Lebanese Food Recipes

Serves 6-8:

Dough

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 cups flour

Stuffing

• 1 lb. medium ground meat
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup laben (yogurt)
• add salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon all-spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoon oil

Mix the flour with yeast, water, sugar, salt and oil in the food processor and process into medium soft dough.  Cover with a towel and put it in warm place to be leaved for around 40-45 minutes.  Heat the 3 tablespoon oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until transparent.  Remove from heat and add the meat, pine nuts, laben, salt, pepper, all-spice, cumin and paprika.  Roll out the dough on a floured table into a big circle and cut into 4 in. circles with a round cookie cutter or teaspoon.  Put 1 tablespoon stuffing in each circle, brush the sides of the dough with water and pinch the flour sides firmly shaping it into an open-face sfiha.  Preheat the oven to 400 deg. F arrange the sfihas in a slightly greased cooking tray and bake for 12015 minutes until the sides and bottom are pinkish in color. 

Serves 4-5:

• 1 lb. flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Topping

• 1 cup zatar (oregano)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• add salt to taste

Mix the flour, salt, sugar, water and oil, and knead to obtain medium/soft dough.  Leave to rest in a closed bowl for 20 minutes and let puff up.  Divide the dough into little balls larger that eggs and roll out into circles 1/2 inch thick.  Press down with fingers to make identification marks on the dough.  Combine the zatar (oregano), sumac, sesame seeds and oil, and spoon 1-2 tablespoon over pastry, spreading evenly.  Arrange pastry on a baking tray in a preheated oven of 450-500 deg. F for 5-6 minutes until puffy.  Prick with a fork in some places to avoid excess puffiness. 

SHANKLISH LEBANESE RECIPE (Halloumi Cheese)
Serves 2-3:

• 1/2 ball of shanklish cheese
• 1/2 lb. naboulsi or halloumi cheese, cubed
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

Shanklish is a medium-soft cheese, which is mixed with dry oregano and thyme.  It comes in the shape of a ball.

Crumble the shanklish in a bowl.  Add the halloumi or naboulsi cheese, tomatoes, pepper, and onions.  Top with oil and mix together.  Present in a serving platter.

Enjoy...

Fried Cauliflower - Lebanese Recipe

Serves 3-4:

• 1 medium cauliflower, devided into floweret.
• Vegetable oil, fro deep frying

Taratour (Tahini sauce)

• 1 cup tahini (sesame sauce)
• 1/2-1 cup water
• 2 tablespoonlemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed with salt
• add salt to tase
• Parsley, for garnish

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.  Fry 3-4 floweret at a time, until the floweret are golden.  Drain on a paper towel.  Continue fying the other floweret.  Prepare the taratour, by mixing the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and enough water to obtain a viscous consistency.  Add salt to taste.  Arrange the fried floweret on a serving palter.  Top the taratour with chopped parsley and serve next to the cauliflower with Pita bread. 

Enjoy...

Recipe Serves 3 to 4:

• 8 large white mushrooms
• 8 slices of cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon mashed garlic
• 8 slices of tomato roundels
• Herbs of province
• 1 tablespoon bread crumbs
• Pinch of salt

Cut the stems of the mushrooms and chop finely.  Combine with the garlic, bread crumbs and pinch of salt.  Stuff the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the mixture.  Top with a slice of tomato, then a slice of cheese.  Sprinkle with the herbs of province and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. until the cheese starts to melt.

Enjoy...

Serves 6 to 8:

• 2 lbs processed kibbeh meat, mutton or beef
• 4 cups fine cracked wheat (bulghur)
• 1 cup semolina (smeed)
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon pepper paste
• Cold water, to knead the kibbeh
• Oil, to fry the kibbeh

Filling

·         1 lb. medium ground meat

·         5-6 onions, finely chopped

·         3-4 tablespoon shortening, or butter

·         1 teaspoon all-spice

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·         ¼ cloves

·         ½ teaspoon paprika

·         ½ black pepper

·         ½ cup pine nuts or walnuts, chopped

Wash the cracked wheat and drain.  Add the semolina, salt, pepper paste, onion and processed meat and knead into kibbeh dough, which is sticky yet workable.  Dip the hands in water to facilitate the kneading process and add some water, if necessary.  To prepare the filling, melt the butter and fry the onions until pale.  Add the ground meat and salt and cook until the meat changes color and the water has evaporated.  Stir in the spices and nuts, mix and leave aside to cool.  Divide the kibbeh dough into small walnuts-size lumps.  Take each lump and make a hole in the middle.  Dip finger in water and enlarge the hole with the finger and fill with the ground meat stuffing.  Bring together the sides and shape into long, shape-edged kibbehs.  Arrange in a tray next to each other.  Repeat the same procedure with all the kibbeh dough.  Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the kibbehs, few at a time, until golden and crispy.  Serve with wedges of lemon.

Serves 6 to 8:

• 2 lbs processed kebbeh meat, (preferably lamb or goat)
• 1 ½ cups fine cracked wheat (bulghur)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper paste (optional)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2-3 leaves of basil, very finely chopped (optional)
• Few leaves of marjoram, very finely chopped (optional)
• ½ cup pine nuts, as garnish
• Olive oil, to top kibbeh
• Fresh mint leaves, as accompaniment
• White onions, peeled and quartered

Wash the cracked wheat and drain.  Put in a large bowl.  Add the onion, salt, pepper paste, basil and marjoram (optional).  Blend in the processed meat and dipping the hands in water, knead into smooth sticky kibbeh dough.  Transfer the kibbeh to a serving platter dipping the hands in water to facilitate the handling of the kibbeh.  Flatten the surface of the kibbeh with the hands and make criss-cross patterns with a knife.  Decorate with pine nuts and serve with fresh mint and onions.  Serve with olive oil on the side.

Serves 4 to 5:

• 4 to 5 medium tomatoes
• 1 cup feta cheese, cubed
• 2 to 3 cucumbers, cubed
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup green pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup seedless black olives
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Herbs of province or oregano

Cut the tomatoes horizontally at the top.  Scoop out the pulp of each tomato carefully, and dry the cavity with a paper towel.  In another bowel, combine the cucumber, red and green pepper, black olives, feta cheese, olive oil and vinegar.  Fill each tomato with the mixture.  Top with cubes of cheese and sprinkle with some herbs of province.  Ready to serve.

Serves 4:

• 1 cup dried fava beans
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Remove any grit and stones from the beans.  Wash and soak overnight in 5 cups of water.  Wash and drain the soaked beans and place in a suacepan with 3 cups of water.  Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook, covered, for one hour and a half.  Crush the garlic with the salt and mix in the lemon juice.  Add this mixture to the beans after removing from the heat.  Pour the beans in a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Pour a little olive oil on the beans and serve hot with spring onions. 

Serves 4:

• 2 lbs. favas beans
• 13 oz. stewing meat, cubed
• 1 medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup green coriander, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• teaspoon salt
• a dash of pepper

Snip off the ends, string and cut the pods into medium-sized pieces.  Wash and drain.  Crush the garlic with a teaspoon of salt.  Saute the crushed garlic, chopped coriander and onion in the oil until the chopped onion becomes translucent, ahout 5 minutes.  Add the fava beans and meat to the mixture stir occasionally over low heat for 15 minutes.  Add the seasoning and a cup of water and cook over low heat for another 30 minutes or until tender.  Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the beans and serve hot with boiled rice.