tomato sauce a la gaga

I mentioned this in my previous post but figured it deserved its own explanation (along with a full recipe): Lady Gaga’s tomato sauce – as explained in a recent Vanity Fair piece by Lisa Robinson. The description in the article was rather brief, so think of this as an inspired reconstruction…

leeks & tomatoes & glamour

the world (writ large) as dinner party

Normally I stick to a ratio of one recipe per blog post, but looking through the photos of a recent dinner party I thought I might create a post about the series of recipes I put together for the occasion.

let us just say that none of my pots, pans or dishes felt lonely that night

This is in part because I think it was a nice sequence of dishes that came together and partially, I must admit, because I am not sure there was a single dish that I actually photographed from start to finish (my apartment was such a mess that I had to clean while cooking, so the camera was a bit of an afterthought this time round). So I’ll just have to present the meal as a whole and charge you to use your imagination.

For the details (including a few recipes) about a six-course trip around the world (yes I realize this makes me sound like a latter-day Betty Draper. No apologies) featuring tidbits like eggplant bruschetta, a hot & cold soup course, reimagined manicotti, couscous served in acorn squash and a dessert salad (among other things), read on…

arugula & thyme salad

the players.

Second in the series from Shahiya’s 101 Lebanese Recipes app (see the first one here): a lovely zesty salad (this one is for Angelique: sorry it has taken me so long to post this!) that fits nicely anywhere in your meal. It’s light enough to be a starter but so refreshing that it actually is a nice little palate-cleanser at the end of a meal, too.

arugula-gugulama

My version is significantly adapted from the original, so if you’re looking for authentic Lebanese salatet rocca w zaatar, head to Shahiya. Otherwise, read on…

shorbet eama: tomato soup with meatballs (lebanese style)

Indian summer is winding to a close in DC. The days are beautiful but there’s a nip in the night air, and a tomato soup with meatballs is the perfect thing at the end of the day. This recipe from Lebanon is the perfect solution – adapted from a recipe from Shahiya.com, a great recipe site for all foods Middle Eastern. It’s featured on their Cook Lebanese: 101 Recipes app (get it here).

Full disclosure: I was given a copy of said app to review. There is a free version, however, with a little over a dozen recipes available, in addition to the $3 version with the full 101 recipes. Either way it is nice to have a set of great, portable, always-with-you Lebanese classics…the app version of these being especially handy in a small kitchen or while you’re in the store trying to figure out what ingredients to buy for dinner. Shahiya itself is even better – a great one-stop shop for recipes from Iran to North Africa.

But I digress…

warm, comfort, spice

eating lebanese in tangiers

a taste of lubnan on the western shores of the mediterranean

Restaurant Ali Baba

Located right on the water, with a front open for sea views or great people watching, the Moroccan-Lebanese-1,001 nights-decor of this Lebanese-style restaurant reflects its diverse menu offerings, which range from the full parade of Lebanese mezze (the more people share, the better the deal) to Italian style pizzas to traditional Moroccan dishes. The wait staff is friendly and the coffee is excellent. It’s not Lubnan but it’s a passable substitute for anyone craving hummus, baba ghanouche, or some really delicious kefta. And they are happy to box up leftovers for later!

Restaurant Ali Baba
+212 539 321 294
Avenue Mohamed VI No. A36, Tangiers

kibbe, just a small part of the mezze cavalcade

For a slideshow of more Ali Baba photos click here.