Lebanon

Please respond with your name,date, and source of your information. ( Family members may be used as long as their relationship to you is noted- ex: grandmother )
Bikfaya, Lebanon - Olivia King 4/26/14 (Charles Jabbour-Friend's Dad)
 * What is the name of your home town? **

I am always looking for spices, fresh fruits and veggies, and olive oil to add to all meals - Olivia King 4/26/14 (Charles Jabbour-Friend's Dad)
 * How does your heritage affect the food that you consume in your home? **

A walk to the produce stores atleast once every two days to pick up any fresh veggies and fruits. Any meats were picked up from butcher shops the day there were to be used. - Olivia King 4/26/14 (Charles Jabbour-Friend's Dad)
 * What marketing practices does your family use in order to obtain the supplies needed to prepare food from your native country ? **

On Easter we boil eggs and color them. Each participant has one egg and tries to crack another person's while holding the egg in their hand. The person who cracks the other's egg wins that round. In the end only one person with one egg is left uncracked. This has been a game in our family for awhile and I brought it to my own family. - Olivia King 4/26/14 (Charles Jabbour-Friend's Dad)
 * Give an example of a holiday tradition in your home that incorporates food into the celebration. **

__ Lebanese Hummus __ Ingrediants Instructions
 * Provide a family recipe related to your culture. Type the recipe or include a link to your recipe. **
 * 2 cans of chick peas, rinsed **OR** 30 ounces of dried beans that have been prepared beforehand (//see notes//)
 * ½ cup of tahini
 * juice of 1 whole lemon
 * ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil (to start)
 * ¼ cup of water (to start)
 * 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
 * ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
 * ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, or to taste
 * Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
 * 1) Put chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, water, and olive oil, salt and cayenne in the work bowl of a food processor.
 * 2) Process until it becomes the consistency of hummus. You will probably need to add more olive oil or water. Just do so slowly.
 * 3) **Taste. Taste. Taste.** You don't want the hummus too thick or too runny. Make it to your liking. Also, add as much salt and cayenne as you like. Just remember to do so slowly.
 * 4) Place hummus into a round flat dish. Drizzle liberally with extra-virgin olive oil. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with hot pita bread

Pita Bread Ingrediants Instructions 2014 media type="file" key="olivia king.m4a"
 * 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I prefer to use, but you can use whatever you like), you will also need extra flour for dusting, etc.
 * 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
 * 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
 * 2 teaspoons of kosher salt or sea salt
 * ½ teaspoon of sugar
 * 1 cup of water, plus a little more as needed
 * 1) In a stand mixer with a dough hook (or a food processor fitted with a dough blade) combine the flour, olive oil, yeast, salt, and sugar. Turn the mixer or processor on medium-low and slowly add 1 cup of water. You are really looking for the dough to form a ball that is slightly sticky. You might need to add a little more water to make this happen. Usually, I use about 1 cup plus 1 to ounces of water before the dough is the way I want it to be.
 * 2) Now it's time to let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 to 2 hours. You can leave the dough in the mixing bowl (or food processor bowl) or transfer it to a large glass mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean, heavy kitchen towel. Leave the bowl in a draft-free place for an hour or two.
 * 3) When the dough is ready, pre-heat the oven to 400. If you plan to use a baking steel or a pizza stone (or, in a pinch, a heavy cookie sheet), place it in the oven first to allow it to pre-heat too. Next, turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 6 even pieces. Gently shape each piece into a ball. Then, one at a time, roll out each ball into a round about ¼ inch thick.
 * 4) Place each round on a lightly floured surface and lightly dust the tops of the rounds with flour, then cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to rise an additional 20 minutes.
 * 5) When you are ready to start baking the pita, dampen your hands with a little water and pick up one of the rounds of dough, patting off the excess flour and slightly moistening the dough. Then place the round directly on the baking steel, pizza stone or baking sheet. Repeat the process as room in the oven allows, then close the oven door and bake for 4 minutes. At the 4 minute mark, flip the pita and bake for another 4 minutes. The pita should then be puffed up and nicely browned. Remove the pita from the oven with a pizza peel or a large spatula. If you are going to eat it right away, then you may want to brush it lightly with melted butter. but that depends on what you are going to serve it with. If you are serving it with a sauce or a dip, like hummus, then you do not need to brush it with butter.
 * 6) Repeat the process with the remaining rounds.