The Family "Test"

The first meal that my Polish father ate at my Syrian grandparents home was meshe. This was his test to see if he was going to be a good addition to the family.

Meshe is the Syrian version of stuffed peppers. Only instead of being made of mostly ground meat, they are made of mostly white rice and small pieces of pork. They are then cooked in a tomato based sauce with carrots. We don't just stuff peppers, but zucchini, eggplants and large carrots. My mouth is watering just thinking about eating it.

Earlier this summer, my mom made a pot of meshe. My boyfriend and I have been together for four years now and he has yet to try meshe. So he was summoned to the dinner table for his "test." Needless to say, he passed with flying colors, just like my father did over 25 years ago.

Then and Now

The picture on the left is from 1961. The picture on the right is from 2003. Doesn't look like much of a difference from the picture, but from the stories I was told growing up, it's changed. Today, Syria has a female vice president (and she's not wearing the traditional Shawl or scarf around her head.) I always thought they were called babushka's.

It seems weird to me that Syria borders Iraq, yet we don't hear much about the country and if they are involved in the war. I have always wanted to go to Syria, but in this time of war, would the citizens welcome Americans?

From what I have read, Syrians are not against America, unlike Egypt is right now. You can't visit Egypt without being in danger. Even the tourist areas are dangerous. They don't want Americans in their country. But Syria welcomes tourists with open arms.

So why do so few tourists visit Syria. Honestly, I think it's because no one really knows that much about it. Yes it's an Arabic speaking country and they do where some of the traditional clothing. But visiting somewhere where you have family roots is special. Hopefully one day i'll get there.

Roommates Mediterranean Food Reaction

Here is the long awaited video of my roommates trying the Mediterranean food. Their reactions are priceless. Enjoy!

Visiting Syria Myself

I have alway wondered what it would be like to take those pictures that I have of my family visiting Syria, and go there myself. Could I possibly find those landmarks that my aunt and uncle took pictures of? Obviously the men in the pictures would be extremely old or passed, but the buildings might still be there, right?

Being the tech-savy nation that we are, I googled it. The first thing that caught my eye was the sentence that Syria is not how the U.S. wants us to believe it is. It is not a terrorist populated nation. Syria has some of the most friendly citizens that visitors form a friendship with. I think that it would be amazing to go there and see a huge olive tree and old hotels. Check out this site:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/syria

My Family's From Where?

My mom's side of the family is 100% Syrian. Here grandparents came here from Syria. I stumbled across these pictures unfortunately when I was helping my family clean out my great uncle's houses when they passed away. I wish that I could have asked them about these pictures while they were still here.

Some of these pictures are from my Uncle Art and Aunt Nettie's visit to Syria and Jerusalem.

My Uncle Art is the man sitting on the right in a barber shop in Homa, Syria. I think that its so interesting to see how the men are very comfortable posing for the camera and smiling.

That is a picture of an actual olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemene. It's huge!

Uncle Art, called Afif in Syrian, is standing at the foot of steps in Boalbak, Lebanon.

The last picture is of the head waiter at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem. I honestly thought that he was a priest of some sort when I first saw it.

Pictures From The Past

I found a bunch of old photographs from my grandfather's side of the family. These three pictures were taken during a trip to the mid east in 1961.




This picture was taken in 1961 in Jerusalem. It is of an army drill.





This is during a parade in Homs, Syria in 1961.






This is also taken during the parade. I believe it is a traditional dance being performed.

Ephesus - Food Review

I went to one of the Mediterranean restaurants on my google map and I must say that it was phenomenal. Ephesus, on Fourth Street, has a wide variety of Turkish style foods including grape leaves, baklava, humus, and Babaganoush. The grape leaves were perfectly cooked and the humus was scrumptious. The warm pita bread served with the humus added to the wonderful texture. The highlight of the meal was definitely the baklava. It was sweet and flakey.

I would recommend trying Ephesus to everyone. And for those who don't like trying new things, Ephesus has many other items on the menu including pizza.

www.ephesuspizza.com

Baklava

Baklava is soooo good. This is by far my favorite, non-cholocate dessert. It's flakey and melts in your mouth. TRY THIS!

