Tunisian Meatballs From 'One Good Dish'

 

 From david tanis via seriouseats, but that website is now down so I gotta copy it?

 

     2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 1/2 cups finely diced onions
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    A 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
    Large pinch of saffron, crumbled
    Salt and pepper
    3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
     
    Meatballs
    1 1/2 cups cubed day-old firm white bread
    1 cup milk
    1 pound ground beef or lamb
    1 large egg, beaten
    4 garlic cloves, minced
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    2 teaspoons paprika
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    1 teaspoon turmeric
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne
    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
    1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
    2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
    2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
    2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
    All-purpose flour for dusting
    Olive or vegetable oil for shallow-frying
     
    Couscous
    1 cup giant couscous, medium couscous, or m’hamsa
    2 tablespoons butter
    1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water until softened, then drained
    Salt
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

    To make the sauce, heat the oil in a wide heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, without browning, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, and saffron and stir well to incorporate. Season generously with salt and pepper and allow to sizzle for 1 minute. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. The sauce can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

    To make the meatballs, Put the bread cubes and milk in a small bowl and let the bread soak until softened, about 5 minutes, then squeeze dry and transfer to a medium bowl.

    Add the ground meat to the bread and mix gently with your hands, then add the egg, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cloves, coriander, and nutmeg, and mix well to distribute the seasonings. Add 2 tablespoons each of the parsley, cilantro, and scallions and knead for a minute. The meat mixture can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

    With your hands, roll the meat mixture into small balls about the size of a quarter. Dust lightly with flour. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, turning once, until barely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain and blot on paper towels.

    Add the meatballs to the sauce, bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the meatballs are tender. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding salt or cayenne as necessary.

    Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package directions, then fluff gently and stir in the butter and raisins. Season with salt and the cinnamon and toss well.

    Spoon the couscous into shallow bowls and top with the meatballs and plenty of sauce. Garnish with the remaining parsley, cilantro, and scallions.
 

Grilled Yeasted Yogurt Flatbread

 Kinda time consuming to cook, but very pleasing. I made a 2x batch.

Adapted from https://thecafesucrefarine.com/greek-yogurt-turkish-flatbread-bazlama/#wprm-recipe-container-32746

 I started mixing the dough around noon, and started cooking it around 5pm

1 ¼ cups water
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
450 grams all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast in the water until spread out. 

Add the sugar, pour into a large bowl

 Add the yogurt and olive oil and mix, wait a few minutes just to let the yeast get started. 

 Add the flour and the salt, then stir.

 Stir for a while - like 5 minutes? It was too sticky to knead, but you really want to work the dough. 

Cover the bowl in saran wrap and let it sit out for about an hour, punching it down and folding it about halfway through.

Then punch it down and fold it one more time and put in the fridge. You could probably do this first part the night before and leave it cold overnight, if so I would punch it down and fold one more time in the morning 

 Take it out about 30 minutes before cooking to get it warm.

 I turned a gas grill as high as it would go (so not that high, frankly), putting an oiled cast iron pan on one side and cleaning + oiling the grates on the other.

Then on  a well oiled cutting board I would flatten out a fist-sized ball of dough as best I could (with my hands), throw it on  the cast iron pan for a minute or two a side, then directly on the grate for another minute or two a side. I could probably have just thrown it on the grate but I am very worried about sticking.

 We ate them warm with some vegan cevapi and ajvar and it was very pleasing.

You could add herbs to the dough if you wanted, or brush with garlic/herb butter after. that would have been delicious too. 

Kimchi Butter Udon

Adapted, extremely slightly, from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kimchi-udon-with-scallions
4 Servings.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup finely chopped kimchi, plus 1/3 cup kimchi juice
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound fresh (or frozen) udon noodles
Kosher salt
4 large egg yolks
3 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced on a diagonal


1) Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped kimchi and gochujang and cook, stirring occasionally, until kimchi is softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add broth and kimchi juice and bring to a simmer. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
2) We then let it sit for a while, just so prep was mostly cleaned before dinnertime.
3) Boil noodles according to directions
4) Using tongs, transfer noodles to skillet and add remaining 3 Tbsp. butter; cook, tossing often, until sauce coats noodles, about 2 minutes. Add to bowl and mix in the egg yolks so that they cook in the hot noodles. Sprinkle scallions and, if interested, furikake, over the top.

