Mini Meat Pies: Sfiha

Clint had one of his potlucks at work again, this time it was to say goodbye to a colleague who was moving to another department.

Carob Molasses Sfouf: An Eggless Lebanese Cake

Sfouf is a yellow cake by the addition of turmeric. It is commonly made during lent, as a dessert. It also is one of the easiest desserts to make all through the year.

Carob Molasses Sfouf is the version that omits turmeric and replaces the sugar with, wait for it because it is going to be such a big surprise, carob molasses!

The Lebanese Take on Pizza: Mixed Man’oucheh

It is amazing how the Mediterranean cuisine can be similar in many countries but never be the same.

If the Italians can claim the pizza, the Lebanese can claim a similar concoction: the Man’oucheh. Typically eaten for breakfast, but if made in mini it can be used as an appetizer or as party finger food.

Walnut Katayef from Scratch

Katayef and boiled wheat are the staples of St Barbara Day in Lebanon. I have written a post about the tradition already, but this time the difference is I am not in Lebanon anymore and I am trying to share this staple with Clint and the kids.

So I did my research and found a recipe for Katayef from scratch (as you can imagine they are not readily found in pastry shops in California as they would be found in Lebanon). I made them a day later than the actual St Barbara which falls on December 4th, but hey it is the thought that counts!

Homemade Lebanese Shawerma

For those who have seen Shawerma sold in a restaurant or even a little joint  have probably seen the impressive way it is cooked. You can hardly reproduce the same thing at your home, but you can get a nice taste from the version you make yourself.

Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini (Mexican Squash) – Koussa Mehchi

To my surprise, what we call zucchini in Lebanon is called Mexican squash in the USA. The even most surprising part was to see how much veggies eating habits Lebanon shares with Mexico. Tomatoes is an obvious thing, but the most amazing for me was the chickpeas in their pods. It is a snack we eat in Lebanon and it is getting rarer now. It is one of my favorite things to munch on in between meals and you can imagine what a nice surprise it was to see them here.

It is funny how often I see something and tell Clint we eat that in Lebanon and he tells me that it is a food imported by the Mexican community or eaten by them. So you can imagine how funny it was to see that the type of zucchini we eat is called Mexican squash.

Potluck Fatayer

I cannot believe how the weather turned from cold to nice in less than a week. I have been waiting for it for a while now; winter lingered and lingered to the point where I thought it was never going to end.

Fatayer are a Lebanese doughy goodie, perfect for anything. Well, almost anything. They can be great party appetizers, great for lunch and they make an awesome breakfast. In Lebanon they can be sold in the Mana’eesh bakeries in a big size for breakfast or lunch. They are great as holiday food or parties when made at their smallest. As far as the medium size they can be a good variety in any occasion. This is why we chose to make them for Clint’s latest potluck.

Quick Glance at what We Ate over the Holidays

I know, I know… I abandoned things here since a while ago and I have not even posted a thing about the holidays. Things have been a little hectic on one side, on the other I was a bit lazy. I did not do any cooking worth really sharing with you. It was mostly a risotto here or a pasta there, but all in the standard realm.

But I will share the food we ate over the holidays with you still. I took pictures of most if not all.

Wine Review: Ksara Cuvée du Pape 2010

Another excellent one from Ksara.

Stuffed Opo Squash – Araa

This is a delicious recipe that shows that simple flavors can render amazing results.

I am posting a slide show for the recipe as a variant of photo posting in details as I am also posting the recipe down below.  Enjoy!