Northern Africa

This past week we made food inspired from the sands of the Sahara. The menu consisted of Harira (lamb and vegetable soup), fava bean salad, tagine of chicken, couscous, harissa, fish chermoula, carrots with black currants, and date cookies.

John made the lamb and vegetable soup which was complimented nicely with the fresh lemon juice. The soup is made with sauteing onion, lamb, spices, and ginger. You add clear or white stock, celery, salt, chickpeas and lentils; then bring to a simmer. Add parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, bring to a boil and add broken vermicelli. Once the pasta is done pull the soup and adjust seasoning with lemon juice. Some add a beaten egg for shine and added protein. This thick peppery soup is usually eaten traditionally after sundown during the month of Ramadan to break each day's fast. We made the fava bean salad utilizing lima beans along with onion, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, green onions, red radishes and black olives. If the beans are cooked it's a lot easier to make and you can combine all the ingredients. We used the olives and radishes to garnish the salad.

I made the Tagine of Chicken which is made by marinating chicken (cut into eight pieces) in garlic, olive oil, and black pepper. After the chicken has marinated; brown all the pieces in olive oil and hold. Saute spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, saffron) for a minute in the same olive oil and then add diced onion. Sweat the onions and add stock (2 cups) bringing to a boil. Add the chicken to the tagine and pour the sauce over the top. Place the tagine into a hot oven of 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45 minutes. The chicken was served on top of fresh couscous which I made from instant couscous and sauteed chickpeas. The sauce will stay soupy so do not be alarmed; Northern Africans cook in sauce to braise meat. A spicy sauce which we served on the side was made with a pulverized mixture of cumin seeds, chili peppers, paprika, onion, flat leaf parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. The mixture is called Harissa and is a staple on tables in Northern Africa.

The fish chermoula was made by Ryan and was made by marinating a flaky fish (we used snapper). The marinade is made with cilantro, parsley, garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. After marinating the fish you wipe some of the marinade off, dip them in all purpose flour, shake of excess and pan fry in olive oil. We garnished the plate with fried flat leaf parsley and lemon; along with the harissa of course. Ryan also made the carrots with black currants; which is made by soaking the dried black currants and reserving the liquid. Next heat butter, add cinnamon, cayenne and carrots. Add orange juice, the currants and reserved soaking liquid; cook until the carrots are tender, correct seasoning and serve family style.

Natalia made the date cookies and I could've eaten the whole sheet tray; they were really good. You start by preheating an oven to 350 degrees and start sifting 3/4 cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Combine 6 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup melted butter in a mixer. Gradually add the flour a little at a time, then nuts and dates. Mix well and pour into a square cake pan; bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve in shapes of brownies and dust with powdered sugar. Overall a very good menu and the date cookies were my favorite.

 

Middle Eastern Cuisine

For two weeks in World Cuisine we made food from the Middle East (ex Ottoman Empire). Our menus consisted of: Hummus Bi Tahini: Chickpea and Sesame Dip; Fatayer Sbanikh: Triangle Spinach Pies; Tabbouleh: Cracked Wheat and Herb Salad; Khobz: Whole Wheat Flat Bread; Kukuye Mohi: Fish Omelet; Bamia: Lamb and Okra Casserole; Muaddas: Rice with Lentils; Khoshaf: Dried Fruit Compote; Qahwah: Arabic Coffee; Borani Chogondar: Beet and Yogurt Salad; Falafel: Dried Bean Croquettes; Khubz (Khoubiz): Arabic Flat Bread; Baba Ghannouj (Moutabal): Eggplant Dip; Morgh Polou: Chicken with Rice; Adas Bis Silq: Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup; Baklawa “Be'aj”: Fillo and Nut Pastries.