Ginger & Cabbage fish

 This is the easiest fancy recipe I know. It also scales really well. Below serves 4.
Adapted, slightly, from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/soy-and-ginger-steamed-fish

About a pound of skinless fish, cut into 4 portions. We've used snapper and black cod for this, but probably any studyish fish, including salmon, would work.
1 piece kombu (maybe 5x4)
3/4 cup water
2 Tbs sake
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. mirin
1/2 large cabbage, thinly sliced. Maybe more, the cabbage part is delicious
8-12 oz. mixed mushrooms (we use a mix of shiitake and enoki), torn into pieces
1 2" piece ginger, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks (thin is important)
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced

 

1) put kombu at bottom of a dutch oven, then add water, sake, soy sauce, mirin, half of the sesame oil.
2) Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and put in the cabbage followed by the ginger and mushrooms.
3) Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, halfway through pushing the cabbage down so that by the end it all ends up in the broth.
4) You can either leave it out for a while (that's what we do - basically that means almost all of the prep and cleaning is done before dinner gets served)
5) Cover both sides of the fish with a light dusting of salt, the gently put on the cabbage/mushroom bed on while the liquid is on a heat to make it simmer for about 8 minutes, until just cooked through (with thicker fillets it may take a bit longer). It is good with a bit of shichimi togarashi sprinkled over it for heat

Wunga Waffles

This requires a deep pantry of flours, but is pretty good!

You want 4 cups of flour, the exact values are flexible but I suggest:

1 3/4 cup whole wheat
3/4 oat bran
3/4 flax seed meal
3/4 buckwheat
1 t kosher salt
1 t baking soda
1 T baking powder
---
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 T Vanilla
1 quart buttermilk
1/3 cup neutral oil, like canola
---
3 eggs
2 bananas
---
Mix-ins (dried blueberries, chocolate chips, whatever)


Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl

Mash the bananas in a medium bowl
Add the eggs, beat until well mixed
Add the rest of the wet ingredients (sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, oil)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined
Add in whatever mix-ins, stir gently

These waffles do better on darker settings (I used a 5 on a scale 1-6)

Salmon Burgers

These were shockingly easy

Get 1lbish salmon fillet (for 4 patties)
tablespoon mustard
tablespoon or so of chives
salt, pepper
egg yolk

With a sharp knife, peel skin off of fillet (you can also do this by hand, or ask the fishmonger to do it. Doesn't matter if it comes out evenly, because we're going to chop it anyway)
Chop the salmon into a mush (start with 1" chunks, then keep going). You don't want it to be a paste - some small pieces for texture are good. Add in the other ingredients once the mistrue starts to have some texture.

make patties - make sure they are roughly the thickness of the salmon itself - and (optional) put in fridge for 30 minutes so it sets a bit.

Cook with butter over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes a side.

We served over hamburger buns with guacamole and pickled red onions.

Spicy Turkey and Zucchini

From: https://www.thekitchn.com/spicy-ground-pork-amp-zucchini-stir-fry-247254

Feeds 3

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon angry lady sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon black rice vinegar

stir together, set aside

For the stir-fry and serving:
1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 pound ground turkey
Salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced


 Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons

Heat a flat-bottomed wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water vaporizes immediately on contact. Drizzle the oil around the pan, add the zucchini, and spread out into one even layer. Let cook undisturbed for about two minutes, until just starting to brown. Flip to other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add turkey and stir so that it breaks up into small pieces. It should be cooked in about 5 minutes. Then add the sauce and scallions, stir to combine, and serve.

