Tabkhet el yom

May 27, 2012

Rice and Chicken (Lebanese Way)

Arabs love this dish! If you have an Arab friend, make this dish when you invite them over; it will guarantee to make them smile 🙂 Every Arab country has their own variation of it and is generally cooked during special occasions. The combination of the rice cooked with chicken stock and the fried nuts spread on the top of the plate gives it a special flavor and texture in your mouth. Some people like it covered in gravy but personally, I like it with yogurt. Try it both ways, tell me which way you prefer 🙂

Ingredients: for boiling the chicken

1 whole chicken (about 1 kilo)
1 tablespoon salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon seven spices
1/2 teaspoon clove
few bay leaves
1/2teaspoon whole cardamon

For cooking the rice:

200 grams minced meat
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon seven spices
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon corn oil

For the decoration:

1 tablespoon butter
handful of each: halved almonds, pine seeds, pistachios, cashew
a pinch of ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with about 2 liters of water, place on fire and let it boil.
Skim the white foam. Then put the salt, cinnamon stick, clove, cardamon and seven spices and let it boil until tender (in pressure cooker it will take 15 minutes)
When boiled, drain the chicken from water (but keep the stock) and tear the chicken meat from the bones and keep aside
In another pot, heat the oil and fry the minced meat until brown, season with salt and seven spices
Add the rice and cover with 4 cups of chicken stock, cover the pot and let it simmer on a low fire until the rice is cooked
In a saucepan heat the butter and fry the nuts until nice golden, stirring constantly to prevent them from burning then place on a kitchen towel
To serve place the rice in a large plate, put the chicken pieces on the top, sprinkle with cinnamon then cover with the fried nuts
Enjoy eating with a side salad (and yogurt or gravy, whatever you prefer)

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT!

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: beef, cardamon, chicken, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, lebanese food, lebanon, main dish, meat, minced meat, pine seeds, pistachios, rice, rice and chicken, riz be djaj

May 26, 2012

Meghli (Flavored Rice pudding)

By ninabaydoun · 6 Comments

Meghli is a kind of sweet traditionally prepared to celebrate a new born baby in the family. The word “Meghli” means boiled, probably named such because it is boiled for a very long time. It is said to be very good for the baby and mother especially during breast feeding as it supposedly promotes breast milk production. In some villages, they make it on Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It has a refreshing taste of cinnamon and with coconut added on top, is a perfect treat to cool you off in the summer heat.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice powder
7 cups water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground caraway
2 cups sugar
for decoration: almond, pistachios, whole nut, shredded coconut, pine seeds and raisins

Preparation:

In a pot, mix the rice powder with cinnamon, caraway then the water. Mix and keep stirring until it boils
When it starts boiling, add the sugar and continue stirring until the mixture thickens
Pour in small individual bowls and allow to cool

Cover each bowl with cling film and place in the fridge
When serving, decorate each bowl with shredded coconut, bleached and halved almonds, whole nuts, pistachios, pine seeds and raisins (according to your preference; my son likes it with just some shredded coconut)

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT! HAVE A NICE WEEK END 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: almond, caraway, celebration, cinnamon, coconut, lebanese food, lebanon, meghli, new born, pine seeds, pistachios, raisins, rice powder, whole nut

May 26, 2012

Bulgur With Meat (Burgul Bi Dfeen)

By ninabaydoun · Leave a Comment

We Lebanese like to have a side dish with the stew, usually rice, pasta, potatoes or bulgur. Bulgur is a main ingredient in our cuisine. It could be fine in kibbe and tabboule, or coarse when cooking it with tomato, vegetables or meat. The meal I am making today is called “Burgul Bi Dfeen” in Arabic, which translated means buried in bulgur. Maybe they named it such because after cooking, the meat is buried under the bulgur 🙂

Ingredients:

300 grams meat lamb chunks
500 grams baby onion, peeled
1 cup chickpeas (soaked one night ahead with a dash of bicarbonate of soda)
2 cups coarse bulgur
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seven spices
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoon corn oil

Preparation:

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pot and fry the meat until brown and add 1 teaspoon of salt and seven spices before covering it with about 2 liters of water and boiling it until nearly tender
In another pot heat, the remaining oil and fry the onion until golden brown, then add the chickpeas and cover with one cup of water; let it cook on a very low flame until tender
Add the cooked meat to this pot with the bulgur and cover with about 3 cups of meat stock; season with salt, pepper and cumin and cover the pot to let it simmer on low heat until the water is absorbed
Serve it with yogurt on the side

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: bulgur, burgul, burgul bi dfeen, chickpeas, cumin, lamb, lebanese food, lebanon, meat, onion, yummy

May 23, 2012

Steak With Garlic And Cherry Tomato Salad

By ninabaydoun · 8 Comments

Every once in a while I like to have a light dinner, myself and my son. Especially after heavy meals for few days in a row. 🙂 This is why last night, I decided to make for dinner just a salad and steak. I chosen to make the steak with garlic and lemon, as for the salad I made it with cherry tomatoes which are in season and has a nice lemony taste.

