Mar 8, 2012

Homemade Pizza

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What tastes better than pizza? A HOMEMADE PIZZA, of course. I always prepare the entire pizzas at home, from the dough to the ingredients and the filling to the way me and my children like it. In Lebanon, we have Lebanese pizza called “Man’oushe” which is made out of dough, same as pizza, but filled with either cheese or dried thyme mixed with some olive oil and it’s cooked in a large oven.

My 7 year-old grandson won’t eat any pizza except the one I made because “it is the best pizza ever!” You cant argue with that 🙂

Today I prepared the dough in the morning and let it rest for few hours to let it rise, and then I rolled it and filled it and cooked it; here’s how:

Ingredients for the dough:

  • 5 cups of flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup of corn oil
  • 1 tbsp of instant dried yeast
  • water

Preparation:

  • Put the flour, the salt and the oil in food processor and mix them for a few minutes
  • Then add the yeast and pour the water from the top slowly until all the ingredients form a soft dough
  • Rub a bowl with 1 spoon of oil and place the dough inside it and cover it with a towel
  • Let it rest and wait until it doubles in volume

In the meantime prepare the filling.

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 1 large onion, chopped finely
  • 3 red tomatoes cut in small dices
  • 1 small can of cut mushroom
  • 1/2 cup of black seedless and shredded olives
  • 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup grated emmenthal cheese
  • 1 tbsp of corn oil

Preparation:

  • In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions
  • Add the cut tomatoes to the onions and let it cook gently, then add the mushrooms
  • Now you can sprinkle the thyme and oregano
  • Add now the black olives and the tomato paste,  cover the pan and let it cook gently on a low heat
  • Preheat the oven on 180c
  • When the dough is ready and with a rolling pin, roll the dough and put it in a pizza tray
  • Sprinkle some thyme over the dough and put the filling on top
  • Cover with the two kinds of cheese and bake for about 25 minutes

AND THAT’S IT…. ENJOY:)

Filed Under: Lent, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 7, 2012

Vegetable Stew

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Most children don’t like vegetables, especially zucchini and eggplant. They prefer to eat chicken nuggets, hamburger or anything else that can be found at a fast food restaurant. Even my siblings and I didn’t like those kinds of vegetables when we were young . My mother used to cook vegetables in this kind of stew with some meat to make us eat them (or else we’d be in trouble). It’s funny how we become our mothers… I too used this same recipe on my children. May it be as effective on your children as well:)

By the way, for those of you who can’t find the Lebanese Seven Spices ready mixed, here is a very useful guide to making it yourself.

Ingredients:

  • 200 grams lean beef cut into cubes
  • 2 potatoes cut into cubes
  • 1 large carrot cut into slices
  • 2 zucchini cut into slices
  • 1 large eggplant cut into cubes
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 red tomatoes chopped
  • 3 clove of garlic crushed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • salt, seven spices, 1 tablespoon of dried coriander
  • cooking oil

Preparation:

  • In a pressure cooker, fry the meat with a little oil
  • When the meat is cooked, cover with water add one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon seven spices cook with the pressure cooker closed for 20 minutes
  • In the meantime, heat some oil in a pot and fry the the onion for 2 minutes then add the garlic and stir together for about a minute
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, cover the pot, lower the heat and leave it for 3 minutes
  • Remove the cooked meat from the pressure cooker and keep the water of the meat
  • Place the meat over the tomatoes, onion and garlic mixture
  • Add the carrot first for 4 minutes then the potatoes
  • Cover with the water used to cook the meat and add the tomato paste
  • Now add the zucchini then the eggplant after a couple of minutes
  • Season with salt, seven spices and the dried coriander
  • Lower the heat, cover the pot and let it cook slowly for about 20 minutes or until the carrot is tender
  • Serve it with cooked rice and green salad on the side

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT 🙂

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 5, 2012

Rice and Beans (Riz bil Foul)

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When my children were young, we used to spend the summer holidays in our home in the mountain. One night, my sons felt they like to eat some beans from one of the street vendors. I took my little boys in the car and I asked them to keep an eye out for beans vendors. My eldest son saw one and I stopped the car with the vendor at the passenger’s side. I told my son to ask the man for some beans and, in his excitement, he mixed up the words while asking. Instead of saying, “3ammo 3andak foul?” (sir do you have beans?) he said “3ammak Foul” (your uncle is a bean!)

