Okay, so I’ve been meaning to expand my cooking skills, and I decided to dive into Lebanese food. I grabbed this cookbook, “Lebanese Cuisine Cookbook,” and figured, why not? Let’s see what happens.
Getting Started
First thing I did was flip through the book. It’s got tons of recipes, from simple dips to, like, these elaborate meat dishes. I decided to start easy, though. No need to get overwhelmed right away.
Hummus Adventure
Hummus seemed like a good starting point. Everyone loves hummus, right? The recipe in the book was pretty straightforward: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. I already had most of that stuff.
- Soak the Chickpeas: First, I had to soak the dried chickpeas overnight. I almost forgot this step, which would have been a disaster.
- Cook them: Then boiled them up until they were super soft. This took a surprisingly long time.
- Blend everything up: After draining the chickpeas, I tossed them into my food processor with the other ingredients. I used a store bought tahini, I will make my own one day.
The book said to blend until it’s “smooth as silk.” Mine was… not quite silk. Maybe more like… chunky velvet? I added a bit more olive oil and lemon juice, and that helped. It tasted pretty good, though! Definitely better than store-bought.
Tabbouleh Time
Next up, I tackled tabbouleh. I’d eaten it before, but never made it. This one was mostly chopping: parsley, mint, tomatoes, onion, and bulgur wheat. The recipe said to use “fine bulgur,” and I only had coarse bulgur. I soaked it for a little bit to help it get softer.
- Chop, chop, chop: My knife skills got a workout. Seriously, so much parsley!
- Mix with dressing: The dressing was simple: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
I mixed everything together, and honestly, it looked pretty good! The colors were vibrant. It tasted fresh and flavorful. Maybe a little too much parsley, but hey, I’m learning.
The Verdict (So Far)
So, my first attempt at Lebanese cooking was a success… mostly. The hummus was a little chunky, but tasty. The tabbouleh was pretty darn good, even with the wrong kind of bulgur. I’m definitely going to try more recipes from this book. Maybe next time I’ll be brave and try one of those meat dishes. Wish me luck!
