Feast
Page 42
SERVES 4
FOR THE STUFFING
¾ cup (150 g) short-grain rice
3 firm-ripe medium tomatoes (10½ ounces/300 g total), cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice
1 bunch scallions (2 ounces/50 g), thinly sliced
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (3½ ounces/100 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, coarsely chopped
¼ bunch mint (2 ounces/50 g), leaves stripped off the stems, coarsely chopped
2 heaping tablespoons ground sumac
½ teaspoon ground allspice or Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Juice of 1 large lemon, or to taste
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
TO FINISH
2 bunches Swiss chard (2¼ pounds/1 kg total)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
Sea salt
1. To make the stuffing: Rinse the rice under cold water. Drain well and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, scallions, parsley, and mint. Add the sumac, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt to taste. Mix well. The stuffing should look more or less like a rice tabbouleh. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
2. To prepare the Swiss chard: Cut off the stems of the chard and set aside. Then cut across the top third of a leaf, taking where the central rib becomes thin and pliable as the dividing line. Then from the remaining piece of leaf, slice out and remove the thick rib, to create two more pieces of chard leaf. The pieces should make rolls measuring from 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) long. Some leaves may be too small to cut in three, in which case simply cut them in half, again taking where the rib becomes thin as the dividing line. Shave off the back of the thick rib of the bottom parts without breaking the leaf and reserve the stems and ribs to line the bottom of the pot. Arrange the cut leaves, smooth side down, in neat layers inside a colander. Then run boiling water over them to soften them. Let drain.
3. Line the bottom of a large pot—big enough to hold the stuffed leaves—with the stems and ribs from the chard leaves and the tomato slices.
4. To stuff the Swiss chard leaves: Remove any damaged leaves and lay them over the stems and tomato slices in the pan. Then, take one leaf and lay it, smooth side down, on your work surface with the cut side nearest to you and the veins running away from you. Spread 1 teaspoon stuffing (or more depending on the size of the leaf) in a long, thin, slightly raised line, along the side nearest to you, about ½ inch (1 cm) in from the edge and the same distance from the sides. Fold the narrow strip over the stuffing and roll into a flat, loosely packed roll to leave enough space for the rice to expand during cooking. Flatten the edges and carefully lift the rolled leaf and lay over the tomatoes with the loose side down. Continue stuffing, rolling, and arranging the stuffed leaves side by side, forming one layer at a time, until you have used up both leaves and stuffing. If you have leftover leaves, use them to cover the rolled ones. If you have any stuffing left over, make it into a side dish: Put it in a small pan with twice the amount of water and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
5. Pour enough water into the pot to barely cover the stuffed leaves and add a little salt, bearing in mind that the stuffing is already seasoned. Place an overturned heatproof plate over the leaves to stop them from unrolling during cooking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, reduce the heat to medium, and let bubble gently for 45 minutes, or until the stuffed leaves are done. Two-thirds of the way through cooking, taste the broth to check the salt content, adding more if necessary. It is a good idea to taste one stuffed leaf before taking the pot off the heat to make sure it is done. Remove from the heat and let cool.
6. Gently transfer the leaves to a serving platter—I usually pick them up with my fingers to keep them intact. Serve at room temperature.
Egyptian Mulukhiyah
MULUKHIYAH MASRIYAH
EGYPT
In Egypt, from where mulukhiyah (Jew’s mallow in English) originates, people eat it as a soup, either on its own, or with rice, meat, and pickled onions. It is one of Egypt’s national dishes, loved by rich and poor alike. I personally prefer the Lebanese or Saudi versions, having started out by hating mulukhiyah because of its mucilaginous texture. Then, my mother taught me how to minimize it by boiling the leaves for a very short time. The Egyptians, on the other hand, love the texture of mulukhiyah. They also believe it is a superfood, enhancing immunity among other good things. The main difference between the Egyptian and Lebanese versions, apart from the accompaniments, is that in Egypt, mulukhiyah is flavored with a garlic and ground coriander taqliyah (a kind of soffrito), whereas in Lebanon, cilantro is also added to the taqliyah. Serve the dish with Lebanese/Syrian Vermicelli Rice on the side.
