Sharba Libyia--Libyan Soup

Sharba Libyia will always remind me of Ramadan. At least in my family, it is mandatory all 30 days. If we dont eat Sharba Libyia our fast is incomplete. This soup is so delicious and flavorful. Its incredibly close to the Tabeekha or sauce we use in every other dish. When I first learned to make it, I was afraid thinking I had messed it up and created sauce not soup. Sharba Libyia is defined by its fresh parsley and dried mint added at the end. This soup is a crowd pleasure, I have never in my entire life met a person who didnt love it!


What you'll need:
- 9oz medium cubed lamb +bones
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup PLUS 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 cup garbanzo beans
-1/2 onion petite diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Bzaar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup Orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons dried mint
- 10 cups water (divided)

Ftaat/Fteera

This thin unleavened bread is similar to an Indian roti prata. I love Ftaat more than most people. It makes me happy and I mentally hug my cousin in Libya who showed me how to make it every time I whip up a batch. I have to warn you, this recipe is seemingly easy, the catch with it is: as with any dough recipe, its about consistency. There are two tricks with ftaat. 1. You knead the heck out of it. I dont think its possible to over knead it. 2. Let it rest. The longer it rests, the yummier it is.

What you'll need:

- 3 cups All Purpose Flour. (Tip: Use Pillsbury) 

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 cups PLUS 1 tablespoon water

- Olive oil 

- Piece of paper

-Flat skillet

Glaya

Whenever my mom gets a bunch of meat, she always picks a few choice pieces and makes us Glayit Laham. Its super simple but so delicious. Its great for a quick and simple dinner. It can be used as a filling for sandwiches  as well!

What you need:
- 12oz meat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 Jalapeño

Sharmoola

This salad is a Libyan essential. It can compliment a meal or stand alone as a meal with some fresh hot bread. I hesitated to post this recipe as simple as it is, but I think it wont hurt to standardize the salad that all us Libyan girls are forever forced into dicing. Having said that, from the years of chopping I make a tiny request when you chop this salad: Please petite dice (Jalapeno is the except so people can fish them out if they want to avoid the heat). It makes it look so nice and it can be scoped up with a spoon making it so much easier to eat. My OCD and peace of mind thank you in advance!

What you need:

- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 1/4 teaspoons Salt

- 1 small onion

-1 cucumber

-3 tomatoes 

- 1 Jalapeño (Deseed if you want to lessen heat)

Macroona Imbakbaka

This is the most QUINTESSENTIAL Libyan Dish. Heavily influenced by Italian cuisine, this Libyan dish is Pasta in a tomato stew. Any type of pasta can be used but more often than not its either Ditalini or broken up Spaghetti. I learned how to make this dish in only one quantity: A lot. The recipe below is for an entire pound of pasta, which really is on a box. It may seem like a lot, but it will go go go.

What you'll need:
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 garlic gloves
-1 chicken cut and quartered.
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
-2/3 cup tomato paste
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 1/2 tablespoons Bzaar
-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-11 cups of water (will be used in parts)
- 1lb Pasta of your choice

The Libyan Kitchen

When I was a kid I remember being in the school cafeteria and seeing the other students pull out Lunchables or turkey sandwiches on white bread for lunch. My lunch would be more....Libyan. I would pull out a cheese sandwich made from my mom's hearty and healthy wheat bread or some left over rice with a pea stew (Tabikhit Bazalya). While I was once ashamed of bringing my Libyan food to my American cafeteria, as an adult I can't get enough of my cultural cuisine.

As with anything else, I have my favorites. Braak (stuffed grape leaves) and Roushda Emgata3a (a homemade pasta) are of course top contenders. My friends and I often ''rank'' the best Libyan cooks we know based on who was best at making which dishes. We constantly get together for coffee and dessert as is the social norm for Libyans. We have monthly, if not weekly, dinners together. We love food. In particular we love Libyan food. After constant nagging to our mothers to make our favorite dishes we thought it was high time we learned to make the dishes we loved so much by ourselves so that we could enjoy them when we wanted.

The biggest problem with Libyan cuisine is that more often than not the person cooking does NOT measure anything or any ingredient. As our mothers always say عينك ميزانك or ''your eye is your scale.'' Of course this is impossible for a new or unexperienced cook. So I made a list of all the Libyan foods I can think of and will create a recipe for them.


 I am in no shape or form an expert cook, I just love food, cooking and being Libyan. Hopefully those three things will be enough to gain your trust in using my recipes for your dinner table. I am a first generation Libyan American who has a mother who can cook your pants off MashaAllah. I want to be as good as her one day and I will be, inshaAllah, one can of tomato paste at a time.

-Assia

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is the most vital ingredient to Libyan cooking, only second to olive oil.

Tomato paste are not equal opportunity. Some can be very bitter and others almost tin tasting from the can. Its important to pick a tomato paste that is good quality. Personally, I like using Contadina.