Earthy and sweet condiment for many uses
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Making a chutney had been on my wish list for a while and the chance materialized recently when, wanting to prepare a savory dish using dates, I came across recipes for Bengali tomato and date chutney (Tomato Khejur Chutney), each one a bit different.¹ Below I give you my version, adapted to my taste and influenced by my Italian roots.

For my first try, I had tomatoes from the farmers' market. We spent a few days in Central California and visited the Los Osos/Bayview² and San Luis Obispo² farmers' markets. We bought small globe tomatoes in both locations: They were good in salads, even better in the chutney (this version is in the small glass bowl on the bottom right in the photo below). For my second try, I used grape tomatoes (datterini, this version is in the white bowl in the photo below and in the small glass bowl on the bottom left in the photo above). For my final try, I used Campari tomatoes³ (this version is in the white bowl in the photo above).

The consistency of the chutney depends on the type of tomatoes:
1) small globe tomatoes made a creamier chutney (higher water content, less skin); given also the tomatoes' source, these gave my favorite result
2) grape tomatoes made a chunky chutney (lower water content, more skin), the flavor still excellent
3) Campari tomatoes made a chutney closer to #1

dates and raisins provide sweetness
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Dates are a favorite fruit and I always carry one on my bike rides. They are California-grown. Dates come in many varieties and while Medjool are the most common one, I suggest you try other varieties. Some years ago I tasted fresh Barhi dates, quite a treat.⁴ For the chutney, I used Deglet Noor, Dayri and Medjool. In this recipe I didn't really taste the difference. I bought the raisins (uvetta) at the farmers' market: no additives and big, so I chopped each into 2-3 pieces.

Finally, the spices: I did not look for panch phoron,⁵ but made a substitute mix using cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mustard and nigella seeds (semi di cumino, finocchio, fieno greco, senape e nigella). Some recipes cook the whole seeds in oil, while others dry-roast them and grind them before using. I went the whole-seed route.

ingredients for tomato and date chutney / IMG_5015

some of the ingredients (with Campari tomatoes)
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

I used grated fresh ginger (zenzero) and a splash of Meyer lemon juice instead of mango powder. And for chili, I used a small Italian peperoncino (which, together with the olive oil are the two Italian touches on the recipe), I skipped the sugar, since dates and raisins make the chutney sweet enough. One thing I did on my own is soften the dried fruit with lukewarm water before use.

ingredients for tomato and date chutney / IMG_5008

most of the ingredients (with grape tomatoes)
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

We liked all the versions I made and I plan to experiment further as more tomato varieties come to market, following the season. In particular, I will try again using ripe globe tomatoes that are not too big (3 for 9 ounces).

This chutney is a bit spicy and a bit sweet (not overly either) and brightens plain vegetables, like simply stewed cabbage, roasted cauliflower. I plan to try pairing it with legumes and fried eggs. All together, it comes together quickly and the result is delicious: it was hard not to eat it by the spoonful off the serving bowl.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Bengali-style Tomato and Date Chutney

Ingredients:

4 dates pitted and chopped small
1 tablespoon raisins (chopped before measured, if pieces are large)
1 tablespoon lukewarm water
9 ounces / 250 grams ripe globe tomatoes (3 tomatoes); see above for discussion about types of tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (original recipe: mustard oil)
1/4 teaspoon each of cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and nigella seeds
1 small Italian dry red chili (3/4 inch / 2 cm long), quartered and de-seeded
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh Meyer lemon juice (original recipe: dry mango powder), optional
1/8 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

Make sure the dried fruit does not contain added sugar. Put the dried fruit in a ramekin and add the lukewarm water, then stir. Let the fruit absorb the water for 15-20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times.

In the meantime, chop the tomatoes and gather them into a bowl.

Heat up an 8-inch / 20-cm skillet, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the 5 types of seeds and the peperoncino. Stir and fry briefly until the first seeds pop.

Add the grated ginger, stir and cook until the ginger is cooked but not brown.

Add the tomatoes and stir well. Cover the skillet and let the tomatoes cook on low heat until quite soft (6-8 minutes or as needed). Stir a couple of times while cooking.

Add the dry fruit and stir. Add the lemon juice and stir.

Cook on medium heat, uncovered, stirring and mashing the tomatoes against the side of the skillet with the back of the wooden spoon or spatula used for stirring. Cook until the chutney is thick, 5 minutes or so. (On the other hand, if the chutney becomes dry, add some warm water.)

Take the skillet off the heat, sprinkle the salt and stir.

Serve the chutney warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6 as a condiment.

If you have any leftovers, store in a small airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days (it never lasted that long at our house).

¹ Some recipes for Bengali tomato and date chutney: one, another, a third one, a fourth one
² Farmers' markets: Los Osos / Bayview and San Luis Obispo
³ Wikipedia entry for Campari tomato
⁴ From briciole's archive: fruit salad with fresh dates
⁵ Wikipedia entry for panch phoron

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

chutney di pomodori e datteri

or launch the chutney di pomodori e datteri audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

tomatoes, chutney, dates, Bengali cuisine

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chutney di pomodori e datteri

condimento un po' dolce e un po' piccante
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Era da un po' che volevo provare a preparare un chutney, condimento tipico della cucina del subcontinente asiatico e cercando una ricetta salata con i datteri ho trovato il chutney di pomodori e datteri bengalese. Ho letto diverse ricette, ognuna un po' diversa¹ e qui vi presento la mia versione, adattata ai miei gusti e influenzata dalle mie radici italiane.

datteri e uvetta lo rendono dolce
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Amo i datteri. Sono uno dei cibi che mi porto dietro quando faccio lunghi giri in bicicletta. Nel tempo ne ho provate diverse varietà. La loro dolcezza intensa fa si' che più di uno al giorno non riesco a mangiarne.

Qualche anno fa ho letto un libro che raccontava tra l'altro come la California sia diventata un centro di produzione di datteri di molte varietà. I datteri vanno mangiati quando sono secchi. Un'eccezione sono i Bahri gialli che si possono mangiare appena maturi: una delizia² che compare al mercato dei produttori solo per poco tempo in autunno.

palma da datteri a Thermal, in California

Ho provato a fare il chutney 3 volte utilizzando diversi tipi di pomodori e di datteri. La differenza tra i vari tipi di pomodori è importante mentre quella dei datteri lo è di meno: consiglio comunque di scegliere una varietà a buccia fina.

Per i pomodori, consiglio di sceglierli maturi, non troppo grossi (vedi ricetta) per un chutney di consistenza cremosa. Ho anche utilizzato i pomodori datterini: il risultato è un po' secco, meno cremoso, data la minor quantità di acqua e maggiore di buccia. Nelle foto mostro il risultato dei vari esperimenti fatti utilizzando diverse varietà di pomodori. Tutte e tre le versioni sono risultate ottime e ho usato il chutney per condire cavolfiore arrosto e cavolo stufato.

L'uvetta che ho comprato al mercato dei produttori non contiene additivi e gli acini sono enormi, per cui li ho tagliati in 2-3 pezzetti. Per quanto riguarda le spezie, non ho cercato il tradizionale mix panch phoron, ma l'ho sostituito con un misto di semi di cumino, finocchio, fieno greco, senape e nigella. In alcune ricette i semi interi vengono fritti nell'olio mentre in altre vengono tostati a secco, poi macinati prima dell'uso. Io ho scelto di utilizzare i semi interi.

ingredienti per chutney di pomodori e datteri / IMG_5008

gli ingredienti (con datterini); i semi sono (da sinistra a destra):
cumino, finocchio, fieno greco, senape e nigella
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Oltre allo zenzero fresco ho usato un po' di succo di limone, al posto della polvere di mango, e come ingrediente piccante un piccolo peperoncino, che, insieme all'olio di oliva rappresenta le mie radici italiane. Non ho usato zucchero: datteri e uvetta rendono il chutney dolce a sufficienza. Un dettaglio personale che ho aggiunto alla procedura è l'ammorbidimento della frutta secca in acqua tiepida prima dell'uso.

Questo chutney è piacevolmente piccante e dolce, ma non troppo. La preparazione non richiede molto tempo e il risultato è una delizia. Onestamente è difficile non mangiarselo a cucchiaini direttamente dalla ciotola.

