Archive

Author Archive

Lemon Salt

October 3rd, 2019 Comments off

How to Make It

 In a mini food processor, pulse the sage, rosemary and thyme until finely chopped. Add the lemon zest and pulse to blend. Add the salt and pulse until finely ground. Transfer the herb salt to a small bowl.
Categories: food Tags:

Trahana Soup

September 1st, 2019 Comments off

 

Simple Trahana Soup With Lemon and Olive Oil

 

Source: NYTimes

This is just about the simplest dish to make with trahana, yet I find it incredibly satisfying and refreshing. I like it both hot and cold; it is cooling on a hot summer day and comforting on a cool one (we were in the middle of a bad heat wave when I was testing this week’s recipes). The soup is adapted from a recipe in Diane Kochilas’s new cookbook: “Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die.” My favorite herb to use with the soup is fresh dill. If you want to add more ingredients, simmer vegetables of your choice in the broth, or add blanched or steamed vegetables to the soup when you serve it. Broccoli would be great, as would peas, beans, or sugar snap peas.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups sour bulgur trahana
  • 8 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained
  • 6 tablespoons crumbled feta
  • Plain Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)
  • Chopped fresh herbs for garnish

Preparation

  1. In a medium soup pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add trahana. Stir until coated with oil, about 1 minute. Add water or stock and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until trahana is tender and nutty tasting and the broth slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes if using home-made bulgur trahana (if you use semolina or flour trahana the time will only be 8 to 12 minutes and the mixture will be more like a porridge).
  2. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Spoon into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of crumbled feta. Garnish with plain yogurt if desired and chopped fresh herbs such as mint, parsley or dill.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: If you use bulgur trahana, which does not continue to thicken the way flour or semolina trahana does, you can make this up to 3 days ahead and keep in the refrigerator.
Categories: food Tags:

Meggyleves (Cold Sour Cherry Soup)

August 22nd, 2019 Comments off

Meggyleves (Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup)

This Hungarian dish is a dessert disguised as a soup. Morello cherries in light syrup, like the one’s sold at Trader Joe’s stores, are ideal.

Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 (24-oz.) jars of pitted sour cherries (preferably morellos), with their juice (Alternatively, you may use 1 3/4 lbs. fresh bing cherries, stemmed and pitted, or 1 1/2 lbs. frozen bing cherries with 2 3/4 cups sour or regular cherry juice.)
  • 12 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 slice (1/2″-thick) lemon
  • 1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

Instructions

  1. Add cherries, with their juice, to a 4-quart saucepan. Add salt, cinnamon stick, and lemon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until cherries are soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and 14 cup of hot cherry liquid from pan. Remove pan from heat; stir in sour cream mixture. Chill the soup.

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Hungarian-Chilled-Cherry-Soup/

Categories: food Tags:

Cold Cherry Soup

August 20th, 2019 Comments off

Cold Cherry Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 Pound fresh Bing cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • 1/4 Cup red wine
  • 3/4 Cups sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 Teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 8 Ounces Greek yogurt or sour cream

In a large pot, combine the cherries, red wine, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Bring the contents to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the cherries are soft, about five minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the sour cream or yogurt with a ladle full of the hot cherry liquid to temper. Whisk vigorously to combine, and prevent the yogurt/sour cream from curdling. Stir in the remaining cherries mixture, and chill the soup until you are ready to serve.

Categories: food Tags:

Espinacas con Garbanzos

August 14th, 2019 Comments off

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach with Garbanzo Beans)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, diced

1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

1 (12 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic and onion in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, garbanzo beans, cumin, and salt. Use your stirring spoon to lightly mash the beans as the mixture cooks. Allow to cook until thoroughly heated.

Source: Allrecipes.com

 

Categories: food Tags:

Georgian Bean-Walnut Stew

August 14th, 2019 Comments off

Amolesili Lobio (Stewed Red Beans and Walnuts)

A creamy puree of toasted walnuts adds richness and depth to this hearty kidney bean stew. See the recipe for Amolesili Lobio »Landon Nordeman

A creamy puree of toasted walnuts adds richness and depth to this hearty kidney bean stew.

