Lebanese Seven Spice Mix

I've been meaning to post this "recipe" for a while; ever since making this Pasta dish a few months ago.  This is also good on hand to have for other Lebanese recipes.  I cannot buy 7-spice locally.  I could order it online, but I made it with spices I already had on hand.  I did have to buy Fenugreek online to make this, but figured I would be using it (hopefully!) in some other ethnic dishes.  The website I got this from also states that this can be used as an Egyptian spice.

The first photo is beef cubes and red onion grilling on skewers, brushed with fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with 7-spice.  Then we ate the meat & onions in some Trader Joe's Middle-Eastern Flatbreads (brought back in our suitcase) with feta, tomato, Kalamata olives, and lettuce.  I wanted some plain yogurt to add on, but my store was out.  These were sooo good!

Mix this up to have on hand when the fancy strikes to make some Lebanese food.  I love Lebanese food- it's so good!!  I can't decide whether I like Lebanese, Indian, or Greek food more.  :) 

Lebanese Seven Spice Mix
adapted from HowToExpo

1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground Fenugreek

1/2 teaspoon powdered Ginger

1.  Mix up all spices together and store in a spice container.  :)  Alternatively, you may use whole spices and grind them in a spice grinder. 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Pasta with Yogurt Sauce

Here is another Lebanese recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Taste of Beirut.  I had never seen the combination of pasta and yogurt before but this was delicious!!  I used thick Greek yogurt; a mix of full-fat and fat-free (what I had on hand).  I reduced the yogurt from 3 cups to 2; just use as much as you think you need.  You can use whatever pasta you want; I used wagon wheel because it's fun.  I also made my own Lebanese Seven-Spice for this.  I forgot to take a photo of that, so I will share that recipe at a later date.  You can see it here, though (scroll down). 

I LOVED the flavors of this, and it was so easy, too!  I can't wait to make it again.  My 10-month old loved it.  I just did not give him any of the pine nuts.  It's good to expose babies to different flavors and spices like this.  Hopefully he'll always enjoy eating such things.  :)  The leftovers of this were good, too.  I warmed it in the microwave just enough so it wasn't cold anymore.

Pasta with Yogurt Sauce
adapted from Taste of Beirut

8 oz dry pasta (any shape)
1/4 pound lean ground beef
1 onion
2-3 cups yogurt (I used 2)
1/4 cup tahini
3 garlic cloves, mashed in a mortar with a pinch of salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup pine nuts, previously toasted in a dry skillet till golden-brown
salt, to taste
1 tsp spices such as seven-spice or red Aleppo pepper ( more if needed)
butter, as needed (or olive oil)

1.  Cook the pasta as directed. Coat in a little butter or a tablespoon of olive oil and set aside. Chop the onion, heat some butter or oil in a skillet, and fry the onion till golden; add the meat and fry till browned with the spices. Drain the meat if needed of most of its fat.

2.  In a bowl, add the yogurt, mix in the tahini and mashed garlic as well as the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more tahini or garlic to taste. Transfer the sauce to the pasta and mix to combine well. Add the ground meat and onion, and finally sprinkle the pine nuts. Sprinkle with additional Seven-spice, if desired.  Serve at room temperature.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Fatoosh- Lebanese Bread Salad

This salad was soooo good and flavorful- I loved it.  We had it with these Lebanese Chicken Skewers and it complemented the meal perfectly.  (You can see more photos of this salad in that post).  The recipe called for Pita bread, but the stuff I can buy here is not tasty, and since I make Naan all the time, I just made a batch of that.  I cut up two for the salad and we ate the rest with this meal. 

I tried Sumac for the first time when I made this- I bought mine online at Penzeys.com; they have almost every spice you can think of!  I love Sumac- it's almost lemony. 

I will definitely be making this salad again! 

Fatoosh- Lebanese Bread Salad
adapted from Allrecipes

2 pita breads (or naan)

8 leaves romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

2 green onions, chopped

1 cucumber, halved and sliced

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges (or handful halved grape tomatoes)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons sumac powder

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1.  If using pitas, toast them 5 to 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, until crisp. Remove from heat, and break into bite size pieces.  If using naan, just grill and then cut or tear into bite-sized pieces.

2.  In a large bowl, toss together toasted pita (or naan) pieces, romaine lettuce, green onions, cucumber, and tomatoes.               

3.  In a small bowl, mix the parsley, garlic, sumac powder, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and mint. Pour over the pita mixture, and toss just before serving.               

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Lebanese Chicken Skewers (Shish Tahouk) with Garlic Sauce

I LOVED this meal!!!  Very heavy on the garlic, but garlic is good for ya!  Chicken is marinated in spices, lemon, and garlic, and grilled.  The garlic sauce is 2 whole heads (!) of garlic with oil and lemon.  The garlic sauce was too strong for me, though, because the garlic is raw.  If you can, find Elephant garlic, which is not nearly as strong.  I wonder if this would still be authentic if I roasted the garlic first- I think I may try that next time!  (Roasting really mellows out the sharpness of garlic). 

