Wolfert
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Posts posted by Wolfert
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If these plums are the yellow sour ones, they are very good made into a sauce to accompany grilled meats, poultry, bread and even boiled beans.
Here is a recipe I picked up when I was researching in the Republic of Georgia:
Georgian sour plum sauce "tekmali"
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
2 pound small sour yellow plums.
Combine plums with 2 cups cold water in a 3 or 4 quart non corrodible saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over low heat until the plums fall apart, about 30 minutes.
Drain the plums and reserve the cooking juice. When the plums are cool enough to handle, discard the pits, and push the plums through the medium blade of a food mill. Discard any debris that won't go through the holes. Put the mixture into a food processor; add 3 cloves peeled garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, 1/4 cup mint leaves, and 1/4 cup dill fronds, and 1/4 teaspoon Turkish red pepper; and pulse 12 times. Scrape the puree into a saucepan, add salt and sugar to taste. Immediately pour into a tall, clean 3/4- quart clean glass jar. cover tightly. After l to 2 hours set in a cool place. Wait at least l day before serving so that the flavors can meld. The sauce keeps refrigerated up to l month.
you can make a delicious cold salad with cooked red beans. Fold 1/2 cup of this sauce into 2 cups freshly cooked red beans. Also excellent as a sauce for fried, grilled, broiled, and baked fish
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If you are in agreement that some of the best traditional food in France comes from the region of the southwest, you might be suprised to learn that at least 80% of the great food is traditionally put up in jars and stored in the cupboard before ever being serving .
The aging similar to wine makes the food taste even better: the difference between confit one day old and confit 3 months old is eye opening. Or the packaging of young chestnuts with sous vide is better than any home-peeled and cooked ones you do yourself.Of course, you need quality to put up food.
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Wolfert, does the skin lose some of its gelatinous properties after the confit process? To clarify, does a significant amount of the gelatin from the pork skin get displaced? I know that gelatin is only water soluble. I am just curious. It seems to me that there may be some loss of gelatin but not anything significant (although this is just a hypothesis).
No, not at all unless you overcook the bundles. As soon as a straw can get through the rind it is ready for the next step: to cool down in the fat. Then it is stored in the fat.
Let me know if you need to know more on the subject. Since I'm revising the my book on southwest cooking (1981), I've learned there haven't been any changes in this method: the tradition to tie the strips in bundles is still an on going process because it helps to maintain the texture. Try it.
Best,
Paula
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After you take the rind off, sprinkle it with coarse salt, and spread it out on paper towel lined sheets and keep refrigerated for a few days. When you have braised teh pork belly you'll find you have about half the original weight in pork fat. Strain this fat and hold it in a cool place. When ready to cook the rind, wipe off the coarse salt , cut it into 3 inch x 8 inch strips, tie each strip in a bundle, and cook all the bundles in the strained fat until they become soft and tender, about 3 hours. A crock pot is useful here. You now have what the folks in Perigord call couennes confites. Keep these covered in the same fat after straining. Usually it is best in the fridge. Use one or two strips in cassoulets, bean dishes, lentil dishes, and stews, etc .
I hate writing this but the southwest French say it all the time: 'nothing is wasted in a pig but the oink.'
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I'm sure it is hummus with tahini that you enjoyed. It's a dip that sells well and Greek restaurants have adopted itt in their repertoire because it is expected by clients.
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Tahini is not very often used in Greek cooking. matter of fact, in Diane Kochilas' 600 page book on Greek food, tahini is used in dishes only on the island of Rhodes.
Rhodes is very close to the Arab countries which might explain why
In Turkey, you find sesame breads along the Mediterranean in towns likes Mersin
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The Arabic word "baba" means ' father' and 'ghanoush' means soft. I think it always has to have tahini in it. The Greek eggplant salad doesn't have to have tahini nor does the Turkish.
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A few years ago, my Chinese acupuncturist told me I had to make turtle soup to cure some ailment. I bought the turtle live in an Asian market, had it cleaned by the fish monger (turtle monger?), and cooked it with some curative herbs. I was told by the turtle monger not to let the liquid boil while it cooked for about 3 hours. Unfortunately, I did let it boil. Take his advice: the turlte gives off a terrible smell if it boils.
good luck.
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Another recipe that uses huge amounts of purslane is a mixed greens salad in Morocco. The Moroccans steam the purslane leaves until tender. After cooling they are chopped and mixed with parsley, cilantro, garlic and some salt and fried in a skilet with olive oil into incredibly dense. Some paprika and cayenne are added to taste. Just before serving, some lemon juice is added.
This paste like greens salad keeps up to a week, covered, in the refrigerator. You could call it "purslane confit."
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In America, grandmothers spoil their grandchildren with sweets; in the turkish town of Gaziantep, grandmothers use purslane. The story goes that Turkish cops will stop writing traffic tickets if the violator promises to bring them a freshly cooked pot. Purslane is the key to the stew's special flavor. Americans often refer to purslane as "that nuisance weed," the one that crops up in gardens, window boxes, sometimes even in the middle of gravel driveways. But to knowledgeable cooks, it is no nuisance! With its mild lemony taste and plump texture, it is a wonderful-tasting fresh green, of which there are precious few in late summer. If you don't have a garden and don't know where or how to forage for purslane, ask an organic grower at your local farmers' market to pick some for you. Perhaps you could even tempt the grower with a pot of stew.
This is a little bit of work, but it uses up 1 12/ pounds of purslane. Prepare it in the morning and serve it in the evening at room temperature or cold. It is absolutely delicious.
Serving: 4 TO 6
1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained
1/3 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1/4 cup mini brown lentils, picked over and rinsed (See box)
1/4 cup olive oil
5 ounces boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Turkish red pepper paste (See Notes)
1 1/2 pounds purslane, thick stems discarded and leaves coarsely shredded
1/2 cup coarse bulgur
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
1 tablespoon dried spearmint, leaves crushed to a fine powder
1/4 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes (see Notes)
Freshly ground black pepper
Trimmed scallions and lemon wedges, for serving
1. Rinse the black-eyed peas and chickpeas. Pour them into separate medium saucepans and cover with several inches of water. Cover and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 20 minutes for the black-eyed peas and 1 hour for the chickpeas. Drain the black-eyed peas and discard the liquid. Drain the chickpeas; reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the lentils with 4 cups of water, cover partially and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain; reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
3. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the lamb and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, cover and cook until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, red pepper paste and 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the mixture begins to caramelize, about 20 minutes.
4. Add the purslane, bulgur and the reserved chickpea and lentil cooking liquids to the casserole. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils, garlic and enough water to barely cover. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt.
5. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the spearmint, Turkish red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. When the oil begins to sizzle, give it a stir and drizzle it over the stew. Stir once and let stand for 30 minutes. Serve the stew at room temperature or let cool, then refrigerate and serve chilled the following day. Pass the scallions and lemon at the table.
©Paula Wolfert, Mediterranean Grains and Greens
NOTES: Turkish red pepper paste and Turkish red pepper flakes are available at Middle Eastern groceries or by mail order from Kalustyan's (212-685-3451).
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I never heard about using molasses to season claypots but that doesn't mean it isn't the prescribed method to cure your pot. It all depends on the type of clay used in Egypt. Usually, one seasons a pot with oil, or vinegar and water, or just water.
I purchased a pot in Turkey that broke apart in my hands after soaking it for an hour in water. I learned too late that I was supposed to oil it , bake it for many hours in the oven, wash it and dry it before oiling it once again. Afterwards, no problem adding liquid or washing it..
The photographed pots from Lebanon had been cured for me. They're unglazed, strong and do not taste of clay. They go on top of the stove or in the oven. I don't do anything to them but wash them with baking soda and warm water. I never soak them.
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Please keep in mind that bee's wax is highly flammable. There are two safe ways to melt it:put a few chunks of bee's wax along with a little tasteless in a pyrex type cup and heat in a microwave or in a double boiler.
To keep, cover and store the mixture remaining in the cup in a drawer or cupboard.
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They look beautiful with very lean skins.
edited to remove text I did not write. Very strange.
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canneles are an artisinal product and often do sink in the baking. When I was in Bordeaux learning to make canneles most of the time they ended up smaller than the mold. This is another reason to get the 55 mold which is the largest.
I can't wait to try your tip of butter-oil and sugar. Thanks so much, Paula
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I am really happy to hear that the aluminum molds do work. I was told that the crunchy exterior just never happened.
Or are you referring to those beautiful chocolate canneles you posted awhile?
