Steph's Lebanese Dip

Ingredients:
1 large container hummus
½ cup finely chopped cucumbers
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
 
Lebanese Spice Mix: 
3/4 Tblsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp marjarom
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
 
Meat mixture:
2 Tblsp ghee        
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 lb lean ground chuck
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tblsp Lebanese Spice Mix
 
Tzatziki:
2 cups sour cream (can use 3 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream strained in cheesecloth overnight, for a thicker, creamier spread)
1/2 cucumber, grated or processed in a food processor
2 tablespoons dillweed (or to taste)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon 
Salt, to taste
 
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients for Lebanese Spice Mix and set aside to cool.
 
2. Make meat mixture by putting ghee in skillet and heat.
 
3. Add meat filling ingredients of ground chuck, onion, pine nuts and spices.
 
4. Chop meat up while cooking, until it is crumbly. Cook until meat is done, then test to make sure there is enough salt in meat. Add salt if needed. Drain meat, then set aside to cool. 
 
5. Make tzatziki by grating or processing the cucumber. 
 
6. Put cucumber on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and let it sit for 10 minutes to remove some of the moisture. You can wring it out and blot it to get it as "dry" as possible.
 
7. Mix all remaining tzatziki ingredients together with a whisk.
 
8. Spread hummus in bottom of casserole dish.
 
9. Spread cooled meat over hummus.
 
10. Top meat with tzatziki, spreading carefully to avoid mixing meat into tzatziki.
 
11. Sprinkle tzatziki layer with cucumbers and tomatoes.
 
12. Serve with pita chips, bagel crisps or another sturdy chip.

 

Aunt Jo's Green Beans

Ingredients:
Canned green beans

Canned tomatoes, diced

Lean, thinly sliced steak

Onion, finely sliced

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Lemon juice

Butter

Preparation:

1. Brown onion and steak in butter.

2. Place all ingredients except lemon in a stewpot and simmer.

3. Coat chicken legs with oil or sauce, and season as desired.

4. Add lemon to taste, slowly while simmering.

5. Serve over rice.

Steph's Greek Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderized

Whole milk Greek yogurt, plain (no sugar)

Steph's Greek seasoning blend

Pickle juice, pepperoncini or banana pepper juice, lemon juice, or oil/vinegar-based dressing

Preparation:

1. Place 1/4 cup Greek yogurt per chicken breast (unless chicken breasts are small) into a mixing bowl. The goal is to have an amount of Greek yogurt that will generously coat each piece of chicken on both sides.

2. Add 2 Tblsp. juice or dressing per 1/4 cup yogurt, and stir together with whisk.

3. Taste mixture, then add seasoning blend to taste. Mixture should be strong in flavor, but not exceptionally salty.

4. Whisk mixture until seasoning is evenly distributed.

5. Coat each chicken breast in the yogurt mixture, massaging the mixture into the chicken. 

6. Place into a container with a lid that can seal tightly, and pour/spread remaining mixture into container. Nestle chicken down into remaining mixture. There should be an excess of the mixture to surround the chicken.

7. Close container, and place in fridge for at least 4 hours. Chicken can stay in the yogurt mixture safely for several days.

8. When ready to cook, heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet on high heat.

9. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off (do not wipe) excess, as the extra yogurt will coagulate when cooked.

10. Sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and a generous amount of the dry seasoning blend.

11. Place chicken in hot skillet to sear, then flip and sear other side.

12. Turn heat down to medium. Place a cast iron press on top of chicken (if available), and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is done.

13. Remove chicken from pan and let meat rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

14. Serve with dill/tzatzeki dip, hummus, lemon, black beans, aromatic rice, olives, grilled or sautéed peppers, pepperoncini, brined red pepper slices and pita, as desired.

Steph's Greek Seasoning Blend

Ingredients:

6 parts Tone's rosemary and garlic seasoning blend

6 parts Tone's lemon pepper

2 parts dill weed

2 parts parsley

1 part basil

1 part garlic salt

1 part marjoram

1/2 part nutmeg

1/2 part thyme

1/2 part mint

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Place in spice blender, and pulse until mixture is halfway ground - leave some "big" parts.

3. Store in airtight container.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Ingredients:

1 16-oz jar grape leaves in brine (usually about 60-70 leaves)

2 cups short grain rice

Extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 large yellow onions, finely chopped

2 lb lean ground beef (or lamb, or a mixture)

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cumin

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (can substitute dried)

3/4 cup chopped fresh dill (can substitute dried, 2 Tblsp)

4+ cups chicken broth

Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation:

1. Wash and separate all grape leaves. Spread out on counter.

2. Put rice in water to soak.

3. Chop onion and spices (if using fresh).

4. Juice lemons.

5. Cook onions in small amount of olive oil.

6. Add meat to onions, and cook until browned. Break meat up while cooking. If meat is very fatty, drain (but do not rinse) meat, once it is done cooking.

7. Add salt, pepper and spices (but not parsley and dill) to meat. Use salt and pepper to taste - over season just slightly, because rice will absorb the flavor.

8. Remove meat from heat and cool completely (but do not refrigerate). 

9. Drain rice.

10. Mix rice, meat and herbs, then add olive oil. Add enough oil to moisten mixture throughout, but not make mixture oily. Amount of oil varies based on type of rice used and how much fat is in meat.

11. Brush heavy pot with olive oil.

12. Lay several grape leaves in bottom of pot, being sure to cover entire bottom.

13. Stuff leaves: place leaf on counter or board, with textured side facing up. Use approximately one heaping tablespoon of filling, and place it in the center of the leaf. Fold sides of leaf over filling, then roll. Roll snugly, but not too tightly, as rice will need room to expand when cooking.

