Techniques
4 Tips to Choose and Use Olive Oil
With so many olive oils to choose from online and at the grocery, how to choose can be a mystery! Scroll down for 4 tips to choose and use olive oil for optimum enjoyment. And head over to MaureenAboodMarket.com for a fabulous selection of the good stuff. 1. Choose EXTRA VIRGIN. Extra Virgin Olive Oil…
Read MoreTop 20 Recipes of 2020!
Here are the top 20 recipes of 2020, the recipes you–and there are LOTS of you!–visited most. I know I’ll be revisiting some of my own recipes based on these favorites in the New Year. You’ll find everything from recipes that define a healthy Mediterranean Diet to festive recipes for celebrations. Let’s go! 20:…
Read MoreApple Pie with Stovetop Filling
Apple pie with stovetop filling comes together quickly, and is accented with a whisper of beautiful flower waters (get them here). I have to admit that the apple pie here is typically last or near-last on the list of must-make for Thanksgiving. As a stand-alone pie especially when apple season hits in the fall, apple…
Read MoreApricot Upside-Down Cake
Apricot Upside-Down Cake is made with a brown-butter, brown-sugar topping and soft sponge cake. A hint of orange blossom is perfect here. I’ve never been good at favorites. As in, what’s your favorite cake? What’s your favorite color? What your favorite anything. I love them all. Same with this apricot upside-down cake. I would never…
Read MoreLebanese Vermicelli Rice
Lebanese Vermicelli Rice is a mainstay with any grilled meats or vegetables. The broken vermicelli pieces are browned in butter for an added layer of color and flavor. Buy the Vermicelli Pieces here. In culinary school, in the French tradition, there are a few bedrock recipes that a student begins with: Pâte à choux (think…
Read MoreGreen Beans with Onions and Pomegranate
Green Beans and red onions are gently sweetened with pomegranate molasses (find it here). This dish is at home at summer cookouts as it is on the holiday buffet. For how tiny the country of Lebanon is (a little smaller than Connecticut), the diaspora of the Lebanese outside of Lebanon seems to be absolutely ginormous.…
Read MoreHow to shape fatayar so they won’t open up.
Fatayar, little savory hand pies, can be a challenge to hold their classic triangle shape without opening at the seams. Here’s how to shape fatayar so they won’t open up! The big challenge anyone who has ever baked fatayar knows is this: how to shape those little ditties so they have a lovely triangle shape.…
Read MoreThe Secret to Perfect Fatayar Dough
Fatayar are traditional Lebanese savory pies–and the secret to perfect fatayar dough is here. When I first pursued baking fatayar in earnest, I knew there were problems to be solved to make the perfect little pies I enjoyed from the hands of Mom and Sitto. Even some of the Middle Eastern bakery versions were not…
Read MoreMolded Shortbread Cookies
Here is another version of ka’ik, this one a molded shortbread cookie. Buttery, crisp, and beautiful, a tradition for Easter. Find ingredients such as mahleb and orange blossom water at MaureenAboodMarket.com, along with the molds here. Why can’t I just leave a good thing alone?! Maybe it’s all of the home-time we’re having these weeks…
Read MorePotato Kibbeh
Potato kibbeh is deeply savory with a lemony spinach filling. Very delicious on its own or served with a garlicky yogurt sauce with mint. We’ve had this conversation before, about dishes that are traditionally made with meat that are then turned into something new, vegetarian-style. The inspiration for the change-up had to be rooted in…
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