Lebanese Feast...Sorta

I am super excited about this post. My adventures in Lebanese food is a hit or miss kinda ordeal and this was no less, but still worthy of blogging about it.

This was a special dinner I was making for the hubs, because of his generous anniversary gift to me...a lovely, old mine cut, yellow diamond from the 1870's, set in a vintage style setting. Need I say that I love it?!!! And since he is incredibly difficult to buy for and rarely knows what he wants, the one thing I know he will always want for a gift is a great meal. So I set out to create for him a fantastic meal of his roots.

About a week and a half ago, we were watching a show on PBS called Globe Trekker. I've never seen it and actually thought it was going to be pretty dumb so I crawled into my girl-cave, aka my bedroom, and flipped on some rerun on Bravo. I hear him calling to me from the other room that I have to come see this show and I kinda ignore him because at this point I am cozy in my bed. He keeps nagging me and so I give in and come out to watch it with him. I am so glad I did! The best part of the show was where this Lebanese woman as teaching the host how to make spinach pies, hummus and tabbouleh. My husband was drooling because the food was authentic and his favorites. He was salivating to the point where I was concerned I may need to grab one of the kid's catch-all bibs.

The wheels started turning in my head for a special thank you meal for him. I was excited by the idea of making something I've never made before and surprising him with it.

Here's the official menu:

Traditional Salad, thinly sliced romaine lettuce with a very tangy lemon, garlic and olive oil dressing

Hummus, traditional chickpea puree, with lemon, tahini, garlic, olive oil and salt

Spinach Pies, unleavened bread filled with a tangy, spinach and onion filling and baked

Beef Kebab, ground beef mixed with spices and garlic and grilled to juicy perfection

Yogurt Sauce, plain yogurt mixed with cucumbers, lemon, dill or mint to serve with kebab

Pita Bread...of course.

Here's what made it to the table:

Spinach Pies
Yogurt Sauce
Beef Kebab

Right. The menu got shaved down just a bit. Mama got in over her head as she tends to do, but usually I can pull it off. Not this time, sister. I got slapped in the face with the spinach pies, they kicked my butt. Let me elaborate.

Firstly, I'm a bit thrown off by the metrics system measurements. But no biggie, I just google it. Find out that 300gr. of flour is 2 cups and 125ml of water is like 1/2 cup. Fine. For whatever reason, while I was making the dough (recipe below) I forgot what I learned and put in 1/4 cup water instead of the above portion. Remember how baking is an exact science? I was struggling with that dough. It was like trying to knead an over-chewed piece of bubblegum, but in an un-sticky way. Out of breath, I ask my mom to add more water, because it just wasn't coming together no matter how hard I tried. I finally got it into a ball shape, threw the bowl over it and let it rest, along with myself.

I went on to prepare the filling, easy and fun compared to Tar Ball over there.  I came back to it and started breaking it down into smaller pieces to roll out. Let me preface this whole thing by saying, a menopausal woman and a PMS-ing woman, have no place being in a kitchen when difficult tasks are required of them. The most you will get out of them is a grunt, maybe high-pitched squeal (both frustration oriented) and a tossing of the unleavened bread. I think Jesus was laughing at us.

Evil dough balls.

My  mom leaves to run an errand. I am left with my rubbery dough. The only thing keeping me going was the look of happiness on the hubs face as he took a bite of my homemade spinach triangles. I set that in my mind as my goal and I got up off my tukus and addressed the upside-down bowl with pain lurking underneath.

I thought kneading this stuff was hard, but little did I know how hard it would be to roll it out. I needed a steam roller. I'm not generally known for my upper body strength, other than toting small children, so my biceps are pretty wienie. They let me down in this dough rolling task. I was straining so hard I just threw down the rolling pin and said in less than savory words, "Forget this, I'm getting the wine!" I stomp to the pantry where I grab my last bottle of Plow and Stars and crack it open. Had I been a sailor, I would have just used my teeth to open that bottle. No time for chilling this Riesling, I take a swig and get back to rolling.

It could have been the wine, it could have been the pressure to get this thing done, or the ensuing fact that I had to get all three kids up from nap in 30 minutes but I started getting the giggles. I would roll out the dough super thin, cut it with a circular cookie cutter, then set it aside. Two seconds later, I glance over at it and it's shrunk to the size of a Barbie pancake. "BAD WORDS, BAD WORDS, CURSE WORDS!!!!" More wine? Yes, please. More giggling.

I had discs of dough flying off the counter top and me swiftly pinning them up against the cabinets with my knee caps as they slid down. I don't know where I got the agility. That too, caused more laughter.

Stuffing.

Notice my "helper" in the background.

Pinching.

One down! Eleven to go.

I call him Frankenstein.

