Lebanese fattoush salad

For ➍
2 loaves pita bread
extra virgin olive oil
½ ts sumac, more for later
salt & pepper
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 (seedless)cucumber, chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
5 green onions (both white and green parts), chopped
5 radishes, stems removed, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
lime vinaigrette:
1½ lime, juice of
7 cl extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 ts ground sumac
¼ ts ground cinnamon
scant ¼ ts ground allspice

Toast the pita bread in your toaster oven until it is crisp but not browned.
Heat 3 tbs of olive oil in a large pan. Break the pita bread into pieces, and place in the heated oil. Fry briefly until browned, tossing frequently. Add salt, pepper and ½ ts of sumac. Remove the pita chips from the heat and place on paper towels to drain.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions with the sliced radish and parsley.
To make the lime vinaigrette, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil and spices in a small bowl.
Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and toss lightly.
Add the pita chips (and another generous pinch of sumac, if you like) and toss one more time.

Fattoush (Lebanese pita salad)

For ➍
1 pepper, julienned
4 tomatoes, in parts
6 mini-cucumbers, in thick slices, or 1 young 'normal', cut in half lengthwise
1 shallot, finely chopped
6 sprigs of mint, leaves only, finely chopped
2 pita bread, open & cut for an extra crispy effect
1 tbs sumac
1 lemon, squeezed
olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped*

In a large bowl, mix sumac, lemon juice, oil and any garlic with salt and pepper into a tasty dressing. Add the vegetables and the mint and mix well.
Roast the pita bread golden brown and crispy*.
Break them into pieces and serve them with the salad*.

*Marinate the toasted bread in the dressing, this gives a soft, comforting structure to the salad.

Limonana

For ➋
6 tbs (115 g) sugar
12 cl plus 6 tbs (9 cl) water, divided
12 cl fresh lemon juice
4 stems worth of mint leaves (about 40 leaves, which is about 2 g) with the stems discarded, plus a few extra sprigs for garnish if desired
18-20 ice cubes
1-2 drops orange blossom water (optional)

Add the sugar and 6 tbs of water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Add the cooled sugar syrup, remaining 12 cl water, lemon juice, mint leaves, ice cubes, and orange blossom water (if using) to a blender. Pulse a few times to break up the ice and then process until slushy.
Pour into 2 tall glasses, garnish with mint leaves if desired, and serve immediately.

Wikipedia on the name: In Israel, the name came from an advertising campaign conducted in the early 1990s. At that time, public-bus advertising was in its infancy in Israel. The Fogel Levin advertising agency undertook a bus-only campaign to prove the effectiveness of this new medium. Fogel Levin advertised a soft drink called Limonana and printed its ads through the Galgalei Zahav (Wheels of Gold) company. The ads, describing the drink as a blend of lemon and mint, reported, "Rabinowitz drinks Limonana" and, "Ohana drinks Limonana", referring to celebrities of the time. The ad campaign created a buzz[4] and consumers flocked to stores and kiosks to try the new flavor. Two weeks into the campaign, with consumers and stores clamoring for the product, the advertising agency admitted that no such drink existed. Spurred by customer demand, first restaurants and then soft drink manufacturers began to produce the flavor combination.

Kibbeh & fattoush (Lebanese lamb meatballs & bread salad)

For ➍
500 g lamb minced meat
100 g of rucola
4 meat tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 little-gem lettuce rougette
½ lemon
1 flat flat parsley
4 sprigs of mint (fresh)
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
120 g bulgur
2 pita bread
3 tbs raisins
3 dl vegetable stock (½ cube or 1 ts powder dissolved in 3 dl hot water)
6 tbs olive oil
1 ts ground cumin
1 ts ground coriander
½ ts cinnamon
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
black pepper & salt

Put the bulgur in a bowl and pour over the stock. Cover and simmer for 10 m. Let it cool down.
Cut the red onion and garlic into julienne.
Deseed the tomatoes and cut into pieces.
Cut the unpeeled cucumber into 2, length wise. deseed with a spoon. Cut in 0.5 cm thick slices.
Chop the parsley leaves roughly. Pull the mint leaves from the stalks.
Roast the pita bread in the toaster or in a preheated oven.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a pan and glaze the onion and garlic with the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander. Mix with the bulgur and the raisins through the lamb meat. Add black pepper and salt. Roll the mixture with your hands into balls. Shape each ball into an oval so that they get the shape of a lemon.
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a pan and bake the balls golden brown, 4-5 m.
Mix the lettuce leaves with the rucola, the cucumber, the tomatoes, the chopped parsley and the mint leaves.
Squeeze half the lemon (you need 2 tbs of juice). Stir 3 tbs olive oil in and add black pepper and salt. Mix the dressing under the salad.
Trim the pita bread in coarse pieces and mix under the salad.
Serve the baked balls with the salad.

