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White sweet potato, lentil, and meyer lemon soup
February 22, 2012 — 6 Comments
It may be unseasonably warm outside today, but it is still very much soup weather.
Looking to finish our lemon month strong, I was inspired by Melissa Clark’s parsnip soup with meyer lemons, and the lemons do add that touch of brightness to an otherwise rich and filling soup.
You’ll need:
- 2 white sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1/2 t cumin
- 1 T smoky paprika (I used the South African smoke mix from Trader Joe’s)
- 1 T crushed curry leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme, chopped
- juice of 1/2 of a meyer lemon + 1/2 t zest
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 gloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups water
- salt
- olive oil
1. In a large stockpot, heat up 2 T olive oil and add the shallot and garlic. Cook until just getting translucent.
2. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into even-sized pieces. Add them to the pot together with thyme, half of the cumin and paprika, and curry leaves. Continue to cook at medium heat, about 10 minutes until lightly golden. Stir often.
3. Add the stock, water, lentils, and the remaining spices to the pot and bring up to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Taste for seasoning and add a little bit more salt or paprika, if you want.
4. Use an immersion blender – or scoop out in batches into a food processor – to puree the soup. I like to leave it just a little chunky. The texture of this soup is just beautiful.
5. Squeeze lemon juice and add lemon zest to the pureed soup. Sprinkle with a little more paprika flakes, lemon juice, or chili oil before serving, if desired.
Pancake day
February 21, 2012 — 10 Comments
Have you heard about the rule of the first pancake?
The first pancake in a batch never comes out just right and, really, it’s okay because there are many more to go.
It’s pancake week (or day) this week in many cultures. The Russian pancakes that I grew up eating tend to resemble crepes, though are a little bit thicker and more ‘lacey.’ I really prefer them eaten simply, with some homemade jam or lemon and sugar.
One of my favorite unexpected pancake recipes are our Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. It is also great to make the batter using buckwheat flour or something more nutty.
You’ll need:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup quick or rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 t salt
- 1 egg
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 T honey
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk (skim or 1-2%)
- 1 banana, diced
- cooking spray (or butter) for pan1/4 cup almonds1 banana, sliced
- In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, egg, cinnamon, and honey. Stir in the milk to the desired consistency. Stir in the bananas.
- Place a skillet on medium heat. After spraying the pan, pour batter into 4-inch diameter circles (using about 1/4 cup of batter).
- While the pancakes are cooking, hand chop the almonds on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
- Once the pancakes begin to bubble, flip them and cook for another minute or so on the other side until golden brown.
- Serve the pancakes with sliced bananas and chopped almonds. I love some golden syrup (or real maple syrup) on top too.
Serious Eats has a ton of fun pancake recipes for today. Definitely vouching for the fact that the addition of ricotta to pancakes makes them fluffier and happier, similar to the effect something like creme fraiche would have on an omelet.
Beef stew with dates, chard, and mustard greens
February 17, 2012 — 13 Comments
Friday night dinner time so here is my version of a beef bourguignon – a French beef stew made with red wine. It is full of slightly fruity, complex earthy flavors, and I love it!
This beef stew has a little bit of lemon peel, some dates, and wild Cyprus oregano, all balanced by some sturdy mustard greens, beet tops, and chicory.
You’ll need:
- 2.5-3 lbs of stewing beef, cubed
- 1/2 bottle full-bodied red wine (I used Beaujolais)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- the peel of one lemon (cut into 5 long strips)
- a handful of thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 sprig of sage
- 3 large mejool dates
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heirloom or beefsteak tomato
- 3 T whole wheat flour
- 1 T dried wild oregano
- approx 5 oz mixed leafy greens (swiss chard, red mustard, kale, spinach, beet tops etc.)
- olive oil
- salt pepper
1. Heat olive oil in your dutch oven or whatever you’re using to make the stew. Cook the shallots, onions, and garlic until lightly golden. Add in the rosemary, sage, and thyme.
2. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Deglaze with wine, stir well. Add stock, flour, lemon peel, dates, tomatoes, and wild oregano. Season. Lower heat and slowly bring to a simmer.
3. Cover the pot 3/4 of the way. Let the liquid reduce by about half, simmering for 1.5-2 hours, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning.
4. When the stew is ready, add the roughly chopped greens, mix to combine. Cook for 5-6 minutes until bright green and wilted. Turn off heat and serve immediately.
Roasted tomato salad
February 15, 2012 — 6 Comments
A colorful and creative dinner or lunchtime salad.
