Lebanese Lunch at GA's

Lebanese lunch at GA's

I am so stuffed I just want to curl up and have a siesta, but I have 2 little kids on a playdate with my own 2 monsters and need to keep an eye on them...sigh...

Spicy chickpea salad, pinenut yoghurt dish, lentils and rice with fried onions...

Had the fortune to be invited to lunch at GA's this afternoon. She welcomed us with the most delicious of Lebanese delights, every dish had been lovingly prepared and beautifully presented. I had to nudge everyone (we were standing in the living room making small talk) to settle at the table as I couldn't wait to start. Bye bye diet.

Hoummous, spicy potatoes, grilled beef...

Most of the dishes contained simple ingredients that were harmoniously married to each other : tomatoes, eggplant, chickpeas, lemon juice, rice, lentils, garlic, onions, chilli, tahini, potatoes, parsley, pine nuts, yoghurt, bread, beef, Lebanese bread...I had to take home some for the Hub, he loves Lebanese food.

Our lovely hostess and her guests

The company's lovely (from countries as different as France, Germany, South Africa, Danmark, England) and we had interesting discussions about many different things. :-) I know that I will miss these ladies very much the day I leave Modena.

The dessert

For dessert, GA made a Lebanese dessert with semolina, cream, orange blossom extract, gum arabic (meska) and pistacchios. It was delicate and very lovely. I stuffed myself on so many of those sesame and pistacchio crisps, arrgh.

Freshly-imported Lebanese snacks for the coffee

I am going to ask for that delicious spicy tomato, chickpea and eggplant dish for our coming Teacher Appreciation Lunch. Good things ought to be shared. I have been so lucky, haven't I? We live in Italy (and most Italians are very chauvinistic when it comes to their cuisine) but I still got to eat Lebanese...