Lebanese Food Recipes

Makes 70 small turnovers:

• 6 cups plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in a cup of lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water

Stuffing:

• 4 lbs. fresh spinash
• 14 onions
• 1/3cup sumac
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons salt

prepare and knead thedough as you would - Meat Pie Pastry.  Let the dough stand for one hour before stuffing.  Meanwhile, finely chop the spinach leaves and wash in several waters.  Drain.  Chop the onions and add the salt.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Squeeze excess water from spinach.  Squeeze out the onions and add to the spinach mixture and mix well.  Add salt to taste.  Divide the dough into several balls, and roll out each ball to a thickness of 2 mm onto a floured marble table.  Cut the rolled out dough into squares.  Fill each square with one tablespoon of filling and secure edges together by holding them over and pressing firmly together.  Place in well oiled baking trays and bake in a hot (350 degrees F) oven for 20 minutes.  Serve cold. 

Serves 10:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• a dash of salt

Stuffing:

• 1 lb. mutton, finely minced
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• a dash pepper, cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 cup flour for rolling out the dough

Cooking the Yogurt:

• 2 lbs. yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cornflour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves

Pies:

Sift the flour with the salt.  Then mix with the milk and waterto form a dough.  Knead the dough for 10 minutes.  If the doghis too thick and dry, moisten your hands a little.  Set the dough aside for a half an hour.  Brown the pine nuts in the butter.  Remove and drain.  Saute the minced meat and chopped onions inthe remaining butter.  Season and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the meat mixture from the het.  Add the pine nuts and chopped parsley and mix well.  Roll out the dough on a large pastry board or marble table, after sprinkling a little flour first.  Roll the dough thinly and using a bicuit cutter os coffe cup, cut into circles about 4 cms. in diameter.  Place a teaspoonof the fillingon one sideof the circle, then fold the other side of the circle over the top, proessing the ends together to form a crescent-shaped pie.  Sprinkle one cup of flour on a large tray and arrange the crescent-shaped pies on it.  Let stand for a while.  Cook the yogurt.  When it comes to the boil drop each crescent-shaped pie into the yogurt.  Cook the yogurt with the pies for 10 minutes.  Crush the garlic with the dried mint and add to the yogurt one minute before serving.  Serve hot with boiled rice.

Serves 6:

• 2 lbs. chicken
• 2 onions
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 medium-size can mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 puff pastry packet
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Clean,wash and cut the chicken into 4 pieces.  Place the chicken in asaucepan with one onion, 4 cups of water, one tablespoon salt and one teaspoon cinnamon.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cove and cook for 40 minutes.  Remove the chickenand set aside.  Bone, skin and cut the chicken into small pieces.  Wash and drain the chopped mushrooms.  Chop the remaining onion and saute in the butter until translucent.  Stir in the mushrooms ans seasoning.  Add the chicken pieces and let cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Add the flour to the above mixture and stir well. Stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth and cook for 5 more minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Roll out the puff pastry into a square of 1/4 cm thickness.  Grease the bottom of a round pan and sprinkle a little flour on it.  Place the rolled out dough onto the baking pan and pour the ckicken mixture in the middle of the dough.  Pull each corner of the square to the center of hte dough forming an envelope.  Brush the dough with the beaten egg mixture and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Serves 6:

• 3 lbs. chicken pieces, skinned
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 10 peppercorns
• 10 cardamon seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 small piece ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• add salt to taste

Melt the butter in a deep, lidded fryig pan.  Add the onions, peppercorns, cardamon and cinnamon and fry until the onions are golden.  Add the ginger, garlic, chilli powder, paprika and salt to taste and fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken pieces and fry until browned.  Gradually add the yogurt, stirring constantly.  Cover and cook gently for about 30 minutes.     

Serves 4:

• 3 lbs. chicken, skinned and cleaned
• 4 tablespoon yogurt
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 small dried red chillies
• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix the chilli powder, pepper, salt and lemon juice together.  Slash the chicken all over and rub the mixture into the cuts.  Set aside for 1 hour.  Marinate the chicken in a paste of the following: yogurt, garlic, chillies, coriander and cumin blended ina food processor or blender.  Spread the mixture all over the chicken, cover and leave overnight in the refrigirator.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and pour over half the butter.  Cook for one hour, or until tender.  Halfway through cooking time pour the remaining butter. 

Serves 5:

• 2 chicken, boned and skinned
• 2 onions, slice
• 2 green peppers, sliced thinly
• juice of two tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 tablespoonchopped garlic
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup butter

Wash the chicken and cut into medium sized pieces.  Put the oil and butter in a skillet ad saute the chicken pieces for 5 minutes.  Remove from oil.  Saute the onions, peppers and garlicin the same oil for 5 minutes.  Add teh salt spices, tomato juice and chicken pieces to the onions and cook over low heat until the sauce is much reduced and the chicken pieces are tender (30 minutes).  Serve hot.   

Serves 4:

• 3 lbs. chicken
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups peeled chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon each turmeric, hot chili black pepper, cinnamon and cardamon

Draw, singe, wash and disjoint the neck from the chicken.  Cut the chicken into 4 pieces.  Brown in the oil.  Remove and set aside.  Saute the oinions and garlic in the remaining oil.  Add the chopped tomatoes to the onions and stir well.  Add salt and seasoning.  Let simmer covered over low heat for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.  Serve hot with rice or alone. 

Serves 6:

• 2 lb. chickens
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 8 onions finely chopped
• 3/4 cupsummac
• 3 loaves arabic bread
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon each black pepper and cinnamon

Draw, singe, cut in halves and wash the chicken.  Drain.  Rub chicken pieces inside out with the seasoning.  Mix teh summac, some salt and chopped onions well and add the olive oil to the mixture.  In a baking tray, pour some olive oil.  Split the leaves of bread into two and place in the tray.  Spoon some onion mixture into the center of each loaf.  Place half the chicken on top of each mound of onion mixture.  Place a mound of onion and summac on top of each chicken.  COver chickens with remaining split bread.  Pour the remaining oil and summac over the bread.  Bake in a hot oven for 1 hour.  Sprinkle bread lightly with water and if the bread begins to brown, cover with aluminium foil.  Serve hot.

Serves 4:

• 2 cups short grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cardamon, saffron allspice, cinnamon
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 200 grams minced meat
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 cups chicken or meat stock
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup almonds blanched, peeled slivered
• 1 teaspoon salt

Wash the rice well and soak in warm water.  Saute the almonds in oil until golden.  Remove the almonds from the oil and add the chopped onion to the oil.  Saute until tender.  Add the minced meat to the onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Stir in the spices and raisin.  Add the chicken stock to the meat mixture and bring to boil.  Strain the rice and add to the meat mixture.  Let simmer for 5 minutes then stir gently with a fork.  Cook, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes.   

Serves 5:

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• 2 lbs mature tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• a dash of black pepper

Wash and squeeze the tomatoes by putting them through a vegetable strainer.  Saute the onions in the vegetable oil until brown i color.  Add the strained tomato juice and the seasoning to the sauteed onions, stir and let come to the boil.  Meanwhile wash and drainthe rice, then add to the above mixture and combine well.  When the rice mixture boils, let simmer over slow heat for another 25 minutes.  Cover the rice mixture and put it aside to cool down, then invert over a platter without  taking away the pot.  After five minutes, remove the pot carefully without destroying the shape of the mould.  Serve hot.