Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Spiced green bean salad
Q. Every time I visit friends in West Palm Beach, I make a point to stop at the Middle East Bakery. One of my favorite items on the menu is the green bean salad. Can you please persuade them to share their recipe? The unique flavor is delicious and I can’t figure out what spices they use. Thank you. — Virginia Willis, Atlanta
A.
Also known as Mediterranean Market and Deli (327 Fifth St, West Palm Beach, 561-659-4050, mediterranean market and deli com ), this cozy downtown eatery has been a locals’ go-to spot since 1972. Current owners and brothers Tony and Adib Salloum took over the market in 1999. They’ve since made a name for themselves providing fresh, authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Most of their business is takeout, with limited seating available at an outdoor table canopied with grape leave vines. Call ahead and place a phone order to avoid long lunch lines.
Thanks to Adib’s wife and kitchen manager, Marie, for sharing and scaling back the portion of this popular recipe that is made in large batches. The green bean salad is one of several items in the deli case available by the pound. The chilled dish is a traditional Lebanese recipe, sometimes made with lamb or beef, but their version is vegetarian. This is perhaps part of its broad appeal. The salad has been a staple menu item since they opened.
Other deli favorites include hummus, tabouli, fattoush, tzatsiki, lentils and my personal favorite, a creamy, smoky baba ganoush. The menu offers a deliciously tempting list of soups, salads, and hot and cold sandwiches such as falafel, shish tawook, kababs, shawarma, kibbie, meat pies and dolmades.
The “bakery’ portion of the original name stems from their fresh baked pitas made daily and wholesaled to surrounding counties. Aside from the white and whole wheat, try their tasty herbed feta or za’atar pita. The back half of the market stocks a selection of refrigerated and packaged products such as olives, cheeses, oils, nuts and dried fruits. Look for more exciting news soon about their expansion taking place in the new year when they add square footage just north on Dixie Highway.
Q. Years ago you provided a recipe for glazed meatloaf served with gravy and barbecue sauce. I clipped it, made it a few times and always enjoyed it. I let my neighbor borrow the recipe and she misplaced it. Can you please see if you can find it in your files? Thank you. — Michelle Peterson, Fort Lauderdale
A.
This sounds like the meatloaf recipe from The Mason Jar Café (2980 N. Federal Highway; 954-568-4100, themasonjarcafe.com) we ran back in 2013. We have to thank then co-owner Scott Kraft’s mother for sharing her recipe that’s become a menu mainstay since it was first served nearly eight years ago. Seems like the perfect time of year for nostalgic comfort food and family recipes. Don’t skip the glaze, it adds a nice tangy flavor.