Sample Recipes The Basics Soups & Stews Vegetables Mufalfal – Basic Bulgur Labaneeya – Yogurt Soup Foul Mudammas – Fava Bean Potage Labna – Creamy Yogurt Cheese Shawrabat ’Adas ma’a Silq – Lentil and – Lentil Potage Swiss Chard Soup Kishk – Powdered Cheese Kousa Miqleeya ma’a Dibs Rummaan – Red Chicken Noodle – Fried Summer Squash with Pomegranate Qawarma – Preserved Meat Shawrabat Hamra Soup – Zucchini Fritters Taratour – Sauce ’Ijjat Kousa Miqleeya Shaakreeya – Yogurt and Meat Stew with Rice Syrian Omelette Qatr – Sugar Syrup ’Ijja – Meat Mezza Savory Pies – Leg of Lamb Freeka ma’a Fakhd Ghanam Fataayir bi-Sabaanikh – Spinach Pies Baba Ghannouj – Eggplant Dip with Manaqeesh bi-Za’tar – Thyme and Sumac Pies – Red Pepper Dip Kabaab bil-Karaz – Barbecued Meatballs – Open-Faced Meat Pies Thoum – Damascus Dip with Cherries Sfeeha Hummus bi-Tahina – Chickpea Dip Kafta – Damascus Meatloaf Desserts Hummus wa Rummaan – Chickpea and Kubba Qaraas – Stuffed Baqlaawa – Baklava Pomegranate Dip Kubba Nayya – Raw Kibbeh Baraazik – Crispy Sesame Cookies Hummus bi-Zayt – Chickpeas in Oil Shish Barak – Dumplings in Yogurt Ma’moul bi-Tamar – Date-Stuffed Shortbread Makdous – Preserved Eggplant Mihshee Malfouf – Cabbage Rolls Karabeej Halab – Whips of Aleppo Maqlouba – Upside-Down Lamb and Rice Salads Zalaabeeya – Fareeda’s Fritters Mufarrika – Syrian Fritatta – Fried Bread and Fresh Vegetable Ma’mouneeya – Semolina Pudding Salad Fattat Makdous – Eggplant and Ground Meat Raa’ihat al-Rummaan bi-Maa’ Ward – The Tabboula – Parsley and Bulgur Salad Scent of Pomegranates and Rose Water Maariyaa – Spicy Grilled Lamb Sandwich Salatat Soureeya – Syrian Salad Drinks Salatat al-Rummaan – Pomegranate Salad Chicken & Fish Qahwa ’Arabeeya – Arab Coffee Safsouf – Chickpea and Bulgur Salad Salloum’s Syrian Fried Chicken Shaay Souree – Syrian Tea Salatat ‘Adas – Lentil Salad Dajaaj ma’a Thoum – Garlic Chicken Sharaab Dibs Rummaan – Pomegranate – Dandelion Salad Salatat Hindba Dajaaj ma’a Bulgur wa Banadoura Drink Salatat Shamandar – Beet and Tahini Salad – Chicken with Bulgur and Tomatoes Shaneena – Yogurt Drink Khiyaar bi-Laban – Cucumber in Yogurt Dajaaj ma’a Dibs Rummaan – Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses Salatat Shankleesh Dajaaj Mihshee bi Lahm wa Mukassaraat – Chicken Stuffed with Rice and Nuts Kubbat Samak – Fish Kibbeh Samak Harra – Spicy Stuffed Whole Fish

Fattat Makdous Fatteh dishes use toasted Arab bread as the base upon which to showcase other ingredients, such as chick- peas, chicken, and the most popular in Damascus—eggplant.

16 baby eggplants, 1 to 1 1/2 in (2.5 to the same frying pan, stir-fry walnuts Labna 4 cm) long until golden. Remove walnuts with 1 cup (250 mL) labna slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Labna, a tangy yogurt cream cheese, can 4 tbsp tahini Set aside. be purchased in Middle Eastern markets, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses but why not make it at home? 4 garlic cloves, minced For the stuffing: In a frying pan on medi- 1 1/2 tsp salt um, heat . Add beef and stir-fry 4 cups (1 L) yogurt 4 tbsp butter until cooked through, about 10 minutes. 3/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp pine nuts Stir in remaining 1 tsp salt, pepper, pine 4 tbsp coarsely ground walnuts nuts, and walnuts. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir salt into yogurt. 4 tbsp olive oil Pour yogurt into a small fine-woven 1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef In a saucepan on medium, deep-fry egg- cotton bag (such as cheesecloth, or even 1 tsp black pepper plants in enough vegetable oil to cover an old clean pillowcase) and tie with a vegetable oil (for deep-frying) them by 1/2 in (1 cm) until they begin to string. Suspend the bag over a bowl so 6 small loaves of Arab () bread, split brown (about 5 to 8 minutes). Drain on that the water can drip out for 2 days, or open, cut into 1 1/2-in (4-cm) pieces, paper towel. Let cool 5 minutes. With a until the consistency resembles cream and toasted knife, slit each eggplant vertically down cheese. Remove labna from the bag and 8 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 3 cups the middle to create a pocket, making place in a small bowl. Cover, refrigerate, (700 mL) water sure not to cut right through. Stuff the and use as needed. 1 cup (250 mL) yogurt eggplants with the beef mixture and gen- 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley tly close the opening. Set aside to cool. Makes 1 cup (250 mL)

