Salty Cake (Easy Cheese Bread) (Kέικ Αλμυρό)

Greeks are famously hospitable.  Visitors to Greek homes are warmly welcomed and showered with treats of all kinds.  Coffee with sweet pastries, ouzo with savory delicacies, water with preserved fruits; no matter your beverage, a Greek hostess quickly puts together a tasty accompaniment.

For some of us, enjoying Greek hospitality comes with a cost: overeating.  Before I spoke Greek, this was more of a problem. Because we couldn’t converse, people communicated love and affection by giving me double portions. Since everything was delicious, and I didn’t know how to decline, I ate it all.  Unfortunately, I was gaining 5-10 pounds for every month we spent in Greece, and dieting for 2 months afterwards so my clothes would fit again.

I finally learned how to say no. This is more difficult than it sounds.  It’s nearly impossible for a Greek hostess to accept “no” for an answer. The more you decline, the more you’re offered.  It’s also slightly rude on my part; if I were a more polite guest, I’d graciously accept some of the tasty tidbits.

After ten years of declining all snacks (and apologizing for being such a difficult guest), our friends and family have grudgingly accepted this peculiarity of mine – at least when it comes to sweets. Diabetes is rampant in the village and, in the last few years, turning down sweets has become a medical necessity for many.  Since so many can’t eat sweets, village hostesses now keep a supply of “salty” (almyro-αλμυρό) snacks on hand.

In the village, salty snacks aren’t things like potato chips, pretzels, and peanuts. Salty, in this context, just means not sweet.  Salty cookies (koulourakia) look identical to sweet cookies but, without the sugar, taste like thick crackers. Salty cakes include ingredients like cheese, olives, or ham; in the US, they’re called quick breads.

Lately, when I decline something sweet, a hostess may triumphantly declare that she has something salty instead.  Surely, I can try a few bites of a salty treat, something with absolutely no sugar? No, I sadly say, I can’t manage anything salty either, even though I’m sure it’s absolutely delicious.

Although I’m a difficult guest, I happily fulfill my duties as a hostess. In our village house, where visitors constantly stop by, the refrigerator is stocked with beverages, pastries are in the cupboard, and there’s even a salty little something for those who don’t eat sweets.

Treasured Recipes: A Collection of Personal Recipes from the Women Members of the Hellenic Athletic Club of Khartoum and Their Friends (Khartoum 1983), the Sudanese-Greek cookbook I recently wrote about, has an interesting recipe for Salty Cake.  This recipe is quite simple, but produces a rich, cheesy quick bread with wonderful flavor and a hint of mint. It’s tasty served to visitors as a snack or for brunch, but it also makes a nice accompaniment to soup or chili.

Salty Cake (Easy Cheese Bread) (Kέικ Αλμυρό)
Makes 1 9”x9” square bread or 1 9”x5” loaf
Adapted from Lefko Tsanakas and Lucy Vassiliou’s recipe for “Cake Almiro” in Treasured Recipes: A Collection of Personal Recipes from the Women Members of the Hellenic Athletic Club of Khartoum and Their Friends (Khartoum 1983)

Lefko and Lucy call for either feta or a combination of various cheeses, but emphasize using some “feta cheese is essential.” The recipe may be doubled and baked in a Bundt pan for an attractive brunch offering (when doubling the recipe, use 7 whole eggs and no egg yolks). This bread is best served warm. If you bake it ahead, wrap it in foil and refrigerate; to serve, warm in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.

3/4 cup softened butter
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups crumbled feta or 1 cup crumbled feta and 1 cup grated graviera, asiago, or other cheese
2 Tbsp. dried mint, crushed
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Butter a 9” square pan or 9”x5” loaf pan, dust bottom and sides with flour, tap out and discard any excess flour.

Beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time.  Add the cheese and mint and mix to combine.  Stir together the flour and baking powder.  Add flour to the cheese mixture one third at a time, alternating with additions of milk (one third at a time), until all is combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top to evenly distribute the batter.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the bread has a nice brown crust on top.  Let cool for 30 minutes and remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

All About Za'atar with Recipe for Za'atar Herb Blend and 5 Recipes for Using Za'atar

If za’atar is within reach, anyone can make delicious food at the drop of a hat. The possibilities are endless: Za’atar Olives, Za’atar and Labneh, Za’atar Tomato Sauce with Grilled Meat, Za’atar Bread, and Za’atar Pizza are only a few ways to use this versatile ingredient. I almost have my Za'atar Chicken recipe ready to post.

Za’atar is valued for more than great taste. “Who for forty days eats powdered dried leaves of za'tar fasting can be harmed by no serpent.” If the worst happens and you’re bitten by an asp or stung by a scorpion, za’atar cures “the bitings and the stings of venomous beasts." A Bethlehem proverb teaches, “Thyme and oil lead to the prosperity of the home.” Even more importantly, “eating za'atar improves your memory and makes you more intelligent.”

So what is za’atar?
A. An herb blend
B. Savory
C. Thyme
D. Oregano
E. Biblical hyssop
F. All of the above

The answer is “(F) All of the above.”

Za’atar (ZAHT-ar) is a class of herbs, and includes members of the thyme, oregano, and savory families. Za’atar is also a Middle Eastern herb blend, containing one or more of the za’atar herbs. As with many centuries-old dishes, za’atar blend has many regional and familial variations.

Disparity in za’atar’s spelling is pervasive; za’atar, za’tar, zatar, zahtar, satar, zahatar, and za’ater are all used. The spelling confusion is easy to explain. Za’atar is an Arabic word (الزعتر). Like Greek and other languages that don’t use the Roman alphabet, Arabic is inconsistently transliterated into English.

Some experts claim the herb za’atar is only one specific type of savory; others claim with equal vehemence it’s one specific type of oregano. Both may be right, but only for the region or family they’re writing about.

No matter its local or historical usage, “za’atar” has come to be a generic term used in the Middle East for a group of similarly-flavored members of the herb genus Lamiaceae. Za’atar herbs grow in the same habitat and have similar appearances. These practical factors may have led Middle Easterners to use one word for all the plants.

Linguistic confusion over “za’atar” is not unique to Arabic. In Turkish, the plant groups Origanum, Thymbra, Coridothymus, Satureja, and Thymus, generically called za’atar in Arabic, are all referred to as “kekik.”

Scientific analysis supports the pragmatic use of one word to refer to a plant group rather than a single plant. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry show “the chemical profiles of the specific chemotypes of Satureja thymbra L. and Thymbra spicata L [a]re very similar. They are also very similar to those of the chemotypes of Coridothymus capitatus and Origanum syriacum.” [These four herb species are all called za’atar.]