Ingredients for the steak:

4 pieces of sirloin steak
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon corn flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon corn oil

Preparation:

Rub the meat with salt and pepper
In a saucepan heat the butter and oil and fry the meat until brown
Mix the crushed garlic with lemon and put over the steaks
Dissolve the corn flour with a half cup of cold water then add it to the steak, lower the flame and let it simmer until the water evaporates

Ingredients for the salad:

300 grams of cherry tomato
1/2 bunch of parsley
3 or 4 green onions
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half
Slice the green onions
Finely chop the parsley
Mix in a salad bowl and add the dressing: salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixed together and you salad is ready

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT..

BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Main dish, Salad · Tagged: balsamic vinegar, garlic, green onion, lemon, light dinner, meat, parsley, steak

May 22, 2012

Stuffed Intestines (Fwaregh)

By ninabaydoun · 6 Comments

This is one of the most exquisite traditional Lebanese Meals. In the old days people would use every piece of the sheep – waste not, want not. After making sure they used all the meat for cooking in many different ways, they used the wool, the head, the bones, etc… and even the intestines. They found a way to stuff it and cook it in a DELICIOUS recipe. When my mother used to make it, every body knew that she was making Fwaregh for lunch, because while cooking, this meal has a very special and nice aroma.

The main work consists of cleaning the intestines. It has to be washed in running water several times. The extra fat stocking on the sides shall be removed, keeping the small parts because it helps keep it moist while cooking. After washing (from inside and outside) it should be rubbed with salt and water, then soak in water and white vinegar for an hour (1 cup of vinegar for 4 cups of water). Now it is ready for stuffing and cooking.

Ingredients: (for two whole intestines):

300 grams of minced meat, beef or lamb (I used beef)
2 cups of small grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seven spices
1 cup of soaked chick peas ( or 1 cup of pine seeds, as you desire)
1 medium onion, choppped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 peeled onion
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the meat for few minutes ( until it changes color only)
Wash the rice, mix it with meat, chopped onion, chick peas then add the salt and spices
Hold the intestine from the smaller end, then start stuffing, pushing it into the opening of the intestines with your thumb. This way, when you finish stuffing the intestine will be inside out

When all the quantity is finished, place them in a large bowl and wash them again, now they are ready to be cooked

Place the stuffed intestines in a large pot, cover with a lot of water and boil on a high fire. Remove the white foam formed on the top, add 1 peeled onion, cinnamon stick,salt, 3 bay leaves and cook on a very reduced flame for about 45 minutes, until the intestines are tender
Serve it with crushed 2 cloves of garlic mixed with 1/2 teaspoon salt, juice of 2 lemons and few drops of extra virgin olive oil, or with red vinegar.

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: chick peas, cinnamon stick, cooking, fwaregh, garlic, lebanese food, lebanon, lemon, main dish, meat, onion, pine seeds, rice, sheep meat

May 20, 2012

Upside Down Pineapple Cake

By ninabaydoun · 11 Comments

This is a suitable cake for Spring. The pineapple used gives it a very refreshing taste, like a cool breeze! The pineapple juice also moistens the cake itself, giving it a more moist texture in the mouth. Nothing more to say about this cake, except that the decoration with strawberry adds a nice touch 🙂

Ingredients:

5 eggs
1 can of sliced pineapple (drained and juice kept)
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of flour + extra 1 tablespoon to dust the mold)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter at room temperature + extra tablespoon to grease the mold)
1/4 cup of honey ( or golden syrup)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180C
Grease a 26 cm diameter round and deep tray, dust with flour, pour the honey then place the pineapples slices over

With an electric mixer, mix the eggs with vanilla until pale then add sugar and keep mixing until the sugar dissolves
Alternate adding flour with pineapple juice, mixing slowly,then add the baking powder; keep mixing for a few minutes
Place the mixture in the tray and bake in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean

Leave the cake in the tray for few minutes then turn it onto a wire rack to cool

Enjoy eating with fresh strawberry for decoration

ET VOILA .. C’EST TOUT 🙂

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert · Tagged: butter, cake, egg, flour, pineapple, pineapple juice, sugar

May 19, 2012

Freekeh With Chicken And Meat

By ninabaydoun · 4 Comments

Freekeh is green wheat, roasted, smoked and dried. It is a very nutritious grain which contains a large amount of protein, vitamins and minerals. The use of this green wheat goes for back more than 2000 years ago. It can be used as a side dish like rice or couscous, and can even be mixed with some vegetables in a salad. The recipe I will be showing you uses the green wheat as a main dish. The recipe is from the south of Lebanon, and I learned it from my mother in law. The south of Lebanon is well known for the plantation of the wheat like the Bekaa area in the East of Lebanon. This grain can be found in Gourmet shops or in big supermarkets in foreign countries.