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Whatever you buy, just be sure it isn't aluminum. You can use nordicware, silicone, or best of all--tin-lined copper for successful canneles.
Thanks for the kind words about my canneles.
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I've read that "authentic" pita doesn't actually have a pocket - is this not the case?
I always thought pita was the Middle Eastern word for the Turkish pide which doesn't have a steamed center and the Greek pitta which has a filling.
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Wonderful. No, exquisite.
Congratulations.
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I remember the evening very well, and I remember you and the bread were the stars of the evening.
cheers,
Paula
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Sorry, but I took down the link when the book was published. . You can check the full recipe which includes all the tricks and caveats. In the meantime, here is an abbreviated version which might be all you need.
1/2 vanilla bean split with grains scraped into bowl or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 scant cup superfine sugar
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons firm sweet butter, diced
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dark rum
10 seasoned cannele molds.
Prepare the molds in advance: spray the ridged interior of the cannele molds with "white oil" (a combination of bee's wax and tasteless oil---you can get this at any farmer's market where they sell honey); and set in the freezer until ready to fill.
Combine sugar, flour and butter in a mixing or food processor. Mix well.Add the egg yolks, one by one, then add salt and milk heated to 183 degrees F. Mix completely then pour through a really fine strainer. Flavor with vanilla and rum . Cool, cover and refrigerate up to three days.
When ready to bake preheat the oven to 400 degrees. F. Place molds on a baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Gently paddle not whisk the batter to recombine then fill each mold almost to the top. Place on the bottom oven shelf and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until really dark brown or black. Convection oven timing is about 1 1/4 hours.
To remove a cannele from its mold: rap the crown directly onto something really hard. It should drop out If it doesn't, rap again or use a thin skewer to loosen the sides. Cool on racks for at least 2 hours.
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eat the lentils tomorrow and try not to refrigerate them too long. The difference in flavor from day one to the following is huge.
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Thanks for all the nice commentary on my piece on Musa. DO TRY THE LENTIL AND EGGPLANT DISH ---you won't find it in anyone's cookbook. Don't serve it the day you make it but wait a day. It is worth it. It's name is mualle meaning divine.
Heleanas. Fig shoots, the part of the stem where the fig develops. The few drops of juice from within the stem is used to curdle milk into a junket type cheese. The Spaniards around Navarre also use it that way.
I have Masa's recipe for making the cheese with the dried figs.
Have not tested it but am intertested in anyone's trials .
2 quarts milk brought to a boil and reduced in tempertuer to 100 degrees F
Slowl add the milk to 5 ounces diced dried fig As you do this, press them with a wooden spoon. To dissolve???? The teleme was quite smooth.
Divide into smalls erving cups and cover with cheesecloth.
Let stand about 2 hours before refrigerating.
Serve about 3 hours later...Can be held longer...How long ?
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The pride in Turkey for all things regionaql is incredible right now and most of all for food and cooking.. I was in Kilis down on the Syrian border and was interviewing some home economists and they presented me with a book written by a local scholar on the food. The economists had worked with the villagers and had collected the recipes for the book. (These people are putting me out of business!!) . It was a wonderful book of old Armenian, Kurdish, Turkish and Jewish recipes from the region, recipes I'd never seen before. There was one recipe I tasted at a home meal: zucchini stuffed with the usual except toasted chick peas substituting for pinenuts and topped with a tahni yogurt sauce. It was especially intriquing from a textural point of view: the zucchini was soft, while its stuffing remained slightly crunchy. Using the book, I tried to translate the recipe but there were huge gaps in my comprehension of what to do. It came out well enough to publish.
You can find this kind of book at the local university or the one bookstore in town almost everywhere nowadays. .
Check out www.Tulumba.com. for cookbooks in Turkish.
Btw, Tulumba sells some fabulous raki. The one I bought had a picture of a suave Ataturk look-a-like on the label.
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I learned to stumble through Turkish recipes by learning the names of all the foods and methods of cooking. Then I filled in working with a dictionary to sort of figure out the recipe. It has been hard but worth it!
If you go to Musa's site www.ciya.com.tr , go armed with a small dictionary and then work study the pictures of each dish. Happily he provides the name of the dish, its ingredients and where the dish comes from.
Yellow plums
in Cooking
Posted
that sounds wonderful. go for it.