I finally rolled out twelve. Twelve was my limit. As long as I could do that, I was happy. I stuffed them and threw them on the cookie sheet to bake. I'm not using this bread anymore. I'm using leavening next time, for sure. I'm giving you the recipe anyways, because it is probably a great one for the unleavened bread. I just didn't follow directions.

This is sumac. A salty, tangy flavored spice. I found it at Whole Foods for about $2.

Planet Food Lebanon Recipe: Lebanese Spinach Triangles (Fatayer Bil-Sbanegh)
by Anissa Helou

This pie is my take on the traditional Fatayer Bil-Sbanegh, individual triangles filled with the same filling as below and baked. It is much quicker to make one large pie, to cut in slices, instead of individual triangles and the taste is the same. You can vary on the filling below by using purslane (leaves only), sorrel, Swiss chard, dandelion or wild thyme. Whichever greens you choose, the quantities and instructions will be the same as below.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

For the dough

300 g organic plain flour, plus extra for kneading and shaping
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin oil

For the filling:

1 medium onion, very finely chopped
Fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sumac
400 g spinach, cut in very thin strips
2 tablespoons pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method
Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the oil to the well and with the tip of your fingers, work into the flour until well incorporated.
Gradually add 125 ml warm water and mix until you have a rough dough. Remove the dough onto your lightly floured work surface. Knead for 2-3 minutes, then roll into a ball. Invert the bowl over the dough and let sit for 15 minutes. Knead for a few more minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide in two equal pieces. Shape into balls. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let rest while you make the filling.
Put the chopped onion in a small mixing bowl. Add a little salt, the pepper and sumac and, with your fingers, rub the seasonings into the onion to soften it.
Put the chopped spinach in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and rub the salt in with your fingers until the spinach is wilted. Squeeze the spinach very dry. Transfer to a clean mixing bowl. Separate the leaves.
Add the onion to the spinach, together with the pine nuts, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary -- the filling should be quite strongly flavoured to offset the rather bland dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Roll out one ball of dough as thinly as you can, just under 1/10 inch thin. With a pastry cutter, cut out 3 inch disks. Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons filling in the middle of each disk. Lift 2 sides of the disk, each about one third of the diameter and pinch together to start forming a triangle. Lift the bottom third and pinch with the loose ends to form an inverted Y. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet and brush the triangles with oil. Knead the cut-outs together and let rest while you roll out the other ball of dough and make more triangles. Transfer to the baking sheet and brush with oil. Use the cut-outs to make the remaining triangles. Brush with oil.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*What I did to the above: I used two 10 oz. packages of frozen spinach and I didn't use pine nuts. Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the recipe. The filling is excellent!

On with the kebabs. One word: Meat-cicles. So incredibly good! These were my masterpiece and it was the one thing I didn't have a recipe for. I made it up as I went, not without a call to the mother-in-law for the absolute must-have ingredients for a kebab and squished it together.

Ground Beef Kebab- Foodie House Style

1 1/2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1/4 of a large sweet onion, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed into oblivion, using some salt and the side of your knife
1 tbls. ground allspice
2 tbls. fresh parsley minced
1/4 tsp. sumac
Salt and pepper

6 bamboo or metal skewers, just soak the bamboo for thirty minutes in water before grilling

Mix all ingredients together, making sure everything is well incorporated. Take handfuls of the meat mixture and squeeze it onto each skewer, distribute evenly and firmly. Heat up your grill nice and hot, and cook until nicely charred and just cooked through.

"Obedient" would be the word for these little soldiers. Unlike their rogue dinner partner, Unleavened Bread Dough.

Serve with pita bread and yogurt sauce. Click here for yogurt sauce recipe.

I think, overall, the hubs was excited with his meal (even though he had to grill it) and even though the spinach pies weren't just like his Auntie's, I know he felt the love. I am determined to perfect the spinach pie now. It's lit a fire that isn't just for kebabs.

I would say "Cheers!" in Arabic, but I'm not good at saying it or spelling it. I think it's pronounced "Sah-ten!" Means "two healths". So double the health and hopefully not double the trouble if you try out this mini feast.

Pesto Presto!

Well, I've just finished an energy bar that has the same flavor profile of what I would imagine a Christmas scented candle tasting like. I can't figure out if I love it or hate it. (Clif's Carrot Cake)

Alright. Let's get down to the pesto. My recipe is one I just made up. Mom and I have been making pesto for years, from the plethora of basil we both seem to plant every year. This year my basil is out of control! I don't go out to visit my little garden much at all now...now that it's 97 degrees everyday with a chance of heat stroke. But everyday, I would say to myself how I must get to making some pesto before the basil goes to seed. I finally did it. I was greeted by a caterpillar, a baby lizard, lots of mosquitoes and a the biggest (and littlest) cucumbers I have ever seen! See what you can grow when you don't pay attention to your garden?

