This is one of the first recipes I created in my “cooking career”. I was relying on my taste buds, as I was not able to reach my mother for help all the time. It must have been around 1990 when calling Lebanon meant dialling a number hundred times until you got through. A nearly…
SALAD & SOUPS
AUTHENTIC TABBOULEH
The queen among all salads, tabbouleh is a vitamin bomb, an expression I learned in Germany when talking about super healthy food. Parsley is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamins A, C and K! Key ingredients: Parsley An authentic tabbouleh is prepared with lots of parsley and little bulgur, and not the other…
THE ULTIMATE CREAMY POTATO SOUP
The first potato soup I have ever tasted was at my in-laws’ in Germany many years ago. I was pleasantly surprised by its distinctive flavour that was new to me. My mother in-law had added some green vegetable paste to the potatoes in the pressure cooker, which she always used to save energy. Learning new…
CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP
Pumpkin soup is one of my favourite soups all year round. It is easy to make and delicious. Although one can use any kind of squash or pumpkin to make this soup, I prefer Hokkaido. I love its delicate sweet and slightly nutty flavour. Not only that, but it is also very rich in vitamins,…
SALTET EL RAHEB (LEBANESE AUBERGINE SALAD)
Saltet el Raheb, or Monk’s Salad, is probably named as such to reflect monks’ and hermits’ frugal lives in the Lebanese mountains. The Lebanese mountains have been home for numerous monasteries for centuries. Just imagine this scenery: Amid a breathtaking mountainous landscape and deep valleys, monks are carefully chargrilling their home-grown aubergines over an open…
SHORBET DJEJ (Lebanese Chicken soup)
Chicken soup is a great old home remedy. Like my mother and my grandmother and many others before them, I strongly believe that chicken soup can help ease cold and flu symptoms. Besides its “healing” anti-inflammatory properties (it can clear nasal congestion and ease sore throat), it is really delicious. I don’t only cook it…
FATTOUSH (LEBANESE MIXED SALAD)
Salads for all occasions Fattoush is a refreshing and vibrant salad made of mixed herbaceous greens and a variety of fresh vegetables. Its dressing is a zesty blend of lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac and olive oil. Its trademark is its crispy pita bread on top. Its experience is divine! It is a staple salad…
