From Suq to Shuk

Winter pasta - root vegetables in a lemon-cream sauce with mini penne

Delicious!  So delicious in fact that I barely noticed that I was catering to my good vegetarian friend Levitz and left out all the meat products.  This meal came after a number of days of not eating very much and I wanted something to fill me up.  By the time I decided to do all of this, it was dark, the Shuk was closed and I was forced to do my shopping in the supermarket in Dizengoff Centre.  The place is a madhouse.  Mega Ba'Ir, the supermarket that I occasionally frequent there, actually has a tremendous assortment of produce, meat, dairy products - in short, it's a pretty good supermarket.  The great exception to that statement is that the lovely Russian ladies that they've pulled out of retirement to work the registers move at a speed somewhere between a snail and a turtle.  For that reason, I spent about 15 minutes perusing the supermarket, and over 20 minutes waiting on line to pay.

The fact that I went out to shop at 6:30 in the evening and only returned by 7:30, meant that we ate late.  It didn't really matter, however, as my friend Jordana came over with her boyfriend and we chatted for a good amount of time while I got the food in motion.  To chatting eventually turned to a lively though civil argument about secular vs. religious values and communities with all parties expressing their views rather forcefully.  Eating commenced and the debate died down.  Between the stimulating company and the flavourful food, it was overall a lovely winter evening.

This is a relatively simple dish to make and not overly time consuming.  Recommend you make it at home.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

30 g butter

1 Meyer lemon

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced

2 large parsnips, peeled and diced

1 large celeriac (celery root), peeled and diced

2 sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and diced

1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced

1 medium turnip, peeled and diced

1 zucchini, washed and diced

500ml of 15% cream

1 500g box of mini penne

S+P to taste

1 thai chilli, thinly sliced for garnish

Directions:

Grate Meyer lemon zest and set aside in a small bowl.  Juice the lemon in a large bowl and and fill 2/3 with cold water.  After peeling, leave all vegetables in the water during prep and immediately return to water after diced.  Strain only once ready to add to the pot.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a sauce pan and add the meyer lemon zest, garlic and fennel seeds.  Allow to sweat for 3 minutes, then add the root vegetables and cream.  Mix well and bring to a simmer.  Cover and lower the heat in between low and medium-low.  Allow to simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until the root vegetables are al dente (add the zucchini half way through).  Add S+P to taste.

Meanwhile boil water and prepare the mini penne according to the directions on the box.  When ready, strain, return to the pot and toss with 1 tbls of olive oil to keep from sticking.  Transfer too large spoonfuls of pasta to a bowl, add one large spoonful of the sauce then repeat once.  Top with chillies and serve immediately.  B'Teavon!

Thai pumpkin soup and Indian beef curry with cilantro yoghurt sauce

The week before last I had the pleasure of hosting my friend Roi for two dinners in a row.  The first night I prepared a squash Thai pumpkin soup that turned out rather differently than I had planned (in a good way).  The second night I made an Indian beef curry with rice and cilantro yoghurt sauce.  Each dish was delectable.

Normally when I make a pumpkin or squash soup, I purée it.  I roast the squash by itself in the oven to bring out or more intense squash flavour while I combine my aromatics and spices in a pot on the stove to make a broth to which I then add the roasted squash and then purée the whole thing.  This time, however, as I added the roasted pumpkin, it more or less dissolved into the soup to create the texture I was after without any need for a blender.  As a result, I was able to keep the other items in the pot in tact and thus add varying textures to my soup.

The decided to make a beef curry to sate my craving for meat.  It had been quite a while since I'd had an Indian dish with meat, and the slow cooking process generally employed to create Indian curries matched perfectly with my budget that permitted me to buy a tougher cheaper cut.  After the initial prep work, the curry required little attention.  Both meals are excellent for cold winter days.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

For the Soup

1 Thai pumpkin, stem removed, seeded and cut in half

2 tbls of olive oil

2 tbls of duck fat

1 tlbs mustard seeds

1 tsp Szechwan peppercorns

1 stalk of lemon grass, bottom part only, well bruised

1 medium Spanish onion, sliced radially

2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly

3" of galangal, peeled and chopped

1 star anise

3 thai chillies, seeded and sliced thinly

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" discs

1 450ml can of coconut milk (light variety not suitable)

1/2 cup of duck stock (or chicken stock)

For the curry

2 tbls ghee

1 tbls mustard seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 spanish onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3" ginger, peeled and grated

1.2 kilos/2.5 lbs chuck, cut into cubes for stewing

1 generous tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbls jaggery (if unavailable, use brown sugar)

1 lb cherry tomatoes

5 thai bird chillies, seeded

3 curry leaves (if dried, then soak in water for 20 minutes for using)

S+P to taste

For the rice

1.5 cups basmati rice

1.5 tbls mustard oil (if unavailable, use any neutral oil)

2.25 cups boiling water

a pinch of salt

For the yoghurt sauce

250 ml greek yoghurt

125 ml water

1 bunch cilantro, washed

S+P to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F.  Coat the exposed flesh of the pumpkin with olive oil, place face down in a baking dish or on a baking sheet lined with tin-foil.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool enough to work with safely.