SERVES 4 TO 6
FOR THE CHICKEN AND BROTH
1 whole chicken (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg)
2 bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods, smashed
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), peeled
Sea salt
FOR THE SOUP
Vegetable oil, for frying
10 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Sea salt
Juice of 1 small lemon, or to taste
One 17.6-ounce (500 g) package frozen mulukhiyah, thawed
1. To cook the chicken and make the broth: Put the chicken in a large pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming the surface. Add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, onion, and salt to taste. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the broth and transfer to a plate. Joint the chicken into 8 parts and put in a medium pan. Pour a little broth over it. Cover the pan and keep warm, either over very low heat or in a warm oven. Strain the broth and measure out 2 cups (500 ml).
2. To make the soup: Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, coriander, and salt to taste and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden. Add the lemon juice and take off the heat.
3. Pour the reserved broth into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the thawed mulukhiyah and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic/coriander mixture and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Take off the heat.
4. Heat ½ inch (1 cm) vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Quickly fry the chicken joints to brown them.
5. Serve the chicken alongside the soup and the rice.
Lamb Shanks with Mulukhiyah
MULUKHIYAH ‘ALA LAHM
LEBANON
The mere mention of mulukhiyah transports me back to prewar Beirut summers when I used to spend my days lazing at the St. Georges beach—the St. Georges was the ritziest hotel in Beirut in those days, and as it was right on the sea, it had an elegant beach attached to it where le tout Beirut could be seen taking in the sun, water-skiing, or dining in the beach restaurant. One of the restaurant’s star daily specials was mulukhiyah. On that given day, the restaurant would fill up, not only with the habitués—the beach was membership only—but also with nonmembers invited by their member friends to feast on this elaborate preparation. I hated the slimy texture of mulukhiyeh then and stayed by the pool while everyone went to lunch. Later, when I started to write about food, my mother shared the secrets for how to avoid the “sliminess.” First, it is essential to pick the leaves off the stems without leaving any stems on them because that is where the mucilaginous substance lurks. Then, the lemon juice should be added to the broth before the leaves; and finally and just as important, it is essential not to overboil the leaves, otherwise they sink in the broth.
This can be made with dried, frozen, or fresh mulukhiyah. The dried leaves will taste quite different from the frozen and both are in my opinion inferior to the fresh leaves. So, try to source fresh mulukhiyah if you can. It is a good idea to
prepare the fresh leaves before starting to cook the meat.
SERVES 6 TO 8
FOR THE LAMB
4 lamb shanks (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg total)
2 medium onions (10½ ounces/300 g total), peeled
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon sea salt
FOR THE MULUKHIYAH
3½ ounces (100 g) dried mulukhiyah leaves, or 1 pound 5 ounces (600 g) frozen mulukhiyah, or 1 pound 5 ounces (600 g) fresh leaves on the stem
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter
10 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 bunch cilantro (7 ounces/200 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
FOR SERVING
½ cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 large red onion, very finely chopped
2 medium pita breads, split horizontally into disks, toasted and broken into bite-size pieces
Lebanese/Syrian Vermicelli Rice
1. To cook the lamb: Put the shanks in a large pot. Add 7½ cups (1.75 liters) water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming the froth from the surface. Add the onions, cinnamon sticks, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1 hour, or until the shanks are done.
2. To prepare the mulukhiyah: For dried: Crumble the leaves with your hands and discard the stems if any. For frozen: Take them out of the freezer 30 minutes before you are ready to drop them into the broth to let them defrost. For fresh: Pick the leaves off the stems, making sure you do not leave any stem on them. Wash and dry them in a salad dryer, then spread them onto clean kitchen towels so that they dry completely. Chop the leaves into very fine slivers (see Note), doing this in small batches so as not to bruise them, and use a razor-sharp knife to slice them into 1/16-inch (1.6 mm) slivers. Place in a large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel until you are ready to use them.
3. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, cilantro, and ground coriander and sauté for a minute or so, until the cilantro has wilted but not turned brown. Take off the heat.
4. Reserving the broth, pull the meat and boiled onions out of the pot. Place the meat in a large bowl and cover. Put the onions in a smaller bowl. Discard the cinnamon sticks. Mash the onions into a puree and mix with the garlic/cilantro mixture. Measure out 5¼ cups (1.25 liters) of the meat broth and pour into a clean large pot.
5. Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, then the chopped (or whole) mulukhiyah. Season with the allspice, cinnamon, pepper, and salt to taste and bring back to a boil. Stir in the garlic/cilantro mixture and let bubble gently: 10 minutes if using dried leaves, 2 to 3 minutes if using frozen, and 5 minutes if using fresh leaves. Do not boil any longer as the mulukhiyah will sink in the broth and not stay suspended in it.
6. To serve, transfer the shanks to a cutting board and pick the meat off the bones, discarding any skin and fat. Tear the meat into bite-size pieces and transfer to a medium serving dish. Keep warm.
7. Put the vinegar in a small serving bowl. Add the chopped onion and mix well. Put the toasted bread in another medium serving dish and the rice in another. Pour the mulukhiyah into a soup tureen.
8. Mulukhiyah is a composite dish and it is served in soup plates with each diner making the layers to his/her taste by first spreading a few pieces of toasted bread on the plate, then spooning a little rice over the bread, scattering a few pieces of meat on top, and covering generously with mulukhiyah. The onion/vinegar mixture is drizzled over the top and can be omitted, but it gives the mixture a nice kick.
NOTE: You can also use the leaves whole as they do in the South and drop them as they are in the broth, which will obviously save you a fair amount of time.
Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce
CHOU-FLEUR BIL-TAMATEM
TUNISIA
This is a very simple dish that could be easily changed into a chakchouka by spreading the finished dish in a large frying pan and placing over medium heat. Once the tomato sauce and cauliflower are hot, make 4 dips at equal distances and break four eggs in the dips. Let bubble gently until the eggs are done to your liking. Serve hot.
SERVES 4
Two 14-ounce (400 g) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded, and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
1 cauliflower (1 pound 7 ounces/650 g), broken into small florets
1. Put the tomatoes in a medium pot. Add ½ cup (125 ml) water, the garlic, olive oil, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat and let bubble for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid has slightly reduced.
2. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is done to your liking and the sauce is very thick. If the tomato sauce is not thick enough, uncover the pan and boil for a few more minutes to reduce it. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Vegetable Curry
INDIA | PAKISTAN
Many people in India have this curry for breakfast with plain rice or a slice of bread. A wonderful start to the day! Traditionally, you would use fresh coconut to make the base for the curry, but it can be difficult to source in the West. You can re-create it by rehydrating dried shredded coconut, which is what I suggest below, or you can buy frozen grated coconut. In either case, let the coconut drain really well before toasting it.
SERVES 2
½ cup dried shredded coconut, soaked for up to 1 hour in ½ cup (125 ml) water until completely rehydrated
4 tablespoons (60 g) ghee or unsalted butter
3 dried red chilies
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
One 2-inch (5 cm) cinnamon stick
2 medium onions (7 ounces/200 g total)—1 thinly sliced and 1 finely chopped
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon asafetida powder (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 blade mace
Sea salt
1 pound (450 g) diced mixed vegetables (carrots, potato, sweet potato, yam, green beans, and peas)
1 teaspoon lime juice, or to taste
White rice, for serving
1. Drain the coconut, then squeeze it in your hands to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Melt 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a small food processor.
2. In the same skillet, toast the whole red chilies and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes. Add the cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon and toast for another minute or so. Add to the coconut along with the sliced onion and ½ cup (125 ml) water and process until you have a smooth mixture.
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and asafetida (if using). Stir for a minute, then add the bay leaf and chopped onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the coconut/spice mixture and mace and fry, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until you have a thick sauce.
4. Add 2½ cups (625 ml) water and salt to taste and bring to a boil before adding the vegetables in the order of their cooking time. First cook hard vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams) for 5 minutes, then add softer vegetables (such as green beans and peas). Simmer, uncovered, over low heat, for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are done. Add the lime juice
just before taking off the heat. Serve hot with rice.
Fava Bean Salad
SHLADA DEL FUL
MOROCCO
In Morocco, they make this salad without peeling the fava beans, but I like to peel them for a prettier and fresher presentation. You can also prepare this salad with garden peas.
SERVES 4
1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) fresh or frozen shelled fava beans
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
Sea salt
¼ bunch cilantro (2 ounces/50 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
½ preserved lemon, peel only, cut into thin strips
1. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the fava beans for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, then peel them and discard the skins.
2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the fava beans and ⅓ cup (80 ml) water, salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, or until the fava beans have just softened without going mushy and without losing their beautiful green color.