14. Place rolled leaves, seam side down, in pot, lining them neatly with sides touching but not tightly packed. Alternate directions for each layer of leaves.

15. Once all leaves are placed in pot, place an inverted plate over all of the rolls, to hold them in place.

16. Boil chicken broth, then pour over leaves (leave plate in place) until all leaves are completely covered.

17. Cover pot with lid.

18. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, or until most of liquid has been absorbed. If liquid is absorbed before 30 minutes has passed, add about 1/2 cup of hot water to pot and continue cooking.

19. Once most liquid is absorbed (around the 30 minute mark), remove plate and add lemon juice.

20. Continue cooking, covered but without the plate, for 30 to 45 more minutes on medium to low heat. Check for doneness by ensuring rice is very soft and grape leaves have cooked to a very tender stage. 

Naan Flatbread (2 ingredients)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
1 1/4 cup+ self-rising flour
Olive oil

NOTE: Other types of unsweetened yogurt can be used, but additional flour may be required to get the dough to the correct texture. Recipe makes eight large flatbreads.

Preparation:
1. Mix flour and yogurt in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment until combined.

2. Knead on medium speed for about three minutes until ball forms. If dough is too watery, gradually add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it becomes more firm. Be sure to use a spatula to regularly get flour off the bottom of the mixing bowl so that it is all incorporated.

3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface.

4. Sprinkle with flour and knead a few times until it forms into a good ball.

5. Divide the ball into eight pieces.

6. Roll each piece into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll each ball out into a thin circle (of sorts) on a floured surface.

7. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

8. Put a scant tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet and make sure it is distributed evenly.

9. Gently lay a circle of dough into the skillet. Cook until it is browned (spotty) on the bottom. It will bubble up in places as it cooks.

10. Gently flip dough with tongs (it should be firm enough to pick up and flip), and brown on the other side.

11. Add oil to skillet between dough cooking as necessary, being careful not to get the pan too oily as to "fry" the bread.

12. Keep warm under a towel or in a warming drawer or low heat oven until ready to serve.

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

2/3 cup bulgur wheat

½ cup boiling water

1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

½ cup olive oil

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 bunches of fresh parsley (4 cups)

1 bunch green onions (2/3 cup)

4 Roma tomatoes (1 ½ cup)

2 Tblsp minced garlic

Preparation:

1.    Put wheat in a bowl. Pour boiling water over it. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir and set aside for 1 hour.

2.    Thoroughly rinse parsley and dry (use a salad spinner for ease).

3.    Line up parsley leaves and chop finely. Only chop the very tender and small parsley stems. Discard lower portions of stems with no leaves. DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR.

4.    De-seed the tomatoes and finely dice.

5.    Finely chop the onion, white bottoms and 2/3 of the green part. Discard the upper portion of the green part.

6.    After an hour, check to make sure wheat is tender. Once tender, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir gently.

7.    Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: Can add finely chopped mint and cucumber, if desired.

Baked Kibbeh

Ingredients:
3 Tblsp cinnamon
4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp marjarom
1/2 tsp cumin
6 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, or 2 Tblsp ghee
1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat (not coarse)
3 cups boiling water
3 lbs lean ground chuck, separated
2 large onions, separated
8 Tblsp Lebanese Spice Mix, separated
1/4 cup pine nuts

        Lebanese Spice Mix will use the following (makes ~8 Tblsp, enough for entire recipe):
        3 Tblsp cinnamon
        4 tsp nutmeg
        1 tsp allspice
        1 tsp marjarom
        1/2 tsp cumin
        4 tsp salt
        2 tsp pepper
        

        Meat base mixture will use the following:
        1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat 
        3 cups boiling water
        2 lbs lean ground chuck
        1 large onion, grated
        6 Tblsp Lebanese Spice Mix
        

        Meat filling mixture will use the following:
        2 Tblsp ghee        

        1/4 cup pine nuts
        1 lb lean ground chuck
        1 onion, chopped

        2 Tblsp Lebanese Spice Mix

Preparation:
1. Grate/chop all onions. Separate and set aside portions for meat base and meat filling.

2. Mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, marjoram, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl to form the Lebanese Spice Mix.

3. Make the ghee, if necessary, by slowly cooking 1/2 stick of unsalted butter until it foams twice and turns a golden color, with brown milk proteins separated out into the bottom. Strain proteins out to yield 2 Tblsp of ghee for the recipe.

4. Put ghee in skillet and heat.

5. Add meat filling ingredients of ground chuck, onion, pine nuts and spices.

6. Chop meat up while cooking, until it is crumbly. Cook until meat is done, then set aside to cool.

7. Set 3 cups water to boil.

8. While water is boiling, put wheat in a large bowl.

9. Cover wheat with boiling water and stir. Cover bowl with a plate and let stand for ten minutes.

10. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

11. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.

12. Put 2 lbs of the ground chuck (meat base) into a food processor, and pulse until it forms a paste.

13. Put pulsed (paste) meat into a large bowl. Add meat base portion of the onion and 6 Tblsp. of the Lebanese Spice Mix.

14. Drain off all water from the wheat, once the ten minutes is up.

15. Add the wheat to the meat paste, onions and spice mix.

16. Using hands, mix meat base mixture ingredients completely, until all wheat, spices and onion are evenly distributed.

17. Take half of meat base mixture and press into baking dish evenly and smoothly.

18. Spread the cooked filling mixture over the bottom layer of meat base mixture.

19. Top filling layer with remaining meat base mixture, smoothing it evenly over the top and pressing down to seal. Wet hands if necessary to achieve a smooth top.

20. Slice kibbeh diagonally, forming diamonds. Be sure to slice all the way through to the bottom of the pan.

21. Bake until loaf is fully cooked, about 35 minutes in a convection oven, 40-45 minutes in a standard oven.