Lebanese Food Recipes

Serves 4:

• 1 lb. stewing meat, cubed
• 2 cups yogurt
• 1 cup rice
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons dried mint
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Wash the meat and place in a saucepan with 6 cups of water.  Cook over  low heat for 1 hour.  Add the rice to the meat 20 minutes before the meat is completely cooked.  Mix the yogurt with the flour and dried mint.  Add to the meat and rice mixture.  Season and stir occasionally.  Meanwhile, melt the butter stir in the paprika and saute a little over low heat.  Add to the soup and serve immediately.

Serves 5:

• 1 lb. meat with bnes
• 1 cup cracked wheat
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 16 cups of water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 10 pepper corns
• 1 cinnamon bark, broken into pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon dried coriander, ground
• 1 tablespoon salt or to taste

Pick over the wheat and wash well.  Soak in water overnight.  Place all the spicesin a bouquet garni or a piece of gauze tied to form a sac.  Strain the wheat and place in a pot with the meat over low heat.  Bring toboil and add the bouquet garni.  Reduce the heat and let cook for 40 minutes.  Remove the meat and bouquet garni.  Put the broth in a blender and blend then strain.  Add the meat, tomato, oil and salt to the wheat soup and let cook gently for 20 minutes.  Serve hot. 

Serves 6:

• 1 cup cracked wheat
• 5 onions, finely chopped
• 1 lb. meat with bones
• 10 cups water
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cardamon
• salt to taste
• dash of pepper

Pick over, then wash the cracked wheat well.  pressure cook the meat and bones in the water for 30 minutes.  Remove the bones from the broth.  Then add the cracked wheat and chopped oinions to the meat.  Pressure cook for 1 hour over low heat.  Dissolve the flour in 1/4 cup of water then add with the powdered cardamon to the soup.  Let boil for 2 minutes. 

Serves 6:

• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 4 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 lb. meat with bones
• chopped parsley
• 2 potatos, coarsley grated

Wash the meat and bones and place in saucepan with 10 cups of water.  Cook over low heat for 1 hour.  Remove the bones.  Add the zucchini, tomato and onion to the meat and cook for 30 minutes.  Addthe potatoes 10 minues before serving.  Let boil twice.  Garnish with parsley.

Serves 3:

• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup short grain rice
• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt

Wash the rice then place it in a saucepan with the tomato juice.  Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Crush the garlic with the dried coriander, then saute in the butter until golden.  Add the garlic mixture to the soup and let simmer for five minutes.  Serve hot.

Serves 4:

• 1 cup lentils
• 1/4 cup rice, washed
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin
• dash of pepper
• one onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• - a few cubes of toasted french bread

Remove any stones from lentils, then wash well and drain.  Place in a saucepan with the water and washed rice over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour.  Remove from the fire and strain the lentils or puree through a vegetable strainer. While straining the lentils add half a cup of water into the vegetable strainer.  Place the pureed lentils over medium heat and stir in cumin, salt and pepper.  Brown the chopped onion in the oil, then addit to to the pureed lentils.  Leave the lentils and the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes only.  Sprinkle the soup with chopped parsley and bread cubes.

Five Cups:

• one small chicken
• 1/2 cup vermicelli (thread-like noodles)
• 8 cups cold water
• one onion
• a dash of pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a little celery
• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Clean the chicken and cut it into pieces, then place it in a saucepan with eight cups of cold water.  Add the peeled onion and celery to the chicken, cover the sauce pan and let simmer over medium heat for 2 hours.  Brown the vermicelli in the butter until golden, then remove immediately.  Strain the chicken broth, then add the vermicelli and let simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add small chicken pieces to the strained broth; garnish with chopped parsley and serve.