Ingredienti:

4 datteri snocciolati e tagliati a pezzettini
1 cucchiaio di uvetta (se gli acini sono grossi, tagliateli in 2-3 pezzetti prima di misurarli)
1 cucchiaio di acqua tiepida
250 grammi di pomodori maturi tondi (3 pomodori)
1 cucchiaio di olio extra-virgine di oliva olive oil (ricetta originale: olio di senape)
1/4 cucchiaino di ciascuno dei seguenti tipi di semi: cumino, finocchio, fieno greco, senape e nigella
1 peperoncino piccolo (2 cm), tagliato in quattro e privato dei semi
1/2 cucchiaio di zenzero fresco grattugiato
1/2 cucchiaino di succo fresco di limone (ricetta originale: polvere di mango secco), facoltativo
1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino o q.b.

Assicuratevi che la frutta secca che usate non contenga zuccheri aggiunti. Mettete la frutta secca in una tazzina, aggiungete l'acqua tiepida e mescolate. Fate riposare per 15-20 minuti in modo che la frutta assorba l'acqua, mescolando 2-3 volte.

Nel frattempo, tagliate a pezzi i pomodori e metteteli in una ciotola.

Scaldate una padella di 20 cm di diametro, versateci l'olio d'oliva e ungete il fondo. Aggiungete i 5 tipi di semi e il peperoncino. Mescolate e friggete brevemente fino a quando i primi semi scoppiettano.

Aggiungete lo zenzero grattugiato, mescolate e cuocetelo, facendo attenzione che non imbrunisca.

Aggiungete i pomodori e mescolate bene. Coprite la padella e fate cuocere i pomodori a calore basso fino a quando siano molto morbidi (6-8 minuti o quanto necessario). Mescolate un paio di volte durante questa fase della cottura.

Aggiungete la frutta secca e mescolate, poi aggiungete il succo di limone e mescolate di nuovo.

Completate la cottura a fuoco medio, senza coperchio, mescolando e schiacciando i pomodori contro i lati della padella con il cucchiaio di legno o spatola che usate per mescolare. Cuocete fino a quando il chutney sia denso, 5 minuti o quanto necessario. (Ma se diventa secco, aggiungere un po' di acqua calda.)

Togliete la padella dal fuoco, salate il chutney e mescolatelo.

Servite il chutney caldo o a temperatura ambiente.

Serve 4-6 come condimento.

Conservate gli eventuali avanzi in un piccolo contenitore sigillato in frigorifero per 4-5 giorni (a casa nostra non è mai durato così a lungo).

¹ Alcune ricette per il chutney (tutte in inglese): una, un'altra, una terza, una quarta
² Dall'archivio di briciole: macedonia con datteri freschi (solo in inglese)

Contribuisco il mio chutney di pomodori e datteri dal Bengala vasta regione il cui territorio è divisto tra l'India e il Bangladesh, alla lettera D di Un mondo d'ingredienti evento creato dall'instancabile Aiu' di Trattoria Muvara

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

roasted vegetables with za’atar / verdure arrosto con za’atar

August 10, 2021 | Simona

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[versione in italiano]

roasted vegetables with za'atar / IMG_3938 (1)

the oven and za'atar turn summer vegetables into a flavorful side dish
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Also called wild thyme, za’atar is an herb typical of the Middle East. Chef Yotam Ottolenghi has this to say about it:

[Za’atar] has a distinctive, pungent, savoury aroma. Its scientific name, Origanum syriacum, hints at a connection to oregano, marjoram and the like, but, for me, its flavour evokes cumin, lemon, sage and mint.¹

Za’atar is also used to indicate a mix composed of the dried herb, sumac (obtained by grinding the berries of the shrub Rhus coriaria), salt and sesame seeds (semi di sesamo). If you purchase some za’atar mix, chances are, rather than za’atar (the herb), it contains dried thyme (timo secco), plus oregano and/or marjoram (origano e/o maggiorana). I first met za’atar in a spice jar, a mix of sumac, toasted sesame seeds, salt, cumin (cumino), thyme, oregano and marjoram. I used it up quickly in dishes like roasted cauliflower.²

Then I decided to make my own version. Given the popularity of za’atar (the mix), there are many recipes for it: the one I give below is the result of some experimenting. You can experiment with quantities to get to the balance of flavor you like. It is possible to purchase dried za’atar (at least online) and maybe one day I will do that. In the meantime, I use regular dried thyme.

The array of vegetables available this time of the year is sometimes overwhelming. I focused on a classic combination of zucchini, tomatoes and sweet onion. The photo above shows my favorite zucchini variety, Costata Romanesco, and a variety of plum tomatoes that perform well when roasted.

This is also the season of freshly harvested onion, which make for a lovely display, as in the photo above.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Roasted vegetables with za'atar

Ingredients for the za’atar mix (with dried thyme)

1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Ingredients for the vegetable side dish:

4 ounces / 113 grams sweet onion, like Walla Walla
1 pound / 450 grams zucchini or other summer squash
1/2 pound / 8 ounces / 225 grams tomatoes (small Early Girl, plum cherry, grape or red cherry)
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon / 15 ml + 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon / 15 ml za'atar spice mix

To make the za'atar mix, briefly whiz the first 5 ingredients in a spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle to grind the thyme and oregano, then add the following 3 ingredients and grind some more.

Transfer to a small glass jar, add the sesame seeds, cover, shake and use as directed.

To prepare the roasted vegetables, heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Lightly olive oil the bottom of a 3 quart / 3 liter glass baking dish using 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of the extra-virgin olive oil.

Dice the onion. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise then slice crosswise (no more than 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm thick). If the zucchini is plump, divide each half into thirds lengthwise before slicing. Halve the small tomatoes, quarter the larger ones, lengthwise.

Place all the vegetables in the baking dish and stir to mix. Place the baking dish in the oven. After 20 minutes, take the baking dish out of the oven and stir the vegetables. After another 5 minutes, check a piece of zucchini: the dish may be done or may need a few more minutes.

In the meantime, put the za'atar in a ramekin and slowly pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil while stirring to make a paste.

When the vegetables are ready, take the baking dish out of the oven and transfer onto a serving plate. Drizzle the za'atar on the vegetable and stir well. (Note: I took the photos before tossing to show the za'atar.) Taste and adjust the salt, if needed.

Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4.

roasted vegetables with za'atar / IMG_3936-2

hurry up: the vegetables are better when hot from the oven
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

You can dress other vegetables with the za’atar paste or dip bread into it and you can sprinkle za’atar on roasted meat or fish, flatbread or pizza. Making your own za’atar means you always have it handy.

¹ Source: article on the Guardian
2 My post on roasted cauliflower with za'atar

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

verdure arrosto con za'atar

or launch the verdure arrosto con za'atar audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

zucchini, onion, tomatoes, zaatar, side-dish

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verdure arrosto con za'atar

il fornp e za'atar turasformano verdure estive in un contorno saporito
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Za’atar (Origanum syriacum) è un'erba tipica del Medio Oriente. Con lo stesso nome si indica anche una miscela di spezie che contiene la stessa erba, sumac (sommacco, Rhus coriaria) sale e semi di sesamo.

Le prime volte ho usato za’atar comprato, un misto di sumac, semi di sesamo tostati, sale, cumino, timo, origano e maggiorana. L'ho finito rapidamente utilizzandolo in piatti come cavolfiore arrosto.¹

Poi ho deciso di preparare la mia versione. Ci sono molte ricette per lo za’atar (la miscela). Quella qui sotto è il risultato dei miei esperimenti. Forse un giorno cercherò l'erba za'atar, ma nel frattempo uso il timo secco.

Per questo contorno ho scelto la combinazione zucchine, pomodori e cipolla dolce. La foto in altro mostra le mie zucchine preferite e una varietà di pomodorini ottima per piatti al forno. La foto qui sotto mostra delle splendide cipolle.

Ingredienti per lo za’atar (miscela con timo secco)

1 cucchiaio / 15 ml timo secco
1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml origano secco
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml sumac (sommacco)
1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml sale fino
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml cumino in polvere
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml semi di sesamo tostati

Ingredienti per il contorno:

113 grammi cipolle di una varietà dolce
450 grammi zucchine
225 grammi pomodorini
4 spicchi d'aglio, pelati e tagliati in quattro per lungo
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml + 2 cucchiai / 30 ml olio extra-vergine di olica
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml za'atar

Per preparare lo za'atar (miscela), pestare in un mortaio timo e origano, poi aggiungere sumac, sale e cumino e pestare ancora un po'. Versare in un vasetto di vetro, aggiungere i semi di sesamo, mettere il coperchio e shakerare.