Adding to the confusion, each za’atar herb is known by more than one name:

· Coridothymus capitatus aka Thymus capitatus aka Satureia/Satureja capitata (conehead thyme, headed savory, Persian hyssop, za’atar parsi, Spanish oregano)
· Origanum maru aka Origanum syriacum/cyriacum aka Marjorana syriaca (Biblical hyssop, Lebanese oregano, Syrian oregano, Egyptian marjoram)
· Satureja/Satureia thymbra (Roman za’atar, za’atar rumi, pink savory, barrel sweetener; in Greek, Θρούμπι, Τραγορίγανη)
· Thymbra spicata (spiked thyme, donkey hyssop, desert hyssop)

There are also several varieties of commercially available za’atar blends. For example, according to Paula Wolfert, “The taste of a za’atar mixture can be herbal, nutty, or toasty. …’Israeli’ is a pale green blend of pungent herbs that includes the biblical hyssop, along with toasted sesame seeds and sumac. The ‘Syrian’ blend, the color of sand, has a decidedly toasty flavor. The ‘Jordanian’ blend is dark green and very herbal, with some turmeric.” These aren’t the only za’atar blends; each spice merchant and family has a unique formula.

Before creating my own za’atar blend, I bought and tasted several commercially available varieties. I experimented with diverse combinations of herbs trying to best approximate the flavor of my favorite commercial brand. I also read as many English-language za’atar recipes as I could find.

For the herbal flavor in za'atar blend, many North American recipes use only dried domestic thyme, or a mixture of domestic thyme and domestic marjoram. These recipes, when tasted side by side with imported za’atar blends, tasted bland to me. I discovered that Greek oregano (preferably, but not necessarily, wild-harvested and sold on the stem) is key to creating flavorful za’atar in Alaska. Greek oregano’s spicy flavor, when tempered by combining it with dried wild or domestic thyme, approximates the flavor of authentic za’atar blend.

For anyone interested in growing their own, the various plants referred to as za’atar can be purchased from Well Sweep Herb Farm or Mountain Valley Growers. Although they’re tasty, keep in mind that most domestically grown herbs don’t have the flavor of their wild progenitors. There’s nothing like scarce water, poor soil, and hot sun for developing flavor.

For those who live where there are Middle Eastern markets or specialty stores, by all means buy ready-made, preferably imported, za’atar. You can also order za’atar blends online.

In Anchorage, you can buy sumac, a key ingredient in my za’atar blend, at Sagaya, City Market, and Summit Spice. Summit Spice sells its own Anchorage-made za’atar blend in tiny packets using marjoram, thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. Summit also has a product labeled “Greek oregano,” which they tell me may be grown on farms in Greece or Turkey, depending on the shipment.

Za’atar Herb Blend
Because za’atar has so many uses, I make a lot at one time: 1/2 cup oregano, thyme, and sumac, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, and 1 Tbsp. salt. The sumac, which has a sour taste akin to lemon, is what gives za'atar its red color.

1 part dried Greek oregano, preferably wild-harvested
1 part dried thyme
1 part ground sumac
1/2 part white sesame seeds
Salt to taste

Grind the oregano and thyme in a spice grinder or blender, making sure it’s free of sticks and stems. Put the herbs in a glass jar with a tight sealing lid. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, and salt and shake well to thoroughly combine. Put on the lid and close it tightly. Store away from heat and light.

Za’atar Olives
Made entirely with pantry staples, Za’atar Olives are easy to prepare and make a great last-minute appetizer. Especially when warm, Za’atar Olives are an addictive treat.

2 cups Kalamata olives
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)

Rinse the olives and dry them well. Put the olives and olive oil in a small saucepan, bring the olive oil to a simmer, and simmer the olives for 15 minutes. Stir in the Za’atar Herb Blend and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Za’atar Flatbread (Mana’eesh bi Za’atar)
Makes 12 6” flatbreads
When I have breakfast with Marie, an Armenian friend who was born and raised in Beirut, she always serves Mana’eesh, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese. Breakfast at Marie’s was my first introduction to za’atar; it's been a part of my repertoire. To make it from scratch, I use my Palestinian friend Salwa’s recipe for pita bread, and top it with Za’atar Herb Blend and olive oil. Although Marie serves this for breakfast, we eat it for a snack, for lunch, or as part of an appetizer spread. If you’re cooking for a small family, like I do, use half the dough for Mana’eesh and the second half for Za’atar pizza (see recipe below).

Dough:
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. yeast (1 packet)
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
6 – 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Topping:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)

Make the Dough: Place the water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, sprinkle the sugar on top and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast begins to foam. Mix in the salt and half the flour. Add the rest of the flour one cup at a time, just until the dough holds together. Knead the dough well (either by hand or in a standing mixer), adding flour as necessary until the dough is smooth and shiny. You may need more or less flour than called for in the recipe.

Put the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl to rise, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel, and put it in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and pat each piece into a 6” round flatbread. Place the flatbreads on baking sheets with rims; 6 dough rounds fit on a half-sheet pan. Use your fingers to dimple the tops of each flatbread. Let the flatbreads rest for 20 minutes.

Make the Topping: Mix together the olive oil and Za’atar Herb Blend.

Assemble and Bake the Flatbreads: Dimple the flatbreads one more time. Divide the topping between the flatbreads, about 1 Tbsp. each, and spread it evenly over the flatbreads’ tops. Bake the flatbreads, one baking sheet at a time, for 8-10 minutes, or until the flatbreads are golden. Serve immediately.

Note: Mana’eesh can be made ahead and rewarmed just before serving. To rewarm, stack the Mana’eesh, topping side to topping side, and wrap in aluminum foil. Put in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes, or until they are warmed through.

Za’atar with Labneh (Yogurt Cheese)
Makes 3/4 cup
Plain Labneh goes really well with Za’atar Flatbreads. For garlic fans, mix 1-2 cloves puréed garlic into the cheese (an easy way to purée the garlic is with a standard Microplane rasp grater). Usually, I let the yogurt drain into the sink. If I’m feeling ambitious, I let it drain into a bowl and use the liquid to replace some of the water when I’m making bread dough.

2 cups plain yogurt, preferably whole milk
Pinch of salt
Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)
Olive oil (optional)

Line a strainer with a paper towel. Mix a little salt into the yogurt and dump the salted yogurt into the paper-towel-lined strainer. Let the yogurt drain for 4 hours or overnight.