Steamed Fish with Quinoa

Adapted, by our standards heavily, from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/soy-and-ginger-steamed-fish

feeds 4 (we doubled everything except for the fish (made 1.5x the fish), and fed 6)


Fish
1 lb skinless fish fillet (we used cod, which was on sale. My guess is that it would be better with black bass. would also work with salmon). Cut into about 4 even portions.
1 4x3" piece dried kombu (optional)

2 Tbsp. sake

2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
¼ large head of Napa cabbage, stems thinly sliced crosswise
4 oz. shiitake stems ripped off and cut into quarters
1 4" piece ginger, peeled, a quarter cut into thin slices, the rest finely diced.
6 cloves garlic, finely diced.
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced

in small pot, combine kombu, sake, soy sauce, mirin, and the ginger slices. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low and cover.

Meanwhile, saute the ginger and garlic and a quarter of the scallions in a large pan on medium heat (we used a 10" cast iron with high sides, a dutch oven would also work. Anything that can handle 3-4" of height and that has a cover). We used about a Tbsp coconut oil, but you couldn't taste it in the end, so whatever oil you want is probably fine.

After a few minutes, add in cabbage and stir until the ginger/garlic mixture is more or less evenly distributed. Add mushrooms and stir until it starts to wilt, about 10 minutes. Turn heat to lowish (I used 2 on our 1-10 scale), add in broth (removing the kombu and ginger), and then place fish portions over, not touching. Cover.

The fish should cook in about 10-15 minutes (the recipe says 10, ours took 15 although we didn't get a good seal). Drizzle sesame oil over it and serve.

Quinoa (makes about 3 cups cooked, which feeds 6ish as a side)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce (roughly)
dash hoisin
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp gochujang (if not feeding to babies)
a thin slice of butter (a tsp, roughly)

First toast the quinoa (dry): add it to a medium-hot pan (that has a cover) and stir it around until all of the quinoa is hot (but not burnt!). Turn heat to high and add in the water, with a dash of salt, stir to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Once starts to boil, stir again, cover, and turn heat to low.
13 minutes later it should be relatively fluffy. There should only be a tiny bit of water left in the pan, but that water is the enemy: drain the quinoa using a fine mesh strainer (you will not get much.). Return quinoa to the dry pan (turn off the heat) and cover for 5ish minutes: this last step steams the quinoa and makes it fluffy.

I then made fried-rice style quinoa: I made scrambled eggs with the garlic sesame oil, and butter, then added the quinoa, soy sauce, hoisin, scallions, and gochujang, stirred it until it was all combined, and then let it sit until the fish was ready.

zucchini quesadillas

Adapted from https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/02/corn-zucchini-quesadilla-recipe.html

3 zucchinis, ends trimmed and then grated using the biggest holes on the box grater
1 bunch cilantro, bottom inch or two of stems trimmed and removed and then finely chopped
1 japaleno, seeds removed & finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
5ish cloves garlic
salt, pepper to taste
cheddar cheese, grated or sliced thinly
tortillas (I like the Vista Hermosa flour ones, although the maria & ricardo ones that are sold everywhere are also fine)
avocado/guacamole, salsa, etc.

In a pot (we use a dutch oven) Saute japaleno, shallot, garlic in a little bit of oil for a minute or two, until the garlic starts to smell delicious (but before it starts to burn, obvs.) Add in zucchinis, stir to mix, and keep cooking until it's all cooked down, about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in cilantro and stir to mix. Turn off heat.

In a lightly greased pan over medium-ish heat (wait until pan is hot), add tortilla, add light layer of cheese over half of the tortilla(I add much more than my family members do) and some zucchini mush on top of that, pressing down so mush evenly covers the half tortilla. Fold over. Cook on that side until bottom is lightly browned (2-3 minutes), then flip over until other half is cooked. Serve with salsa/guacamole/avocado/etc.

Eggplant, Zucchini, Halloumi Bake

From Smitten Kitchen Every Day


3 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled,
1 lemon (juice & zest)
many grinds of black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 14 oz)
1 medium eggplant (about 11 oz)
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (about 10 oz)
1 8 oz block of halloumi
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat two large
baking sheets lightly with olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine 3 tbsp olive oil, the garlic, oregano, zest (not the juice), salt, and pepper.
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then into about 1/2-inch half moons. Cut eggplant in quarters, and then into similar 1/2 inch quarter moons.
Halve the cherry tomatoes.
Cut the halloumi into 1 inch cubes.
Add everything to the marinade, and stir to coat evenly.