Per preparare le verdure arrosto, scaldare il forno a 190 C.

Oliare il fondo di una teglia da forno di vetro da 3 litri con 1 cucchiaio / 15 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva.

Tagliare a dadini la cipolla. Tagliare in quarti le zucchine per lungo, poi tagliare a pezzetti non più spessi di 1,25 cm. Tagliare i pomodorini a metà o in quarti per lungo.

Mettere tutte le verdure nella teglia e mescolare. Mettere la teglia nel forno. Dopo 20 minuti, mescolare le verdure. Dopo altri 5 minuti, testare un pezzetto di zucchina: il piatto può essere pronto o necessitare di alcuni minuti di cottura aggiuntivi.

Nel frattempo mettere lo za'atar in una ciotolina e versare lentamente gli altri 2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva, mescolando per fare una crema.

Quando le verdure sono pronte, sfornarle e trasferirle su un piatto da portata. Versare il condimento sulle verdure e mescolare bene. (Nota: ho scattato le foto prima di mescolare le verdure in modo da mostrare lo za'atar.) Assaggiare e, se necessario, aggiustare di sale.

Servire immediatamente (3-4 porzioni).

le verdure sono più buone quando sono ben calde
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Se preparate lo za'atar in casa lo avrete sempre a disposizione per provarlo in altre combinazioni vegetariane o meno.

¹ Il mio post con la ricetta di cavolfiore arrosto con za'atar

Porto le mie verdure arrosto con za'atar sulla tavola del 7° mese del gruppo Fattoria consapevole e solidale: spezie e aromi

La lista delle ricette contribuite questo mese

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentare il prodotto sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Purgatory bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear / insalata di fagioli del Purgatorio con tahina e pera asiatica

November 28, 2016 | Simona

Bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear / DSC_8073

Flavors from around the world

Federico García Lorca¹ is one of my favorite poets, so when I came across a novel whose protagonist's name was Lorca, I had to read it: I am glad I followed my impulse. Jessica Soffer's Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots² is the current selection of our Cook the Books Club. The book brings together a group of people who all carry a heavy burden of pain: the pain of exile from homeland and from motherhood, the pain of an aloof mother and an absent father, the pain of loneliness, abandonment, inadequacy. Food is one way through which the novel's characters work through the destruction such pain causes in their life. All of them find that what they believed or hoped to be true wasn't, and the shock of discovery if partly absorbed by food.

While at times the plot didn't flow quite smoothly, what kept my attention alert was the shared yearning for a connection with someone close to us. We often express that yearning in awkward ways, but it is a cry that wants to be heard and we should honor it in ourselves and others. One of the ways in which such cry materializes in the novel is the determination of Lorca to replicate a dish her chef mother has praises above anything else she has ever eaten. On the one hand the dish acquires mythical qualities, on the other we know it is a stand-in for something different, but we go along and cheer Lorca in her quest. She is helped by Victoria, a recently widowed Iraqi Jewish immigrant who used to run a restaurant.

fagioli del Purgatorio (Purgatory Beans)

There is plenty of food in the novel and the reading made me focus on how many different foods contribute to my culinary world. I am also an immigrant, so there are foods I got to know in my country of origin, Italy, and foods I met in my adoptive country and I use all of them in my kitchen. While I sometimes have nostalgia for a specific food item or dish, I find inspiration in what I have available and like to explore flavors that were unknown to me when I was growing up.

In honor of Victoria's Iraqi heritage, I thought it was time I made my own tahini and made it using toasted sesame seeds (semi di sesamo tostati). I then used it to make a sauce with which I dressed fagioli del Purgatorio (Purgatory Beans)³, small white beans grown on the volcanic soil of a beautiful region of Italy, around Lago di Bolsena⁴. I bought them from my trusted legume provider in Perugia⁵, attracted by their name. I later read about the century old tradition of Pranzo del Purgatorio in the town of Gradoli. Every year on Fat Thursday the group of men called the Fratellanza del Purgatorio goes around asking people for contributions, products that are then sold at auction to finance the Pranzo which occurs on Ash Wednesday and on whose menu the beans are prominently featured⁶.

sesame seeds toasted and raw

The small beans cook relatively quickly, are firm in texture and delicate in flavor. I dressed them with tahini sauce, something that would probably raise a few eyebrows in their homeland, where they are served dressed with the local olive oil. Some finely diced Asian pear offers a nice lightly sweet contrast to the earthy beans and the intense tahini.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Purgatory bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear

Ingredients for toasted sesame tahini:

1 cup /150 g / 5 1/4 ounces white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredients for the beans:

1 cup / 200 g / 7 ounces fagioli del Purgatorio or other small beans (see Notes below)
3 cups / 700 ml water
A bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, peeled
A 1-inch / 2.5 cm piece of kombu (optional)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredients for the tahini sauce:

1/4 cup / 60 ml tahini, homemade or store-bought
1/4 cup / 60 ml water
4 teaspoons / 20 ml fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 roasted garlic cloves, peeled and crushed OR 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Additionally:

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
Asian pear (any variety)

Notes: You can use another variety of beans. The cooking time will vary. Also, you can purchase the tahini, rather than make your own, and follow the recipe starting from cooking the beans.

How to make toasted sesame tahini
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. This will take just a few minutes, so guard the seeds like a hawk: they will burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.

Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

How to cook the beans
Rinse the beans then place them in a saucepan with the water, bay leaf, garlic, kombu (if using) and salt. Bring the water to a lively boil quickly, and keep it there for two minutes, then turn down the heat and let the beans simmer, covered, until they are tender. Taste them after 1 hour and estimate if/how much longer they should cook.

Let the beans cool in their broth, then remove the aromatics and discard them. Let the beans rest in their cooking broth until ready to use.

How to make tahini sauce
Rather than raw garlic, I prefer to use roasted garlic, whose flavor is more muted. As I use the oven often, it is easy for me to wrap a few unpeeled garlic cloves in foil and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the oven temperature.

Whiz all the tahini sauce ingredients until smooth. You will get more than you need for the beans, but this sauce can be used to dress roasted or steamed vegetables.

How to finish the dish
Drain the beans. (I use the bean broth in soups.) Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and stir well.

Finely dice the pear. Depending on its size, you probably won't need it all.

For each portion, place 1/2 cup of beans in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the diced pear and stir. Drizzle one tablespoon of the tahini sauce on the top. Serve with additional tahini sauce on the side.

Serves 4.

bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear / DSC_8069

add broccoli and you have a nice meal

The result may not be a vibrantly colored dish, but it is one that surprises with its flavor. It's not Purgatory, but a small, simple Paradise.

¹ Federico García Lorca
² Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer
³ Fagioli del Purgatorio (Slow Food)
⁴ Lake Bolsena
⁵ Drogheria Bavicchi
⁶ Pranzo del Purgatorio: This announcement of the 2014 edition says that the lunch prepared will feed 2,000 people. For it, 550 pounds of beans will be cooked, besides large quantities of various types of fish, as on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent (Quaresima), traditionally no meat is consumed.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di fagioli del Purgatorio con tahina e pera asiatica

or launch the insalata di fagioli del Purgatorio con tahina e pera asiatica audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

I contribute my dish also to My Legume Love Affair #101, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, and hosted this month by me, Simona of briciole.

The roundup of the event.

Finally, I am contributing my bean salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, who is also a co-host of our Cook the Books club.

The roundup of the event.

beans, tahini, sesame-seeds, bean salad, Asian pear, Italian cuisine

raita ai cachi / persimmon raita

November 16, 2014 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

something sweet & something sour come together in the bowl

To celebrate the second stop of our World Culinary ABC, India, I prepared a raita using my favorite fall fruit.

