The whole video series seems to be doing really well and we hope that everyone’s enjoying the new recipes. We’ll be filming later today for next week’s videos. Stay tuned!

Well it’s been a while since the last blog post, but it’s finally back up and running. Yesterday, we shot a video in the Damascus cafeteria with the one and only, Chef Herman. Surprisingly, he was a bit nervous. Anyway, the video is extremely simple. Trust me, I know. But it’s the first of many in what we hope will become a library of youtube videos. We’re planning to upload one video up each week with Chef Herman demonstrating some of the innumerable possibility of dishes you can make with Damascus bread. So subscribe on youtube and watch out for new videos.

Black bean and tapioca cheese quesadillas

 Another tasty summer appetizer inspired from Candle Café, one of Damascus Bakery’s customer. It is located on Upper East Side Manhattan, and offers enticing and various vegan and low-fat menu. Those quesadillas are quick, and easy to prepare. It is a perfect vegan dish made of grilled vegetables and black bean puree, topped with tapioca cheese, combined in a crusty Damascus flatbread to be served with a dollop of salsa sauce.

Ingredients:

• 6 Whole wheat Damascus Roll-Up
• 3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 15-1/2-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 to 4 oz. tapioca cheese, crumbled
• 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Preparation  

1. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking, add onion and sauté, stirring about 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Add beans, cumin, chili powder, and 1/2 cup water. Cook until almost all the water has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then. Then remove skillet from the heat.

3. With the back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, and remaining cilantro and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash into a chunky paste. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Spread the black bean mixture evenly over three of the tortillas. Scatter the goat cheese over the beans and cover with the remaining tortillas.

6. Lightly coat a large heavy skillet or griddle with oil (about 1 tsp.) and heat over medium heat. Set one of the quesadillas in the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

7. Flip the quesadilla over and brown on the other side for another 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from the pan, cook the remaining quesadillas (add more oil to the pan each time) and cut each into eight wedges. Serve each wedge with a dollop of salsa sauce.

Damascus Crystal Rolls

This is a perfect show off recipe inspired from Candle Café, an organic vegan restaurant located on Upper East Side Manhattan. It is actually one of  Damascus Bakery’s customers.

The food is all about organic ingredients, featuring a various and tasty vegetarian menu from homemade soup, salads, sandwiches and entrees. As in Damascus Bakery we are entirely committed in healthy food and healthy living, we choose partners and customers that also share our vision.

This crystal rolls recipe is sublime for spring and summer, it is a delectable combination of fresh and colorful vegetables and rice noodle wrapped in tasty Damascus roll-up, and it’s one of the best spring and summer roll!  

 CRYSTAL ROLL RECIPE

Ingredients

• 50 g thin rice noodles
• ½ cucumber, peeled deseeded and grated
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 15 g coriander
• 4 Damascus Roll-Up

Peanut dipping sauce

• 5 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili sauce or chili bean paste

 Preparation

1.       Prepare the peanut sauce: mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp water, mix again then pour into a serving bowl. Set aside.  

2.       Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave for 3 minutes until soft. Rinse under cold water, drain and put on a clean tea towel. Cut into pieces about 12 cm long.  

3.       Put the vegetables, herbs and noodles in separate piles on a tray. 

4.       Lay down Damascus Roll-Up. Put a small amount of each of the vegetables, coriander and noodles on the left side of the bread.

6.       Roll up tightly and cut rolls into three parts with a sharp knife just before serving. Repeat with the remaining roll-up and filling. Serve with the dipping sauce.  

Hummus Egg Wrap

Monday afternoon was one of these lazy summer days, when after enjoying a hummus egg wrap, I spent time under a tree of Central Park with good music on my headphones and my laptop on my legs. I enjoyed my sandwich so much that I thought it would be a good idea to share the recipe with you. It is based on “Nanoush” restaurant, where I stopped that day, on Upper West Side Manhattan. That restaurant is one of our customers at Damascus Bakery, they use organic ingredients to make tasty sandwiches and plates inspired from Mediterranean cuisine.  

"Nanoush "restaurant

I first decided to have my meal sitting on one of the table outside the restaurant. But after 25 minutes waiting the waitress to come and take my order, I became impatient, and went inside to take it out. Central Park was just two blocks away, and although it was quite warm, the slight breeze convinced me to go and relax on the grass. The Hummus egg wrap is an enticing combination of hummus and Mediterranean salad, wrapped in Damascus bread to yield a very low-fat and vegan sandwich.

 HUMMUS EGG WRAP RECIPE  

 Ingredients  

• 1 Whole wheat Damascus Wrap
• 3 tbsp hummus

 Mediterranean Salad:

• 1 organic egg
• ½ tomato, diced
• ¼ cucumber, diced
• ¼ parsley, minced
• ½ onion, diced

 Dressing:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper

Preparation:   

Prepare the Mediterranean salad:  

1. Combine all the ingredients of the dressing in a cup, whisk together and set aside.
2. Make hard-boiled egg. Once cooked, cut it in four wedges.
3. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients together. With a spoon mix all ingredients together. If making this ahead, cover and refrigerate.
4. When ready to serve add dressing over top and mix it with the ingredients.

Prepare the wrap:

1. Lay Damascus wrap flat. Spread hummus over entire bread surface.

2. Place Mediterranean salad previously prepared in the center of the wrap.  

3. Roll up tightly.  

4. Serve at once or keep it in plastic wrap until ready to serve as bread dry out quickly. When ready to serve, cut in half in diagonal and arrange on plate.  

The Mazze Trio

Damascus Bakeries Pita Bread

Because it’s summer, because the sun burns our skin and because it’s a summertime favorite of mine, I popped over to “Hummus Kitchen”, an enjoyable restaurant located in Upper East Side Manhattan, to devour a wonderful hummus plate.

It was… how can I describe it?  the best time of my life. Well, almost…  

"Hummus Kitchen" restaurant

In the relaxing atmosphere of the place, I ordered a combination of three mediterranean delicacies, one tasty after another, for less than $10. And for that price, I ended up bellyful, on the point to explode! It has always been my problem, I have eyes bigger than my stomach.

Bureka

I started with these 2 pieces of Bureka, which is a crusty puff pastry stuffed with mushrooms and potatoes.

Then came the Couscous Taboule, a fresh mix of parsley, tomato, couscous and mint mixed with lemon dressing.  

Couscous Taboule

Finally, and I don’t know where I found more space in my stomach, (even there’s always a space for more tasty food), I enjoyed the Hummus plate, soaking pieces of warmed pita bread into the creamy chickpea mixture.

Hummus

I recently read an article in the Metro Magazine about the new Middle East conflict. And contrary to what one might think, this time it has nothing to do with political or territorial issues, but with food. It’s all about who invented hummus. Since sales of this Middle Eastern dish have boomed around the world over the last four years, the debate has opposed Lebanon and Israel. Lebanese chefs wanted to restore the truth that hummus is not an Israeli traditional dish. However, Israel has succeeded in marketing it around the world. This year, 300 Lebanese chefs won the Guinness World Record of the world’s largest hummus batch, whereas this record had been held by Israel.

The popularity of hummus is based on its subtle mixture of garlic, tahini and lemon that yields a very sophisticated flavor. It has a creamy and soft texture, and there are different types of hummus depending on what kind of beans you use : chickpeas, black beans or even lentils.

  Yumm… If someone have an idea in how to make best hummus, I will take your advice with great pleasure. On those words, bon appetit!

•  1 Damascus Flax Roll-Up
•  3 tbsp sour cream
•  5 thin slices cucumber
•  2 tbsp (1 oz) Kalamata olives, chopped
• A handful fresh basil leaves (about 10 leaves)
•  2 tbsp chopped raw scallions
•  ½  medium fresh tomato, thinly sliced

How to make it?

