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BEANS
Burgul Bi Dfin
These high-protein beans can be accommodated with a lot of local recipes, such as the traditional Burgul Bi Dfin, a fast substitute for the Moroccan Couscous. Sauté 5 small white onions in vegetable oil, add 300 grams finely sliced chicken or meat, and a can of Cortas Chick peas. Mix all ingredients till brownish. Add 500 gr. thoroughly washed Burgul (cracked wheat), three glasses of water, salt and allspice to taste. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Suggestions:
- This deliciously nourishing meal can be served either with yogurt, kishk, or a tomato purée sauce. (see recipe for spaghetti sauce).
- For an enhanced flavour, add a dash of Cortas Pomegranate Concentrate with the spices.
Mixed Bean Salad
Combine drained Cortas Beans with fresh, cooked wax and green beans for a fresh take on bean salad. Dress and allow to sit, refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend.
Yakhnet Foul
Another "back-to-the-roots", deliciously high-protein recipe, the Fava casserole, or Yakhnet Foul. Sauté a medium-sized onion in a little vegetable oil and butter. Add two spoons of flour. Whisk briskly, poring little by little three glasses of water to get a smooth sauce. Empty a can of Cortas Fava Beans-Broad over the sauce, add salt, cumin and ½ cup of Cortas Lemon Juice Substitute, simmer for about 15 minutes.
Suggestions:
- Serve with the traditional "noodled" rice.
- For those who prefer a more traditional, non-vegetarian version, meat cubes can be added to the sautéed onion.
Middle Eastern Bean Salad
Simply heat Cortas Fava Beans and add any or all of the following: a dash of fresh lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt, finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion, Cortas Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Scoop up with Arabic or pita bread. Serve warm or cold.
Suggestions:
For an Egyptian variation and a hearty and complete meal, serve the above in soup bowls with a hard-boiled egg on top of the beans, followed by sprinkled chopped parsley.
Colored Basic Salad
The Cortas Fava Beans & Chick Peas highly nourishing can contains a quick basic salad. Just heat its contents, add two spoonfuls of Cortas Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a dash of Cortas Lemon Substitute, and enjoy!!
Suggestions:
- For a "greener" version: add the above recipe to a bowl of freshly chopped crisp lettuce, mix well.
FRUIT-BASED BEVERAGE SYRUPS
Tequila Sunrise
For a refreshing "Tequila Sunrise" with summer colors and a call of distant islands: In a tall glass, a dash (not too much!!!) of tequila, lots of freshly squeezed orange juice, crushed ice. Mix well, add Cortas Grenadine for a reddish cloud. Decorate with peppermint leaves, and enjoy!
Cortas Jallab
Once upon a time, in Beirut, under the scorching August sun, horns blaring, kids playing, ladies endlessly arguing for the price of a chiffon, lottery ticket vendors trying to sell their last bunch of colored papers… and an oasis, a haven, the "Al Birkeh", fresh Jallab served from a huge brass barrel… Those days are gone, now, but still the memory lingers on, and is revived with Cortas Jallab… Add 1 part syrup to 5 parts icy water, add crushed ice, dried raisins, bleached almonds, and pine nuts.
Cortas Mulberry Syrup
This traditional syrup is a sine qua non of hospitality in faraway Lebanese villages, the glass being wrapped up in crocheted napkins, served to visitors on a silver plate. Cortas' Mulberry Syrup and tinkling ice cubes are a must…
Cortas Rose Syrup
The musky smell of Grandma's house. Everything's so quiet… her soothing voice and cool hand on our fevered brow, her endless love served with a wonderfully tasting glass of Rose syrup… The sun is back! Enjoy Cortas' Rose Syrup for a full rejuvenating treatment!
Cortas Tamarind
Cortas' Tamarind Syrup, for a true space-time travel. You can almost smell the desert, and hear the caravan's sounds… Look over here, can you see that angry camel, wrapped in a multi-colored plaid?
Dibs and Tahina
Mix 1 part Cortas Tahina with 3 or 4 parts Cortas Pure Carob Extract Concentrate and eat with Arabic or pita bread for a rich, brown confection. It's been loved for generations as an after-school treat by Lebanese schoolchildren and as comfort food by their parents.
Sfouf Bidibbis
Deliciously natural cookies,
Sfouf Bidibbis
are a real treat. Combine two cups flour, two cups Cortas Pure Carob Syrup, one cup vegetable oil, two teaspoons of sodium bicarbonate, and a sprinkle of powdered anise. Pour into an oven tray. Preheat oven to 350. Cook for approximately half an hour, checking with a fork for a spongy consistency. When the cake cools, cut into squares.
VEGETARIAN DIPS
Polka dot Baba Ghanoush
A colorful side dish can be made by adding the grains of a sour grenade to an otherwise classical looking Baba Ghannoush.
Hot Baba Ghannoush
For a hotter version, sprinkle hot pepper spice over the dip, or add Italian Santo oil.
Shish kebab
An excellent accompaniment to the two traditional savory sesame sauces (Baba Ghanoush & Hummos Tahina) is broiled lamb, also called Shish kebab, or Lahm Meshui. Marinate 1 kilogram lamb fillet with 12 small white onions, 6 tomatoes cut in quarters, 4 green peppers cut in slices, two tablespoons Cortas Extra Virgin Olive Oil, dried oregano, and salt to taste. Leave covered and refrigerated for a few hours or overnight.
Chop meat into one-inch cubes. Spear on to skewers, allowing six pieces of meat per person. Alternate meat with onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Broil under a very hot flame, or over charcoal until outside is well browned and sizzling. If broiled in the oven, sprinkle a little olive oil over meat before broiling so that it will not dry out.
Meaty Hommos
Sauté an onion with a little vegetable oil, add pine nuts until brown. Incorporate two tablespoons of mincemeat, salt, pepper, cayenne, and summak to taste. Mix well. Serve hot over a Cortas Hommos Tahina plate.
For a vegetarian version, replace mincemeat with dried soya.
PURE FLOWER ESSENCES
Café Blanc - White Lebanese coffee
For a caffeine-free, aromatic hot drink, simply add one teaspoon Cortas Orange Blossom Water and sugar to hot water. Serve in demi-tasse cups.
Muhallabia - Lebanese ground rice pudding
This is a subtle and delicate milk pudding, enjoyed by young and old and especially soothing to the ill.
2 tablespoons corn flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 quart / liter milk
8 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons Cortas orange blossom water (mazaher), or to taste
2 teaspoons Cortas rose water (maward), or to taste
Chopped almonds and pistachio nuts (for decoration)
Mix the corn and rice flour with a few spoonfuls of milk until it becomes a smooth paste
Katr or Sugar Syrup
Place 1 cup sugar, two cups water, 2 teaspoons Cortas Rose Water, two teaspoons Cortas Orange Blossom water in a medium pan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add a dash of Cortas Lemon Juice substitute to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Simmer for about 5 minutes. The Katr should be served cold.
Katr can be used in place of Maple Syrup over pancakes, with some crushed macadamia nuts.
Katayefs
A traditional Halloween treat in Lebanon, the Katayefs. They can be enjoyed in many varieties. In fact, they are tiny waffles, filled with either a mixture of crushed walnuts, sugar, orange blossom and rose waters, or heavy cream (Koshta) and rose jam. In both cases however, they should be topped with the Katr (see recipe), or syrup. To prepare the Katayefs, use same recipe as for pancakes, but place a smaller quantity while cooking it. There is also an easier alternative, the ready-to-mix packs.
Summer Drink
Put 4 tablespoons Cortas Rose Water in a glass of cold water. Stir in one tablespoon sugar and add ice cubes.
JAMS
Apple
Strudel
For a quick Apple
strudel, get two rolls of frozen puff pastry, (follow
package instructions). Spread Cortas Apple Jam, half a cup
roughly chopped nuts, half a cup raisins, two finely chopped apples,
a sprinkle of cinnamon. Roll the dough up, secure on both ends.
Prick with a fork, and then bake. For a golden crust, brush with an
egg yolk before cooking.
Grandma's
Pie
A grandma's favorite quickie: Get two packs of
shortcrust pastry, (follow package instructions). Reserve one third
of the dough. Place the biggest quantity in a pie oven tray, spread
with Cortas Apricot Jam. Cut the reserved dough into stripes,
decorate the pie in the form of squares. Bake until golden
brown.
Sunday morning
pancakes
For delicious "Sunday morning pancakes": For each cup
flour, two whole eggs, one half cup milk, half a spoon sodium
bicarbonate. Blend well. Grease a pan, pour a half cup mixture onto
the heated pan. Cook on both sides. Pile on a serving tray.
Generously spread with Cortas Cherry-Black Jam, add finely
chopped nuts.
