Here am I again on my computer... nothing is new, as I'm doing this every single day of my life (till I finish Mouneh). Nothing else will be done till then, it's a promise I've made to myself. Not easy for this frivolous, wanderlust who thinks of taking the car and her prized camera and roaming, yes just roaming into the streets, mountains, and all geographical areas of Lebanon... That's been put on hold for the moment. I am suffering deeply... I'll spare you the details...
So today I am writing about sumac. For those who may not know about sumac, it is the dried berries of a shrub which grows widely all around the region, both in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean. The shrub contains hairy leaves and branches and grows to a height of about 3 meters (10 feet). Deep red clusters of berries hang on the branches. They are picked in season to be dried and ground into a coarse powder. The powder, which has an astringent taste, is used as a spice and a souring agent. For us Lebanese (the ahhh kind!), we use it to flavor our fried eggs (can't image the eggs without), sprinkle it on fattoush, use it to rub meats, chicken, and fish before grilling. Nowawdays, chefs and home cooks are experimenting with sumac and coming up with creative combinations.
I have found an interesting concentrate or juice in Anjar made by Armenian women. Do you think they wanted to share their secret recipe? well? well NO! So I am going to work on this recipe myself until I get it right. No one is going to stop me from learning the tricks to making this juice which can be substituted for lemon juice and a perfect mouneh item. All I know for a fact is that the berries are soaked in water, the water is strained and put through a sieve lined with a cheesecloth. My question is - Is the same water used to soak another batch of berries to make the liquid more concentrated ? humm.... I will get through this recipe even if it kills me, when one does not share, he does not become eternal... I could have written a huge article about these women, but I certainly won't! I will have to figure it out myself. Do you have any ideas about this? Send me your comments. :)
A special event at Tawlet, Discover the “Kitchen Creations” of 15 Lebanese Designers … Food, Objects, Utensils, Lebanon, X’mas …I will be there with Man'oushe - if you are interested! Chef Joe is a good friend of mine and when he cooks, you know it's gonna be delicious.
Launch event on Wednesday 9 December 2009
at 6 pm – followed by a special “friket samak” dinner
Chef Jo Barza’s own “kitchen creation” ($25 per person)
Expo from 9 December 2009 until 6 January 2010
Ok, I think I'm getting obsessed with my fruits / vegetables. I just bought a book which I think is really worth it. It is written by an organic farmer in the USA. He has a farm called Angelic Organic and his name is Farmer Johan Peterson. The book is entitled FARMER JOHN'S COOKBOOK. Wonderful, why you may ask? John talks alot about farming. My absolute dream! But he goes further to farming describing each vegetable with recipes to go with each category... Huumm, kind of what I'm working on... but me it's local recipes as his are a mixture of many. The book is unpretentious, yet it so vital. I am in awe reading away and discovering new delicious things to do with my fruits and vegetables. I believe that once you have a load of them, sky is the limit to what you can do in terms of cooking something really special. The important thing is to teach your children that fruits and vegetables are the main and most important factor in feeding oneself and the rest is topping on the cake... well almost, bread is definitely not topping... can't live without it...So I'm sure you are wandering where I found this treasure. Chef Ramzi, my new found friend, has opened a place called the Chef's Corner. It is located under his school, Kafaat on the mainroad heading to Beit Mery. It is a place where you can take cooking lessons (both for adults and children), a place where you can buy all kind of neat chef's utensils, and a place where you can buy BOOKS! Not any kind of books, but the ones that are part of the Gourmand Cookbook Award.... Man'oushe, included, of course! I recently did Sarah's birthday (my youngest daughter) there... The kids had a blast, including ME! They learned to make a rich salad, kebbeh bil saniyeh (Sarah choice!), pizza, and worked on decorating the birthday cake. It was truly magical! There is nothing more exciting than seeing kids start their culinary apprenticeship. I really love being part of that, there's an idea growing inside of me... I'll let you know about it soon. SO, to sum it up, go visit Chef Ramzi's place - I'm sure there's something for each one of you... and remember you heard it here... :)
Gou, a new concept, developed by Patricia Kebbe - an old friend of mine, is inviting its clients and friends to a sugar designing workshop with Ms. Claire Vincent, who is the founder of Belle de Sucre www.belledesucre.com on the 3rd of December starting 6pm with a gourmet "Afternoon Tea" at St. Nicolas, Ashrafieh.
The atmosphere of the shop is very friendly and takes you on a gourmet world tour with its diversified food products. You can enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch, or early dinner made with tender loving care (with the inspiration of the products showcased). Patricia is always there with friendly advice and a warm smile to show you the way. I took my family a week ago to have lunch and was truly delighted by the food and the cozy atmosphere. I asked Patricia to send me a few names of her products:
The des Amants, The du Hammam, The des Concubines
Anastasia, Prince Vladimir, St Petersbourg
Belgian Chocolate with Reglisse, Baies Roses, Cardamom, Piment de Jamaique...
Pink Guava, Ginger, Chocolate Pistachio Jam
Langue de la sorciere naturally colored pasta
Risotto with porcini mushrooms
Fleur de sel avec piment d'Espelette, Sel diamant rose d'Himalaya avec herbes sauvages ou epices grillees
Confetti Candy Flowers
Foie Gras with Vinaigre Balsamique or Fig
Pain is good Hot Sauce
Forbidden Organic Black Rice, or Red Rice from Bhutan
Lips, heart, christmas tree, star and spoon design sugar
Kenya, Hazelnut, Colombia, Vanilla Coffee
Lavender, Jasmine or Poppy flower syrup from south of France
Miel de chataigner, de montagne, thym romarin, calissons de Provence
If this dosen't capture all your SENSES, then don't bother reading this BLOG!!! I'm very pleased for my friend and look forward to many food adventures together...
A radio report done by Aaron Schachter , Middle East Correspondent for BBC's The World, on the Slow Food Movement in Lebanon. I was interviewed as the crusader for the mouneh.... YES!
I have just been informed that Biobox will now deliver on Monday instead of Thursday. The last day for making your registration online is Saturday. This makes more sense to me because now I can plan my whole week accordingly. It was very difficult to receive my goods on Thursday and leave them till the next week, as often on the weekends we go out... I hope this will help some of you! Thanks Mr. Rizk!
