Vegetarian & Lebanese Recipes

Lebanese and Middle Eastern food is wholesome and good for you. Made with lots of fresh vegetables and whole grains, you can taste the earth's goodness in every bite. As the Lebanese people immigrated over the centuries, they brought these tasty recipes to east and west, to Europe, Latin America, the United States, and to various parts of the world. Enjoy, and Bon Apetit.

Lebanese Kibbeh
KIBBEH

Lebanese Food Recipe
2 1/2 cups cubed tender lamb
2 cups burghul (crushed wheat)
2 medium sized onions
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
Ice water

Kibbeh is virtually the national dish of Lebanon and to call it a meat loaf does not quite raise it to the heights it deserves. Its traditional preparation is dramatic. It requires a stone mortar and a heavy pestle called the jorn and modaqqa (see photo below). The meat is pounded with rhythmic motions until it is smooth and pasty. All the neighborhood knows the sound of kibbeh in the making.

Select lamb from loin of the animal. Pound the cubed meat with a teaspoon of salt in a stone mortar with a wooden mallet (jorn and mudaqqa). Remove meat from mortar when it becomes pasty. Now pound onion with a teaspoon of salt and the pepper until it is reduced to a pulp. Combine meat and onion and pound together until very smooth. Wash burghul well in running water but do this quickly so that it does not soften. Press to remove water. Knead burghul and meat with the hands. Pound together in mortar. Add salt to taste. Dip mallet in ice water occasionally to keep meat moist and smooth. Properly prepared kibbeh must be pounded at least an hour. Then it is ready to be eaten as it is, or cooked in a variety of ways.

Preparation time may be shortened considerably by grinding meat several times through fine blade of meat grinder. Grind onion twice. Grind onions with meat once. Combine washed burghul with meat-onion mixture. Knead well, seasoning with salt and pepper. Grind this mixture three times adding a table-spoon of ice water to keep it smooth.

Fried or Broiled Kibbeh
KIBBEH QRASS MASHWIEH or MAQLIEH

Kibbeh in a Tray
KIBBEH BI SSANIEH

Kibbeh in Laban (yoghurt)
KIBBEH BI LABAN

Meat Loaf in a Tray with Sauce
KAFTA BI SSANIEH

Lebanese Food Recipe
1 lb. lamb
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup tomato juice or diluted tomato paste

Grind meat twice. Mix thoroughly with other ingredients. Butter a pie tin. Spread meat on the pan. Cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Bake in moderate oven until meat is done. Serve with potato salad and greens.

Meat Loaf with Potatoes
KAFTA U BATAATA BI SSANIEH

Fried Meat Patties
KAFTA 'QRASS MAQLIEH

Meat Balls on a Skewer
KAFTA 'ALA SHEESH

Lebanese Food Recipe
1 Ib. lamb neck meat
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley

These are best when broiled over charcoal. The Lebanese eat them hamburger fashion inside a loaf of Arabic bread which catches all the well flavored meat juices.

Grind meat several times through fine blade of the meat grinder. Mix well with other ingredient, and form into balls the size of an egg. Thread the meat balls onto skewers for broiling. If the meat balls are to be broiled in an oven they should be sprinkled lightly with olive oil. Broil until rare, medium or well-done, according to taste. Serve with laban (yoghurt) and green salad.

Vary these meat balls by adding an unbeaten egg white to the mixture. Form into patties, dip in flour and pan-fry in hot fat. Serve with potato chips and salad, or a sauteed vegetable such as green beans, carrots or peas.

Kafta 'al-a Sheesh
Kafta on a skewer, a variation of Shish kabob

Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce
KAFTA 'QRASS BI SAALSIT EL BANADOURA

Meat Loaf in Tray
KAFTA BI SSANIEH

Lebanese Food Recipe
2 1/2 Lbs. lamb or beef
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup samneh (or other shortening)
1 cup fresh tomato juice, or 1 tsp, tomato paste diluted in one cup water
1 cup chopped onions
1 egg white

Kafta is classical in the Lebanese cuisine. This is an old recipe but its appeal is the same today as yesterday.

