Julie Taboulie's Lebanese Kitchen

Julie finds herself in Mama’s Glorious Garden. This special place and special person, both serve as Julie’s number one source of inspiration that influences her to create fabulous Lebanese food. From eggplant, vine-ripe ruby-red tomatoes and Swiss chard, Julie showcases and shares some special Lebanese recipes in which all of the ingredients are sourced straight from Mama’s home-grown garden.

Join the “Queen of Lebanese Cuisine”, Julie Taboulie, as she pays a special tribute to her namesake dish and her culinary traditions. Originating in Mount Lebanon, this famous dish is known as the “Queen Salata” throughout the land and Julie shares all of her tips to make the tastiest taboulie. Julie also shares her luscious lamb kabobs lahem mishwee along with her Lebanese-style French fries.

Besides Mama’s Garden, farmer’s markets are Julie’s favorite places to frequent for fresh foods. This farmer's market is inspiring Julie to make her makbouseh, a Lebanese-style summertime squash stew. She also prepares her handmade Lebanese pasta tossed in a garlic sauce, famously known as macaroune b toum. Plus, a childhood favorite of fried squash blossoms called zahrah kousa b maqlieh.

Julie’s eggplant extravaganza all starts with her signature starter called batenjen mishwee, a fire-roasted eggplant spread. Her main dish, sheikh el’ mahshi, showcases baby Indian eggplants, that are sautéed and stuffed with a meat and pine nut mixture baked in a tomato casserole. Last is a specialty breakfast dish called bayd b batenjen - baked eggs and eggplants.

Shawarma is one of Lebanon’s most famous street-food sandwiches seen throughout the international street food scene. Shawarma lahem is thinly sliced marinated lamb meat that is roasted and layered with traditional toppings, topped with tahini and wrapped up in warm pita bread. Julie shares techniques on how to make this street food star sandwich right at home.

Julie brings you along with her as she strolls through a rose garden that inspires her to bake rose water-infused sweets First up is bellawriyeh, a shredded phyllo dough dessert layered with a flavorful pistachio-walnut filling followed by her eish al bolbol, shredded phyllo dough birds nest shaped sweets topped with pistachios. Both sweets are finished off with Julie’s signature rose water syrup.

Julie makes manoush, Lebanese breakfast dough pies with her Mama in the morning. As soon as the thought of manoush comes to mind, Julie immediately envisions her mother. Ever since she was a little girl, Julie grew up to the sights, sounds and scents surrounding her as her mother would be baking manoush on their family’s saj (an authentic outdoor Lebanese oven) signaling Sunday mornings.

Mezze is internationally known as a delicious display of dishes. Traditionally, the mezze can offer forty to fifty different types of hot and cold small plates, and today, Julie prepares and present some of the most popular small plates among the mezze made perfectly for passing around the table with family and friends. Her mezze is affordable and, most of all achievable, for you to make.

Julie teaches you how to make and bake your very own pita chips right at home. A peasant-style bread salad made with homemade pita bread pieces is sure to become your new favorite salad. Julie also introduces you to another member of the fattat family of foods called fatteh hummus - a warm blend of chickpeas, yogurt, spices, parsley and toasted pine nuts layered with crispy pita chips.

Julie shares a fish dishes called samak harrah, translated to spicy fish. Julie serves up her samak harrah using Mediterranean Sea bass finished off with a spicy sauce called taratour. This is paired with a long grain rice and orzo pasta pilaf with sautéed arugula and onion leeks called sleek b zeit. Her fiery and festive fish dish makes for a wonderful weeknight meal that is truly heart-healthy.

Julie prepares a special spring meal with crown roasted leg of lamb infused with a bouquet of fresh herbs and slowly roasted until fork-tender called xaruff mishwee. Julie accompanies this with fire-roasted baby wheat grains infused with aromatics called freekeh, along with her steamed spring vegetables tossed in garlic and fresh-herb butter sauce called khoudra b samneh.

This show is Julie’s love letter to Lebanon, for her homeland's hospitality, soaring spirit and resiliency. Julie cooks the national dish of Lebanon, kibbeh. Julie presents libbeh in three different ways. Kibbeh nayeh, a Lebanese-style steak tartare delicacy, kibbeh kbekib, mouthwatering meat pies that are perfect for everyday eating and a vegetable version called kibbeh batata.

Julie welcomes you into her home for the holiday season and bakes some of her personal favorites for the holiday season. First up, Baklawa, decadent phyllo dough and walnut diamond-cut dessert followed by her homemade phyllo dough cups called baklawa b ashta filled with luscious Lebanese cream and tasty toppings then finished off with her orange blossom syrup. Last, a special treat knefeh.