Recipe: Lebanese Beef and Potato Stew

This is an authentic Lebanese recipe that will hit the spot if you're in the mood for something stew-y and warm. This stew can be eaten on its own or in true Lebanese style, with pita bread. This recipe calls for allspice and cinnamon, which adds a nice subtle spicy taste.

Beware of the imitation allspice that is sold in some grocery stores. The real stuff is a dried unripe fruit from the Pimenta dioica tree native to Mexico and Central America, and not a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

The name allspice was coined in the 17th century because the taste resembled the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

This recipe yields 4-6 large servings.

Lebanese Beef and Potato Stew
- 1 large onion, diced
- 0.5kg ground beef
- 5 small potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
- 4 Chinese eggplants, peeled and cut in quarters
- 2 hot house tomatoes, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup of basmati rice
- 3 Tbsp of tomato paste
- 4 cups of water
- 1/8 - 1/4 tsp all spice (depends on your taste)
- 2 large pinches of cinnamon
- salt + pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let it sit until it starts to release water. Approx 5-15 minutes. Pat the eggplant dry with a paper towel. This gets rid of the bitter taste in the eggplant. In an oiled pan, pan fry the eggplant until soft.

2. In an oiled casserole pot, saute the onions until translucent (approx 3 minutes). Add the ground beef and saute until the beef is 3/4 of the way cooked.  Add the potatoes and carrots and saute for another 3-5 minutes to blend the flavors.

3. Add water, tomato paste, tomatoes, all spice, cinnamon, salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rice stir well and then lay the eggplant softly into the stew. Simmer for another 25 minutes. Once the eggplant is added, do not stir the pot too much as it will break the eggplant.

4. If you find the stew is not watery enough, add more water. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot with bread or rice.

Read More

Persian Yellow Plum Stew (Khoresh Aloo)

This dish is one of my favorite Persian dishes, and is best enjoyed in the summer time. It is a stew made of fresh herbs and yellow plums, all of which taste the best in the summer months.

Persians love their food sour, which is why I call for semi-ripe plums and why I don't have an exact measurement in the recipe. If you prefer your food sweeter, I would suggest either using ripe plums or more sugar. For me, 2 Tablespoons of sugar was good enough.

Yellow plums are typically harvested June - Sept, and are about the size of golf balls. They are very sour when unripe, but very sweet with a honey like taste when ripe.

This stew calls for A LOT of fresh herbs. Our local grocery store sells Italian parsley for cheap but that's not always the case depending on where you live. Alternatively, you can grow your own herbs, which is very easy to do.

Mint grows like weeds in our garden, so I make a lot of dishes that incorporate mint in the summer time. I'll even stuff them in my sandwiches just because I can!

This recipe yields 4-6 servings.

Persian Yellow Plum Stew (Khoresh Aloo)
- 25 semi-ripe yellow plums
- 3/4 lbs stewing beef or good quality steak cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 8 cups of fresh Italian parsley, loosely packed and finely chopped
- 3 cups of fresh mint , loosely packed and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- salt
- pepper
- 2-4 Tbsp sugar

Method
1. In a lightly oiled pot, saute the onions until translucent. Add in the beef, turmeric and few shakes of salt and pepper, and saute until the beef is 3/4 of the way cooked.

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add in the water, Italian parsley, mint, 1/4 tsp of salt, and simmer for 60 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally. Add in the plums and simmer until the plums have cooked and have fallen off the pit (approx 10 minutes). Remove the pits, add sugar, and stir gently. Serve hot with basmati rice.

I say to gently stir at the end because Persians like to see chunks of plum in their stew. CK and I like it more on the mushy side, so I probably stirred a bit more than I should have.

This is definitely is not a typical stew, and you need to develop an acquired taste for it. But honestly, get past the fact that you are eating plums for dinner, and embrace it! As I said, it is one of my favorite Persian dishes.

Read More

Celery Stew (Khoresh Karafs)

I've realized that most Persian food is not photogenic. It is unfortunate because it is one of my favorite cuisines. I wish it were easier to translate the spectacular tastes found in Persian cuisine into a visually appealing photograph.

I never really understood slow cooking until I learned how to make Persian food...patience is key, my friends. Persian cuisine comprises of a lot of khoresh's, or stews. Their stews are different from what you would normally see because most are herb or fruit based.

This celery stew is an example of an herb based khoresh. Because the herbs are cooked for a really long time, they don't have an overwhelming taste. The strongest flavors in this particular stew are the celery and the lime. This stew is best eaten with basmati rice.

The following recipe yields 4 servings.

Celery Stew (Khoresh Karafs)
- 4 cups of parsley, finely chopped and tightly packed
- 3/4 lbs of stewing beef, cut in pieces
- 1 medium onion , finely chopped
- 8-10 celery stalks, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1/2 of a lime, juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. In a lightly oiled pot, sautee the onions until translucent. Add in the beef, turmeric and some salt, and sautee until the beef is 3/4 of the way cooked.

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add in the water, parsley, and dried mint and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally. Add in the celery and simmer for another 45 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally.

3. Turn the heat off. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in the lime juice. Stir well and serve.
Persians love their food sour. If you want, you can add rhubarb in addition to the celery for a more sour taste. I've never tried cooking it like that myself, but a friend did and it was awesome.

Read More

Ginger Scallion Beef Tripe

Ginger scallion beef tripe is one of my favorite dim sum dishes. It usually comes in a small dish, and I find it is never enough. I love making tripe at home because I can make and eat as much as I want. I buy beef tripe from a Chinese butcher, and it is important to find tripe that is cleaned well by the butcher. I usually judge it by its color: the whiter the better. In Ottawa, I get my beef tripe from 168 Market.

Beef tripe is the stomach lining of a cow, and is a general term in the sense that it can be from any one of the three stomach compartments. In dim sum, the omasum is used, which is the third compartment of the stomach.

The Chinese believe that good food does not need to be masked with strong sauces. Hence, the sauce for this dish is very mild in flavor, and is enhanced ever so slightly using ginger, garlic, and scallions.

This is one of those dishes where the texture is just as important as the taste. Good tripe should be tender, yet crunchy at the same time. The biggest challenge for most people is getting past the thin, bumpy textured sheets that dangle from the base of the tripe.

This recipe makes 4 servings.
Ginger Scallion Beef Tripe
- 1/2 kg beef tripe
- 1 piece of ginger (approx 2 inches x 1 inch in size)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (depends on taste)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 scallions

Method1. Bring a pot of water to a boil (use enough water to fully immerse the beef tripe). Quickly rinse the beef tripe under cold water, and boil the entire piece of beef tripe in the pot of boiling water for 20 minutes.

2. Drain the water, and run the beef tripe under cold water for a few seconds. Cut the beef tripe in 1/2 inch slices, and set aside in a bowl.

3. Allow the tripe to completely cool and dry. I usually like to cook this over 2 days. I boil the tripe in the evening, and then once it is cooled, I cover it with plastic wrap and throw it in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it the next day. It is best to stir fry the tripe when it is dry.

4. When ready to stir fry the beef tripe, cut the scallions and ginger into matchstick size pieces. Heat oil and garlic in a pan on maximum heat. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Throw in the beef tripe, ginger, salt, sugar and stir fry for about 3-5 minutes. The beef tripe will release water which will form the sauce.

5. Add in the scallions, and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a dish and serve.

Remember that the texture of the beef tripe should be tender but crunchy at the same time. If you find the sauce too mild, you can always boil the beef tripe in beef or chicken stock.

Read More

Mini Red Curry Veal Patties

I had some left over Thai red curry paste, and wanted to use it up. As a result, dinner tonight was mini red curry veal patties. They turned out to be really tasty, and the meat had a real zip from the curry paste. There are many different types of Thai curry pastes. The most popular are red, yellow, and green. I prefer red curry over the others mainly because it has a tangier taste (from the kaffir lime leaves). When cooking with Thai curries, the type of curry you use should depend on what you want to make. I'm still experimenting but I really like to use yellow curry with chicken and potatoes, and I find green curry goes great with eggplants, especially tomato eggplants.

When making any type of burger meat, I like to throw in julienned zucchini. Not only do you get more nutrients from the added veggie, but it also adds moisture. This is especially helpful when using lean meat because it doesn't end up tasting so dry.

I had just bought some fresh honey from a local bee keep, so I ended dipping these mini patties straight into honey. It tasted great. The rest of my family preferred a sweet chili sauce over the honey, but really, you can use any sauce you like.

This recipe makes about 16 mini patties

Mini Red Curry Veal Patties

- 0.5 kg lean grain fed veal

- 3 tsp red curry paste

- 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce

- 2 small bunches of green onions

- 6-7 Tbsp of coriander, chopped

- 1 small zucchini, julienned

- salt and pepper to taste

- honey to brush on top of patties

Method

1.) Combine the meat, curry paste, fish sauce, green onions, coriander, zucchini, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix until everything is distributed evenly

2.) Use your hands to roll the meat into mini patties that are about 1/2 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches in diameter

3.) Line a baking tray with tin foil, and place the meat patties on the baking tray. The patties should be about an inch apart from each other

4.) Brush a little bit of honey on each of the patties (face up side only)

5.) Bake at 350° F for 8 - 10 minutes

6.) Remove the patties from the oven

7.) Heat a frying pan with a little bit of oil on medium to high heat, and pan fry the patties until it is fully cooked (3 - 5 minutes)

8.) When the meat is fully cooked, serve it with a dipping sauce of your choice

I like to bake the patties before pan frying so that they are less greasy. Note: the patties will brown very easily from the honey.

Read More