Pressed Yogurt (Lebana)

Lebana is sometimes characterized as soft white cheese or cream cheese, but in fact, it's not really cheese at all. It's pressed yogurt that's used as spread in sandwiches or just as a dip with some pita. The word lebana stems from the word leban, which literally means yogurt.

Lebana would always be in our fridge growing up, to enjoy on Saturday mornings with the traditional spread of hummus,fool,hard boiled eggs, feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and of course, pita bread!

• 750g (1 tub) of Balkan yogurt, 3% works best
• pinch of salt
• cheese cloth

For serving:

• extra virgin olive oil
  
• red pepper sauce

Stir the salt into the tub of yogurt. Place the cheese cloth into a colander and empty the yogurt into it. Put a catch plate underneath it to capture all the liquid. You may have to drain the plate 3-4 times over the course of the straining cycle. Let it drain for about 2 days in the refrigerator until the consistency is thick, similar to that of peanut butter. You'll Once complete, empty the lebana into a container and store in the fridge. It should last for about 8 days.

When ready to serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and some spicy red pepper sauce.

Chickpea Dip (Hummus)

• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp tahina (sesame seed paste)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• fresh juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 garlic clove mashed
• sprinkle of salt

1. Blend everything together in a food processor.
2. If consistency is too dry, add more olive oil or a spoon of water.

To serve, spread hummus on a large flat plate and garnish with: cumin, paprika, zatar, parsley, and some whole chick peas. Drizzle with olive oil and eat with pita.

Tip: To mash garlic you can use a mortar and pestle, or a plastic bag and bottle. Sprinkle some salt on the garlic before mashing it, as this will make it easier to handle.

Taboula (aka Tabouli)

This is a great summer salad that works very well with kofta or other grilled meats, or you can simply eat it as an appetizer with any meal.

• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1/3 cup of dried Bulgar wheat
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 spring onions
• 5-7 stems of fresh mint (optional)
• Salt
  

In the bottom of a medium sized covered bowl or dish, mix the Bulgar, oil, salt and lemon juice. Finely dice the tomatoes and layer on top of the Bulgar mixture. Do not mix. Then finely chop the parsley and layer on top of the tomatoes. Up to this point, the taboula can be made ahead and stay in you fridge covered up to 3 days. Otherwise, if you're planning on eating it right away, let it sit for a minimum of 1 hour or until the Bulgar absorbs all of the juices from the oil, lemon and tomatoes. Once ready to serve, finely chop the spring onions and mint then mix with the taboula preparation above.

Enjoy!

Baked Fava Beans (Fool or Fül)

This is a staple in middle eastern breakfast foods. This is my dad's particular favourite!

1 can of whole fava beans
1 clove of garlic, mashed
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp water
2 tomatoes, diced
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pita bread
salt to taste

Strain the can of fava beans and rinse well. On medium heat, bring the beans to a boil with as little water , add the smashed garlic, salt, and lemon juice. Mash everything together and add more water if necessary. Add the tomato and serve into bowls. Drizzle each bowl generously with (at least!) a tablespoon of olive oil. Eat with pita bread as you would a dip or hummus.

Serves 3-4.