Kosher Cuisine Show #19 – Lebanon. This is the original script for the show. Some of the non-essential text may have been edited out of the final version that aired on Lexington Community Radio due to time constraints. Also, some off-the-cuff comments may not appear in this script.  This script appears in its entirety in both 19a and 19b Bandcamp versions for continuity.

First Segment

Hava Nagila Music Intro [35 seconds then fade…]

Hello, everyone! This is Leah Kiser and you’re listening to Kosher Cuisine. This is a show about food safety, international kosher recipes and amazing music from areas around the world.

Today we’re going to have a look at Lebanon.

Following the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Rome in 132 CE, several Jewish communities were established in Lebanon. Around the year 660 a Jewish community was established in Tripoli. Another was founded in 922 in Sidon. The Jewish Academy was established in Tyre in 1071. In the 19th century, hostility between the Druze and Maronite communities led many Jews to leave Deir al Qamar, with most moving to Hasbaya by the end of the century.

Articles 9 and 10 of the 1926 Constitution of Lebanon guaranteed the freedom of religion and provided each religious community, including the Jewish community, the right to manage its own civil matters, including education, and thus the Jewish community was constitutionally protected, a fact that did not apply to other Jewish communities in the region. The Jewish community prospered under the French mandate and Greater Lebanon, exerting considerable influence throughout Lebanon and beyond. However, the Jewish community was one of the smaller communities in the country, and hence it was not entitled for a guaranteed representation in the Parliament. Being excluded from Lebanese political life, the Jewish leadership aspired to improve the community's public standing by consolidating and improving the community as a whole. Overall, the French mandate period was characterized by growth, development, and stability.

After the 1929 riots in Jerusalem, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was expelled and he chose to settle in Lebanon, where he continued inflammatory rhetoric against the British Mandate and against Jews. During the riots, some Muslim nationalists and editors of a major Greek-Orthodox newspaper (both of whom saw the fate of the emerging Lebanese state as one within a broader Arab context) sought to incite the disturbances in Lebanon. It also seemed to have an effect on the cryptic response given by the Interior Minister when, on behalf of the Jewish community, requests were made that they receive a seat in the newly expanded Lebanese Parliament. Of course, that was never permitted.

Outside of the capitol Beirut, the attitudes toward Jews were usually more hostile. In November 1945, there were anti-Jewish riots in Tripoli. Further anti-Jewish events occurred in 1948 following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The ongoing insecurity combined with the greater opportunities that Beirut offered prompted most of the remaining Jews of Tripoli to relocate to Beirut.

But the main synagogue in Beirut was bombed in the early 1950s. And the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies witnessed heated debates on the status of Lebanese Jewish army officers. The discussions culminated in a unanimous resolution to expel them and exclude Jews from the Lebanese Army. Jewish army officers were discharged, but a few Jews continued to work for the government in other capacities. Yet, unlike Jewish communities in many other Arab states, the Jewish communities in Lebanon grew after 1948 and it was not until the civil war of 1975 that the community started to emigrate to Israel.

This “Lebanese difference” derives from three components: one, more positive Lebanese relationships with European colonizers during the French Mandate than was experienced by other Arab states; two, Lebanese Jews never became overtly interested in Zionism, making the issue of Zionism less prominent in Lebanon; and third, the Maronite Christian community within Lebanon, which allowed for a positive cultivation of a relationship with Zionism. Nevertheless, Jews were targeted in the later years of the civil war.

Now, the Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted affair, lasting from 1975 to 1990 and resulting in an estimated 250,000 fatalities. As of 2012, approximately 76,000 people still remain displaced within Lebanon. There was also an exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon as a result of the war. Before the war, Lebanon was multi-sectarian – some would say modern and cosmopolitan - country, with Sunni Muslims and Christians being the majorities on the coastal cities, Shia Muslims being mainly based in the south and the Beqaa to the east, with the mountain populations being in their majority Druze and Christian.

Fighting between Maronites and the Palestine Liberation Organization began in 1975. Then Leftist, pan-Arabist and Muslim Lebanese groups formed an alliance with the PLO. During the course of the fighting, alliances shifted rapidly and unpredictably. Furthermore, foreign powers became involved in the war and fought alongside different Lebanese factions. UN Peace keeping forces were also stationed in Lebanon.

In January 1989, a committee appointed by the Arab League began to formulate solutions to the conflict. In March 1991, parliament passed an amnesty law that pardoned all political crimes prior to its enactment. In May 1991, the militias were dissolved, with the exception of Hezbollah, while the Lebanese Armed Forces began to slowly rebuild as Lebanon's only major non-sectarian institution. However, religious tensions between Sunnis and Shias remained after the war. The post-war occupation of the country by Syria was particularly politically disadvantageous to the Maronite population, as most of their leadership was driven into exile, or had been assassinated or jailed. Lebanon still bears deep scars from the civil war. Hezbollah continues to be an active agent of military aggression – the warlords still believe that violence can give them victory over those who don’t share their particular interpretation of their faith.

But Lebanon is a beautiful country, noted from Biblical times for the scenic natural terrain. And the people of Lebanon have an ancient culture that has produced marvelous works of music, art, and architecture. The music we’ll hear today is from a CD called “Instrumental Music from Lebanon” by Andre Hajj & Ensemble. Traditional instruments are used throughout. Enjoy!

[Track 12 - Zarkafand ]

Second Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine!

Mizrahi recipes – that is, those developed by Jews who never left the immediate area of the middle east – are very similar to Sephardi cooking in many respects. Spices and seasonings are featured in every dish. Lebanese cuisine has some unique aspects, such as a locally made tamarind sauce that the author of one cookbook I consulted described as “much too sickly sweet and not at all good for cooking,” and I’m thinking, really? You’re kidding, there’s no such thing. Of course, I have a pretty big sweet tooth – so you can take that with a grain of salt. Back in the day Lebanon was the place from which caravans of goods from the far east and the middle east shipped their wares to Europe. As a port on the caravan routes, Lebanon had a wide variety of spices and exotic ingredients available to their cuisine.

One ingredient not commonly used here in the US is a spice called “sumac.” It you’re thinking of poison sumac, a brushy weed in the southern states that causes rashes like poison ivy, that’s not it. The plant we’re looking for today is a related, but not poisonous, flowering subtropical plant. If you leave it alone, it can grow into a tree, but most people keep theirs trimmed and harvest the fruits. You grind the dried fruits into a reddish-purple powder. This spice is versatile and tastes a bit like lemon.

Our first recipe today is a Lebanese variation on Kofta Meshweya. Since spring is nearly here, a recipe for the grill seemed like a nice choice. This would be for a meat meal, of course. Use clean meat cutting boards, knives, and bowls to prepare the patties for grilling.

You will need:

2 lbs total of ground meat, some combination of ground beef and/or ground lamb. You don’t want the extra lean ground meat – you need some fat content for this recipe to work well.

2 medium onions, grated or very finely chopped

1 bunch of flat leafed parsley, de-stemmed and finely chopped. Remember, de-stemming means pulling off or cutting off the leaves and using them alone, not any stems. The stems can be composted, or incorporated into another dish. For today, we don’t need them. Make sure you rinse the parsley in a food prep sink or a clean dedicated parve bin.

And finally, you will need four pitas, cut in half to make 8 pieces, and an assortment of cut vegetables to help stuff the pitas, such as salad or hummus, or both! You may also want to have rice or lentils with this dish.

OK, measure out into small bowls, cups, or plastic containers the spices you will need.

First, salt and pepper, to taste. I would say a teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper.

Next, you will need sumac powder. This is going to give the patties a sort of lemon-parsley effect, and I would put at least a full teaspoon the first time you make this. A tablespoon if you like.

