Thursday, April 19, 2007

Labneh


Labneh is a soft cows cheese that is usually made by women in the villages. The cheese is formed into small balls and stored in jars of olive oil. The olive oil preserves the cheese from the effects of oxygen so that a jar of labneh in olive oil can be stored for years at a time without refrigeration.

Monday, April 9, 2007

The Zarb

Zarb is a meat-smoker that is particularly common around Bethlehem. Father of Tony first builds a fire with olive wood inside the square brick smoker. Once the fire is burning hot and coals are beginning to form, he places stuffed chickens and trays of vegetables inside and than seals the opening with a heat tile and iron door. No oxygen should be able to sneak into the Zarb.


The chickens are stuffed with baby onions, cherry tomatoes, small potatoes and whole cloves of garlic.
Relaxing after the meal with a beer or Arak.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Hommus - Beautiful Hommus

Hommus with whole chickpeas, olive oil and parsley.
Shawerma meat carved on to a bowl of hommous with toasted cashews and green chilli.
Hommous prepared by Father of Steve with pickle slices, chickpeas, green chilli and paprika.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Sweets

Kunafee Nablusaya, named for its city of origin, Nablus, combines several textures and flavors. This sweet is prepared in large trays. First, a layer of soft, white cheese (somewhat similar to Mozzarella) is spread across the pan. This is topped with a layer of wheat and then sprinkled with crushed pistachios. In sweet shops, the trays are kept over a bath of hot water so that the Kunafee is served warm and the cheese remains soft. There are two main types of Kunafee- "soft" and "hard/crunchy". The difference being whether the cheese is covered with soft, thinly ground wheat (above) or crunchy wheat (below). Did you ever imagine putting shredded wheat on top of mozzarella for desert?


Baklavah, a gift of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire.
A tray of assorted sweets make a perfect gift when you are invited to a home.


Saturday, March 10, 2007

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

The Olive Tree

Olive trees cover the hillsides. Stone walls form terraces which increase the amount of cultivatable land and prevents soil erosion.

The silvery leaves flash in the sun like the scales of a fish. Early spring and the olives have yet to begin to form on the branches.


The steeple of the local Catholic church.
The village mosque.An old stone home is surrounded by its fields. No manicured lawn restricts the spontaneous beauty of wild flowers, indigenous grass and olive trees.





Saturday, March 3, 2007

Flowers of Spring

The bright, white flowers of the almond trees are the first sign of spring. The purple hearts of the flowers give the entire tree a warm glow from a distance. The petals fall to the ground as quickly as they appear.
Not all of the trees lay bare through the winter. Lemons bring splashes of yellow to brighten cold and rainy days.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Welcome Coffee/Goodbye Coffee


An anthropologist's description of Palestinian hospitality etiquette and the role of Arabic coffee:
http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2016&ed=135&edid=135