Spread the yogurt on a plate, sprinkle with Za’atar Herb Blend to taste, and drizzle with olive oil (if using). Serve with crackers, pita chips, or triangles of pita bread.

Za’atar Pizza
Makes 12”-15” pizza
Extra Za’atar Tomato Sauce is a great way to dress up grilled chicken, lamb, or pork (see recipe below); it also may be frozen for future pizzas. The amount of Aleppo or red pepper depends on how spicy you like your food. Pick either Topping#1 or Topping #2 or, if you want to try them both, make the full amount of Za’atar Flatbread dough.

1/2 recipe Za’atar Flatbread dough (see recipe above)

Za’atar Onion Topping (Topping #1):
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Za’atar Tomato Sauce (Topping #2) (makes enough sauce for 2 pizzas):
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
2 tsp. finely minced or puréed garlic
2 Tbsp. Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)
1/2 – 1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/4 – 1/2 crushed red pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup water or white wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Shape the Pizzas: Shape the dough into a 12-15” round; the exact size depends on how thick you like your pizza crust. Place the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet with rims. Use your fingers to dimple the top of the pizza, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

To Make Topping #1: Mix together all the topping ingredients except the crumbled feta.

To Assemble Pizza with Topping #1: Spread the topping mix over the pizza. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the topping.

To Make Topping #2: In a saucepan, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, Za’atar Herb Blend, Aleppo pepper, olive oil, and water or wine. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick. Taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper, as needed.

To Assemble Pizza with Topping #2: Spread half the tomato sauce over the pizza to cover it (use more if you like saucy pizzas). Save any extra tomato sauce for another purpose. Evenly distribute the onions over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with crumbled feta.

Bake the Pizza: Turn the oven down to 450°F. Bake the pizza for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden. Serve immediately.

Grilled Pork Steak with Za’atar Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Za’atar Tomato Sauce goes equally well with grilled lamb or chicken. The sauce is identical to the one used for Za’atar Pizza (see recipe above). For the same reason that brining improves the flavor of pork chops, salting meats well in advance of grilling makes them taste much better. If you can only find large pork steaks, buy 2 and cut them in half.

Meat:
4 pork steaks
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Za’atar Tomato Sauce:
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
2 tsp. finely minced or puréed garlic
2 Tbsp. Za’atar Herb Blend (see recipe above)
1/2 – 1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/4 – 1/2 crushed red pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup water or white wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the Meat: Rinse the steaks and dry well. Season both sides with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Let sit at room temperature while you make the sauce.

Make the Tomato Sauce: In a saucepan, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, Za’atar Herb Blend, Aleppo pepper, olive oil, and water or wine. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the sauce is the thickness you prefer. Taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper, as needed.

Cook the Meat: Grill the pork steak over a medium hot fire or in a grill pan on top of the stove. Turn the meat regularly until it is just done; be careful not to overcook it. Serve immediately with Za’atar Tomato Sauce spooned over.
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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, which I am hosting this week at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

Recipes for Spinach Skordalia & Crispy Salmon Fingers (Σκορδαλιά με Σπανάκι & Σολομός Τηγανητός)

Skordalia, a classic Greek garlic spread, is often served with fried fish. Here I’ve enhanced traditional skordalia with earthy spinach to create a luscious, garlicky, colorful partner for crispy, pan-fried salmon fingers.

Spinach Skordalia and Crispy Salmon Fingers are quick and easy recipes that are also healthy and full-flavored. For dinner tonight I paired them with Sweet Potato Oven Fries and Tomato Salad.

Spinach Skordalia (Greek Garlic Spread) (Σκορδαλιά με Σπανάκι)
Serves 4 with fried fish or a group as an appetizer
Air-dried heels of homemade or artisan-style bread are just right for skordalia. When we have leftover heels or chunks of bread, I leave them out on the counter to air-dry. After the bread is completely dried out, I store it in an airtight container to use when it’s time to make skordalia (or breadcrumbs).

3 cups chopped and tightly packed fresh spinach leaves
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 - 5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 cup soggy bread (see Note below)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup best quality olive oil

Sauté the spinach in olive oil just until it wilts, about 30 seconds. Purée 3 cloves garlic by mashing them into the salt (a mortar and pestle works great for this task). Put the spinach, garlic purée, soggy bread, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor (or blender). Purée the ingredients, making sure to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl, until the mixture is smooth. While the machine is running, slowly pour in the olive oil. You should end up with a mixture that has the consistency of thick mayonnaise. If it is too thick, mix in more olive oil until it reaches the proper consistency. Taste and add the remaining garlic (puréed in salt), lemon juice, or salt, as needed.

Serve with fried fish or as an appetizer with fresh raw vegetables.

Note: To make soggy bread, immerse dry, stale bread in cold water. When the bread has soaked up the water and is soft all the way through, drain the bread and, using your hands, squeeze out all the water until you have a solid ball of bread. The bread is then ready to measure and use in the recipe.

Crispy Salmon Fingers (Σολομός Τηγανητός)
Serves 4
Salmon tastes better if you salt and pepper it at least 1/2 hour before flouring and cooking. Season the salmon and then make Spinach Skordalia; the salmon will be ready to cook as soon as the skordalia is done. Semolina flour makes a crispier coating than white flour, although white flour may also be used in this recipe.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless salmon fillets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash the salmon and dry it well. Using needle-nosed pliers, remove as many pin-bones from the salmon as possible. Cut the salmon into long, narrow, lengthwise strips. Cut each strip into fingers approximately 3” long. Season the fingers with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Put the semolina flour in a bag; shake the salmon fingers in the bag until they are thoroughly coated with flour. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in each of 2 frying pans until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Divide the salmon fingers between the 2 pans and cook for 2 minutes, or until the pan side of the salmon is lightly browned. Turn over and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. The exact cooking time depends on the salmon’s thickness; keep in mind that salmon tastes better slightly underdone than overdone.

Serve immediately with Spinach Skordalia.
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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Rachel from The Crispy Cook.

Masque at sunset, part of the FREEZE frozen-ice art installations in Anchorage, Alaska.

Recipes for Sausage and Lentils with Spiced Figs & Crostini with Gorgonzola and Spiced Figs

It’s nearly August and the peas are just coming into bloom. Usually, we’d've been eating them for weeks, but this year the weather has been unseasonably cold and rainy. The local newspaper is referring to it as “the so-called summer of ‘08.”

Blame it on La Niña. When the ocean off Peru is 2 to 4 degrees lower than normal, as it has been this year, the “La Niña” weather pattern brings cool weather to Alaska.

Most food sold here comes from “outside,” the Alaska word for the world beyond our state. Walking through supermarket produce sections, full to the gunnels with summer fruits and vegetables, it’s clear that outsiders are enjoying summer weather.

Last week Costco had pallet-loads of fresh fruit from California, including the first figs of the season to arrive in Alaska. I’m a sucker for figs, and these were in perfect condition.

We ate them plain, stuffed with cheese, and wrapped in prosciutto. But with the final six figs, in honor of our “so-called summer,” I wanted to make something warming.

Time to pull out one of the recipes on my “must try someday” list: Sausages and Lentils with Spiced Figs from Diana Henry’s book Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons.

The combination of sausages, lentils, and spiced figs was wonderful. Even my husband, who typically doesn’t like fruit and meat together, thought the figs added terrific flavor to the dish. It was one of those meals where I actively enjoyed every bite.

The recipe made more figs than we could eat in one meal. The leftovers were a fortuitous kitchen bonus that I used to make Crostini with Gorgonzola and Spiced Figs.

The piquant flavor of blue cheese blended seamlessly with the spiced figs. It was so good I want always to keep a jar of spiced figs in the refrigerator for quick and easy last-minute appetizers. Each bite was a flavor revelation.

Sausages and Lentils with Spiced Figs
Serves 4
Adapted from Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons: Enchanting Dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley 2002)
Spiced figs enhance the flavors of earthy lentils and succulent sausage. Be sure to serve the figs in a bowl on the side, so diners can eat as many or as few as they like. Although I modified Diana’s sausage and lentil recipe for our palates (the below recipe is as modified), I followed her directions for the spiced figs. They were delicious, though next time I’ll simplify the recipe by using equal quantities of red and balsamic vinegars; sherry vinegar’s flavor is lost in the mix. Not all figs need to be peeled; I peel only when the fig skins are beat-up or unusually thick.

Spiced Figs:
12 – 15 fresh figs
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Sausages and Lentils:
3 pieces thick-cut bacon
4 bratwurst or other fresh pork sausages
2 cups diced onions (1/2” dice)
1/2 cup diced carrots (1/4” dice)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup small lentils, such as Puy or beluga
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 cup white wine
3 - 4 cups chicken stock

Make the Spiced Figs: Peel the figs, if necessary, and cut them in half. Mix the vinegars, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the figs, cut side down and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, turn the figs over, and let them cool in the saucepan.

Make the Sausages and Lentils: Cut the bacon into thin, cross-cut strips. In a large pot, cook the bacon until it’s crispy. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Brown the sausages on all sides (there’s no need to cook them through) and remove to a plate.

In the same pan, sauté the onions and carrots, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in the bacon fat, being sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the onions soften and start to turn golden, stir in the lentils, garlic, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, 3 cups chicken stock, bacon, sausages, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 – 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender but not mushy. If the lentils dry out as they cook, add the remaining stock. When the lentils are done, taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper, as needed.

Serve immediately with the spiced figs in a bowl on the side.

Crostini with Gorgonzola and Spiced Figs
If you keep spiced figs as a refrigerator staple, this appetizer can be quickly put together for 2 or 20.

Thinly sliced artisan-style bread
Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
Spiced figs (see above recipe)

Lightly toast the bread and cut into 2" pieces. Spread it with gorgonzola. Top with a piece of spiced fig.
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This is my entry for My Legume Love Affair: Second Helping, an event created and hosted by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook. The deadline for legume entries is August 24.

Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska on SKAI with Recipe for Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread (Τσουρέκι)

Καλώς ορίσετε στο Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska!

Welcome to Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska!

SKAI, the Greek television and radio station, recently ran three articles by Lamprini Thoma about my efforts to cook Greek and Mediterranean food in Alaska and about Holy Transfiguration, Alaska’s only Greek Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, the articles no longer appear on SKAI’s website.

One article described how I wrote the cookbook Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska to help raise money for a new church building. This effort is very important because our church holds services in a converted house that is way too small for our parish. All proceeds from the sale of the cookbook go directly into Holy Transfiguration’s building fund. Many thanks to Lamprini Thoma for highlighting Holy Transfiguration’s efforts to raise money.

Another article had my recipe for Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread), made using ingredients readily available in Alaska. Although we make the bread for Easter, it’s delicious any time of the year.

Alaskan Tsoureki
Makes 2 loaves
Like classic Tsoureki, Alaskan Tsoureki is rich with butter and light with eggs. However, maxlepi and mastixa, the flavors of classic Tsoureki, aren’t available in Alaska. Instead, we create special spice mixes that give wonderful flavor to our Tsoureki. When Alaskan Tsoureki is in the oven, the entire house fills with the wonderful aroma of sweet spices.


Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska has moved as of March 2011. To read this post please go to


http://www.laurieconstantino.com/skai-tv-features-mediterranean-cooking-in-alaska/


Please click on over and visit my new site. Thank you!

Recipe: Fennel and Saffron Bread (Ψωμί με Μάραθο και Ζαφορά)

I fell in love with food writer and teacher Patricia Wells during the pre-internet, pre-satellite-TV era.

We were living in Greece, and I barely spoke the language. Virtually no one on the island spoke English. We’d find BBC or Voice of America shortwave broadcasts when we were lucky; otherwise I didn’t have daily news of the world beyond the island.

On most Fridays, we’d drive 20 kilometers to the island’s main town for shopping. Buying the International Herald Tribune (IHT), an English-language newspaper flown in from Athens on the morning flight, was always on my list.

I preferred shopping on Fridays because that was the day IHT published Patricia Wells’ restaurant reviews. Her witty writing transported me to the best restaurants in France. She regularly inspired me to try new and interesting food combinations.

I’ve kept up with Wells ever since. She’s written numerous cookbooks, focusing primarily on the foods of France. Wells won the James Beard Award for Patricia Wells at Home in Provence. She still writes an occasional IHT article.

My favorite of Patricia Wells’ many books is her first cookbook, Bistro Cooking. The recipes are simple, straightforward, and unpretentious, yet are consistently full of flavor. Over the years, I’ve made many recipes from Bistro Cooking and never had a dud.

I was recently reminded of Wells’ Fennel and Saffron Bread, a Bistro Cooking recipe I used to make regularly. Years ago, I’d gone through a phase of serving several different flavored breads when I made company meals. Fennel and Saffron Bread was one of my favorites for that purpose.

