Hindbeh (dandelion with caramelized onions)

As a Lebanese living in France, I admit that I get constant homesick hunger pangs. Well, I know I live in Paris, the city of mouth-watering goodies and I have been lucky enough to have moved in here four years ago.

Residing in Paris, is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done, without any clue there would be so many benefits to the richness of my everyday life experience. And I know deep down inside that I’ll be missing loads of things the day we decide to move away.

Well, to be honest, when I first moved in here, I encountered many frustrations coupled with negative first impressions and low expectations for a new environment. I was definitely homesick, and I refused to adapt to my new surroundings. All I was thinking about at that time was that I just cannot return to my former homeland, that I’ll be stuck here for God knows how long and that I have left behind all my family, my friends, and my childhood memories.

But I had to give myself the chance of being happy and appreciate the good and the bad elements, and a special thanks goes to my dear husband who helped me see the city in a different eye and who taught me that homesickness takes away the charm of exploring the new life I was about to begin in the 'city of light'.

Now I don’t know if Paris will ever feel like home the way home once felt, but it's definitely the greatest experience.

Now, back to my homesick cravings, I am really grateful to my friend who has tucked loads of goodies in her suitcase for me. Those dandelions were one of them. Now I will be able to squelch my homesick hunger pangs for quite sometime.

Ingredients (serves 4):
20 oz (550 g) dandelion
½ cup olive oil
4 onions (16 oz / 450g) onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves crushed with a sprinkle of salt
salt to taste
½ cup lemon juice

Remove yellow leaves from dandelion. Wash well. Finely chop.
Bring water to a boil then add dandelion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse in cold water, then squeeze until dry.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and fry the onions until golden. Remove half the quantity of onions from oil, reserve aside.
Fry chopped leaves in the same oil with onions for 15 minutes. Add garlic and salt and fry for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and mix.

Place in a serving plate and garnish with the reserved onions. Serve cold with some lemon wedges.



Pissenlits sautés - Hindbeh

Ingrédients (4 personnes):

550 g de pissenlit

115 ml d'huile d'olive

4 onions (450g) d'oignons, finement émincés

6 gousses d'ail pilées au mortier avec une pointe de sel

sel selon goût

115 ml de jus de citron

Lavez les pissenlit abondamment à l'eau froide. Hachez-les finement.

Faites-les cuire pendant 5 mn dans une grande casserole d'eau bouillante.

Egouttez-les, puis essorez-les dans un linge.

Faites dorer les oignons, à la poêle, dans l'huile d'olive. Réservez la moitié des oignons.

Ajoutez-y les pissenlits. Laissez-les dorer environ 15 mn. Ajoutez l'ail et le sel et laissez mijoter 5 mn. Versez le jus de citron et mélangez.

Transférez-les dans un plat de service. Parsemez de la moitié des oignons caramélisés. Servez à température ambiante avec quelques quarts de citron.