Rinse eggplants well, remove stems, On a serving platter, evenly spread the and slice off tops. Peel eggplants, leaving toasted bread pieces and set aside. some strips of peel so that they are striped. Rinse eggplants then sprinkle In a bowl, mix the sauce with the diluted lightly all over with salt. Set aside on a tomato paste. In a saucepan on medium plate. heat, bring mixture to a soft boil, stirring occasionally. For the sauce: In a bowl, mix together labna, tahini, pomegranate molasses, Pour hot sauce over bread pieces, then garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside. spoon yogurt over top. Carefully place stuffed eggplants on top, then sprinkle In a frying pan on medium-low heat, with parsley. melt butter then add pine nuts and stir- fry until golden. Remove pine nuts with Serve immediately. a slotted spoon, leaving the butter in the pan, and drain them on paper towel. In Makes 8 Servings

Samak Harra This showstopper of a dish is a whole fish rubbed with spices then stuffed and taken to the table straight out of the oven. Make sure to have a batch of taratour ready to dribble over each serving.

3- to 4-lb whole salmon or red snapper, Transfer to a serving platter and careful- cleaned ly unwrap. Serve hot with taratour. 2 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin Makes 6 servings 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp baharaat (Syrian seven spice blend found in Middle Eastern groceries; Taratour garam masala can be substituted) 2 cups (50 g) finely chopped cilantro For , grilled, baked, or fried fish is 8 garlic cloves, crushed lonely without the ultimate condiment—a 2 medium carrots, grated simple tahini-garlic sauce. Drizzle it over 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and raw or cooked vegetables, such as cauli- julienned flower, potatoes, or eggplant. 1 tbsp finely chopped, seeded jalapeño (or similar hot pepper) 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 1/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup (125 mL) tahini 1/2 cup (125 mL) water 1/2 cup (125 mL) lemon juice Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). In a food processor mix garlic, salt, Cut slits 1/2 to 1 in (1 to 2.5 cm) long into and tahini while adding water and lemon the fish’s skin, then rub the fish inside juice one after the other until a smooth and out with 2 tsp salt, cumin, black sauce forms. Place taratour in a covered pepper, and baharaat. container and refrigerate until needed. Use within 2 or 3 days. In a bowl, combine cilantro, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, hot pepper, pome- Makes 1 cup (250 mL) granate molasses, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Stuff the fish with this mixture, then close with toothpicks. Brush fish all over with olive oil then wrap with tinfoil. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Place wrapped fish on a baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover the top of the fish. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

THE SCENT OF POMEGRANATES AND ROSE WATER Reviving the Beautiful Food Traditions of Habeeb Salloum, Leila Sallloum Elias, and Muna Salloum

The traditions of Syrian cooking, which go back hundreds of years, ISBN 978-1-55152-742-0 are notable for their sensory components, in which aroma and texture are 8 x 9 | 288 PP | HARDCOVER as important as taste and nutrition. Over the centuries, the unique dishes $32.95 CAN / $29.95 USA of Greater Syria (bilaad al-shaam) were preserved by those who cooked OVER 150 RECIPES / FULL-COLOR THROUGHOUT them. For cooks in imperial households, family homes, or on simple COOKING (MIDDLE EASTERN) peasant farms, recipes were handed down from generation to generation. Despite centuries of occupation, economic hardships, and political strife, PUBLICATION MONTH: the people of Greater Syria continued to cook their bulgur, lentil, chick- USA & Canada: October 2018 pea, kishk, and yogurt dishes as if life around them never changed. UK & Australia/New Zealand: November 2018

Syrian-born Habeeb Salloum and his daughters, Leila and Muna, ARSENAL PULP PRESS have researched and explored the far reaches of Syrian cuisine for many arsenalpulp.com years (and in Habeeb’s case, decades). Their resulting cookbook provides Follow us on Facebook a succinct window into the dining tables of eighteenth- and nineteenth- @Arsenalpulp on Twitter century Syria, when the region was influenced by the Ottoman Empire’s reach into Persia and the Arab world. The book includes delectable, Distributed in the USA by Constorium heart-healthy recipes—some familiar, some never before published in Distributed in Canada by University of Toronto Press English—many of which have been updated and simplified for modern (sales by Ampersand, Inc.) sensibilities. The book also provides a poignant window into Syrian cul- Distributed in the UK by Turnaround Publisher Services ture and everyday life then and now—bound together by ageless and truly Distributed in Australia/New Zealand by NewSouth beautiful food traditions. Books

Habeeb Salloum was born in Syria and emigrated to Canada when he PUBLICITY CONTACTS: was a child. For the last thirty years he has been a full-time writer spe- USA: Canada: cializing in food, history, and travel. He lives in Toronto. Elissa Buchter Debby De Groot Schmooze PR MDG and Associates Leila Salloum Elias is an instructor in the program at Penn State Tel: 310-963-4808 Tel: 647-295-2970 University. [email protected] [email protected]

Muna Salloum works at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto.