Superbowl Sunday Essentials

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY ESSENTIALS

I love Superbowl Sunday, but, if I'm being honest, it has little to do with football! it’s an excuse to have a few friends over for a nice relaxed appetizer party, watch good commercials, and enjoy a little entertainment at halftime! Is that terrible? Anyway, I wanted to share what I'll be cooking this Sunday...Enjoy!

HARISSA-CHEESE STUFFED FRIED OLIVES

I know, deep-frying is kind of a pain, but if you have the oil out and are going to do wings anyway, you might as well get some bang for your buck. And these fried olives
are amazing!! Pitted olives filled with a bit of harissa-scented ricotta and cream cheese, rolled in panko and parm and fried to crunchy-creamy finish....my man complains that I make food that's too refined for a football party, but...then he eats these anyway!

BAKED JALAPEÑO POPPERS

So if you don't want to fry, this is just the right snack, and who doesn't love jalapeño poppers? They've always been one of my favorite bar foods, but over the years I’ve learned to create my own and somewhat healthier version (baked, not fried, and super easy)! Slice the peppers in half, and take out the seeds and the ribs. In a bowl mix some shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese with Mexican oregano, granulated garlic, granulated onion, smoked paprika, chopped cilantro and a little cumin. Toss together and stuff in the pepper halves. Dip the halves in flour, then egg wash, then some panko; bake in 400 degree oven until tender or follow the recipe above.

BAKED TRINI WONTONS

Another recipe for the frying-averse: my baked Trini wontons. Think wonton skins filled with ground pork (or whatever meat you like) that have the best of Asian and West Indian flavors. Garlic, ginger, soy but also habanero, lime zest and cilantro. Seriously yummy and great to keep in your freezer for impromptu parties.

VEGETABLE SAMOSAS

Vegetable samosas are the perfect vegetarian appetizers - little packets of crisp dough filled with cumin- and chili-scented potatoes. These require a bit of work but are so worth it!

QUESO FUNDIDO

Nothing beats a a hot, melty, cheesy dip at a Superbowl party and this recipe gives you exactly that and then some! What is better than dipping your tortilla chip in a bowl of melted cheddar with tomatoes, chorizo and fresh cilantro? Yea....I can’t think of anything else either.

KOREAN-STYLE WINGS

And, finally, the wings! Superbowl isn't Superbowl without wings, and though there's nothing wrong with the old-standby, hot wings, why not try something new? These are genius, oven-baked but with the crisp texture you love in a fried wing. The sauce comes together by stirring together a few ingredients in a bowl - tamari, rice vinegar, ginger, chili flakes, etc. It's seriously one of the easiest (and tastiest) wing recipes out there.

Have fun this weekend!

Aliya LeeKong X Jill Lindsey Supper Club + Carrot Tartare

ALIYA LEEKONG X JILL LINDSEY SUPPER CLUB + CARROT TARTARE

A few weeks ago, I hosted a supper club at a gorgeous store in Brooklyn, the namesake of the equally gorgeous Jill Lindsey. It is the perfect venue - beautiful handmade home goods, rugs and furniture from Nicaragua (designed by Jill!), candles, jewelry; they host events and have a café area in the back. Jill is the perfect partner, having worked in restaurants and well-versed in all of the front-of-the-house needs. The one catch? ....no kitchen! So, yes, I served (with the help of the amazing Tamsin Kelly! thank you again!) a 5-course, sit-down dinner with my "easy-bake" countertop oven and an induction burner, both of which I brought with me. Fun! and Terrifying!

Here is the menu and some great photos of all of the people (so many friends surprised me!) who came. Photos are all by the talented MJ Batson of Corac Studios

I wanted to share the recipe with you for the star of the Carrot 3 Ways dish, a carrot tartare. The inspiration for the tartare is an Ethiopian dish called kitfo. I posted the recipe for kitfo yeeeeeaars ago, but it's basically a hand-cut steak tartare warmed in a spiced butter infused with cardamom, black pepper, and cayenne. It is out of this world!! I thought the spices played really nicely with the sweetness of seasonal carrots here in lieu of beef. I served mine with dehydrated carrot chips and a brown butter carrot-sunchoke purée. Enjoy!

CARROT TARTARE

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

3 medium carrots, peeled

5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt, to taste

Chives, for garnish

Procedure

Bring a medium pot of water up to a boil and season heavily with salt. While the water is coming up, prepare an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with ice). You want to cook the carrots and then shock them in the ice bath to stop the cooking.

When the water comes up to a boil, add the carrots and cook until a fork slips easily into the thickest part of the carrot. That can vary depending on the width, so I would say anywhere from 6 to 12 minutes. Transfer immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking. Remove and dry thoroughly. At this point, you can move ahead or save them in the refrigerator for use a day or two later.

If you have a stand mixer with a meat grinder attachment, pass the cooled and dry carrots through the larger, coarse grinding plate. If not, you can use a ricer or a food processor to achieve a ground carrot texture. You don't want mush, so try not to take it too far!

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and toast for a minute or so until fragrant and nutty. The butter should brown a bit. Add the shallot and garlic and cook another 30 seconds to a minute. Toss in the ground carrots until they are heated through. They should be warm and touchable.

Serve warm (you can use a ring mold if you like) and top with chopped chives.

Swiss Chard "Leaves"

Grape leaves have to be one of my all-time, favorite Middle Eastern snacks (and something I deemed impossible to make at home for many years). When I visited Turkey a few years back, I learned a nifty trick for how to make them using a more common green to the West, swiss chard. This would actually work with a number of different greens, but I do have to say the flavor of swiss chard works great – it’s mild and verdant and lets the flavor of the stuffing pop.

Grape leaves are often stuffed with ground meat and/or rice and flavored with mint and lemon. They are part of a group of stuffed vegetables made throughout the Middle East, Greece and Turkey called dolmas.

I kept these guys vegetarian – I feel like they are a bit more delicate that way. A few other things: in lieu of long-grain rice, I used a short-grain one, Egyptian rice, which is one of my favorites! It’s fluffy, rounder, has a great toothsome texture and absorbs flavor beautifully. Also, in lieu of steaming them the traditional way – I lay the leaves on top of stacked lemon slices and let the juice from the lemons steam and infuse them with even more flavor. These are not the most speedy hors d’oeuvres to make, but they are well worth it! And I guarantee by your 48th folding, you’ll be a lot faster…Enjoy!

