Armenian meets Lebanese to stir up a cocktail of new flavours

ITCH
Serves: 2
Prep time: 35 mins
Ingredients
30 ml sunflower oil
100 gm onion, chopped
150 gm tomato, chopped
50 gm green capsicum, chopped
10 gm tomato paste
3 gm salt
1 gm white pepper
1 gm black pepper
25 gm burghol (crushed wheat)
15 ml lemon juice
3 gm parsley, chopped
Method
Heat sunflower oil in a pan on medium flame.
Add chopped onion and sauté till golden brown.
Add tomato, capsicum, tomato paste, salt, white pepper and black pepper; mix with the onions till well combined.
Take the mix off the heat; add the lemon juice and mix well.
Add the burghol and parsley to the mix and combine well. Keep it covered so the burghol gets cooked. Serve cold.


KIBBET ADDAS
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 mins
Ingredients
100 gm red lentil
100 ml water
50 ml sunflower oil
50 gm onion, chopped
40 gm burghol (crushed wheat)
3 gm salt
1 gm cumin powder
1 gm chilli powder
1 gm parsley, chopped
Method
In a deep pan, boil red lentils in water till well-cooked and soft. Strain and set aside.
In another pan, heat oil and sauté onions till golden brown.
Add the burghol, cooked lentils, salt, cumin and chilli powder; mix them all together on a low fire till combined.
Set the mix aside till cooled, then add the parsley and mix.
Serve cold.


HUMMUS BEIRUTI
Serves: 2
Prep time: 1 hr
Ingredients
For the hummus:
200 gm chickpeas
400 ml water
50 gm sesame paste
3 gm salt
2 gm lemon salt
For the mix:
20 gm tomato, chopped
3 gm parsley, chopped
15 gm onion, chopped
15 gm toasted Arabic bread
15 ml olive oil
Method
In a deep pan, boil chickpeas in water till well-cooked and soft.
Set aside to cool, then add to a mixer, along with sesame paste, salt and lemon salt.
Mix them all together till well-combined and creamy
in texture.
Place the hummus in the chiller for 10 minutes.
When done, remove from the chiller, and add tomato, parsley, onion and toasted Arabic bread; mix it all together with a spoon.
Place the hummus mix in a serving dish and drizzle over with olive oil. Serve.

LAHEM BI AJIN
Serves: 2
Prep time: 25 mins
Bake time: 10 mins
Ingredients
For the dough:
100 gm all-purpose flour
10 gm sugar
3 gm salt
40 ml water
30 ml oil
For the meat:
70 gm minced meat (beef or lamb)
10 gm garlic, minced
100 gm tomato, chopped
30 gm green capsicum
10 gm tomato paste
1 gm chilli powder
3 gm salt
1 gm black pepper
Lemon juice, to drizzle (optional)

Method
For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the water and oil. Mix well till a dough is formed; set aside.
For the meat, mix all the ingredients together till well-combined.
Spread the dough out on a plain surface in a circular shape.
Place the meat mix on the dough and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C.
Serve hot, with a little lemon juice drizzled on top, if desired.

MANTI
Serves: 1
Prep time: 25 mins
Bake time: 15 mins
Ingredients
For the dough:
150 gm all-purpose flour
10 gm salt
25 gm sugar
15 ml sunflower oil
15 ml water
For the filling:
100 gm beef, minced
20 gm white onion, chopped
3 gm salt
2 gm white pepper
3 gm black pepper
For the sauce:
50 gm tomato, chopped
1 gm garlic, minced
1 gm salt
Plain yoghurt, to serve
2 gm sumac
Method
Mix all the dry ingredients for the dough together, followed by the wet ingredients, and combine well to form a soft dough.
For the filling: combine all the ingredients well.
For the manti: roll the dough out onto a flat surface; using a cutter, divide the dough into small squares. Take a small quantity of the meat mix and place it in the centre of each dough square, and close the two edges of the dough to form a boat shape.
Place all the manti pieces together in a baking tray.
For the sauce: place the chopped tomatoes in a pan, then add garlic and salt. Mix together and bring to the boil. Mix well again and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Bake the manti tray in an oven for 15 minutes at 160°C till golden and crispy.
Serve the manti hot with plain yoghurt or tomato sauce (both sprinkled with a little sumac) on the side.

MAFROUKIT FISTOUK
Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 mins
Ingredients
180 gm fresh pistachio
17 gm butter
25 ml rose water
25 ml sugar syrup
200 gm fresh ashta
25 ml honey
Method
Grind the pistachio in a food processor, then add all butter, rose water and sugar syrup; mix them all together till it forms a paste.
Transfer to a container and chill for some time.
Spread the pistachio paste in a serving plate and top with fresh ashta and honey.
Serve.