Have a Maghdouche Chritmas !

Meghli - Maghli - Lebanese Rice Pudding

Meghli is a lebanese sweet dish that I love so much. It is usually served at Christmas time when one gets visitors and every time a child is born.

Ingredients:
8 glasses of water
1 glass ground rice (powder)
1 tea spoon ground cinnammon
1 tea spoon powdered anise seeds
3 tea spoon powdered caraway seeds
1/2 tea spoon nutmeg (jawzet ettib)
1 and 1/2 to 2 glasses sugar

Preparation:

1) Mix all ingredients in the water and stear

2) put the casserol on the fire, stear continuously until you bring the mixture to a boil.

3) Reduce the heat to low and stear from time to time, for at least one hour.

P.S.: The secret of "Meghli" is this combination of low heat and one hour boiling. This will keep the porridge creamy without loosing the water once it is refrigerated. This is very Important.

The final result should look like this: the mixture coats the outside of the spoon

Transfer the porridge into small bowls and let it cool down before you refrigerate.

Decorate with coconut and then add pine seeds , walnuts, pistachios and peeled almond preferably soaked in water for some hours.

Bon appetit.

More Photos of Saint Barbara Day - Eid el Berbara

Where did Dignity products end? - Hvor havnet våre Dignity produkter?

- Here and there... Our Dignity products have found a good home. We still have some that have never been posted in our net-shop : (http://www.bydignity.blogspot.com/ ) but can be bought in our galleri in Norway, on the hope of renewing the products in the net-shop after Christmas.

Here are some photos that show where Dignity pillows have gone.

Saint Barbara day - "Eid el Berbara"

As every christian village in Lebanon, Maghdouche celebrates Saint Barbara on the 4th. of December of every year. As the day, according to the oriental christian tradition, starts and ends with the sunset, the big celebration would be the evening of the 3rd. of December.

Saint Barbara day or " Eid el Berbara" is celebrated in Maghdouche similarly to the North American Halloween. It is believed that Saint Barbara disguised herself in numerous characters to elude the Romans who were persecuting her.

Sugar and coins (paper money nowadays) are offered to the masquerading children who walk the streets of the village and sing door-to-door. No need to mention that the quality (or vulgarity) of the songs vary according to the money offered !

Lately, I would say 15 years ago, The youngsters of Maghdouche developped a masquerading parade that walks the streets of Maghdouche on the evening of the 4th. of December. I hope that this parade has become a tradition and that it is still going on.

"Elbeh"- Wheat of Saint Barbara

Every single house in Maghdouche will be having "Elbeh" the night of Saint Barbara (3rd. of December). "Elbeh" known also as "Am7 el Berbara" is served in a bowl and eaten as an evening snack or a warm dessert. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 glass of whole-grain wheat

5 glasses of water

1 tablespoon of anis seeds (yansoon)

1 tablespoon / bowl sugar

1 teaspoon / bowl orangeblossom water

1 teaspoon / bowl rosewater (optional)

Almonds, walnuts, pine seeds, pomegranate seeds and raisins for topping (all are optional)

Preparation:

1. Wash the wheat and boil it in the water. Remove the foam from the surface if any forms.

2. Put the anis seeds in a textile cloth and knob it and let it boil with the wheat (nowadays they boil the anis separately and they filter its water into the wheat while boiling but I like to keep the tradition).

3. There is no timing for how much the wheat should boil (you need to taste to know). When the wheat is done, you serve it together with its water into bowl.

4. Sprinkle with sugar then with orangeblossom water and rosewater.

5. Top everything with almond, walnuts, pine seeds, pomegranate seeds and raisins.

Serve warm.

Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients (serves 6):
500 g. split red lentils
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (or 2 cubes) bouillon
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper (to taste)
juice of half a lemon
vegetable oil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:
Boil the lentils in water around half an hour until the lentils are really disintegrated. With a spoon, remove the white foam that forms on the surface. Add the bouillon at this stage and add water every now and then if needed.

Meanwhile, fry the onion in oil until it gets red-brown and add it to the boiling lentils.
Add and stir cumin, salt and pepper.
Remove away from fire, add the lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil. Stir again.

Serve with a slice of lemon and croutons ( pita bread croutons are the best).
Enjoy !

Dignity on Facebook

Here we are, slowly back after a " too much to do" period... Besides, Trond was having some health problems that paralised our activities for a while. But we are back and that is the important.

On Facebook, we started a group for Dignity's friends. So if you have an account on Facebook, dont hesitate to show your support and join our group. To go there just click here...

Me'ikeh - Speciality of Maghdouche - Salt kjeks fra Maghdouche

I have never eaten "Me'ikeh" or "M3ikeh" outside Maghdouche. Correct me if I am wrong, but for me, it is a Maghdouche speciality by default. "Me'ikeh" as a snack has the exotic smell of "El Wa3r" and the taste of "Nab3et el7ommar" (These are local area names).

Ingredients:

1 kilo wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup roasted sesame seeds
½ cup wild pine seeds “7abb ereish” (optional)
2 cups fresh thymes (Zaatar) washed and chopped (out of season I use dried Zaatar flowers)
2 cups vegetable oil
2 – 4 glasses water

Oppskriften på norsk:

1 kg. hvetemel

1 ts. bakepulver

1/2 ts. salt

1 kopp ristede sesamfrø

1/2 kopp furufrø ( ut og plukk, for de norske frøene smaker vidunderlig godt)

2 kopper frisk timian eller tørket med blomster

2 kopper god olje

2- 4 glass vann (deigen skal være tørr, men henge sammen)

Preparation:
1) Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sesame seeds, wild pine seeds and timian
2) Add oil

3) With both your hands, crumble the mixture and oil until the oil is absorbed equally
4) Add half of the water and mix
5) Add the rest of the water little by little and stop when nothing of the flour is left in the bowl

6) Divide dough into handful pieces
7) Shape each piece into a ball and let rest for 15 minutes
8) Roll each ball to a flat round
9) Place onto oven trays and bake ,approx. 175 degree, until the rounds get a golden colour (I love them well roasted)
10) Serve when cold

Melhem Barakat in Maghdouche !

This might not be of interest for our norwegian friends, but I have to mention it here as "Melhem Barakat" is one of the big names when one talks about arabic music. Lebanese and arab followers know what I am talking about.

From Maghdouche party 09/09/09, here are 2 videos that I found posted on facebook. Enjoy !

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=163117221006&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=162677236006