½ cup butter, melted
1 package (16 ounce) phyllo dough, thawed
¾ cup unsalted pistachio nuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons juice from lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.
In a bowl, combine pistachio nuts and butter. Take eight sheets of phyllo dough and layer them in the pan, spreading each sheet with melted butter. Spread about half of the nut mixture over the phyllo dough and cover with a buttered sheet of phyllo dough.

Layer five more sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each sheet. Add remaining nut mixture and layer with remaining sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each sheet.

Using a knife, cut the baklava into 1 ½” diamonds.

Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. About 30 minutes before Baklava is finished, combine sugar, honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice for glaze in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to simmer for five minutes. When Baklava is finished cooking, drizzle syrup over top and let cool.

Weird Holiday Traditions

Since the holidays are coming up faster than we would like, I was thinking about all of my family traditions. Although many of these have nothing to do with "Mediterranean Style," this is a look into my crazy family.

Thanksgiving is at my house every year. Now my house is not very big, but we have 12 people sitting at a very long table in my living room. Since it would take way to long to pass the buns around the table, we just scream "who wants a bun?" and chuck them to whoever says "I do." We take Thanksgiving football to the next level. Everyone has learned to catch my dads fast ball!

Christmas Eve is pretty standard. The table is full of seafood and pierogies. It's Christmas day that the fun tradition starts. My aunt has "The Twelve Days of Christmas" glasses. After many glasses of wine and a full stomach, we take our glass in front of us and prepare ourselves for the musical number. We must take our turn at getting stuck with the first day (no one wants it). My dad ALWAYS gets the fifth day and it is the highlight of the song.

Family weddings

It's safe to say that at every family wedding on my moms side we have some sort of Syrian food. The last three weddings had enough grape leaves to feed an army! My polish uncle had his plate stacked to the ceiling with them.

I am under strict orders to give my family ample "warning" of my wedding day. Their going to need that much time to make the endless supply of grape leaves. Who needs a caterer when you have family?

Fun experiment

THE BRAVE SOULS

I'm going to have some of the most common Mediterranean food there is tomorrow for dinner and film my willing and loving roommates reactions to the food. I can just imagine my very diverse roomies reactions. So stay tuned for the uploaded video. It should be a hoot.

Mediterranean Cruise Anyone?

With winter quickly approaching, I was day dreaming about the warmth of the sun and the beautiful site of white sanded beaches. Then I thought, "Hey why not look at cruises in the Mediterranean?"

I would love to start in Athens, Greece surrounded by four majestic mountains. The many sites of ancient Greece, and the many restaurants and museums fill me with a sense of history and pleasure. Just thinking about the architectural masterpieces like Acropolis and Parthenon make me want to jump on that ship tomorrow. Then there's the food that will keep me wanting more.

The next stop will be Cairo, Egypt. I have this fascination with the pyramids and how they are built. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World for gosh sakes. How amazing would it be to walk through the local markets with the shops and vendors. It is such a diverse culture that I don't want to miss.

Then I'll stop in Italy, Spain, Jordan and Turkey, just to name a few. I want to indulged in the rich and exotic cultures that each country offers.

Let's explore these wonderous cultures together. Anyone visit any of these countries? Share!

New Mediterranean Restaurant

A new Mediterranean restaurant, Jasmine, is opening in Scott Township. Jasmine offers many of the traditional dishes such as bulgar wheat, grape leaves, lamb, and Baklava.

In addition to great food, they offer live entertainment. Disc Jockey TweAK features Arabic, Tech and Contemporary American Music, and belly dancers.

It's exciting to see another Mediterranean restaurant open in the Pittsburgh area. They are only open for dinner and the prices seem very reasonable. Give it a try.

Jasmine Mediterranean Restaurant
1928 Cochran Road
Scott Township, Pa 15220
412-344-1001
www.jasminepittsburgh.com

Cooking should be a breeze if you know these answers.

Here are some basic questions that every cook should know. Do you?

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

How well do you eat?

Have you ever really sat down and thought about what you eat on a daily basis? Maybe this will help.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Cook much?

Try this fun quiz to find out what kind of cook you are.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Cooking sounds of the Mediterranean

Enjoy relaxing sounds of cooking in the Mediterranean.