 Spread it out on the roasting trays, and roast for 20 minutes on the first side, then flip and roast for 15ish minutes more on the second, until the vegetables are browned in spots and tender.
Drizzle the trays with lemon juice to taste, and scoop onto plates. The lemon juice is crucial - it tastes surprisingly bad without it, and delicious with it.

I like to drizzle some tahini on top, if you have any

miso polenta

Adapted from https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/02/vegan-polenta-kale-soup-miso-recipe.html

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 leek, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 quarts stock (we use Better Than Bouillon, which also has a vegetarian kind)
1 cup polenta (coarse corn meal)
1 quart packed roughly chopped kale leaves (stems removed)
2 tablespoons miso paste
2 teaspoons soy sauce
bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
Toasted sesame oil, for serving

Heat olive oil, leeks, and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until very soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add stock.

Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the polenta. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until polenta is tender and the soup is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Stir in kale, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in miso, soy sauce, an half of scallions until miso is fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve, drizzling with sesame oil and sprinkling with remaining scallions. Extra soup can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Pressure Cooker Risotto

Adapted from https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pressure-cooker-saffron-risotto

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large shallots, finely chopped 

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (10 ounces) 

3 1/2cups Chicken Stock (we use Better Than Bouillon)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces) 

small bunch basil, leaves finely chopped Freshly ground pepper

Saute shallots and garlic with the oil in pressure cooker for about a minute.  Add in rice and stir until warmed, another minute or two.

Add in stock, close lid (on "seal"), cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Depressurize using the vent knob, stir in cheese (and salt+pepper) to taste.

Miso Claypot Chicken

slightly adapted from the Miso Claypot Chicken from Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 tablespoon sake

2 tablespoon miso (I used red)

1/2 teaspoon honey (a dash of anything you want that's sweet)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon gochujang

a lot of garlic (8ish cloves), thinly sliced

a knob or two of ginger, thinly sliced

a bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup white rice, rinsed

1 cup water

1-1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

sautee the garlic, ginger, and scallions (using the sautee function on the instant pot. I used coconut oil because Julia likes the smell, but you can use whatever you want). Just for a minute or two.

Mix with the other (non-rice non-water) ingredients in a separate bowl. It doesn't matter if the instant pot is clean.

Add rice and water to instant pot

pour chicken mixture over rice, causally making an even layer.

Close instant pot, make sure vent is to "seal"

press the "rice" button.

It scales super well - just make sure you use equal parts rice & water. I'm sure that there is a known ratio for brown rice & other grains.

miso salmon

Miso Salmon with miso pesto

Adapted from
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/06/miso-glazed-salmon-in-the-toaster-oven-recipe.html
and
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/miso-pesto-with-ramen-noodles

Salmon, marinated overnight, cooks in 10ish minutes under the broiler.
Served with vegetable-heavy pesto over ramen noodles.


Salmon:

1/4 cup red or white miso

1/3 cup sake

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey, or agave, or whatever you want)

1 tablespoon gochujang

1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon some other kind of oil

scallion or two, cut into small pieces

1 salmon filet, around 3/4 lb. Cut in half the long way, so each piece is relatively thin.

Mix marinade in ziplock bag, then add salmon. Let sit overnight in fridge.

When ready to eat, turn broiler on oven to high, with rack at the top (this assumes a top broiler).

After the oven has time to get warm, but the salmon directly under the heat until cooked, roughly 6-10 minutes depending on the broiler. The top of the salmon should be completely covered in sauce (so it can caramelize), but there should be some leftover. Put the leftover sauce in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until it bubbles, then turn it off.

You can always flake apart the salmon to check after 5ish minutes, and then put it back if it's not ready.  At least in our oven the broiler is in the middle, so the salmon pieces are almost touching so they are right under the heat. Hopefully, the top of the fish will be black, but it won't taste burnt

When done, toss the scallions on top, as well as any extra sauce to taste

Noodles:

1 bunch fresh arugula (not baby - the real kind), bottom inch or two of the stems cut off

1 bunch cilantro, bottom inch or two of the stems cut off. 

