Lebanon is located in the continent of Asia. It has Syria and Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
The capital is Beirut.
The official language is Arabic.
The climate has sharp local contrasts as it is in the Mediterranean climatic region, which extends westward to the Atlantic Ocean. It is generally considered subtropical.
The staple foods are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, flatbread, hummus and much more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_cuisine).
Palestine is located in the continent of Asia. It has Lebanon to the north, Jordan to the east, Gulf of Aqaba to the south, Egypt to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
The capital is Jerusalem (limited recognition), or Ramallah (de facto).
The official language is Arabic.
The climate is located more in the subtropical part of the Mediterranean region on the edge of the desert.
The staple foods are lentils, taboon bread, rice, meat, fish, and so much more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_cuisine).
https://www.britannica.com/place/Lebanon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine
LEBANESE CHICKEN AND RICE (https://www.carolinescooking.com/lebanese-chicken-and-rice/):
For nut topping
- ¼ cup slivered almonds or can use halved blanched almonds
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 3 tablespoon cashews
- 1 tablespoon olive oil approx.
- Warm the oil in a small skillet/frying pan over a medium head and add the nuts, one kind at a time (since they can take different times to cook). Keep a close eye on them as they cook and turn occasionally so that they cook on each side. The nuts can take around 1 – 4 minutes depending on the kind and size. Once the nuts are brown but not burnt, remove from the skillet, draining excess oil, then transfer to kitchen paper to remove any more oil.
- Add the next kind of nut to the oil and repeat until all are toasted. If you don’t seem to have enough oil as you add the second or third kind of nut, add a little more. These can be made a day or two ahead and stored at room temperature
For chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast or can use boneless thighs (see notes)
- ⅛ onion
- 2 stems parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- If using fresh chicken, place in a pot and add the onion, parsley and bay leaf. Add water so that the chicken is covered by a good 1in/2-3cm, cover then place on a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly to simmer/low boil and cook for around 10 minutes, testing now and then, until the chicken is cooked through (if using an instant-read thermometer, you are looking for around 165F/74C in thickest part). Remove from cooking water.
If cooking as you are about to eat, start cooking the meat and rice as the chicken is poaching and then keep chicken warm and shred before serving. If you make it ahead, let cool then refrigerate to store a day or two.
For rice base
- ½ onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ lb ground beef or lamb beef or lamb mince
- 2 teaspoon Lebanese seven spice (baharat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 ¼ cups long grain rice eg basmati
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Dice the onion into a relatively small dice.
- Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or other relatively large pot with a lid over a medium heat then add the onion. Cook for a few minutes to soften the onion.
- Once the onion is translucent but not browning, add the ground beef/lamb. Cook the meat, turning and breaking up the chunks regularly.
- Once the meat has browned, add the Lebanese seven spice, salt and pepper and stir to mix through. Add the rice and butter and mix both through the meat so that the butter melts and the rice becomes well coated.
- Add the stock to the meat and rice mixture, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers rather than boils and leave to cook, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Serve the meat and rice mixture topped with the chicken and then some of each of the toasted nuts. You can either place all on one platter to serve from or layer up each on individual plates (a platter is more typical). Great served with salad on the side.
This was a fantastic dish!! I used ground beef instead of lamb since lamb is a little harder to get here. The nuts added so much as well!!!
PALESTINIAN KNAFEH (https://palestineinadish.com/recipes/palestinian-knafeh-recipe/):
- ½ pound of Kataifi (8 OZ) (half of the bag)
- 1 pound of cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter or ghee
- ¼ crushed pistachios
- 1 cup sugar syrup
- Take out the frozen kataifi dough and let it thaw for 2-3 hours before using.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Shred the cheese or cut it into small pieces.
- Shred the kataifi dough by placing it in a food processor or with a knife.
- Once shredded, place kataifi dough in a bowl and pour over melted butter and coloring (optional). Using your hands, massage the butter into the dough making sure everything is well integrated.
- Grease the bottom of the pan with some butter. Use a 9-inch pan. If using the entire kataifi bag use a 18-inch pan.
- Spread the majority of the dough, leaving about ¼ for the top.
- Add shredded cheese on top, and press well either by the palm of your hand or with the bottom of a glass.
- Take the remaining kataifi dough spread it over the cheese, and press well again either by hand or with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are deeply golden and crispy and the cheese is melted, you can check the cheese with a fork.
- Take it out of the oven, with care flip it into another (same size or slightly larger) platter, then immediately drizzle the knafeh with about ½-3/4 of the warm sugar syrup, ensuring you cover the full surface. Reserve the remaining syrup to the side for anyone who wants extra.
- Sprinkle crushed pistachios on top.
- Cut into pieces and serve hot.
This was also a surprise for me in that the dish is do good!!! A must try!!
