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...
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 ...
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..."
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!
Last week, I went to visit Maysoon and Walid Nasreddine of Coara in their village with the LBC crew. Their story is featured in the Mouneh book. It is always special to spend time with them. They have a food philosophy which condemns the eating of animal products while favoring consumption of lots of vegetarian foods, including beans and tofu. We started the day with a visit to a local organic farm where we met up with Roula Fares, an organic food specialist. Walid and Maysoon purchase their fruits and vegetables from this farm to make their products which they sell at the Souk el Tayeb Farmers' Market. We walked through the estate and sat on the edge of the land discussing Maysoon and Walid's life. We drove to their house contemplating the majestic scenery of the area then went home for a full demonstration on how to make tofu. We tasted different types of mouajanet (pastries) filled with seaweed and other toppings. Once again, the day was a success! Here is a glimpse...
Welcome sign at the beginning of the village
Walid showing my cousin Bernard the land
Roula Fares, organic expert discussing the art of planting organic fruit and vegetables
I don't know if you had the chance to see Helweh wa Moorah on LBC this week. The journey led us to the bakery of the Zgheib sisters in Aamchit, Furn el Sabaya. Adorable women, all sisters, working hand in hand to create a warm atmosphere with delicious food. On the menu, their famous recipe called muwaraka and a regional recipe for man'oushe bi beyd. The muwaraka is absolutely delicious. It is dough stuffed with chopped walnuts and almonds, sugar, perfumed with orange blossom water and rose water. The skillful hands of Lorenza shapes the dough into an escargot-shaped pastry. On camera, I was able to reproduce this authentic recipe. Once finished, eating of course! We worked on the recipe for the man'oushe bi beyd. I will post these videos for you to get an idea on how to make these recipes.
I was asked by the television LBC to participate on a weekly basis to help produce a segment dealing with food traditions for a show called Helweh w Moora. I accepted their proposition, yet I feared that my Arabic may be a problem... but I always say that if you don't try, you will never know what you are missing. So here I am jumping into a world of acting! The night before I was very nervous thinking to myself, "girl what did you get yourself into?"
Khaled the cameraman
Next morning I woke up early to fix my makeup (makeup me?!?!) yes indeed I purchased a new set of makeup especially for the TV shooting. May I say that it cost me a fortune! The team arrived on time, which left a positive impression on me. I introduced myself to the director, sound man, cameraman, and driver (who is also a student in production). I spoke to them about our subject as we drove to Ramlieh, the village of Sawsan Shabban.
The beauty of Ramlieh
I chose Sawsan to be the first contestant of my food adventures on film because I felt secured and at home in her kitchen before and needed to feel the same way during my first shooting. What happened next was magical! The team worked very professionally. I was very much at ease, and the camera did not make me nervous because I simply ignored it. Sawsan and I went through many recipes together, tasted all of them of course, and had a great time. I loved doing this kind of reportage and felt I was really made for it. Could this be the start of something wonderful?
Sweet Sawsan working diligently in her kitchen
We left Sawsan with hugs and kisses with a full stomach of course! On the way down to Beirut, we met a farmer and finished the shooting with him surrounded by a beautiful garden. In life, I cherish nature and the people that live in line with nature... It was truly a memorable day!