We had this with Lebanese salad- Fatoosh- which I will post next.  We also had Grilled Naan Bread with this meal.  I'm really loving trying out more Middle-Eastern recipes- they are so flavorful and healthy! 

The kids didn't love this- I think because the cinnamon flavor is a little strong.  They love Indian food though, which has similar spices, so go figure.  Only my daughter tried the garlic sauce.  My whole kitchen smelled like garlic for a few days after this one!  Next time, I might try marinating this chicken in Lebanese 7-Spice mixture instead of just the cinnamon and paprika.  I made my own mixture from a recipe found online, which I will share some other time.  :)

Lebanese Chicken Skewers (Shish Tahouk) with Garlic Sauce

adapted from Taste Buddies

Chicken Shish Tahouk:
4 chicken breasts
6 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
Metal Skewers, OR wooden skewers soaked in water to prevent burning

1.  Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add chicken to a large non-reactive bowl (or large ziptop bag) along with the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, cinnamon and sea salt. Mix well to coat the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap (if using a bowl) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2.  Meanwhile, prepare the garlic sauce (instructions below).

3.  Skewer the chicken pieces.  Heat up the barbecue or a hot skillet and brush with a little olive oil. Cook chicken, until done, about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with garlic sauce.

Lebanese Garlic Sauce:
2 garlic bulbs
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt

1.  Peel the garlic and place cloves in a blender. Add the lemon juice and start to blend. You may from time to time have stop and push the garlic down with a spoon if it sticks to the side. Add the salt and continue to blend.  (Try using an immersion blender- I didn't, but wish I had). 

2.  Add the olive oil in a slow stream while continuing to blend.The sauce should have the consistency of mayonnaise.  Cover and refrigerate sauce until serving time.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Lebanese Meatballs (Dawood Basha)

I really don't make meatballs very much, but there was that Spanish Meatball Soup recently, and I've had my eye on this recipe for a long time!  (I guess I'm just attracted to exotic meatball recipes from other countries, lol.)  Anyway, I'm glad I finally took the time to make these Lebanese meatballs, because they were so good!  I loved the rice too- a nice, buttery Basmati.  I loved the mix of spices in them (cinnamon and allspice), and the carmelized onions and the pine nuts. 

You must make the meatballs tiny; the size of marbles.  Just allot yourself some time for this part; it is fairly easy, just time-consuming.  The kids (all of them) loved this dish and especially loved how small the meatballs were. 

After making these, I realized the recipe called for beef and not ground beef, like I had thought; however, I did use ground beef and it turned out well. 

This recipe comes from the blog Taste of Beirut; I have a lot more recipes from that blog bookmarked to make; everything looks so good!  It is a joy to look at.  :)

Lebanese Meatballs (Dawood Basha)

slightly adapted from Taste of Beirut

1/2 pound of beef, 96% lean
1 small onion+ 2 large onions
1 egg yolk (optional)
1/3 cup of pine nuts
3 tbsp. of tomato paste
2 cups of beef stock or chicken stock
1 1/4 cup of Basmati rice
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp. of butter (for the rice)
Spices: 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. of allspice or 1 1/2 tsp. of seven-spice

1.  Soak the rice in warm water with a dash of salt for 30 minutes or longer (after rinsing it a few times under running water)

2.  Chop the small onion and douse it in salt and let it spit out its water for a few minutes. Place the meat in the food processor, add the spices, egg yolk, drained onion and process until smooth. Form marble-sized balls and either bake them in the oven for 5 minutes at 350F or pan-fry them.  (I baked them.  And.... I made the meatballs ahead of time to cut down on prep time closer to dinner.  I formed the meatballs and placed them onto a foil-lined baking sheet (I lightly greased the foil) and stuck it in the fridge-covered w/plastic wrap.  When ready to bake, just heat the oven and bake them!  Or, pan-fry in hot oil when ready). 

3.  Slice the large onions in rings and pan-fry them in some olive oil until translucent and golden; add the meatballs and 2 cups of beef stock along with the tomato paste (if desired). Let the mixture simmer gently for 25 minutes until the liquid is reduced and thickened and the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.

4.  Pan-fry some pine nuts in a little butter and add to the meatballs at the end.

5.  Drain the rice and boil in several cups of water till tender. Drain and rinse the rice. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and let the butter melt, add 1/4 cup of water to the butter. Place the rice over the butter and water and with the handle of a wooden spoon, dig holes in the rice in 3 places; cover the pan and let the rice steam for 30 minutes (my water was all gone in about 10 minutes, so I just took it off the stove then), first on medium-high heat, then on very low heat. Uncover after 30 minutes to check and add more butter to the rice if desired. Serve with the meatballs.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **