4th Day Horeca 2011

Ok, so I have to admit that this was my favorite day! I was so excited that I spoke during the whole evening (in a microphone, in Arabic). Today's guests were Souk el Tayeb's food producers from all over Lebanon. It was amazing because each producer prepared Kebbeh according to the their region. Georgina El Bayeh, from Kferdleos in the North, prepared Kebbeh Erras. They were excellent. She stuffed them with a bit of fat mixed with chopped green pepper, and dried mint. Zeinab Kashmar, from Hallousiyeh, prepared Frakeh which is Kebbeh prepared on a piece of marble. This is raw kebbeh with burghul mixed with Southern spices including cumin, rose petals, marjoram, etc ...(I will develop this story later on my TV show). She beat the raw meat for one hour constantly to show how the Kebbeh was made in yesterdays. It was amazing! And the taste... Sona Takijian, from Borj Hammoud Beirut, prepared Vospov Kefteh. This is Kebbeh made with boiled lentil mixed with burghul. Suzanne Doueihy, from Zgharta in the North, made us her famous Kebbeh Nayeh bil Jorn. I've never tasted a better Kebbeh in my life! She also brought trays of Kebbeh bil Saniyeh: Kebbeh Basaliyeh, Kebbeh bi Zeit, and Kebbeh bi Labneh. Last but not least, Nada Saber, from Kherbet Anafar in the Bekaa made us Kebbet Batata. She also brought with her Kebbet Raheb and Kebbet Lakteen.She gave me some to take home after the show to share with my family. We fed hundreds of people and that is what it's all about. Sharing, feeding, teaching, and making others happy! I was glad that the workshop was a success this year.

Sona feeding everyone her delicious lentil kebbeh.

Suzanne working on her kebbeh bil jurn.

Happiness is sharing food with everyone!

3rd Day Horeca 2011

On the third day, I arrived a bit late because of traffic. It was really exasperating. Our first guest was to be Chef Karim Haidar, apparently he stormed out of the stand because he was not satisfied with the organization. I never got to meet him !!! I was disappointed because I would have liked to hear about his stories concerning  the introduction of Lebanese foods and flavors in Parisian restaurants. Maybe one day!

The day was not a total disappointment, on the contrary.  I met a lovely woman, who is a US-trained chef. Her name is Reem Azoury. She owns a small restaurant in Washington DC. She presented the audience with a conference based on adapting Lebanese Cuisine to International Tastes, mostly American. The presentation was really interesting and made a lot of sense. It brought me back to our family restaurant and how we introduced Lebanese flavors to South Florida. I've asked Reem to send me a copy of her presentation. I will post the highlights when I get it.  

2nd Day Horeca 2011

The focus of the second day of the workshop was on a specific ingredient,tahini. Tahini is a paste of ground sesame seeds. Our sponsor, Al Kanater, offered tahini and halawa to all those passing by. Our first guest was no other than Top Chef host Chef Joe Barza.Joe presented the making of fish kafta. The dish consists of ground fish mixed with spices, parsley, coriander (fresh and dry), diced onions, and salt. The mix was spread on a platter filled with fresh tomato sauce. Slices of potatoes were spread on the fish layer.The whole was topped with a tarrator sauce made with tahini, lemon juice, water, and salt. About 20 minutes later, everyone had a taste of this delicious creation signed Joe Barza.

The second guest was Charles Azar, Lebanon's top pastry chef. He baked "Chocolate Macaroon with Halawa". The taste was out of this world and inspired me a lot. The halawa was mixed in the hot chocolate, melting into a thick paste. With a little imagination, one can do so much to introduce local ingredients to all kinds of recipes. I was certainly impressed.

Next to the Culinary Heritage workshop stand, Horeca introduced this year Librairie Gourmande. I was able to meet Chef Andrew, a Canadian-Egyptian chef, who is redheaded like me and speaks Arabic like me too!!! He signed his new book that day. So funny... I'm sure you all have seen him on Fatafeat.

Two great Lebanese chefs

Chef Andrew

Chez Sophie - Cooking Risotto with Chef Sophie

1st day at Horeca 2011

I've come to the definitive conclusion that it's not only about the food, but about the person making the food. Yesterday the Horeca workshop started with food prepared by the restaurant Mayrig. A group of ladies came on site to prepare the recipes. I had a taste of "Pandjarov Sarma" - handpicked Swiss chard leaves stuffed with a special blend of rice, spices and tomato with olive oil, "Vospov Keufteh" - red lentil kebbeh served raw topped with fresh tomato salad, "Mante" -the traditional Armenian crispy dumpling topped with tomato soup and fresh garlic yogurt. It is equivalent to the Lebanese "Shish Barak". The whole is sprinkled with sumac.For a quick dessert, "Tahinov Hats" were carefully prepared. They are cookies made with tahini, flavored with cinnamon. Mayrig is proud to share these recipes which have been passed on from mother to daughter for generations.

The second group, headed by Jean D'arc, from Sofil Catering served an Armenian Kebbeh recipe called "Yahnili Kufta", "Patatesove Kufta" which is kebbeh made with boiled potatoes, "Manteh Roseh" - which for me was out of this world, and a delicious dessert called "Zardah" - rice pudding cooked with grape molasses. Again, I stress on the character of the person involved in the cooking. I was very much impressed by Jean D'arc's energy and talent. I admire a tough, talented woman like that - surrounded by her whole family who was rooting for her.

I learned a lot, tasted a lot...It confirmed the importance of this cuisine in our society. I will work on getting it out there!

