spice and everything nice

No, not from my backyard, not yet. This time of year grocery stores are practically giving daffodils away.  I got these at Whole Foods, three bunches for $5!

Deborah
My friend Katie and I share a passion for discovering the diversity of ingredients and food culture here in NY City.  Katie has been exploring Ethiopian cuisine in particular for a while. She has posted her observations and experiments on her blog Party in my Pantry.  Katie's enthusiasm is infectious and piqued my interest in the culinary traditions of this East African country. A few years ago the Ethiopian born chef Marcus Samuelsson published a collection of recipes, The Soul of a New Cuisine, covering the entire African continent. I adore this book with its gorgeous photos, fascinating text and beguiling recipes. With the book as my guide I am beginning to explore the depth of cuilinary riches Africa has to offer. My current wish list is to hit one of the Ethiopian restaurants Katie has visited here in New York. How about it Katie?

The following recipe is Katie's play on a traditional Ethiopian okra dish. Not having okra on hand she substituted collard greens, with excellent results. The greens are combined with some traditional spices and chopped tomatoes to make a fragrant, hearty dish. If you want to make this more filling, add in some cooked beans like chickpeas.

I bought these greens at a local Asian market here in Queens. I have no idea what they are, I could not read the sign. They taste like mild mustard greens.  At $0.79 per pound, a true bargain! Asian markets are one of the best places to find a wide variety of fresh affordable greens.

The perfume from this dish is intoxicating. Cardamom has a very flowery, fragrant smell and is often used in Indian desserts. Pairing this spice with a green vegetable was new to me. I loved the aroma coming up from the pan as I sauteed the spice paste.

The finished dish is wonderful, full of flavor and carrying hints of life far away. The tomatoes add a tart counterpoint to the sweet cardamom-ginger spice combo. The greens keep everything really grounded. I loved this dish and will be making it again and again.

Thank you Katie!

Amanda, I am wondering if there is perhaps a South African wine that might work well with this delicious dish?

Ethiopian-Style Greens OR Bamya Alich'A
-adapted from the blog: Party in my Pantry

4 cups chopped greens (collard, mustard, bok choy, kale, spinach)
2 quarts salted water for blanching
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced red onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 fresh chilies, minced, or to taste
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped, seeded peeled ripe tomatoes or 1 14oz can
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs lemon juice

Wash the greens, trim off and discard any rough stems. Coarsely chop the trimmed leaves. Bring salted water to a rolling boil and blanch the greens for 10 minutes or until tender (the variety of greens you are using will determine how long you cook them, collards take longer than mustard greens. Taste often to determine doneness). Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onions until they are light brown. Add the garlic, chilies, ginger and cardamon and stir to combine ingredients. Cook the onion spice paste on low heat for five minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors begin to combine. Taste at this point to adjust seasoning. Add the greens and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat. Finish with lemon juice. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Amanda
I think of myself as fairly well-rounded when it comes to cuisine. I've been introduced to the fare of different cultures since I was a small child. However, it occurs to me now that somehow Ethopian cooking and experiences seem to have escaped my radar. Which in a way delights me - for now I have something new to discover! I truly gain such enormous elation from exploring previously unchartered culinary territories!


Deb - you are right on target with looking to wines from South Africa to complement this dish. As I have mentioned in earlier posts - wines from particular regions have an affinity for foods from the same region. Of course, pairing wines and dishes from the same countries is not a steadfast rule, but rather a simple, fun suggestion, and "experiment".


Located in the Koelenhof region near Stellenbosch is one of South Africa's greatest white wine producers, Mulderbosch. Mulderbosch produces a wonderful Chenin Blanc, referred to as "Steen" in South Africa. An excellent food wine in general, this is the perfect choice for a vegetable stew. Filled with terrific tropical fruit flavors, the wine also presents notes of ginger and cloves - a beautiful complement to the spicey flavors in the dish. The wine is off-dry (it has a slight touch of sweetness) which is really a characteristic this recipe requires.

If you are looking for something a little "bigger", I would not hesitate to recommend a Rose - like Mulderbosch's Cabernet Sauvignon Rose. With red fruit flavors on the palate, this ripe, fresh, bright wine also offers up spice flavors like nutmeg and pepper.


I am going to cook up this recipe right away! It's next on my list! Deb - thanks for sharing Katie's recipe, and Katie - thanks for the inspiration!

Pizza Heaven

Amanda

I have pizza on my mind. It might just be my favorite food in the world. I made another trip to the Blooming Hill Farm in NY this past weekend. And again, I went crazy over the grilled pizza with the smoky tomato flavors. My stomach is growling and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. There's nothing like that crispy crust, and the exquisite blended flavors of the sauce, cheese and fresh toppings! And the best and most rewarding part of pizza is that the sky's the limit. There is no end to the vast world of combinations one can concoct! Pizza heaven!

remember this beauty from Blooming Hill Farm?








Which brings me to my friend and neighbor, Beth. We have been talking all summer about having a pizza party. I've had her pizza and it's wonderful. Now, she has added grilling as her m.o. for cooking it. I need help! We have finally picked a date to put our pizza skills to the test. I'm thinking something with a thin, crispy crust and grilled vegetables - maybe mushrooms? I am open to any and all suggestions! I plan to pair it with a light-medium Italian red, probably Sangiovese. Sangiovese from Chianti would be a no-brainer, with its bright fruit and floral flavors. Something young. But, a Rioja would work beautifully as well. Rioja is associated with pronounced vanilla flavors as a result of oak aging. Rioja has an elegant flavor and is typically more fruity when young. The woody flavors would meld wonderfully with the smoky flavors from the grill. I'm getting famished! Deb -what are your thoughts?

Deborah
That pizza we shared at Blooming Hill Farm was truly delicious. I asked the cook at their cafe if they made their own sauce from their own tomatoes and indeed they do. That would be a great place to start with your pizza party. The beauty of the farm pizza was its simplicity. My guess is that fresh tomatoes were slow cooked, possibly roasted, then simmered in a pot until very reduced and then put through a food mill to remove skin and seeds. They used a very thin layer of this almost tomato paste like sauce and then just a hint of cheese. Italian chefs always take a minimalist approach to pizza, quite the opposite of our heavily cheese loaded slices here in most NY pizzerias.


For toppings other than sauce and cheese I would consider some of the seasonal vegetables that take well to grilling, like zucchini, eggplant, peppers and mushrooms. Slice them into manageable pieces, grill briefly to give them some color and then layer on your pizza as desired. I would even suggest wilting some greens like broclorabi, spinach, escarole or chard and draping them over your pie. Wilting can be simply achieved by briefly sauteing your clean, still wet greens in some hot olive oil and garlic until softened.



Have a great party!

Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce
10 large Plum Tomatoes cut in half
1 teasp salt
1 teasp sugar
1 Tbs olive oil
a few basil leaves
1 clove garlic

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle w/ sugar and salt. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 45 minutes till very soft. Remove from baking sheet and place tomatoes in a sauce pan. Add the garlic clove and basil and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated. Watch the pot and don't let the tomatoes burn.
Remove garlic and basil and put the tomatoes through a food mill. You will (hopefully) have about a cup of very rich intensely flavored sauce, enough to cover eight individual sized pizzas.