Cherry
Donuts
Dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast in
1/2 cup warm water. Set aside until creamy. In a large bowl, mix
together 2 tablespoons oil, 2-1/3 cups water, salt, and 4
tablespoons sugar. Add yeast, and gradually mix in 1 1/2 cup flour.
Place dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp
towel, and place in a warm place to rise for 1-1/2 hours. Form dough
into balls about the size of eggs, then roll flat. Carefully spread Cortas White Cherry jam over these ovals, and then close
them, forming small balls. Heat oil in a deep fryer. Fry these
doughnutballs one at a time, until light brown on both sides. Place
on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with white sugar, while still
hot.
Fig
delicatessen
For a delicious dessert, pour a can
of Cortas Fig Jam into a serving dish. Add chopped walnuts,
chopped almonds, and a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds.
Refrigerate. This refreshing treat is especially enjoyed after a
mezzé.
Savory
crowns
One ingenious way for a quick and warm
dessert is to fill Cortas Quince jam in pre-cut frozen
puff-pastries, top with crushed walnuts, and cook according to
package instructions. Kids and grown-ups alike are going to love you
for it.
Brownies
LEMON JUICE SUBSTITUTE
Cortas
Lemonade
Use for a quick refreshing lemonade: One
glass icy water, two spoons sugar. Blend well. Add two spoons Cortas Lemon Juice Substitute, a dash of Cortas Orange
Blossom Water. Decorate with a lemon rind, and a fresh mint
leaf.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Tabbouli
Salad
1 ¼ cups fine or medium bulgur
1 ¼ cups
water 1 cup red onion minced
1 ¼ teaspoons salt 5 cups packed
fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves chopped (about 3 large bunches)
1 ½ cups packed fresh mint leaves chopped (about 1 large bunch)
1 bunch chopped spring onions (about 2/3 cup)
250 grams (1/2
pound) vine-ripened tomatoes 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup
Cortas Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
In a bowl, combine bulgur and
water; soak 1 hour and 15 minutes. Drain. In a bowl (preferably
glass to highlight salad's color), toss together all ingredients
with salt and pepper to taste. Salad may be made 1 hour ahead and
chilled, covered.
Fatoosh
Salad
1 head Romaine lettuce
250 grams (1/2
pound) vine-ripened tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber
1 ½ cups
packed fresh mint leaves (about 1 bunch)
½ chopped flat-leaved
parsley leaves
½ red onion
½ teaspoon dried sumac
4
crushed or pressed cloves garlic (optional)
¾ cup Cortas
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil lemon juice to taste
½ large round of
Arabic or pita bread, well - toasted and cracked into bite-sized
pieces
In a bowl, break lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Add
finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers and finely chopped mint, parsley
and onion. Toss together all ingredients with salt and pepper to
taste. Mix together garlic, oil, lemon and sumac. Just before
serving, pour in oil mixture and mix in bread pieces.
Vibrant
Vinaigrette
This salad dressing is ideal for green
or bean salads. It can be made in large quantities ahead of time and
will last in the refrigerator for a week.
1/3 cup Cortas
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup red vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp zaatar or oregano
1/4
teaspoon sugar
PICKLES
Stuffed Grape Vine Leaves -
Mehchi Warak E'nab
A.K.A. Dolmades in the Greek
cuisine. This vegetarian dish is highly appreciated for the perfect
marriage between the acidic taste of lemon and the balsamic feel of
olive oil. Don't miss it!
Ingredients: One jar of Cortas
Grape vine leaves, two fresh tomatoes cut in small cubes, one
cup and a half rice, washed and strained, two cups finely chopped
parsley, half a cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves, one cup Cortas Lemon juice substitute, one cup and a half Cortas
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, two teaspoons salt.
Wash the
grape vines leaves thoroughly in running water. In a bowl, combine
the tomatoes, rice, parsley, mint, salt, and half the quantity of
both lemon and oil. Mix well.
Spread each vine leave, place over
it a small quantity of the combined ingredients, roll up, taking
care to bend the grape leave sides inwardly. Place tightly in
cooking pot. Add the remaining lemon and oil. Cook on low fire, till
tender. Leave to cool. Transpose in a serving dish, and decorate
with lemon rinds and fresh mint leaves.