Ingredients

24 Swiss chard leaves, washed and stems removed (approximately 3 bunches)

2 tbsps unsalted butter

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp dried mint

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground black pepper

pinch chili flakes

pinch ground cloves

¾ cup Egyptian rice

1 cup vegetable stock or water

2 tbsps pine nuts, toasted

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

2 tbsps chives and parley, finely chopped

3 or 4 lemons, cut into ½ inch rounds

olive oil

salt

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and prepare a large bowl with ice and water. Add enough salt to make the boiling water taste like the sea. Place the chard leaves in the boiling water for 60 seconds and then shock them in the ice bath. Let dry on paper towels.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes until shallots are translucent. Add spices and then the Egyptian rice and toast for about 1 minute. Add stock or water and bring up to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook partially covered for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and add pine nuts, lemon juice, lemon zest and herbs. Season to taste, though note that the rice will not yet be fully cooked.

Cut chard leaves down the middle on either side of the seam. Place one leaf rib-side up, vertically in front of you. Add about 2 teaspoons of the rice mixture about an inch up the leaf. Start by rolling the end closest to you away from you to cover the rice. Tuck each side of the chard leaf in and roll the entire parcel. If the leaf is too long, you can cut the other end a bit short. Repeat until you’ve finished the chard leaves and rice mixture.

Layer lemons in a dutch oven or pot with ¼ cup of water. Layer the dolmas on top and drizzle them with a little olive oil. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.

Serve warm or cold.

Parsnip Cakes with Spring Garlic & Chile

Walking through the Union Square Greenmarket the other day (as the weather shifted from the low 40’s to the low 60’s), it felt to me that the season is being a bit ambivalent, unsure of whether it’s winter or spring. Piled high were the hearty root vegetables of the winter – rutabagas, salsify and parsnips – next to the burgeoning spring crop with lovely spring garlic and rhubarb making an appearance. I nabbed some of the spring garlic and for breakfast this Sunday created these little cakes, as an ode to this in-between season.

Parsnip is an incredibly flavorful and versatile vegetable. The flavor is somewhere between a potato and a carrot, and it’s signature sweetness works beautifully with butter, spices, and heat. Spring garlic, on the other hand, is like a two-for-one sale – garlic and green onion flavor in one! If you can’t find any, using a bit of garlic with leek or green onion works really well here too.

This recipe couldn’t be simpler or more forgiving – cook the parsnips til tender, add other ingredients, fry until golden. You could easily use potatoes instead of parsnips here if you have them on hand. I love these for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and a touch of sriracha to dip. But these could also be a great dinner side to accompany roast chicken or a nice piece of fish. A crisp bite with that sweet, creamy parsnip flavor, garlic, onion and the heat from the chilies…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into a medium dice

1-2 red and/or green chilies, finely chopped (red jalapeno, jalapeno, Thai)

2 spring garlic shoots, finely chopped (approximately 1/3 cup)

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp sugar

handful of fresh herbs (chives, cilantro, parsley), roughly chopped

unsalted butter for frying

kosher salt to taste

Procedure

Put diced parsnips in a pot and cover with cold water. Place over medium-high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Lower to a strong simmer and simmer until fork tender (approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your dice). Drain in a colander and let air dry for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, mash parsnips with a potato masher or use a ricer to break them up. Add the chilies, spring garlic, flour, salt, sugar and herbs and mix until a uniform texture (don’t overmix though or they’ll get a tad gummy).

Heat a sauté or cast iron pan over medium heat and add butter. For the parsnip cakes, I like to use an ice cream scoop so I can be sure I get even amounts. I love to use my hands here, making a flat patty out of the parsnip mixture and then just sliding them into the pan. They don’t have to be perfectly shaped.

Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side just to develop that nice golden crust, and work in batches if necessary to finish off the mixture. Let drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of salt while it’s hot for extra flavor.

Serve immediately. I like mine with a bit of sriracha on the side to dip.

Baked Trini Wontons

I’m just going to say it to get it out of the way. Frying just tastes better. It does. There is no other way to get that perfect, even texture, signature crunch, and lovely fried flavor…BUT if you can pretend like fried wontons never existed or not do some sort of unfair comparison of a fried wonton vs. a baked one, these are absolutely delicious (and, of course, a little better for you and your waistline).

I first came across the fried and soup version of these because of my husband and his wonton cravings. The Chinese influence on Trinidad is evident here as it combines traditional Asian flavors with pops of West Indian influence – particularly the scotch bonnet or habanero. What I love about this recipe is that it is ridiculously versatile – you can, of course, deep-fry these (as I do for company), keep them frozen and pop them in the oven for a weeknight appetizer for the family, throw a few of them into a brothy vegetable soup to cook with and add a bit of flavor, or even just use the stuffing mixture with some breadcrumbs for a nice, spicy pork meatball. AND, if you want to use ground chicken, beef or shrimp instead of pork, the recipe still works great.

I got a bit crazy while making these and tested out the wontons at 25 degree intervals in the oven, on both convention and convection settings, to figure out which creates the best texture (crazy, I know, but effective!). Deep-frying, because of the circulation of hot oil, cooks evenly and quickly, so I ended up going with a relatively high temperature (425° F) and using the convection setting (for circulating air) to yummy, crispy results. These don’t take too long to cook, and what this does is prevent the wonton dough from getting too chewy, which seemed to happen at the lower temperatures. Again, these do freeze up really easily, but make sure to bring to room temp before baking (if you’re frying, straight from the freezer is fine). Easy weeknight app, little hors d’oeuvres for entertaining…this wonton is spicy, flavorful, crunchy and satisfying – Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 24 to 30 wontons

2 tbsps vegetable oil

1 large shallot, finely chopped

½ habanero pepper, seeded and minced

1 ½” piece of ginger, minced (~½ tsp)

1 scallion, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

½ lb ground pork, room temperature

zest of 1 lime

¾ tsp soy sauce

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro

salt and freshly ground black pepper

24-30 wonton skins

Olive oil or cooking spray

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 425° F on the convection setting for optimal texture. If you don’t have an oven that has convection capabilities, preheat the regular oven to 450° F.

Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and then add the shallot, pepper, ginger and scallion. Add a little salt to draw out the moisture and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the shallot is translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Using a large bowl, mix together the pork with the cooled shallot mixture, lime zest, soy sauce, Worcestershire, cilantro and season with salt and freshly ground pepper (remember the soy and Worcestershire are salty so you might not need much). You can always quickly sauté a tiny patty to check seasoning.

Set up a little work station for yourself with a cutting board, a small bowl with water, a towel to wipe your hands, the wonton skins, and the pork mixture. I like to make these 3 to 5 at a time.

Lay out the wonton skins on your cutting board, and then spoon even amounts of the pork mixture in the center of each. You don’t want to overstuff so test out the first one to see what the right amount of the pork mixture is.

Dip your fingertips in the water bowl, and then wipe across the four edges of the wonton skin with it so they’re wet. Fold one corner over to the other and press down the corner and sides to form a triangle. Don’t be afraid – press hard! Or else your stuffing will ooze out. Bring the other two edges up to meet, using more water if necessary, and press together. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet that has been greased with either olive oil or spray.

Repeat until all of the wontons have been formed. Spray each wonton or brush with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until deep, golden brown. Serve warm with your dipping sauce of choice.

*If you’ve frozen or refrigerated these, make sure they come up to room temperature before baking.

Quinoa Crusted Shrimp with Chipotle Mayo

It feels like over the last few years, Americans have gotten really smart about the health benefits and cooking of quinoa (and, in reality, about a lot of the ancient grains / foods that are showing up in supermarkets). Quinoa, in particular, has gotten a lot of attention because it’s a complete protein source, high in fiber and minerals and is gluten-free. The “pseudograin” is actually native to the Andes and a big part of the diet out there, so while I was in Peru a few weeks back, I was a bit obsessed with learning traditional quinoa recipes.

I had the opportunity to cook with a few chefs in the Sacred Valley, and they gave me their creative interpretations of the grain – using it in surprisingly delicious, brothy soups, cooking it like a risotto in a dish called “quinotto”, and even sweet, in a dessert that’s not unlike a frozen rice pudding. I too wanted to put my spin on it, so I thought replacing traditional breading for fried shrimp with quinoa would create a healthier (but still super flavorful) option.

And this recipe is almost gluten-free. You can easily replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe with rice flour, and you are good to go. One of the chilies used in Peruvian cooking (the “ajis” as they call it) is aji panca, a dried, smoky chili which I think has a similar flavor profile to the chipotle. I thought a creamy, homemade mayo spiked with chipotle pepper would be the perfect accompaniment to this shrimp. The quinoa crust is nutty, crunchy and satisfying and tastes heavenly with a bit of smoky, spicy mayo….Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

For the shrimp:

½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

¾ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup raw quinoa*

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive or vegetable oil, for frying

For the chipotle mayo:

Yields ¾ cup

1 egg yolk

1 garlic clove

½ tsp mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

150 mL olive oil

generous pinch of salt

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

Procedure

Let’s start by quinoa-crusting the shrimp. Set up 3 bowls and a baking sheet with a rack on top. In the first bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour with the salt and all of the ground spices. The second bowl will have the beaten eggs, and the third bowl, the quinoa. For each shrimp, holding by the tail dip them in the flour mixture, eggs, and then quinoa – shaking off excess at each stage. Place on the rack on the baking sheet and set in the fridge while heating the oil.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 375° – 380° F. The key here is that the oil has to be hot enough or the quinoa won’t cook through. It should be crisp but not taste raw. You want to work in batches so the oil temperature doesn’t drop too much – the overall goal is to keep the temperature above 360° F for the duration of cooking. Fry shrimp for 3 minutes and transfer to another rack on a baking sheet. Immediately, season with a bit of salt while it’s hot out of the oil.

For the mayo, in a food processor or a blender, blend together the egg yolk with the garlic clove, mustard, and lemon juice. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until fully incorporated. Add the chipotle and blend until uniform.

Serve shrimp hot with a side of the chipotle mayo.

*I used a combination of red and white quinoa here (and would have used black as well had I found it). You can use whatever variety you have on hand.

Tempura Wings with Sriracha-Honey

So when I dream up a recipe, I usually come home and google to see what else is out there. Is it truly a unique idea or am I late to the game?!? The once in a while that I see something similar, I am really happy that people are inspired to experiment with exotic spices and flavors. I was making this tempura batter the other day when the idea of frying wings in it and drizzling them with a sweetened sauce of sriracha popped into my head. And, when I googled, I found out I’m not the only one that appreciates this combo!

That said, this is a bit of a departure from any of the other recipes out there. First of all, I use a traditional tempura batter as a base, which gives quite a different texture than a typical wing batter. Second, I like to remove the skin from the wings – it’s not necessary to achieve the crisp texture, and it’s much healthier. Third, I don’t completely coat the wings in the sauce because they can get a bit soggy, so I use this sauce more for dipping or to drizzle on top.

The light as air, crispy (and NOT greasy) texture of the resulting wings goes without saying. But the sauce made from sriracha, honey, lime, and a bit of fish sauce for that umami flavor is divine! It’s such a salty-sweet satisfaction and pairs beautifully with the crunchy wings. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings as an appetizer

For the wings:

Oil for deep-frying (I use peanut)

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup rice flour

½ tsp hot paprika

1 tsp finely ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

1 egg yolk

½ tsp baking powder

2/3 cup seltzer water / club soda, very cold

1.5 lbs chicken wings (approximately 12), trimmed, skinned and at room temperature

flour for dredging

For the sauce:

2 tbsps unsalted butter

2 tbsps sriracha*

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp lime juice

½ tsp fish sauce

pinch of salt

toasted sesame seeds (optional , for garnish)

chopped chives (optional , for garnish)

Procedure

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 360° F.

In a bowl, mix together flours, paprika, black pepper and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolk with baking powder and the cold seltzer water. Whisk the wet mixture into the flour mixture until uniform and lump free.

Make sure chicken wings are room temperature. Dredge chicken wings in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the batter and let excess drip off. Fry for 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. If the wings are particularly large, you can place them on a rack on a baking sheet and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes in a 350° F oven. Otherwise, they can be kept warm in a 200° F oven.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add remaining ingredient and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors combine.

Serve wings hot, drizzled with the sauce and garnished with sesame seeds and chopped chives.

*Sriracha is a Southeast Asian hot sauce that you can find now at most grocery stores in the ethnic foods isle. It’s tangy, sweet, and spicy and is my table hot sauce of choice…

Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

One of my favorite Brazilian restaurants in the city is Casa. Tucked away on a quiet block in the West Village, this cozy spot gets it right – spot on flavors, perfect portions, delicious wines, an intimate setting. The feijoada and moqueca are killer, but I can never make it through a dinner there without ordering their little basket of farm cheese bread, or pão de queijo. These little cheesy, chewy, buttery balls are perfection, so I decided to dig further to satisfy my cheese bread cravings at home.

