One of the ingredients I miss the most from Syria is the famous Aleppo pepper. It’s the culinary ambassador to Aleppo around the world— a relatively long and slender pepper with bright, fruity flavor. It packs moderate heat: less than cayenne, but more than jalapeño. It’s the goldilocks of peppers. You can usually find dried and ground in most speciality spice stores or Mediterranean markets, but finding fresh is almost impossible.
Course: Pantry
The pantry is at the center of the Arab kitchen. From za’tar (زعتر) and homemade spice blends (بهرات) to pickles (مخللات), jams (مربى), and strained yogurt (لبنة) – the art of preservation or mouneh (مونة) is a culinary technique as much as it is a practice in resilience and sustainability.
Food for the mind: Middle Eastern Za’atar Pizza
A couple weeks ago I saw a lot of snow; more snow than I had seen in my entire life. That doesn’t say much since I grew up in Miami, but it was a big heap of snow. Around 50 to 70 inches total, according to the Washington Post. My car was completely covered and I was snowbound for almost 10 days. It was the perfect excuse to stay in my PJs, not shave, tweet about snowmageddon, snuggle in bed with a few good books, knock movies off my Netflix queue, and cook — I kept busy.
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