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Cooking from "Jerusalem: A Cookbook"


SobaAddict70

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That's another of the recipes I was interested in, so I'm glad you made it, Smithy! Funnily enough, I had made a note to make this AFTER I get around to getting a food processor.  :raz:

 

Did you use Greek yogurt as a sub for the labneh? Because that's what I'd have to do, lacking the patience to make labneh myself.

Take my advice: that little shredder blade will be a huge help! :-D

About the yogurt: yes, the Greek yogurt was our fallback. We'd purchased labneh some time back, but when I opened the container this evening I discovered a new and unwelcome colony in the container. Fortunately, the Greek-style (Fage brand) yogurt was still good. It was a fine substitute. I think, given the sweetness of the dressing, that something like sour cream would also work.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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1 very large ancho chile, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, covered, until softened

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cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, ground cumin and caraway seeds dry-roasted in a 10" skillet over medium-low heat

the recipe instructs ground caraway but I left them whole

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looks a bit like this afterwards.

I could have ground the caraway seeds but I wanted some textural interest.

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after the 30 minutes are up, trim and remove the seeds from the ancho, then slice into chunks.

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process the ground spices, garlic cloves, ancho chile and sea salt in a food processor. I halved the amount of garlic...20 garlic cloves is a bit much, don't you think? particularly when the cloves are quite "fat" for lack of a better adjective.

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process for a little bit, then add about 5 tablespoons safflower oil (I subbed olive oil). spoon pipelchuma into a sterilized jar, then cover with oil. keeps in the fridge for up to one month.

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the marinating liquid consists of pipelchuma, sugar, cider vinegar, caraway seed, ground cumin and slow-cooked onion

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Spicy carrot salad (page 65).

You'll note the carrots were left whole (these are baby carrots), instead of being sliced into coins.

This was a nice alternative to the usual Moroccan or North African carrot salad I'm more familiar with.

Edited by SobaAddict70 (log)
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the recipe for this is on page 50 -- fried tomatoes with garlic

it's one of those dishes that contains a minimal amount of ingredients -- tomatoes, chile, parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper. that's one thing that I love about this cookbook, is that there are little nuggets hidden throughout where you can make something tasty in very little time, using barely a handful of ingredients that showcases what "Jerusalem" is all about.

that being said, I didn't have any fresh chiles on hand and I also dislike the taste of raw garlic, which if, I had followed the recipe as written, would have been the result as far as the garlic cloves were concerned. i made a couple of adjustments which you can see below in the pic of the mise en place. i also slightly reduced the amount of garlic called for.

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prep the tomatoes by slicing them, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper

warm some olive oil in a pan, add the garlic. fry until the garlic turns color, then add the parsley and a teaspoon of filfel chuma. fry for 1 more minute, then add the tomatoes. fry the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes per side, then remove from heat and serve at once, along with a piece of bread to soak up the juices.

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Fried heirloom tomatoes with filfel chuma, garlic and parsley; sourdough whole wheat bread

Edited by SobaAddict70 (log)
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Thanks for this, Soba. Can I assume that the Maille jar contains your homemade filpel chuma?

I have made my first pass through the book but I'm unlikely to cook from it until I am up north. Really want to use up what ever ingredients I can so grocery shopping is out for now. I will be making a second pass through the book choosing those dishes which I hope to make up north and listing the spices I will need to take.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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I'll be making the fried cauliflower tonight, but having reviewed the recipe (and also because two other dishes tonight will have fried components), I'll be making a couple of tweaks. I'm planning on roasting the cauliflower instead (because who can say "no" to roasted cauliflower, an eGullet classic?); in addition, I'll be subbing regular yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt because it's what I have on hand.

Next week I will be in San Francisco visiting my partner. He does have the book (and "Plenty" as well) but he's never made anything from it, so that will be a treat. You might say that all of my efforts thus far have been a dress rehearsal. :wink:

Edited by SobaAddict70 (log)
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I'm looking forward to that, Soba.

 

I'm presently working on some of the leftovers of the root vegetable slaw about which I posted a couple of nights ago.  The slaw isn't any softer than it was on the first night (translation: the beet matchsticks are more 'tough' than 'crisp').  I think this means that either younger roots or smaller pieces are needed.  The flavors are better, now that the dressing and the vegetables have had a chance to mingle.  nakji, take special note: I see I posted once that Greek yogurt might have been a poor substitute for labneh, and in the next post said it was fine.  I'm using it now, and it's a fine substitute.  Sour cream, on the other hand, takes the salad in the wrong direction IMO.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx; twitter.com/egullet

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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I'm looking forward to that, Soba.

 

I'm presently working on some of the leftovers of the root vegetable slaw about which I posted a couple of nights ago.  The slaw isn't any softer than it was on the first night (translation: the beet matchsticks are more 'tough' than 'crisp').  I think this means that either younger roots or smaller pieces are needed.  The flavors are better, now that the dressing and the vegetables have had a chance to mingle.  nakji, take special note: I see I posted once that Greek yogurt might have been a poor substitute for labneh, and in the next post said it was fine.  I'm using it now, and it's a fine substitute.  Sour cream, on the other hand, takes the salad in the wrong direction IMO.

