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.

Roommates Mediterranean Food Reaction

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.