My Tata’s Chicken Soup
While dicing local onions and red potatoes on Sunday evening, and speaking with my mom on the phone, I found out that my Tata Wardeh often added turmeric to her chicken soups, for color and for health. Tata Wardeh is/was my grandmother for whom I was named; she passed away after living a long and [...]
Mulukhiyyah (Arabic Comfrey and Lamb Stew over Rice)
recipe from “Sahtein: Middle East Cookbook”
4 cups of dried mulukhiyyah (comfrey)
2 pounds lamb meat (boneless preferred)
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
6 cups water or lamb broth
salt and lemon juice to taste
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
prepared, cooked brown rice
Brown the garlic with pine nuts in the butter. Add the meat; brown [...]
Fasooli (White Beans and Rice)
This is one of my favorite growing up dishes. The flavor is excellent; it is warming and filling. I still don’t think I make it as well as my Mom does, but I try! The photo above is of the Great Northern beans I quick-soaked this morning (see How to Cook Dry Beans). The [...]
Mediterranean Cucumber-Tomato-Mint Salad
I dream of having a garden someday soon with an abundance of Mediterranean cucumbers and ripe red tomatoes. In the meantime, I have to make a couple of each of them from the grocery store, when in season, stretch out to last the week. There have been nice organic cukes (not Mediterranean, though) and tomatoes [...]
Cucumber-Yogurt Salad
CUCUMBER-YOGURT SALAD ~ KHYAR BI LABAN
Recipe from the cookbook “Sahtein”
2 large cucumbers
2 cloves of garlic
1 quart of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried mint
sea salt to taste
Peel and chop cucumbers to medium/fine size pieces. Mash garlic. Add to yogurt. Salt to taste. Add the cucumbers to the yogurt. Mix. Garnish with dried mint.
