Wolfert, "Slow Mediterranean Kitchen"

[MicBacchus]

Leeks simmered in olive oil are very good also. I think I'm on a leeks kick; panade of leeks & mixed greens with cantal cheese is on the menu right after Thanksgiving.

[helenas]

Pork coddled in olive oil - i made it on numerous occasions and last time even used the recipe for confiting whole quails, and then poached quail eggs in the same fragrant oil. 

yesterday it was chicken turn to be coddled in olive oil - used Eberly chicken thighs.

This time aromatics were garlic cloves, lemon zest, thyme and dried porcini.

Used the oil and confitted porcini to flavor/moisten arborio cooked in bianco (Priscilla, do you remember we had a related thread way back ) The thighs were quickly seared before serving.

Next time i will add more dried porcini - they came out so delicious.

[Behemoth]

I bought the book at the beginning of summer, so while I have made a bunch of the appetizers (great, BTW, and now is the season for tomato jam) it really hasn't been braising weather for me. Really looking forward to the fall now. But I did try the expatriate chicken recipe, and the potato tagine, both big winners.

I really appreciate all the testing that goes into these books. I've gotten so used to having to make some adjustments in recipes that it is almost weird being able to follow one through as written from start to finish. I cook out of the Moroccan book quite a bit -- I have some idea of how the stuff "should" taste and the recipes get it right on, no adjustments needed.

I am currently trying to justify buying canele molds...

[Pallee]

I made the Salmorejo for a dinner for 12 last week and got rave reviews. No one could believe it was vegan, it was so creamy. I garnished it with roasted corn, crab and avocado creme fraiche (blowing the vegan part) and fried a strip of corn tortilla for crunch. Was so simple to make, and great to be able to do it the day before, quite the treat.

Looking forward to trying all the other suggestions posted here! This is my first post - been enjoying all the knowledge and enthusiasm!

[helenas]

and how could i forget to mention manchego cheese marinated with olives and herbs? I just started a third batch - this stuff is truly addictive, including marinated arbequina olives.

[Elissa]

and how could i forget to mention manchego cheese marinated with olives and herbs? I just started a third batch - this stuff is truly addictive, including marinated arbequina olives.

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Helena, was this the same as you made last I was over that worked so well with thick slices of aged goat cheese?

[Elissa]

Has anyone tried the Saba marinated mushrooms from here? My first are cooling and set to sit for a couple days...but I forgot the honey. I don't care for sweet things anyway, but curious as to if anyone else has tried these.

Just starters of course, to be served with Paula's greens jam and evoo simmered leeks.

Don't tell her but I'm doing the Zuni Porchetta for dinner and Hirigoyen's Istara gratin for dessert.

(HNY PW!)

[Abra]

So far I've only made the Fall-Apart lamb shanks, and they were fall-over yummy. I cooked them overnight in the slow cooker, then pulled the meat off the bone, since it was sort of a tasting menu. They got a fairly long rest in a warm oven, in the sauce, and were utterly delectable. You can see how they turned out here. If you haven't tried these, don't wait!

The poached pork and the herb and onion jam are right up there at the top of my list to try next.

[Chufi]

I bought a copy yesterday. I can't wait to start cooking from it! The Tunisian chickpeasoup with softboiled egg, capers and harissa, is first on my list. Sounds like the perfect dish for the first days of January, recuperating from all the December-eating..

The 'stop-and-go braised oxtails with oyster mushrooms' are on the list with nominations for my husbands 50th birthday dinner (dinner for 14) in February. Yes I start planning early! has anyone made these yet?

[Corinna Dunne]

It was on my Christmas "Suggestion" List that I gave to my husband, but hasn't been released this side of the Atlantic. As we have had bad luck with US Amazon before (ie non-arrival of books), he gave it a miss. Does the current version have metric and imperial measurements as well as US cups?

[Chufi]

I made the Shrimp with orange, shallots and grilled radicchio today and it was fantastic...

[Swisskaese]

It was on my Christmas "Suggestion" List that I gave to my husband, but hasn't been released this side of the Atlantic.  As we have had bad luck with US Amazon before (ie non-arrival of books), he gave it a miss.  Does the current version have metric and imperial measurements as well as US cups?

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Corrina, I bought my book via Amazon UK last year.

[Corinna Dunne]

Thanks... actually, I must be losing my mind, because I was thinking about the latest book... and happily, have discovered that a copy of "Slow Mediterranean" is slowly making its way to me from UK Amazon. I am really looking forward to trying out a few of the recipes.

[Chufi]

I made the Tunisian chickpeasoup with eggs, capers, olives and harissa tonight. Picture is here in the Dinner! thread.

This was amazing.. you have to plan well, but if you have the chickpeas and stock ready, then you can have dinner on the table in the time it takes to boil some eggs.

I even made my own stock (a bit unusual for me ) and I think it made all the difference to the flavor.

I made the harissa by mixing some caraway, coriander, garlic, cinnamon and turmeric into a jar of plain sambal oelek, which is simply ground fresh peppers. When I tasted it after mixing I thought it had litle flavor, but after a couple of hours it had a wonderfully fragrant and complex taste.

Thank you Paula for this book!

(I have the pork coddled in olive oil and the Tuscan beans in the fridge for tomorrows dinner. Somebody stop me )

[Chufi]

Another question.. the recipe for the pork coddled in olive oil says to reserve the olive oil for future use.. I don't want to waste it.. but what would I use this for??

