New Tooth Dessert (سنونيه)

Hello everybody.

Today’s dessert is a very old traditional one that’s usually done when a baby’s first tooth appears and since my adorable nephew’s new tiny one appeared I made some and distributed a dish to neighbors and friends as the custom says.

Don’t really know why or who’s behind this tradition,guess it’s Lebanese.Main ingredient is pealed wheat soaked and cooked well till tender then you add sugar,spices and nuts for decoration.

Some people make this dish during Winter time after Christmas in a specific day or celebration called Saint Barbara .

Ingredients and method:

* 1 kg of pealed wheat ( قمح مقشور).

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

* 1 cup raisins.

* 1 tablespoon ground anise.

* 1 tsp ground fennel (optional)

* coconut,sweetened anise seed,candy and nuts (for decorating the top)

* boil the wheat either in a pressure cooker or regular pan till done and water is little and thick.

* add cinnamon,anise,sugar and raisins and leave to boil for another 20-30 minutes on very low heat till all mixture is syrupy and thick.

* pour in small or big dishes as you prefer and garnish with coconuts,candied anise ( قمبز) or any kind of candy or nuts.

Barbara Sweet ( حلوى البرباره).

Hello everybody.

Today I made this kind of sweet usually done by Christians in the Levant region on the 5th of December celebrating Saint Barbara feast which is a traditional holy event.

Learned how to do this sweet from our lovely Lebanese neighbor long time ago,she used to make a big dish to each house in the neighborhood may God rest her loving soul. Mom continued to make it throughout the years and I’ve been doing it also,I guess in the memory of the good old days in Jabal Al-Hussein.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 kg of pealed wheat ( قمح مقشور).

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

* 1 cup raisins.

* 1 tablespoon ground anise.

* 1 tsp ground fennel (optional)

* coconut,sweetened anise seed,candy and nuts (for decorating the top)

* boil the wheat either in a pressure cooker or regular pan till done and water is little and thick.

* add cinnamon,anise,sugar and raisins and leave to boil for another 20-30 minutes on very low heat till all mixture is syrupy and thick.

* pour in small or big dishes as you prefer and garnish with coconuts,candied anise ( قمبز) or any kind of candy or nuts.

Serve hot in this cold weather, yummy yummy.

Freekeh with Chicken. ( فريكه )

Hello everybody.
As I mentioned earlier today we’re having a big lunch, friends and relatives coming.

My mother in law made freekeh with chicken among other things.
Freekeh is a roasted green wheat, meaning wheat is harvested when still green and roasted outdoors on a big fire. Very healthy and nutritious. I even saw an old episode of Dr. Phill today by coincidence advising people to eat it cause of its many benefits.
Freekeh is mainly done with roasted chicken on top and cooked with the chicken broth.served with salad or yoghurt.
Quantities depends upon how many people you’re serving.

Ingredients and method:
* chicken cut to big pieces ( with bones)
* 3 cups freekeh.
* seasoning for making chicken broth : salt, pepper, all spice, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and onions.
* ghee or margarine.
* roasted almonds and pine nuts for decorating.

* Make chicken broth by cleaning chicken very well, sautee them till excess water is dry ,add all seasoning and water then leave to boil till done.

You can do this only with the wings, back and neck of chicken then discard them and use broth.
* As for breasts and thighs, rub them well with salt , pepper and olive oil and put them over a bed of coarsely chopped onions in a big oven tray. Cover with foil paper and cook them in the oven for 1 1/2-2 hours.then roast till golden.
* wash freekeh very well,make sure you look through it before cause usually you might find some small stones or dirt specially if bought directly from farms.
* saute them with ghee then add to each cup of freekeh 1 1/2 cup of broth.
* you may add some salt according to your liking.
* leave to cook on high heat till it absorbs most of broth.
* lower heat to minimum and leave covered to cook slowly for 1 hour or a bit more till it’s done.
* serve in big wide plate with roasted chicken, almonds and pine nuts on top.

Yummy yummy :).

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

wheat

New Tooth Dessert (سنونيه)

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Barbara Sweet ( حلوى البرباره).

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Freekeh with Chicken. ( فريكه )

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