Grind meat through the fine blade of meat grinder several times until it is almost pasty. (In Lebanon the meat is pounded to a pasty consistency in a mortar and pestle called jorn and mudaqqa). Now pass the ground meat through the food chopper several times with the chopped onions until thoroughly blended. Add salt and pepper. Spread meat mixture evenly about one inch thick on a large baking pan. Bake in moderate oven until lightly browned. Spread the samneh (or other shortening) over the meat and continue baking until well browned. Add tomato juice and bake until half the juice is absorbed. At this point Lebanese cooks place the pan on top of the stove to finish cooking. The sauce must be almost entirely absorbed. Cut into squares to serve. Accompany with fried or mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables and a green salad.

Broiled Lamb
LAHM MASHWI

Lebanese Food Recipe
1 Ib. smaiskeh (baby lamb fillet)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12 small onions (optional)

Foreigners call this dish shish kebab or Shish Kabob. It tastes best when made with very young spring lamb. Lebanese cooks broil the skewered meat over charcoal on their braziers called manqals (see photo below). The juices which drip during the broiling are caught inside a loaf of Arabic bread. When the meat is done, it is slipped off the skewer into the bread. In Turkey the meat is marinated in olive oil before broiling.

Chop meat into one-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper and let stand for an hour. Spear onto skewers, allowing six pieces of meat per person. Alternate lean and fatty meat with onion. Broil under a very hot flame, or over charcoal until outside is well browned and sizzling. If broiled in the oven, sprinkle a little olive oil over meat before broiling so that it will not dry out. Excellent accompaniments to this meat are laban and the savory Arabic sauces called hummus hi taheeni and baba gharmouj.

Pounded Meat Patties
'QRASS LAHMI MADQOUQA

Lebanese Food Recipe
2 Ibs. boneless lamb
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Pound meat in a mortar until pasty or grind it several times through the meat grinder. Add salt and pepper. Form into patties two inches in diameter and about three-quarters inch-thick. Pan-fry in samneh or other melted shortening. Or place on baking sheet, dot each with shortening and bake in moderate oven until brown.

Meat Patties with Laban
SHISH BARAK BI LABAN

Lebanese Food Recipe
1 cup ground meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup samneh (or other shortening)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. chopped kizbara (coriander)

This is a well flavored dish of very small meat-filled turn¬overs smothered in a rich laban gravy. The unusual flavor comes from the combination of garlic and coriander.

Prepare a dough with 1 1/2 cups bread flour, half cup shortening, 1 tsp. salt and half cup cold water. Knead lightly and roll out a thin sheet on floured board.

Make the stuffing as follows: Fry onions, pine nuts and meat lightly. Season and mix well.
Cut the dough into circles not larger than two inches in diameter. Put a teaspoon of stuffing on each and fold over. Press edges together firmly. Now bend the half circle so that both ends meet. Place on a tray and dry in a slow oven for 15 minutes. Heat one recipe of cooked laban and simmer the skish barak until the dough seems cooked. Crushed garlic, salt and kizbara should be fried separately and gently in a small amount of samneh to enhance their flavors. If fresh kizbara is not on the market, use the dried or substitute a few pounded seeds. Add to laban and simmer. Serve tepid with rice. Serves six.

Savory Meat Balls
DAWWUD BASHA

Lebanese Food Recipe
2 Ibs. ground beef or lamb
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup samneh (or other shortening)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water

This dish carries to posterity the name of a Turkish Pasha who lived in Lebanon and who was very fond of these well seasoned meat balls.

Grind meat several times through fine blade of meat grinder. (In Lebanon the meat is struck in a mortar with a pestle until it becomes quite pasty.) Mix meat and seasonings together well, using the hands to achieve a smooth blend. Form the meat into small balls the size of marbles. Fry until brown in the hot samneh or other fat. Add sliced onions and pine nuts. Continue to fry gently until well sauteed. Add tomato paste diluted with the water. Simmer until meat is well done. Serve with rice. Serves 8 persons.

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