Prepared Ingredients

When it comes to my toast, I admit I am a creature of habit—pass the peanut butter, please—but I couldn’t help noticing a bright orange (dare I say neon?) pot of marmalade sitting next to me. I was intrigued, so I pushed aside my PB and reached for the pot of sunshine. Turns out this wasn’t marmalade as the English know and love it, but marmalade made with carrots. Early morningsare fabulous—I was instantly inspired and wanted to make my own. Maybe a hint of star anise or cardamom? The creative juices were flowing and I had barely sipped my coffee!

In Beirut, apart from traditional fennel and mint teas, they drink “zohorat”, a lovely tisane made with a mix of flowers, usually including chamomile, rose, linden blossom, verveine, and other plants.  Before I left Lebanon, my friend Fouad and his family and I drove to the Chouf mountains where he took me to a fabulous herbalist.  There, I picked my own mix of flowers and herbs and left with a big sack of zohorat, as well as bags of fennel, cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole dried ginger root and other spices. 

My brother loves star anise immensely. He will go to the extent of picking out every piece in a serving bowl! I decided to create anise-flavoured oil for him one birthday, and now I make it every year. The orange peel imparts a delicate orange colour so it makes a very pretty gift.  

I remember when I was newly married and had very little time in the kitchen, I learnt to cook up a huge batch of this base gravy from my sister-in-law and keep it in the refrigerator, using it through the week to make quick curries. It can be frozen as well. I still keep some in my freezer for rainy days.