I had the pleasure of being involved in practically every single one of these dishes and all were great. John made two dips; hummus and baba ghannouj. The hummus is extremely easy to make and is made by combining garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini (sesame seed paste/butter), garlic and salt. Blend the mixture till smooth and then serve in a large bowl. Make swirls with a spoon and drizzle olive oil into the grooves made by the swirls. We dusted the dip with cayenne powder, but you can use sweet paprika as well. Baba Ghannouj is a roasted eggplant dip; and is made by first roasting an eggplant over an open flame. You then peel away the charred skin from the eggplant and then make a paste out of the skin with the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. You then combine paste with the eggplant, parsley and garlic. Serve the dip in a bowl and top with fresh ingredients. Serve both dips with either the Khubz (Arabic Flat bread) or Khobz (Arabic wheat flat bread).

Speaking of the breads...they were different because one used yeast and the other leavened over time. The wheat flat bread was a little dry and the other flat bread was incredible. The white flat bread is made by blooming yeast; adding it to the mixture of flour; salt and milk. Proof the formed dough ball in an oiled bowl and then punching it down and forming smaller portions when proofed. You then can pan fry the dough on a lightly oiled pan until puffed and slightly brown. The wheat Khobz is made using almost the same method but the dough ball is made by using salt, water and whole wheat flour. The ball rests and made into smaller balls; then flattened and pan fried like the other bread.

Falafel and beet yogurt was great together on the Khubz with a little tahini sauce. The falafel is similar to middle eastern croquettes...you start by combining fava beans (or white beans), chickpeas, onion, garlic in a food processor. After the mixture is slightly chunky but smooth you combine with ground chili pepper, coriander, cumin, baking soda, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and chopped cilantro. Let the mixture rest for about half an hour and prepare the tahini sauce in the mean time. The tahini sauce is made by combining water, lemon juice, tahini paste and garlic paste (minced garlic crushed with sea salt). Shape the bean mixture with flour and make 1 1/2 inch thick patties. Fry the patties in olive oil and place on paper towel to drain; serve hot with the tahini sauce. The beet yogurt dish is made by combining roasted/boiled cubed beets with drained Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, chopped mint, and lemon juice. The yogurt is an acquired taste but the mixture together with something else is very good.

The picture you see at the top is of the lamb dish Ryan made; which is a casserole of lamb and okra. The dish is made by browning cubes of stewing lamb in clarified butter; place the meat aside and add onion until translucent. Add cumin, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and cook with the onions; add stock to deglaze the pot and return the meat to the pot. Correct seasoning and add a pinch of sugar; cover and braise in a slow oven or stove top for about an hour and a half or until meat is tender. When it is done add sauteed, stemless whole/ sliced okra. You can also top the meat with a garlic sauce called ta'leya which is made by crushing garlic with salt in a mortar to make a paste. Add the paste to hot clarified butter in a pan until golden brown; then stir in coriander and crushed hot pepper while the mixture is still very hot. Serve the lamb in the center of rice and lentils. The lentil rice is very easy to make...saute onion in some clarified butter and toast the rice in the butter and onion. Add lentils to the rice and stir...then add boiling water and sea salt; bring to a boil, reduce and cover. Fluff the rice with a fork and adjust seasoning if needed; serve with the lamb and garlic sauce.

As most of you know I am not a big fan of eggs so for me the Kukuye Mohi was not a big hit. It is a fritatta made with salted white fish which is mixed with turmeric, coriander and flour. Again not a big fan but some people liked it a lot...aside of the fish fritatta everything else was great. Especially the Chicken with rice Ryan made the following week. You start by browning chicken in samneh (clarrified butter) and set aside while you saute onions in the same butter. Add dried fruit and cook with the onions, stir in cinnamon and add water to degalze the pot/pan. Take slightly cooked rice and combine with the mixture; add chicken and bake the mixture. Just before serving add saffron liquid over rice and stir gently...served piled on a platter or in a tangine.

