25 March 2011 Dinner News – Syria

 

Start dinner with a Mezze that includes Kofta

The Meal

Mezze

This can be an elaborate spread of forty or fifty hors d’oeuvres or simply a salad and a bowl of nuts. But it is always a social occasion when friends and family gather to enjoy appetizers and conversation before lunch and dinner.

The Wikipedia article provides a good list of dishes that may be served at mezze.

Over on Food.com they provide recipes for Hot Spiced Cheese Goreme, Fattoush Salad, Lamb Koftas, and Warm Roasted Olives with Preserved Lemons.

Entree

Rishta – Noodles, lentils and tomato (this will be our dinner tonight and the play-by-play will be a future post)

Sambusak – Triangle filled turnovers.  This recipe provides both options for chickpeas and meat filling.

Chicken Shawarma – Like a gyro… like a taco… folded bread, meat and veggies with a variety of spices. Lamb would also be a common option.

Sujuk – two-part video recipe showing how to make these sausages without casing.

Dessert

Ba’lawa / Baklava – This is Alton Brown’s version, I have made it several times and it is easy to make. Browse through the travel photo links below to see amazing piles of different shaped versions.