Find this recipe in our cookbook, SAVEUR: Soups and Stews
Yield: serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small red Holland chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 small leek, finely chopped
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. hot paprika
1 lb. dried dark red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
12 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Country bread, for serving

Instructions

Place walnuts and half the oil in a food processor; puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes, and set aside. Heat remaining oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, onions, chiles, and leeks; cook, stirring until golden, about 10 minutes. Add coriander and paprika; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beans and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cook, slightly covered, until beans are very tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. Using a ladle, transfer half the beans to a blender; puree until smooth and return to pot. Stir in walnut puree, cilantro, dill, parsley, vinegar, salt, and pepper; serve with bread on the side.

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Amolesili-Lobio-Stewed-Red-Beans-and-Walnuts/

Categories: food Tags:

Georgian Walnut-Spinach Salad

August 14th, 2019 Comments off
Spinach and Walnut Salad (Pkhali)

Almost any vegetable can be substituted for spinach in this vegetarian appetizer sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. In Georgia, roasted beet and green bean versions are common.Landon Nordeman

Almost any vegetable can be substituted for spinach in this vegetarian appetizer. In Georgia, roasted beet and green bean versions are common.

Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 12 lb. baby spinach
  • 1 12 cups toasted walnuts
  • 12 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 12 cup roughly chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp. hot paprika
  • 12 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 12 tsp. ground fenugreek
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • Pomegranate seeds, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach; cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer spinach to a bowl of ice water; drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer to a food processor; purée until almost smooth, 1-2 minutes, and transfer to a bowl. Add walnuts, cilantro, parsley, paprika, turmeric, fenugreek, oil, vinegar, garlic, onions, salt, and pepper to the food processor; purée until very smooth. Mix walnut purée and spinach together; transfer to a serving platter and garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Categories: food Tags:

Pickled Jalapenos

July 24th, 2019 Comments off

Despite being pickled, these chiles have a fresh crunch and bright, garlicky flavor. If you cook them, they lose that; add them to finished dishes, particularly pizzas. This recipe is from Joe Beddia, the dough master behind Philadelphia’s cult favorite, Pizzeria Beddia.

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 12 large serrano chiles or jalapeños, thinly sliced into rings

Recipe Preparation

  • Combine garlic and salt in a 1-qt. glass jar or nonreactive container. Add vinegar and 2 cups hot water. Cover and shake to dissolve. Add chiles to brine, cover jar, and let sit at room temperature 48 hours before using.

    (Note: This is a very simple recipe, with very simple results.  Some other herbs to add: a sprig of thyme; and/or rosemary; and/or peppercorns; and/or your favorite.)

  • Do Ahead: Pickles can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill after sitting 48 hours at room temperature.

    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickled-chiles

  • from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/jalapeno-recipes
Categories: food Tags:

Minestra di patate e peperoni rossi

July 15th, 2019 Comments off

Minestra di patate e peperoni rossi – red pepper, tomato and potato soup

Prep 15 min
Cook (including resting) 1 hr 25 min
Serves 4

6-8 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
, peeled and sliced
Salt and black pepper
1 large potato
(about 400g), peeled and diced
2 large red peppers, deseeded and diced
2 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 handful spinach or chard
Red-wine vinegar
(optional)

Put the olive oil, onion and a pinch of salt in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring for five minutes.

Add the potato, peppers and tomatoes, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring so all the ingredients are coated with oil.

Add 1.2 litres of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for an hour, adding the spinach or chard in the last 10 minutes if you are including it.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and a little red-wine vinegar if you wish. Let the soup sit for 15 minutes before serving warm.

From The Guardian

 

Categories: food Tags:

Za’atar (Somali condiment)

July 14th, 2019 Comments off

 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon sumac
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Preparation

    • Combine chopped fresh oregano, sumac, ground cumin, and sesame seeds. Stir in kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Categories: food Tags: