The Levantess

Cooking, Shopping, Writing & Styling

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Chicken Maqlouba with Cauliflower

“Heat oil in pot; brown chicken (or beef or lamb), onions, garlic, and spices. Add water to cover and boil…” This is the start of many, many Mediterranean dishes. Once you have the cooked chicken and the richly flavored broth, you can go on create some really good meals, whether soups, stews, or grain-based dishes. I’ve added the tag “start … [Read more…]

Manakeesh – Zaatar Pizzas

One of the tastiest things to eat is warm manakeesh with some hot tea. Trust me on this. Make some nice, strong tea and sweeten generously. Enjoy it with this tangy/savory bread. I tagged this as semi-homemade, because the dough is typically home-made, but when you are short on time, frozen supermarket pizza dough is a good substitute. I … [Read more…]

Black Beans with Potatoes

This is a simple side dish that I like to serve with stews, roasts, tray bakes, or grilled meats. Recently, I made it with the previously posted Chicken Fricassee. If I have a winter squash like butternut, calabaza, or acorn, I like to use that instead of the potatoes. Over rice, this is perfectly hearty enough as a vegetarian meal. Black … [Read more…]

Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee, Puerto Rican or Cuban style, is one of my favorite chicken stews. I like it with rice, red or black beans, and salad. If I have unripe plantains, I also love tostones to complete the meal. You don’t have to allow the extra time to marinate, but I prefer the flavor of the chicken when I have time for that step. When I am making … [Read more…]

Mini Potato Zaatar Egg Muffins

My son is not a big breakfast eater on school days, because it is simply too early for him to get a lot of food in. I do think it is important to try to get some good protein into him before school, so I made these Mini Egg Muffins, which are actually not muffins at all. They are frittatas baked in mini muffin pans. This makes it easy to reheat … [Read more…]

Hummus with Ground Beef

Hummus is a very versatile food. You can have it for breakfast or a snack. You can top it with ground beef, and have a very hearty lunch or dinner. We often have this as part of our weekend brunch. We eat a little later in the morning, and have a good spread of several items to hold us till we eat our second meal which is later in the afternoon … [Read more…]

Pot Roast

This was dinner a few nights ago. I have had family visiting for the past few and I have a few posts in the wings to type up and publish. Pot Roast 4 lb roast 1/2 onion, sliced 4 cloves garlic, smashed slightly with the side of the knife and chopped 1-2 bay leaves 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon … [Read more…]

Butternut Squash Dip – with garlic and yogurt

While hummus is probably the most recognized Mediterranean dip, there are countless items in the mezzeh spread that are meant to be scooped or sopped up with pita or flatbread. This is one of those dips. It can be made with pumpkin or any other winter squash, and the method is the same no matter which type you choose. You want a basic … [Read more…]

Layered Pita Eggplant Salad with Yogurt Dressing

As promised, here is the salad recipe from the previously mentioned small dinner party. This is a lovely salad  where the whole is quite a lot more than the sum of it’s parts.   It brings together the fresh crunchy lettuce, onions, and cucumbers, the warm fried eggplant and potatoes, the crispy bread, and the nutty chickpeas.   It is very … [Read more…]