Oh so creamy, light, and utterly delicious, this recipe has both Middle Eastern and Thai influences. It may sound like an odd combination, but such combinations are often the ones that surprise us the most. I have always loved the way cucumber works in a soup and butternut squash partners with it divinely here as…
Tag: food photography
Creamy Cucumber and Herb Soup
If you have never tasted cooked cucumber before, this soup may seem a bit odd. But it works beautifully and provides for a silky, smooth, and revitalizing bowl of calm. After being cooked, the taste of cucumber itself is perceived only distantly. You do, however, get the instantly refreshing feel of fresh cucumbers and mint. And it’s…
Kunafa Nabulsi
Kunafa. I could talk about this heavenly dessert for days. If you have yet to savor its goodness, it’s a wet, gooey, hot, and rich pastry made with shredded fillo dough and baked with a stretchy sweet cheese stuffing. As with most Levantine desserts, it’s topped with a generous drizzle of orange blossom syrup. Palestinians…
Roasted Chicken with Pomegranate and Sumac
Happiness is… Chicken roasted in a flavor bursting, tangy, and sweet pomegranate juice reduction with sumac, caramelized onions, and herbs. This dish is close to my heart in so many ways, and full of the flavors of love, sharing, and ultimately, home. I have incorporated various of my favorite traditional Levantine flavors with a modern, tangy, and…
Date and Banana Breakfast Muffins
What do you do with a bunch of over ripened bananas? There are actually various options. Any sweet or bread that you choose to make with bananas is much better off with the flavor, sweetness, and intensity that very ripe bananas provide. I used mine to make a heartwarming batch of date, banana, and wheat…
Purslane, Lentil, and Chickpea Soup
After waking up to another chilly morning, I knew that it was time to stir up a soul-warming super soup. This dish is inspired by the traditional tabikh baqla (purslane stew), that is often eaten throughout Palestine. I thought that if the nourishing green worked well in a stew, then it must be amazing in…
White Chocolate Sahlab
Sahlab is a rich, dreamy, creamy, and flavorful concoction flavored with orange blossom water and cinnamon. And it is perfect for the colder months of year. I must admit, however, that I cannot help but enjoy it year round as it fills me with a nostalgia difficult to explain. It takes me back to my…
Italian Gnocchi and Middle Eastern Meatballs
It is chilly and rainy at the moment and I have never been more tempted to spend the day nestled up in a warm blanket with a large bowl of gnocchi. Perhaps there is something about gloomy autumn weather that makes me nostalgic for Sicilian comfort food in all its richness and splendor. Although, gnocchi is eaten throughout…
