This lovely mountain resort town is perched above the eastern end of
the beautiful Kadisha Gorge and at the foothills of the Cedars of Lebanon.
It is the brith place of Lebanon's most famous author
Khalil Gibran. It has a small museum which pays tribute to him.
Beiteddine palace was built over a period of thirty years by Emir Bechir Chehab II.
It's architecture reflects the typical oriental architecture of the 19th century Ottoman Era.
It is remarkable for its glamorous
arcades, multicolored mosaic floors, reception rooms, harems, hammams
and even by its guest house "Diyafa" where passing guests were lodged
(French poet Lamartine stayed once there).
Detail of the Sarcophagus of Ahiram, king of Byblos, seated
on a cherub throne, before an offering table, 13th century B.C (National Museum of Beirut).
Around 1200 B.C. the scribes of Byblos developed an alphabetic phonetic script, the precursor of our modern
alphabet. By 800 B.C., it had traveled to Greece, changing forever the way man communicated.
Located in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, Baalbek is an ancient city
that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Originally
Canaanite (3rd century BC), the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines,
and Arabs successively occupied Ba'albek and left their imprints on the
place, often modifying what existed previously.
www.kaftoun.com
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Oven Baked Kafta with Potatoes
Serves 6 to 8
A basic Lebanese dish that is easy-to-make and the whole family can enjoy. It is not much more work than a simple meatloaf. It features potatoes, tomatoes and meat which makes for a complete meal when served with green salad or steamed vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds of lean or regular ground beef (you may use ground lamb for a truly Middle Eastern flavor)
- 2 1/2 pounds potatoes
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 can (28 oz) Italian plum tomatoes (or 5 small ripe tomatoes in season)
- 1 lemon (the juice of one lemon or 1 table spoon of authentic pomegranate molasses)
- salt, pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven on broil for about 5 minutes.
While the oven is heating up, prepare the Kafta. Chop the onion and parsley as fine as possible. Mix into the ground meat with your hands, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and optional allspice. Using one hand, shape the meat into sausage-shaped forms, about one inch thick. place on a lightly oiled large broiling pan.
Broil the meat under the broiler on the top shelf oven. Broil on one side for five minutes then turn and broil on the other side for another five minutes. This process releases some of the fat and liquid from the meat.
While the meat is broiling, peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks about 1x2 inches.
Remove broiled meat from the oven and place in a large Pyrex or ceramic baking pan.
Set the oven to bake setting at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Add cut potatoes to the baking pan distributing them evenly between the meat. Slice canned tomatoes and distribute on top of the meat and cut potatoes in the baking pan. You may use fresh tomatoes but only if they're in season! Pour the juice from the canned tomatoes over all. Add one cup of water and the juice of one lemon with a dash of salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven to bake at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake covered for 60 minutes or until meat is done. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes or until the juice thickens and the tomatoes are "roasty" looking on top.
Serve with a small green salad, Arabic Bread, or over rice pilaf. In Lebanon they often serve it with a quartered raw white onion on the side.
A basic Lebanese dish that is easy-to-make and the whole family can enjoy. It is not much more work than a simple meatloaf. It features potatoes, tomatoes and meat which makes for a complete meal when served with green salad or steamed vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds of lean or regular ground beef (you may use ground lamb for a truly Middle Eastern flavor)
- 2 1/2 pounds potatoes
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 can (28 oz) Italian plum tomatoes (or 5 small ripe tomatoes in season)
- 1 lemon (the juice of one lemon or 1 table spoon of authentic pomegranate molasses)
- salt, pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven on broil for about 5 minutes.While the oven is heating up, prepare the Kafta. Chop the onion and parsley as fine as possible. Mix into the ground meat with your hands, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and optional allspice. Using one hand, shape the meat into sausage-shaped forms, about one inch thick. place on a lightly oiled large broiling pan.
Broil the meat under the broiler on the top shelf oven. Broil on one side for five minutes then turn and broil on the other side for another five minutes. This process releases some of the fat and liquid from the meat.
While the meat is broiling, peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks about 1x2 inches.
Remove broiled meat from the oven and place in a large Pyrex or ceramic baking pan.
Set the oven to bake setting at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Add cut potatoes to the baking pan distributing them evenly between the meat. Slice canned tomatoes and distribute on top of the meat and cut potatoes in the baking pan. You may use fresh tomatoes but only if they're in season! Pour the juice from the canned tomatoes over all. Add one cup of water and the juice of one lemon with a dash of salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven to bake at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake covered for 60 minutes or until meat is done. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes or until the juice thickens and the tomatoes are "roasty" looking on top.
Serve with a small green salad, Arabic Bread, or over rice pilaf. In Lebanon they often serve it with a quartered raw white onion on the side.