Raita is a condiment made with yogurt seasoned with herbs and/or spices (erbe aromatiche e/o spezie). Cucumber (cetriolo) is often added, but I've seen also versions with fruit. I think delicately sweet Fuyu persimmons perfectly balance yogurt's sourness and only a light touch of spices is needed to support the marriage.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Persimmon raita

Ingredients:

2 ripe Fuyu persimmons, 8 ounces / 225 g (see Note below)
1 cup / 8 ounces / 225 g plain yogurt, possibly organic, creamy in texture and without additives; I used plain, non-fat Straus Family Creamery yogurt
A pinch of vanilla sea salt, or fine sea salt
A pinch of fresh orange zest (from an organic orange)
A smidgen of ground cloves (chiodi di garofano)
A smidgen of ground nutmeg (noce moscata)
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml fluid honey
2 tablespoons chopped lightly toasted pecans

Makes about 2 cups / 475 ml

Note: Fuyu is a non-astringent variety of persimmon: it can be eaten when firm or it may be left to ripen (and soften). For this recipe, at least one of the persimmons must be ripe and soft, so its pulp can be puréed. The other persimmon can be firmer. Depending on what is available in your area, you may try to use another non-astringent variety of persimmon.

Wash the persimmons, halve them, pull away the flower-shaped stem (calyx) and halve each half. Use the knife to remove the core and any seeds. Choose the ripest one, peel it, trying to remove as little pulp as possible, then chop it. Coarsely purée in a blender, then transfer to a bowl.

Peel the other persimmon, trying to remove as little pulp as possible, then dice it. Set aside.

Add the yogurt to the bowl with the puréed persimmon and stir. Sprinkle salt and spices and fold them in. Drizzle honey and fold it in.

Fold in the reserved persimmon slices and half the pecans, then sprinkle the rest on the surface. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed. Take the bowl out of the refirgerator ahead of time so the raita is not too cold. Fold in the surface pecans before serving.

This fruity raita has quickly become a household favorite. For example, I served it with roasted chicken breast and used it to dress steamed romanesco broccoli. My husband ate it as a dip with some of my Roasted Corn Sourdough bread.

As the days turn decidedly gray, persimmons illuminating the kitchen with their warm glow are a comforting pleasure: their cheerful color is a promise that the sun will shine again some day in the blue spring sky.

I contribute my raita to the 2nd installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. B like Barlampur (India) is hosted by Cinzia of Cindystar.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

raita ai cachi

or launch the raita ai cachi audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

raita, persimmon, yogurt, Indian cuisine

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raita ai cachi

qualcosa di dolce & qualcosa di acidulo si incontrano nella ciotola

La seconda tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale è l'India e per celebrarla ho preparato raita con il mio frutto autunnale preferito.

Raita è una salsa di yogurt insaporito con erbe aromatice e/o spezie. Un ingrediente frequente è il cetriolo, ma ho anche visto versioni con frutta. Credo che la dolcezza delicata del cachi Fuyu bilanci bene l'acidulo dello yogurt e giusto un tocco di spezie è tutto quanto serve per perfezionare il connubio.

Il cachi fuyu (chiamato anche cachi mela o cachi vaniglia, non astringente) si distingue dal cachi comune (astringente) per il fatto che non ha bisogno di ammezzimento, cioè ha la polpa soda e si può mangiare subito dopo la raccolta oppure lo si può lasciar maturare, nel qual caso diventa più morbido. Inoltre, è meno dolce del cachi comune.

Ingredienti:

2 cachi Fuyu maturi / 225 g (vedi Nota in basso)
225 g yogurt bianco cremoso, possibilmente bio e privo di additivi
Un pizzico di sale fino, se possibile aromatizzato alla vaniglia
Una puntino di cucchiaino di buccia d'arancia bio grattugiata
Un pizzichino di chiodi di garofano
Un pizzichino di noce moscata
Mezzo cucchiaino/ 2.5 ml miele fluido
2 cucchiai di noci pecan tostate tritate

La ricetta produce circa 2 tazze / 475 ml

Nota: Per questa ricetta, almeno uno dei due cachi deve essere maturo e piuttosto morbido, in modo da poter frullare la polpa, mentre l'altro può essere un po' più sodo. A seconda di quanto disponibile nella vostra zona potete provare ad utilizzare per la ricetta un'altra varietà di cachi non astringente.

Lavare i cachi, tagliarli a metà, rimuovere il gambo e tagliare a metà ciascuna metà. Col coltello, , tagliare lo pseudo-torsolo (la parte chiara al centro) e rimuovere eventuali semi. Scegliere il più maturo, sbucciarlo cercando di rimuovere meno polpa possibile e tagliarlo a pezzi. Frullarlo brevemente e poi versare il purè in una ciotola.

Sbucciare l'altro cachi cercando di rimuovere meno polpa possibile, poi tagliarlo a dadini. Mettere da parte.

Versare lo yogurt nella ciotola con il purè di cachi e mescolare. Distribuire sale e spezie sulla superficie ed incorporare. Fare lo stesso con il miele.

Incorporare le fettine di cachi messe da parte in precedenza e metà delle noci pecan, poi distribuire il resto sulla superficie. Mettere in tavola subito o coprire e conservare in frigorifero. Tirare fuori dal frigorifero un po' prima di servire in modo tale che la raita non sia troppo fredda. Mescolare prima di servire in modo da incorporare le noci pecan.

Questa raita fruttata ha avuto un successo immediato a casa. Per esempio, l'ho servita con del petto di pollo arrosto e l'ho usata per condire del cavolo broccolo romanesco broccoli cotto al vapore. Mio marito ci ha intinto del mio pane al lievito naturale con chicchi di mais arrosto.

Ora che le giornate tendono decisamente al grigio, i cachi che iluminano la cucina col loro colore caldo sono di conforto, la promessa che un giorno il sole tornerà a splendere nell'azzurro cielo primaverile.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla seconda tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. B come Barlampur (India) è ospitata da Cinzia of Cindystar.

La lista delle ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

broccoli al vapore con salsina al miso e noci / steamed broccoli with walnut miso dressing

June 15, 2014 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

fresh from the farmers' market

When vegetables are this fresh and pretty, it is almost a pity to cut them up and cook them, so I try to treat them gently. In this recipe, I steam them until tender to my liking and accompany them with a nut-based dressing.

just steamed

I save the water at the bottom of the pot where I steam the broccoli and use it to blend miso and lightly toasted walnuts.

red miso, walnuts and the dressing

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for steamed broccoli with walnut miso dressing

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. / 680 g broccoli OR 1 lb. / 450 g broccoli and 1/2 lb. / 230 g romanesco broccoli (cavolo broccolo romanesco), freshly harvested and possibly organic
1/4 cup / 60 ml broccoli cooking water
1 oz. / 30 g walnuts
1 tablespoon / 20 g mild red miso (see Note below)

Note: miso (fermented soybeans with rice or barley and salt) comes in several varieties, i.e., various degrees of flavor intensity and saltiness. The one I use has a nice balance of both characteristics and it is also in balance — in terms of quantity — with the vegetables, so the flavor of the dressing does not overwhelm that of the broccoli. You may need to adjust the amount of miso up or down based on the kind you use and your personal preference, but try to keep the balance so no note rings louder than the others.

Prepare the broccoli
Wash and cut broccoli heads into florets. Halve large florets lengthwise to get bite-sized pieces. Peel the tough outer layer of the stalk(s), quarter if very thick, and cut crosswise into coins. Steam to desired softness. (I like both broccoli and cauliflower soft, but I know that not everybody shares my preference.)

Remove broccoli from the steam basket and let cool in a salad bowl. Set aside the cooking water.

Prepare the walnuts
If your walnuts are freshly cracked, toast them lightly in a dry pan, shaking the pan often.

Otherwise, in her “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone”, Deborah Madison gives instructions on how to treat walnuts to improve their flavor when they aren't freshly cracked, and make them less irritating for people who are sensitive to their skins. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add walnuts and let them stand for one minute, then drain them and absorb the excess moisture with a towel. Finally, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and place them in the oven preheated to 300 F until they have dried out, 15-20 minutes. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are dry. (I do this for 6-8 oz. / 170-225 g walnuts at a time since I use walnuts often in my recipes. Store walnuts in the refrigerator.)

Prepare the dressing
Close to serving time, place walnuts into a blender and chop finely.

Add miso and water and blend.

Pour dressing onto the broccoli, using a slender spatula to get all the dressing out of the blender.

Stir well and serve. (The amount of salt in the miso I use is sufficient; depending on the miso of your choice, you may need to adjust the salt.)

