Posts Tagged ‘Salads’

Oeufs Mimosa – It’s Summertime!

June 26th, 2010 Leave a reply »
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Oeufs mimosa (aka. eggs mimosa, deviled eggs) is a wonderful summer treat and a great appetizer to bring to parties. Not only does it look festive, it also tastes great.

Estimated time: 20-30min
Servings: 8

Oeufs Mimosa

Ingredients: 8 eggs, 6 tbsp of crème fraiche or sour cream, 3 tbsp of Dijon mustard, 3 tbsp of fresh chive (~20 leaves), salt & pepper

  1. Place 8 raw eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water (1 inch above eggs) and bring to boil
  2. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10-15min
  3. Drain the eggs and let them cool to room-temperature
  4. Remove the shell from the hard boiled eggs and cut them in half
  5. Carefully remove the yolks and place them in a mixing bowl
  6. Crush the yolks. Then add 6 tbsp of crème fraiche or sour cream and 3 tbsp of Dijon mustard. Mix well
  7. Add 3 tbsp of chopped fresh chive (~ 20 leaves) to the mixing bowl and sprinkle a little bit of salt & pepper. Mix well
  8. Place the halved egg whites on a platter and spoon the mixture into the whites. Refrigerate and serve cold

Have you ever had mimosa eggs?

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Posted in Mezza Dishes & Appetizers

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Tabbouleh – The Real Deal

January 18th, 2010 Leave a reply »
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Tabbouleh (also spelled tabouleh or tabouli) is the emblematic Mezza dish of Lebanon. The art of making tabbouleh lies in the way one cuts the parsley: it must be carefully sliced to produce very thin slivers. At Lebanese restaurants, tabbouleh is often served with lettuce or cabbage leaves as this is how it’s most often eaten (and with pita bread).

Contrary to popular belief, tabbouleh is NOT made out of couscous. What looks like couscous in tabbouleh is actually a different type of wheat called burghul. When you order tabbouleh at a non-Middle Eastern restaurant (mainly in Europe such as in Greece, and France), you will often be served couscous salad. You can think of authentic tabbouleh as 75% parsley, 23% onion & tomatoes and 2% burghul.

Estimated time: 40min (herbs cut by hand) or 20min (using a food processor)
Servings: 4

Ingredients: 4 cups of finely chopped Italian/flat parsley (about 2 bushes), 2 big tomatoes, 1 large onion, 2 tablespoons of burghul (No. 2), 2 lemons, 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 6 leaves of fresh mint finely chopped (optional), salt & black pepper to taste

Tabbouleh Ingredients

1. After washing the parsley thoroughly, slice it as thinly as possible in strips and place it in a large bowl. Check out my trick on how to chop a large amount of parsley. Some will use a food processor to cut the parsley. This may be useful if you are planning for a big party, but it will irradicate the art of tabbouleh: some of your guests won’t see the difference, but some may!
2. Dice the tomatoes and onion into small pieces and add to the parsley.
3. In a small bowl, cover the burghul with a little bit of cold water and let it soak for 5 min. Then add the burghul to the rest of the salad and disregard the leftover water. The burghul will soak up the other juices in the salad.
3. Press 2 lemons and add the lemon juice as well as the olive oil to the salad.
4. Finally add salt and black pepper to taste, mix well and eat with pita bread or lettuce.

… and voila!

Tabbouleh

** Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you have any questions about the ingredients and recipes.

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Posted in Mezza Dishes & Appetizers, Salads & Sandwiches

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Fava Bean Salad – Foul Medames

January 9th, 2010 Leave a reply »
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Ok, so back to blogging and back to Lebanese food!

