A Humanitarian Effort - Soup for Syria

I would like to write about our project Soup for Syria. This cookbook effort is being carried out as a humanitarian effort to help families in distress.

 

It is not a political statement or a direct affiliation to any party.

 

I personally believe in peace among all brothers on this earth regardless of their nationality, creed, sex... etc... A family of 12 is living under a plastic tent, eating bread ...only!!!... and burning whatever is available in the garbage to heat themselves (poisonous fumes in the tent) ! This is unacceptable!

 

'I have traveled all around the country and have met all communities. They have all treated me as one of theirs. I am Lebanese. I have eaten with all and have been invited by all to come again. What makes us so special as Lebanese is our differences and how we can live together in a small country. No fanaticism required from any creed. Any human being is entitled to a minimum of dignity, we cannot turn a blind eye on this.

 

This is the key to peace.

What do children have to do with war?

Zizo Lebanese Restaurant in New Delhi India

India is calling me!!!! Flying off to my dream destiny (India) to the launching of ZIZO.... get it, like Zizzzz....the beetle...

I will take photos of the food!

Fouad Abdel Malak, CEO of ZIZO restaurant: "I'm helping to bring a timeless slice of Lebanon to India through a fast-casual restaurant franchise concept I helped create. “Zizo is a fast casual dining experience that presents a timeless slice of authentic Lebanon, with a healthy modern twist. Everything we create is hand-made with the freshest locally sourced ingredients; served in our uncompromising style of light-hearted, contemporary hospitality.”

"I want to ensure people have access to good wholesome food at a reasonable price point, all while extending authentic Lebanese hospitality and culture the world. " — traveling to New Delhi, India.

http://zizo.in/ please listen to the Zizo song, it is soooo cute!!!!

Eating is a Sacred Act

Eat foods that are in alignment with our spiritual values-don't involve exploitation of the earth, workers, or animals.

Apricot Jam in Ballouneh

Every year the Massaad family heads to the mountains to our summer house. It's a time of reflection, slowing down and enjoying nature's bounty. This year Mother Nature was very kind to us. We have two apricot trees blooming with large fruit. It's a joy to pick them and make my favorite jam. I have so many pots now that I think I am going to give away jars as people come to visit us this summer.

Sarah, my daughter took this photo of me

 The recipe is quite simple. Pick the apricots, wash them under cold running water. Cut open the fruit. Watch out for worms, yes these critters love the taste of apricots. Weigh the cut fruit. Add 1/2 kg of sugar for each kilo of fruit. Some add more (700 g to 1 kg, which I think is excessive). Leave to rest for a few hours or overnight. This will give the fruit enough time to soak in the sugar, the result is beneficial to obtain enough liquid to cook the apricots. Start cooking on high fire, when boiling starts you can lower the fire. Stick around and mix carefully using a wooden spoon. You don't want the fruit to stick to the bottom of the cooking pan. Cook until the mixture becomes thick. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon for every kg of fruit. You may want to put the jam in the hot sun during the day to ensure that the liquid is evaporated. Don't forget to put the jam inside during the night. The consistency of the jam depends on your preference. It has to set but you can choose to have it thicker or looser. I prefer the jam to be loose. It just melts in your mouth.

Enjoying my summer with my dog Belle

I eat apricot jam now with labneh every morning. The mixture of both (sweet / sour) is excellent!
Try it.

My Lebanon

The situation in Lebanon is getting harder and harder... As I struggle to keep an image of what Khalil Gibran wrote at the beginning of the century and yet still applies today ... This image is fading from my memory quickly. What can I do to keep it alive, to continue dreaming, to keep faith? I feel helpless struggling to ignore the corruption, the disrespect of nature and men, the chaos.

" You have your Lebanon and I have mine. You have your Lebanon with her problems, and I have my Lebanon with her beauty. You have your Lebanon with all her prejudices and struggles, and I have my Lebanon with all her dreams and securities. Your Lebanon is a political knot, a national dilemma, a place of conflict and deception. My Lebanon, is a place of beauty and dreams of enchanting valleys and splendid mountains. Your Lebanon is inhabited by functionaries, officers, politicians, committees, and factions. My Lebanon is for peasants, shepherds, young boys and girls, parents and poets. Your Lebanon is empty and fleeting, whereas My Lebanon will endure forever."

As these positive words resonate in my inner conscience... They are fading away quickly. We have not learned from the past. We keep repeating the same mistakes, over and over again. We destroy the bounty of our land - nature, our most important heritage for quick money to be able to live in a society where one is judged by how much worldly goods one has. Let's not kid ourselves, finally it's all about money - the god of our century (not only in Lebanon but everywhere in the world).

What can be done to make a difference? How will we safeguard our country for the next generation? Will our children all become eligible for immigration? Will they become orphans in new territories where hope still lies?

It's becoming harder to stay positive. 

Booklist's Man'oushe Book Review

A review that just came in from the American Library Association’s Booklist magazine for the book Man'oushe:

“Despite the dislocation caused by its civil war and the continuing conflict with its neighbor to the south, Israel, Lebanon has managed to nurture its justly admired culinary traditions. Among these institutions are the city’s bakeries, each unique to its neighborhood and serving deliciously fragrant breads and pastries. Massaad’s book celebrates these bakeries and teaches how to replicate their products in a contemporary American kitchen. Specifically, man’oushé refers to breakfast bread, a disc of flat bread perfumed with sesame and wild thyme. Working from just several basic yeast doughs, Massaad shows how to form and bake a host of Lebanese breads and meat pies. A reasonably adept home baker will find Massaad’s recipes easy to follow, and thanks to the Internet, assembling ingredients is not a burdensome challenge. The book’s full-color photographs bring into focus not just the foods but also the lively characters who constitute a remarkably diverse nation. Especially useful for libraries with significant Middle Eastern immigrant populations.”

—Booklist

Man'oushe in the USA at Barnes & Nobles

Soup for Syria in Revolt Magazine

Read the interview I had with Revolt magazine concerning my new book project Soup for Syria. 

© Barbara Massaad - Syrian Mother and child in a refugee camp in Lebanon.