Accad - The taste of Beirut: 175+ delicious Lebanese recipes from classics to contemporary to mezzes and more

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress

ISBN-13: 978-0-7573-1770-5 (paperback)

ISBN-10: 0-7573-1770-7 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7573-1771-2 (e-book)

ISBN-10: 0-7573-1771-5 (e-book)

2014 Joumana Accad

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.

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Deerfield Beach, FL 334428190

Photography Joumana Accad
Cover design by Dane Wesolko
Interior design and formatting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield

Introduction

B orn and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, I learned culinary traditions upon the heels of my grandmother (Teta Nabiha), who was in charge of feeding us. She was a true artist, and I would sit by her side and watch her create masterpieces: gossamer dumplings, thin as muslin; kibbeh balls rolled to a one-eighth-inch wall; meat pies that shed patiently stretch out, dipping her fingers in olive oil; turnovers, evenly pinched and tightly sealed by hand.

Shed do her daily marketing by lowering her straw basket, suspended on a rope and pulley, out the window and down to the market four stories below. From above she would inspect the fresh veggies to make sure they were the proper size and free of soft spots. Shed haggle with the vendors and confer with the butcher and the fishmonger.

The rhythms of life in Lebanon were unhurried, meaningful, and steeped in tradition. Foodboth the preparation and the consumptionwas a celebration of life, something to be savored and enjoyed. The ingredients were always fresh, the vegetables in season, and meat was eaten only once a week or on special occasions.

In 1979, I moved to the United States, where I spent the next thirty years. While raising my American children, I attempted the quixotic task of combining my Lebanese heritage with my fast-paced life, wistfully wishing I could somehow make the two worlds mesh. With so very little leisure time, Americans wanted their food to be convenient and eaten in a hurry, which often meant dishes that came fully prepared from the freezer aisle or a drive-thru window. While this might serve a need, the food is often bland and not the best nutritionally. I wanted to pass on the traditions of my homeland, to show that it is possible to eat delicious and nutritious foodwithout having to spend hours over a stove.

Since coming to the United States, the American food scene has grown by leaps and bounds. In this book, I will show you how to bring Lebanese tastes and techniques to your home. My philosophy about cooking exemplifies what I believe is a common thread for Lebanese culinary artists: striving to reach the highest flavor quotient with the smallest number of basic ingredients. Lebanese cuisine is not for the sophisticate; it is for the person who values conviviality above all else.

Through easy step-by-step instructions, I will teach you that it is possible for someone with limited time to cook Lebanese-inspired mealsmany of them in one hour or less. You will discover a cuisine that is rich and varied, sourced on natural and fresh vegetables and foods. Taste of Beirut will bring the healthful and fabulous flavors of my homeland to your family table.

Dos and Donts of Lebanese Cooking and Eating

1. Pita bread is served with every meal in Lebanon. Pita bread is served at every single meal, and comes in three sizes: large (for sandwiches), medium (for dips or as a utensil), and cocktail-size. Pita bread in Lebanon is very thin, less than one-sixteenth inch thin. When ready to serve a meal, use kitchen scissors to cut each piece of bread into four triangles, put them back in the plastic bag, tie and fold the bag, and place it on the table to pass around at the next meal. The unused bread can be stored in the back of the refrigerator without risk of drying out.

Bread is used as a utensil at the Lebanese table; you can forget forks or spoonsjust dont forget the fresh bread! Pita bread freezes well and can be thawed at the last minute. The bread will warm up gently to room temperature while you set the table and prepare salad.

Leftover pita bread is cut into croutons, fried in oil, and drained; most people nowadays prefer it toasted in the oven at 300 degrees F until golden brown. Fried pita-bread croutons are sprinkled on salads ( fattoush ), as a crunchy layer on all the casseroles ( fatteh), as a binding ingredient for veggie side dishes ( treedeh), or fried with grilled fish. Toasted pita croutons will keep for a couple of weeks in a tightly closed container in a cupboard.

2. Lemons are used daily. Press fresh lemon juice and keep it in an ice-cube tray in the freezer. Do the same with orange juice or other citrus juice used in cooking tarator sauce (the Lebanese equivalent of mayonnaise) or pudding. Whenever needed, an ice cube of lemon juice can be retrieved easily enough. Lemon juice is used daily in just about everything: salad dressing, sprinkled over soups or stews, when making tarator sauces, and in making mezze items. If time allows, the lemon rind can be grated (first, then press the juice) and stored in a small bag in the freezer with a tablespoon of olive oil, to throw in a soup or stew at the last minute for a boost of flavor.

3. Keep onions on hand. Chop them and saut them in oil until golden and store in freezer bags with the oil for each dish you are planning to make for the next couple of weeks. Almost every dish requires onions sauted in olive oil until soft or golden, therefore, having the equivalent of three bags will amply take care of the weekly meals.

4. Use fresh garlic cloves. There is a huge difference in flavor (and nutritional benefits) between fresh and old garlic, so Id recommend local or at least domestic garlic as opposed to imported. Peel a few garlic cloves; if there is a green shoot, remove it and discard it (the garlic is old). Keep the peeled cloves in a closed jar in the fridge to use when needed.

I also like to keep a garlic mortar handy to make garlic paste , which can go into salad dressing, stews, soups, yogurt cheese dips, side dishes, or anything you have cooking on your stove.

5. Fresh herbs are best. Cilantro and parsley are blessed in the Lebanese mindset. Cilantro gives flavor to veggies, stews, and soups. Parsley is the main component of tabbouleh salad and is sprinkled on just about everything else. When possible, use Lebanese parsley, which is delicate, flat-leaved, and silky. So-called Italian parsley is too thick, so Id recommend organic Italian parsley as a substitute. Wash, dry one or two bunches of each, and keep in a sealed container covered with a kitchen towel.

Toss in cilantro pesto at the last minute to add flavor or use it to liven up chicken wings, shrimp, fish, or other chicken dishes. Try it on cubed potatoes, carrots, or taro (or any veggie for that matter). Use it for soups, stews, bean stews, lentils, and in mulukhieh . To save time, make a dozen portions of cilantro pesto and freeze them in an ice-cube tray or in small freezer bags.