Another week, another soup. I can't believe it has actually been a whole week since I last posted. I've had one of the strangest weeks of my life but I think I'll save that story for my autobiography (yeah, right). However, something that kept me going through the past seven days was the promise of good simple autumnal food. This time of year is great for richer, more filling foods and nothing fulfils more than a good bowl of soup and some crusty bread.
























One of the things I really associate with this time of year is this version of kishk soup. Kishk is a fermented mixture of dried yoghurt and cracked wheat which is a very popular staple in the mountainous regions of central Lebanon. When I was younger we usually ate kishk as a topping on mana'eesh and even then it was on special occasions. Although my parents made it at home, I always savoured our trips to the local Lebanese bakery where they would make the most exquisite kishk mana'eesh. It wasn't until I was in my teenage years that I started to appreciate kishk soup and how good my parents use of it was. My dad's version in particular is the one that inspired me to have a go and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Ingredients
2 beef tomatoes - diced
1 medium onion - diced
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of kishk
2-1/2 cups of water
seasoning (if needed)
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
1 tablespoon of almonds
a few parsley leaves

Method
Fry the onions in butter and a little olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook gently for five minutes. Pour in the dried kishk and water into the pan and raise the temperature. You want the soup to be at a gentle boil (a bit further than a simmer). Cook for 10-15 minutes (the soup should get thicker and will continue to do so as you take it off the heat). Taste the soup and season if necessary. In another pan fry the almonds and pine nuts in a little oil until golden brown. Fill a bowl with the soup, scatter on a few of the nuts and top with a few parsley leaves. Serve with crusty bread.

I need your help. Yes, you. I need help understanding how the addition of the word pizza to any circular-shaped baked dough product makes it fathomable all of a sudden. Are humans at a complete loss when faced with baked dough that vaguely resembles pizza or is it just another loose term employed by Mr. Marketing to make ethnic products easier to understand? We should celebrate each product for what it is! Lahmacun, paratha and quesadilla all stand up! And move to the side - it's mana'eesh time.

















Mana'eesh are as much Lebanese pizza as pizza is Italian mana'eesh. Usually eaten for breakfast or brunch they're a filling alternative to your usual morning meal. We usually eat these on Sunday when everyone is at home and we all chip in. We made three varieties of mana'eesh this time: za'atar (picked thyme, sesame seeds and sumac), kishk (dried yoghurt and cracked wheat) and a vegetarian alternative to lahm biajin.

Ingredients
Dough
350g plain flour
150g semolina
10g dried yeast
280-300ml lukewarm water
two or three teaspoons olive oil
salt

Za'atar
za'atar mix (thyme, sesame seeds, sumac)
olive oil

Kishk
dried kishk
half a large tomato
half a large onion
pinenuts (optional)
water
salt

Vegetarian Option
half a large tomato
half a large onion
handful of pinenuts
freshly picked thyme
olive oil
salt

















Method
Mix the dry ingredients for the dough and form a well. Slowly pour most of the water into the well and work the ingredients into a smooth, slightly sticky, ball. Do not overwork. Leave to rest at room temperature for half an hour before diving into 8 smaller balls.

Preheat the oven to 300degrees Celsius. Form each ball into a disk ready for the toppings. The za'atar just needs to be mixed with the olive oil and spread. The kishk requires a bit more work.
Heat a saucepan with some oil and fry the onions and tomatoes. Add the dry kishk and slowly work in some water. Make sure the final product is quite thick (the same consistency as a thick custard) before spreading on and adding pinenuts (optional). The vegetarian option requires no cooking but rather a brief period for the flavours to mix together - dice the tomato and onion and everything to bowl to let it infuse. Cook one at a time on a baking tray that isn't prone to warping at high temperature and serve when the crust is golden. There you have it, mana'eesh (not Lebanese pizza)!