I made tabbouleh which is NOT made with couscous...the salad is made soaked bulgur wheat. You combine the dried bulgur (after being soaked for 30 minutes) with chopped parsley, green onion, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and concasse tomato. The last entree was Fatayer Sbanikh or triangle spinach pies...the pies take a lot of time but are very good. They are another version of spanikopita (Greek) and the dough is made by soaking yeast in warm water for 5 minutes, combing salt and flour and then adding oil to the water yeast mixture. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and gradually add yeast mix; combing as you add the liquid. Knead the dough for 10 - 15 minutes until soft and not sticky. Cover and let the dough rise for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. The spinach mixture is chopped wilted spinach cooked in olive oil with pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place a spoonful of the mix into the center of the 4 inch of punched-down rolled out dough. Fold over into triangles and seal completely; place on slightly oiled baking pan and brush with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes and serve warm.

On to dessert; the dried fruit compote is very easy to make. You start by simmering chopped dried fruit (apricots, prunes, white raisins) in water; add sugar, lemon rind, allspice, 2 cloves, and dissolve. Simmer gently until fruit is soft but not mushy and syrup is thick. Remove the rind and the cloves; chill well and serve in dessert glasses with chopped walnuts. The baklawa is awesome and is made by first whipping one egg white until peaks form. Gradually stir in 1/4 cup sugar slowly to the egg white; add coarsely chopped almonds/walnuts and a teaspoon of rose water. This mixture will be the filling for the pastry which is formed by first buttering 10 sheets of filo dough, leaving the top and bottom unbuttered. Cut the dough into squares and butter the top of the squares. Add a small amount of the filling onto each square and pinch close...bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 min; reduce to 300 degrees and cook for 15 minutes longer. Top with atar syrup which is made by dissolving sugar in water over high heat, add lemon juice and orange flower water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, add rose water, and cool. After topping the pastries with syrup add chopped pistachio nuts in center. Both pastries go great with the final recipe of Turkish Coffee (Qahwah); the coffee is brewed with bruised cardamom pods and served hot.

This was a great two weeks and I look forward to Turkey, Greece and Crete next...

France - Chicken Marengo

Napoleon Bonaparte, malaria, refrigeration and the man on the moon. We made the dish infamous to the battle of Marengo fought on June 14, 1800 in Piedmont, Italy. You are probably wondering about the first sentence and how malaria, refrigeration and the man on the moon have anything in common with Chicken Marengo; well to find out you will have to watch James Burke's episode called Eat, Drink and be Merry (watch below).

Eat Drink and be Merry FULL EPISODE

Now that you have watched the episode that was aired on PBS in the early 1980's; you can understand the big concept of the Chicken Marengo dish. Our version is pictured here to the right...

As a matter of fact we all played a roll in making this dish; as you can see there are a lot of components. There is of course piped mashed potatoes which you can see to the right. Croutons in the shape of hearts as you can also see to the right, fried eggs (one for everyone) and of course shavings of black truffles. But the mass of this dish would be in the chicken and the shrimp. In the original crayfish was used and anything else the cooks could find on the battle field. The chicken is made by lightly seasoning the pieces of chicken (one bird split into eight pieces) and lightly pan fry all sides. Remove the chicken and place aside. Next brown mushrooms, shallots and garlic; add tomato paste and chopped tomato to the mushroom mix. Add wine to the mix in the pan and reduce; then add the chicken to the mix with 12 ounces of demi glaze, espagnole sauce or brown stock. Bring this mixture to a simmer and slowly stew/braise for 25 -30 minutes. Add the cleaned shrimp or crayfish at the end of cooking to the sauce and cook till done (about 2-3 minutes). Top the chicken and shrimp mix with fried eggs and pipe the finished mashed potato around the side of the plate. Of course finish the dish by adding some croutons toasted in butter in a saute pan and shaped like hearts.

The rest of the evening we made braised endive which was braised in an oven at 350 degrees and seasoned with salt, sugar, butter, oil, and lemon juice. Tomato Clamart (clamart = peas) which are pictured here...they are tomatoes which are peeled and cored; then filled with cooked peas. You finish them off in the oven with a slice of butter on top. Of course season with salt and pepper...

A blast from the past we made beef consomme with vegetables and Maria made warm oysters on top of zucchini. That was an acquired taste I must say and the beef consomme was the same technique we used in fundamentals by making a raft, basting it and then straining the ladled soup into container. Overall the food was great and Chicken Marengo is a masterpiece within itself!