When I read about a day for cooking yellow foods to support Livestrong Foundation’s cancer awareness fight, I knew immediately I’d have to make Fennel and Saffron Bread. In addition to its wonderful flavor, this bread turns a beautiful shade of yellow from the saffron and semolina flour included in its ingredients.

A Taste of Yellow is a Livestrong Day event (May 13, 2008) and is designed to raise cancer awareness. Winoandfoodies is the originator and host of A Taste of Yellow.

Fennel and Saffron Bread (Ψωμί με Μάραθο και Ζαφορά)
Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells (Workman Publishing 1989)
Patricia Wells said this recipe came from Jacques Collet, an Aix-en-Provence baker. Collet designed the bread to be the perfect accompaniment for bouillabaisse. She writes, “The addition of hard durum wheat flour, or semolina, helps give the bread a hard, crispy, buttery flavor, perfect for dipping in the rich fish soup.”

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. freshly ground fennel seed
1/8 tsp. ground saffron
1 cup semolina flour
1 3/4 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Mix the water, dry yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast starts to bubble. Stir in the salt, fennel seed, and saffron. Add the semolina flour and let the dough sit for 10 minutes to fully hydrate the flour. Stir in 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and knead in as much additional flour as necessary to form a stiff dough. Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, shape it into a round loaf, place on a parchment-paper-lined rimless baking sheet, and let rise until the loaf has almost doubled in size. (If you are using a baking stone, you can rise the bread directly on a wooden peel sprinkled with semolina flour or corn meal.)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Cut an asterisk in the center of the loaf with a razor blade or extremely sharp knife. (If you have a baking stone, slide the bread - and parchment paper if using - from the baking sheet or wooden peel onto the stone.) Turn the heat down to 375°F and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool, cut, and serve.

NOTE: I prefer using a baking stone when I make bread as it helps my home oven maintain an even temperature and gives bread a crisper crust. I also have an old baking sheet with edges that I use when I make this bread. I preheat the baking sheet and baking stone for at least 30 minutes at 450°F (the stone on the shelf above the baking sheet. I turn the heat down to 375°F when I put the bread in to bake. Just before I close the oven, I dump a cup of water into the hot baking sheet and quickly shut the door. (Do not throw water directly on the oven floor or it will warp. Trust me, I know this from experience.) The water creates steam which prevents the bread from quickly forming a hard surface, thus allowing the bread to rise to its fullest extent. The water cooks off quickly, and leaves a hot, dry oven which, together with the baking stone, helps ensure a crispy crust.
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This post is dedicated to our good friend, Ron Zobel, who died way too young from esophageal cancer.

Recipes: Red Pepper Soup & Pizzettes (Σούπα με Κόκκινες Πιπεριές & Πιτσάκια)

My first cookbooks were homemade, full of hand-written recipes and clippings from newspapers and magazines. Because I lived on next to nothing, I glued the recipes on old pages of notes I’d taken in classes that had ended.

In those days, before the internet, interesting food writing was hard to find. Now it’s easy. It seems as if new food blogs pop up every day. The challenge is sorting the wheat from the chaff in the abundance of online recipes.

Jenn of The Leftover Queen has made it easier to investigate the multitude of food blogs by maintaining a comprehensive listing of them. In addition, Jenn writes an article on The Leftover Queen every Friday highlighting some of her favorite blogs.

Another way to learn about new blogs is an event called Taste and Create organized by For the Love of Food. In this event, food writers are paired with a randomly assigned partner, and asked to cook and review one recipe from their partner’s blog.

This month I was paired with Tart Reform, a blog written by a smart woman who is thrilled about starting law school in the fall. The name of her blog is a clever play on the phrase “tort reform,” a political effort undertaken by insurance companies and major corporations to deny full compensation to those who are injured by another’s negligence.

Tart Reform includes many dessert recipes; the author is a dedicated baker. I rarely make desserts anymore, the result of marrying a man who doesn’t like sweets. Since I inherited a sweet tooth from my father, when I make desserts they end up in my belly or, more accurately, on my belly. Sadly, it’s better for me to admire Tart Reform’s lovely desserts than to make them.

Instead, I made Red Pepper Soup, a recipe posted on Tart Reform’s blog last July. I’d originally thought of following Tart Reform’s lead and making the soup with green peppers for a festive St. Patrick’s Day soup. However, Tart Reform warned strongly against doing so, and said the soup “looks just like the goo from Ghostbusters” when made with green peppers. Not interested in having a Ghostbusters’ prop for dinner, I stuck with red peppers.

Red Pepper Soup, originally published in a New York Times article by Marian Burros, was quick and easy because it doesn’t require pre-roasting or peeling the peppers. With a bag of Costco red peppers (in Alaska, $6.50 for 6 peppers), the recipe made a reasonably priced dinner for 4.

The soup is delicious and beautiful. A small amount of crushed red pepper flakes and minced thyme highlight its sweet red pepper flavor.

The peppers aren’t peeled, so bits of pepper skin remain in the soup after it is puréed. The original recipe left in the skins, but I didn’t like the soup's texture with them in it. It took 2 minutes to strain them out, leaving the soup with a pleasingly silky texture.

The original recipe suggests serving the soup with a dollop of crème fraiche and sprigs of thyme. Although we tried this suggestion and it tasted fine, we preferred the soup with a drizzle of best quality olive oil and a sprinkling of minced thyme.

I served the soup with Pizzettes, another recipe from Tart Reform’s site. Pizzettes are nothing more than mini-pizzas; the original recipe came from Giada’s Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis.

I made the Pizzettes twice; once with gorgonzola as Giada called for and the second time with mozzarella, which was Tart Reform’s recommendation. We preferred mozzarella Pizzettes, although the ones with gorgonzola were also tasty.

Pizzettes are easy to make, even with putting together my own pizza dough (the original recipe used store bought). The concept is one I will use again; pizzettes make a terrific appetizer. They tasted great hot, and retained their flavor at room temperature, so could easily be made ahead for entertaining.

Red Pepper Soup (Σούπα με Κόκκινες Πιπεριές)
Serves 4
Adapted from Marion Burros, New York Times (September 21, 2005) via Tart Reform
The amount of red pepper depends on how spicy you like your soup and the heat of your dried red peppers. When I first read the recipe, I was concerned 1 cup of liquid wouldn’t be enough, but I shouldn’t have worried. There is plenty of liquid because peppers are full of moisture and the soup is cooked covered. If you don’t mind pepper skins, there’s no need to strain the soup. Red Pepper Soup may be served hot or cold, and may be frozen for later use.