Serves 5-6.

steamed broccoli with miso walnut dressing

ready for dinner

I like to serve farm-fresh broccoli dressed this way as a side (contorno) to Alice Waters's slow-cooked king salmon.

This is my contribution to edition #437 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and Brii of briggishome. and hosted this week by Haalo.

The roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

broccoli al vapore con salsina al miso e noci

or launch the broccoli al vapore con salsa al miso e noci audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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broccoli, miso, walnut, side dish

broccoli al vapore con salsina al miso e noci

freschi dal farmers' market

Quando la verdura è così fresca e bella è quasi un peccato tagliarla e cuocerla, quindi uso maniere delicate: cottura al vapore e un velo di condimento.

cotti al vapore

Metto da parte l'acqua che rimane in forno alla pentola nella quale cuocio i broccoli e la uso per frullare miso e noci tostate.

miso rosso, noci e salsina

Ingredienti:

680 g broccoli oppure 450 g broccoli e 230 g cavolo broccolo romanesco, freschi e possibilmente bio
60 ml acqua di cottura dei broccoli
30 g noci (vedi sotto)
20 g miso rosso delicato (vedi Nota)

Dosi per 5-6 porzioni

Note: esistono diverse varietà di miso (fagioli di soia fermentati), dal sapore più o meno intenso e più o meno salate. La varietà che uso io è equilibrata per quanto riguarda queste caratteristiche e ne uso una quantità tale da non sopraffare i broccoli. A seconda del tipo di miso che usate e dei vostri gusti potreste doverne aumentare o diminuire la quantità, ma cercate di mantenere un equilibrio tale che nessuna nota risulti più acuta delle altre.

Preparare i broccoli
Lavare e tagliare i broccoli a cimette. Pelare il gambo, tagliarlo in quattro per lungo se molto grosso, poi tagliarlo a rondelle. Cuocere al vapore fino a che i broccoli non siano teneri a seconda del vostro gusto.

Togliere dal cestello e far raffreddare in un'insalatiera. Mettere da parte l'acqua di cottura.

Preparare le noci
Se le noci sono appena sgusciate, tostatele leggermente in una padellina a secco, scuotendo la padellina spesso.

Altrimenti, nel suo libro “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone”, Deborah Madison spiega come trattare le noci per migliorare il loro sapore quando non sono appena sgusciate e renderle meno irritanti per le persone sensibili alla pellicina che le ricopre. Portare a bollore una pentolina d'acqua, versarci le noci e sbollentarle per un minuto, poi scolarle e assorbire l'eccesso di umidità con uno strofinaccio.

Distribuire le noci su una placca foderata con un tappetino di silicone da forno. Mettere nel forno scaldato a 150 C fino a quando le noci si sono asciugate bene, 15-20 minuti. Tirare fuori dal forno non appena sono asciutte. (Preparo in questo modo 170-225 g di noci per volta, dal momento che le uso spesso nelle mie ricette. Conservare le noci in frigorifero.)

Preparare la salsina
Verso l'ora del pasto, mettere le noci in un frullatore e tritare.

Aggiungere miso e acqua e far andare il frullatore fino a che si formi una crema.

Versare la salsina sui broccoli. Usare una spatolina per estrarre tutta la salsina dal frullatore.

Mescolare bene e servire. (Il sale nel miso che uso è sufficiente. A seconda del miso che scegliete, potreste dover aggiustare il sale.)

pronti per cena

Mi piace servire questi broccoli come contorno al salmone cotto lentamente al forno (ricetta di Alice Waters).

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 437 di Weekend Herb Blogging, evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, ora organizzato da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e Brii di briggishome e ospitato questa settimana da Haalo.

Il raccolto dell'evento.

lorighittas al sugo piccante / lorighittas with spicy hot tomato sauce

April 28, 2013 | Simona

ready to dry

Inspiration often comes unexpectedly. When I followed the link to read this post by Aioulik of Trattoria MuVarA (in Italian), I expected to be reminded of some of the great dishes typical of the Sardinian cuisine. The photo of the lovely pasta shape resembling a miniature wreath or an earring made me search immediately online for information. Shortly afterwards, I was at the kneading board. Later, I posted this phost to my Instagram feed:

from my first batch of lorighittas

I think it was not bad for my first try.

According to online sources, lorighittas are typical of the Sardinian town of Morgongiori (province of Oristano). As explained on this page, the name comes from sa loriga, a Sardinian word that indicates the iron ring fixed to the wall of a house to which horses or donkeys were tethered.

In this video (in Italian), the woman interviewed talks about the tradition of making lorighittas. She adds the salt to the water rather than the semola (in this post, there is a brief discussion of the various products obtained by milling durum wheat) and calls that battezzare (to baptize). She says that the pasta is fully dried, a process that takes several days. I assume the drying is done for storage.

Other interesting things from the video are the beautiful basket on which the lorighittas are laid out to dry and the repurposed meat grinder. Instead of a basket, I used a cookie sheet lined with a cotton kitchen towel (see top photo). I then covered the lorighittas with another towel.

To make lorighittas you roll the dough into a string that is thin enough, but not so thin as to break during the shaping. The meat grinder made a lot of sense, so I decided to try using it. Unfortunately, the disk I have (only one, since my meat grinder is basically an antique) does not produce smooth strings, so my experiment did not end satisfactorily. I went back to rolling with my hands.

Shaping the lorighittas requires a bit of attention. In this video, you can see my hands at work.

A quick comparison with the hands of the women in the previous video shows that I have a little way to go before I can contemplate making lorighittas for a large party. But I am determined to improve with practice.

Considering that I had chosen a complex pasta shape, I thought I would go easy in terms of sauce. Having missed last month's edition of Pasta Please, I wanted to comply with this month's theme, chili peppers, so I made simple tomato sauce using my strained roasted tomatoes and I spiked it with peperoncino.

See this bunch of peperoncini? I have had them for some time and I can assure you they've lost none of their potency.

bright red peperoncini & big zucchini blossoms

I bought them during my only visit to the farmers' market in Milan, shortly after they opened it. I had a mixed experience there, but walked away with, among other things, a pretty bunch of peperoncini, fiery in both color and flavor, which I have been using ever since.

Ingredients for the pasta (I recommend weighing both flour and water because the quantities involved are small)

100 g / 3.5 ounces semolina flour of good quality (see the post on orecchiette for details on products of ground durum wheat)
50 g / 1.75 ounces warm water
a pinch of salt

Ingredients for the spicy tomato sauce:

Olive oil
Two garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups strained roasted tomatoes (thawed, if frozen)
A red chili pepper (see below for details)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly grated fiore sardo, to taste

Make lorighittas
Make a dough with the three ingredients and knead until nice and smooth. [This post (with video) talks about how to make semolina pasta dough] Let the dough rest, covered, for at least half an hour.

Roll the dough into a thick salami and cut it into pieces. Keep them covered while you shape the lorighittas. You don't want the dough to dry out. Roll each piece into a thin string, not thicker than 1/6 inch / 0.4 cm diameter (see Note below). Wrap the string around the four fingers twice then break the dough and join the two ends by pressing lightly. Note: if the rings come out too long and you have trouble with the next step, try using only three fingers. Thread one loop into the other a few times until the two strands are woven into a sort of two-strand braid.

Continue until all the dough is used. You may want to dust lightly with flour the surface where you lay the shaped lorighittas, to prevent them from sticking. And you may need to wet your hands if they get too dry while shaping the pasta (it happened to me).

The first time I made the pasta, I cooked it a few hours after I had shaped it. The second time, I dried it for a couple of days to see how it looked. Note: someone whose mother is from Morgongiori kindly commented on FB that the string of dough must be thinner than it appears in my version of lorighittas. I am aware that in my first rendition the string of dough was a bit thick. Also, the perspective of the close-up photos is somewhat tricky. Finally, I learned by myself, just watching a video, so I make no claims about the authenticity of my lorighittas. As I mentioned above, the dough should be thin, but not so thin as to break when you roll it around your fingers. I am sure my technique would improve if I could spend some time in Morgongiori with the pros and if I am ever in Sardinia, you can be sure I'd visit the town and look for a mentor.

just shaped

Prepare the spicy tomato sauce
In a small saucepan, warm up a bit of olive oil, then add garlic and chili pepper. Choose the chili pepper's size and how you cut it based on how spicy you want your sauce. In my household, the preference goes to mild spicyness, so I chose a smallish peperoncino. I left it whole and snapped off the stem and the small cap to which it is attached.