[FoodMan]

Another question.. the recipe for the pork coddled in olive oil says to reserve the olive oil for future use.. I don't want to waste it.. but what would I use this for??

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more coddled pork...or coddled potatoes or mushrooms or to saute veal or chicken in or to drizzle on toasted bread. Possibilities are endless .

[Chufi]

How long will the oil keep? I'm a bit worried about that.. I already have a large tub of lard in the fridge that needs using up.. so many pork- products to use

[Abra]

Last night I made the Oven Roasted Eggs, which look gorgeous

and the Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon, which is the least photogenic dish imagineable, although it's utterly delicious

You can see it in the background, looking, well, green.

As to the eggs, I think if you have a wood fire going for 5 hours they would be a great treat. However, for running the oven for 5 hours just for these eggs, we didn't think they were "special" enough. They had a faintly smoky, nutty flavor, but in a blindfolded test, I'm pretty sure they would be just identified as hard boiled eggs. If I had some other slow cooked dish in the oven all day, though, I'd stick some eggs in too, because they look fabulous.

[Chufi]

A beautiful spread Abra!

I made the panade of leeks and greens with Cantal cheese a couple of days ago.

Leeks are slowly cooked down with a mixture of greens, then layeren into a pot with stale breadcrumbs. Hot milk is poured over, it's sprinkled with cheese and baked in a low oven.

I used spinach, rucola and parsley for the greens. Instead of the Cantal, I used an Austrian Gruyere type cheese. This recipe is in the soup chapter of the book, but it's more like a bread & vegetable gratin:

While this was good, it wasn't delicious and I don't think I would make this again. Maybe these breadbased dishes are not really my thing..

[Corinna Dunne]

Maybe these breadbased dishes are not really my thing..

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Chufi... I'm interested in this comment. Is there something specific that you don't like, eg texture? The dish sounds great and I'd love to try it (my book finally arrived).

[Chufi]

Maybe these breadbased dishes are not really my thing..

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Chufi... I'm interested in this comment. Is there something specific that you don't like, eg texture? The dish sounds great and I'd love to try it (my book finally arrived).

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Yes I think it's a texture thing for me.... I loved the crunchy bits of bread on the top, but didn't like the bits in the other layers. The bread soaks up all the milk in the long, slow cooking, and as Paula Wolfert says in her intro to the recipe, becomes silky soft. I guess I just don't like the texture of milksoaked bread.

If I ever make it again I think I would just do a layer of the greens, because the flavor of the slow-cooked mixed greens and leeks was really wonderful, with crunchy bread on top.

edited to add: you should really try the pork coddled in olive oil.. its fantastic. I have since then coddled/confited goose legs in the leftover oil, also delicious!

Edited January 18, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Corinna Dunne]

Maybe these breadbased dishes are not really my thing..

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Chufi... I'm interested in this comment. Is there something specific that you don't like, eg texture? The dish sounds great and I'd love to try it (my book finally arrived).

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Yes I think it's a texture thing for me.... I loved the crunchy bits of bread on the top, but didn't like the bits in the other layers. The bread soaks up all the milk in the long, slow cooking, and as Paula Wolfert says in her intro to the recipe, becomes silky soft. I guess I just don't like the texture of milksoaked bread.

If I ever make it again I think I would just do a layer of the greens, because the flavor of the slow-cooked mixed greens and leeks was really wonderful, with crunchy bread on top.

edited to add: you should really try the pork coddled in olive oil.. its fantastic. I have since then coddled/confited goose legs in the leftover oil, also delicious!

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I feel the same way about the silky texture. I made the slow roasted chicken with sausage and porcini dressing and whilst the dish was absolutely delicious, I preferred the dressing before I added the breadcrumbs. It reminded me a little of "harees" which is a traditional Arab dish for breaking the Ramadan fast, made from slowly cooking wheat with meat in a stock.

I'll just have to sacrifice authenticity for personal taste and leave out the breadcrumbs when I do the leek dish.

Regarding pork, it is actually quite difficult to get good organic pork over here, but I have a friend visiting this weekend who's mother rears wonderful organic pigs in Kilkenny... so supplies are on the way! I'll be taking your recommendation. Thanks.

[Chufi]

Made another one: Pork stew with prunes and onions

this has several techniques that were unusual for me.. first you 'fry' the meat in nothing but the marinade that clings to it, you never add extra fat. It took a long time for the moistuire to evaporate and the meat to brown (longer than the time stated in the recipe). When the meat has browned you take it out of the pan and add 1 1/5 cup of white wine, but in stages, reducing each portion of wine to a syrupy glaze. Then you add the meat back in, other ingredients, stock, and braise it.

It was very delicious, a round, complex, sweet flavor, it also had a sort of freshness and zing, like there was citrus in it (but there wasn't).

I served it with polenta, as Paula Wolfert suggests, and a salad of roast broccoli and pinenuts.

Edited February 22, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Abra]

Here's the Pork Coddled in Olive Oil with Tuscan Beans and Arugula. I used the splendid Rancho Gordo Ojo de Cabro beans, and it was an awesome dish.

Gratuitous wine shot thrown in, just because it was delicious and a lovely match, and a pretty picture.

[Chufi]

Abra, your coddled pork looks much more elegant than mine. Great idea to put the aragula on the bottom instead of on top, that makes all the difference to the presentation I think!

What did you do with the leftover oil? Coddled some other stuff?