Falafel
Pickled Peppers are best
served with the Lebanese fast-food sandwich, the Falafel. If you do
not have a handy pack of Falafel mix, try this home-made recipe for 4 persons:
3 cloves
chopped garlic
1/2 medium chopped onion,
1/2 cup minced
fresh parsley
1 1/2 cans Cortas Chick Peas
1 tbs. Cortas Lemon Juice Substitute
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2
tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt freshly ground black pepper
to taste
2 slices French bread, torn into large pieces and
soaked in cold water to cover
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
4
whole-wheat pita rounds
sliced tomatoes, fresh mint and parsley
leaves, Cortas Peppers and taratour (See recipe) for garnish.
Blend the garlic, onion and
parsley in a food processor or blender until finely minced. Add the
chick peas and blend until finely chopped and somewhat pasty. Add
the lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Squeeze
the bread, and add it. Process until well mixed.
Form the falafel
mixture into 16 balls. Flatten each ball to form 1/2-inch thick
patties. Dredge the patties in the flour and fry them in oil, until
golden brown.
Cut off 1/3 of each pita round and open the
larger section to form a pocket. Fill each pocket with the hot
falafel patties. Garnish with tomatoes, parsley, mint, taratour, and Cortas Peppers.
Mujaddarah
The Stuffed Eggplants
in oil are best enjoyed with a vegetarian dish, and are most
suitable to the Mujaddarah, because they liven up the somewhat
starchy taste of lentils. To prepare the Mujaddarah, you will need:
2 cups
lentils
1/3 cup rice
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup Cortas Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbs. salt
Wash
lentils. Cook with enough fresh water to cover, for about three
quarters of an hour. Add rice and cook another ten minutes. Fry
onions in olive oil until brown. Mix lentils and rice with onion and
simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent
sticking. Place into serving dish.
New Age Pasta
Salad
Why don't you try a fresh alternative to the
traditional pasta salad? You will need:
1 cup cooked colored
pasta
1 tuna fish can, drained
½ a can sweet corn
1 cup
shredded lettuce
1 cup Cortas Mixed Vegetables
1 tbs.
Mayonnaise sauce
1 tbs. Cortas Lemon Juice Substitute
In a bowl, place the tuna fish, then pour lemon over it. Add
all other ingredients in layers. Top with the mayo sauce. Toss well
and serve.
Green
Omelet
Aside from being a great relish in all meat
and/or ham sandwiches, Cortas Turnips are wonderfully served
with the cauliflower and squash omelet. Here is the recipe:
1
small cauliflower
two finely diced marrow squash
4 eggs
1tsp. flour
3 small onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
2
tbs. dried mint leaves
Wash cauliflower and separate into
flowerets. Cook with the squash in for 15 minutes, or until tender.
Chop finely. Combine well beaten eggs with other ingredients. Add
salt to taste. Fry in oil, dropping in a spoonful at a time. Makes
about 25 small omelets.
POMEGRANATE CONCENTRATE
Veggie
stir-fry
Cortas Pomegranate Concentrate blends well with all sweet and sour recipes, be they Persian,
Chinese, or Japanese. A quick recipe for sweet and sour veggie stir-fry:
1 spring onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
½ a cup black mushrooms
½ a
cup bamboo shoots
½ a cup soya bean sprouts
½ a cup cabbage
½ a cup green peppers
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs Cortas
Pomegranate Concentrate
1 tsp. salt
Finely chop the
vegetables. Stir-fry them in a wong or pot with the sesame oil for
about 15 minutes. Add the salt, and the pomegranate concentrate.
Serve with jasmine rice.
SESAME SEED PRODUCTS
Taratour
Sauce
This sauce is best served with all kinds of
fried or baked fish, specially the Hot Fish, or Samké Harra. It is
also used as a topping in Falafel sandwiches. (See
recipe)
Mix one cup Cortas Tahina with half a cup Cortas Lemon Juice Substitute. Pour water little by little to
render the sauce the consistency of mayonnaise. Crush a few cloves
of garlic (optional) with half a teaspoon salt. Work the garlic salt
thoroughly into the tahina.
TOMATO PASTE
Spicy-hot Spaghetti
sauce
Almost all Lebanese casseroles are cooked
with tomato paste, which gives them a distinctive homey flavor. Cortas tomato paste, being highly concentrated, is also
suitable for the Spicy-hot Spaghetti
sauce. You will need:
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 hot
pepper, diced
3 tbs Cortas Tomato Paste
3 tbs Cortas Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ a cup water
1 tbs
dried thyme
1 tbs dried basil
1 tsp salt
Fry the
vegetables in the olive oil until brownish. Add the tomato paste,
mix well. Add the water, then the herbs. Cover and simmer for about
15 minutes.
