Lebanese Recipe
1 cup toasted thin bread, broken in small pieces
3 medium sized cucumbers, peeled and diced, or 1 romaine lettuce heart , shredded
1 large tomato, or more if desired
1 large white onion, or 8 scallions
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup baqli leaves (an Arabic herb)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup lemon juice, or 1/2 cup sammak water (sumac, see below)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large green pepper
Salt to taste

A local seasoning called sammak (sumac) gives this salad a different and slightly astringent taste. The original recipe uses leftover dried Arabic bread but crumbled melba toast may be substituted (not recommended).

Put toasted pieces of bread in large salad bowl. Sprinkle with sammak water or lemon juice. (Sammak water is prepared by crushing a tablespoon of sumac seeds and steeping them to half cup water for 15 minutes. Work seeds between fingers to extract essence. Wear rubber gloves as juice stains the fingers.) Add chopped cucumbers or lettuce, green pepper, tomato, parsley, mint, baqli. Sprinkle chopped onions with salt and add. Mix well and add olive oil slowly. Taste. Adjust salt. Garlic pounded to a paste with salt and lemon juice may be added. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of pounded sammak if available.

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Wash tender fresh green string beans. Remove stem ends and strings if necessary. Cut lengthwise or in several pieces crosswise. Cook in pressure cooker for 12 minutes underpressure. When beans are cool, place them in a salad bowl and dress to taste with lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic and salt.

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Squash Salad
SALATIT KOUSA

This is an Authentic Lebanese Recipe
Select small green marrow or zucchini type squash. Cook under pressure for 12 minutes. Slice into one-half inch slices. Mix gently with a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic and finely chopped parsley. Serve tepid.

Squash may be sliced before cooking and the time under pressure reduced to eight minutes; however, the vegetable is apt to lose its shape and become less attractive when sliced before cooking.

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Chick Pea Salad
SALATIT HUMMUS MASLOUQ

This is an Authentic Lebanese Recipe
Soak chick peas overnight in water to which one teaspoon soda has been added. Drain. Cover with fresh water and cook under pressure for 15 minutes. If using an open pan, several hours of cooking will be required to soften the peas. They must mash easily between the fingers. Toss well with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Dried broad beans or lentils may be treated in the same manner.

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Potato Salad
SALATIT EL BATAATA

This is an Authentic Lebanese Recipe
Boil potatoes in their jackets. Peel while warm and slice or dice. Prepare a salad dressing of equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil and garlic, salt to taste. Toss potatoes lightly in this dressing, adding several tablespoons of chopped parsley and green scallions. A few drops of water may be added if the salad seems dry.

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Chard Stems in Sesame Oil
DLOU' ES SILQ BI TAHEENI

This is an Authentic Lebanese Recipe
Stave the Swiss chard stems when preparing the leaves for mahshie to make this salad. Cut the stems into one-inch lengths and boil until tender. Cool. Serve on salad plates with a taheeni-lemon juice dressing made according to the recipe for taratour hi taheeni.

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