Sep 30, 2012

Potato Stew With Meat

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When me and my siblings were young, and for as long as I remember my mother used to make this meal at least once a month. She liked to have HEALTHY children. And by healthy I mean she wanted us to be  fat!

Regardless, there is nothing more comforting than tucking into a bowl of hot stew, especially as the warm weather starts to cool down and we need crave some warming comfort food. We Lebanese always serve our stews with rice, but if you feel that you would rather not it tastes just as good without.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg potatoes
  • 200 grams beef cube
  • 1/2 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon dried coriander
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon seven spices
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • oil for frying
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil

Preparation:

  • In a large pot of pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the meat, add 1 teaspoon salt, half teaspoon seven spices, cover with 6 cups water and cook until tender
  • Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes
  • Heat the frying oil, fry the potatoes until golden, remove the potatoes from the oil and place on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess of oil
  • In a pot, place the cooked meat, cover them with some of the meat stock, add the potatoes and the tomato puree, and let it cook on medium fire
  • In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a casserole, mix the crushed garlic with the fresh and dried coriander, fry them in the casserole
  • When the stew starts boiling add the fried garlic and the lemon juice and let it cook on low fire or further 5 minutes
  • Serve with cooked rice

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
Aug 17, 2012

Makmoura (Rice with Cabbage)

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This meal is very special to me. It reminds me of my childhood as my grandmother prepared it often, and I always enjoy eating it with a cabbage salad. Also, once when I was pregnant with my youngest boy (my fourth child:), I had a nap in the afternoon and when I woke up craving something with cumin. It is all about cumin. When I woke up, I cooked this Makmoura and on my plate I have to add a big tablespoon of cumin to satisfy my desire. Until now, I like this meal a lot. And I am so glad to share it with you, it is very simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • One medium cabbage
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 8 to 10 cloves of garlic
  • 2 cups rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

  • Remove the leaves of cabbage, wash and thinly slice, remove about half for the salad
  • Heat the olive oil, fry the onion until translucent, add the garlic then the cabbage, cover the pot and let it cook for about 5 minutes
  • Add the rice, cover with 4 cups of water, season with salt and cumin. When it starts boiling lower the fire, cover and let it simmer gently until the rice is well cooked
  • Serve with cabbage salad: put the cabbage in a bowl and mix with 1 clove garlic crushed, 1 teaspoon salt, juice of one lemon and extra virgin olive oil

ET VOILA…C’EST TOUT.. BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Lent, Main dish, Salad, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
Jun 28, 2012

Sheikh El Mehchi (Stuffed Eggplant)

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Hi, I know I have not posted anything in a few days. But believe me, I have been cooking everyday. Now, the summer has started, and my children are coming to Lebanon to spend their vacations, so I am very busy with my children and my grandchildren. Also, I changed the theme of the blog, and I have been trying to choose pictures for the banner 🙂 It hasn’t been so easy.

About the recipe today, Sheikh El Mehchi, it is called so because the eggplants are stuffed without removing their tops, so it looks like the head of Sheikhs.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo small eggplants
  • 200 grams minced meat
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt+ 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon seven spices+1/2 teaspoon seven spices
  • handful of pine seeds
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 red tomato sliced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups frying oil

Preparation:

  • Peel the eggplants without removing the heads
  • Heat the frying oil, fry the eggplants until brown color. Place on kitchen towel to remove the excess oil
  • Heat the canola oil and fry the chopped onions until transparent, add the pine seeds and fry for another 2 minutes, then add the meat and fry until well cooked. Season with salt and 1/2 teaspoon seven spices
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C
  • Slice open the eggplant in the middle and place a generous tablespoon of the meat stuffing inside it, press it down gently with the back of spoon
  • Place the stuffed eggplants on a baking tray or dish, cover with the tomato slices
  • Dissolve the tomato paste with 2 cups of water, season with remaining salt and spices and pour over the eggplants
  • Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes
  • Serve with cooked rice

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Jun 22, 2012

Homage To My Father… Kibbe With Spinach

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Yesterday in Lebanon everybody was celebrating Father’s Day. My dad left us ten years ago and I miss him a lot. I was very close to him and he was the only person who knew what I wanted without me saying anything. When I was young, he treated me like a little princess and I think he spoiled me a bit. I got nostalgic thinking of him, so I decided to make homage to this big man by cooking his favorite meal. His mother used to cook it for him and he’d encourage me to eat it by saying: “if you want to grow strong, you should have this kibbe. The spinach has a lot of iron and it will make you strong like your Papa”.

Ok, I want to stop being emotional and post the recipe that I took from my grandmother.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo fresh spinach
  • 1 cup fine bulgur
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 4 large onions, chopped into wings
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • an dash of chili pepper (optional)

Preparation:

  • Wash the spinach leaves and boil in hot water for 2 minutes, drain then wash with cold water and keep in the strainer until needed
  • To make the kibbe dough, wash the bulgur and discard the water then mix the bulgur with flour, salt, cinnamon, paprika and cumin to form a soft dough (add water if needed); mix it it with the grated onion
  • Take a small piece from the dough, shape it into a small ball then flatten it, place it on  slightly floured plate; repeat until all the dough is used
  • Boil the kibbe dough in hot water for about 15 minutes
  • Heat the olive oil and fry the wing chopped onions until golden brown
  • Add the boiled spinach and the kibbe dough to the frying pan, let it cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally
  • To serve place the kibbe with spinach on a plate and sprinkle some chili pepper if used

ET VOILA.. MAIS CE N’EST PAS TOUT!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS IN THE WORLD 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Lent, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jun 18, 2012

Potato Croquette

By · 9 Comments

When I was about ten years old, I spent one summer day with my 2 cousins and my aunt in her house in the mountain. Me and my cousins were playing very loudly and my aunt got annoyed at us. She offered to cook potato croquette, something we loved as kids, on a condition: we help her make them. Very interested to help cooking something we love, we stopped playing noisily and did as she asked.  We had to boil the potatoes, peel them and mash them with a fork since we didn’t had any masher to use. It took us a lot of time to prepare but when the potato croquettes were ready, we enjoyed eating them thinking that it was the best meal we ever had  🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo potato
  • 1 or 2 eggs slightly beaten
  • 1 cup of bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups frying oil

Preparation:

  • Boil the potato, peel them and mash them
  • Place the egg in a shallow plate, mixed with salt and pepper and the bread crumbs in another shallow plate
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan
  • Shape a medium sized ball from the mashed potato and flatten it, dip it in the egg then in the bread crumbs
  • Fry the breaded potatoes in the hot oil until golden brown, then drain it on a kitchen towel to remove the excess oil

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT.. 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , ,
May 29, 2012

Yogurt With Meat (Laban Immo)

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The literal translation for the word “Laban Immo” is : the milk of his mother. This yogurt cooked in this meal is very silky and smooth almost like the texture of the milk 🙂 . It is cooked with meat, onions and garlic with dried mint to enhance the flavor of the meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 300 grams lamb chunks (you can use beef also if you prefer), 1 teaspoon seven spices
  • 400 grams baby onions, peeled
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
  • 1 tablespoon corn oil + extra teaspoon to fry the garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon to add to garlic
  • handful of pine seeds

Preparation:

  • In a pot fry the onions until brown, then remove and put aside
  • In the same oil fry the lamb until brown then cover with about 4 cups of water, add 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and let it cook until tender(you can use pressure cooker it will take 20 minutes to be cooked). Drain the meat from water, and keep one cup of the lamb stock
  • In another pot, place the yogurt
  • Mix the corn flour with one cup of the cold meat stock then add it to the yogurt, put the pot on fire and let it boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens
  • Add the cooked meat and the fried onions
  • In a small saucepan heat the remaining oil and fry the pine seeds, then put aside
  • In the same oil fry the crushed garlic mixed with one teaspoon salt and dried mint, then add it to the yogurt pot
  • Put in a serving plate, garnish the top with fried pine seeds
  • Enjoy eating with plain boiled rice

ET VOILA…C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 27, 2012

Rice and Chicken (Lebanese Way)

By · 18 Comments

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 26, 2012

Meghli (Flavored Rice pudding)

By · 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 26, 2012

Bulgur With Meat (Burgul Bi Dfeen)

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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: , , , , , , , , , ,
May 22, 2012

Stuffed Intestines (Fwaregh)

By · 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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