In Lebanon, Foul Medames (aka. fava & garbanzo bean salad) is often eaten for brunch with pita bread. Although I have never been a fan of bean salads in general, I could eat this one every day. Why? Unlike other bean salads, this one is very juicy leaving your mouth wanting more with every bite!
Estimated time: 20min
Servings: 4

Ingredients: 1 can of garbanzo beans (about 400g), 1 can of fava beans (about 400-500g), 1 large onion, 1 cup of chopped Italian/flat parsley (about ½ bushel), 3 big tomatoes, 3 lemons, olive oil, salt to taste

Foul Salad Ingredients
1. Place 1 can of prepared garbanzo beans and 1 can of fava beans in a pan. Add water to cover the beans. Bring to boil and cook for 10min. Then drain and let the beans cool to room temperature. You can find garbanzo & fava beans (also called broad beans) at most supermarkets.
2. Chop the Italian/flat parsley, 3 tomatoes and 1 onion into small small pieces. To chop parsley, check out my trick.
3. Combine the beans, parsley, tomatoes and onion in a bowl. Press 3 lemons and add the juice to the mixture. Then sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil to taste – I tend to be very generous with olive oil and may add up to ½ cup.
4. Finally add salt to taste, mix well and eat with pita bread or lettuce.

… and voila!

Foul Salad

** Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you have any questions about the ingredients and recipes.

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Posted in Mezza Dishes & Appetizers, Salads & Sandwiches

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Yogurt Cucumber Dip

November 15th, 2009 Leave a reply »
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Yogurt cucumber dip is a very famous dish all around the world: from India (Raita), to the Middle East (Labane bi khiyar), to Greece (Tzatziki). This dip is often eaten with grilled/baked meat & vegetables. But isn’t this dip simply yogurt and cucumbers? Well… almost…
Estimated time: 10min
Servings: 4

Ingredients: 3 medium cucumbers, 250g of yogurt, 1 teaspoon dried mint, 2 garlic cloves, salt to taste

Dice the cucumbers (or grate them into slices) and transfer them into a bowl. Add the yogurt, minced garlic, dried mint and salt. Stir to combine. Decorate with a few leaves of fresh mint.

Serving tips: this dip is best served very cold. In order for it to stay chilly & watery, drop 3 ice cubes into the dip before serving.

Yogurt Cucumber Dip

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Fattoush – Crispy Bread Salad

October 28th, 2009 Leave a reply »
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Fattoush (aka. toasted bread salad, also spelled fattush) is my favorite Lebanese salad: simple to make and simply delicious. This salad is often eaten with other Mezza dishes or as a light lunch. There are several variations to the ingredients in this salad, but I will focus on my favorite.
Estimated time: 20min
Servings: 4

Fattoush

Ingredients:
Vegetables: 2 roman (cos) lettuce, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, (variations include: 1 red or green pepper, 1 large carrot, 5 radishes)
Necessities: 1 garlic clove, ¼ cup of minced Italian (flat) parsley, 8-10 leaves of fresh mint, 3 green onions
Bread & Vinaigrette: 1 large arabic/pita bread, 1-2 tbsp of sumac, ½ lemon, 3-4 tbsp of olive oil, salt to taste

1. Cut the vegetables into bite sizes and toss them into a large bowl. Mince the garlic, parsley, mint, and green onions. Add these to the bowl and mix well.

2. Lemon Vinaigrette: Combine the sumac, juice from ½ of a lemon, olive oil and salt in a jar, cover tightly, and shake to blend.

3. Toasting the bread: split 1 loaf of arabic/pita bread into two circular halves by separating the top and bottom of the “pocket”, place both halves in the oven at 400F. After 15min, the bread should be brown and crispy. Break the bread into small pieces and sprinkle them on top of the salad.

4. Before serving, add the lemon vinaigrette and voila!

In Lebanon, many like to fry the bread in vegetable oil instead of toasting it in the oven. I find toasting a healthier alternative, but frying the bread definitely gives a different taste to your Fattoush. To make the toasted bread even tastier, sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on the bread before placing it in the oven. You will see the difference.

** Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you have any questions about the ingredients and recipes

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Posted in Mezza Dishes & Appetizers, Salads & Sandwiches

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