Central Italy

This week we made dishes from Central Italy; which also includes Rome. The dishes from the region are very simplistic and easy to make. The ingredients are very fresh and homemade pasta is the norm for this area.
The dishes we prepared included: Homemade Tagliatelle Red Pepper pasta with a roasted garlic/olive oil sauce; eggplant rollatini; bruschetta, chicken sauteed with mushrooms and polenta; asparagus with Parmesan cheese and tiramisu.

The fresh pasta was made with 3 cups of flour, 3 eggs, 1 tsp of powdered (crushed) red pepper flakes, 1 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and 1/2 tbsp tomato paste. I started by by pouring the flour onto a clean surface and making a well in the middle of the flour; then crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil, salt, paste and pepper flakes. Beat the mixture well with a fork in the well; then start incorporating some of the flour along the edges of the well with the fork. After a while you will begin to work it together with your clean hands and a dough scraper. Knead the dough using the heel of your hand until all of the ingredients are incorporated and smooth. If the dough is too wet slowly add some flour to get the smooth, silky feel. Form the dough into a round and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to sit out while you prepare the rest of your meal. Once the dough has rested for at least an hour uncover and cut into 4 equal pieces. With your pasta roller feed it through; constantly dusting it with flour to keep it dry. Be careful not to roll it out too thin, square off the flattened dough, and slowly roll the two sides into the middle. Slice the dough across both rolled in sides about 3/4 inches wide; slide your knife under the slices and lift. The dough should hang off of your chef knife and you can then separate the strips. Lay the strips of pasta out on a lined cookie sheet and dust with flour to dry. I have actually seen some homes where they line the pasta on a clothing line in order to dry it out. Be careful to not over cook the pasta (only to al dente) and make sure there is enough water to allow room for cooking. If you need to cook in batches, it is ok to do so...I roasted some garlic pressed out the finished product; mashed up the garlic with some salt and added it to 2 tbsp of olive oil and white wine in a pan. Brought this just up to a boil while constantly whisking; then tossed the pasta in the sauce and served with shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Maria made the Eggplant Rollatini; which was dredged on paper towels after lightly dusting with salt; then pan fried to soften the eggplant; and stuffed with ham, asiago cheese. Finally they are rolled up and placed on a baking dish; topped with sauce and more asiago/mozzarella cheese. They are baked for a short period of time to heat and melt all of the ingredients.

The bruchetta was wonderful and made by Mike; he diced and concassed some yellow and red tomatoes into a bowl with minced garlic, shallots and chopped basil. The mixture is then tossed with olive oil, red wine and balsamic vinegars. Seasoned the mix with salt and pepper; then add thin slices of red onion which have sat in ice water to make crisp. The mix is served in a small bowl or plate accompanied with slices of country bread which is topped with a garlic aioli. The garlic aioli (garlic mayonnaise) gives taste and keeps the wet ingredients of the bruschetta from making the bread soggy.

The asparagus is made by snapping off the ends gently where it naturally breaks; then sliced at the bottoms to even them out. Then you place them in a pan and cover with slightly salted water; place it on the heat and bring to a boil. At the boil shut off the heat and remove from the pan from the coils/fire. Pull the asparagus out of the water immediately and place on paper towels to dry. Top them dry asparagus with grated Parmesan cheese and melt in the broiler.

Pollo alla Toscana; chicken with mushrooms is a dish which I think resembles chicken cacciatore. The dish consists of lightly flour chicken which is pan fried then removed from the pan to be put back in later. You then add sage leaves and wine, reduce to almost dry; add mushrooms and chicken stock and reduce by half. You add tomatoes, simmer for about 10 minutes and then correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Place the chicken back into the sauce and let stew until chicken is done. The chicken is then served with slices of polenta; which Peggy made with mushrooms so it complimented the chicken well.

