Restaurant Training - Day 2: Kebbeh Labanieh

So enough about fighting food wars, tomorow we'll do that! Second day of my training, a basic element that should not be forsaken on a Lebanese table - The vegetable basket. For those who want to know, tomatoes (baladi is best), cucumbers, mint, radish, lettuce, carrot sticks, green and red chili peppers. The vegetables should be crisp and just washed. It makes quite a statement when you enter the restaurant and start with a drink and snack on fresh vegetables. That's Lebanon! Ok enough said about this subject ...



Today, I was aimed to delve into the making of Kebbeh Labanieh, don't know about you, but this is one of my favorite Lebanese dishes. I'm looking at my notebook and there so many comments, let's start:

1. Use the freshest laban (yogurt) you get get - not bitter - (baladi)
2. When you start heating the laban, it should be already at room temperature. The biggest fallacy is to start cooking the laban straight from the fridge (instant shock, no good!!!) So we agree that the laban is to be taken out of the fridge hours before heating it on the fire.
3. When you start heating the laban, you must use the lowest temperature before you add cornstarch diluted into a bit of water. Then you can raise the fire a bit to let the cornstarch act to thicken the laban. NO EGGS!

Ingredients:
laban - 1kg
clarified butter - a bit
kebbeh balls (unfilled/ but i prefer the filled ones)- 24
corn flour - 1 tbs
garlic - 3 cloves
mint or cilantro (kezbarah) - a bunch



1. deep-fry the kebbeh balls, strain and reserve.
2. heat the laban as mentioned above, cook until it starts to boil, here comes the secret ingredient - add a bit of cream (a small box) and some warm stock (reserved from a previous cooking).
3. in a small pan, add some clarified butter, fry garlic for a minute, add diced mint or cilantro, turn off fire... don't over cook the mint or cilantro
4. when the laban is hot, add the fried mint or cilantro, mix then add the kebbeh balls carefully without breaking them. Heat for a further 5 minutes. It's ready!

Serve kebbeh labanieh with rice ... you know how to make rice, right? Use angel hairs in the rice, kids love it....

Hummus Food Fight Between Lebanon and Israel

here is a link I just found on the internet: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/3178040/Hummus-food-fight-between-Lebanon-and-Israel.html It's pretty hot, what ever happened to the make FOOD not WAR campaign!! It's long gone... but seriously, I find it ridiculous to call hummus an Israeli dish come on there's plenty of dishes to go around... I remember eating the Israeli pastrami in the States...! How will all this be resolved... Will we make history this weekend? to be continued ...

More on the Exhibition... Exhibition Overview - IFP Lebanon

El Hommos Lebneneh 2009
24 October - 25 October

An attempt to break the current Hommos & Tabbouleh world Guinness Record


Exhibition Overview


El Hommos el Lebneneh will be a national event destined to place Lebanon on the culinary map again giving back to Caesar what was originally to Caesar…”g Yes we the Lebanese are claiming loud & proud our proprietorship for the “Oh so famous” Lebanese hommos & tabbouleh mezzeh. Held under the patronage of the ministry of industry & in partnership with the association of Lebanese Industrialists A.L.I IFP is organizing an attempt to break the current world record of the biggest hommos platter ever made! Add to that tabbouleh too! A special workforce will be put together under the supervision of world renowned Lebanese Chef Ramzi- current manager of Al-Kafaat catering school- that is concretizing this local attempt. Talking to the Chef: “I am delighted & proud to be supervising this attempt. We are mobilizing some 250 young Chef Apprentices that will be preparing everything on site under the strictest hygiene regulations .The General public will be able to taste safely the final product”.


And to add: “All of the ingredients that we are going to use are fresh with no chemical derivatives or substitutes. Imagine some 2.5 tons of lemon juice only! That says a lot concerning the colossal size of this event.” Thanks to Mr. Fadi Abboud, President of A.L.I (Association of Lebanese industrialists) the food copyright issue was raised during the summer of 2008, as he rightfully shed the light on the millions of dollars in loss in the lucrative Hommos market.


