Mezza at Fadel's with French TV Spokeswoman Julie Andrieu

Last summer, when I was "en plein" with the book, I was asked to have lunch with Julie Andrieu, French
TV spokeswoman for a TV show called " Fourchette et sac à dos".

She was on a Gastronomic tour for the show in Lebanon. My eldest children were preparing for their exams, so I took Sarah, the youngest with me. We arrived to Naas, a beautiful village in Bikfaya to a restaurant called Fadel. Apparently, the restaurant is reputed for its extensive mezza. I arrived early to discuss with the chef and owner before we started our meal and the actual shooting. I wanted to be sure that I had the exact list of menu items that were going to be served for our lunch. The team arrived but was a bit disappointed that our table was not full of people, as a mezza lunch should be. Cherine Yazbeck, the organizer, immediately called up friends (Joumana Rayak and her family with Joumana Jamhouri) she had seen on the road up and they accepted to join us for lunch. Very typical! It's the Lebanese way of life... So our table was now filled with hungry people ready for a Sunday mezza with Julie Andrieu. We sat down with Julie and the plates of mezza started to arrive slowly, but surely... I particularly liked the bite-size tabbouleh served in large basil leaves.The menu consisted of the following: a vegetable and pickle platter, hummus (chickpea dip), foul medammas (fava beans), moutabbal (eggplant dip), a rocca salad, a thyme salad, shankleesh (spicy local cheese), artichoke, tabbouleh, labneh - with and without garlic (strained yogurt), local white cheese, fried potatoes with a spicy sauce, balila (whole chickpea with cumin), raw liver, kebbeh nayeh (raw kebbeh), sujuk (dried spiced meat sausages), makanek (meat sausages cooked in lemon), an omelet with wild asparagus, and finally an assortment of grilled meats. We drank glasses of arak which made the ambiance very convivial. I was really impressed by Julie's professionalism and her natural way of animating the show. The staff who worked with her were very professional too and they joined us after the shoot to eat. It was a nice experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to introduce to Julie all these interesting dishes from our country.

Prix de la Littérature Gastronomique

Lebanon has clearly proven to be active this year! 

Winners of 2010:

« Congumelos do campo até à mesa », Maria de Lourdes Modesto & J.L. Baptista-Ferreira, Ed. Verbo
Liban
« Mouneh »,  Barbara Abdeni Massaad
« Récits et recettes », Walid Mouzannar, Ed. L'Orient le Jour"
"La cuisine libanaise du terroir" Chérine Yazbeck
Royaume Uni"Nutmeg and Custard", Marcus Wareing, Bantam Press
Syrie"La grande cuisine arabe du Moyen-Age", Lilia Zaouali, Ed. Officina Libraria

Cooking from the Heart said with "Heart"

I found this wonderful  website called Cooking from the Heart tonight and instantly recognized the lovely woman who insisted on buying my Mouneh dummy at the Salone del Gusto. She wrote a touching opinion about Mouneh, "Mouneh by Barbara Abdeni Massaad. Those who know me also know I’m a sucker for a good food book. So whilst perusing the stalls at Salone del Gusto in October I came across Mouneh on a stall from Lebanon, after instantly falling in love with the book I tried to purchase it only to be told it was to be released in November and this was an advance copy. After writing down the name I searched for it on the internet and came across the website This book has stayed beside my bed now for weeks and I wax lyrically about it to anyone who’ll listen. It is a truly original work from which the author conveys cooking from her culinary roots that is near and dear to her heart. Another reason to buy the book is that each copy sold will contribute to an Arabic version being produced which means the people of Lebanon will have a record of their own food culture, which as with most traditional foods is being diluted or lost. So buy two copies as they make great gifts."
Rodney Dunn of The Agrarian Kitchen

Baking Bread at Home on a Rainy Day

This episode is special to me. That day, we were suppose to go in search of pine nuts with a producer, but it was raining heavily. I called LBC and told them to simply come over my house. I needed to bake a batch of bread anyway, so I thought why not on TV? They accepted gladly! I invited my friend Cooka, who had shown interest in  baking bread when I first discussed the process with a group of friends. Within the hour, she was at my house. It is very special for me to share my recipes with friends, it's like giving of myself to them. When they bake it at home, it's like a part of me becomes theirs. I am looking forward to eating bread at Cooka's! It is so special also to bake your own bread for your family because it's an essential part of their diet. You feel proud! Many of the viewers asked me for the recipe so I have decided to post it on my blog, Good luck!