The tiramisu was a tricky dessert because it needs time to set up in the fridge and we did not have a lot of time that evening. The custard is a mixture of whipped egg yolks which have hot sugar (candy state) poured in while still being mixed. Marscapone cheese is then incorporated into the mixture and spread over layed out lady fingers. More lady fingers and then more cheese/cream; espresso, amaretto, or brandy is added to the cream as well. The idea is to allow the dessert to set up in the fridge overnight...overall the week was awesome and we made some pretty tasty dishes.

Latin week 2

¡SANTO MOLÈ!

Ok maybe not so holy, but it was Chicken Molè instead.
What a night…the menu consisted of Tortilla Soup, Chicken with Mole Poblano, Enslada de napoles (Cactus salad), Frijoles refritos (refried beans), Shrimp Guatape, Churros and White Rice.

The tortilla soup is very FAST to make! It could have been one of the last things I did…however, I went directly at it and I’m glad I did. The patilla chilies are very temperamental when you fry them. The first chili I fried it burned; the next one was perfect! It literally takes 3-4 seconds in HOT oil. What I noticed that I did differently than the other teams was the way I prepared the tomato, onion, garlic mix. Most roasted their tomatoes and then peeled them; I blanched/shocked them removed the skin and then roasted them with the onions/garlic. The flavor was perfect; and Chef George felt that it was the best Soup of the night. After I boiled the pureed tomato/onion mix I added the chicken stock and brought to a simmer. I then added the two sprigs of epazote and skimmed the fat lipids on the surface. When the soup was done we ladled it into a bowl with the epazote. I then served from the bowl into smaller bowls; which had tortilla strips at the bottom. I topped the soup with a dollop of crème fraiche, avocado & patilla chili rings. Of course we can not forget a slice of lime on the side and a spoon.

Everything else came out great! Our rice was the only thing we needed to add more salt too; otherwise everything was beautifully seasoned. I also made the refried beans and they came out good but I didn’t need to make them as concentrated. Loida’s Shrimp Guatape was very tasty and almost hinged on over cooked, but it was perfect. Henry made the Chicken Mole and it was very flavorful; however there was a little discrepancy about how to plate. Henry was very creative with the small 4oz cup portion, but the 9in. plate was a little too big. Instead we packed a soup cup to make a volcano topped with toasted sesame seeds and tortilla strips. It looked great! The Sauce for the Mole was a PROCESS!!! Henry sautéed ancho, pasilla, chipotle & mulatto peppers in 2Tbsp of oil. He then soaked the peppers in hot water for 20 minutes, drained the water and reserved it. Henry then roasted, peeled and seeded the tomatoes; blended the tomatoes along with the peppers. He used the oil where the peppers were sautéed to sauté the onion and garlic, and transferred the mix to a blender. Using the same oil again Henry sautéed almonds and peanuts; transferring the mix to the blender with the rest of the ingredients. With the same oil again he sautéed for 3 minutes cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, aniseed; transferring this mix to the same blender along with raisins. In a large saucepan with a cup of hot oil; Henry cooked all the purees for 5 minutes stirring and degreasing constantly! When the started to boil he added 1 qt of the chicken stock, covered the sauce and cooked for another 20 minutes. It never got too thick so we didn’t need to add any more stock; but we did have to degrease the sauce. We then added the shredded chicken, covered and cooked another 10 minutes... PHEW!!!



Maria made a very tasty cactus salad which tasted a lot like ceviche…and Mike made the rice along with the Churros. WOW, the churros were awesome; however, they were a little too doughy.

Overall the night was a big success with a few miscommunication missteps. Otherwise great night and great food! I have started a part time job at Mex Café in Sunrise and will contribute the Tortilla soup recipe to the kitchen. Hey I finally get something I make put on a menu!

Next Culinary meal (with Chicken)

My next culinary meal is going to be with a Roaster Chicken, shitake mushrooms, spinach, shallots, ginger, garlic, cilantro...

With a cabbage/slaw salad underneath...and whipped yucca...

Wait till you see the pictures of this thing...I have been very fortunate to be able to taste and envision a meal before I even cook it. These things just pop up in my mind and I go to work...lol

mmmmmm...