshly grounded nutmeg
  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • In an oven tray put the cauliflower and cover it with the white sauce and then on top of it put the cheese
  • Put the tray in the oven and bake for about half an hour

ET VOILA .. C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 19, 2012

Apple Jam

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In the old days in Lebanon, people used to store their food in what we call in Arabic, a “Mouneh” or another term for the Lebanese Pantry. In the villages, these pantries were made usually under brick structures –  prove the equivalent of today’s fridges. Since fruits are not all available all year around we used to make jams from all kinds of fruits to enjoy them even out of season.

Today I made apple jam. Apple, known for its vitamins and minerals is an ideal jam for the cold winters in the mountains in Lebanon, and since some would grow apples near their homes, it was common to find them in the Mouneh of people’s village homes.

I would like to share with you my mother’s recipe for apple jam, which my mother herself took from her mother.

Ingredients:

  • 1kg of yellow apple
  • one  lemon
  • 3 cups of sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

  • Wash the apples, peel them, remover the seeds and cut into quarters
  • Cut the lemon and rub the apples so they wont turn black color
  • Put the apples in a casserole, cover it with 3 cups of water and boil until it becomes tender
  • Remove the apples and put aside. Add the sugar to the boiling water with the cinnamon stick and let it boil for 5 minutes
  • Put the apples back to the water and let it boil on a medium heat fire
  • Reduce the heat and and let it simmer on a very low fire until the color of the apples turn like honey color and it thickens also like honey consistance
  • If the apples get dry before it reaches the desired color, you can add a little bit of water.
  • Put the apple jam in a jar, when it becomes cold close the jar tightly.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , ,
Feb 18, 2012

Potato Salad with Eggs

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Vegetables, potatoes and eggs. All children need their greens, but they never eat them! Because they’re stubborn and don’t know what’s good for them. But momma knows best 🙂

Use this for a side dish with steak or chicken.Personally I just have it as a light dinner, like I did tonight. You’re probably going to have these ingredients lying around in your kitchen so there’s no complication, and it won’t take you any longer than twenty minutes to prepare. Great for a lazy night in front of the TV.

Ingredients:

  • 3 potatoes
  • 3 eggs
  • some leaves of lettuce and Iceberg
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 green pepper

Preparation:

  • Peel the potatoes, cut them in medium size cubes and boil with salted water
  • Boil the eggs
  • In the meantime wash the vegetables and cut them and put in a big serving bowl
  • Prepare the dressing for the salad by mixing one teaspoon of salt, a tbsp of mayonnaise, juice of one lemon and three tbsp of olive oil
  • When the potatoes and the boiled eggs  are cooked add them to the vegetables
  • Put the dressing and mix well.

ET VOILA C’EST TOUT…:)

BON APPETIT

Filed Under: Main dish, Salad, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Feb 17, 2012

White Beans with Meat and Rice (Fasoulya)

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This stew is a traditional Lebanese dish. When my youngest brother went to a boarding school in Lebanon for a few years, they used to serve it to the students with white beans, meat and rice every Wednesday, and as he got homesick sometimes, this dish made him remember his home and made him feel good.

He’s a lot bigger than he used to be then, but even now when he knows I have it for lunch, he gladly invites himself over to eat. But I have to make bigger portions. A lot bigger.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of dried white beans
  • 300 gs of beef meat cut into large cubes
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup of chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tablespoon of ground dried coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • Cooking oil

Preparation:

  • Soak the white beans with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with water, overnight
  • The next day the beans double in volume – drain them form the water and wash them
  • In a casserole put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and fry the meat then cover it with water, cook for about one hour until the meat is tender (to save time you can use the pressure cooker)
  • In another casserole boil the beans until it is almost tender, then drain again the water
  • Put the beans over the meat, add the tomato paste, salt and pepper, cover with water and let it boil on low heat in the covered casserole
  • Crush the garlic with salt, add the fresh and dried coriander and mix all the ingredients well
  • In a small saucepan, heat some oil and fry the mixture of garlic and coriander then add it to the casserole of beans with meat
  • Finally, you can put the lemon juice
  • Serve this delicious food with cooked rice.