1 Tbsp miso

1 garlic clove

half a lemon, squeezed

1 10oz package fresh ramen noodles (the kind that doesn't come with a flavor packet, they sell Sun Noodle Kaedama Ramen at whole foods)

olive oil to taste, probably around 1/4 cup.

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

a small handfull of nuts, like pistachio or pine.

Throw nuts in blender or cuisnart, pulse until there are no big pieces left. Add in garlic, cilantro, arugula, miso, lemon, sesame oil, olive oil in, and blend until pesto-textured. Add oil and salt to taste.

To cook ramen noodles, follow directions - it's basically like regular noodles. Mix with pesto, and serve with salmon.

Ha noi House, NYC

High End Vietnamese place on St. Marks

Morning Glory with brown butter fish sauce will haunt me to the end of my days.

Everything else was good, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to order another one after my first bite.

shredded brussel sprouts salad

Summer in our apartment means the returns of bright, meal-sized salads.  This is one of my favorites -- the speck gives it a little bit of extra salt and meatiness, so it feels more substantial.

From Food52.

Serves 3-4.

1/4 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and shaved on a mandoline.
1 c. finely chopped arugula
     [Alternative: double the brussel sprouts and nix the arugula]
1-2 ribs of celery, trimmed and finely diced
4-6 slices speck (or some other sturdy-but-thinly-sliced cured meat), cut into slivers
1/4 c. dried cranberries, roughly chopped (I've also used dried tart cherries here, to great effect)
1/3 c. walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 c. finely grated pecorino cheese
salt & pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 lemon, to taste
dash of chili powder

Mix the salad components up in a large bowl, add the olive oil and dash of chili powder. (The recipe calls for piment d'espelette, but chili powder is a perfectly adequate substitute.) Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and toss until the dressing is evenly distributed.

Protip: the brussel sprouts are sturdy enough that this stores really well -- even dressed! -- in the fridge overnight.

sugar snap summer salad

Winter was endless this year, so I'm as excited as I've ever been about the return of summer produce and light, summery meals. This salad (which can be either a side or stand on its own as a light meal) is super easy, and because you quick-boil the snap peas, it's perfectly fine if they're less-than-perfect looking.

Adapted from epicurious.

Ingredients: 

1.5 lbs sugar snap peas, trimmed, stringed, cut in half
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice (I was heavy handed on this, to great effect)

1 tsp white wine vinegar (we used apple cider vinegar and it worked just fine)
1/2 tsp sumac + some extra for garnish
1 bunch radishes (around 6 oz.) trimmed and thinly sliced
4 oz. ricotta salata, crumbled (feta also works, though it isn't my favorite)
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.  Cook snap peas in a large pot of boiling (and salted!) water until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain and transfer snap peas to ice water bowl to cool.  When cool, drain the peas and transfer them to a baking sheet or paper towel to dry.

Once dry, toss peas, sliced radishes, and cheese in a large bowl.

For the dressing: whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and sumac in a small bowl.

Add dressing to the salad and toss it until the veggies are more or less coated.  Season with salt, pepper, and as much lemon juice as fits your taste.  Garnish with mint and a sprinkle of sumac.

roasted eggplant with fried onion and chopped lemon

From the often high-maintenance but always reliable Jerusalem cookbook.

This is a fantastic recipe, and surprisingly easy to make -- all of the work can be done while the eggplant is roasting in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, halved lengthwise with the stem on (about 1 2/3 lbs, total)
2/3 c. olive oil
4 onions (about 1 1/4 lb), thinly sliced (a mandolin is super useful for this one)
1 1/2 green chiles, seeded and finely chopped. (Keep the whole one and the half in separate piles.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sumac
1 3/4 oz. (50 g) feta cheese, in large chunks
1 medium lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Score the cut side of each eggplant with a crisscross pattern.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil (the recipe calls for 6 1/2 tablespoons at this point), and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet, cut side up, and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the flesh is golden brown and completely cooked.

