Simply
Lebanese Designed by Joe Walsh
10 recipes
Lebanese cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine influenced by Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian cuisine. Throughout history Lebanese has been ruled by foreign powers, which of course influenced the types of food Lebanese ate. Today’s Lebanese culture includes cuisines abundant in olive oil, garlic, onions, lots of greens, veggies and grains and of course a variety of seafood and meats. Like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.
Permition to use pictures and recipes are creditited to mamaslebanesekitchen.com
Visual and conceptual inspiration sources:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dayna's Market Taste of Turkey Ethnic Grocer.com Shamra's Kalamala.com Cedar Sky Ayhan's Marketplace Tulumba Zamouri Spices Mama's Lebanese Kitchen
Simply
Lebanese Designed by Joe Walsh
10 recipes
Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s Section Introduction Page 2
Cookbook Recipes Pages 3-12
Lebanese Flag
Pages 13-14
Cookbook Recipes
Pages 15-24
How to prepare Oregano Fish Pages 25-26
Introduction
This cookbook contatins my top ten favorite recipes from the lebanese culture. All recipes in this book are part of a paleo friendly diet. The Paleolithic diet, also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional diet designed to emulate, insofar as possible using modern foods, the diet of wild plants and animals eaten by humans during the Paleolithic era. Proponents of the diet therefore recommend avoiding any foods that they claim were not available to humans at that time, including dairy products, grains, legumes, processed oils, and refined sugar.
S h i s h Ta w o o k Chicken Kabob Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 2
lbs chicken breast
1
cup lemon juice
15 cloves of garlic 6
table spoons of plain Greek yogurt
6
table spoons of olive oil
2
table spoons of red vinegar
2
teaspoons of ground white pepper
⅓ teaspoon of ground ginger spice ½ teaspoon of ground thyme ⅓ teaspoon of paprika
01
Mix all ingredients well together while rubbing the chicken
02
Place in a container, cover, and let rest/marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours
03
Skewer the chicken right before grilling
04
Grill on medium heat for 12-18 minutes maximum
05
As soon as you remove them from the grill, place them in a big warm pot, replace the lid tightly, and let rest for 8-10 minutes - this helps the chicken become more moist (this step is optional)
1+ teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of tomato paste
06
Spread 1 teaspoon of our garlic paste along the diameter of a pita bread, add some salted cucumber pickles, french fries, grilled tomatoes or peppers (optional), the grilled chicken shish tawook, roll as in a burrito and enjoy. You could also toast the sandwich roll through a panini grill for 2-3 minutes.
4
Oregano Fish Baked Fish With Sumac and Oregano Spices Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 3
lbs of fresh fish
1
green pepper
1
sweet red pepper
1
garlic head
2
lemons
7
teaspoons oregano
2
teaspoons cilantro
7
teaspoons sumac
5
teaspoons olive oil
1
teaspoon salt
01
Rinse the fish with water then place in a baking tray and rub with a bit of salt and with about 2 teaspoons of oregano, place some cut lemons inside and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
02
Meanwhile, chop green and red pep-pers into small cubes, then mix crushed garlic with lemon juice, 5 teaspoons of oregano, the cilantro, the sumac, olive oil and salt to taste. This should yield a red paste that you would then mix with the chopped peppers.
03
Once the fish is baked, and while still warm remove its bones and scales, pull its meat
04
Bake again for about 10 minutes at 350F so the paste infuses well into the meat then
then place it in a baking tray and scoop the paste on top of it until it's all covered.
serve hot or cold along with a side of Fattoush or your preferred salad.
5
Baba Ghanouj Roasted Eggplants with Garlic and Tahini Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 4
medium eggplants (3 lbs)
5
table spoons Tahini paste
1
freshly squeezed lemon
3
garlic cloves, crushed
1
table spoon white vinegar
1
teaspoon salt
8
01
Roast the eggplants in the oven on medium heat, or on a BBQ grill for about 30 minutes.
02
While eggplants are still hot (not too hot so you don't burn your hands), peel them and
03
Strain the water from the eggplants by placing them on a colander for about 10 min-
04
Add eggplants and all ingredients in a food processor and let run for 2-3 minutes until
05
Place Baba Ghanouj paste into a serving plate, garnish with any/all of the following: olive
06
Serve cold as an appetizer, with a side
discard as much as possibleof their seeds.
utes. This step is important so you don't get a liquid Baba Ghannouj.
you get a paste.
oil, chopped parsley, sumac spice or chili powder, salted pickles...etc
of Pita bread.
B a y d a l a To u m Scrambled Eggs With Green Garlic Leaves Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 4
eggs
15 garlic leaves (10 inches each) 1
teaspoon salt
3
teaspoons of Olive oil
01
Rinse then chop garlic leaves into pieces of about 1/2 inch.
02
Lightly fry them with a bit of oil for about 5-7 minutes.
03
Add eggs and salt to taste, scramble for 3-4 more minutes.
04
Serve hot with a side of pita bread and tomatoes/mint.
9
Moussaka Batinja Sauteed Eggplant Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 3
medium size eggplants
1
medium size garlic head
2
large onions
2
large tomatoes (1.5 lbs)
1
large green peppers
01
Chop the vegetables in chunks. The eggplant in cubes of about 1.5 inches, onions cut in
02
Add the eggplant and onions with the oil and salt to a stew pot and sautee on medium
03
Add the garlic and green peppers to the pot, mix , lower the heat, and then let simmer
04
Add the tomatoes and cayenne pepper, mix in, close the lid, and let simmer for 20
length, tomatoes in chunks.
heat for about 5 minutes.
1/2 cup of olive oil a
dash of cayenne pepper
a
dash of salt
for 10 minutes.
minutes while mixing the pot every few minutes. The lid has to be closed so the juice doesn’t evaporate as quickly from the tomatoes.