Brazilian cuisine is completely amazing to me because of the number and span of cultures that have contributed to it – Portuguese, African, Native American, Japanese, Syrian, Lebanese. Cassava or yucca is a staple ingredient in Brazilian cooking, and the resulting flour is used, in its coarse form, for farofa, and its finely ground form to make these lovely rolls.

We are familiar with one form of cassava or manioc starch, which is tapioca, but Brazilians have a sour fermented version, polvilho azedo, and a sweet one, polvilho doce. Traditionally, both are used to make this bread, but, on the fly, I only found plain manioc starch and went with it. If you can find both kinds, I suggest using them in 2/3rd sour / 1/3rd sweet ratio.

The great thing about these is, if you have a stand mixer, they are really easy to make. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a work out and requires some sweat to knead! The procedure and form is not unlike those lovely, French gougères, but the result here is a lot more dense and toothsome than that. They are the perfect dinner roll – buttery and cheesy with a delicately crunchy exterior. I added a touch of black pepper and nutmeg, not traditional but I think gives it a balanced flavor. Be forewarned, they are addictive…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 20 golf ball-sized pieces

1 ½ cup manioc or tapioca starch

½ cup all-purpose flour*

2 tsps kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp black pepper

pinch of ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

6 tbsps stick butter

3 eggs

1 ½ cups finely grated parmesan

Procedure**

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. In the bowl of the stand mixer, sift together starch, flour, salt, sugar, and spices. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium-high heat until mixture comes up to a full boil (make sure it doesn’t boil over!). Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix on low for 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat together 1 egg and 1 egg yolk. With the mixer still running, add eggs to the dough. When eggs are incorporated, add grated parmesan and mix/knead for another 5 minutes, scraping down at intervals. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, portion out dough into even-sized pieces. Heavily (and repeatedly) flour hands and roll portioned pieces into balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat the other egg. Brush dough balls with egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and the outside is crisp and a bit cracked. Serve immediately.

*If you want these to be gluten-free, just use manioc starch in lieu of all-purpose flour here.

**A few points on procedure. The dough can be kneaded traditionally – that is, by hand – if desired. It just takes a bit of upper body strength. The resulting dough should be soft and very sticky. If not baking immediately (or that day), the dough can be frozen when formed into balls and popped in the oven at a later time. This bread is best served warm and straight from the oven as it turns a bit gummy when cold (though, of course, if can be reheated).

Sweet Chili Jam

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day, and enjoying a nice bbq with friends and family (I know I am!). I have gone waay too far with my menu today – lamb burgers with pickled cukes, some shrimp cakes, grilled corn, roasted potato salad, spiced grilled shitakes, a big green salad with cherry tomatoes and asparagus, pineapples soaked in orange liqueur, and a great pitcher of rum punch…

As promised, here’s the chili jam I use (on basically everything…) on my lamb burgers. Sweet, spicy, tart, and jammy…a beautifully versatile condiment that is soooo easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 3 cups

2-3 tbsp oil

3 medium white onions, thinly sliced (~2 lbs)

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

10 red fresno chilies or combination red fresno / red finger chilies, finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick

1 dried bay leaf

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Procedure

In a medium-sized pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and a bit of salt and cook slowly to caramelize, about 25 to 30 minutes. You don’t want the onions to brown quickly but rather develop a caramel color as they soften and sweeten, so keep the heat at about medium-low and stir at intervals.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring up to a boil for 5 minutes, covered. Lower to a simmer for another 25 minutes, removing the lid and stirring for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.

Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick and process in a food processor to a jam-like texture.

Crispy Asparagus with Fenugreek Aioli

Asparagus can be polarizing, lovers and haters – I happen to be a lover. I’m a huge fan of throwing asparagus in an oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper (and maybe a pat or two of butter…) and letting it roast to perfection while I’m making the rest of my meal. With the abundance of beautiful, thick and luscious asparagus in the greenmarket, I’ve found myself going beyond simple roasting and grilling techniques to figure out ways to single it out and highlight its taste at this time of year. This recipe is one lovely variation.

I know. The old adage that frying makes everything taste better is a bit overused, but, in this case, it is so true! This requires basic breading, but I like to spice up the flour for dredging a bit and use panko to form the crispy crust. The asparagus are then shallow-fried until they just yield under the bite.

Homemade aioli is the perfect accompaniment. It’s cheaper and easier to make your own mayo, and this one is scented with a bit of fenugreek powder. Fenugreek is one of the key spices in curry. I actually love it on its own, without the rest of the spices that comprise curry. It definitely has a bitter edge to it though, so a little goes a long way. Some garlic, a touch of mustard, and you have a deliciously creamy sauce. The crisp asparagus dipped into the garlicky aioli with hints of curry are the perfect summer side. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

For the asparagus:

¼ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

black pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cups panko breadcrumbs

1 bunch of asparagus (approximately 1 lb)

oil for frying

For the fenugreek aioli:

2 or 3 garlic cloves

large pinch salt

1 egg yolk, room temperature

2 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp + a small pinch finely ground fenugreek

½ cup oil*

Procedure

For the asparagus, using three trays or bowls, set up a breading station. Whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper into one. Set up another with the beaten eggs, and a third with the panko. If you like, pulse the panko in the food processor to make it a bit finer before using.

Dredge the asparagus in the flour mixture, tapping off any excess. Dip into the beaten eggs, and, finally, coat with the panko. Transfer to a rack over a baking sheet and work in batches to bread all of the asparagus.

Heat ¼” to a ½” of oil in a large skillet to medium heat. You don’t want the oil to be too hot or the breading will brown (and burn) before the asparagus cooks through. I like to shallow-fry about 2 to 3 minutes per side on a medium heat to get that golden brown crust and perfectly-cooked asparagus.

Transfer back to the rack over the baking sheet and sprinkle with additional salt if you like. If you aren’t serving immediately, keep warm in a 200° F oven.

For the aioli, place the garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse until chopped as finely as possible. Conversely, you can do this by hand and chop the garlic finely and make a paste with the salt. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and fenugreek and pulse or whisk until blended and uniform. Start the processor or continue whisking and add in the oil in a thin stream until all is completely incorporated.

Serve the asparagus warm with a side of the aioli.

*To save a bit, I like to use a combination of regular olive oil (extra virgin can turn bitter) and canola or other vegetable oil.

Fava Purée Topped with Sumac Onions

The terms spring and vegetables really go hand-in-hand – earthy artichokes, thick, luscious asparagus, comical fiddleheads and, one of my personal favorites, fava beans. Yes, they are a bit labor-intensive as they have to be shelled from their pods and then each individual fava has to be peeled…but the taste, the creamy butteriness, makes all of that work worthwhile.

