Croce - The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner Ecookbook

Copyright 2017 by Liz Della Croce and The Lemon Bowl

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

Photography by Ral Velasco with Alejandro Photography.

Dedications and Thank You

This book is dedicated to all the female matriarchs and home cooks in my family. To my Aunt Vieve: Thank you for teaching me the art of garnish and the importance of making food beautiful.

To my Aunt Paula: Thank you for making the best food Ive ever eaten. Whenever I cook Syrian food, my goal is to make it taste as good as yours.

To my Aunt Patsy: You inspire me to cook more comfort food for my family.

To my beautiful mother Mary, thank you for letting me take over the kitchen, starting at a very young age. Its because you gave me the freedom to experiment in the kitchen that Im now living my dream job.

To my sons Asher and Jacob, thank you for lighting up my life and adding joy to my every day. You are the reason Im taking the time to document our treasured family recipes.

To my husband Rich, thank you for your endless love and unwavering support during the past 16 years. You are my number one fan, and Im forever grateful. Thank you for pushing me to follow my dreams.

To all The Lemon Bowl readers, thank you for all your support and encouragement over the years. Its because of you that I can pursue my passion for cooking. Ill forever be grateful.

Lastly, thank you to all my family and friends who have cheered me along and supported my dream. Its because you believed in me that I could believe in myself.

About The Author

Liz Della Croce is the creator and author of The Lemon Bowl, a healthy foodand travel blog. Since 2010, Liz has grown a loyal following of health-consciousreaders from all over the world. Focusing on seasonal ingredients and wholefoods, her collection of recipes is inspired by ethnic flavors from around theglobe and the Lebanese dishes of her childhood.

Liz has appeared live on the TODAY Show and tapes regular cooking segments onher local NBC affiliate station. Lizs recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including the cover of Womens World magazine, Shape Magazine, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Food Network Blog, Huffington Post, TODAY Food, Tastespotting, Foodgawker and The Cooking Channel.

Through healthy eating and regular exercise, Liz achieved long term weight losssuccess and has a passion for helping others reach similar goals. In 2013, Lizlaunched Healthy Habits, a feature on The Lemon Bowl where her loyal readersand growing audience can find practical advice, resources and information oncreating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Liz graduated from Boston University with a degree in Hospitality Administrationand a minor in Marketing Management. She and her husband reside in GrandRapids, MI along with their two young boys.

Connect with Liz directly on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or via email:Liz@thelemonbowl.com

Introduction

When I was growing up within a few miles of my entire extended family, there was always a Sunday dinner, birthday party or holiday gathering. Like any good Middle Eastern family, these events centered around one thing and one thing only: the food.

For whatever reason, while my little sisters were busy running around the house, watching TV or playing outside, I always gravitated toward the kitchen. No matter how many cousins were visiting or what movies they were watching, all I wanted to do was see what my mom and aunts were cooking together in the kitchen. With the endless laughter, the flumes of cigarette smoke and the countless cups of coffee, it was all oddly intoxicating. They were loud, they were funny, and their love for one another was palpable.

From as young as five years old, I can remember peering over the kitchen counter on my tiptoes, begging my mom to let me help her dress the raw turkey at Thanksgiving. I can still picture my great aunt Vieve turning a platter of homemade hummus into a piece of artwork with minced parsley, toasted pine nuts and fragrant green onions.

At the end of the day, it didnt matter what they were cooking, I just wanted in. To this day, food is my love language, and cooking is my favorite form of therapy.

While I didnt always have a healthy relationship with food, I did reach a weight loss milestone in my mid-twenties. Through proper portion control and regular exercise, I have successfully maintained a 60-pound weight loss for over ten years and through two pregnancies.

Over the years, one thing has always remained the same: Taking the time to cook from scratch is not only the healthier option, but its always worth the extra effort. As a busy mother of two little boys, Ive learned that some of the best scratch cooking also happens to be some of the simplest.

For me, the easiest and most practical answer to healthy cooking comes down to eating the ethnic foods of my ancestors. Naturally more flavorful and more nutritious, Ive found that eating ethnic food not only keeps me excited about healthy eating, but it prevents me from getting bored and gaining back the weight I worked so hard to lose.

I wrote the Food From Our Ancestors series to inspire you to get in the kitchen and gather your friends and family around the dinner table. Whether youre looking to reach a weight loss goal of your own or simply live a healthier life, youll never regret taking the time to put some thought into the foods you eat. Slowing down in the kitchen and unplugging from the outside world is an ultimate way to unwind at the end of a long day and one of the easiest steps you can take toward living a healthier life.

No matter what youre cooking, whenever you cook from scratch, you can control the quality of Ingredients, which often results in less fat and sodium and fewer calories than youll find in a restaurant dish. This book isnt about health food, its simply about going back to our roots and cooking the food our ancestors ate.

Food From Our Ancestors: The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner

The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner is the fourth in my series of eCookbooks profiling Sunday dinner across America, The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner, The Ultimate Mexican Sunday Dinner and The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner preceded this one. This edition is particularly special because these are the family recipes I identify with since I grew up surrounded by my moms side of the family here in West Michigan. As a result, I have eaten Syrian food since I was in the womb and have cooked it ever since I could reach the kitchen counter.

My love affair with Syrian, Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine stems from early childhood. Starting at a very young age, I can vividly remember watching my great-aunt Vieve meticulously prepare her famous hummus. Once the creamy dip was spread in a thin layer on the platter, she would carefully garnish it with toasted pine nuts, minced parsley and whole scallions for dipping. It was from that point forward that I learned the art of food styling and that you eat with your eyes first.

Over the years, I found myself drawn more into the kitchen. Whether its because I wanted to be where the action was or because I didnt want to miss out on the latest family gossip, well never know. All I know is that while my sisters and cousins were off running around the house, I was in the kitchen with my mom and aunts studying their every move.