This was interesting for me because I tend to slow-roast tomatoes while these are cooked faster at a much higher temperature – the result is fantastic, with the speck crispy and the tomatoes full and ready to burst with flavor (recipe adapted from Donna hay magazine).
You’ll need:
- 12 oz mixed small tomatoes, whole
- one 4 oz packaged of speck
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 springs rosemary
- 1 t lemon zest
- 3 T shaved parmesan
- olive oil
- 1 t red wine vinegar
- salt, pepper
1. I used a baking sheet with a silpat for this – preheat oven to 425F. Place the speck on the baking sheet (if it is cut very thinly, double up the pieces), drizzle with olive oil and bake for approximately 8 minutes until golden.
2. Add the tomatoes, herbs, and lemon zest. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 minutes – you want the tomatoes to remain whole, but since they are all different sizes, the smaller ones may start to burst and that’s completely fine.
3. Serve on a large platter, mixing the speck, tomatoes, and herbs. Drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle with parmesan, serve warm.
Buddha’s hand: what is it and can you candy it?
February 14, 2012 — 18 Comments
I saw this fruit in the store the other week and went a little crazy – what is it? how do you eat it? why have I never seen it before?
This is Buddha’s hand – it is a citrus variety, with finger-like segments. It has no pulp and is basically made up only of pith and zest. It has no bitter aftertaste, even after cooking, and has a delicate, almost floral, citrus flavor.
Buddha's hand
You can zest Buddha’s hand and use it in drinks, as well. But its lack of pulp seemed to really lend itself to candying the peel, and I love candied fruit.
You’ll need:
- one Buddha’s hand
- 1 cup sugar + more for dusting
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 whole cloves
1. Cut the fruit first, in half, then divide into the finger segments, cutting lengthwise into thin strips.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. If you have made candy before, you know that sugar gets extremely hot and is not something you want to burn yourself with so, be careful!
3. Add the cloves and the fruit peel to the syrup. Bring back up to boil and cook for 10-15 minutes – depending on the size and quantity of fruit strips – until the fruit peel is shiny and translucent and the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly.
4. Strain – you can reserve the syrup for baking or tea – and invert the candied peel onto a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Let cool slightly and toss in sugar before storing in an airtight container.
Lemon curd
February 13, 2012 — 12 Comments
Homemade lemon curd - I’ve always loved it, always made it, but now it could not be simpler.
While browsing Baking Banter a few weeks ago, I came across this 10 minute lemon curd recipe.
I have now tested it a few times, and it is officially the simplest, fastest way to fresh lemon curd so, here it is!
You’ll need:
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (3 to 4 juicy lemons should do the trick)
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar (I used about 4/5 of a cup, because I prefer my curd on the tart side)
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick (4 oz) of butter
1. Melt the butter in the microwave, stopping to stir often so it does not get foamy.
All the ingredients are yellow!
2. Prepare a large, deep microwaveable bowl and another shallower, wide bowl to stack it in (this is to catch any drips).
3. In the large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar (by volume, this should only take up about 1/4 of your bowl).
4. Add in the melted butter and whisk well. Then add the lemons and lemon zest; continue to combine.
5. Place your stacked bowls in the microwave and microwave on medium-high or full power in 1 minute increments. Stop every minute and stir with a spatula.
6. At first, the curd will foam, then – for me, this was about at the 4th or 5th minute – it will start to thicken to a light custard consistency. Keep stirring and heating until the curd coats your spatula in a shiny, even coat.
Of course, you want to make sure the eggs are cooked/heated through, but when this happens, you will begin to see a reaction i.e. the curd will start to mound and ‘bubble up’ in the center. You don’t want it to get too bubbly so once this happens, I suggest microwaving in 30 second increments to finish it off.
7. Leave the curd in the bowl or jar and refrigerate. Once it is chilled, it will have a lovely, glossy, and spreadable consistency.
Don’t these look like little jars of gold?
Greek beef burgers with beetroot relish
February 11, 2012 — 14 Comments
I’ll be the first to admit it – I miss summer! I don’t think that going to Australia did me any favors in that sense either.
Bring the outdoors inside this winter – or if you’re in warmer climates, get that grill – and enjoy these feta and beef burgers.
And as a new way for us all to connect, don’t forget to head over to the brand new saffron&honey facebook page!
