Chicken, Fish, Beef, Lamb
Sauteed Snapper with Tahini Sauce & Toasted Pine Nuts
Please don’t be shocked when I say that I’ve become a fan of frozen fish. I think this conversion began many years ago when I was living in Chicago and picked up a piece of fish from my otherwise well-stocked grocery store. It was the end of a long day, I was tired, and I…
Read MoreTaking stock (chicken, that is)
When I stepped through the doors of Tante Marie’s Cooking School to begin the full-time culinary program in the fall of 2010, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first order of business was to suit up. That meant changing from street clothes into black and white checkered pants, white chef’s coat, white apron, and…
Read MoreChicken Rice Pilaf, Hushweh, and from the kitchen, a family farewell for my father
This essay Lebanese Chicken Rice Pilaf, Hushweh, about was my first food-related publication, which happened to include a recipe for hushweh. It appeared in the Washington Post in 2004. The Association of Food Journalists awarded the essay first place in one of its competitions that year, and the essay won me the Greenbrier Scholarship to…
Read MoreTechnique: How to roast chicken for Lebanese hushwe
We’re cooking something very special this week here on Main Street, and hopefully in your kitchen too. Hushwe is the ultimate Lebanese comfort food. A cinnamon-scented rice pilaf with beef, chicken, and nuts, hushwe packs a punch on the nutrition front. Its savory, and if you dare, buttery blend will fill you with a feeling…
Read MoreToasted Bulghur with Poached Chicken; a recipe to get you through the night
Such comfort food! Chicken and bulgur pilaf scented with cinnamon is a Lebanese favorite, one that is delicious, filling, and simple to make. As long as you are with me as I walk down memory lane like I did last week with Dimitri’s rice pudding, let’s head to the other side of town, East Lansing,…
Read MoreLebanese Baked Kibbeh
Baked Kibbeh: You say meatloaf, I say meat love Baked Kibbeh is a Lebanese tradition and a favorite way to make kibbeh. This savory dish fills the kitchen with an unforgettably delicious aroma while it’s baking. We like to eat kibbeh raw (kibbeh nayeh) the first day it’s made, then bake it in a sahnieh…
Read MoreKibbeh Nayeh, the raw truth
Kibbeh Nayeh, tartare of Lebanon, is specially prepared spiced raw meat with bulgur. Try this beloved Lebanese dish and see how simple and delicious it is! I never knew I was eating raw meat. Or maybe it was just that I didn’t think that “raw” was something worth noting. I simply knew it was good,…
Read MoreHow to select and prepare meat for Lebanese Kibbeh
I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I notice that many—ok, all—of the main course dishes I’ve served up here have involved red meat. It’s not that the Lebanese can’t make a meal without including beef or lamb…Lebanese and other Middle Eastern cuisines are considered so healthy, in fact, because of our extensive…
Read MoreLebanese Green Bean Stew (yahneh or lubieh)
Lebanese green bean stew (yahneh or lubieh) is even better on day two, so it’s a perfect make-ahead traditional Lebanese recipe. Also works great with leftover roast. Serve with Lebanese rice, the recipe is here. This post comes to us from my sister Peggy, our Lebanese green bean stew yahnieh-maker extraordinaire… As the youngest of…
Read MoreTechnique: How to caramelize meat for stews and braises
I asked my sister, the yahneh expert, about the what cut of meat she likes to use in this Lebanese green bean stew. “I use leftover prime rib, or chuck roast that’s leftover or fresh,” she said. “The best yahneh I ever made was with the prime rib leftover after Ruth’s funeral. Do you remember…
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