Ingredients:

1 chicken
200 grams beef cubes
3 cups freekeh washed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon corn oil + another tablespoon of corn oil
handful of pine seeds, handful of almonds

Preparation:

Fry the beef cubes with oil until brown then cover with water and cook until tender
In another pot, boil the chicken then remove the skin and bones and keep the water to cook the freekeh with
Heat the oil in a third pot, add the freekeh, season with salt, cinnamon, sweet pepper and cover with 6 cups of chicken stock
Cover the pot and let it cook on a very low flame. When the water evaporates, if the freekeh is not tender then add more chicken stock and let it continue to cook
Add the meat to the pot and mix it with the freekeh
Roast the almonds and pine seeds
Serve by placing the freekeh with pieces of the boiled chicken and garnish with the pine seeds and almonds over
Decorate with few leaves of parsley (optional) and enjoy your meal with yogurt or a salad

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT… HOPE YOU’RE HAVING A NICE WEEK END 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: almond, beef, chicken, cooking, food, freekeh, green wheat, lebanese food, lebanon, main dish, meat, pine seeds

May 18, 2012

Croquettes of Cheese with Salsa Dip

By ninabaydoun · 7 Comments

The croquettes of cheese is one of my favorite appetizers. Every time we go out for dinner outside, first thing we check for on the menu is the cheese croquettes to have before the main meal. Believe me, I’ve tries a lot of recipes and the one I am sharing with you today is the more successful one. The good thing about this recipe is that it can be adjusted to your taste. You can use whatever kind of cheese you like and also you can add any kind of flavor like basil, rosemary, thyme, or anything else. Also, It can be baked in the oven or deep fry. Tell me if you like it 🙂

Ingredients:

100 grams shredded cheese of your choice (I used Gruyere and Emmental)
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup melted butter

For the fried croquettes, the extra ingredients you will need:

one egg
one cup bread crumbs
about one liter frying oil

Mix all the ingredients and let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour. You can now prepare the croquettes by either frying them or baking them.

To fry them:

Make a small finger shape from the dough
Roll them in a slightly beaten egg, then in bread crumbs and deep fry for about 5 minutes untl they turn golden brown color

To bake them:

Preheat the oven for 180C
On a floured surface board roll the dough and cut into medium sized circles
Place them on a tray and bake for about half an hour until the croquettes turn golden color

These croquettes are delicious when accompanied with this salsa dip:

Chop one red tomato and one small onion very finely
Add one tablespoon of ketchup, a small teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon chili paste and a few leaves of chopped parsley

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT! 🙂

Filed Under: Side dish, Starters · Tagged: bread crumbs, butter, cheese, cooking, cooking cheese, egg, flour, onion, parsley, tomato, yogurt

May 17, 2012

Chicken With Spinach

By ninabaydoun · 2 Comments

I enjoy getting playful when cooking, more and more since I started this blog. I watch a lot of food shows on television and I also read cooking magazines, so I’m always trying new recipes while adding a touch of me, mixing and matching with other recipes to make something that suits my taste. I won’t pretend to have created this meal, but I think that everyone makes food in their own way and this way is mine 🙂

Ingredients:

500 grams chicken fillet
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 cinnamon stick
500 grams fresh spinach, chopped
1 can of sliced mushrooms, washed and drained
3 large green onions slices
1 tablespoon butter

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 handful finely chopped fresh spinach
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash of freshly ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Rub the chicken fillet with salt and black pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the chicken until brown, cover with one cup of water and add the cinnamon stick; let it cook until tender
In another saucepan, melt the butter, fry the green onion for about 4 minutes then add the mushrooms and the spinach with a dash of salt; cover the saucepan and let it simmer on a very low flame for about 10 minutes

Prepare the sauce: melt the butter in a small pot and add the flour, mixing it well
Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly until it becomes thick and add salt, nutmeg and finally the finely chopped spinach

Serve together in a plate. You can add rice or pasta if you wish, remember to make it your way too 🙂

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT.. BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Main dish · Tagged: butter, chicken, cinnamon, flour, food, milk, mushroom, nutmeg, oil, spinach

May 16, 2012

One Lovely Blog Award

By ninabaydoun · 8 Comments

I was happily nominated by Micha who is behind Zim on a Whim, a very nice blog with delicious recipes, creative arts and crafts ideas and much more. If you are not yet familiar with her blog, please check it out.

The guidelines for accepting this award are as follows:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate about 15 other blogs that you enjoy.
4. Let the nominees know that you chose them.

I think I’ve already mentioned a lot of things about me, in previous award posts. check here. But, anyway I will try to add some new things:

1- I believe that the key of success is passion, whatever you do if you do it with passion, for sure you will succeed.

2- I think that we have to enjoy every moment of like. Life is precious.

3- I love to cook, but I cook more when I have somebody to help clean the mess after me 🙂

4- Beside cooking, I enjoy knitting, crocheting and even painting. I have made a lot of silk paintings.

5- I enjoy watching comedies at the movies.

6- I love to listen to old french songs and to Abba, I think they are marvelous!

7- Finally, I enjoy blogging because it gave me the chance to interact with many lovely people from around the globe.

And, for the nominations here are the names or the bloggers I would like to pas the award to them:

Sugaredpecan

Rufusguide

Twentyfourseveninfrance