Syrian Dishes from the Novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

Do novels ever inspire you to cook? I was so moved by the novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, that I looked into making some of the dishes mentioned in the story.

I pulled another book from my shelves, and began to dream.

“Medieval Arab Cookery“ by Máxime Rodinson, A.J. Arberry and Charles Perry.

I fought with myself all day about whether to go forward with this idea.

Why?

I felt so much conflict and irony over wanting to cook because of a story about a horrible refugee crisis.

Perhaps I can only say that the act of cooking is about creating hope.

And that I wanted to recreate the feeling of plenty that Nuri and Afra had shared with Mustafa at the beehives before they were burned. When their tortuous journey was just beginning. And celebrate and echo the transformation and triumph when the novel ends and they are all together again. The plenty they had and that they were hoping for again, kept them going.

Researching Syrian food I found Omayah Atassi’s website and I adapted her recipe for Green Bean Stew, or in Syrian, Loubieh b’Zeit. I’d also like to mention the Karam Foundation is found on her website, as well as updates to the Syrian refugee turmoil.

I hope to make another spicy stew like dish soon, one that finally uses a rabbit that I bought at Left Bank Butchery and have kept in my freezer for a while.

In addition to the Green Bean Stew I made Warm Flat Breads with Thyme, Sesame & Beet Dust. This was a combination of a flatbread recipe that I have long used and a Zatar recipe that I substituted beet powder for sumac which I didn’t have. Normally I would run down to the Mediterranean Deli in Chapel Hill, and their market to get some, while I had a Turkish coffee and some baklava, while watching them make pita bread, but alas, it was snowing, a rare occurrence in Chapel Hill.

Additional dishes mentioned in the Beekeeper of Aleppo. Don’t you just want to make all of them?

Red lentil and sweet potato soup with cumin

Kawaj with beef and zucchini

Stuffed artichoke hearts

Green bean stew with garlic, onions, and tomatoes

Parsley and bulgur salad

Spinach with pomegranate

Luqaimatt dough balls with syrup or preserved apricots

Here’s what I made! They were both well worth the time!

Loubieh B’Zeit - Green Bean Stew

1/4 c olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb green beans, stem ends trimmed

Spice mix:

1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

1 teaspoon black cumin, crushed

½ teaspoon whole coriander, crushed

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, whole

1 tomato, chopped

To make this dish I wrestled my favorite bright yellow Le Creuset dutch oven, out from hiding.

Prep all the vegetables, then heat the olive oil in the pot. Make your spice mix. Be sure to leave the sesame seeds whole!

Add the onions. Cook over medium heat, and when onions become translucent add in the spices. Stir well and let brown a little. Add in the green beans. Reduce to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until green beans go limp. Maybe two hours.

Add the chopped tomato. cover and turn off the heat. the tomato will soften, and you can serve in an hour.

If you don’t want to add fresh tomato in the winter, you can use sun-dried tomatoes instead.

Warm Flat Breads with Thyme, Sesame & Beet Dust

For this bread, I am picturing a sunset, a small fire, and many women circling around.

makes 6 large pitas, or 12 smaller ones

For the dough

3 cups bread flour

1/2 cup blue emmer flour

1 cup warm water

½ cup levain

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp. salt

For the dust

Thyme, Sesame, and Beet Dust

2 tsp beet powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp sesame seeds

Make the bread dough

Put 2 cups of flour plus the water and yeast in a medium-sized bowl. Stir well to combine into a batter-like consistency.

Cover and let sit for a couple of hours.

Make the dust.

Combine the ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Set aside in a small ramekin or bowl.

After the couple of hours, uncover the dough and add salt to 1 cup of flour and stir this in with the wooden spoon.

As the dough gets stiffer, use your well-floured hands to knead right in the bowl.

Add just enough flour to combat stickiness. once dough is smooth, it should clean the bowl and you can cover it with a towel and let it rise until it is about doubled. this can take 1- 2 hours depending on the time of year and/or the warmth of the kitchen.

Once doubled, punch down the dough, and add some olive oil to a baking sheet and turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. let them rest for 30 minutes.

Then heat a cast iron griddle or skillet on the stove-top to medium.

Use your hands to flatten out the rounds and transfer the slick dough to the hot griddle.

Brown the breads on one side, and then flip over with an offset spatula to finish the other side. Do not rush this, lower the heat if necessary.

Remove to a platter and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Thyme, Sesame and Beet Dust.

It’s really fun and deliciously good to scoop up the Green Bean Stew with the pita, especially as the sun goes down. But both the bread and the stew are great on their own as well.