All Things Assyrian
Syrian State of Belly
By Ari LeVaux
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Ray Risho.
Everyone knows what tabbouli is," explained chef and cookbook author Ray Risho. "It's a cracked wheat salad. The Assyrians called it safsouf. My mother made it a certain way, my grandmother made it another way. I could taste a safsouf blindfolded, and I could tell you which aunt made it."

Risho's parents were born in Damascus, Syria, after his grandparents fled persecution in Turkey. His family are Assyrians, northern Semites who were members of the Assyrian Orthodox Church. "Every tribe in every clan, and every family has their own cuisine," Risho told me.

As the Syrian civil war rages on, with ISIS and the Assad regime committing unspeakable atrocities upon the Syrian people, it's hard to imagine an improvement in the lives of the civilians if either side wins. More Syrians are now displaced than living in their homes.

So far, only 1,500 Syrians have come to the Unite States since the conflict began, but the government plans to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed in the country to 10,000 in the next fiscal year. As a result, you may soon find yourself being exposed to Syrians and their food. To assist those who wish to prepare for the coming diaspora, perhaps by cooking a welcome dish for their incoming Syrian neighbors, or learning a bit about the culture and eat some good food, I reached out to Risho. His forthcoming book, Ray Risho's Ports of Call, will include a large section on Syrian cuisine.

To help us get into a Syrian state of mind -- or at least, a Syrian state of belly -- Risho gave me a primer on Syrian food, as well as recipes for dishes that he ate growing up.

"Thousands of years and numerous cultures have left upon Syrian cuisine an indelible legacy," Risho writes. "The Greeks, Persians, Romans, Normans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and the French; the Assyrian, Armenian, and Byzantine Christians; and the Sephardi and Mizrahi, or Spanish and Middle Eastern Jews, all took part in the incredible imprint of Syrian cuisine."

The Assad regime hardly represents the Syrian population's first brush with dictatorship, or inequity. "The royal household and the elites, they basically ate well," Risho said, of Syria's culinary history. "But most of the other levels of society didn't eat any meat at all, because they couldn't afford it. That's why in that part of the world, the food didn't have meat in it, or very little."

The paucity of meat compelled the various Syrian ethnic groups to create some fantastic flavors, often with the aid of spice mixes. In this spirit, Risho helped me select two meat-free recipes to share.

The recipe for Roasted Eggplant with Herbs (M'tabbal) is Risho's interpretation of a classic dish, and includes what he calls his Syrian 7-Spice Blend, which consists of two parts allspice, cinnamon & coriander; and one part nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and black pepper, all pounded together in a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder).

"My wife, Susie, says that when she hears the music of the mortar and pestle she knows something special is coming," Risho said.

This recipe also calls for Halaby pepper, aka Aleppo pepper. These have more slow-creeping heat than forward heat, Risho explained. "There aren't many coming out of Syria now because of the civil war, but you can get Turkish chilies, or Hungarian chilies." He also suggests substituting chatta, a chili paste that can be found in Middle Eastern stores.

The yogurt mixed in with the eggplant should be free of thickeners and emulsifiers, and should be strained. Risho suggests tying it in cheesecloth and hanging it over a pan for one to two hours.

  • Roasted Eggplant with Herbs
  • 1 large eggplant, 6-8 inches
  • 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes (drained), preferably fire-roasted, or fresh romas
  • 2 tablespoons strained yoghurt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon concentrated pomegranate
  • 2 teaspoons roasted garlic, mashed & minced
  • 1/2 tsp. Ray Risho's 7-spice Syrian Blend (see above)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Halaby pepper (see above)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Fresh mint and parsley, chopped for garnish.

Preheat oven to 400. Poke holes in eggplant ("or it will explode!") Cook eggplant in oven for about 30 minutes, or until pulp is soft and skin has blistered. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut eggplant in half and scrape out the pulp and place on a cutting board. Discard skins. Add tomatoes, yoghurt, oil pomegranate and garlic to eggplant pulp. Add spices, Halaby pepper and salt. Mince mixture on board with a knife. Fold mixture until well combined. Serve on a platter, garnished with olive oil, chopped mint, and parsley

Bulgur with Angel Hair Pasta

  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup angel hair pasta, broken into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup coarse bulgur
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1.5 chicken stock or water

Heat oil and butter in a large pan. Add pasta and sauté until slightly browned and a nutty aroma is present. Add onions and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in bulgur, salt and pepper. Add hot stock and turn heat to medium-low. Cover with clean towel, then a weighted lid. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pull pot off heat and let rest covered for about 10 minutes. Fluff and serve. Risho calls this "a beautiful dish."



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