Heat the duck fat in a large pot over medium.  Add the mustard seeds and lemongrass, sauté for 3 minutes or until the mustard seeds pop.  Immediately add the onions and lower the heat to medium-low.  Sauté the onions for about 8 minutes, then add the garlic, chillies, star anise, galangal and carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes.  Add the duck stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Add 1 cup of water and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and add to the pot.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.  Add water as necessary until you've reached your desired consistency.  Add S+P and serve with bread.

Pre-heat the oven to 175C/350F.  Heat half the ghee in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the mustard and coriander seeds.  When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions and lower to medium-low.  Sauté for ten minutes until perfectly golden, add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.  Move all contents to one side of the pot piling them on top of each other so they take up as little surface area as possible.  Add the remaining ghee to the empty side of the pot and add your meat and brown well. Mix all contents well.  Combine the tomatoes and chillies in a high rimmed bowl and blend thoroughly with an immersion blender.  Add the remaining spices and the jaggery to the pot and sauté for one minute before adding the puréed tomatoes with chillies.  Add water so that liquid comes about 1" above the solid contents of the pot.  Place in the oven for 2.5 hours, remove two or three times to check the level of the liquid and if necessary add more to cover.

Combine all ingredients for the rice in a baking dish and cover with tinfoil.  Remove the curry and place the rice in the oven for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and return to the curry to heat up a little. In the meantime make your sauce.

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a high rimmed bowl and purée with a hand blender (or use a conventional blender.  Plate and serve immediately.

B'Teavon!

Impromptu noodles with May

A few weeks ago I went to the Shuk with the intent purpose of stirring up some savoury and olfactory memories of Southeast Asia.  Having had a thoroughly European culinary education in terms of technique, I was somewhat hesitant to buy a wok.  After my trip to Asia, I realised that no mastery of Asian flavours could make up for the lack of Asian techniques.  The most tasty specific dish I ate the entire time I was in Southeast Asia was a stir-fried beef and noodles dish that I bought for a dollar on the streets of Phnom Penh.  I have yet to recreate that specific dish, but I've made a few variations.  With a good deal of vegetarian friends, the past 6 months has seen me omit meat from my dishes with far greater frequency than one would expect.  At first glance, I was some what perplexed by the Asian vegetables on offer at the shuk as they were not those to which I was accustomed.  Having just been to Cambodia and Vietnam, I felt more comfortable in using them.  The day that I made this particular dish, snow peas made their first appearance of the year in the Shuk.

So... I used my new noodle ladle/strainer in the preparation of my noodles.  Did all of my prep work ahead of time for I have learned that when it comes to stir-frying in a wok, there's no time to finish the prep once the cooking process has begun.  Originally only May was to come to dinner but she asked if her friend Dalit could join us and I happily acquiesced to her request.  I wanted to add a bit of meat to my meal with out polluting it for the lovely vegetarian May.  My solution was to buy a bit of smoked duck breast, which I then fried in its own fat like bacon and top the already plated stir-fry with such.  I have recently found a stable source of mico-herbs, including micro-Thai basil (rather strange since there's no large size Thai basil, but whatever).  The food and company were  both delightful.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 large package of wheat noodles, boiled, strained and set aside

1 tbls peanut oil

2 stalks of lemon grass, bottom part only and well bruised

6 slender Thai eggplants, sliced into 1" discs

2 asian (small) shallots, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3" galangal, peeled, crushed with the back of a knife then sliced thinly

1.5 tbls sugar

1.5 tbls fish sauce

1 tbls sweet Thai soy sauce

~1 lb of snow peas, cleaned

1/4 cointreau

1 bunch cilantro, washed and 1/4 of the stem chopped off

1 bunch of green garlic (asian chives/garlic chives), washed

50 grams sliced smoke duck breast

micro Thai basil and sriracha to garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add the lemongrass and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add the eggplant and stir fry for another 6 minutes.  Move to the side, add a little bit more oil and add the shallots, garlic and galangal to that open space.  Mix with the rest of the contents of the pan, add the sugar and mix in.  After 1 minute, add the fish sauce and allow to evaporate completely. Add the noodles, sweet Thai soy sauce and snow peas and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the cointreau and allow to evaporate completely.  Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and green garlic.

In a sauté pan, heat the slices of smoked duck lying flat over medium heat.  When you've reached the appropriate crispiness, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Plate noodles and top with crispy duck, micro Thai basil and sriracha to taste.  B'Teavon!

 

Flank steak two ways with roasted eggplant, mango chutney, green papaya and carrot gyoza and a lovely salad

While the last meal I made represented a distinct return to more traditional European flavours, three nights ago I decided to do something a bit more elaborate.  With laziness and fatigue as the primary culprits, I have tended to simplify my dishes into two components - a relatively complicated meat dish with some sort of starch to compliment it.  While the results are often yummy, they are not demonstrative of the finesse of which I am capable.  It takes both inspiration and motivation to create more fantastical dishes outside a restaurant setting and three days ago I had both.

I had invited several friends to Saturday dinner several days prior and in anticipation of that event, I bought a flank steak at the same time I bought the last post's rib-eye.  I cut the flank steak into a perfect square, then divided that square into three equal logs.  I made a marinade of yuzu, lime juice and soy sauce in which I left the meat for about 8 hours before cooking it.  I had to make use of the trimmings, however, and so I fried them in a bit of sesame oil and chilli oil before braising them in tea and eventually pulling the meat apart into strings in the reduced braising liquid.  It is the end of mango season and so I decided to make a mango chutney as well.  I had wanted to do something with dough for a while and so envisioned making a chinese-five spice gyoza dough in which I would wrap my logs of meat and then fry them in the dough to have almost sushi like pieces of steak for dinner.  I decided to make a salad to accompany this meal and julienne sliced four carrots on a mandolin.  At this point I had several disparate components, some green papaya and asian eggplants in the fridge, and I needed further inspiration.

I got on the phone with my mother and consulted her about my meal.  She suggested that pairing the dough with the meat would be too heavy and suggested I wrap vegetables in the meat's stead.  She suggested that I didn't have to abandon using meat in a roll, and suggested that I roast the Chinese and Japanese eggplants I have in some chilli oil, grill the meat, cut it thinly, and then wrap the eggplant in the thin slices of beef.  I did just that.  I grilled the meat early, wrapped each log individually in tinfoil and placed the three in the fridge.  this would allow all the juices to properly infused themselves back into the meat, and the cold meat would be much easier for me to slice thinly.  The one mishap in this whole process was that I over salted the eggplant before roasting them, and despite my attempts to wash away the salt, the eggplant was VERY salty.  Alas, pour May, the one vegetarian attending the meal, had some very salty eggplant without the benefit of the tart citrus infused meat to balance it.  The rest of us, however, were able to look past the saltiness and enjoy the ensemble presented the plate.

The filling for the gyoza-like creating I made ended up being the carrots I had grated earlier, along with some green papaya, fennel, ginger and garlic.  Alas, I made way too much of this filling, and so whatever didn't find itself wrapped up in dough, was transferred to the salad I prepared.  Those remainders joined some sliced cucumbers, julienne yellow bell pepper, lots of cilantro and a soy sauce, rice vinegar, tahina dressing.  The results were excellent regardless.  Everything had at least one spicy component to it, but nothing was overpowering (save a bit of excess salt on the eggplant).  I used some "Mongolian Fire Oil" which is soybean oil infused with chilli, garlic and ginger extracts and another smokier component that I failed to identify.  There were influences from all over South, Southeast and East Asia in the dish, and it was both a delight to look at and eat.  It brought together great company and reminded me of some of the more fantastical aspects of cooking that I enjoy.  In 4 days, I depart for a two week trip to Southeast Asia and I am certain that another such meal will be created upon my return to Israel, perhaps with a bit more authenticity.  For now, enjoy.

Ingredients:

For the steak

1 flank steak (~650 grams) cut into a perfect square, then cut into three equal logs - trimmings reserved

2 tbls soy sauce

1 tbls yuzu juice

the juice of one lime

For the mango chutney

1 tbls coriander seeds, toasted

1 large mango, peeled and diced

3 green Thai bird chillies, sliced thinly on a diagonal

lots of sugar (see directions)

3/4 cup of rice vinegar

3 pinches of salt

about 20 mint leaves, washed and dried

For the stringed beef

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp chilli oil

about 200 grams of flank steak trimmings, fat and sinew removed

2 cups of black tea (pick your favourite)

S+P to taste

For the eggplant

3 Chinese eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4"x1/4"x1" logs

3 Japanese eggplant, peeled and sliced the same way

lots of salt

2 tbls of "Mongolian Fire Oil"

a few green onions

For the gyoza

1/2 cup of all-purpose white flour, plus more for dusting the table

1 tbls Chinese five-spice

2 tbls of water, or as needed

1 tbls pumpkin seed oil

3 tbls grape-seed oil or other neutral oil

4 carrots, julienne sliced on a mandolin

1/2 green papaya, peeled, seeded and julienne sliced on a mandolin

1 bulb of fennel, stalks removed and then julienne sliced on a mandolin

2" ginger, peeled and grated

2 medium cloves of garlic, grated on a ginger

For the salad

the remainders of the filling for the gyoza

2 yellow bell peppers, sliced julienne with a very sharp knife

3 cucumbers, sliced on a diagonal with the skin

1 bunch of cilantro, washed and dried

1 tbls soy sauce

1 tbls rice vinegar

1 tbls tahina

Directions:

Mix the marinade for the meat in a baking dish, then place in the logs in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for four hours, then turn the logs over and leave to marinate for another 3-4 hours.

Combine the mango and the chillies in a bowl and weigh them on a scale.  Combine with an equal amount of sugar by weight in a sauce pan and add the coriander seeds, rice vinegar, salt and then add cold water to cover.  Bring to a simmer over medium then lower to medium-low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom with a silicon spatula.  After 30 minutes, raise the heat ever so slightly and then stir frequently for another ten minutes.  Turn of the heat and transfer the chutney to an appropriate sized bowl.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the mint leaves.  Cover with plastic wrap, allow to cool for 40 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge until ready to serve.

Heat the sesame and chilli oils in a sauce pan over medium and brown the steak trimmings.  Add the tea, bring to a simmer and add boiling water to cover.  Place a lid on the sauce pan and turn the heat all the way down to low.  After half an hour, add 1.5 cups of water to the pot, bring to a simmer again over medium low, return the lid and lower the heat all the way down again.  Allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.  When done, pull apart the meat with two forks into strings and allow to cool in the braising liquid.  Keep covered.

