Like many people, my idea of Middle Eastern cuisine before I moved here consisted mostly of traditional mezze (or small plates, like tapas), falafel sandwiches, and skewers of meat. However, once I spent time with my husband’s family in Jordan, I quickly realized I had a very limited concept of what this cuisine was, because delicious home cooked food has not really made its way into restaurants much…yet. All that said, Beirut's Tawlet restaurant is bringing homestyle cooking to those of us without a middle eastern mamma in the kitchen with their various restaurants (there's one in Beirut and then several at different countryside locations all over Lebanon). They call this style of hearty, mostly stew-based food, tabliyet. Tawlet serves a buffet lunch daily using seasonal, local produce from the market, and each day a different woman prepares the food using her recipes from her particular Lebanese village and traditions. To think that there are significant variations from one small village to the next in this tiny country boggles my mind, and is part of what set me off to learn about the small, subtle differences in the recipes here. 

This was maybe the first Lebanese recipe I made once we moved to Beirut. It was a dish served on the buffet at Beirut’s Tawlet and I asked the chef of the day for her recipe and she proudly shared how she made it. I couldn't believe how simple it was, but really, I usually find most of the best food is terrifically simple, but made with good ingredients, thoughtfully combined. When you go to make this, look for the cracked freekeh as opposed to the wholegrain, as it will cook more quickly, and frankly, I like the texture better. Also, the recipe here uses a local variety of thyme which they refer to as baladi (or, of the country) that's different to anything I've seen elsewhere. Now, it's doubtful that you'll find anything along these lines, but I would suggest substituting some oregano leaves and supplementing it with some whole leaves of tarragon and maybe some baby arugula, even some mint. That will give it the slightly sweet and peppery edge and the texture that will finish the dish beautifully.