Liking Lebanese Cuisine

I had my first experience with Middle Eastern food - Lebanese to be exact - this past Thursday with some of my lovely colleagues from work. The privately-owned Lebanese Taverna operates both full-scale restaurants and quick service cafes. Founded by the Abi-Najm family, who escaped from war-torn Lebanon in the 1970s, the place mixes fast service with genuine Middle-Eastern cuisine and an impressive understanding of the gluten free diet. According to the January 2013 issue of the magazine "Gluten Free Living": 

The Lebanese Taverna is a Gluten-Free Resources Education and Awareness (GREAT) Kitchen certified by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. It is committed to food preparation free from cross-contamination and has chefs well-versed in how to properly handle food for those with special dietary needs. The restaurant's goal is to "have guests leave with full stomachs, satisfied appetites and the peace of mind that each plate was prepared safely."

I ordered mouzat (a lamb dish with tomato sauce), a side of redskin potatoes, and an appetizer of baba ghannouge with gluten free rice crackers. I learned two things during my dinner at the Lebanese Taverna Cafe in Annapolis. Lesson one: I found that I don't like lamb, partly because the meat has an odd flavor and partly because I nearly broke down in hysterics when I realized I was eating a baby animal. Lesson two: The cafe's flavorful tomato sauce was soooo delicious that I found I couldn't stop eating the dish anyway!

Mouzat: Braised lamb in tomato sauce.

My ultimate favorite was the baba ghannouge. I had previously tried this dip at a totally American chain restaurant and liked it, so I figured it would be even better at a Middle Eastern joint. Boy, was it! A mixture of eggplant, tahini, yogurt, and fresh lemon and garlic, it is absolutely scrumptious. 

Clockwise from left: Gluten free rice crackers, baba ghannouge, mouzat (the lamb dish), redskin potatoes.

By the way, whatever the cafe used to season the redskin potatoes - fabulous. I'll have to find out what it is! It had a little kick to it, just spicy enough.

Now that I know that I enjoy Lebanese food, I'll have to try this recipe that I found in "Gluten Free Living," the same issue quoted above. It is for Yogurt & Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon dried mint flakes, crushed

• 1 cup cucumber, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

• 2 cups yogurt

Directions: 

Crush garlic and salt in mortar and pestle. Add dried mint to garlic mixture. Mix cucumbers, yogurt and garlic mixture. Do not over mix, which can water down the yogurt by releasing the water in the cucumbers.

Honestly, this sounds a bit strange, but mixing yogurt, eggplant, and citrus together sounds gross too and that's what is in baba ghannouge. Worth a try.

I don't have a mortar and pestle, but I recall seeing some cool ones at Randy and Steve's, the stylish new General Store in downtown Ellicott City. Shopping trip!