Combine the flour, a pinch of salt and the Chinese five spice in a bowl.  Add 1 tbls of water and mix well.  Add enough water until you've reached the desired consistency of the dough.  Coat in the pumpkin seed oil, then wrap making sure that the plastic wrap is touching the dough.  Allow to sit for one hour.  Remove the plastic wrap and pat the dough dry with paper towel.  Roll the dough into a long log about 1" thick in diameter, and then place this on a floured plate and keep loosely covered with a cloth to keep from drying out.  Take 1.5" off the log at a time and roll each piece out into a 6" long, 2" wide sheet.  Place the filling on the sheet of dough and then wrap them into a triangular prism shape.  Leave on a plate cover with a cloth to keep from drying out.  Heat 2 tbls of oil in a cast iron skillet, fry the gyoza in batches, about 5 at a time.  After frying them for about two minutes, add 2 tbls of water and IMMEDIATELY place a lid on the skillet.  Allow to sizzle for about 3 minutes while the water evaporate and steams the gyoza.  Remove the cooked gyoza to a plate and repeat the process.  Fry them right before serving.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat, then grill the logs of steak for 1 minute on each side (each of 4).  Remove to tinfoil, wrap well, and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F.  Leave the eggplant cover in salt for 30 minutes, then wash the salt away thoroughly and dry with paper towel.  Place in a baking dish and coat the the oil.  Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Remove the steak from the fridge and cut into thing strips lengthwise.  Lay out the strips on a sushi mat and place the eggplant at the innermost edge (side closest to you) and top with a green onion.  Roll up tightly, put on a plate.  Repeat until all of the meat is gone.  Place the plate in the fridge for 20 minutes.

At this time fry your gyoza.  Reheat the stringed beef.  Remove the steak-eggplant from the fridge and cut between the slices of beef to make individual pieces.  Spread some mango chutney on the plate and top with several pieces of your steak roll.  Place the stringed beef on the plate and top with one of the gyoza.  Serve and enjoy.

Combine remnants of gyoza filling with other ingredients for the salad.  Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and tahina well in a small bowl, pour over the salad, toss and serve.  B'Teavon!!!

Leemor's Indian Birthday Dinner

Thursday marked two decades of life for my brother Isaac, and an unspecified number for my dear friend Leemor.  Alas, I was unable to see my brother on his birthday, but I nevertheless prepared a feast for Leemor and our friends that was truly a delight from beginning to end (save a few minor injuries).  Leemor had originally attempted to organise a pot luck.  I asked for some co-ordination in the choices of food so that we didn't end up with disparate dishes that clashed.  Eventually I offered to do all the cooking and our friends Tami and Dan graciously offered to host the meal in their home.  With an initial prediction of 12 diners, the majority of whom were vegetarian, I decided to create a menu that was both affordable, flavourful and filling for those both vegetarian and those accustomed to eating meat.  Indian food is typically vegetarian and so I decided to make an Indian meal.

The first dish that imagined was black dal.  Lentil are cheap, nutritious, tasty and filling.  I bought a 1.5 kilos of black beluga lentils, without realising just how much they would expand.  Had I only served the dal, there would have been enough for 30 people.  I prepared the dal at home along with a variation on my mothers recipe for cooked carrots.  With Leemor's help, I then transported those along with the rest of my ingredients and some equipment over to Tami and Dan's apartment.  There I made 5 more dishes, a spicy chickpea and mint dish that I've made several times in the past, pomegranate and saffron fried onions, saffron rice cooked in the oven, raita and a green papaya-radish salad with a cilantro dressing.

I incurred my first injury while slicing through the third of four large onions and right into my thumb, then promptly ran around the house like a madman looking for a band aid.  Leemor treated my injury and then I got back to the rest of the cooking.  Several hours later, I took the knuckle of my right middle finger through the julienne setting on the mandalin along with the green papaya and got a lovely set of four parallel cuts.  After a second round of acting like a maniac, our hostess Tami treated my second injury and then very politely kicked everyone out of the kitchen for me.  I decided that more than enough green papaya had been sliced, and that the salad would have to do as it was.

Injuries aside, the evening went swimmingly.  Leemor further treated my condition with some Johnny Walker Blue Label that was far more effective than the band-aids.  Tami collected all the guests in the living room for a group photo and crowned the birthday girl with a surprise floral diadem.  The 12 guests turned out to be 16 but there was more than enough food.  We all took our places at the table and dug in.  The night was equally pleasurable for its company as it was for the food.  I hope that our lives will be full of many more such happy occasions.

Ingredients:

For the dal

1 tbls mustard oil

1 tbls ghee

1 tbls coriander seeds

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 small stick of cinnamon, broken up coarsely with the back of a knife

1 Spanish onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3" of ginger, peeled, crushed with the back of a knife then coarsely chopped

3 dried chillies, two of them seeded

1 tsp of garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tbls of jaggery or brown sugar

the juice of one lime

1 400ml can of peeled tomatoes, half the juices discarded

1.5 kilo dal, picked for stones then soaked for 20 minutes in cold water.

S+P as desired

4 cups of milk

For the chickpeas

3 large cans of chickpeas, drained

6 thai green chillies, sliced thinly (with the seeds)

about 50 mint leaves, washed and dried

2 tbls butter

2 chickpea flour

1 tsp turmeric

S+P to taste

For the onions

2 tbls of vegetable oil

3 large Spanish onions, sliced radially

15 strands of saffron

1 tbls of brown sugar

the juice of one lime

the juice of one pomegranate

S+P to taste

For the rice

6 cups of basmati rice

1/3 cup vegetable oil

15 strands of saffron

9 cups of boiling water

a few pinches of salt

For the raita

1.5 cups of greek yoghurt

1.5" of ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 cup of seltzer (soda water)

For the salad

1/2 large green papaya, peeled and sliced on the julienne setting on a mandalin

1 bunch of cilantro, stems chopped off and reserved for the dressing

about 40 mint leaves

about 8 large radishes

For the dressing

the cilantro stems

the juice of one lime

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 medium cloves of garlic

1 tsp of mustard

S+P to taste

Directions:

Heat the mustard oil and ghee over medium in a dutch oven and add the coriander and mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onion and cinnamon.  Sautée for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and dried chillies.  Sautée for another 3 minutes then add the cloves, jaggery and garam masala.  Deglaze the pan with the lime juice, then add the tomatoes.  Break up the tomatoes in the pot with a wooden spoon.  Strain the lentils and add them to the pot.  Add water to cover and bring to a simmer then add a few pinches of salt.  Add water every 10 minutes or so, ensuring that the lentils are always submerged as they expand.  After half an hour, put the lid on but open just a crack.  Lower the heat to medium-low and leave for another half an hour.  Remove from the heat and purée well.  Mix with milk over low heat before serving.  Add S+P.

Strain the chickpeas.  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  Add the chickpeas, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for twenty minutes.  Turn off the heat, strain out half of the water, add the chillies to the pot and return the lid.  Combine the butter, chickpea flour and turmeric in a small bowl and mash together with a fork until you've created a homogenous paste (a roux).  Turn on the heat to low, remove the lid, and gently mix the roux into the chickpeas.  Keep warm.  Toss with the mint (with the heat off) before serving.  Add S+P to taste.

Heat the oil for the onions in a large pan over medium.  Add one handful at a time until all of the onions are in the pan.  Once the onions are soft, be sure to create empty spaces in the pan from which steam can escape.  Sauté the onions for a total of 15 minutes, then add the saffron and the sugar.  Sauté for another 5 minutes then add the lime juice.  Once evaporated add the pomegranate juice.  Turn off the heat, and cover to keep warm.

Pre-heat the oven to 175C/350F.  Combine the rice, oil and saffron in a large baking dish and mix well, ensuring that all of the rice is coated in the oil.  Boil the water in a kettle, then add to the pan.  Add a few pinches of salt then cover well with tin foil.  Place in the oven for 35 minutes, then serve.

Combine all ingredients for the raita in a bowl and whisk gently.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lime.  Slice the radishes on a mandalin (without a comb) into the bowl and leave in the fridge.  Combine all other ingredients for the salad in a bowl.  Toss the with strained radishes when ready to eat.

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a high rimmed bowl and purée.  Place in a small bowl and allow each diner to pour atop as much as s/he likes on the plate.

Recipe for the carrots will come another time.

B'Teavon!!!

Thai Lunch with Judith and Shai

Last Wednesday, I woke up bright and early to start cooking for my lunch date with Judith and her beautiful daughter Shai.  I had purchased all the necessary ingredients the day before.  I had intended to make dinner that evening but as I was unable to find any company, I settled for peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and saved the Thai food for the next day.  I decided to make something with relatively few components but still very flavourful.  Surprisingly, osso bucco seems to be the least expensive cut of beef available.  Having been rather bored by poultry lately, I opted for the beef.  Stewing osso bucco rather than boneless cuts of beef has the added benefit of dissolving the bone marrow into the sauce you're creating allowing for a richer dish overall.  I paired it with simple jasmine rice that I tossed with mint after its preparation.  This dish is relatively easy to make if you've got all the ingredients on hand.  The results were lovely and we shared a great lunch.  Shai, dutifully had rice in her armpits afterwards, as all good babies do.  When serving children, omit the extra sriracha sauce.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

For the beef

3 tbls peanut oil

1 tbls of coriander seeds

2 tsp of mustard seeds

1 stalk of lemongrass, bottom part only, well bruised

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

2" of galangal, peeled (either fresh or pickled)

4 red Thai chillies, seeded

1 loaded tsp of red curry paste

the juice of one lime

1 615ml can of coconut milk

2 kaffir lime leaves

S+P

For the rice

1 tbls peanut oil

1/2 cup jasmine rice

1 cup boiling water

a pinch of salt

about 20 mint leaves, washed and dried

Directions:

Place the coarsely chopped onions in a high rimmed bowl and purée with an immersion blender.  Remove to a small bowl (it's ok if you don't get all of the onion out).  Place the garlic, chillies and galangal in the high rimmed bowl and purée those as well.  Remove to a small bowl.

Heat half of peanut oil in a dutch oven over medium and add the seeds and lemongrass.  When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the puréed onion.  Sauté for 6 minutes, then add the puréed garlic, galangal and chilli mix.  Sauté for another 4 minutes then add the red curry paste, mix in and deglaze the pan the with the lime juice.  Move all of these contents to the side and add the remaining peanut oil to empty side of the pan.  Brown each side of the osso bucco slices, then add the coconut milk, an equal amount of water and the lime leaves.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and and leave on low heat for 2.5 hours.  Stir once every half hour or so, flipping the beef over and add water if necessary to ensure you don't burn it.  Once ready, pull apart the meat into small pieces with two forks.

Add the peanut oil for the rice to a sauce pan and heat over medium low.  Add the rice and sauté for 4 minutes.  Add the boiling water and the pinch of salt.  Cover, turn the heat all the way down and leave for exactly 18 minutes.  Turn off the heat and toss with the mint.  Plate and pour atop of the beef.  Garnish with sriracha and cilantro.  B'Teavon!

Impromptu pasta with Tami - Pepperoncino infused linguini and a clementine, fennel seed date sauce with mint

The other day my friend Tami and I each spent the afternoon working on some school work and planned to meet up at 6 when our brains couldn't take it anymore.  I had purchased some ingredients that I had intended on using for a salad but as my hunger grew more vociferous, I decided to make a pasta sauce instead.  I had a package of pepperoncino infused linguini that I'd bought at KaDeWe during my April trip to Berlin.  I figured that now would be as good a time as any to finally eat them.  I decided to make make a butter sauce for the pasta rather than a tomato based one and I had clementines, dates, onions, and spices before me from which to choose.  Citrus, specifically oranges, clementines and the like, go well with fennel.  Alas I had no fennel but I did have fennel seed.  I melted the butter in a sauce pan over very low heat and added my onions and spices while the butter was still hard so that they would sweat rather than sizzle.  With the onions cut very thinly they transformed into a second kind of noodle.  I added the date last and allowed them to simmer long enough in the pan juices to take on the other flavours without loosing their crunch.  After boiling the pasta I tossed it with olive oil to keep from sticking and some mint for freshness.  Having originally intended to make a salad, I had quite a lot of chopped endive which I threw on top of the pasta at the last minute for some bitterness and yet another texture.

Tami is a vegetarian who seldom eats pasta.  To her credit, she has a much better balanced diet than may of the vegetarian I know who mostly subsist off of carbohydrates.  Rather than the typical spaghetti in red sauce, this pasta had a plethora of ingredients, flavours and textures that may have gone a long way in convincing her that when pasta is well prepared it need not be heavy and boring.  While it's not the quickest meal to make, it only took half an hour to prepare and the results were delightful.  Try it at home.  Enjoy.

  

Ingredients:

25 grams of butter

1 medium Spanish onion, sliced thinly radially

2 small thai red chillies, slit open

1/4 tsp of coriander sees

1/4 tsp of cumin seeds

1 tsp of fennel seeds

the juice of two large clementines

6 dates, halved, pitted then sliced thinly on a diagonal

1 large endive, sliced and the discs from the core discarded

1 tbls green peppercorns, crushed the the back of a knife

1 package of pepperoncino infused linguini

2 tbls of extra virgin olive oil

the leaves of 10 sprigs of mint, washed and dried

salt to taste

Directions:

Place the butter in a sauce pan in one large chunk and heat on the lowest possible setting.  Move the butter around the pan to coat it and add the onions, chillies and spices to the pan while the butter is still melting.  Break apart the onions with a silicon spatula and mix everything evenly in the pan.  Allow to sweat for about five minutes.  Add the clementine juice, raise the heat ever so slightly and bring to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes then add the dates.  If the dates are not submerged, add 1/3 cup of water to the pan.  Allow to simmer gently while you prepare the pasta.

Boil and ample amount of water in a large pot, when it comes to a rolling bowl, add 1 tsp of salt.  Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package, strain immediately when ready.  Return to the pot and toss with olive oil and mint leaves and a bit of salt.  Turn off the heat on the sauce.  Plate the pasta and then pour over the sauce.  Sprinkle atop as much green pepper as you desire then add the endive.  Serve immediately.  B'Teavon!

Some spicy Indian food with Leemor

Last week I was hit with a terrible craving for Indian and for meat.  I am sick of chicken and because stewing is so central to most Indian cuisines, the cheaper cuts of beef matched perfectly with my budget and desired dish.  If you've got a kitchen well stocked with spices, this meal doesn't require a terrible number of purchases at the market either.  I called Leemor around 2 PM and asked if she'd be amenable to joining me later.  We both agreed that a later hour would best accommodate us.  I went to the Shuk, got everything necessary and managed to put in a few more hours on my paper before preparing the meal.

While at the Shuk I conversed with many of my favourite merchants.  Because "Mizrah Ma'arav/East West"  is the primary retailer of exotic products in the Shuk, my frequent visits have led me to develop a friendship with the owner of the franchise, Rafi.  Prior to entering his store I was examining some tomatoes at a stall directly outside of it.  After having decided that a can of Italian tomatoes would be more appropriate for my dish, the merchant at the stall screamed obscenities at me for not buying his tomatoes up until the moment I entered Mizrah Ma'arav.  Rafi greeted me at the door and asked me what the "balagan" (crudely translated as "brouhaha") was all about and I explained the situation.  He led me to the cans of Italian tomatoes on the shelf and then left the store to chastise the tomato merchant who had berated me.  Rafi returned just as I was paying and assured me that it wouldn't happen again.  I thanked him and then to my delight, as I exited the store, the tomato merchant approached me, put his hand on my shoulder and simply nodded.  In the macho culture that is so pervasive at the Shuk, that was about as good of an apology as I could have hoped for.

I returned home, did some work, and then set my mind to the task at hand.  It is still extremely hot in Israel and so I made sure to do ALL of my prep work before turning on the oven or any burners.  I decided on a straightforward meal: curry, rice and puréed squash.  Colour is always a consideration in the food that I make and sometimes the results adequately reflect my desires as was the case that day.  Stews can be left largely unattended so after the initial cooking, I was able to return to my air-conditioned bedroom.  

After an hour, I returned to the kitchen to prepare the squash and rice.  Some teenage boys were constructing a Sukkah outside my door with no expertise and a lot of yelling.  I asked them several times to respect the neighbourhood's desire for quiet and was met with about 30 seconds of respite before the cacophony resumed.  In my frustatration I made one mistake in the preparation of this meal - I forgot to wash the rice.  Basmati rice is heavy in starches and if they're not washed away while the rice is uncooked, they make the rice stick together.  When preparing this meal, simply remember to wash the rice several times until the water runs clear before cooking it.  Otherwise, the flavours were on point and the dishes were hot but not overwhelmingly so.

Leemore joined me at 9 and again attempted to reason with the teenagers with the diplomacy of my first attempt.  She was no more successful than I so we turned our attentions to the food.  We had a lovely meal with great conversation and afterward we left a clean kitchen!  Food is best when enjoyed in good company.

 

Ingredients:

For the beef stew

1.5 lbs chuck, large dice, exterior fat trimmed and reserved

1 tsp of asafoetida

6 strands of saffron

1 tbls of ghee

1 tsp of mustard seeds

1/8 tsp of fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp of coriander seeds

1 onion, purée (in a blender or with an immersion blender)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 14 oz/425ml can of peeled Italian tomatoes

5 Thai red chillies, seeded

1" inch of ginger peeled and crushed with the back of a knife

1 tbls of jaggery (or brown sugar if you don't have any)

the heads of 7 cloves, pinched between your fingers

1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

2 curry leaves

For the squash

1 small butternut squash, sliced in half length-wise and seeded

Chilli infused olive oil to cover

3" of ginger, peeled and grated (ideally on a Japanese ginger grater, don't discard the juices)

1/2 tsp garam masala

S+P to taste

For the rice

1 tbls vegetable oil

1 cup basmati rice

10-12 curry leaves

1/2 cup of lime juice

1.5 cups boiling water

a pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat a Dutch oven over medium and render out about 3 tbls of fat from the trimming of the beef.  Brown the beef (in batches if necessary) then remove to a plate.

Combine the asafoetida and safron with 1.5 cups boiling water and allow to infuse.  Combine the canned tomatoes (with the juices from the can), the ginger and chillies in a high rimmed bowl and purée with an immersion blender.

Melt the ghee in the Dutch oven and add the mustard, fenugreek and coriander seeds.  Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the puréed onion.  Sautée for about 7 minutes or until the onion browned, stirring intermittently.  Add the cloves, garlic and jaggery and sautée until the jaggery has dissolved and has begun to caramelise.  Add the puréed tomatoes and cinnamon and bring to a simmer.  Once at simmer, add the water with the asafoetida and saffron.  Return the meat to the pot and juices that may have escaped while it was resting on the plate.  Make sure all of the meat is submerged (if not, add a little water).  Cover and turn down the heat all the way down (if you're using an electric stove top then set at 2, not 1).  Allow to simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from burning (about once every half hour). 

Pre-heat the oven to 205C/400F.  Coat the flesh side of the butternut squash with the chilli infused olive oil, sprinkle on some salt then lay flesh side down in a baking dish.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Transfer the squash to plate or cutting board and peel away the skin.  Transfer the flesh of the squash to blender of high rimmed bowl, add all other ingredients and purée well.

Heat a sauce pan over medium with the vegetable oil.  Add the dry rice and curry leaves and sautée for 3-4 minutes.  Add the lime juice and boiling water, bring to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes.  Remove the cover and serve immediately.

Plate all components and top with cilantro for garnish.  B'Teavon!

A Thai and Vietnamese Meal with Michal

Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming a friend from university to Tel Aviv.  After a year of commuting from Jerusalem, Michal moved to Tel Aviv and was finally able to come over for dinner.  She requested Asian food, and with my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia in mind, I decided to consult my Thai and Vietnamese cookbooks for some inspiration.  The first dish that appealed to me was a Vietnamese cucumber and tomato salad.  Cucumber and tomato salad (usually called "chopped salad" in Hebrew) is a staple of Israeli cuisine, and is normally simply dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  This Vietnamese version was far less simple.  Rather than dicing the cucumbers and tomatoes, the recipe called for slices that were top be arranged on the plate and then covered in a vinegar based dressing that despite its many ingredients, did more to enhance the flavour of the cucumbers and tomatoes than to disguise them.  That dressing was a combination of minced garlic and shallots in vinegar and several other ingredients that I left to macerate for a few hours before pouring it atop the salad.

Both in the Vietnamese and Thai cookbooks, many of the recipes I encountered were stir fries.  Alas, I do not own a wok and therefore decided to incorporate the flavours and ingredients present with techniques more appropriate for my equipment.  Rather than cook the chicken breast in with the vegetables that were meant to be stir fried, I sautéed the vegetables and then prepared the chicken breast separately, sliced it and proceeded to compile all the components on the plate together.  Furthermore, both cuisines rely heavily on fish sauce which is one ingredient for which I have yet to acquire a taste.  I substituted the fish sauce for dark Japanese soy sauce and the result was certainly pleasing.  I made a cilantro emulsion, entirely of my own design, to accompany the chicken, vegetables and rice.  These recipes are not terribly time consuming, relatively simple to prepare and most of all scrumptious.  While I pride myself on my ingenuity in the kitchen, at times it is refreshing and inspiring to use some one else's recipes.  The recipes presented here are an adaptation from "True Thai" by Viktor Sodsook and "Culinary Vietnam" by Daniel Hoyer.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice and your favourite cilantro sauce.  Enjoy.

   

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic peeled (needed for both)

For main course

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and breastbone removed

1 Spanish onion, sliced radially

3 tbls veg oil

8 Thai chillies, sliced into rings (with the seeds)

1/2" galagal, minced

2 tbls Japanese dark soy sauce

1 tbls sugar

1 tbls rice wine vinegar

1 tbls sweet Thai soy sauce

the leaves of one bunch of mint, washed and dried

For the salad

6 Israeli cucumbers, cut into 1/4" thick rings

3 large roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4" thick rings

3 tbls rice vinegar

2 tbls lime juice

2 tbls sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tbls minced shallots

1 red Thai chilli, sliced into thin rings (with the seeds)

Directions:

Make a paste out of the head of garlic, either in a mortar and pestle or with an immersion blender in a high rimmed bowl.

Combine the rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, shallots and chillies and 1/3 of the garlic paste and allow to macerate while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Pre-heat oven to 375F/190C.

Heat 2 tbls of vegetable oil in a sautée pan over medium.  When hot, add the onions.  Sautée for for 8 minutes, then add the garlic.  As soon as the garlic has browned, add the chillies and galangal and mix in well.  Stir in the sugar and once its mixed in immediately add the rice vinegar.  After about 30 seconds, add the Japanese and Thai soy sauces, mix in and allow to reduce slightly.  Cover and keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil in a cast iron skillet.  S+P each chicken breast and then pan fry for about 3 minutes on either side.  Place the skillet in the oven for 7 minutes.  Remove and allow to rest for 3 minutes.

Re-heat the sautéed onions slightly, toss with the mint and turn off the heat.  Return cover.

Slice the chicken and plate with jasmine rice and the sautéed onions.  

Compose the cucumber and tomatoes on a platter and then pour atop the dressing evenly.  Allow to sit for a minute or two before serving.  B'Teavon!

Chicken tagine with tomatoes, preserved limes and dill

Before leaving for my month long sojourn in North America, Ilan and I got together to prepare some limes for preservation - a process that takes six weeks.  Having done so several days before I left, I need wait little time after coming home taste the preserved limes and incorporate them into my dishes.  Although I had originally intended to do this in order to have limes in the off season, preserved limes have little in common with the flavour of the fresh variety.  Ilan came over to taste the fruits of our endeavour and both of us were shocked and delighted at the truly exceptional and unexpected flavour we encountered.  The limes had taken on a slightly gelatinous texture and there taste lied somewhere between a pickled cucumber and an olive.  This is quite logical as cucumbers are normally pickled in vinegar, a highly acidic substance, and olives are normally pickled in salt.  Having preserved our highly acidic limes by stuffing them with salt, we created a substance that was doubly pickled.  Preserved lemons are a staple of Moroccan cuisine and can be bought jarred at speciality stores.  I decided that the most fitting first use of my newly concocted ingredient would be to put them in a tagine.

 The results can only be described as intense.  The combination of the limes with tomatoes made the overall level of acidity quite high.  I tried to mitigate this by introducing potatoes into the mix but that wasn't sufficient in and of itself.  The acidity of the dish was eventually muted when I mashed the cooked potatoes into the dish's juices after plating.  Having prepared to chicken legs and being the only diner, I reheated the remainders of the dish the next day and this time pulled all of the meat off the bone and mashed the whole thing together.  I didn't photograph that stage, but you can get the idea.  Had I devoted more time to this meal, I would have added some plain white rice to absorb the acidic juices without having to mash all of the potatoes.  Nonetheless, the flavours were excellent and with a little tweaking this could become a perfect dish. Enjoy.

    

Ingredients:

1/2 white onion, peeled and cut into 4

1" of ginger, peeled

2 thai red bird chillies, 1 seeded, the other left in tact

2 large cloves of garlic

2-3 small pieces of Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tbls walnut oil

7 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 large yukon cold potato, diced into 1/2" cubes

1 preserved lime, quartered and then sliced thinly

1/4 cup of dill + more for garnish

2 chicken legs

S+P to taste (only for the chicken, the preserved limes will ensure that the rest of dish is salt enough)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 205C/400F.

Combine onion, garlic, chillies, ginger and cinnamon in a high rimmed bowl and purée with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth.  Add the walnut and purée further.  Add one of the roma tomatoes to the mix and purée again.  Pour this mixture into the bottom of the tagine and pile on all the other ingredients making sure that they are evenly spread.  Salt your chicken and place it atop the vegetables. Place the lid on the tagine and leave in the oven for one hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool with the lid on for about 10 minutes.  Remove the lid and then remove the skin from the chicken, and serve. 

B'Teavon!