A Lebanese feast for Easter

Looking back on my youth, I can hardly remember a family get-together when we didn't have a Middle Eastern feast. My family is Lebanese, and we celebrated that heritage. There was always fresh grilled lamb and beef, homemade flatbread, kibbeh (both raw and cooked), a big salad with an amazing lemon dressing, olives and baklava, among many delicacies. Most of these are among my favorite foods to this day! However, I rarely make Lebanese food at home. I can't even really explain why. But the opportunity soon presented itself.

Aaron, Emma and I made plans to have lunch in Hollister on Saturday with my cousin Barb. We don't see her often, and I cherish our visits because she is one of my only blood relatives here in California. She lives in beautiful house in a beautiful setting, and she has these great horses that we like to pet and feed carrots. Barb always serves us a delightful meal when we go to her house, but she has an injured foot and I wanted to make our Easter get-together a bit easier for her. So I called her a few weeks before and told her that I was bringing a Lebanese feast. She was delighted!

I started preparing the menu as soon as I got off the phone. We had to have lamb kabobs. And a big bowl of tabbouleh. Plus, I wanted to serve flatbread, olives, dates, hummus and baklava. Almost identical to the feasts I remember as a child.

Most of this meal, I hate to admit, was store-bought. My non-Lebanese mom once tried to teach me to make flatbread. Her direct comments to me at the time were, "You're kind of a disaster at this." I really haven't tried since, but I have found plenty of delicious store-bought substitutes -- most for just a dollar or two. We bought a gorgeous boneless leg of lamb and cut it at home ourselves. Most went into the freezer for more Lebanese kabobs. The hummus was store-bought, too. I found one at Trader Joe's made with white beans that is more delicious than any hummus I've ever had. It also cost just a few dollars. The dates, olives and baklava were more expensive, but always worth the money.

However, I did make the tabbouleh. In the past few years, it has become my favorite salad. It's so easy to make, it gets better as it sits, and it's incredibly healthy. Perfect!

Our lunch was a big hit. Well, maybe not for Emma. She still isn't as excited about lamb and tabbouleh as we are, but she usually eats the flatbread and hummus. It's a start! And, it has further encouraged me to keep trying. If nothing else, it will bring back some of those warm, delicious memories of growing up Lebanese.

This recipe is from a 2005 issue of Cooking Light magazine. Excellent!

Summer Vegetable Tabbouleh with Chicken

1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 6 oz.)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes (about 4 tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a large bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Add chicken, parsley, cucumber, onion, tomatoes and mint; toss gently to combine.

Combine lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and garlic, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle mixture over salad; toss gently to coat.

Cook's notes: I usually double this dressing, as it is delicious and the bulgur usually just sops it up as it sits. I also prefer cherry or grape tomatoes to plum, as they usually taste better year-round. If you prefer, green onions would be a nice substitute for the red onion, offering more of an herb flavor.