You’ll need:
- 1 lb best-quality beef mince
- 1 t Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup feta, roughly chopped into cubes
- half a clove of garlic, minced
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
For the pickled relish:
- 2 T green Greek olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 T chopped fresh mint
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 small cooked beets, cubed
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- pinch of salt
1. Combine all of the relish ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the minced beef with the seasonings, herbs, and cheese. Mix well – use your hands! And shape into large patties.
3. Preheat your grill pan with some olive oil to medium-high heat. Depending on the thickness of your patties, grill them for anywhere between 4 to 6 minutes on each side.
4. Top with relish and serve immediately, with a salad or on a seeded bun. I made a side of kale and baby brussels sprouts.
Lemon, fennel, and cucumber salad
February 10, 2012 — 13 Comments
Citrus and fennel are one of my favorite flavor combinations. The slight sweetness of the aniseed of the fennel is perfectly balanced by the fresh tartness of lemon.
As ever, be careful if you’re using a mandolin.
You’ll need (serves two):
- 1 large fennel bulb (reserve the fronds)
- 1 Meyer lemon
- 1 small cucumber/half a large cucumber
- 2 T chopped parsley
- 1 T chopped mint
- 1 t red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- salt
- white pepper
1.Trim the fennel and the cucumber. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice fennel and cucumber thinly. Thinly slice half of the lemon. Mix everything together in a large bowl.
2. Dress cucumber and fennel with the juice of the remaining half a lemon. Grate the rind of the juiced lemon into the salad.
3. Chop a handful of the fennel fronds and the rest of the herbs. Mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Season with salt and white pepper (this is just for aesthetic purposes, you can use black pepper too) and a drop of red wine vinegar. Drizzle with good olive oil and mix well before serving.
Cured tilefish with beetroot, vodka, and parsley
February 8, 2012 — 11 Comments
The Russian in me loves cured fish. There is nothing as perfect as a piece of rye bread with butter and a thin slice – or two – of salty fish on top.
It must be winter, because I am on a curing, preserving, and pickling streak of late. Not that this fish will last the season – it will be gone before you know it, one piece of bread at a time.
I got the idea of using this particular cure while reading an issue of Donna Hay magazine on my flight back from Melbourne (altered somewhat to my taste and available ingredients).
You’ll need:
- 1 T whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups Morton sea salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large or 2 smaller beetroot, cooked, peeled
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2-2.5 lb tilefish fillet, skin on
- toasted rye bread, olive oil or butter, pepper, to serve
1. In a food processor, combine the parsley and beetroot. Scoop into a bowl.
2. Mix beetroot-parsley with pepper, salt, sugar and vodka.
3. Prepare the fish – take out all the pin-bones and cut into three or four equal pieces (leave the skin on).
4. Layer two – or even three – pieces of plastic wrap on the counter. Spread half of the curing mix on the plastic wrap, top with fish pieces, skin-side down, and cover with remaining curing mix. Wrap tightly and place in a deep bowl or tray and weigh down on top with a baking sheet/some cans etc.
5. Keep in the fridge for 36 hours, turning every 12 hours or so.
6. Before serving, wipe or rinse the fillets to remove the salt mixture, and slice thinly.
Isn’t it just beautiful? The outside takes on the bright beetroot fuchsia shade while the inside of the fish stays delicately white.
Lemon, honey, and yogurt cake
February 6, 2012 — 21 Comments
Lemons are the ingredient of the month!
I love their freshness and the brightness of flavor that they impart on any dish, big or small. I love a little bit of lemon in a coffee, it’s perfect squeezed over oysters or fish, delicious preserved or pickled, and lemons are indispensable for making sauces, jams, baking, and even cleaning.
The melding of the delicate honey and lemon flavors in this tea cake are absolutely addictive, and I adore Meyer lemons – they are sweeter, milder lemon cousins with an incredible fragrant and thin rind. You can, of course, use regular lemons in this recipe, as well.
You’ll need:
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 T Meyer lemon zest
- 2 T Meyer lemon juice
- 1 cup whole yogurt
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 3 T thick honey (I used Tasmanian Christmas Bush)
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 1/2 whole wheat flour
For optional topping: 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice.
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients and the sugars. Add in the freshly grated lemon zest. Sift the flours together and slowly mix in until well-combined.
3. Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. It’s okay if it feels a little bouncy on the inside while it’s hot, it will set up a bit more as it cools.
4. Let cool slightly before turning out the cake. Mix the lemon juice and the sugar together and pour over the cake before serving.