05
12
Once ready, let cool down and serve cold along with pita bread and an optional side of garden veggies such as mint, and green onions.
Peasant Salad Fattoush Salad Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 2
lbs of tomatoes
1
lbs of Persian cucumbers
1
bunch of green onions
1
bunch of green mint
1
bunch of Italian parsley
½ bunch red radish 20 leaves of romaine lettuce 1
large green/bell pepper
2
cloves of garlic
2
table spoons of Sumac spice
⅓ cup of pomegranate molasses
01
Separate the pita bread leafs, sprinkle a bit of sumac and olive oil on them, cut them into
02
Chop the tomatoes into small chunks of 1 inch.
03
Chop the Persian cucumbers into disks of ¼ to ⅓ of an inch thick.
04
Chop onions into small disks of about ⅓ inch long.
05
Green Mint and Italian Parsley:remove stems, and chop leaves in halves or thirds. You
06
Red Radish: chop into thin disks.
07
Green Pepper: Chop into small pieces of ⅓ inch.
08
Lettuce: chop into pieces of 1-2 inches.
09
Garlic: crush garlic with a dash of salt, put aside.
1x1 inch squares, and toast them in the oven until they are light brown
don't want the pieces to be too tiny or too large.
½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice 5
Lebanese pita bread loafs
⅓ cup of Olive Oil
15
Kibbeh Nayyeh Raw Kibbeh Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 1
lb of lean goat leg meat
1/2 cup of fine Burghul 1
01
Freeze meat for 2 weeks, in order to age it and eliminating any contamination. When ready to prepare the dish, place the frozen meat in the fridge for 2-3 hours to thaw it half way.
small white onion
20 leaves green mint 10 leaves of green Marjoram 1/2 teaspoon of 7-spices
02
Place meat in a food processor along with about 5 cubes of ice, 1/5 teaspoon of ground
03
Place the Burghul in a small bowl and rinse it with cold water, then squeeze it to get rid
04
Put the green pepper, mint, marjoram, onion, salt, cayenne pepper and 7-spices in the
05
Place the ground meat, wet Burghul and spice mix in a large bowl. Mix it well for a few
cinnamon and spin it for about 3-5 minutes until it becomes very fine.
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper 2/3 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
18
of as much water as possible.
food processor and mix them well.
minutes.
Kafta Mishwiyyeh Grilled Kafta Kabob Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 1
lb of ground beef
1/2 lb of ground lamb 2
01
Finely chop or mince the onions in a food processor and strain the liquid/juice that comes out of them. This is important to get rid of, otherwise the meat paste will be loose and won’t hold together easily.
large onions
1/2 parsley bunch finely chopped 2
teaspoons of 7-spices
1
teaspoons of salt
a
dash of Cayenne pepper
02
Finely chop the parsley leaves (discarding the stems).
03
Mix all ingredients well together and make into patties or put on Kabab skewers.
04
Grill on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes max.
05
Serve Kafta while hot along with some Lebanese pita bread, grilled onions and vegetables. Kafta goes VERY well with a side of Tabbouleh Salad.
19
Garlic Potatoes Gourmet Tangy Recipe Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 2
lb of small round potatoes
12 cloves of garlic
01
Rinse the potatoes well, keep the skin on and deep fry them in your favorite oil. Alternatively and for the health-conscious, you could bake them on a lightly oiled cookie/baking tray in the oven for 30 minutes at 370 degrees.
1/3 cup of lemon juice 1/3 cup of olive oil 1
teaspoon of salt
02
Meanwhile, in a garlic crusher, hammer the garlic with a bit of salt until it starts to become creamy then slowly start to add a bit of olive oil then a bit of lemon juice, alternating, all while hammering away with the crusher until you’ve added all the liquids. You’ll produce a nice tangy garlic sauce. If it’s too garlicky for you, feel free to add a bit more oil. Alternatively, you could use a food processor but make sure you follow the same sequence, first the garlic + salt, then slowly and alternately add the oil and lemon in very small quantities. Another alternative is to use 2 table spoons of our Lebanese Garlic Dip with some added lemon juice and oil to make it a bit watery.
03
As soon as the potatoes are cooked, and while hot, salt them to taste then mix them in a bowl along with the garlic sauce. Wait a few minutes before serving to allow the heat in the potatoes to cook the garlic sauce a bi
22
S h i s h Ta w o o k Chicken Kabob Prep Time
Cooking Time
Ingredients 2
lbs chicken breast
1
cup lemon juice
15 cloves of garlic 6
table spoons of plain Greek yogurt
6
table spoons of olive oil
2
table spoons of red vinegar
2
teaspoons of ground white pepper
⅓ teaspoon of ground ginger spice ½ teaspoon of ground thyme ⅓ teaspoon of paprika
01
Mix all ingredients well together while rubbing the chicken
02
Place in a container, cover, and let rest/marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours
03
Skewer the chicken right before grilling
04
Grill on medium heat for 12-18 minutes maximum
05
As soon as you remove them from the grill, place them in a big warm pot, replace the lid tightly, and let rest for 8-10 minutes - this helps the chicken become more moist (this step is optional)
1+ teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of tomato paste
06
Spread 1 teaspoon of our garlic paste along the diameter of a pita bread, add some salted cucumber pickles, french fries, grilled tomatoes or peppers (optional), the grilled chicken shish tawook, roll as in a burrito and enjoy. You could also toast the sandwich roll through a panini grill for 2-3 minutes.
23
How to prepare Oregano Fish
2 Mix Spices With Pepers
1
Rub Fish With Thyme or Oregano and Bake
Cover Pulled Fish With Paste
Sumac and Oregano Paste is Ready
3