LEBANESE SPECIALTY VEGETABLES
Loubieh and potato
salad
For a delicious salad: 500 grams potato, one
can Cortas Loubieh Khadra, 1/4 cup Cortas Extra Virgin
Olive Oil, two tablespoons Cortas Lemon Substitute, dried
mint leaves, salt to taste. Boil potatoes until tender. When cold,
cut in quarters. Add the strained beans. Top with the remaining
ingredients, toss well.
Foul Bzeit
A
delicious vegetarian dish, can either be eaten with pita bread, or
as a salad: Ingredients: One can of Cortas Foul Akhdar, two
cups crushed coriander leaves, three cloves garlic, crushed, two
tablespoons cooking oil, three tablespoons Cortas Lemon Juice
Substitute, three tablespoons Cortas Extra Virgin Olive
Oil.
Sauté the crushed garlic, add the coriander till
brownish. Pour the strained can of Foul Akhdar, mix well. Add the
lemon substitute, cook on low fire for ten minutes. Leave to cool.
Top with the olive oil. You can also add a sprinkle of dried
coriander for decoration, as well as lemon rinds.
Mulokhia Warm
Salad
"Mulokhia" is derived from the word "Mulukia", meaning "Royal". In fact, this
delicious plant was first served as soup to the pharaohs in ancient
Egypt. Modern recipes vary from the original, as other ingredients
were added little by little. One way to accommodate Mulokhia is as a
warm, meaty salad: Sauté an onion in two tablespoons oil, add 250
gr. Minced meat. Salt and pepper to taste. In another pan, sauté
three crushed garlic cloves with half a cup of minced coriader, mix
well. Add one can of Cortas Whole Mulokhia leaves, let simmer
for about 10 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons Cortas Lemon
Substitute. Place on a serving dish and top with the minced
meat.
Mulokhia
dish
Lebanese families traditionally gather around
a Mulokhia dish whenever there is
a special occasion. In fact, this four-course dish used to require a
lot of work, and all the ladies around used to help in cooking it.
With Cortas, there is no more hassle, as this great dish can be
prepared very quickly. For 8 persons:
Cook 4 chicken breasts in
8 cups water. Add an onion, a few laurel leaves, a sprinkle of
cinnamon, and half a lemon. When done, reserve the juice. In another
big pot, sauté 6 crushed garlic cloves with two cups minced
coriander leaves. Add the contents of two Cortas Minced Mulokhia
Leaves cans, and two tablespoons Cortas Lemon Juice
substitute, to prevent the Mulokhia from sticking. Mix well. Add
half the chicken juice. Cook on low fire for about 15 minutes. In
the meantime, prepare 3 cups rice, using the remaining juice instead
of plain water. Place the cooked rice on a serving dish, cut the
chicken breasts in halves, place them on top of rice. Sprinkle with
powdered cinnamon. Roast 3 whole pita breads in the oven. When
brown, tranfer to a serving dish, and crack them into medium-sized
crumbs. Cut two big onions into small squares, put in a saucepan,
add vinegar to the brim.
When serving, use soup plates.
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Bread is traditionally put in the plate first, then
the rice, the chicken, and the Mulokhia per se on top. Lastly
comes the vinegar-onion mix.
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Well-done lamb meat cubes can also be added to the
chicken.
Bamieh Kateh or Bamieh
Bzeit
This also can be enjoyed as a vegetarian
side dish: sauté three crushed garlic cloves with a cup of finely
chopped coriander leaves, till brownish. Add the contents of a
Cortas Whole Baby Okra, mix well. Add one tablespoon Cortas
Tomato Paste, a dash of Cortas Pomegranate Concentrate,
and 100 ml. water. Cook for 10 minutes on low fire. Serve with
grilled pitta bread, and an assortment of Cortas Pickles.
Bamieh Banadoora - Okra in
Tomato Sauce
Simply add crushed garlic, salt and Cortas Extra Virgin Olive Oil to heated Cortas Okra in
Tomato Sauce and serve on a bed of rice.
Truffle
salad
One delicious salad that can accompany any
mezzé: Open a can of Cortas Truffles, wash them well. Dry
them one by one, cut in halves, place in bowl. Prepare a vinaigrette
sauce with two tablespoons mustard, four tablespoons Cortas Extra
Virgin Olive Oil, two tablespoons Cortas Lemon Juice
Substitute. Mix well. Pour on top of the truffles. Decorate with
coriander leaves.
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