Fava beans, or broad beans as they are sometimes called, are actually very popular in the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean regions. In fact, ful medames, a dish consisted of slow-cooked favas with garlic, lemon and spices, is a typical breakfast dish in Egypt often served with eggs and pita. Seasonally, fresh favas may be available, but year-round, dried favas are a staple in the Egyptian diet.

Fava purée is a great way to enjoy the seasonally abundant, fresh favas at the greenmarkets. I like to add similar ingredients to the Egyptian dish – garlic, lemon, spices, but I also add potato to give the purée a bit of body. For a silky mouthfeel, I gently stir in extra virgin olive oil at the end; blending too vigorously with the rest of the ingredients can make the oil bitter. To top this puree, I soften sweet onions in a pan with tart spice sumac. The result is a beautiful side dish or starter that’s creamy, luscious, and bright. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 1 ½ cups of puree

Fava Puree:

2 cups shelled fresh favas (from about 2 lbs unshelled)

3 tbsp butter (1 tbsp is optional, melted)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 yukon gold potato, peeled and shredded

¾ tsp ground cumin

pinch of chili powder

5 garlic cloves, minced

juice of half a lemon

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

Sumac Onions:

3 tbsps butter or olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp ground sumac

Procedure

For the fava purée, bring a medium pot of salted water up to a boil over high heat. Add favas and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes (they should be bright green). Drain and shock in an ice bath or run under cold water to stop cooking. Peel outer layer of skin from favas – they should slip out pretty easily. Discard skins and set peeled favas aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, potato, cumin, chili and favas (and a pinch or two of salt) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until potatoes and favas are softened. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add lemon juice and chicken stock and bring up to a simmer.

Transfer fava mixture to a blender and purée to desired texture. Add a bit more stock if necessary to achieve a smoother texture. Remove to a bowl and stir in extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of melted butter to get a creamy, mouthfeel. I like to stir in the oil, rather than blend, so that it doesn’t get bitter from overprocessing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the sumac onions, heat butter or oil over medium heat. Add onion and sumac and cook until softened.

Serve fava purée warm, topped with sumac onions and a side of pita or toast points.

Pork Belly “Griot”

A signature dish in Haitian cooking is Griot. Cubes of pork shoulder are marinated overnight or for a few days in a combination of habanero chile, garlic, shallot and bitter oranges. The pork is then stewed in its juices until cooked through. Finally, the delectable pieces are deep-fried to a crispy finish and served with an eye-wateringly good sauce, Sauce Ti Malice, again spiked with habanero.

My version of this dish is a bit labor-intensive, I have to admit, but is completely worth it. If you are one of those people that shy away from fatty pieces, this dish is not for you, but for those that love pork belly, the method I used can be adapted to any flavors you like and results in a meltingly delicious dish.

I like to start by brining the pork belly to keep it juicy during the cooking process. I infuse the brine with the same marination ingredients used in the original dish. If you have extra time, you can start with a dry marinade the first day, then brine and cook the next, and finish the third. Whew! Three day pork belly…are you up for the challenge?

The belly is then cooked confit, which is to say its cooked in its own fat. You can use olive oil or duck fat if you like as a substitute. I like the belly to cool in the cooking fat overnight. The flavor develops, and, in fact, since confit has long been used as a method of preservation, you can keep it like that for at least a week. The belly is then carved up, seared to create a crisp exterior, and served however you like. I make a Haitian habanero-infused vinegar, called pikliz, and dress a light salad with it. The pork belly is crackingly crisp with an indescribable melting tenderness, peppered with hints of garlic and habanero. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8 as an entrée; serves 12 to 16 as an appetizer

1 (3 ¼-½ lb) pork belly, with skin

3 lbs lard (or olive oil / duck fat to cover)

Brine:

9 cups water

1 ¼ cups kosher salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar

12 garlic cloves, minced

2 shallots, minced

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 2 oranges

2 habanero peppers, minced

2 tsps black peppercorn

4 cloves

8 bay leaves

1 small bunch of thyme

Procedure

As I mentioned, I infuse the brine with the flavors of a typical Haitian griot marinade. If you have time, you can marinate the pork belly in the garlic, shallots, zests, and habaneros overnight, and make the brine without these ingredients. Otherwise, we’ll start with the brine.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 4-5 cups of the water with all brine ingredients. Cover and bring up to a boil. Boil covered for 2 minutes and then pour into a pitcher that contains the remaining amount of water, making sure that this water is ice cold (to cool down brine). This allows you to save time and not wait for the brine to cool thoroughly before pouring over the pork belly.

I like to use a 1 to 2 gallon ziploc freezer bag for the brining. Place the belly in the bag and pour in the cooled brine. Remove as much air as possible before sealing. Let brine at room temperature for 5 hours. Conversely, you could also keep it in the refrigerator overnight for a maximum of 8 to 9 hours.

Preheat oven to 225° F.

Melt lard in a dutch oven. Remove pork belly from brine, rinse off excess salt and ingredients, and dry thoroughly. Carefully, slip pork belly into the lard and cook in oven for 3 ½ to 4 hours until fork tender. Move belly to a baking dish or other storage container and cover completely in lard. Refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours.

To finish, make sure the pork belly has had time to sit out, so the lard can easily be wiped of. Remove skin with a sharp knife (it peels off pretty easily). Cut into serving-sized pieces (smaller for hors d’oeuvres or appetizer, larger for entrée size).

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan should be pretty hot. Place pork belly, fat side down into the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Some of the fat should render out – pour out if too much is accumulating in the pan. Flip, when brown (3 to 5 minutes), and finish the other side. If it’s a thick piece, after browning, place on a baking sheet in a 300° F oven to warm through.

Harissa-Cheese Stuffed Fried Olives

When I opened up the menu at Balaboosta a few weeks back, the words Fried Olives jumped off the page and into my imagination. I tasted them mentally before they even got to the table, and then when they did…let’s just say it only reinforced the fact that I’m trying these goodies way too late in life. Why are they NOT more popular? The world (or at least you lovely readers) should know about this delicacy…

I did a bit more research, and it seems like fried olives may have originated in the Le Marche region of eastern Italy. There, they take pancetta, ground meats, cheese, herbs and spices and stuff large green olives, breading them and then deep-frying them to a golden crisp. Olive all’Ascolana is the name of the dish.

I felt a slightly North African take on this tradition would be delicious. I stuffed them with a spicy, harissa cream cheese before rolling them in breadcrumbs laced with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. A bit of tang from the cream cheese, some fiery heat from harissa, a touch of sweetness from honey – the briny olives become even more complex and with a deeply satisfying, deep-fried crunch. If you have never tried fried olives, now is your chance. They are incredibly easy to make and work for everything from a movie night to an elegant hors d’oeuvres for a dinner party. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 50 fried olives

2 tbsps ricotta cheese, room temperature

2 tbsps cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbsps harissa*

2 tsps honey

50 large pitted green olives, rinsed and dried**

½ cup panko or plain breadcrumbs

¼ cup parmesan

¼ cup flour

1 egg, beaten

Oil for frying

fleur de sel (optional)

Procedure

In a bowl, mix together ricotta, cream cheese, harissa, and honey until uniform. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with the smallest pastry tip you have. You can also use a Ziploc bag to do this, and use scissors to cut off a small piece of the corner of the bag. Pipe filling into all of the olives.

Set up a dredging station. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan in one bowl. Place the flour in another and the beaten egg in between. Roll the olives in the flour and dust off any excess. Dip into the egg and then roll in the parm-breadcrumb mixture until all are coated.

In a dutch oven or pot, heat 3 to 4 inches of oil to 360° F. Carefully, drop olives into the oil, working in batches depending on the size of your vessel. Fry until a deep golden brown and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If the olives are not too salty, sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.

Let cool slightly before serving / eating.

* For harissa you can use my version here or use the store-bought kind. Feel free to adjust the amount to your heat tolerance depending on the type of harissa you end up using.

**For the olives, I like to use the ones that are oil-cured, rinsing them of any herbs and spices and then drying them thoroughly. Water and hot oil don’t do well together, so I would avoid using olives soaked in a water-based brine that may have absorbed some of the liquid.

Spicy Creole Ketchup

As a promised follow up to the smoked herring croquettes I posted on Monday, here is a delicious dipping sauce for them or wherever you’d usually use ketchup. In Haiti, smoked herring is often eaten in a Creole sauce that contains onions, tomatoes, habaneros, vinegar and ground cloves. To me, that translates almost directly to ketchup!

If you read the recipe, one thing I do might seem a bit strange if you haven’t seen it before. I cook the sugar in oil first, almost to the point of burning. This is actually how a lot of West Indian stews start off, though many use a jarred product called browning which is effectively the same thing. It imparts a caramelized flavor that isn’t altogether unlike molasses, and it worked really well as a ketchup base.

The resulting ketchup is a touch smoky, with heat from the habaneros and spice from the cloves and nutmeg. It will keep for weeks as is but is also safe to load into sterilized bottles if you wish to keep it longer. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 2 cups

1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée

2 tbsps olive oil

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 small red onion, cut into a medium dice

½-1 habanero pepper, seeded and ribbed, finely chopped

healthy pinch of ground cloves

healthy pinch of ground nutmeg

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp sundried or regular tomato paste

1/3 cup cider vinegar

Salt to taste

Chives, finely chopped

Procedure

In a blender, pour entire contents of the can of tomatoes and purée until smooth.

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add oil. Add sugar and cook stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar turns gelatinous and sticks together. It should darken in color, and you should smell like its about to burn. Add chopped onion, habanero, and spices, and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the onions have softened. Don’t worry if the sugar solidifies when you add the onions – it will redissolve. Add minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add puréed tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a slow bubble and simmer for an hour, stirring every now and then.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Return everything to the blender and purée until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Fold in chopped chives before serving. This ketchup will keep for about a month – longer if placed in sterilized jars.

Smoked Herring Croquettes

One of the infinitely amazing things about living in New York City is the rich food culture and history we have. There are grocers or markets or shops to cover every ethnic cuisine, and, if you are a boutique food shopper like me, there is so much pleasure to be derived from sourcing ingredients, exploring shops, and developing your “go-to’s”.

If you live in the city and haven’t been to the Lower East Side institution, Russ and Daughters, you are missing out on some world famous smoked salmon and one of the best sources for Eastern European Jewish foods. The shop has been around since 1914, and they have everything from hand-rolled bagels and spreads to caviar and halvah.

This is another recipe I developed for the event I’m cooking for in April. Smoked herring is eaten throughout the Caribbean, and Russ and Daughters has some lovely, really woodsy fillets. I was inspired by a Haitian dish that has smoked herring in a Creole sauce to create these crisp and fluffy croquettes. I’m still working on a recipe for a Creole ketchup of sorts to dip these into so look out for that, but these would be delicious with an aioli, a mustard-based sauce, or just by themselves.

I love using beautiful Yukon gold potatoes in croquettes like these. You get all of the flavor of the smoked herring, which is pretty intense (warning: use gloves when handling the herring unless you want your hands to smell like them for days…), but the potatoes lend a pillowy lightness. You can bread them in Panko if you like, but I went for old-school Progresso plain breadcrumbs to get the texture I wanted. Crispness followed by a delicate bite, smoky, salty, a touch of heat…these are fantastic as hors d’oeuvres but could be made bigger or flatter into a cake and pan-fried for a great appetizer or entrée. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 2 dozen croquettes

2 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 smoked herring fillets*

2-3 tbsps unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely diced

½ habanero, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green onion, finely minced

1 ½ tbsps cilantro, finely chopped

1 egg yolk

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 egg, beaten

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

Frying oil

Procedure

In a saucepan or small pot, cover potatoes with cold water by 1 inch. Bring up to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes until very tender. Drain and set aside.

In another medium-sized saucepan, bring water up to a simmer. Add herring filets and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, just until cooked through. Remove and drain / dry off thoroughly. Flake into a bowl and set aside.

Heat a small sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add butter. Once foam subsides, add diced shallot, habanero and a pinch of salt to draw out the moisture. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until shallot is translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute and remove from heat.

In a bowl, mash potatoes. Add flaked herring, shallot mixture, minced green onion, chopped cilantro and egg yolk. Combine thoroughly and season to taste.

To form the croquettes, I like to use a small ice cream scoop or medium melon baller to get uniform pieces. Then, I use my hands to shape them into balls.

Set up a breading station with a bowl each for the egg and breadcrumbs. Dip croquettes in the egg and then coat with breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.

In a dutch oven or pot, heat 3 to 4 inches of oil to 360° F. Carefully, drop croquettes into the oil, working in batches. Fry until a deep golden brown and remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve warm with dipping sauce of your choice.

