Lebanese Style Rice

This rice is a staple in the Lebanese cuisine. It is served with all stews and casseroles. You can use any kind of rice you have on hand, just adjust the water quantity accordingly.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups jasmine rice
¼ cup vermicelli, broken into ½ inch pieces(can be substituted with angel hair pasta)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 ¼ cups water, at room temperature

Preparation:
Heat vegetable oil in a non stick pot over a medium flame. Add vermicelli and toast until lightly golden, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Add rice and toast for 3 minutes. Add salt and water and stir gently. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cover the pot with a tight lid. Let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes, until all water is evaporated and rice is fluffy. Keep the pot covered until you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

Kafta and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
¼ cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp black pepper
2 large potatoes, sliced to ½ inch rounds
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 large tomatoes, sliced to ½ inch rounds

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly oil an 8 inch square pan and set aside.
Mix ground beef, onion, bread crumbs,egg, 1 tsp salt and spices together until just combined. Lightly press down to cover the bottom of the pan.
Combine crushed tomatoes with water and crushed pepper and spread 3 Tbsp of the mixture over the beef bottom. Arrange enough potato slices to cover. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the potatoes to cover the whole casserole.
Top with the tomato slices and a light sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 min, remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes to lightly brown the top. Serve with Lebanese style rice.

Serves 4

Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice

This dish is popular all over the Middle East. It can be made with lamb, beef, or chicken. Everyone eats it with a large dollop of plain yogurt.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts, bone-in skin-on
½ lb ground beef
2 cups long grain rice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp black pepper
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp salt
2 Cardamom Pods
2 whole cloves
1/2 lemon, cut in half
1/2 onion, cut in half
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaves
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup slivered almonds
4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation:
Place chicken breasts in a large pot over medium-high heat and cover with water. When the water comes to a boil, a layer of foam forms on the top. Remove and discard. Add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, 1 tsp salt, lemon and onion quarters. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for an hour.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large pot and toast the nuts until lightly golden. Remove the nuts from the oil with the help of a large perforated spoon and set aside.
Add the ground beef to the oil and brown well. Stir in the ground cinnamon, allspice, black pepper and nutmeg. Add the rice to the beef mixture and toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat after the rice is toasted after the 5 minutes.
When the chicken is done cooking, take the meat off the bones and discard the bones and skin.
Add 3 1/2 cups of the hot chicken stock to the rice, season with remaining salt and place pot over medium-low heat. Cover with a tight lid and let simmer until all liquid is evaporated and rice is fluffy (add more stock if needed).
Enjoy the rice with chunks of chicken on top and toasted nuts.

Serves 6

Shish Barak

“Shish Barak” is one of the traditional Lebanese dishes. It’s basically beef dumplings that are cooked in yogurt sauce. Thanks to the wonton wrappers that are widely available in the US supermarkets, this dish is very easy to make.

Ingredients:
Dumplings:
1 lb ground beef
½ cup finely chopped parsley
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp all spice powder
1 tsp black pepper
Salt, to taste
One package of wonton wrappers
Sauce:
1 quart of plain yogurt
¼ cup water
1 egg
Salt, to taste
Juice of half a lemon

Preparation:
Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the ground beef with the seasonings and stir until cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 min. Turn heat off and mix in the chopped parsley.
While waiting for the filling to cool, place the yogurt and water in a stainless steel pot and whisk in the egg (it acts as a stabilizer, preventing the yogurt from curdling). Place the pot over medium heat and continue to whisk until the yogurt comes to a boil. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat.
Fill a small bowl with water to help seal wonton wrappers.
Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Moisten two fingers with water and run them on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling to form a turnover and seal. Moisten the far edges of the turnover and seal together to form a little hat or a tortellini. Continue making the dumpling until finished.
Bring the yogurt to a boil over medium heat and gently add in the dumplings. Stir occasionally to prevent the yogurt from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and cook for 15 minutes until dumpling wrappers are cooked.
Note: If wonton wrappers are not available, you can make your own dough by combining 2 cups of all-purpose flour to ½ cup of water and a dash of salt. Knead the dough adding more water or flour as needed. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough very thin and cut into 2-inch squares.

Serves 3-4