2 cups sliced onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut in 1” chunks
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
4 tsp. minced fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
Crème fraîche or sour cream, for garnish (optional) OR
Best quality extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Sauté the onion, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil until the onions soften and start to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and boil until only 1 Tbsp. liquid remains.

Stir in the peppers, stock, and thyme, and lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, turn down the heat and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the peppers are tender

Using a stick blender, blender, or food processor, purée the soup until it's smooth. Strain the soup with a Foley food mill or strainer to remove the tough pieces of pepper skin. Taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper, as needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra virgin olive oil, crème fraiche, or sour cream. Sprinkle with minced thyme and serve immediately.

Variation: Drizzle with a blender pesto of 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, 2 large cloves garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup olive oil. This is good drizzled directly into the soup, and is particularly attractive (and tasty) when used in combination with crème fraîche.

Pizzettes (Πιτσάκια)
Makes 40 2 1/4” mini-pizzas
Adapted from Giada’s Family Dinners (Crown Publishing Group 2006) via Tart Reform
Pizzettes are pizza dough cut into small circles and baked with a topping. I indented the dough before adding the toppings so they would stay on the pizzettes when the dough expands during baking. The oil is necessary at the end to bring out the full flavor of fresh basil. When I tried a basil topping without oil, the basil lost much of its flavor (the volatile oils dissipated when the cut basil hit the hot pizzettes). As with pizza, the topping for pizzettes is limited only by one’s imagination.

Dough:
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. yeast
2 – 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Topping:
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes, 1/2” dice
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil (basil chiffonade)
2 – 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Make the Dough: Mix the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 10 minutes. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment (or by hand), stir in the salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes (or by hand), adding flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap fixed to the bowl with a rubber band, cover with a dish towel, and let rise until doubled in size.

Make the Pizzettes: Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roll out the dough until it is 1/4” thick. Using a 2” – 2 1/2” round cutter, cut out as many circles as you can and place 3/4” apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gather the remaining dough together, roll it out, and cut into circles. Use a glass (or other circular object) slightly smaller than the dough circles to indent their centers.

Sprinkle the dough rounds with crushed red pepper flakes, top with shredded mozzarella, and then with diced tomatoes. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to turn golden. If baking two sheets of pizzettes at one time, rotate the baking sheets after they've been in the oven 5 minutes.

While the pizzettes are baking, mix the basil and olive oil. As soon as the pizzettes come out of the oven, top each one with a little basil and olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and serve immediately.

Recipe: Kale and Myzithra Crostini (Χόρτα και Μυζήθρα Κροστίνι)

Before I left Alaska to fly south, we'd had days of snow followed by a windstorm. After wind packed down the snow, it warmed up and started raining. Rain on top of hard-packed snow turns into glare ice.

When the plane landed in Seattle, it was 50°F and the sun was shining. Crocuses and other early bloomers stood proud against the dark soil. A first blush of pink cherry blossoms lit up leafless branches. Dog walkers were everywhere; half weren’t wearing coats. Spring is racing to arrive in the Pacific Northwest.

At Whole Foods, the entryway was brimming with a colorful explosion of locally grown tulips and daffodils. A women and her daughter debated which was better: yellow tulips with red stripes or red tulips with yellow stripes.

Whole Foods’ produce section is always amusing; mountains of glowing vegetables spread out in every direction. Luckily, I’m staying with my sister, who has a fully equipped kitchen.


We were drawn to the crinkled, darkly green leaves of Lacinato kale and decided to turn it into crostini for that night’s dinner. Giant, first-of-the year, frost-kissed artichokes were also too good to pass up. We opted to pair the artichokes with garlicky aioli and grilled pork and fennel sausages.

As we picked out kale, we decided to use it for a crostini topping seasoned with garlic, hot peppers, and dried currants. Then we passed the cheese counter. My sister snagged a chunk of myzithra, a semi-dried Greek sheep cheese that would add the crowning touch to kale crostini.

Back at home, I destemmed kale, while my sister minced garlic. I remembered how fun it is to cook with her and how much I enjoy my rare opportunities to do so. She has finely tuned taste buds and excellent kitchen skills, the two ingredients most necessary for good cooks.

A healthy dose of garlic in the crostini topping bound the robust kale, spicy peppers, and salty cheese together. The finished kale mix was something I’d enjoy for dinner, on its own, any day of the week.

Kale and Myzithra Crostini made a savory and unusual vegetarian appetizer. They were delicious hot, and retained their full flavor when served two hours later at room temperature.

Kale and Myzithra Crostini (Χόρτα και Μυζήθρα Κροστίνι)
Makes 16 crostini

1 bunch of kale or other greens, cleaned and stemmed (1 1/2 cups blanched and chopped)
4 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sambal oelek or sriracha (fresh chili paste)
3 Tbsp. dried currants
1/2 cup sliced and crumbled myzithra or ricotta salata cheese
16 slices of baguette, 1/2” thick

Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, or until it is tender (older greens may take longer). Drain and squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop the kale.

Over medium heat, sauté the garlic, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chili paste and kale, and stir to coat the kale with oil. Stir in the currants and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, adding a little water if the greens seem too dry. Turn off the heat and stir in the myzithra. Taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper, if needed.

Lightly toast the slices of baguette, and top each one with a large spoonful of kale mix. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Recipe: Celery Root Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Cream

I love second-hand stores.

What do I buy? Pretty much anything. Most frequently it’s clothes, dishes, glassware, kitchen tools, or books.

I’m happier wearing clothes that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Because I'm a thrift store regular, I make amazing finds. Lately, my husband’s been looking debonair in an Armani blazer I bought for $1.00. It’s in flawless condition and fits him perfectly.

Since I’ve been writing Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, I’ve purchased an assortment of second-hand plates and bowls. They help make my photographs more interesting and allow me to use dishes that best set off each individual recipe.

Since we’re both notorious breakers, I long ago gave up buying nice wine glasses. The few we have left are put away and brought out only for company. For us, thrift store glassware is definitely the way to go.

Most of the dishes, pots and pans, and kitchen tools in our Greek house came from American second-hand stores and were hauled to Greece in our baggage. The pride of my Greek kitchen is a Kitchenaid stand mixer I bought for $12.50 at Salvation Army.