*The smoked herring fillets I got were deboned for the most part (except for a few pin bones). They also were not extremely salty. If you are using salt-crusted or salt-cured smoked herring, you want to soak the herring in several changes of boiling water to remove some of the saltiness. Again, use gloves when handling unless you want to smell like smoky fish for days…

Za’atar Compound Butter

I had a few friends over a couple of Sundays ago to watch a game and was already making some of my lamb meatballs with a spicy yoghurt dipping sauce. Wine was a given with each girlfriend independently deciding to bring two (two!) bottles each, and I had a delicious, simple cheese plate going with a beautiful Parmigiano Reggiano, a French Double Cream Brie, a Jura Erguel, and some speck and olives from Murray’s Cheese.

I had that (way paranoid) feeling that I wasn’t serving enough stuff and (gasp!) that someone might leave hungry and remembered I had some parbaked French baguettes in the freezer. I came up with this butter to slather on some toasty, crunchy pieces of the baguette, and it was super simple and a quick fix.

I’ve mentioned za’atar previously, so I won’t go into the whole history of it. But it’s lovely on its own or mixed with a little olive oil to dip. The first four ingredients of my recipe below make your basic za’atar. I like to add a little roasted garlic, which you can omit if you want it simpler. Mix it all up with some room temperature butter, and you have a great compound butter. Nutty from the sesame, a bit tart from the sumac, earthy from the thyme – casual for a game night or elegant for a sit down dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately ½ cup compound butter

1 tbsp sesame seeds, black or white or some combination of both

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp sumac

½ tsp salt

4 or 5 cloves roasted garlic (optional)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

Procedure

In a small skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat until fragrant and slightly golden in color (for the white seeds).

Over a small bowl, place dried thyme in your palms and rub palms together to pulverize thyme and get oils going. Add toasted sesame seeds, sumac and salt and mix thoroughly.

Add roasted garlic, if using, and softened butter and mix until za’atar is evenly distributed.

Savoury Blue Cheese Kunefe

This dessert I had in Turkey called kunefe has been haunting me. Shredded phyllo (think shredded wheat texture) layered with soft cheese, melted in the center, soaked in a sugary-sweet syrup and topped with crushed pistachios. It was insane – crunchy, creamy, sweet, nutty – and you could literally only have a small bite before immediately falling into a food coma of sorts.

Kunefe is also called kanafeh or kunafah and is found in many different cultures including Egyptian and Israeli. I couldn’t help thinking how incredible this tradition would be in a more savoury form, something small that could work as a fun hors d’oeuvres. Replace the soft, sweet cheese for a lovely blue, leave out the sugar syrup and drizzle instead with a touch of balsamic and honey – bite-sized deliciousness!

The “dough” that’s used here is called kadaif, kadayif or shredded phyllo and resembles vermicelli. Most Middle Eastern grocers carry it in the frozen section, near the regular phyllo. It’s incredibly versatile and is lovely wrapped around jumbo shrimp or even layered on top of a casserole for crunch. Here, I combine it with a bit of butter and cream, press it into a mini muffin pan, layer with blue cheese and bake. Once it’s cooled a few minutes, I remove and drizzle with the honey and balsamic. This is a really quick recipe for an elegant and tasty little hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 1 24-cup mini muffin pan

¼ box of shredded phyllo / kataifi* (¼ lb)

½ stick butter, melted

1 ½ tbsps heavy cream

pinch of salt

¼ lb blue cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces

honey, for drizzling

balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease the muffin pan with melted butter.

Using a sharp knife, cut the shredded phyllo lengthwise and then crosswise. You want to create approximately ½-inch strands, so that the dough will fit easily into the muffin tins.

Place shredded phyllo in a bowl and break up strands that are stuck together using your hands. Add melted butter, cream and salt and combine thoroughly. (I use my hands for this to achieve even coverage).

Take small bunches of the shredded dough and press down into the individual muffin tins, so that the dough is packed tightly and comes up about 1/3rd of the way up in each one. Place blue cheese pieces into all of the muffin tins, and top each with the remaining phyllo dough. Pack the dough down tightly, so that it’s flush with the top of the pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 5 to 7 minutes, and carefully lift the little kunefes out of the tin using a small spoon. They are delicate at this stage. Drizzle with honey and a few drops of balsamic and serve warm.

*If you aren’t using the phyllo immediately, once removed from the box, cover with a damp paper towel. Like regular phyllo sheets, this dough has a tendency to dry out quickly.

North African-Inspired Chicken Terrine

So this friend of mine gave me this incredible book on terrines from the Phaidon bookstore in Soho which has a stunning array of recipes for different ways to make terrines. The book was truly inspirational, and, for some reason, my mind immediately went to this tasty, Moroccan pie I had a few years ago in Marrakech. It’s called bastilla or even pastilla, I’ve seen, and it’s traditionally a layered pie of pigeon with egg curd and sugary, cinnamon almonds all wrapped in a phyllo dough-like pastry. A sweet and savoury pie of sorts that I thought would be fantastic as a terrine.

I spend so much time cooking for my husband – it causes me to trend towards manly food. I.e. generally meaty, possibly in casserole form (he will take down with zeal anything layered in a casserole dish..) with some heavily starchy side. I envisioned this dish for a girls’ brunch alongside a lightly dressed salad, and, true to form, every woman that’s eaten this has raved. As a woman, sometimes (a lot of times…) I walk out of the house in an outfit that specifically women will appreciate. This is my culinary version of that.

And I believe this incarnation of pastilla is an elegant one. The pillowy puff pastry gives way to sweet, cinnamon-y crunchy almonds and then gently spiced, buttery minced chicken. This is a great do ahead dish – I’ve actually travelled with the terrine as is (which also happens to be great cold) and when I get to a friends house, I wrap it up in puff pastry, throw it in the oven, and voilá! 20 minutes later the perfect compliment to a great bottle of wine and some cheese or even an elegant main dish. Subtle, complex, surprising, textural, sweet and savoury all at the same time. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields (1) 12” x 4” Terrine

¾ cups marcona almonds

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsps unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 medium-sized leek, white and light green only, thinly sliced

¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped

¼ tsp grated ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch ground allspice

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 dry bay leaf, crushed

1 pinch saffron

¼ tsp lemon zest

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½” cubes

4 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed per package insructions

1 egg beaten with a little water or heavy cream (egg wash)

Confectioners sugar (for dusting)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 250° F. Place almonds on a sheet pan and let toast in the oven for 50 minutes. Cooking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time allows the nuts to toast all of the way through, not just on the outside. Remove and cool. Pulse in a food processor with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Turn oven temperature up to 350° F. In a medium-sized skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add shallots, leek, fennel and ginger and cook until softened (3 to 5 minutes). Add all of the ground spices, the crushed bay leaf, the saffron and the lemon zest and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and let cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Set aside mixture to cool.