Cook gently for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove garlic and chili pepper. Adjust salt, to taste. Note that this will make more sauce than you need to dress the pasta, but once you have the sauce ready, I am sure you'll find ways of using it, like making more handmade pasta.

If you find that the sauce is too hot for your taste, make another batch without peperoncino and then blend the two.

Cook the pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then toss the lorighittas in it (what in Italian we call: buttare giù la pasta). The time needed is a bit variable, depending on the size of lorighittas, how dry they are, etc. Dry lorighittas take quite some time to cook, so be patient. Taste and stop the cooking when the lorighittas are ready. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and drain the lorighittas. Place in a bowl, distribute some tomato sauce (reheated if necessary), and toss. Finally, sprinkle some cheese on top and serve immediately.

Alternatively, while the pasta is cooking, place a few tablespoons of the sauce in a small skillet and warm it up. Drain the pasta and drop it into the skillet with the sauce. Stir well over medium-low heat for a minute. Sprinkle some of the cheese and stir one last time. Plate and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the top. Serve immediately.

The recipe makes two small portions.

pretty on the plate

Every time I make a new pasta shape, I think it is the prettiest I have made so far. Lorighittas stand well with the spicyness of the peperoncino in the sauce. I honestly liked the fresh version a bit better, but I am glad I dried one batch. I will do it again and complete the drying process, so I can store the pasta for later use.

This is my contribution to the current edition of Pasta Please, a new pasta-centric event created by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and hosted this month by Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen. The theme this month is: chillies (a.k.a. chili peppers).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

The top photo is my contribution to edition #81 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to sepia (using Lightroom preset Sepia Tone).

This post contains the gallery of images submitted to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

lorighittas al sugo piccante

or launch the lorighittas al sugo piccante audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

handmade pasta, semolina flour, chili pepper

borș / crusca di frumento fermentata / fermented wheat bran

March 31, 2013 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

wheat bran

My kitchen will never be featured in a fashion magazine and I am fine with that. Even on a good day, it's pretty chaotic. The top of the refrigerator is my fermentation department, where there is always something bubbling

the fermentation department

From the left:

flaked barley for my husband's breakfast (see this post: I process barley the same way I process rye)
borș
kefir (which is light-sensitive so it is cloaked in a kitchen towel)

I didn't know what borș was until I read this in the wikipedia entry for Romanian cuisine:

Quite different types of dishes are sometimes included under a generic term; for example, the category ciorbă includes a wide range of soups with a characteristic sour taste. These may be meat and vegetable soups, tripe (ciorbă de burtă) and calf foot soups, or fish soups, all of which are soured by lemon juice, sauerkraut juice, vinegar, or traditionally borş.

Borș is a fermented wheat bran used in Romanian cuisine to make traditional sour soup called ciorbă.

Addendum (4/9/2014): A Romanian woman kindly sent me this information: "the essential flavors you need in a Ciorbă apart from the Borș are lovage (herb) and celeriac root. Without these two it's never the same."

Fermented wheat bran sounded interesting. Cristina of La cucina di Cristina confirmed to me that borș is very popular in Romania. There are women who make it and bring it to the market and people fill their bottles with it. It is a fascinating tradition.

starter culture

I chose to follow this recipe, scaled down. I made the starter culture by mixing in a pint-size (half-liter) glass jar:

125 g cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
300 ml of water

I put the jar on top of the refrigerator, its opening covered with a light cloth. The photo above shows the starter culture slightly less than two days after I set it to ferment. It smelled deliciously sour, so I moved on to the next step.

getting borș started

In a two-quart (two-liter) glass jar, I put:

2 teaspoons cornmeal
100 g organic wheat bran (crusca di frumento)
1 liter boiling water (acqua bollente)

The boiling water sterilizes the field before the addition of the mother culture. I let the water cool to lukewarm then added a scant tablespoon of the starter culture, taken from the middle of the jar. I screwed the lid and rocked the larger jar to mix the content, then loosened the lid and put the jar where you see it in the top photo.

I should have checked the jar of borș one day after the beginning of the fermentation, but I didn't. When I smelled it for the first time, two days after the beginning of the fermentation, my nose was confused. The borș did not "smell pleasant, nearly as the mild juice of salt cucumbers." Its smell was fairly strong, a smell I could not compare with any other in my memory. I could not tell whether what I had done was wrong or just overfermented, because I had no frame of reference. I should have probably discarded this first batch of borș and if you decide to try, I'd suggest you do so (Cristina also told me to do that). However, I didn't discard it.

I did not have time to work more on the project, so I filtered out most of the borș and put it in another glass jar, then put both jars in the refrigerator (one with the borș and the other with the residual fermented wheat bran). I then took

1/4 cup /60 ml of the borş and diluted it with
water to fill a quart-size (one-liter) glass jar.

The smell of the mixture reminded me of kefir whey. I used some of it to make the rye bread (pane di segale) shown in this post. The original recipe suggests to use dill or sour pickle juice. My substitution worked beautifully. (And instead of sour cream, I used drained kefir — having my homemade kefir is really great.)

I decided to give another try to the borş I had filtered out from the large jar. After four days in the refrigerator, its smell was much milder, probably because there was no fermented wheat bran in the jar. I decided to try to use it in a soup. I made a pumpkin soup that I am familiar with and used 1/2 cup (120 ml) of my borș to make it, together with my vegetable stock and some water. I chose a soup I am familiar with so that I could evaluate the change in flavor. The sour note is definitely there and it is pleasant. With some dukkah sprinkled on top, the soup was excellent.

second batch of borș in the making

I made a second batch of borș using the wheat bran I had kept in the refrigerator. I boiled 1 quart of water, let it cool to lukewarm, then poured it into the jar with the wheat bran. I screwed the lid and rocked the jar to mix the content, then loosened the lid and put the jar. After slightly less than 2 days, the borș smelled slightly lemony: really pleasant. Again, I filtered out the liquid and poured it into another jar, then place them both in the refrigerator.

So far, I added some of my borș to:

three different types of bread: I used diluted borș as liquid
leafy greens with raisins: I added 1/4 cup / 60 ml of borș several minutes before the end of cooking instead of using lemon juice at the end
winter squash soup (twice): 1/2 cup / 120 ml borș, some vegetable stock and water (as needed)

I love borș! And I am quite proud of myself for attempting to make it. I feel like I opened a small window onto another culture.

This is my contribution to edition #377 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Haalo herself.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

My borș and my fasole bătută posted previously participate to the fourth installment of the Abbecedario culinario della Comunità Europea (European Community Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 26 countries of the EU (all except Italy) using the alphabet as guide. D like Drob (Romania) is hosted by Cristina of La cucina di Cristina.

This page contains Drob's recipe and the list of dishes contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

borș

or launch the borș audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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wheat bran, cornmeal, Romanian recipe

borș / crusca di frumento fermentata

crusca di frumento

La mia cucina non verrà mai fotografata per una rivista di moda e va bene così. Anche nei momenti migliori, è piuttosto caotica. Sopra al frigorifero c'è il mio reparto fermentazione.

il reparto fermentazione

Da sinistra:

fiocchi di orzo per la colazione di mio marito (vedi questo post: sottopongo l'orzo allo stesso processo di lavorazione della segale)
borș
kefir (che è foto sensibile e quindi è avvolto in un panno)

Non avevo sentito parlare del borș prima della mia breve ricerca sulla cucina rumena:

La maggior parte dei Rumeni distinguono la "supă" (brodo) dalla "ciorbă" sulla base del fatto che la prima non prevede aggiunta di sostanze acide e, soprattutto, non contiene al suo interno alcun tipo di carne o verdura, essendo solamente un brodo, mentre la ciorbă può contenere una grande varietà di ingredienti acidi, come limoni, borş (crusca fermentata), panna acida ("smântână") o zeamă de varză acră (succo di crauti). Spesso si aggiunge del levistico.

Addendum (9/4/2014): Una ragazza rumena mi ha gentilmente mandato questa nota: "i sapori essenziali per una Ciorbă a parte il Borș sono levistico (erba aromatica) e sedano rapa. Senza di essi non è la stessa."