Family matters

My family is extremely close knit and loves to spend time together; especially in the kitchen. My mom enjoys forcing me into the kitchen so I can learn the many dishes her mom passed down to her.

That is what really inspired this blog. I have grown up hearing about the good old days of my great aunts and uncles who's parents moved to the U.S. from Syria. My mom's grandparents only spoke Syrian and would yell at all the grand kids. There are so many pictures of Cedee (Syrian for grandmother) sitting in her babushka cleaning grape leaves for dinner.

I wanted to share some of the many dishes I grew up eating. My favorite foods are grape leaves and kibbee. Now back to the kitchen for some 101 lessons with mom.

Hummus

Hummus, a traditional Middle Eastern dish, is made of chickpeas and is used as a spread. The chickpeas are blended with olive oil, garlic, onions, lemon juice, and salt. Eat it with a pita or crackers to increase the flavor.


Here is a video I found on a tutorial on how to make hummus. This is one of the easiest recipes I found and I'm going to try it myself. Hope the results are as good as yours.
http://video.about.com/mideastfood/Hummus.htm

Meat pies

Meat pies are a very traditional Lebanese dish. Try this recipe and then play with the ingredients. Use spinach or cheese for a different taste.



1 Savory Pie dough recipe
1 ½ lbs ground beef
2 large tomatoes (skinned & finely diced)
½ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup tomato sauce
2 tsp salt
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ tsp papper
½ tsp cumin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
(Sometimes I substitued ½ cup mild salsa for the ½ cup tomato sauce and add ½ cup ketchup)

Directions
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Do not cook the filling before stuffing the dough.
Use a small amount of dough ( not quite the size of an egg) and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness on a floured board.
Place a large tablespoon of the filling on each round of dough and shape into buns, sealing well.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown. If larger buns are made, cook longer. Remove from oven and brush on butter.

Salim's Middle Eastern Food Store

When my mom and aunt come to Pittsburgh for their yearly mammograms, my uncle takes a trip to Salim's to "waste" time. But in all reality, this is his favorite part of the trip.

Salim's is located on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh and offer some of the best food I have ever had (except for my moms, of course).

Some of the best dishes include gyros, falafel, hummus, grape leaves, kibbee, and meat, spinach, and cheese pies.

Go and enjoy delicious food and pick up some imported groceries to make the dishes yourself.

Salim's
4705 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pa 15213
412-621-8110
www.salimsfoods.com

Photos of the Mediterranean

Take a second and enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Mediterranean.
It will take your breath away.

Is it summer yet?

Although fall is here, it is hard not to already be dreaming of that summer vacation. Instead of the usual vacation spots (ie. Mrytle Beach, Outer Banks, Florida) why not take that dream trip to somewhere in the Mediterranean? Here's a way to jump start your trip.



These are the average temperatures for the usual summer traveling months.

Kibbee

Kibbee is a traditional Syrian dish that uses the bulgar wheat and very little meat. It is one of many dishes that fall into the Mediterranean diet.

3 C bulgar wheat
1 lb. ground meat
butter
salt and pepper

Butter a 9x13 pan and a 2 quart pyrex (6x8) pan well. Rinse wheat and let set in warm water for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Seperate a small amount of ground meat onto a paper plate and pepper well. Mix remaining ground meat and wheat in large bowl. Add warm water if nedded to get to stick together. Knead until smooth, workable and evenly mixed. Take a handful of this mixture and work into a ball. Bore a hole into the middle and add a small amount of the peppered ground meat from the paper plate. Shape into a football shape with the ground meat in the center. Place on the buttered 9x13 pan. Make as many as you like. Can fit approximately 9-12 depending on how large you make them. Take remaining wheat mixture and place in the small 2 quart pyrex casserole. Cut into diamonds and place slices of butter on top of the wheat mixture. Place butter slices in the 9x13 pan around the football shaped wheat balls. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until golden brown on both sides for the balls and golden brown on the top for the small pan.

Map of Mediterranean Restaurants in Pittsburgh

Here are a few restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. I will post more restaurants and markets as I come across them.



View Mediterranean Restaurants in Pittsburgh in a larger map

Mediterranean Pyramid

This is the Mediterranean diet pyramid. It can easily be found with any google search, but they all have the same thing: Little red meat and lots of breads and pastas.

