A romantic choice from the ladies of Newcomer Kitchen especially for Valentine’s Day… For this very unique dish from Aleppo, I found this lovely summary by food blogger Corinne Mossati:

“The people of Aleppo have a shared passion. Not only do they pride themselves in food that is steeped in culinary traditions and guard their recipes close to heart, they undeniably affirm their cuisine as the best in the Middle East. As one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, Aleppo’s cuisine takes inspiration from the mosaic of cultures that have inhabited Syria over the millennia, as well as more recent influences of the Ottomans and Armenians.

Talk to Aleppians about food and they’ll sing a litany of delicacies culminating in one dish unique to their city. Kabab Bil Karaz is a cherry kabab made with minced lamb and wishna, a small and sour black cherry that grows on the outskirts of the city… From the first taste I had in Aleppo, I was completely taken with the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavours, the unique presentation on triangular pieces of bread decorated with pine nuts and parsley.”

[beef] Lahmeh bil karaz لحمة بالكرز
Lightly smoky, spiced beef meatballs in a sweet & sour sauce made from sour cherries, garnished with parsley and pine nuts, and served over triangles of fresh flatbread.

[vegetarian] Foul moukala فول مقلّى
A delicious dish of fresh broad beans sauteed in olive oil with garlic and coriander (and a touch of sugar, which helps preserve the lovely pale green colour of the beans), with colourful radishes & pickles, and fresh flatbread.

Kobez bil foron خبز بالفرن
Somewhere between pita and focaccia, this thin, homemade flatbread is perfect for mopping up delicious sauces.

Salateh Naameh سلطة ناعمة
This “fine salad” can be found throughout the middle east, with tomatoes, cucumber, and white onion are finely diced and seasoned with olive oil, mint and lemon juice.

Asawar El Sit (سوار الست)
A traditional Aleppan baklava made from phyllo dough that has been rolled into a cylinder, then again into the form of a ring (the name means “bracelet”). The small pastries are baked, sprinkled with simple syrup, and filled with finely chopped pistachios.

Newcomer Kitchen’s weekly pop-up take place on WEDNESDAYS.
Meals are available for pickup between 6–7pm from The Depanneur, 1033 College Street (between Dufferin & Dovercourt) MAP

Free 3km Delivery
foodora sponsors FREE Delivery within 3km radius.
(approx Keele to Spadina, St. Clair to Lakeshore) MAP

Flat Rate 6km Delivery
If you live outside the 3km free delivery zone, foodora can deliver for a $10 within a 6km radius
(approx. Park Lawn to DVP, Eglinton to Lakeshore) MAP

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Newcomer Kitchen is a new project that invites groups of Syrian refugee women to use our kitchen to cook traditional Syrian dishes in a fun, social setting. Meals are prepared and packaged, and then sold online for pickup or delivery to pay for all the ingredients and provide an honorarium for the cooks.

We also offer 1 “Guest Cook” spot to help/hang out in the kitchen, learn the recipes and join the ladies for family meal on Wednesday (10:30-4:30). We are asking for a $50 donation for this, which will go to topping up the $ we have to share with the cooks. This is available for purchase online, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Proceeds from the sale of meals goes directly to the newcomer cooks. However this does not cover the costs of the enormous amount of behind-the-scenes coordination required to keep this project going. You can help the Newcomer Kitchen project directly and our vision of expanding this model to support more women in more neighbourhoods!

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Learn more about the Newcomer Kitchen project.