Syria (Asia) 11 February 2024

Syria is located in the continent of Asia. It has Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq and Iran to the east, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the south, Israel and Egypt to the southwest, Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

The capital is Damascus.

The official language is Arabic.

The climate on the western coast has a long dray season from May to October. Inland the climate becomes arid, with colder winters and hotter summers.

The staple foods are bread, grains, figs, watermelon, plums , eggplant, cucumber, chickpeas, onions, peppers, tomatoes, meat and so much more (https://www.ehow.com/list_6592786_staple-foods-syria_.html).

https://www.britannica.com/place/Syria

SHISH BARAK (https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Shish-Barak-9478325#directions):    

Dough:

• 3 C all-purpose flour
•  1 TBSP milk powder
• 1 TBSP granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 C vegetable oil
• 1 C water

Filling:

• 1lb. ground lamb (ground beef, can be used or a mixture of both)
• 1/3 C pine nuts
• ½ onion
• 1 C parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 TBSP smoked paprika
• 1 TBSP spice (seven or allspice)
• Salt
• Pepper

Yogurt Sauce:

• 32oz. plain yogurt (do not use Greek yogurt)
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 C water (may need more)

Garnish:

• 1 head garlic (crushed)
• 3 TBSP dried mint (crushed)

1. First, prepare the dough by combining all the ingredients together with a KitchenAid with the paddle attachment or by hand.
2. Initially pour the cup of water a little at a time.
3. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes as you prepare the filling.
4. In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, and parsley from the meat filling and pulse.
5. Add this mixture to the beef and saute in a pan with the seasonings.
6. Cook till browned well.
7. Add toasted pine nuts to the filling as well.
8. Set aside.
9. Once the dough is ready, cut the ball in half and roll out each half thinly (about 1-inch thick).
10. Cut small circles into the dough using a cookie cutter or a small coffee cup.
11. Spread out each circle and add 1 tsp of beef filling onto one side of the circle.
12. Shape like an empanada pinching at the seams.
13. Then pinch the ends of the dumpling together or overlap them to look like tortellini.
14. Repeat this step until all the dough is done.
15. Place the dumplings onto a nonstick pan sprayed with olive oil.
16. Bake in a 400F oven for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
17. Feel free to broil for a minute for more color.
18. At this point, once the dumplings are cooled you can place them in a ziplock and freeze them for another meal.
19. Let’s work on the yogurt sauce.
20. Add the yogurt, cornstarch, salt, and water to a blender.
21. Add this mixture to a pot and place on medium heat.
22. Keep mixing until the sauce starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes until it boils. If you want it thickened more, add a ladle of the yogurt sauce into a bowl and add more cornstarch to it and stir. Place it back into the pot to thicken it. I like my yogurt thick enough to coat a spoon.
23. Once at the consistency you prefer, add the dumplings and cook for 10 minutes together. They should be floating to the top.
24. In a pan, saute the garlic in olive oil until crisp.
25. Add this to the yogurt sauce and garnish with dried mint as well.
26. Enjoy warm!

Here is how my dish turned out. The yogurt sauce was fabulous and the meat filling was flavorful. One I would recommend!

SYRIAN BREAD (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20834/syrian-bread/):  

• 1-1/16 C water
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• ½ tsp white sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Combine ½ C lukewarm water and ½ tsp sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in yeast, and set aside until yeast is creamy and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
3. Add remaining water, oil, salt, flour.
4. Mix on low speed using the dough hook until the gluten is fully developed, about 10 minutes (you can also knead by hand on a flour surface until dough is springy and feels silky to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes).
5. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
7. Divide into eight equal pieces and form into rounds.
8. Cover the rounds with a damp cloth and let rest.
9. Roll dough into thin flat circles, about 8-inches in diameter.
10. Cook two at a time on preheated baking sheets or a baking stone (preheated 475F) until puffed up and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
11. Repeat for remaining loaves.

This made a really good addition to the Shish Barak!!

HALAWET EL JIBN (Sweet Cheese Rolls) (https://cleobuttera.com/middle-eastern/halawet-el-jibn-sweet-cheese-rolls/):  

For the Syrup:

• 2 C granulated sugar
• 1 C water
• A squeeze of lemon juice (about ½ tsp)
• ¾ tsp orange blossom water
• ¾ tsp rose water

1. In a small saucepan, combine together the sugar, water and squeeze of lemon juice.
2. Set on the stove top over medium-high heat.
3. Bring to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for no longer than 10 minutes. Set a timer!! The syrup will thicken slightly and have a consistency similar to pancake syrup. If it simmers for longer, it could thicken too much and become candy-like and not pourable.
4. Stir in the orange blossom and rose water.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and cool to room temperature.

For filling the rolls: (Easy Homemade Ashta)

• 1 C whipping cream
• ½ C whole milk
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• Optional flavoring of your choice such as rose or orange blossom water, vanilla or ground mastic

1. In a medium saucepan, off the heat, whisk together the whipping cream, milk, flour, cornstarch and sugar, until well combined and the flour and cornstarch have dissolved completely without any visible lumps.
2. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture forms large bubbles over the surface and reaches a full boil.
3. Continue to cook for about 30 more seconds, until the mixture becomes very thickened.
4. Add in any flavoring of your choice or leave plain.
5. Pour into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
6. Stir with a spoon to loosen up before using. If you prefer a looser consistency, give it a quick whiz in the blender until smooth.

Asha will keep in the fridge, well-covered for up to 3 days. It does NOT freeze well.

For the sweet cheese rolls:

• 1-1/2 C water
• ¾ C sugar
• 1 C fine semolina (known in Arabic as seemed naa’em)
• 2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 TBSP rose water
• 1 TBSP orange blossom water

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat together the water and sugar, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to a boil then add in the fine semolina, stirring constantly with a spatula until well combined and slightly thickened; about 30 seconds.
3. Turn down the heat to medium, then add in the cheese and rose water, and stir well until the cheese melts and the mixture forms a soft, cohesive dough.
4. Allow to cool briefly until it’s warm enough to handle.
5. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.
6. Take 1 half of the dough to work with and cover the other half.
7. Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, into a 9×13-inch rectangle.
8. Remove the plastic wrap on top.
9. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim off the irregular sides of the dough to form a clean-cut rectangle. You could use a ruler or the edge of an object to help you get straight sides.
10. Fill a piping bag with the Ashta (clotted cream) and snip off about 1-inch of the tip.
11. Start piping the ashta on the long side closest to you, leaving a 1-inch border.
12. Alternately, you could just spoon the ashta on the dough with a spoon.
13. Using the plastic wrap under the dough, lift the dough and roll it over the cream filling, until the cream filling is completely covered, the dough seals it in and looks like a thin log.
14. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, make a cut along side to slice off from the rest of the dough.
15. Repeat this process to make 2 more logs.
16. For cleaner cuts, place the logs in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm them up a little; it’s not necessary though.
17. Then using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the logs into 1-3/4-inch pieces. You should have 30 to 32 pieces.
18. Repeat with the other piece of dough.
19. Arrange the rolls on the serving platter, sprinkle each with a little ground pistachio in the center and rose petal jam.
20. Serve alongside the syrup, drizzling each piece with some before eating.
21. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Even though I was not sure how this would taste, I really liked it!!!

Here is my overall meal! Had a great lunch!!