Louise Stelma - The Lebanese Heritage Cookbook

THE Lebanese
Heritage COOKBOOK by Louise Stelma Illustrations by Susan Richardson AuthorHouse 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.authorhouse.com Phone: 1-800-839-8640 2012 by Louise Stelma. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. First published by AuthorHouse 02/07/2012 ISBN: 978-1-4685-5127-3 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4685-5126-6 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4685-5125-9 (ebk) Library of Congress Control Number: 2012902554 Printed in the United States of America Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery Thinkstock. This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. Illustrations Susan Richardson Artistry, Sunshine Promotions Pat Hansen Printing by Twyla Lambert Clark, Lithographics, Inc., Nashville, TN Book Design by Laura Deleot, Crookston Design www.crookstondesign.com Louise Stelma P.O. Box 110850 Nashville, TN 37222 CONTENTS As a first generation American born of Lebanese Heritage, I have been privileged by the author of this book to introduce to you throughout these pages the artistic and palatable foods of our Lebanese heritage. At the turn of the century (actually in the 1890s) immigration from Lebanon to America began with these immigrants bringing with them old world recipes, not in the form of cookbooks, but by the teachings from mother to daughter, and cooking in the Ladies Society in churches, generation after generation. Lebanese cookery is more than just a gourmets delight in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or other countries in the Middle East it is legend, a feast or a festival.

Even before biblical days when one went to visit a friend of Lebanese Heritage immediately, they were greeted with a Sweets tray and a Mazza tray. The Mazza tray is filled with cheeses and olives, and kabobs of meats the sweets tray is filled with such delicacies as candied almonds, Amer-il-deen (dried apricots), Lokoum (turkish delights) and Bak-La-Wa (sweets of a thousand layers filled with pistachio or other nut meats), and finally, all this is climaxed with Arabic coffee (served in demi-tasse cups). On any Sunday, family gatherings became a feast. For parties, weddings and holidays, it was a festival of foods and delicacies that took days and days of preparation. Louise, who is of second generation Lebanese heritage, has spent endless hours compiling the recipes within these pages. It was not an easy task.

I remember as a boy how reluctant old world mothers were in passing on their favorite recipes, and so I say to Louise, May you not only be blessed with a successful book, but also of being proud to share your heritage of exotic and palatable foods, as well as a heritage that is known as the cradle of civilization, Christianity and the alphabet. Let me end by saying: There is no spectacle on earth more beautiful and appealing than that of a woman in the act of cooking for those she loves. Fondly, George R. Simon (written 1977) Many recipes have nutritional ingredients for health-conscious eating habits. These recipes capture the flavors and warmth of my Lebanese Culture. As a First Generation American-Lebanese, documenting and learning to cook Lebanese recipes starts at home, learning from our parents and family members.

I traveled to Lebanon to research the recipes and met my Uncle Hanna and Aunt Jamielle Antoon and family in Northern Lebanon. If you are hungry for a home cooked Lebanese meal and want to learn to cook Middle Eastern Food, this book has the basic recipes, and they are easy to follow. I would like to dedicate this book in loving memory of my parents, Josephine and Peter Antoon, and my loving sisters Frances and Florence, and brothers, George, John, Elias (posthumously) and their families, and to my daughter Christine Thomas and my grandchildren Olivia, Joseph, and Victoria. My Grandmother, Mary Joseph, was instrumental as she loved to cook and showed me many great recipes; I am grateful. Thank you also to those family members and friends, especially Elie (posthumously) and Pam AbiNader, Rose Summers and the Shalala family, who encouraged me to write and produce The Lebanese Heritage Cookbook. To my dedicated friends who tested some of the recipes at our progressive dinner parties; Sandra Ramsey-Lines, Dr.

Elaine Menchaca-Wangberg, Andy and Marti Rust, Michele and Bob Bos, and Steve and Suzanne Duvall, thank you! Christine Thomas, my daughter, persistently encouraged me; and my fun-loving grandchildren Olivia, Joseph and Victoria, love to cook and have gained the love of cooking (and eating!) Lebanese food. The Lebanese Heritage Cookbook was a project I started several years ago. I wrote this cookbook because of my concern that the Lebanese heritage of good cooking will fade away. That is why I embarked upon documenting everything about our traditional cooking. It has been a task to translate some of the recipes handed down to my generation because of the very brief explanations, creative measuring methods and various techniques. I travelled to Lebanon to visit my uncle Hanna Elias Antoon to research.

It has entailed much correspondence, recipe testing and adaptations of the vague directions given to me by family members and friends. Lebanese food is part of Middle Eastern cooking and similar to the cooking of Syria, Israel, and Turkey. Everyone adds their own touches which usually means the addition or deletion of certain spices and herbs. The dishes are served with Lebanese flat bread. Yoghurt or Laban is very important in the Lebanese diet, as well as many fresh fruits and vegetables. The recipes selected for publication were selected according to family taste and ease of preparation, and these dishes have been adapted to modern cooking methods.

Ingredients and special utensils can be found in international grocery stores, bakeries, Greek, Syrian or Italian markets, and sometimes gourmet shops. They are also currently being sold in many grocery stores. (arnabeet m-thabul) 1 Cup mayonnaise 1 Teaspoon curry powder or more 1 head Cauliflower 1. Whip ingredients together with a fork. 2. 3. 3.

Arrange cauliflower around a dish of cauliflower dip and serve. Serves 10. (jibin) 1 Gallon milk 1 Rennet Tablet crushed (Hansens) 1. Pour milk into pan and stir crushed tablet into cold milk. 2. 3. 3.

Remove milk by scooping with a strainer. (You can also take small amounts and form with a cupped hand and put on the edge of a
platter with a 1/8 high ridge to drain, or form into one large ball.) Save the water and add salt to taste. The salt acts as a preservative. Place into a container to store. The cheese will last up to 3 weeks
in a covered container. note You can get Rennet Tablets in a drugstore. (hoomis bi tahini) 1 Large can chic peas 3 Tablespoons tahini 2 Cloves garlic, crushed Lemon juice and salt to taste (1 or 2 lemons) 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1. (hoomis bi tahini) 1 Large can chic peas 3 Tablespoons tahini 2 Cloves garlic, crushed Lemon juice and salt to taste (1 or 2 lemons) 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1.