For a loaf of bread:

1 cup of wholewheat flour
1/2 cup of cake flour (extra)
1 1/2 cups of regular flour (zero)
1 teaspoon of yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
About 1 1/4 water (tepid, hot will kill the yeast)
1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together. Make sure the yeast never meets the salt while you are adding the ingredients. The dough will not rise! The water comes at the end. Watch the video above ... Leave to rest in a draft-free area for 1 1/2 hours or more, depending on the weather. When it is cold, you need more time. Shape the dough into the loaf you would like to see and eat. Leave to rest for another 1/2 hour or 1 hour. Bake into a very hot oven (200° C) for about 25-30 minutes. You may lower the fire eventually, if you feel it's too  hot! Enjoy, enjoy!!!

Al Nahar Writes...

For those who read Arabic, this text was written yesterday in Al Nahar newspaper:

"حرصا على التراث

بربارة في "حلوة ومرة" على شاشة LBC تقدم أسبوعياً تقريراً مصوراً تجول من خلاله المناطق اللبنانية لإطلاع المشاهد على بعض المأكولات والطبخات اللبنانية المنسية. ومن خلال طريقة التصوير العفوية والغنية بالحياة ينتقل المشاهد إلى بساطة تلك الأيام. تفاجئنا بربارة في "حلوة ومرة" كل أسبوع بزياراتها الجميلة التي تعرّفنا من خلالها الى أطيب المأكولات اللبنانية التي يتم طبخها مباشرة على الهواء... وفي ذلك خدمة كبيرة للمطبخ اللبناني إذ إن بعض الطبخات اللبنانية  القديمة بدأت تندثر

HELWE W MOURRA

--"

 

Earth and co. at Souk el Tayeb

Earth and co. is Nelly and Oum Ali - two wonderful women who have proved that friendship and business can go a long way. I have learned a lot from both women who, against all odds, have continued to make their small business flourish. They are always among the food producers at Souk el Tayeb and the Slow Food Earth Market in Hamra. Come and join them, you will be amazed!

Ayadina - Amal Harb

Amal Harb is a darling woman who has helped me a lot to discover the basis of mouneh-making. I started the mouneh adventure in her workshop where she patiently taught me all the details to pickling and jam production, among many other lessons... life included. It was a real pleasure to visit her again lately and to shoot this document with her. Her food is truly made with tender loving care and lots of creativity. She remains forever in my heart. Thanks my dear Amal...

Mayrig Restaurant

I have a weakness for Armenian food, guess it must be in the blood as my grandmother was Armenian. I posted this video of an Armenian restaurant in Beirut called Mayrig - meaning little mother in Armenian. I am going to visit them soon and make my LBC reportage on their story and their FOOD! I have a lot to learn and I think we, as Lebanese, can gain a lot from their way of cooking. I will write more on the subject in a few weeks ...

Carlo Petrini: It's a Way of Life

If you want to listen to Carlo Petrini's words, based on the Slow Food philosophy of which he is the founder, watch this amazing series of documents posted on You Tube where he explains how man has slowly but surely destroyed our planet. I agree with everything that he says and listening to him makes me even more convinced of going back to the country and living as a farmer...

Lots of people ask me why I have not opened my restaurant yet, and what Carlo said about his friend the cook is exactly how I feel presently... I have three children to raise ... There is a time for everything... My time will come...

It is not so important where we stand, but the direction in which we are moving. Goethe.

He states, "Something has to change in our philosophy of life... WHEN DID MAN DETACH HIMSELF FROM NATURE...You have to listen to the breath of life...Eating is an agricultural act..."

In Qsaybeh with a Carob Molasses Producer

Bassam and I walking through the forest

Paper-thin bread in the making

 This week I went to Qsaybeh, the home of Bassam Naimeh, the carob molasses producer. The LBC team showed up in the morning at my house, this time with a new crew. We introduced ourselves and drove to our destination. The cameraman filmed the road up the village filled with pine forests as he sat on the hood of the car. We arrived to greed Bassam who had been working since early morning on his carob molasses production. He produces about 50 tons per year, yet he complained that this year the financial output was poor compared to the past. He went through the whole process with us and explained each procedure carefully. Hours later, we went to visit two lovely women who were baking bread on the saj. We had a delicious breakfast made of man'oushe and discussed Bassam's life. We strolled through the forest as the team filmed us from afar. Bassam offered each one of us a jar of carob molasses among other treats to take home. He gave me two bottles of wine, produced in his workshop. It is always a treat to visit him. He remains one of my favorite encounters during my mouneh research. Bassam suffers from a genetic skin disorder. I wish I could make a difference in his life, at least to bring him some sort of happiness. He will be rewarded for his generosity and kindness one day. I know it!

The sound man

Show business is fun!