Visit to Beyno - Cooking Meat with Vinegar

Horeca 2011

The Lebanese Culinary Heritage Workshop at Horeca:

 

I shall be hosting the workshop this year, here enclosed is the schedule:

Description	Date	Starting	Ending
Armenian cuisine workshop: Master the secrets of traditional Armenian dishes by Mayrig restaurant	29/03/2011	16:30	18:30
Armenian Cuisine Workshop: preserving and reinventing Armenian dishes by Sofil Catering	29/03/2011	18:30	20:30
Tahini workshop: Discover new recipes with Tahini by Chef Joe Barza, Consultant Joint Operations Expert	30/03/2011	16:30	18:30
Tahini workshop : Learn how to prepare Sweets with Halawe by Chef Charles Azar, exectuive pastry chef, Four Seasons Hotel	30/03/2011	18:30	20:30
Mezze workshop: discover Citrus and Sea food mezze with Chef Karim Haidar, modern Lebanese cuisine chef and consultant chef of many parisian restaurants	31/03/2011	16:30	18:30
Mezze workshop: adapting Lebanese Cuisine to International tastes"  special menu of Lebanese dishes and ingredients mixed for western tastes and palates With Reem Azoury, US-trained chef supported by  USAID and LBLI in collaboration with the federation of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon	31/03/2011	18:30	19:30
Kebbeh workshop: "Kan ya ma kan Kebbet Loubnan" by Souk el Tayeb.  Discover different interpretation of Kebbeh from North to South, Coast to Bekaa; from Zgharta's purest Kebbeh, to the South most fragrant " tehwishit kebbeh" to the vegeterian versions or event Armenian vospov kofte.	01/04/2011	16:30	20:30

The rich culinary heritage of Lebanon goes under the spotlight at HORECA 2011 as famous chefs and local producers highlight many classic Lebanese dishes using traditional recipes and the best locally-sourced ingredients.

Visitors to these daily cooking demonstrations will be eager to discover some of the recent innovations that have added a new dimension to this renowned cuisine. Lebanon is rightly famous for its wide range of dishes that merge Middle Eastern traditions with a touch of Western influence. With fish from the Mediterranean, good quality meat and fresh fruit and vegetables from its farmland, the country has created a rich variety of delicious fare to delight the palate.

During this year’s show, a team of talented chefs will show how new culinary developments can be used to complement traditional techniques and add a new vitality to trusted Lebanese favorites as they utilize the bounty of Lebanon’s rich culinary heritage.

Home cooks and professionals alike are sure to discover something new when they explore the Lebanese culinary heritage at HORECA 2011.

Article by Michael Karam on Lebanon

Read Marketing Lebanon is fine, but some things need fixing by Michael Karam, author of Wines of Lebanon.

"Indeed, the edgier side of Lebanese cooking appears to be very much in demand by global consumers. Anissa Helou, the London-based Lebanese-Syrian food writer and tour guide, has done wonders to spread the word through her books and blog to make the dishes of the Levant desirable. In Lebanon, Cherine Yazbek and Barbara Abdeni Massaad have written books championing rural Lebanese food and rituals, just the sort of thing that would make people swoon, from Hoxton to Tribeca."

How I Write - Time Out Beirut March 2011

Printed in Time Out Beirut March 2011.

I remember when I started writing my first book Man’oushé, I showed my husband the initial text I was scribbling. He looked puzzled and stated, “are you writing a book on the man’oushé or are you writing a biography”. He simply could not understand how my personal story was linked to this Lebanese thyme pie. He was not the only skeptical on the matter. Yet finally, years later, readers still acknowledge the fact that it’s the personal story that made my first book so special and therefore successful.  Writing about food is indeed something very personal to me. It’s about how one relates to food—its identity, how it becomes part of who I am, who prepares it, how it becomes part of a larger community, the society we live in. 

Writing is a virtual reality for me. I enter into a world where nature prevails, free from man’s superficial commodities and destructive artifacts. With the photographs I take, I paint the perfect picture of how I would like the world to be portrayed. I write the words to emphasize the image to make sure that the message has been conveyed and understood. Food and its preparation are connected to humanity, people—the best part of the specie, the chosen ones. It is linked to those who farm, cook, create, invent, process, and finally feed us. It is they that inspire me again and again to write. It is they that I want to spend time with, far from the ones who live a meaningless and shallow life.

I write to portray the lives of those who would go unnoticed among the clutters of our present heroes, who are only a deceitful fragment of our imagination. In jotting these words, I’d like to leave a small trace which could have a positive influence on the future generation, primarily the one where my children will flourish into adults. It is them who constantly stimulate me to move forward to reach out towards something more substantial and beneficial.  Everyone feels they want to change the world. When I write, I feel that I am doing just that. In my own way, I am constantly working on making things better. It has become a therapy, a simple way of life.

Happiness is Homemade

I just finished mixing three batches of dough to make homemade bread. I made three different kinds of bread today. The first batch was made with green olives. You simply cannot beat the taste of Lebanese olives, tangy with lots of zest. Unbeatable! The second batch was mixed with nigella seeds, just the right flavor for a salmon sandwich (just an idea). And last but not least, brown bread made with wholesome brown flour. It feels like home, perfect. Did I mention I just started a diet? When I start a diet, I cook and bake 24/ 7. If I could realize one tiny little wish in life, it would be to EAT as much as my heart desires and NOT get FAT! As I was mixing the dough, I told myself how lucky I was to be able to fulfill my inner joy with the mere mixing of flour, salt, and water. Why does cooking and baking make me so happy? Is it perhaps that the final product will be the element that will unite our family around a table for a good time... Or is it simply the smell and taste that I cherish the most? Whatever the case, it's nice to know that one can find happiness in the comfort of his / her own home.

Seek and ye shall find...

Can you smell it?