Mona al-Zaatari’s cabbage leaves with pomegranate molasses

1. Blanch the cabbage leaves in a large pot of boiling salted water, then refresh them in cold water and drain.
2. Peel the onions and cut them into small cubes.
3. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Wash and chop the herbs (parsley, mint).
4. Salt and pepper the onions, then add the tomatoes, rice and herbs.
5. Add olive oil to taste.
6. Spread out the cabbage leaves, place a spoonful of the rice filling on each, and roll the leaves.
7. Line the bottom of a pot with potato slices.
8. Place the stuffed and rolled cabbage leaves on top.
9. Add the filtered juice from the vegetables (and water if needed), salt, olive oil, red chili pepper and the kumquats.
10. Cook over high heat for 20 minutes, then add 2 to 3 spoons of pomegranate molasses and let cook on low heat for another 2 to 3 hours.
11. Serve.

Another family recipe

Raja Farah's lemon tart

The little story of the Nawam sisters: Hoda Baroudi and Mona al-Zaatari

They grew up in Saida with their two other sisters, Lina and Racha, their brother Mohammad, their parents, aunts and uncles.

As adults, they have continued the ritual of Saturday and Sunday meals with their children... The scent of lemons from their father Adnan Nawam’s garden still accompanies Hoda and Mona in their life and their cooking.

“This perfume, both strong and delicate, takes us straight back to our childhood.” Hoda, all fire and passion, immersed in design with her Bokja label (cofounded with her partner Maria Hibri) and Mona, quieter, surrounded by books, a former English teacher at LAU, each has her own personal talent and “signature” dishes.

But they share the “spirit” inherited from their mother, Aida Chammah, who taught them all her cooking secrets. “She has always cooked healthy dishes; ingredient quality is essential to her. If a dish isn’t good, even if we made it ourselves, we can’t eat it!” they confess together.

“Every walk in our Bustan [orchard] is an opportunity to fill huge bags with lemons, oranges, bitter oranges, depending on the season, that we bring back to our mother, busy at her stove from which rise aromas of roasted pine nuts, fried onions and of course, lemon.”

Hoda and Mona were steeped in these aromas. It is almost as if their cooking is a natural extension of their mother’s and grandmother’s recipes.

Recipes that have evolved over time, through their travels and encounters with other food lovers from around the world. But the foundation has remained the same: the cuisine of Saida, which gave birth to these wonderful recipes.