Our Greek relatives don’t understand why I would buy anything second-hand. They find the whole concept to be confusing and vaguely distasteful. Why would we want something that had been previously owned by a stranger? Not surprisingly, there isn’t a single second-hand store on the island.

I’ve bought and thoroughly enjoyed used books I never would've bought new. One of these books is A Passion for Vegetables: Simple and Inspired Recipes from Around the Globe by British chef Paul Gayler. Published in 2000 for $35.00, I brought the book home for the shockingly high price of $3.50.

A Passion for Vegetables is full of interesting ideas for cooking vegetables (it is not 100% vegetarian). Gus Filgate’s photographs are gorgeous and very inspirational.

Lately I’ve been thinking about Gayler’s recipe for celery root (celeriac) waffles and smoked salmon. I had a celery root from Full Circle Farm and plenty of Gravlax in the freezer. I paired the two for brunch last Saturday.

Although I liked Gayler’s concept, I modified his recipe to eliminate waste and make a batter that worked in my waffle iron. The result was a crisp waffle with a mild celery flavor that nicely complemented Gravlax. I finished the dish with a dollop of tasty horseradish cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.

Although we enjoyed it for brunch, Celery Root Waffles with Smoked Salmon (or Gravlax) and Horseradish Cream would make a scrumptious cold appetizer. I’m definitely making this again.

Celery Root Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Cream
Makes 6 6 - 7” waffles (serves 4 for brunch) or 24 appetizer pieces
Adapted from A Passion for Vegetables by Paul Gayler (Lyons Press 2000)

Waffles:
1 pound celery root (3/4 pound cleaned)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black or pepper
3 Tbsp. butter

Horseradish cream:
6 Tbsp. whipping cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
3 Tbsp. finely minced red onion or chives
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt

6 - 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, lox, or gravlax
2 Tbsp. minced dill

Prepare the Celery Root: Cut the top and bottom off the celery root, leaving broad flat surfaces on either end. Put the celery root on a cutting board with a flat side down. Use a sharp knife and cut down towards the board to remove the peel; doing this in small pieces makes the job faster and easier. Once the celery root is peeled, cut it in half and then in wedges. Use a paring knife to remove the soft cottony center of each wedge. For pictures of how to do this, go here.

Cut the wedges of celery root into chunks. Put the milk and celery root in a saucepan, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the celery root is tender.

Make the Horseradish Cream: While the celery root is simmering, whisk the whipping cream until it starts to stiffen. Whisk in the horseradish, minced onions, lemon juice, and salt until the cream is fully whipped.

Make the Waffles: When the celery root is tender, remove it from the heat. Puree the milk and celery root using a stick blender, food processor, or blender. Quickly whisk 1/2 cup of celery root puree into the eggs, and then whisk this mixture back into the celery root puree.

Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Melt the butter and whisk it into the batter.

Preheat the waffle iron and cook the waffles. As each waffle is done, put it on a baking rack to cool; this helps prevent condensation and keeps the waffles crisp.

To Serve: Cut or break each waffle into quarters. Arrange a slice of smoked salmon or gravlax on the waffle, top with a small dollop of horseradish cream, and sprinkle with minced dill.
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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Lia from Swirling Notions.

Recipes: White Bean “Hummus” & Piadine (Italian Flatbread)

Bean spreads are a staple throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. Because bean spreads are delicious when made with canned beans, they are a quick and easy appetizer.

Hummus, a combination of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil, is one of the Middle East’s most common bean spreads. I recently made a delicious variation on hummus using white cannellini beans. I found the recipe because I am participating in Taste and Create.

Taste and Create is an event created by For the Love of Food in which food writers are paired with a randomly assigned partner, and asked to cook and review one recipe from their partner’s blog. Taste and Create gives writers the opportunity to have their recipes tested by a peer.

This month I was paired with Holly, who blogs at Phemomenon. Holly was inspired to create White Bean “Hummus” after tasting a similar dish at a restaurant. Holly bakes her bean spread with a bread crumb and parmesan crust, and says it is delicious. She advises it can also be served at room temperature without the crust and with a little olive oil drizzled on top, and that is the version I made.

The flavors in Holly’s White Bean “Hummus” are nicely balanced. It is garlicky, but not overwhelmingly so, and has just enough rosemary to fully round out the other ingredients.

Holly serves her bean spread with Piadine, a traditional soft and chewy Italian flatbread from Emilia Romagna that cooks quickly in a grill pan. Serve the Piadine with Holly’s flavorful “Hummus," along with fresh carrots, peppers, and other vegetables.

My friend Maria of Organically Cooked lives in Hania, Crete. She asked if Piadine could be used as Greek pita bread to serve with souvlaki or kebab. The answer is an emphatic yes. The texture of Piadine is much like Greek pita bread, and the slightly smoky flavor it gets from the grill is a perfect match for souvlaki.

I’ll happily make both recipes again.

White Bean “Hummus”
Adapted from Phemomenon
The flavor of hummus is brighter if canned beans are drained and rinsed before using. To impart more bean flavor, follow Holly’s lead and substitute some of the bean canning liquid for the water in the recipe. I made up for not baking the hummus with a cheese crust by adding more olive oil than is called for in Holly’s original recipe. For vegan or Lenten hummus, leave out the optional parmesan cheese.

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 Tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the ingredients have formed a soft creamy paste, adding water or olive oil as necessary to achieve the consistency you desire. Taste and correct the seasoning for garlic, lemon juice, and salt. To serve, spread on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with black olives.

Piadine (Italian Flatbread)
Makes 6 flatbreads
Adapted from NapaStyle via Phemomenon
Cut the Piadine into triangles or wedges to serve it with White Bean “Hummus.” Piadine also makes a wonderful wrap for a salumi sandwich or Caesar salad.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (1 packet)
3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt

Mix 1/2 cup water, yeast, and 1/2 cup flour and let sit for 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or by hand with a wooden spoon), mix in the remaining water, 3 cups flour, olive oil and salt. When the dough starts clumping together, switch to the dough hook (or to kneading by hand). Knead, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and silky, about 5 minutes.

Flour a board or counter, dump out the dough, and knead for 1 minute. Put the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Let dough rise for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and divide it into six balls. (The dough may be made ahead to this point and refrigerated or frozen. To use, remove from the refrigerator or freezer and bring to room temperature.)

Roll out the balls one at a time into an 8- to 9-inch round. (While one flatbread is cooking, roll out the next.)

