Claudia

no I have not heard of this tree but will ask around...I know Lebanese food because my husband is Lebanese..but was born here in Australia..We don't cook much of it here but his family does...It is so yummy and you truley do feel full and satisfied when eating it without the guilt as they do use a lot of vegetables...As for the tree I will ask and see what I come up with...I do know that a common weed called dandillion is used for bowel...it is bitter and when eaten like my mother in law does in salads..it makes the liver produce more bile..I grows everywhere as a weed..but one must be sure that it is the right weed they are picking...lol...my mother in law tells me they used to just go out in the wild and pick things for salads...but they knew what they were picking...she is 75 years young and she still makes home made yogurt...and when she makes tabbouleh it takes a long time she cuts everything so small..i could eat it all day...it makes your stomach feel fresh and lite...and her stuffed cabbage..grape leaves and marrow..is to die for...anyway here are the directions for making the eggplant dip i told you about...also just a note you can use these dips as spreads on leb bread for a kabab or a sandwich or a spread on chicken or whatever...or just spread on a leave of lettuce like we do sometimes and fill with tabbouleh...yummm.....ok
Baba Ghannouj
take on large eggplant remove the green from around the neck but leave the stem..now you can either put it in a hot oven until soft around 15-20 minutes or you can do like my mother in law..she either puts it directly into the fire on a barbeque until it is charcoaled black..or she lays it on the fire burner on stove and keeps turning it until black...then let it cool.now remove the skin.. see why it dosen't matter if the skin is black you don't use it as long as the inside is soft that is all that matters...it is easy to peel the skin off if you hold the eggplant by the stem....now place the pulp into a blender or into a bowl and use your hand held blender..then slowly blend while adding lemon and tahini alternatley ..about 1/4 cup lemon and 4 to 5 tablespoons tahini...then grind 2 gloves garlic with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt and add...taste then add more slt if you like or lemon...your done...easy huh?....do you like garlic? I love it...you know they make a yummy garlic spread for putting on anything they keep it in the fridge in a jar...at all times...you have to use a mortor and pestelle...and you must only grind in one direction..in other words if you start to grind turning to the right you myst keep turning to the right...not back and fourth they told me why but i can't remember...anyway talk later...my husband is calling me...anita Tweet