Lebanese Home Cooking

Lebanese cooking is a varied and healthy cuisine. It normally combines a balance of meats with vegetables and carbs. Mostly the Lebanese cuisine is known for its famous mezza. However, mezza is just a small selection of the Lebanese kitchen. In this book the focus is more on home cooking. Many of the recipes are what an ordinary Lebanese house would cook for lunch or dinner. It’s like visiting or having a peak into a normal Lebanese kitchen. Some of the recipes are based on international cuisines, for example there are several pasta and spaghetti dishes, which originates from Italy, there is a variation of a curry dish, which originates from India, however the Lebanese versions always have some elements of Lebanese, whether with the addition or substitution of spices and herbs, or even sometimes with more major ingredients. Most of the ingredients you need to recreate any of the dishes will be found in your everyday shops. However some of the ingredients that are Lebanese might be easily found in any Mediterranean shops, Greek shops, Turkish shops or Lebanese shops. Many of the ingredients can be bought online easily. As a full time working mum, I have always looked for easy and fast recipes to cook for my family without having to spend hours in the kitchen. So if you are like me, then this book will provide you with a lot of easy recipes that can be prepared in minimal time. Most of the food that I prepare (I would like to say all, but probably most is more accurate) is very healthy, and the ingredients are all natural, and wherever possible I choose organic foods. One of the beautiful things about Middle Eastern food in general, and Lebanese in particular is that we use a lot of vegetables and natural ingredients, with very few cans or preserved food stuffs. As you will see in the recipes, most ingredients are those available locally in our country. We are lucky that we have four seasons, and therefore we enjoy a very wide variety of fruits and vegetables all year round. I hope you enjoy reading and cooking the recipes in this book as much as I have enjoyed preparing it. Read more