In a food processor, add cubed chicken thighs and eggs and process until just a little chunky and transfer to a bowl. I prefer a slightly chunky texture – feel free to process to a paste if you want a smoother consistency. Add cream and the cooled shallot/leek mixture.

Line a terrine mold with plastic wrap so that the longer pieces of plastic wrap hang over the shorter sides of the mold. Create a layer on the bottom with half of the almond mixture. Add the entire chicken mixture and top with the other half of the almond mixture.

Overlap the plastic wrap across the top to cover the terrine completely. Cover with a lid and place in a roasting pan or other baking dish. Add boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the terrine mold and bake for 1 hour. Remove from water bath and roasting pan and refrigerate. Cool completely to unmold. You can stop at this point in the recipe and serve the terrine either warm or cold – it’s delicious eiher way.

For those who want the extra decadence of the pastry, preheat the oven to 400° F. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Place the cooled terrine top side down on the puff pastry. Fold over to make a package of sorts and seal with a little water. Flip over and transfer to a sheet pan.

Brush the egg wash over the exposed pastry and bake for 15 to 25 minutes to brown. Dust with a little powdered sugar – slice, serve, and enjoy.

Celery Root Hummus

It’s amazing to me how ubiquitous hummus has become in the last 10 years. I remember making it from scratch as a child to be served to guests when they’d come over (alongside this delicious, buttery, puff pastry-encased, baked brie…), and then all of a sudden it was in every super market…everywhere. A cultural explosion of sorts with every variation you could ask for: roasted garlic, salsa-infused, greek olive, or roasted red pepper…Now, it’s been further gourmet-ified, and I’ve seen chickpeas substituted with everything from avocado to squash.

If you’ve been reading my posts over the past few months, I am always inspired by different cultures’ foods, but also by seasonality. I love the freshness and flavor that comes from the farmers’ market – thus my version of hummus uses seasonal celery root, a fantastic Fall, root vegetable. It looks pretty scary but, once you get passed peeling it, it cooks up quickly and easily to delicious results.

I adore basic hummus, but sometimes it just sits like a weight in my stomach. It can be really heavy at times, so I decided to forgo chickpeas altogether, which actually resulted in the lightest, fluffiest hummus I’ve ever eaten! The celery root provides a gently sweet, tangy, celery-like flavor that blends seamlessly with the sesame tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. The cumin and cayenne give it smokiness and kick, and the result is a beautiful incarnation of hummus that was incredible slathered on a bit of pita. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 2 ½ cups

2 baseball sized celery roots, peeled and cut into a 3/4” dice (approximately 3 ½ cups)

1 tbsp butter

3 garlic cloves

1 ½ tbsps tahini

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp cayenne

½ tsp salt

juice of half a lemon

extra virgin olive oil

paprika

Procedure

Place celery root dice in a stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring up to a boil uncovered and boil 13-15 minutes until the celery root is very tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer celery root into a blender, reserving the cooking liquid. Add butter and let melt. Add garlic cloves, tahini, cumin, cayenne, salt, and lemon juice.

Ladle in a bit of the cooking liquid and blend. Continue adding cooking liquid a little bit at a time until desired texture is achieved. It took about 2 full ladles (of a 4 oz. ladle) to get to the puree I desired.

Transfer to a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil in the well and sprinkle hummus with paprika. I love to eat this warm or cold, so serve as you like!

Mushroom and Ajwain Pissaladière

A few weeks ago, I was flipping through a food magazine and came across a recipe for a traditional pissaladière. Of course, now I can’t find the article amongst the heaping piles of magazines I accumulate! Probably need a better reference system around here…Anyway, the dish is a Provençal pizza-like tart, a yeast-based dough typically topped with onions, anchovies and French oil-cured olives. No cheese, but for a pizza addict like myself (once a week!), this dish completely hits the spot.

I decided, of course, that a blank canvas like this needs – is basically crying for – an exotic twist. Wild mushrooms are in season, and I picked up these beautiful, feathery oyster mushrooms from the farmers’ market. In a previous post, I mention a spice, ajwain seeds, and how they pair gorgeously with mushrooms. Therein, lies the inspiration for this pissaladière.

Instead of making pizza dough from scratch, I like to use puff pastry because I’m a bit obsessed, but also because it saves time and forms the most perfectly thin, buttery, crunchy layer. And not to stray too far from the original, caramelized onions still form the base layer and work incredibly well with the spices and the sautéed mushrooms. The ajwain and cumin give a smoky, thyme-like kick, and the dish just pops with flavor.

I use this recipe all the time for entertaining because you can pre-cook the topping, assemble, pop it in the oven, and have the most delicious and elegant tart in 15 minutes. I sometimes pre-cut the pastry into little squares before cooking to make it easier. Put this out next to a cheese plate, and you are all set. Or whip it up for an easy weeknight app. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 6 as an appetizer / Makes about 8 squares for hors d’oeuvres

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

olive or canola oil

3 tbsps unsalted butter

2 ½ cups sliced mixed mushrooms (I used a mixture of cremini, shiitake and oysters)

¼ tsp ajwain seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

2-3 medium-sized Spanish onions, thinly sliced

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

scant ½ tsp black pepper

scant ½ tsp chili powder

scant ½ tsp ground cumin

1 egg + 1 tbsp heavy cream

fresh thyme leaves

Salt to taste

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cover bottom of pan with oil and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once foam has subsided, add mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until well-browned, season lightly with salt and place in a colander over a bowl to drain excess liquid and oil.

Wipe off skillet and set back over medium heat. Add oil again to coat the bottom of the pan and, when oil begins to shimmer, add ajwain and cumin seeds. Fry spices for about a minute being careful not to burn. Turn heat down to medium-low, add 2 tablespoons of butter, onions, crushed red pepper, black pepper, chili powder, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently until onions soften and caramelize. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to fit the baking sheet; it will shrink a bit as it cooks. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and prick all over with a fork to prevent it from puffing too much. In a bowl, beat together the egg and heavy cream and brush puff pastry with egg wash. Bake for 10 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let sit for 2 minutes to deflate.

Using tongs, spread onion mixture onto pastry being sure to leave an uncovered edge around the outside. Try not to get any excess oil or butter on the pastry. Spread browned mushrooms on top, sprinkle with thyme leaves and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Let cool slightly before cutting. I like to sprinkle a little fresh fleur de sel on top before serving.

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