Now, mix your meat with all the spices and herbs in a large meat bowl. When everything is combined thoroughly, divide the lump into 8 equal sections. Form these sections into patties, like the shape of a burger. Alternately, you can shape them into long tube shapes like frankfurters and use a kebab skewer to grill them.

Either way, let them sit for about an hour so that the spices can impart their flavor to the meat. You can then either grill them or broil them. If you’re going to grill them, a charcoal grill is preferred. You’ll want to oil the grate and grill the kofta about 4 inches from the fire, very hot, for about 5 minutes and then turn them over. Grill the other side about the same amount of time, or until desired doneness. If you’re broiling them, they may take a bit more time.

Remember, eating undercooked ground beef is not really a good idea. It can make you sick. Ground beef in particular is a common source of food poisoning here in the United States, so you really should strive not to have any pink left in the middle of your koftas. I do realize that is heresy for some people, but just keep in mind how unsanitary American food processing is when you’re making traditional recipes from elsewhere.

When the koftas are done grilling or broiling, stuff the pita halves loosely with the salad or vegetables you have chosen, and place the koftas into the pita with them.

One thing you might want to serve with or in your kofta pitas is called Torshi Left, and if you have eaten at a middle eastern restaurant you have probably seen them. They are the little strips of turnips pickled in beet juice.

You will need:

2 lbs of small turnips, peeled, then cut into thin slices
1 beet, peeled and cut into thin slices
3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
3 and ½ cups of filtered water

Optionally, you can include a few small leafy celery stalks.

You will need at least one glass jar and a lid for it, which have been washed thoroughly.

And measure out:
3-4 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
And 2 and ½ tablespoons of salt.

Take your turnip slices and pack them interspersed with the beets, the garlic, and the optional celery into the large glass jar.

In a parve saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Pour the boiling mixture into the jar. Shake the jar a bit so any air bubbles hanging around the vegetables will be dislodged. Let the jar cool completely, then put the lid on. Ideally, these should sit for 10 days to age. At that point, refrigerate them and eat them within 6 weeks of opening the jar. Most people, though, don’t let them mellow that long, because they like them more crisp or are just impatient.

Optionally, you can process the jar in a boiling water bath to seal the jar. Follow the directions in your canning manual for making pickles if you want to do this, but be advised the turnips will not be crisp this way.

These are often served as part of a mezze platter or as garnishes for various middle eastern dishes. Or, as we see today, they can be included in pitas with koftas or with falafels. Yummy!

While you’re waiting for your Torshi Left to pickle, enjoy some more music with traditional instruments from the Instrumental Music from Lebanon CD.

[Track 8 – Shwayyet Hobb (Some Love), Track 10 – Raheel (Departure) ]

Third Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine!

Kibbeh Mashiyeh is the national dish of Lebanon. I was said that you could not get married if you didn’t know how to make them. Leg of lamb is the preferred meat for the shell, the outer layer. Kibbeh are a matter of skill – making a paste of the perfect consistency so that the shell will not fall apart, to hollow out the shell without breaking it, and then flavoring the meat filling so that the taste is exquisite. No small feat!

If you are gluten free, you can substitute rice for the traditional bulgar wheat. I have not tried quinoa, mostly because the strong flavor probably wouldn’t work – but that could be just my opinion. Feel free to try it.

OK, to make the outer shell, you will need:

1 and ¼ cups of fine cracked bulgar wheat
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 pound of lean, tender lamb

And measure out 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.

Soak the cracked wheat in cold salted filtered water for about 10 minutes, then rinse it in a sieve under cold running water and drain. Preferably rinse it with filtered water. Now, squeeze out the excess water.

Puree the onion to a paste in a food processor, or mince finely and crush to make a paste the old fashioned way.

Cut the meat into pieces and add it to the onion puree with the salt and pepper, and process until a soft paste is formed. Alternately, mince the meat finely and crush together with the onion and seasonings.

Take the meat paste and mix it with the cracked wheat. You can use the food processor. In two batches, blend them together into a soft, smooth dough-like paste. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of cold filtered water if the mixture seems too dry, but it should be a firm dough-like consistency.

Place it in the refrigerator to cool, covered. This will make it less sticky and easier to work.

Meanwhile, mix the filling. You will need:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ lb of lean ground beef
And 1/3 cup of pine nuts

Measure out:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ teaspoon of allspice
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
A dash of salt and a dash of pepper

You will also need some vegetable oil for frying the Kibbeh.

So, to make the filling, sauté the onion in the oil until it is soft. Add the meat and stir, mashing it with a fork, until it changes color. Add the spices and the pine nuts. Set aside to cool.

Now, the hard part. To shape and stuff the Kibbeh, have a bowl of cool water handy so you can dip your hands into it. Take a lump of the paste for the outer shell, about the size of an egg. Hold it in one hand, then take your finger and carefully make a hole in the middle. Gently enlarge the hole, and shape the outer shell into a hollow, tapered oval with thin walls. Do this by rotating your finger and gently pressing your other hand. If you tear it you can repair it with a dip of water. Keep your hands damp so nothing sticks to your hand or fingers.

Next, fill the shell with about 1 tablespoon or so of the filling mixture. Wet the open rim and pinch it closed, tapering the end. You can put the completed kibbeh in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them that evening if you are preparing these earlier in the day.

When they’re all ready, you will want to deep fry them. You can do this in an actual deep fryer or you can use the deep skillet method, turning them over once. Let them fry until they are golden brown on all sides. Drain them on towels and serve them hot.

Side dishes might include rice, potatoes, or lentils. Another option is a dish called Yakhnat al-Khudra, a Lebanese mixed vegetable stew.

You will need:

2 cups of olive oil
2 zucchini, ends trimmed off, cut in half and then into half moon slices
2 green bell peppers, seeded, then cut into 1 ½ inch squares
1 cup of small okra, washed, then trimmed
1 cup of green beans, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into 1inch pieces
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into ½ inch think cubes or slices
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup of destemmed cilantro leaves, chopped

And 3 ripe tomatoes, about a pound and a half, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾ inch slices. Remember, to peel tomatoes, bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil. Make an X cut with a knife on the bottom, and drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove them to a bowl of cool water. The skins should peel off easily immediately.

You will also need to measure out:
2 teaspoons of salt, divided into portions of 1 teaspoon each
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, also divided
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, also divided

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skilled and fry each vegetable individually until they are lightly golden. Set them aside onto towels to drain as you go. Fry the eggplant last.

Now, take a 12 inch casserole dish or dutch oven, and layer the vegetables as follows:

First, the eggplant as the bottom layer.
Next, the zucchini layer, the onions, and then the okra layer

Sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon.

The peppers go in next, and after them the green beans. Sprinkle the remaining salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

Next, add the garlic layer and the cilantro layer. Put the tomatoes on top of all these.

Pour a little filtered water on top, no more than half a cup.

Cover your dish and bake about an hour and 15 minutes. You want the tomatoes to collapse and the liquid to be boiling vigorously when you take it out of the oven. Let it cool to room temperature.

If you think it is too watery, you can remove some of the standing water at this point. Some people like their stews to be pretty thick. Either way, serve warm or room temperature.

And while you’re waiting on it to bake, listen to some more of the Instrumental Music from Lebanon CD by Andre Hajj & Ensemble using traditional instruments.

[Tracks 4 – Dafe (Warmth), Track 6 – Raqsa (A Dance)]

Fourth Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine!

For tikkun olam this week, it’s hard not to remember our last show where we talked about refugees from the civil war going on in Syria. Then we talked about immigrants and how they have been treated when they came to these shores.

But today let’s look at it from a different angle. What both the previous civil war in Lebanon and the current civil war in Syria have in common is the influence of Western powers who have their own goals and intentions. The United States is certainly one of these. And oil, petroleum, has been a driving force of Western interests in the middle east. Either countries that themselves have oil, or countries who are allies or opponents of nations that have oil, have been the target of American investors and policy makers whose goals are not, and have never been, religious fairness or civil rights for oppressed peoples. Their goals are profit and guaranteeing access to petroleum for American business interests.

Petroleum is deeply entrenched into the American economy. It will be extremely difficult to dislodge it. But if we are going to stop the warmongering, we need to wean our economy off of petroleum in all its forms. Fracking is not going to make us “Saudi America.” Fracking is only going to continue to destroy our drinking water and pollute our farmland. It is not the answer. Transforming our economy to one that isn’t dependend upon petroleum in the first place is the answer.

This is not something that big business will ever do voluntarily. This is not something our government is going to implement. As long as there is profit to be had, nothing will change the current course. There are simply far too many elite wealthy interests with their fingers in the petroleum pie for any of them to give it up on their own.

How do we do this? Profit is the key. If they aren’t making adequate profits, it’s not worth their while to continue the petro-economy. Supply and demand – we have to be willing to make changes in our lives that reduce demand to the point where it is no longer economical for them to continue to supply it. Complaining about the dead young American soldiers will not sway them. Pointing out the environmental effects of petroleum will not sway them. Lecturing them about the morality of their warmongering and their theft of the resources of other nations will not sway them. They don’t care about those things.

What they care about is making money. So how do we keep them from making money? There are several ways your ordinary everyday choices can move the economy in the right direction.

1. Buy local. Yes, buy local. Stuff that isn’t hauled all over the continent or all over the world uses far less petroleum than stuff made here in the Bluegrass region or even in the state, Ky Proud.

2. Don’t buy plastic anything if you can help it. People survived for thousands of years without any cheap plastic junk. Yes, even toys. Yes, even Ziploc bags. Look for things in your home that you can replace with more traditional cloth, wood, glass, or fiber basket options. Your grandmother didn’t have plastic anything and your parents survived. Amazing!

3. Don’t buy anything meant to be disposable or that requires disposable parts to operate. Get a reuseable filter for your drip coffee maker instead of using paper ones, or, God forbid, plastic single serving cups. Better yet, get a teapot to heat water and a stainless steel French press to make coffee – using water heated with the teapot, of course! Look around – how much money could you save if you didn’t have to keep replacing cheap plastic junk that breaks or keep buying replacement components meant to be used once then thrown away?

4. That’s the low hanging fruit. How about an old-fashioned reel r-e-e-l mower instead of a gas or electric powered mower for your yard? How about a rake instead of a leaf blower? How about when your cheap plastic based kitchen appliances die replaced them with traditional cooking methods using real wood or steel implements?

5. And, of course, the elephant in the room – your car. Buying an electric car won’t really solve the problem, because electricity in this country is still primarily produced using petroleum in some form or another, or worse, coal. The ugly truth is that whether we want to or not, eventually out of economic necessity or out of simple scarcity, we are going to have to find other ways to get around. Lobby your city council person for more bike lanes, more convenient and comprehensive mass transit, and more mixed use zoning so the stores and restaurants you want to visit will be within walking distance of your home.

This is a slow process of replacing inefficient and wasteful ways of doing things with more traditional and environmentally conscious ways of doing things. Just start with your next broken piece of junk, your next dead appliance, and your next shopping trip. One thing at a time and soon you’ll have a whole pile of good changes that will move your household away from petroleum dependency. And while you’re at it, convince your friends and family to do the same. Work together, pool resources, share, cooperate. Change will come when we break the corporate consumerist stranglehold that keeps us hostage to their profit margin.

And while you’re contemplating a more resilient future, here is the final selection from the Instrumental Music from Lebanon CD. Enjoy!

[Track 11 – Mir (Prince) ]

Thank you for listening to Kosher Cuisine.

This is Leah Kiser wishing you Sabbath peace, this week and every week. Shalom! [Hava Nagila fade…]