When Julie visited her relatives in Lebanon, she was inspired by Lebanese ingredients, such as fresh produce, dairy foods and roasted nuts.
By FAYE LEVY, YAKIR LEVYUpdated: JUNE 16, 2017 05:47Mahshi Silik – Stuffed Swiss chard leaves(photo credit: YAKIR LEVY)
Fresh herbs are the key to the good flavor of Lebanese cuisine, said Julie Ann Sageer, author of the just-published book, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking.“I use them generously – in salads, in stuffings, in all kinds of dishes,” she said at her book presentation last week. “They make all the difference.”Lebanese cuisine is nutritious, said Sageer. “With its emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients, whole grains and simple, healthy cooking techniques,” Lebanese cuisine fits in with today’s health-conscious approach to life, “and I thank my lucky Lebanese stars every day,” she wrote, “that this is the food of my family and heritage.”Sageer was born in New York State and loves picking vegetables from her garden and cooking with her mother, who was born in Lebanon. When Julie visited her relatives in Lebanon, she was inspired by Lebanese ingredients, such as fresh produce, dairy foods and roasted nuts. On returning to the US, she became a cooking teacher and later a TV cooking show host.As a child, Sageer loved tabbouleh so much that her uncle gave her the nickname Julie Taboulie. The secrets to good tabbouleh, she said, are to use ripe tomatoes and fruity, good quality olive oil and to wash and dry the parsley well before chopping it finely. “I taste the tabbouleh at least three times,” she said, to make sure the flavors are well balanced. (See recipe.)Balance is also important to tasty stuffed chard leaves, which Sageer demonstrated at her presentation. For her vegetarian filling of rice, chickpeas and herbs, she chopped the chickpeas so that they could be tasted in every bite. (See recipe.)“Lebanese food is generally served all at once,” wrote Sageer, “not coursed out like many other cuisines. This ensures that everyone is together at the table throughout the meal – leaving more time for conversation and shared eating.”Author Joumana Accad, who was born and raised in Beirut, wrote in her cookbook, Taste of Beirut, that in Lebanon “food – both the preparation and the consumption – was a celebration of life, something to be savored and enjoyed. The ingredients were... fresh, the vegetables in season, and meat was eaten only once a week or on special occasions.”Here are tips from Accad on Lebanese cooking and eating:• Use lemons daily. To save time, press fresh lemon juice and keep it in an ice-cube tray in the freezer.• Keep onions on hand. “Almost every dish requires chopped onions sautéed in olive oil until soft or golden. You can make them ahead of time and store them in bags in the freezer for dishes you are planning to make in the next few weeks.• Always have a cruet of extra virgin olive oil on the table, to add to labaneh in the morning, to salads, soups or stews – in short, “at every meal every single day of a Lebanese person’s life.”• Incorporate olives into every meal. “Olives are called the “sheikh of the table” for a reason, as they are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”Faye Levy is the author of Feast from the Mideast.Taboulie (tabbouleh)“This refreshing salad of finely chopped vegetables, herbs and bulgur wheat originated in the area around Mount Lebanon,” wrote Sageer. “I always serve taboulie the traditional way: with fresh romaine hearts to scoop it up.”At her presentation she made gluten- free taboulie with quinoa and it was delicious.Serves 6■ 3 bunches parsley, leaves and small stems finely chopped■ 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped■ ½ cup finest bulgur wheat or 1 cup cooked, chilled quinoa■ 4 firm ripe tomatoes, finely diced■ 6 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced■ ¾ to 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice■ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil■ 1½ tsp. sea salt■ Small romaine leaves, for servingAt least 30 minutes before preparing taboulie, thoroughly wash parsley and mint. Shake out excess water and drain in a colander, stem sides down. Dry herbs in salad spinner or lay herbs out on paper towels or a clean kitchen cloth to air dry; they should be very dry before you chop them.Place bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover with three cups of cold water. Let soak and soften, about 20 minutes. To test, squeeze some grains between your fingertips; they should be completely soft.Combine tomatoes, green onions and herbs in that order in a large mixing bowl.Squeeze as much excess water as possible from soaked bulgur. Sprinkle bulgur on top of herbs and vegetables in bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Toss ingredients together, preferably with your hands; the mixture should be juicy but not soggy. Taste and add salt as needed.Serve as soon as possible with fresh romaine lettuce leaves.Makbouseh – Summer squash stew Sageer uses a variety of summer squashes in this tasty allspice-seasoned stew, along with chickpeas, eggplant, and two kinds of tomatoes.Serve it on its own or with rice or pasta.Serves 8 to 10■ 2 small eggplants■ 2 medium kousa squash (Hebrew keeshou)■ 2 medium zucchini■ 2 medium yellow squash■ 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil■ 1 large sweet onion, finely diced■ 3 shallots, finely minced■ 6 garlic cloves, finely minced■ 1½ tsp. salt■ 6 large tomatoes, preferably vine-ripened■ 2 cups cooked or canned chick peas, drained, rinsed if canned■ 1 small long hot green or red pepper, seeded and finely diced■ 1½ tsp. ground allspice■ 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoesHalf-peel eggplants and all the squashes in vertical strips, and cut them in 2.5-cm cubes.In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil on medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté, uncovered, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté for one to two minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.Add eggplant and cook for about 10 minutes, making sure pieces are coated in oil and incorporated with the aromatics.Add kousa squash and cook for two minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash and a teaspoon of salt, and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until squash pieces are tender.Slice each large tomato in half horizontally and squeeze juice and seeds into pot. Finely dice tomatoes and add to pot with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in chickpeas, hot pepper and allspice and simmer mixture uncovered for five to 10 minutes, or until chickpeas have heated through. Add cherry tomatoes and slowly simmer just until tomato skins blister slightly. Stew should be thick and juicy, and squash, eggplant and chickpeas tender but not mushy. Taste and adjust seasonings.Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.Mahshi Silik – Stuffed Swiss chard leaves Sageer stuffs the chard leaves with a tasty chickpea and rice filling and simmers them in a lemon-garlic broth. She serve them cold as part of a mezza platter or warm as a vegetarian main dish.Serves 6 (36 to 42 leaves)■ 2½ tsp. sea salt■ 2 bunches chard, thoroughly washed and drained■ ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed■ ½ cup long-grain rice, rinsed in cold water, uncooked■ 1 small onion, finely minced■ 8 garlic cloves – 4 left whole, 4 finely minced■ 3 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced■ 1 small bunch parsley, leaves finely minced■ 1 small bunch fresh mint, leaves finely minced, plus whole leaves for garnish■ ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice plus one lemon, sliced, for garnish■ 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oilIn large pot, bring eight cups water and one teaspoon of sea salt to a rolling bowl. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.Shake excess water off chard. Trim thick stems and de-vein leaves, trimming all around veins with small sharp knife so that only large, tender leaves remain. Halve each leaf lengthwise. Slice both halves horizontally into two to three segments, so there are three to four large pieces per leaf half. You should have 35 to 40 segments total. Reserve four to five leaf segments; do not blanch them.Blanch remaining 30 to 35 chard segments in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Immediately remove with tongs or slotted spoon and place in ice water. Drain leaves and put on paper towels to absorb any excess water.For stuffing: Roughly chop chickpeas on a cutting board. Place in a large bowl with rice, minced onion and half of minced garlic. Add green onions, parsley and mint and pour in 2½ to three tablespoons of lemon juice and all the olive oil. Add one teaspoon of salt and thoroughly mix ingredients with your hands.Lay six to eight leaves out on large clean surface, vein side up and shiny smooth side down. Smooth edges. Take about one teaspoon of stuffing and spread it evenly in a straight line just above edge of leaf that is closer to you; do not overstuff. Roll leaf over once to completely enclose filling, then bring in sides of leaf and tuck under. Roll rest of leaf to the end. Continue with the rest of the leaves.Lay the reserved unblanched leaf segments on the bottom of a large pot. Lay stuffed chard leaves in the pot in two layers, alternating horizontal and vertical rows and place four whole garlic cloves in between layers. If necessary, make more layers, depending on size of pot.Place a plate that can fit inside the pot over the stuffed leaves, upside down. In a separate bowl, combine six cups cold water with the remaining lemon juice, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the remaining minced garlic. Thoroughly stir the mixture and pour it over the plate in the pot until the water level reaches slightly above the top of the plate.Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes until almost all of the water has evaporated and the stuffing is tender and al dente but not undercooked or mushy. Immediately remove the pot from the heat, turn off the heat and uncover. Let stand for five to 10 minutes.Transfer stuffed chard to a serving platter. Arrange in rows and garnish with fresh lemon slices and fresh mint leaves. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cool.Baba ghanouj - Roasted eggplant dip Baba ghanouj, meaning “father of pestle,” can be served with warm pita or pita chips or as a topping for grilled vegetables or meat, wrote Sageer. She flavors hers with parsley.Serves 4 to 6■ 3 small or medium eggplants■ 3 garlic cloves■ 1 small bunch parsley, finely minced■ 1/3 cup tehina, thoroughly stirred■ 2½ to 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lem on juice■ 1 tsp. sea salt■ 2 Tbsp. good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish■ 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish■ 6 large pita breads, warmed and sliced into wedges, for servingPreheat oven to 230ºC. Using a sharp paring knife, pierce the skin of each eggplant all over in small slits. Place eggplants on a baking sheet and roast on the center oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes, turning over halfway through roasting time, until they are soft and visibly deflated. Transfer eggplants to a cutting board to cool slightly, or until they are still warm but can be handled.Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise, split apart with your fingers and scoop out roasted pulp; discard peels.Place pulp in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, and press down with a spatula to release as much excess liquid as possible.While eggplant drains, process garlic and parsley in food processor until finely minced. Add tehina, two tablespoons of cold water, lemon juice and salt, and process until well incorporated, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl periodically; consistency should be smooth and silky without being too thick or too thin. Add roasted eggplant to food processor and pulse a few times, just enough to incorporate; do not overprocess.Transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve at room temperature with warm pita bread.
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