Since then, this has become a joke between us. My son is now a young man working in New York City, and while talking to him yesterday he told me “3ammak Foul”. I know that this is his way to tell me that he misses me. That’s why I decided to cook the rice with broad beans today.

Ingredients:

  • 100 gs minced meat
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 cup of frozen broad beans (the green ones)
  • 1 cup of rice
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • salt, seven spices

Preparation:

  • Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion
  • When the onion start to get golden color, add the meat and fry it with the onion
  • Season with a dash of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon seven spices
  • Add the beans and mix it with meat and onion, then lower the heat and cover the pot for few minutes until the beans becomes tender
  • In the same pot, put the rice with 2 cups of water, adjust the seasoning as desired, and let the rice cook on a low heat until it absorbs all the water
  • Serve it with yogurt and green salad

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
Mar 4, 2012

Tabboule

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Tabboule is our Lebanese pride, along with hummus. Lebanon is the record holder in the Guinness Book of World Records when 250 of our Lebanese Chef’s made the biggest plate of Tabboule in the whole world. We Lebanese can and will eat tabboule any place, any time: for breakfast, lunch, as a snack or even at dinner. It is THAT Delicious. The best thing about it is that tabboule is made just from vegetables and bulgur, so anybody can enjoy it and it goes well with most anything!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of finely  chopped fresh parsley
  •  few leaves of fresh mint chopped with the parsley, or else they will turn black
  • 1 small onion filnely diced
  • 3 red tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of bulgur, fine and dark brown color
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • salt, seven spices, olive oil

Preparation:

  • Wash the chopped parsley with mint and put in a strainer
  • Add the chopped tomatoes to the parsley
  • Mix the chopped onion with a dash of salt and a little seven spices and add it to the mixture of parsley, tomatoes and onion
  • Wash the bulgur and drain it, then add one tablespoon of lemon juice to it
  • Now the Tabboule is ready, season it to your taste with salt, allspice, lemon juice and olive oil
  • Mix it well and put it on a serving plate garnish with lettuce or cabbage

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Lent, Main dish, Salad, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 3, 2012

Pumpkin Soup

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The Pumpkin soup is very easy to prepare and doesn’t require a lot of time. It’s also my daughter’s favorite, especially on a cold winter day like today. The ingredients also are simple and easy to find all year round.

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams of pumpkin
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 50 grams butter
  • 1 stock of vegetables (or chicken if you prefer)
  • salt and seven spices
  • fresh cream (optional)

Preparation:

  • Peel all the vegetables and cut them into medium size cubes
  • Fry the vegetables in butter until slightly golden
  • Dissolve the stock in water according to the instructions
  • Add this stock to the vegetables; add more water if needed to cover the vegetables
  • Boil the vegetables for about 25 minutes or until it is soft
  • Place the cooked vegetables in a blender and mix until completely pureed
  • Put the liquid back in the pot and heat a bit, season to taste
  • You can garnish the plate with fresh cream if you desired
  • Serve with toasted square bread

ET VOILA C’EST TOUT! 🙂

Today I reached 1000 views. Thank you all for your support. 🙂

Filed Under: Lent, Soups, Starters · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 28, 2012

Mashed Potato Baked with Chicory

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This is another recipe that is Lent-friendly, as it contains chicory and no meats or fats. I got this recipe from a friend who grew up in a distant village in mountains of South Lebanon. During the 40-day fast, her mother would like to get creative and try to make something new in her cuisine to make the fast more playful. I took the recipe from her and tried it, and it turned out to be delicious!