1. Prepare vegetables:

• Wash scallions and make sure to take out the brown and dead-looking outer leaves, keeping only the interior leaves which are bright and usable. Also get rid of the root ball. Cut scallions into small, quarter-inch sections (this size allows the scallions to be visible without being so large that the raw scallions overpower the flavor of the food).
• Wash the tomato gently in cool water and wipe dry.   Use a paring knife to remove the stem and core (where the stem meets the top of the tomato). On a cutting board, cut tomato in half, put each half down with the peel side towards you, and using a sharp knife thinly slice it vertically.
• Wash cucumber in cool water and place them on the cutting board. You can leave the skin on; otherwise if you preferred it peeled; stand the cucumber up on the cutting board and with a vegetable peeler, stroke down the cucumber in short, quick strokes to remove thin layers of the skin. Lay cucumber down and using a sharp knife slice it on one end in thin circular shape.
• Wash basil leaves in cold water and pat dry.

2. Lay Damascus roll-up flat. Spread sour cream over entire bread surface.

3. Place each ingredient on the bounce, from the left to the right side of the bread. Place first cucumber slices, followed by olives and fresh basil leaves. Scatter chopped scallions next basil leaves and finally lay down thinly sliced tomatoes.

4. Roll up tightly.  

5. Serve at once or keep it in plastic wrap until ready to serve as bread dry out quickly. When ready to serve, cut in half in diagonal and arrange on plate.

This is a recipe based on a batch of healthy goodness that yields enjoyable and savory pizzas: flavorful grilled mushrooms, thinly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella over a crispy Damascus flatbread, with a splash of fresh tomato sauce.  There it is… the real excellence of a popular dish and how to make it healthier!

 How to make outstanding pizza sauce: tomato sauce

The tomato sauce is obviously the most common type of sauce used in pizza making. The sauce is an important element that ties the ingredients together and provides the whole dish with its unifying taste revealing the pizza crust and the toppings’ flavor.

1. Wash tomatoes in cold water, pat dry, remove seeds and cut into small chunks. Add to blender and reduce fresh tomatoes into paste. Plum tomatoes are the best variety for pizza sauce making. Fresh and ripe whole plum tomatoes make tastier tomato-based sauce.

2. Add ½ cup of water and grind well to ensure uniform consistency and texture. The tomato base must have a thick texture, therefore be careful how much water is poured in during the grinding stage. However, you can turn an overly thin sauce into a thick one Just simmer it over low heat and some water will evaporate. Note that this method will affect the flavor of the sauce.

 3. Once you prepare your tomato base, start to prepare cooking the sauce. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium high, and pour in olive oil. Melt butter in.

 4. Mince the garlic and add it to the pan. While sautéing the garlic, shake the pan around a bit. Once it turns mildly brown, pour in the tomato base and stir for a few seconds. Bring the pan to a  boil, season with salt and pepper, then turn the heat down and let simmer.

 5. Add herbs and spices during the last few minutes of simmering.Spices and herbs are the final step as you add them when the sauce is nearly cooked. Italian style pizza uses basil and oregano, but the spices can vary. Fennel seeds and laurel leaves yield very flavorful pizza. To create an even stronger taste, lots of parsley is recommended. Make sure that after cooking you remove the laurel bark and the laurel leaves. For spicy pizza sauce, add cayenne pepper or paprika.

 Chop fresh leaves of basil and Oregano into small pieces (if you are using dried herbs, crush them first using your fingers or a pestle and mortar to release trapped flavors).

 It will be ready when it’s the perfect consistency for spreading on the pizza. Then set aside to prepare the toppings.

How to conserve the sauce?

If you prepared your tomato sauce in advance or want to conserve it, keep it stored in a jar in the fridge (it’ll keep for a week or so), or freeze it in batches, or even in an ice cube tray so you can defrost the exact amount you need.

How to make the outstanding thin crust pizza

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Thinly slice tomatoes,  mozzarella, and   mushrooms. Smoked mozzarella infuses this dish with distinctive flavor, though you can substitute regular mozzarella, if you prefer

 2. Brush olive oil over entire shell making sure to thoroughly coat the edges, using a pastry brush.

3. Brush the tomato sauce evenly over the shell to within a ¼” of the edge.

4. Sprinkle tomato slices on top of  bread and then sprinkle mozzarella slices evenly over the tomatoes.

5. Scatter the thinly sliced fresh baby Bella mushrooms and distribute the baby basil leaves over the pizza.

Place in the oven at about 450° for 5 minutes or until crisp and enjoy!