Family Favorites
From an All-American Family of Lebanese Descent
by
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This book is a collection of recipes on the Art of Lebanese Cuisine and family pleasers. Until recently, our recipes have been handed down by daughter watching mother. This method seems no longer practical, so I am writing these recipes for my family and friends. My way might be the same as others’ or it might be quite different, but this is my way. There is something in Lebanese cooking for everyone; the gourmet, the dieter, the vegetarian, the health food enthusiast. Broaden culinary talent, prepare delicious and distinctive dishes, impress family and friends, and simply enjoy cooking and sharing a meal. Please try these and enjoy, or as they say in Lebanon “Sahtayn” meaning “two health's to you.”
Lamb is not the only meat that Lebanese use to create savory meals. Our family loves chicken. Since it is more economical to feed a family chicken, this book has many delicious and easy chicken recipes too. Try this savory Lebanese spice rub on chicken with traditional rice dressing. Serve with salad or vegetables and one of the wonderful deserts found in this book.
Lebanese Baked Chicken with Rice Dressing
1 whole chicken, 4 - 5 pounds
Spice Rub: Mix the following:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic
½ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. softened butter
Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Smear spice rub all over chicken and under the skin. I use a toothpick to secure the skin where it was loosened. Place in roasting pan. Bake 400 55 - 60 minutes.
While chicken is roasting, prepare Rice Dressing.
3 Tbsp. butter
2 cups uncooked white rice, converted rice works well in Lebanese cooking
¼ pound vermicelli noodles, broken into 1” pieces
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup sweet white onion, chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
4 cups water or chicken broth, hot
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a 5-quart pot over med-high heat. Brown pine nuts first and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onions and celery until transparent set aside. In the same pot, sauté rice and vermicelli until lightly brown. Return pine nuts, onion and celery to pot. Deglaze the pan by adding 2 cups hot water or broth, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Be careful it will steam. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Yield 6 cups
Break cooked chicken into pieces over a platter of Rice Dressing. This is an impressive presentation for company.
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About the Book
While growing up in a large Lebanese-American family, Joyce Brown learned to cook at a very young age and made her first complete meal at the age of eight. In Family Favorites, she shares a collection of time-honored, traditional Lebanese recipes that have been handed down for four generations.
Drawing on her years of experience as a caterer and in the home kitchen, Joyce Brown has perfected her family’s recipes with precise measurements and easy-to-follow steps for preparation. In her collection she includes a wide range of authentic recipes that include such well-known foods as pocket bread, hummus, and tabouli as well as traditional Lebanese foods like kibbi, kusa, rolled grape leaves, and a variety of lamb and chicken dishes. Accompanied by beautiful color illustrations, each recipe includes simple preparation instructions, serving suggestions, helpful tips, and an occasional personal story that allows others a special glimpse inside Brown’s loving family.
Family Favorites shares a collection of Lebanese-American recipes that encourages home cooks to bring back the simple joys of cooking and sharing a meal with loved ones.
About the Author
Joyce Brown created a coconut-lemon cake that won first prize at the county fair when she was just eight. Later, her Dungeness crab enchiladas won a contest sponsored by Sunset Magazine. Since then, she has spent a lifetime perfecting her delicious recipes. For years, Joyce owned a popular catering business and enjoyed a distinguished career with the government. Now retired, she happily devotes all her time to cooking.