Smithy,

A Japanese (Benriner) mandoline is a lot cheaper and easier to store than a food processor and its julienne blade should do the job. You would still need to watch out for your fingers though.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets, seasoned with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, then roasted at 350 F for 35-40 minutes.

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About halfway through the roasting process, I stirred in about 1 tablespoon minced scallion.

BTW, all of the proportions are off in this post compared to those called for in the recipe since (1) I'm cooking for one person and (2) I detest leftovers. Apart from the roasting, the proportions and the substitution of yogurt instead of Greek yogurt, the recipe is as written.

The recipe instructs you to fry the cauliflower and the scallions in separate batches. Another advantage of doing it this way is that while the cauliflower is roasting, I can prep the tahini dressing.

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1/4 cup tahini and 1 crushed garlic clove

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1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley + a similar quantity of chopped mint leaves

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to that mixture, add 1/3 cup yogurt, the juice of half a lemon and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses. mix well. if the dressing is too thick, add enough water so that the mixture becomes the consistency of honey.

once the cauliflower is done, fold the dressing into the cauliflower and mix well. taste for salt and black pepper. spoon cauliflower onto shallow bowls, top with additional chopped herbs and a drop or two of pomegranate molasses. serve at once.

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Cauliflower with tahini, pomegranate molasses and mint (page 60).

Time: About 50 minutes, including prep.

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How was the cauliflower? Would you make it again?

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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I had to google filfel chums (lots of fun with autocorrect). It appears to be delicious. Soba, did you like it? What would you use it on other than carrot salad?

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I had to google filfel chums (lots of fun with autocorrect). It appears to be delicious. Soba, did you like it? What would you use it on other than carrot salad?

I'd use it for anything savory -- whisked into scrambled eggs, or into mayonnaise.

The fried tomatoes (see above) had a teaspoon stirred in.

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That looks gorgeous. The dressing is what really appeals, though. I wonder if it would work on potatoes, as well?

Probably, but you might have to play around with the proportions in the recipe. I needed to dial back on the garlic and tahini.

I've noticed that Ottolenghi really amps up those ingredients in these recipes. I frequently find myself trying to lighten things.

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I can't leave well enough alone; I just adore this cookbook.

I only wish that "Plenty" grabbed me more; I'm curious about his third book, "Ottolenghi".

Anyway, part of tonight's dinner was

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Wild and basmati rice, with spiced chickpeas, crispy fried onions and herbs

The recipe for this is from page 106.

There are five major components to this dish: the rices, the chickpeas, the onion, the herbs and the dried fruit. I subbed dried cranberries for the currants because it's what I had on hand (but I reduced the amount because dried cranberries are sweeter than currants to begin with). I subbed fennel fronds and fennel stems for the dill, and panch phoron for the curry powder.

Prepare basmati rice and wild rice according to package directions. I ignored Ottolenghi's instructions in the cookbook. As someone who was born with the rice cooking gene, :wink: I don't bother with cookbooks in that respect.

Next, warm some olive oil in a pan and add cumin seed and curry powder. I used panch phoron instead for textural contrast. I understand that Ottolenghi is going for a slightly spicy undertone here; I suppose next time I'll use garam masala or filfel chuma. (I have a jar of garam masala somewhere in my spice cabinet that I made a while ago.)

Add your chickpeas and a pinch of salt once the spices have bloomed in the oil. Cook for a couple of minutes and you should end up with something like this:

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The rest of the recipe is fairly straightforward.

* Chop your herbs and have them at the ready.

* Make the crispy fried onions (thinly sliced onion tossed in AP flour, then fried in batches in oil); the next time I make this dish, I definitely switch to slow-cooked onion in olive oil for about 25-30 minutes over low heat or until the onions caramelize and become golden brown. I prefer them that way.

* If using currants, you can leave them as is or plump them by soaking them in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain, then use as needed.

Once the rices are ready, combine in a large mixing bowl, then add the chickpeas, onion, herbs and dried fruit; mix well. Taste for salt and pepper, then serve immediately.

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It all looks beautiful, Soba. Thanks for this information. I'll have to renew my library loan to continue cooking on this topic myself, but if you keep it up I may end up making the purchase. ;-)

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx; twitter.com/egullet

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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It all looks beautiful, Soba. Thanks for this information. I'll have to renew my library loan to continue cooking on this topic myself, but if you keep it up I may end up making the purchase. ;-)

It's not going to happen this week, but when I get back from my vacation, I'll be looking into making some of the desserts. I'm curious about the clementine cake, for instance.

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Just curious: I absolutely love the mejadra, but I did find it somewhat overseasoned. I think half the seasoning would have been better. Does anyone agree or have I just become too delicate in my old age? :)  I also toned down the seasoning for the lamb kawarma.

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Absolutely, but I'd cut back on the proportions of the dressing.

 

A request from someone who bought this book today: Could you tell me how to develop sufficient self-control to keep from eating most (or all) of the roasted cauliflower before it's dressed?

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

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A request from someone who bought this book today: Could you tell me how to develop sufficient self-control to keep from eating most (or all) of the roasted cauliflower before it's dressed?

Magic? :wink:

I might have time to make the roasted cauliflower salad tomorrow night depending on whether I manage to finish some leftovers tonight.

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