For this recipe, I made it up as I went. I love "eyeballing" stuff when I cook. It's freedom. Recipes are great, but I swear, I can't make one without tweaking it somehow. I like having a base recipe that I can put my own mark on or just start from nothing. Saying it's my own, is a good feeling.

Luckily, my eyeballs were doing their job. This recipe turned out great. Mom suggested we use pecans instead of pine nuts or walnuts. That's a little something she came up with recently and it works great. It sorta makes sense to use pecans, being in the South and all.

Note on the pecans (or almonds, walnuts, whatever): a really quick way to toast them and without dirtying up a pan, is to place them on a paper plate and toast them in the microwave oven. I do 1 minute intervals on 100% and give them a shimmy. When they are fragrant and toasted as you like, they are done! (I will say that pecans toast much faster than almonds because of the high oil content. Approx. 1 1/2 minutes, longer for almonds and walnuts) I love that there's no need to add addition oil, just perfectly toasted nuts. My father-in-law was the one who taught me that little trick.

Now, if you are a raw garlic lover simply dismiss my next comment. I am not a big fan of raw garlic. I find it over powers everything and makes my breath unbearable, not only to others but to myself. To curb the bite of garlic for this recipe, Mom toasted the cloves in a bit of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. I would not say they were caramelized, just half cooked and brown on the outside. It seems to relive the harshness of the little bulb and make it more friendly to my delicate palate.

This makes a big batch of pesto. I'm going to say around 4 cups. Freeze, make tons of pasta, give it away or simple cut the recipe in half.

Here's the recipe:

Foodie House Pesto

Makes approx. 4 cups
Prep time: 20 min.

8 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves toasted garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp salt
20 cranks of the pepper mill

Dump everything into your food processor and turn it on. I will say, 8 cups is a lot of basil, so I put in 4 cups, broke it down, then added everything else. Blend until smooth and mid-way, scrap down the sides.

A pretty straight forward recipe, but so versatile in it's uses. I for one, love pesto mayo on a turkey sandwich. For a quick tomato basil soup just plop in a spoonful of this pesto into your tomato soup base...voila!

I hope this pesto finds you well, Foodie Friends.

P.S. I must thank my cutest, but not quite dependable, key grip for the photography sessions. You can see her doing what she does best, (smiling for the camera) while trying to hold the reflector (also known as a waddy piece of watercolor paper) with her Afro (this was right after we took out all her cornrows. I'm pretty sure she could give Tina Turner a run for her money). Thank you, my little Boo!

Note: that is not bloated road-kill in the background. No, that is a my son's newly acquired Pillow Pet...the knock-off brand you get at the mall called "Animallows". Who comes up with this stuff?

Viet-Me 2: Won-Ton Soup and Mr. Grumpers

I need toothpicks to pry my eyelids open this morning. I've had my energy bar and coffee, but no luck. Just groggy and saggy.

I'm doing my best to press through and bring you a post. I definitely think it's worth it. Comfort in a bowl. A bowl which we arranged ourselves around, on Saturday at my kind neighbor's house (Teri), to drink in the homemade broth and a buffet of additions.

She had everything ready as we walked in. The beauty of the ingredients, colors, textures and smells was exhilarating to the senses. I was one tired Mama and I needed that meal. I was outta breath from doing a mad dash grocery run, chaotic grocery puttin-away and crazy child round-up, all without forgetting the following: cupcakes that I made during the morning madness, (pre-grocery), ingredients to make icing, dressing for salad and salad components, diapers, wipes, sippy cups, baby snacks, banana, baby food, baby spoon, bottle with milk, pacifier with pacifier holder and most importantly the Mickey Mouse DVD that the 3 year old tots are obsessed with right now. That DVD means I can eat in peace. Phew.

Teri started by escorting us through the won-ton soup procession. Noodles first, then lettuce, green onion, fried onion, fried pork, boiled shrimp, imitation crab meat, chives and finally the won-tons. Then everything was covered in a hot broth that she made. It was delicious! After the broth, you can top that with sesame oil and soy sauce. I love sesame oil. So rich and toasty tasting. It made the meal.

Check out the Hubs' special giant bowl. He took care of business, no problem-o.

We took turns holding Wil and eating. The kids ate pretty good but being how Bubba was feeling a bit grumpy we just left him to himself during lunch.

I mean really...if looks could kill.

After lunch, she made us Vietnamese coffee. Such a treat! I was in love with the process that made this caffeine-packed liquor. Sweetened condensed milk sits in the bottom of the cup, awaiting the hot coffee to come and drip down upon it. Stir and drink hot, or like Teri made for us, pour it over ice. It's so damn hot here. We had to cool down.