3. While the eggplants are cooking: Add the remaining oil to a large frying pan and place over high heat.  Add the onions and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, so that parts of the onion are really dark and crisp.  Add the ground cumin, sumac, and the whole chopped chile and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the feta.  Cook for another minute (don't stir much), then remove from heat.

4. Use small, serrated knife to remove the skin and pith of the lemon.  Coarsely chop the flesh, discarding the seeds, and place the flesh and any juices in a bowl with the remaining 1/2 chile and the garlic.

5. As soon as the eggplants are ready, assemble the dish.  Transfer the roasted halves to a serving dish and spoon the lemon sauce over the flesh.  Warm up the onions a little and spoon over.  Serve warm or set aside to come to room temperature.

And, voila!

stir-fried cumin lamb

I've been super delinquent in posting over the last few months, so now I'm starting to clear out a recipe backlog.

First up, last night's tremendously successful venture into the world of making homemade spicy Chinese food (usually m's domain): cumin lamb! (And the blog's first photo!)

Recipe from serious eats.

3 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons whole sichuan peppercorns
12 dried Chinese red chilis
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (recipe called for about 1 tablespoon, but I went a little heavy on it)
1.5 lbs. lamb leg, trimmed of gristle, sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces (approx. 1-in. by 2-in.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut pole-to-pole into 1/2-inch slices
3 stalks celery, ends/tops trimmed, sliced lengthwise into thirds and crosswise into 2-ish segments
kosher salt
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only

1. Heat cumin seeds, peppercorns, and chilis in a large skillet over medium-high heat, tossing constantly until fragrant, for about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and transfer chilis into separate small bowl.

2. Transfer cumin and sichuan peppercorns into spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind until roughly crushed but large pieces still remain.

3.  Transfer spices into a medium bowl, add the garlic, and mix.  Add lamb and soy sauce and mix with hands until it's thoroughly coated.  Set aside.

4.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat until smoking.  Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly charred and tender, about 3-5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil until smoking.  Add half of lamb and cook without moving it for a minute.  Continue cooking while stirring and tossing until lightly cooked (but still pink in spots) for about 1 minute.  Transfer cooked lamb to large bowl.  Repeat with 1 more tablespoon of oil and remaining lamb, adding cooked lamb to same bowl.  Return wok to high heat until smoking.  Return vegetables and lamb to wok and cook, stirring and tossing until the lamb has a little bit of a crust, for about 2 more minutes.  Add chilis and cook, tossing constantly, for 30-seconds or so.  Season to taste with salt.

5. Transfer to a plate and top with cilantro.  Serve immediately.*


* And ideally, make enough so there are leftovers for lunch the next day.

Chocolate Cake for Passover

I don't normally like "flour-less chocolate cake" - the flavor is nice, but it has the texture of paste and who wants that?

So when we visited cousins in Miami and were served a souffle-like mostly-flourless chocolate cake, obviously we got the recipe to use for Passover.

Looking up the recipe online, it's clear that the cake has many ardent fans on the mommy-blogs.  And for good reason - it was trivial to make, and delicious.

Gâteau au chocolat fondant de Nathalie:

200 grams dark chocolate (I used 60% since it was on sale at whole foods, which worked out well),  cut into small pieces with a knife.
200 grams unsalted butter (I splurged for Kate's), cut into cubes. (It was just under two sticks)
200-250 grams sugar (I went on the high end, but regret it, next time I'll go lower)
5 eggs
1 Tablespoon coconut flour (the taste of coconut didn't come through at all, it was just to have some K4P binding)

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave until smooth and combined. Add the sugar, and stir. Add the eggs one at a time and stir into the batter (obviously I added all of the eggs at once. It probably took a little bit longer to get it all incorporated, but it worked fine). Add the flour.

Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes. In our oven it took about 30 minutes. It's done when nice cracks have formed.

The cake is really good - and poofy - straight out of the oven, but is arguably better once cooled.

Serve with whipped cream.