Kibbeh, Arabic for 'balls', can be made from lamb, camel or beef. Sometimes they are covered in mashed potatoes before baking. Serve them while still hot, with a salad, like in this proposition, while or a snack with yogurt (or sour cream) and lime wedges. They can also be served at room temperature and they go great with pita bread, hummus, babaganoush and/or tabbouleh.
Kibbeh look-alikes are calle quibe or kibe in Portuguese. In the Dominican Republic they call it quipe or pipe.
Fattoush is a classic Lebanese bread salad, that can be eaten on its own or with meat.

Batata harra (Lebanese spiced potatoes)

For ➍
2 tbs canola oil
6 potatoes, peeled & cut into medium cubes)
4 tbs cooking onions, finely chopped
2 ts garlic, minced
2 shakes cayenne pepper (or to taste)
16 tbs (cup) fresh coriander, finely chopped
¼-½ ts ground coriander
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
6 tbs olive oil
1 ts lime juice, freshly squeezed

Heat canola oil and fry medium size cubed potatoes until crisp.
Remove onto a paper towel lined plate.
In another pan, heat olive oil and add finely chopped onion, minced garlic, cayenne, ground coriander and finely chopped coriander, sauté, then add the potatoes, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Mix well and add lime juice.
Serve with garlic sauce. Or as a side dish for marinated chicken.

Tabbouleh

For ➍
15 g medium bulgur wheat (optional)
30 g fine bulgur wheat (*)
400 g ripe tomatoes
6 spring onions
2 lemons, juice only
½ ts ground black pepper
½ ts ground allspice
½ ts ground cinnamon
½ ts ground coriander
¼ ts ground nutmeg
¼ ts ground cloves
¼ ts ground ginger
175 g flat-leaf parsley
45 g mint
5 tbs olive oil
2 tbs pomegranate arils (optional)

Preheat the oven to 140°C if using the medium bulgur wheat. Rinse the fine bulgur wheat in cold water until the water runs clear, then drain well in a sieve and put in a bowl. Fluff up with a fork.
Rinse the medium bulgur, if using, in boiling water, drain well, spread out on a baking tray and put in the oven for 20 m. Fluff up with a fork when done.
Meanwhile, finely chop the tomatoes and finely slice the spring onions and add both, plus juices, to the wheat. Add the juice of 1½ lemons. Mix the spices together well, and add 1 ts to the bowl.
Douse the herbs in cold water, chop most of the stalks off the parsley, and then take a small bunch, gather together on the board and slice it as finely as you can. Repeat with the rest. Pick the leaves from the mint and do the same, being as gentle as possible.
Add the herbs to the bowl along with the oil, season and toss well. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice or spice mix to taste.
Scatter with the pomegranate and toasted bulgur, if using, just before serving.

*Use couscous instead. Adapt cooking method.

Eggs with lemon & mint

For ➊
Flat bread, such as pita bread
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
​​2 eggs
handful of mint leaves, washed & coarsely chopped
lemon juice
salt & pepper

Put a small frying pan over medium heat. Heat the oil and fry the garlic, stirring so that the slices are evenly colored. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat the bread (preheat the oven when using it). Otherwise, use the toaster. The bread will be hot and soft in 1 m. Let it not get hard.
Pour the eggs into the pan and slide the mixture back and forth with a spatula. Before they are solidified, stir in the lemon juice and mint.

Spoon the eggs directly on a plate and give it bread. Use extra lemon and a sprig of mint if you like.

*Add 3 mounts of yogurt on the bread, cover with thinly sliced onion. Add the eggs, and add ground cumin, dried chilli flakes, crushed garlic to enhance the toast.