Authentic Lebanese Recipe: Restaurants in the mountain resort towns of Lebanon specialize in these crisply roasted little larks. They are often served as meza with Arab bread and araq.

To prepare the birds, pull feathers, cut off beaks and legs and draw. Rub the outside with salt and pepper. Tuck the bird's head into its stomach cavity. Thread several birds together onto a skewer and broil over charcoal. Serve very hot.

The birds may be pan-fried in samneh or butter. Clean as above, rub with salt, pepper and lemon juice, and fry in one-half inch of hot fat.

'Assafeer

Turkish Recipe:
1 4-lb. chicken
2 cups shelled walnuts
3 slices white bread
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bunch parsley
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 qts. water

Here is a famous Turkish cold chicken speciality which would rate a place of honor at any buffet supper. It features a spiced sauce of ground walnuts.

Stew chicken gently in covered pot with water, carrot, onion, parsley, salt and pepper for two hours, or until very tender. Skim. You may use the pressure cooker, in which case reduce the water to one quart and shorten the cooking time to 30 minutes under pressure. Let chicken cool in broth. Reserve the stock. Take meat from bones, discarding skin. Dice the meat, or leave it in individual pieces for serving.

Prepare sauce by grinding walnuts twice through the fine blade of the meat grinder. Add paprika to the walnuts and press this in a fine cheesecloth to extract the red oil which will be used later to garnish the dish. Soak bread in chicken stock, squeeze dry and combine with walnuts. Grind three times through the blade of meat grinder, or buzz in the electric blender, slowly adding one cup chicken stock to make a paste. To serve, place the diced or sliced chicken on a serving plattet and spread it with the walnut paste. Sprinkle it with the walnut oil. Some cooks mix the diced chicken with half the walnut paste, reserving the other half to spread on top. Serve this dish cold.

Authentic Lebanese Recipe: Allow one pigeon for each person. Pluck feathers and clean the birds. Heat several tablespoons of shortening in a skillet and brown the pigeons in it, turning frequently. Transfer birds to a second skilled while preparing the sauce. In the same fat, brown several minced onions and carrots, a sliced leek and the chopped livers of the birds. Slowly add one-half cup each of white wine and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for half an hour, or cook under pressure for 12 minutes. Press sauce through a colander or food mill. Return the sauce to the cooking pan along with the browned pigeons. Simmer in a covered pan until tender {about 45 minutes) or cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Cut each bird in half and place in a shallow roasting pan in a moderate oven for five minutes to dry out. To serve, place each pigeon half on a round of toast and pass the sauce in a separate bowl.

Authentic Lebanese Recipe: Zahle, the mountain village overlooking the Bekaa' Valley in Lebanon, is famous for its wine, araq and this savory broiled chicken served in the terrace cafes by the riverbank. In these outdoor cafes the chicken is broiled to order over charcoal. This is a good dish for an outdoor barbecue, although it also may be successfully prepared in an oven broiler.

For two persons, clean and split in half a tender broiling chicken. Wipe dry. Crush several garlic cloves and mash together with one teaspoon salt, the juice of half a lemon and one half cup of olive oil. Put aside 1/4 of a cup of this sauce. Marinate chicken in rest of sauce for several hours. Broil over charcoal or in a hot oven, basting frequently with the marinade while broiling and sprinkling with additional salt. Serve hot with reserved sauce.

Authentic Lebanese Recipe: Place a stewing chicken in enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Skim. Season water with salt, pepper and a cinnamon stick and simmer chicken until meat comes easily from the bones. Do not boil as this will toughen the meat. Cook in a pressure cooker if desired. Remove meat in large pieces from the bones. Reserve the stock. For every 1 1/4 cups stock take one cup of rice which has been soaked in hot water for half an hour and fry gently in samneh or butter. Then boil rice in chicken broth until tender. The broth will be absorbed. Saute 1/2 cup blanched almonds and 1/4 of a cup pine nuts in butter. Arrange nuts in bottom of greased deep round dish or mold. Cover with rice and press down gently. Unmold onto serving platter. Garnish with whole pieces of chicken. Serve hot with chicken gravy.

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Chicken with Rice and Tomatoes
RIZ BI DJAAJ U BANADOURA

Thank you to everyone who contributed recipes and photos in the past years to help us share Lebanon's beauty with the world and to help perpetuate the Lebanese culture across the globe. Thank you especially to Aunt Maheeba's friend (sorry I forgot her name) who was originally from Saghbine (Lebanon) but who lived in Brooklyn and gave me many of these authentic recipes that she had saved from the old country. She shared them with all the young Lebanese wives who grew up here in the United States and did not have access to authnetic Lebanese recipes or training in Lebanese cooking "the right way". May she rest in peace.

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