Crusca fermentata? Interessante. Cristina di La cucina di Cristina mi ha confermato il borș è molto popolare in Romania. Ci sono signore che lo fanno e poi lo vendono al mercato e le persone vanno là e riempiono le loro bottiglie. È una tradizione affascinante.

coltura madre

Ho scelto di seguire questa ricetta, diminuendo le quantità. Ho preparato la coltura madre mescolando in un vaso di vetro da mezzo litro i seguenti ingredienti:

125 g farina di mais tipo fioretto
1 cucchiaio di farina di frumento
300 ml d'acqua

Ho messo il vaso sopra al frigorifero con l'apertura coperta con un pezzo di cotone. La foto sopra mostra la coltura poco meno di due giorni dopo che l'ho messa a fermentare. L'odore era piacevolmente acido e quindi sono passata alla fase successiva.

inizia la fermentazione del borş

In un vaso di vetro da un litro ho messo:

2 cucchiaini farina di mais tipo fioretto
100 g crusca di frumento bio
1 litro acqua bollente

L'acqua bollente sterilizza gli ingredienti prima dell'aggiunta della coltura madre. Ho lasciato intiepidire l'acqua e po ho aggiunto al vado un cucchiaio scarso di coltura madre preso dal centro del vasetto che la contiene. Ho avvitato il coperchio del vaso grosso e l'ho agitato per mescolare bene gli ingredienti, poi ho svitato parzialmente il coperchio e ho messo il vaso sul frigorifero, come si vede nella foto in alto.

Avrei dovuto controllare il borş un giorno dopo l'inizio della fermentazione ma non l'ho fatto. Quando l'ho odorato per la prima volta, due giorni dopo l'inizio della fermentazione, il mio naso è rimasto un po' confuso. Il borş non aveva un odore "piacevole" come descrive la ricetta, ma piuttosto forte e diverso da qualsiasi altro odore della mia esperienza, quindi non sapevo se avessi fatto qualcosa di sbagliato o se era un caso di fermentazione un po' troppo lunga. Avrei probabilmente dovuto scartare quel primo borș. Se decidete di provare, vi suggerisco di farlo e anche Cristina me lo ha consigliato. Io non l'ho scartato, ma ho continuato il mio esperimento. Come dicevano i Romani: la fortuna aiuta gli audaci.

Non avendo subito tempo per continuare il progetto, ho filtrato quasi tutto il borş dal vaso e l'ho versato in un altro vaso di vetro e poi ho messo tutti e due i vasi in frigorifero: uno con il borş e l'altro col residuo di crusca fermentata. Poi ho preso

60 ml di borş e li ho diluiti con
acqua fino a riempire un vaso di vetro da un litro

L'odore di questo borş diluito mi ricordava quello del siero di kefir. Ne ho usato un po' per fare il pane di segale che si vede in questo post. La ricetta originale suggerisce di usare il liquido residuo dei cetriolini marinati. La mis sostituzione ha funzionato benissimo. (E invece della panna acido ho usato del kefir drenato — avere il kefir fatto in casa è davvero comodo.)

Dopo aver riposato per quattro giorni nel frigorifero, il mio primo borş aveva un odore molto meno forte, probabilmente perche nel vaso non c'era la crusca fermentata. Ho usato 120 ml di questo borş insieme a del brodo vegetale per preparare una zuppa con la zucca. Ho scelto una zuppa che preparo spesso in modo da poter valutare la differenza di sapore. La nota acidula era certamente presente e piacevole. Con della dukkah cosparsa sulla superficie, la zuppa era eccellente.

il secondo borș durante la fermentazione

Ho preparato il borş una seconda volta utilizzando la stessa crusca, che nel frattempo avevo tenuto in frigorifero. Ho bollito un litro d'acqua, l'ho lasciata intiepidire e poi l'ho versata nel vaso con la crusca. Ho avvitato il coperchio del vaso e l'ho agitato per mescolare bene gli ingredienti, poi ho svitato parzialmente il coperchio e ho messo il vaso sul frigorifero, come si vede nella foto in alto. dopo poco meno di due giorni, il borș aveva un odore piacevolmente limonoso. Di nuovo, l'ho filtrato e versato in un altro vaso di vetro e l'ho messo nel frigorifero.

Finora ho usato il mio borș in:

tre diversi tipi di pane: ho usato del borș diluito come liquido
bietola in padella con l'uvetta: ho aggiunto 60 ml di borș diversi minuti prima della fine della cottura, invece di aggiungere succo di limone alla fine
zuppa di zucca (due volte): 120 ml di borș, del brodo vegetale e acqua q.b.

Mi piace il borș! E sono fiera di me per aver provato a farlo e per non essermi scoraggiata all'inizio. Il borș mi ha aiutato ad aprire una piccola finestra su un'altra cultura.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 377 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Brii stessa.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

Il mio borș e il mio fasole bătută postato in precedenza partecipano all quarta tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario della Comunità Europea, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare i 26 paesi della Comunità Europea (eccetto l'Italia) usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. D come Drob (Romania) è ospitata da Cristina de La cucina di Cristina.

Questa pagina contiene la ricetta di Drob e la lista dei piatti contribuiti all'evento.

Se siete interessati a partecipare, questo post contiene la lista completa di paesi, blog ospitanti e scadenze.

vaniglia pura / pure vanilla

January 24, 2013 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Madagascar vanilla beans

The first time I heard the expression “plain vanilla” I had to ask for an explanation of its actual meaning. Taken literally, “plain vanilla” sounded like a combination of two contradictory terms. Vanilla is one of the most intense flavors in nature, and it is all but plain. I learned that the expression comes from the fact that vanilla is the most common flavor of ice cream in this country, a sort of default flavor. By analogy, “plain vanilla” became a synonym for basic, ordinary, “lacking special features or qualities” (as the Webster dictionary specifies).

I had never seen a vanilla bean (baccello di vaniglia) before moving to California. I made its acquaintance when I started making vanilla ice cream (gelato alla vaniglia) at home. I learned to extract as much flavor as possible from the bean, recycling used beans to make vanilla sugar and vanilla salt.

When I opened the book Pure Vanilla, Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques by Shauna Sever, I thought I knew a fair amount about vanilla. As it turned out, I had a lot more to learn. In the information-packed Introduction, Sever covers topics like:

how historically we came to know and use vanilla
how the vanilla bean goes from orchid to extract
the varieties (I didn't know that Uganda and India produce vanilla) and their characteristics
the different forms in which it is used.

The chapter ends with a set of frequently asked questions covering topics from bean storage to vanilla extract intensity to growing your own vanilla.

Madagascar vanilla beans

The Madagascar vanilla beans in the photos, purchased from one of the resources listed at the end of the book, are quite flavorful. They are shorter than the ones I get in the bulk section of the local grocery store, so to make my version of vanilla ice cream, I used 3/4 of one bean instead of the usual half. I then scraped the seeds from the remaining piece and used them in the dish portrayed below. Did you know that the seeds are called vanilla caviar (caviale)?

The marvel of vanilla beans is that besides being deeply flavorful, they provide flavor in all their components. In fact, "it's the pod that carries most of the dreamy flavor and fragrance" (page 16).

After devouring the Introduction, I started to look at the recipes. The very first one, Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding (budino di pane), looked perfect. I am not able to share the recipe on the blog, but you can see a photo below. Suffice it to say that it is a great use for my homemade challah. I make a few adjustments to the recipe (I use the present tense, because I have made it already several times). In particular, since challah is already a bit sweet, I use only a small amount of sugar (zucchero), sprinkled on the top. While the recipe makes a large pudding, it is easy to halve it (which is what I do).

a very nice breakfast

Reading Pure Vanilla made me finally try to make vanilla extract (estratto di vaniglia), something I had in my to-do list for some time. The most difficult part of the process was to choose the vodka in which to steep the vanilla beans. I had no idea I would face shelf after shelf of vodka bottles at the store. I chose one that had a nice bottle and no added flavor.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
(reproduced with permission; from page 87, partial reproduction)

And it couldn’t be simpler. All you need is a clean jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid, whole vanilla beans, and a clear neutral-tasting liquor (vodka is my top choice). For an 8-ounce jar, 2 split beans should do, but you can add more if you like. Let the sealed jar sit in a cool, dark place for about 2 months before using. I also add scraped seedpods to the extract jar after I’ve used them in recipes, unless they land in my container of Vanilla Sugar first. As you use the extract, top off the jar with more of the same type of liquor for a nearly never-ending supply.