Talking to Abboud: “I first noticed this piracy during the many international food exhibitions that we attended: Lebanese producers would find out that most of our specialties, such as Hommos, Falafel and Baba Ghannouj, were marketed as Israeli. Our cuisine is being dishonestly used as Israel is appropriating our dishes: today, the fame of Hommos reached out to the globe. Upscale restaurants in New York & London are serving gourmet versions of hommos and falafel, as traditional Jewish dishes. We are talking about colossal losses as the Hommos market is a robust one with worth of over $1bn with 500,000 tubs eaten a day in the UK alone. If we win this fight, there is huge potential for Lebanon”


And to add: “We have been researching & documenting data to prove that 25 traditional dishes hail from Lebanon and deserve the EU's Protected Designated Origin status, meaning they can be marketed under their name only if they were made in the country. It is time that Lebanon registered its main food trademarks to avoid substantial losses like these. We are preparing to file an international lawsuit against Israel for claiming ownership of traditional dishes that are believed to be originally Lebanese. ”


The attempts for breaking the biggest Hommos and biggest Tabbouleh records (in addition to a new one: the biggest “Platter ever made”, conceived, designed & executed by Lebanese engineer Mr. Joesph Kabalan) were born here, in collaboration with the syndicate of Lebanese food industries. They will be all held in Saifi market on October 24th & 25th 2009, stretching on some 5800 SQM, hosting Lebanese restaurants and Artisans from the oil, soap, souvenirs and craftsmanship industries in addition to a variety of entertainers, games & auctions.

The event is expected to attract some 50 000 visitors, families, children, adults & young adults alike. For more info, please visit our website: www.ifpexpo.com or contact Ms. Sarah Fayad or Ms. Joelle Ghannam at: +961 5 959 111

Largest Bowl of Tabbouleh / Hummus

I just got this mail and thought I'd share it with you, how exciting!!!

Upcoming record attempts:

Lebanon: Largest bowl of tabbouleh, Largest serving of hummus, and the Largest plate
The 3 records attempts will be organized by the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Guinness World Records, Waseet, IFP and Chef Ramzi. The event will be held in Down Town Saifi market on October 24th and 25th, stretching on 5800 SQM. The Hummus and Tabbouleh will be prepared by 250 young chefs apprentices supervised by Chef Ramzi as well as assistant chefs. The big media campaign has already begun all around the country and regionally under the theme Fight for your bite, you know you are right. Hummus & Tabbouleh are 100% Lebanese.

The event will also host Lebanese restaurants and artisans from the oil, soap, souvenirs and craftsmanship industries in addition to a variety of entertainers, games & auctions. The event is expected to attract some 100 000 visitors, families, children, adults and young adults alike. For more info, please visit:www.ifpexpo.com

Hummus

May 7 03: It's my first day. What better way to start then by learning to make the hummus. Of course I knew how to make the hummus, but each restaurant/home has its way of preparing the quintessential Lebanese mezza dish. For 1kg of humus, add 1/2 tbs. of baking soda and leave to soak overnight. The next day simmer the chickpeas until it's cooked, take out the froth as it boils. There is a little white spot on the chickpea. When it's cooked, then it's time to stop cooking and to drain in cold water. Leave to rest. Grind in a food processor. In the restaurant, they have a huge industrial machine that makes a very smooth paste - there lies one of the secrets - There is another secret, but I won't share it with you because it might upset the chef. Sorry! Let's just say it has to do with the temperature as you process the beans. Enough said...So for 1kg of hummus, mix about 500g of tahini, 1/2 lemon or more (taste for goodness sake), salt, and 1/2 or 1 crushed garlic (depends on if you like the taste of garlic to overpower the taste of your hummus). I don't! Once the hummus is done, top it with bits of fried meat or fried pine nuts drenched in clarified butter or just add a bit of olive oil and a dash of red pepper powder or paprika. I remember in our family restaurant, Kebabs and Things, I use to sprinkle the hummus with a dash of cumin powder too... Delicious!

Training Days at the Lebanese Restaurant

Did you know I trained in a Lebanese restaurant in Beirut for 1 year and 1/2? It was in 2003. Sarah, my youngest child went to school that year. I called the principal crying telling her that she had stolen my child because the school had decided to change the school schedule and children were to come at 3:00 instead of 1:30. You could say I had a little depression. Did the principal understand me? I doubt it, she said that she changed the schedule to satisfy working mothers... and what about mothers who quit their careers to become 100% moms and chose to be only that ... What about them? What would my life be about... without children until 3:00.- Who would eat lunch with me? Who would have a nap with me? I was so alone...

