Ode to Al Khaleej

I think what I miss most about the gulf is the food.  Other than shopping; eating and visiting are my primary activities while I'm there.  Whether it is with dinner guests, as a guest, at weddings, or wherever - there's an abundance of food.  UAE's port makes it a hub for an eclectic blend of flavors from exotic corners of the world; everything is delicious but my staple meal is baba ganoush and reyash (grilled lamb chops), and my beverage of choice is limon bil nana (lemon with mint).

My friend's mom is an excellent cook and has hosted many dinners where she has served an array of vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, olives, etc) and meats (lamb, chicken, fish).  I suppose tonight's dinner was a microscopic homage to her.

I took six 4oz lamb loin chops and rubbed garlic, olive oil, lemon, and of course 'mom's powder' (bizaara) and let that marinate.  I cut up onions, garlic, carrots, yams, peppers, and eggplant - tossed that with lemon, olive oil, kurkum, and zataar and let that sit.  I covered the dish with foil, put the lamb on a rack, and convection roasted for about 30 minutes. 

As an appetizer we had pita with lebneh and zataar and recalled the wonderful combinations of lebneh and toppings we would have for breakfast.  All we needed was a good beverage - fresh mango, strawberry, or watermelon juice would suffice; but there's nothing like lemon with mint...so that's what we had.

There was only one problem...I forgot the formula...it took several iterations before I got it right...but eventually we had that refreshing thirst quencher.