I haven’t had many instances of cooking Lebanese dishes, so I accepted an offer to review the new edition of Lebanese Cuisine ($25, Hatherleigh Press).
According to a release, Dr. Madelain Farah wrote the original edition in 1972 to memorialize the recipes her mother had passed down and share these unique creations with the world. Her daughter, Leila Habib-Kirske, fully updated and expanded the cookbook, which features more than 185 recipes.
I appreciated that the author included a short intro in each section but otherwise got right to the recipes. Too many cookbooks these days are filled with unnecessary anecdotes.
For those unfamiliar with Lebanese cuisine, it favors the use of vegetables and follows the seasons. The book starts with sauces like tahini (p.3 ) and yogurt (p. 8). I thought the garlic sauce (p. 6), using garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, was an easy way to enhance meats like fish and chicken.
In the breads section, I look forward to making Arabic bread (p. 13), which is a flatbread with a pocket. I’m sure it would have paired well with the Elegant Egg-Stuffed Meatloaf (p. 83) that I made and really enjoyed. It uses cinnamon and allspice for a different flavor profile, and inside the meatloaf are hard-boiled eggs.
I also made the stewed eggplants (p. 97), though I used ground beef instead of lamb. It’s a wonderful and simple dish that can be prepped in advance and left to simmer until you’re ready to eat.
Besides eggplant, there are dishes that feature artichoke, zucchini and fava beans. You also will find dishes that use beef brains, lamb tongues and snails.
I was pleasantly surprised at how lengthy the dessert section (p. 234) was. I plan on making the Lebanese cake doughnuts (p. 245), which resemble bagels, and the cherry drink (p. 267), which is basically a cherry syrup that you add to a glass of water.
You can purchase Lebanese Cuisine from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Target.
Tags: Lebanese
