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