The Mediterranean diet takes some discipline, but putting your mind to it and sticking with it will be worth it.

Five reasons to try this diet:

1. Won't cause kidney failure (like some diets)
2. Significant history and abundance of research behind it
3. Reduces risk of increasing cholesterol
4. Reduces the risk of rebound weight gain
5. Decreases the risk of cancer and heart disease

Greek Salad's Heath Benefits

Eating this Greek Salad is a healthy way to get a dose of antioxidants. Each vegetable has its own benefit.

Raw onions: vitamins C and B6, phosphorous, magnesium, sulphur, flavonoids and several phytochemicals including allicin, known to ward off viruses, bacteria and fungus.

Cucumbers: contain small amounts of provitamin A and C

Roma tomatoes: source of mixed carotenoids and lycopene, which possess multiple antioxidant benefits, a good source of vitamin C, potassium and calcium, uncooked they provide the body with vitamin E.

Olives: good source of provitamin A, B1, B2, C, and include iron and calcium.


Greek Salad Recipe

3 cucumbers, seeded and sliced
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
3 cups diced roma tomatoes
1/3 cup diced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, oil reserved
1/2 red onion, sliced

In a large salad bowl, toss together the cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons reserved sun-dried tomato oil, and red onion. Chill.

Mediterranean Diet article

I found this on abcnews.com. This article gives the facts and the studies to prove it. Check it out!

Mediterranean Diet's Best Ingredients - ABC News

Syrian Sleik

Here's a recipe that is a great dish for those trying
the Mediterranean diet.

Syrian Sleik

1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 C bulgar (wheat)
3 C water
2 bags of fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
salt & pepper

In a large skillet, saute onion on high heat, using olive oil, until tender. Add wheat and water. Let this come to a boil. Add chopped spinach and turn down to medium heat. Cook until spinach and wheat is cooked and soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook approximately for 45 minutes to an hour.

Mediterranean Diet

When don't we hear the word diet? It's a daily occurrence to try and find the "new" and "improved" diet tricks. But lately the Mediterranean diet has become very popular.

The Mediterranean diet doesn't focus on what you can't eat, but what you can eat. The main staples include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, yogurt, olive oil, legumes, sea food, and small portions of wine. AVOIDING processed foods. Eating smaller portions of good food, such as nuts and olive oil, to keep you fuller longer without the large portions of food. Substitute vegetables in place of a large piece of meat. Eat fruit for dessert.


Sounds good on paper, but can it really be that easy? I personally hate seafood and yogurt. But the health benefits and weight lose sound like this is worth trying.

Syrian Grape Leaves

I remember when I was little my mom trying to get me to eat these green cigar looking things at grandmas. They were weird looking and smelled like lemon juice. But over the years, I have grown to love them. They are exactly what the name is. Grape leaves are a combination of rice, lamb (or pork), and a grape leaf rolled like a cigar. Add some lemon juice, salt, pepper and peppermint, and you've got all the necessary ingredients.

This is definitely an acquired taste. This is my families recipe:

1 jar of fresh grape leaves, washed and stems removed
3 cups long grain rice
1 lb. lamb (or pork), cut into small pieces
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
Dried peppermint leaves

Rinse rice in a large bowl. Add the meat pieces to rice. Mix well. Add dried peppermint, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Set aside. Rinse and remove stems from the grape leaves. Place a small amount of rice/meat mixture onto grape leaf. Roll like a cigar, tucking the ends in. Place into a large pot alternating the rows of leaves. Pour a small amount of lemon juice on top of grape leaves for added flavor. Fill pot to the top with water. You may need to place a plate on the top row to keep them down when cooking. Cook approximately for 1 hour on medium heat until done. Rice will be tender and meat will thoroughly cooked when done.

Mediterranean goodness

The Mediterranean style of life is as unique as its cultures, but its food is out of this world. Think about your daily diet. I bet it includes beef, potatos, deep fried everything, and quite possibly fast food on a daily basis.

Now, just imagine how much healthier that diet could become with a Mediterranean style influence. A diet full dishes such as kibbe, grape leaves, mesha, and sleik.

What am I talking about? Those are some of the main staples in my house. Join me in enjoying these unique and healthy meals.