Heat a cast iron grill or frying pan until it is smoking hot. Reduce the heat to medium, and put a rolled-out dough round in the hot pan. When the surface of the dough starts to bubble and it is starting to brown on the other side, turn it over and cook the second side. When it is done, brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little course salt. Place on a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds. Serve.
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This is my entry for Bread Baking Day #7: Flatbreads hosted by Chili und Ciabatta.

A Rant and A (Good) Recipe: Algerian Flatbread - Msemmen [Αλγερινή Πίτα (Ψωμί)]

Farid Zadi's Algerian Flatbread has wonderful flavor rolled into its many layers. Two days ago, it was a terrific accompaniment to Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Mint and Lemon.

The Flatbread’s recipe was in the February 2008 Gourmet magazine. The article with the Flatbread had six other delicious-sounding Zadi recipes, including Shrimp Chermoula and Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Spiced Pine Nuts.

Though I enjoyed the article and the Flatbread, I have a bone to pick with Gourmet.

The morning I planned to make the flatbread, I read a New York Times article in which a Gourmet food editor discussed how the magazine tests recipes. She said Gourmet “has 8 test kitchens and 11 food editors. Even if we think a recipe is right the first time, we cross-test it. It’s likely to go through a bare minimum of four iterations, really refining it, before it’s written up and passed along to the cross-tester. Then everyone gathers around for the discussions. Is it right? Could it be better?”

Based on Gourmet’s elaborate testing procedures, the editor said it “made her a bit sad” when people make changes to Gourmet’s recipes “considering how much work went into the original.”

I noted the editor’s arrogance in passing. Cooking well is never about slavishly following a recipe. It’s about pleasing your guests and yourself. It’s about tasting recipes as you make them and refining as necessary or desired. If I prefer lemons to oranges, there’s nothing “sad” about turning an orange cake into a lemon cake.

Beyond using alternate ingredients, some days the lemons I buy are slightly sweet, other days they are extremely sour. Blindly using the same amount of lemon juice each time I cook a dish, just because a particular amount is dictated in a recipe, doesn’t work if the flavor of lemons varies (which it does). If I defer to a recipe instead of my taste buds, the food coming out of my kitchen will never be at its best.

As you might guess, when I finished the New York Times article and started making Algerian Flatbread, I was already muttering about Gourmet. The muttering tuned into ranting when I tried to follow Gourmet’s preposterous directions for Algerian Flatbread.

According to Gourmet’s Flatbread recipe, you make the dough, let it rest, and divide it into 12 balls. You make spiced oil to rub on the dough. So far, the instructions are fine.

But then the recipe takes a sharp turn into a world where chefs have assistants and unlimited time to prepare food. For busy home cooks working alone, Gourmet’s procedure is cumbersome and unnecessarily time-intensive.

Gourmet instructs you to roll out one of the 12 dough balls, “spread 1 tsp. spiced oil on dough with your fingertips,” and shape the dough into a coil. Then Gourmet wants you to pick up another dough ball and repeat the procedure until all balls are rolled, oiled, and shaped.

Huh?? I’m supposed to get my fingers oily and then go back to messing with flour and rolling out dough? And I’m supposed to do this 12 times? Making the mess that would result from following Gourmet’s directions isn’t for me. There’s no need to deal with the hassle of oily fingers; it’s quicker and easier to apply oil with a pastry brush.

It’s also faster and easier to roll out all the dough balls at once, then brush them all with oil, and then shape the breads. It’s called an assembly line; Henry Ford invented it almost 100 years ago.

The recipe has a similar flaw when it comes to the second time you roll out the dough. Gourmet tells you to roll a flatbread, cook it, roll the next flatbread, cook it - 12 separate times. Fully cooking one bread before rolling the next virtually doubles the time it takes to make the flatbreads. It’s far easier to roll them all out at one time and cook them one after the other as fast as you can.

Which brings me back to why I was ranting. If the Algerian Flatbread recipe really went through as many “iterations” as the Gourmet editor described, why didn’t one of the “iterators” identify the technique as unnecessarily cumbersome?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll make Farid Zadi’s Algerian Flatbreads again, no doubt more than once; they’re very tasty. But I’ll do it using the instructions set out below, and not those in Gourmet's recipe.

Algerian Flatbread - Msemmen [Αλγερινή Πίτα (Ψωμί)]
Makes 12 Flatbreads
Adapted from Farid Zadi in February 2008 Gourmet Magazine
Algerian Flatbreads are made with whole wheat flour and seasoned with spicy oil to create layers of good flavor. Be sure to cook them on medium heat; if the burner is set too high, spots on the flatbreads will burn before the dough is cooked though. Because flatbreads are best when finished just before serving, I didn’t cook them all at one time. I rolled out all the spirals and separated them with pieces of wax paper. I wrapped the portion of the stack I didn't plan to cook in plastic wrap and refrigerated it. Today, I brought the uncooked flatbreads to room temperature and cooked them just before dinner. They tasted just as good as the first night. If you have leftover cooked flatbread, wrap it in foil, store at room temperature, and reheat (still wrapped in foil) in a 350°F oven.

Dough:
3 cups finely ground whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 cups water

Topping:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

Make the dough: Put the flour, salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment (or by hand), mix the ingredients. Slowly stir in 1 cup of water, and then add more water as necessary to form a soft dough. Change to the dough hook and knead, dusting the sides of the bowl with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (you can also knead by hand). Remove the dough from the bowl and liberally oil its sides. Shape the dough into a ball, return it to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

Make the topping: Stir together the olive oil, cumin, paprika, and turmeric (if using) in a small bowl.

Shape the flatbreads: Cut 12 10"-wide pieces of wax or parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and, keeping the remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap, flatten 1 piece of dough into a disk. On a lightly floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll out the disk into a 9-inch round. Put the round on a plate and cover with wax paper. Continuing rolling the dough pieces until all are stacked on the plate, divided by pieces of wax paper.

If you have a large counter, spread out all the dough rounds; if not, oil and shape them in batches. Using a small pastry brush, lightly brush the entire surface of each round with spiced oil and roll it into a long, narrow cigar-shaped cylinder. Coil each cylinder into a tight spiral. Place the spirals on a plate and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

Finish and cook flatbreads: On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the spirals into 6” rounds and stack up, separated by wax paper. Heat a dry large cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until hot, then cook the flatbreads, turning once, until they are puffed and browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes total. As each flatbread is done, put it on plate and cover with a dish towel.

When all the flatbreads are cooked, serve them with your main course, along with olives and feta cheese.
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This is my entry for Bread Baking Day #6: Shaped Breads hosted this month by Eva of Sweet Sins.