I had to do something with my life? Restaurant ideas kept popping up in my brain... no way... with three kids... I knew what the restaurant deal was about... slavery... although it was so exciting... I felt so at home there... but, I chose to be a mom now..so why don't I just go to a restaurant during the day when the kids are at school... great idea! In search of my training, I wound up in a French restaurant for a year, then an Italian for a few months (as it was closing up), and finally I wound up where I was destined to be, in a Lebanese restaurant... It brought back familiar flavors, feelings, food situations, and the "this is home" gratification I was searching for... My depression ended and my learning started... I jotted down every single thing you can imagine. Everyone mocked me, "Why are you wasting your time?" the cooks would say... "Go home and relax!" No one understood why this housewife was busting her back... learning the ropes, while cutting onions, cleaning livers, jotting every single step and smelling like food in this busy kitchen... It was heaven for me!

So now I have this booklet full of interesting Lebanese recipes. I'd like to share them with you... Sometimes I'll just let you in on a secret and skip the recipe... Sometimes I'll let you know only about what happened while discussing with a certain chef... because trust me it's never boring in a kitchen... Chefs are like major artists who go CRAZY often... scream at you for no reason... make you cry... regret it then make you taste something to ask forgiveness... There are definitely lessons of life in the kitchen, that's why I love it so much... The food, the heat, the pressure, the friendships, the "je ne sais quoi"... I'll share it all with you ... step by step... be patient, there's a lot to tell...

Julie & Julia

Last weekend I dragged my whole family to see the movie Julie & Julia. This movie was sort of a mirror of my life... Ok, I don't live on top of a pizzeria ... I don't work in a cubicle... but I do have the same feelings as Julie and it's like ... keep walking...keep walking... although sometimes it's quite hard... many obstacles along the way... like everyone you may say... yes, tis true...tis true... So the movie is fantastic... I especially loved the interpretation of Julia Child acted by Meryl Streep. What an actress! I felt I was right there with Julia Child in Paris. I understood when her teacher told her she would never be able to cook professionally. I remember people putting me down as I tried to make something of myself, with the responsibility of managing a household with three children. Julie's husband was the one who encouraged her to start her blog. My husband's encouragement and sometimes wise (but harsh) words have always guided me along the way. It's not easy living with a frantic cookbook writer/photographer. Mostly the movie makes you dream. It makes you understand that everyone's life can be special and achievements can be aspired, it just takes determination, hard work, ambition. Not easy in our current lifestyle where everything is fast, and busy, and no one has time for anything except making money. But still some do achieve their dreams and the movies shows that with two determined women who wanted to make something out of their lives. Julia Child has always been an inspiration to me, to many I presume. I have three of her books (biographies) that I bought on a trip to Canada years ago. I cherish these books as if they were a treasure. I have not read the book of Julie, but I intend to purchase it as soon as I see it in Lebanese bookshops. Everyone should see this movie, children alike (not toddlers of course) but children over 10. I think the lesson is one that they don't teach in school, so it's worthwhile. As for me, my work is not easy as I am taking full responsibility of the work I do, the rewards are many yet the dream is not fully achieved... This tale, this movie gave me a ray of hope ... a push... + I have decided to write more often on my blog...or should I say blogs because now I am the proud owner of three blogs: My Culinary Journey through Lebanon, Man'oushe: The Lebanese Thyme Pie, and Mouneh: Exploring the Lebanese Pantry. My subjects deal with food from my country... I'm proud of Lebanon's culinary heritage. My aim is to keep it living... to slow down the global tendencies towards fast junk food and rely on local flavors. I'm not the only one ... There are many who feel the same way, each one is doing it his way... Unfortunately, in Lebanon, individualism is a character trait and team work is a long forgotten dream...Will we ever learn? I doubt it, look at our political mumble jumble... a reflection of the Lebanese society... But it won't stop me from dreaming... because without dreams... there is no life... So Julie, Julia ... thanks for the dream!



Watch the trailer !

You can google for reviews of the film...

PS: I found the book at Librairie Antoine, made my day... !