Then of course, we needed some sweets. I made the orange chocolate cupcakes again. This time I used a Cara Cara orange...amazing flavor! Bubba was still Mr. Grumpers, mainly because Mommy put the kibosh on him having another cupcake. It was going to be nap time in 15 minutes and with his sleepy disposition, I knew we must be successful with nap time. So no double cake time. Sorry, Bud. I did assure him, however, that there would be a cupcake with his name on it after dinner that night.

He continued to swat at the cupcakes to show his irritation with my matriarchal decree, but I caught his hand each time just before he took down a row of the chocolaty cakes.

All in all, it was a fun time. Teri is such a gracious host, pampering us with her food and love. I look forward to any time spent with her. Thank you, Teri!

New Kid in My Pantry...Bob. Fabulous Blueberry Pancakes

Well, I spent most of the day out yesterday...alone! It was refreshing. I went to the museum, had lunch, people watched and shopped. But I'll tell you more about that in another post. This post is about is dinner last night.

Occasionally I will make a pancake dinner. The kid's love it, I love it but I've had to sell the hubs on it over the years. But tonight, I think that all changed.

We have been slowly changing our diets to a healthier, more "clean" diet, I guess you could say. There is still the occasional crap food session at a Chick-fil-a or Burger King, but at home, we keep it pretty clean. I've been slowly weeding out the cream sauces and replacing them with vegetables. BUT, there is always a time and place for a luscious, creamy chowder or mustard marscapone chicken scallopini, but just not as often.

Back to the pancakes! They were surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because I tried for the first time an egg substitute - flax seeds and water! Who knew? I found it online. I was determined that my littlest one would be able to enjoy pancakes with us all, so no eggs. I used the flax seed method and it worked out beautifully. It was very exciting.

I've sorta found someone new in the department of pancake mixes. His name is Bob. Bob's Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake and Waffle Whole Grain Mix. Wow, that's a mouthful, truly. Aunt Jemina is still the cutest pancake purveyor, but she's not as healthful so we sent her packing. Sorry Auntie. I think it just came down to Bob's beard. He's rocking the beard and that little Irish-looking, walking-the-rolling-green-hills-of-Ireland hat.

I followed the directions on the back but with a little tweeking. Firstly, I doubled it. There was no way the recipe on the back would serve 3 adults, 2 kids and a baby. Doubled, it made 12 pancakes. I realized too, if I had not used milk in the batter, these would have been completely vegan friendly! Secondly, I used the flax seed "egg" and lastly, I added vanilla extract.

I had the most beautiful basket of blueberries from Whole Foods. They were just perfect in every way. Sweet, firm and juicy. They were just what Bob ordered (I think) for these whole grain pancakes.

I kept having to "shoo!" the little birdies away, a.k.a my kids, from these little blue treats.

My oldest son modeled for me. He got paid in blueberries. He did such a great job.

I also did something else a bit different for the syrup. I used agave nectar. It was even better than that horrible stuff in the squeeze bottle. I was able to taste the pancake. What a concept. Now, in the past, it may not have been so bad to not taste the pancake, but with Bob's pancake mix, the treat is the pancake not the syrup. Did I say pancake enough? What? You want me to say it one more time? Sure. Pancake. 

I served these beauties with some Whole Foods turkey sausage that is from their meat counter, and well, it kinda bombed. I thought it was terrible. The hubs said the he would eat it over the artery-clogging pork sausage; I said I would take my chances. If you have any suggestions for a good, wholesome, great tasting turkey breakfast sausage, please do share.

So as you can see, we topped off our pancakes with more blueberries, toasted walnuts and bananas. OH MY! So stinkin' good. I'm craving some right now...

Bob's Fabulous Pancakes

Makes 12, 3-4" wide pancakes

2 cups mix

1/2 cup flax seed "egg" (make this by mixing 1/4 c boiling water with 1/4 c flax seeds, ground or not. It will get gooey like an egg, totally weird science-y)

3/4 cup cold water

3/4 cup milk (or soy milk for vegans)

2 tbls. olive oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnishes:

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 banana, sliced

1 cup toasted walnuts

Agave syrup to your hearts delight

Mix it all together, let it stand a bit. Now, my was like wet cement, so I added about 1/4 cup more cold water to loosen it up. This is a thick batter, but it's okay.

Heat up your skillet or griddle to med. high heat. Let it heat for a good 2 minutes. Add some oil and then start adding (I used a 1/4 cup measurer) scoops of pancake batter to the pan and topping with blueberries. Once nice and golden on one side, flip and continue cooking. It takes about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve up hot with your garnishes and eat quickly! This will be one of your new favorites.

So happy he was wearing it.

Happy Pancake Breakfasts, Foodie Friends. I hope this one finds it's way to your plate some time soon. Cheers!