If you enjoy the taste of chicory, take at a look at this recipe I posted a few days ago 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg potatoes
  • 1/2 kg chicory
  • 2 onions chopped into long strips
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • salt, seven spices
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Preparation:

  • Boil the potatoes in salted water, when they’re cooked mash them properly
  • Boil the chicory in another pot with salted water, drain them after
  • heat the olive oil and fry the strips of onion, then add the boiled chicory and season with salt, seven spices and sumac
  • preheat the oven to 200C
  • Grease an oven tray with cooking oil and place one layer of mashed potatoes
  • Cover the potatoes with the chicory/onion mixture
  • Place the remaining mashed potatoes over the chicory to cover it all
  • Sprinkle a bit of olive oil on the top, and place the tray in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the top becomes slightly golden

Note: this dish is usually served warm, but I secretly enjoy it cold as leftovers at night. Try it and let me know if you do too 🙂

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Lebanese food, Lent, Main dish, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 26, 2012

Hindba in Oil (Chicory in Oil)

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In this time of the year, chicory (or hindba as it’s known in Arabic)  is always available in Lebanon. Chicory is well known for the wealth of minerals and nutrients that it contains, just like spinach. Today I prepared it in the old-fashioned Lebanese way. It is very popular during lent because it is cooked without any meat or fat. I hope you will like it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo of chicory
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 3 garlic clove crushed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt, seven spices
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large onions chopped into long strips
  • frying oil

Preparation:

  • Cut the chicory in small pieces and wash thoroughly
  • Boil in salted water until the chicory is nearly, but not fully, cooked. It should feel softer than before, but not limp. Drain the water
  • Heat the olive oil and fry the finely diced onion until softened then add the crushed garlic
  • Place the chicory over the onion, mix all the ingredients and season with salt and seven spices
  • Put the fire on its lowest setting, cover the pot and let it boil gently until the chicory is fully cooked. Now it should feel super soft
  • Add lemon juice
  • Place the chicory in a serving plate
  • Fry the long onion strips until brown and put it on the top of chicory plate for decoration and taste

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Lent, Main dish, Side dish · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
Feb 24, 2012

Kafta with Potatoes + New Blogger Award Nomination

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Do you know Kafta? It is minced meat mixed with parsley and onion with salt and some spices. I remember when I was young, when my mother made kafta for lunch, everybody would rejoice. I should mention that besides my parents, we were 6 children: 4 boys and two girls. My mother used to make 3 main dishes for lunch to please us all. But when she decided to make Kafta with Potatoes, she would have to make a very large tray, bigger then our oven at home! My father had to take it to the bakery to cook it, after preparation at home it took 5 minutes to cook. Today I made a medium size tray and I cooked it at home but it took about half an hour to get cooked in the oven.

Ingredients: 

  • 500 g minced meat
  • 1 cup of chopped parsley
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 potatoes
  • 2 large tomatoes sliced,
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp  tomato paste
  • salt, seven spices
  • frying oil, cooking oil

Preparation:

  • Mix the minced meat with chopped parsley and chopped onion in a food processor (or you can take it ready from the butcher if he knows how)
  • Season with 1 small tsp salt and 1/2 tsp seven spices
  • Mix the meat by hand very well, take a small hand full and make a ball shape with it and flatten it then place it on a slightly greased oven tray
  • Preheat the oven to 200C
  • When all the meat is ready, place the tray in the oven for about twenty minutes, making sure to turn it over halfway through
  • In the meantime, peel the potatoes and cut them into slices then place into frying pan with oil; remove and drain when golden
  • Place the potatoes over the meat, then sliced onions and tomatoes on top
  • In a small bowl mix the tomato paste with about 2 cups of water, and season with salt and seven spices then place it over the meat and the potatoes in the tray
  • Cover the tray with aluminium foil and place it in hot oven for 20 minutes
  • Remove the foil and keep it in the oven for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens
  • Serve with rice

 

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT!

By the way, I’ve been nominated for the New Blogger Award by this really interesting blog called Creative Noshings. Check it out and thank you all for your support 🙂

BON APPETIT

Filed Under: Arabic, Main dish · Tagged: , , , , , ,
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: , , , , , ,
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