Something's Cooking in Beirut -- Breakfast Special!

Passport & Plate - Stoned Fruit Salad /Fancy FrenchToast /PotatoPncks

Lebanon | Thursday, February 19, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
Stoned Fruit Salad:
Sliced Peaches, Plums, Nectarines
Basil
Mint

Dressing:
Grape Seed Oil
Agave/honey/brown sugar
Rice vinegar
Little Salt

Potato Pancakes:
Grated potatoes
3 Types of Chopped Basil: Italian, Thai, Black
Caramelized Onions
Sauteed Sausage
Egg
Red and Green Chili
Salt
Freshly Cracked Pepper

Fancy French Toast Mixture:
Eggs (we used 3)
Vanilla
Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove
Milk

 

How to prepare this recipe
For the salad:
Simply chop all ingredients and put in bowl. Prepare the dressing and lightly toss atop.

For the potato pancakes.
Sautee the sausage
Caramlize the onions
Shred the potatoes,
Chop all remaining ingredients
Mix everything together.
Form small pancakes, fry until golden brown.

Fancy french toast:
Slice the bread
Whisk eggs, vanilla, spices, and milk in a bowl
Generously dunk the bread in the wet mixture
Fry in a pan with butter and serve with syrup!

 

The story behind this recipe
On a Beirut rooftop I spent time with hobby chef Michel Nabti who tends a sprawling personal garden full of fresh herbs such as Thai basil, black basil, mint, chilis, tomatoes, kumquats, etc. Together, we picked some of his herbs and prepared this delicious breakfast feast together! It's a celebration of the beautiful city of Beirut, the sunshine, and the possibilities having your own rooftop garden afford you, as long as you're adventurous and creative. It's so special because it utilizes ingredients that make Lebanon's food so delicious alongside unique and non-local ones as well as the 300-days a year sunshine climate which creates the opportunity. It also highlights the ingenuity of local Beirutis and their love of food.