Growing up, I remember there always being a salad on our table, and most nights – rice (it’s my father’s favourite food). In this age of low-carb and cauliflower ‘rice’ it seems to have lost its cachet, but I’ve come to feel that rice sustained so many cultures for generations that it still belongs on…
Fattoush is a Levantine salad (it has been said to have originated in Syria) that is, for lack of a better description, a bread salad – in the same vein as the Italian panzanella. It happens to be one of my all-time favourite salads, and it tends to pair well with just about anything –…
These pita chips are perfect for adding to your fattoush salad, but you may have to hide them from the rest of your family as they’ll likely be gone before your salad is made. These are great for dips as well, or just to snack on. You’ll probably want to double (or even triple) the…
Ashta is a pastry cream common throughout the Middle East and the Levant, similar to English clotted cream; it’s usually used to fill qatayef, or added into other pastries, but in summer it’s lovely just with a simple fruit tray, or topped with a little orange blossom syrup and some chopped nuts (like a pudding)….
Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur, a wheat product. While I’m definitely not gluten free (as evidenced by the bread recipes I post here) I tend to always have quinoa on hand, whereas I only buy bulgur occasionally from my local Middle Eastern supermarket. Quinoa also has relatively high protein content for a grain, and…
Toum is perhaps the most versatile Lebanese condiment; it consists only of fresh garlic, salt, oil, and lemon juice. When made correctly, it is light and fluffy – the consistency of a light mayonnaise – but packed with garlic flavour. It is good on meat, vegetables, in sandwiches – or even to dip French fries…