ET VOILA ..C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Feb 16, 2012

Lasagna

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The first time I ate lasagna was 20 years ago when I was still living in Abu Dhabi, and my friend invited me to her palce to have lasagna for lunch.  I thought at the time that making lasagna was complicated so I asked her for the recipe and, and she explained to me the way she did it. Since then, I have made some modifications to her recipe, and my children just love  lasagna I make. I am glad to share it with you today:)

Ingredients: The meat sauce

  • 200 gs of minced meat
  • 2 large onions
  • 4 red tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • salt, pepper
  • 2 tablespoon of cooking oil

The white sauce:

  • 100 gs of butter
  • 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • about 4 cups of milk
  • salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup of shredded emmental cheese, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella

Preparation:

  • Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the onion chopped finely
  • Add the minced meat to the onion and fry until the meat is cooked
  • Cut the red tomatoes in small pieces and add it to the meat with the tomato paste
  • Season with salt and pepper and put the sauce aside

Now prepare the white sauce:

  • In another casserole melt the butter and add the flour, mix well
  • Pour the milk gradually and keep mixing with a whisk
  • When the sauce thickens put the fire off and put the salt and the nutmeg

Finally:

  • In a deep oven tray, put a large tablespoon of white sauce to cover the bottom of the tray
  • Put one layer of lasagna, cover it with meat sauce and then put the white sauce, repeat this until the tray is 3/4 full
  • On the top after the last layer of the white sauce sprinkle the cheese and put in hot oven for about 30 minutes

My son was with me in the kitchen while preparing the lasagna, and he came up with the idea to put the lasagna in a aluminium foil cup cake, he did, and it turn out to be beautiful. I think it is a good idea to make a “cup cake lasagna” if you have a party.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT. BON APPETIT!

Filed Under: Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Feb 16, 2012

Spaghetti with Meat Escalope

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Who doesn’t like spaghetti??

This is the most popular meal in the world and everybody loves it: children, young people and even the elderly. This is a meal I keep as a backup, because I have the ingredients always ready in my kitchen. When I don’t have escalope, I just use minced meat in the pasta sauce to make it bolognese sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 250 gs of spaghetti
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 5 red tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, basil
  • 1 tablespoon of ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
  • 2 pieces of meat escalope

Preparation:

  • In a casserole, boil water with a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of cooking oil
  • When the water is boiled, put the spaghetti and boil it. When it is cooked drain it from the water
  • In another casserole, heat the olive oil, chop the onion and fry it, then add the crushed cloves of garlic
  • Put the tomatoes in boiling water for few seconds to peel them and chop into medium size cubes (if you want you can use a small  can of crushed tomatoes)
  • Add the tomatoes to the mixture of onion and garlic and let it boil on low heat
  • Season the tomato sauce with salt, pepper, and a small teaspoon of each of: thyme, oregano, basil
  • Now add ketchup and a half cup of water, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat
  • Fry the escalope until the meat is well cooked
  • To serve, put the spaghetti in a plate, cover it with the tomato sauce and place the escalope alongside
  • You can serve it with a vegetable salad

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Main dish · Tagged: , , , ,
Feb 14, 2012

Strawberry Tart

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Happy Valentine’s day to all of you! I wish each and every one of you love that encompasses your hearts beyond only this obscurely invented holiday 🙂

Strawberry Tart

As you may have noticed in the gift stores in your neighborhoods, LOVE is highly associated with the color red, the color of fire, passion, and STRAWBERRIES! The delicious strawberry resembling the kiss of a loved one. My gift to you this valentine’s day is to share with you a recipe for a strawberry tart, which I hope will ignite your taste buds and will make your kisses with your loved ones sweeter.

Ingredients:

  • 200 gs of all purpose flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 100 gs of butter
  • 1  coffee spoon of sugar
  • 500 gs of fresh strawberry

Preparation:

  • Mix the flour with salt and the sugar
  • Rub it with the soft butter until the flour becomes granulated
  • Put the water and knead the mixture with the fingers quickly, when the dough is soft wrap it in a plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for about one hour
  • Preheat the oven on 200C
  • Roll the dough and put it in a greased  tart mold with loose buttom
  • Cover the top with waxing paper and put dried beans
  • Put in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes

In the meantime make the “creme patissiere”

Ingredients for the cream:

  • 1 liter of milk (about 4 cups)
  • 100 gs of sugar
  • 4egg yolk
  • 60 gs of corn starch (about 4 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

  • Boil the milk with the vanilla on low fire
  • In a bowl mix with the electric beater the egg yolk with the sugar until the sugar dissolve and the mixture becomes yellow pale color
  • Add the corn starch gradually to the egg mixture and whisk slowly, when  it becomes homogenous pour half of the boiled milk, mix slowly at the beginning, when the cream is soft mix faster
  • Put the cream mixture in the casserole of the milk on very low heat, always mixing, until the cream thickens
  • Put the fire off and don’t stop mixing to allow the cream to cool quickly
  • Put it in a plate and cover it with plastic wrap until needed
  • When the tart is cold remove it from the mold,cover it with the “creme patissiere”
  • Decorate with the strawberries
  • As a final touch, dissolve one bag of jello (strawberry flavor) with one cup of hot water and pour half of it over the strawberry

ET VOILA. C’EST TOUT:)

ENJOY VALENTINE’S ❤

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , ,
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