You can also combine several different varieties of vanilla in one batch of extract, creating your own special blends.

My little jar with vanilla beans steeped in vodka is currently in retirement in a cool, dark place and I won't disturb it for a little longer. Then I'll eagerly try the result and let you know.

Vanilla lovers will find a lot to inspire them to use the "dreamy" spice in its various forms in breakfast dishes, cakes, cookies, candies, custards and drinks. You can get a sense of the recipes covered in the book on this page. By clicking on the link View Interior Spread, you can see the first 15 pages of the book and, in particular, one of my favorite photos, on page 3; the photography is by Leigh Beisch. And on this page, there are four recipes you can try. The recipe cards, though not exact copies of the relevant pages, give an idea of the graphic look of the book, modern and pleasantly elegant. (I particularly like the font chosen for the title of the recipes.)

The book includes instructions on how to prepare vanilla sugar and vanilla fleur de sel, which have been in my kitchen for years. If they are not in yours, I recommend you invite them in.

This is my contribution to edition #367 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

vaniglia pura

or launch the vaniglia pura audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

FTC disclosure: I have requested a review copy of the book mentioned in this post from the publisher and received it free of charge. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for discussing the book on my blog. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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vanilla bean, vanilla extract

vaniglia pura

baccelli di vaniglia del Madagascar

Non avevo mai visto un baccello di vaniglia prima di trasferirmi in California e imparare a fare il gelato alla vaniglia a casa. Ho imparato che i baccelli usati sono ancora ricchi di sapore e possono essere riciclati per aromatizzare zucchero e sale.

Quando ho aperto il libro Pure Vanilla, Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques di Shauna Sever, pensavo di conoscere abbastanza la vaniglia. Ho scoperto di avere molto da imparare. Nell'Introduzione, ricca di informazioni, Sever parla della storia dell'uso della vaniglia, di come si va dalla pianta all'estratto, delle diverse varietà (non sapevo che la vaniglia venisse prodotta anche in Uganda e India) e loro caratteristiche, e delle diverse forme in cui viene usata. Il capitolo si conclude con delle domande frequenti riguardanti argomenti come la conservazione, la potenza dell'estratto e come coltivare la propria pianta di vaniglia.

baccelli di vaniglia del Madagascar

I baccelli di vaniglia del Madagascar delle foto, che ho comprato presso uno dei fornitori citati nelle risorse in fondo al libro, hanno un aroma intenso. Sono più corti di quelli che compro sfusi nel negozio dove faccio la spesa e quindi per per preparare il mio gelato alla vaniglia, ho usato 3/4 di un baccello invece di metà. Poi ho grattato via i semi dal pezzetto rimasto e li ho usati nella ricetta ritratta qui sotto. Lo sapete che i semi contenuti nel baccello vengono chiamati caviale di vaniglia?

La caratteristica meravigliosa della vaniglia è che fornisce il suo caratteristico intenso aroma in tutte le sue componenti. Infatti, la parte più aromatica è il baccello (piuttosto che i semini).

Dopo aver divorato l'Introduzione, ho cominciato a guardare le ricette. La prima, budino di pane alla vaniglia, mi è sembrata perfetta. Non sono in grado di condividere la ricetta sul blog, quindi dovete accontentarvi della foto e delle mie parole. Lo preparo con la mia challah fatta in casa e faccio alcuni aggiustamenti alla ricetta, in particolare, dal momento che la challah è un po' dolce, uso solo un po' di zucchero cosparso sulla superficie (ho usato il tempo presente dal momento che budino l'ho preparato diverse volte). La ricetta è per un budino piuttosto grande, ma è facile da dimezzare (che è quello che faccio io).

un'ottima colazione

Leggere Pure Vanilla mi ha fatto finalmente decidere a fare l'estratto di vaniglia, una cosa che avevo in mente da tempo. La parte più difficile è stata scegliere la vodka nella quale immergere i baccelli. Non mi aspettavo di trovarmi davanti a tanti ripiani pieni di bottiglie di vodka quando sono entrata nel negozio. Ne ho scelta una che mi piaceva per la forma e che contiene vodka senza aromi aggiunti.

Estratto di vaniglia
(riproduzione parziale di pagina 87 con permesso dell'editore; traduzione mia)

E non potrebbe essere più facile. Avete bisogno solo di un vasetto o bottiglia puliti e con un coperchio che chiude bene, e un liquore dal sapore neutro (la vodka è quello che preferisco). Per un vasetto da 240 ml dovrebbero bastare due baccelli tagliati a metà per il lungo, ma se volete potete usarne di più. Fate riposare il vasetto chiuso ermeticamente in un luogo fresco e buio per circa due mesi prima di usare l'estratto. Io aggiungo anche i baccelli dai quali ho rimosso i semi per utilizzarli in qualche ricetta, a meno che non finiscano nel contenitore dello zucchero aromatizzato alla vaniglia. Man mano che usate l'estratto, aggiungete al vasetto lo stesso tipo di liquore, in modo da creare una fornitura quasi infinita.

Potete anche combinare diverse varietà di vaniglia e creare in questo modo il vostro estratto personale.

Il mio vasetto con vodka e baccelli di vaniglia in questo momento si trova in ritiro in un luogo fresco e buio e non lo disturberò ancora per un po'. Poi proverò il risultato e vi farò sapere.

Gli amanti della vaniglia troveranno ampia ispirazione per utilizzare la spezia "da sogno" nelle sue varie forme in piatti per la colazione, torte, pasticcini, dolciumi, creme e bevande. La pagina web del libro (in inglese) è qui. Se cliccate su View Interior Spread, potete vedere le foto delle prime 15 pagine del libro e, in particolare, una delle mie foto preferite, a pagina 3; le foto sono di Leigh Beisch. E su questa pagina trovate quattro ricette da provare (sempre in inglese). Le ricette non sono copie esatte delle pagine rilevanti ma danno un'idea della veste grafica del libro, moderna ed piacevolmente elegante. (Tra le altre cose, mi piace molto il carattere tipografico del titolo delle ricette.)

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 368 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Martissima di Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

Dichiarazione per l'FTC: ho richiesto alla casa editrice una copia del libro citato e l'ho ricevuta gratuitamente. Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso monetario per parlare del libro nel mio blog. Le opinioni espresse sono le mie.

formaggio fresco di kefir fatto in casa / homemade fresh kefir cheese

April 5, 2012 | Simona

kefir cheese with dukkah and cacao nibs

As I mentioned in the post on homemade kefir, for my first attempt I used kefir culture. The flavor of the kefir was a bit too acidic for our taste, and at that point, I had not yet learned all the ways in which to use kefir that I know now. I decided to see how the kefir would taste once the whey was removed, so I poured the kefir into a cloth-lined colander, then made a bundle and hung it up to drain for 24 hours (at room temperature).

I then chopped up finely a sample of herbs from my little garden: dill (aneto), mint (menta), chives (erba cipollina), parsley (prezzemolo), added a bit of salt and freshly milled pepper and mixed into the drained kefir, then molded it using my favorite heart-shaped mold.

The mold rests on a small grid for draining

I let the kefir cheese drain in the fridge for 3-4 days, then unmolded and tasted it.

kefir cheese with fresh herbs

The flavor was pleasantly tangy and the herbs gave it a nice nuance. It was particularly nice spread over a slightly sweet bread like my homemade challah.

After this success, I obtained kefir grains (grani di kefir), as recounted in the previous post. I made kefir using them and then made kefir cheese again, but this time instead of herbs, I added dukkah and cacao nibs (granella di fave di cacao). If you don’t know what dukkah is, read on.

A few years ago, I attended an evening class on sourdough bread. It was not only the beginning of my sourdough baking adventure, but also of an acquaintance that turned into a friendship with Rhonda, who taught the class. For the bread tasting, Rhonda made some dukkah, something I had never seen before.

my rendition of dukkah

Dukkah (also spelled duqqa or dukka) comes to us from Egypt: it is a mix of toasted and ground spices and nuts.

The word is derived from the Arabic for “to pound” since the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted to a texture that is neither powdered nor paste-like. The actual composition of the spice mix can vary from family to family, vendor to vendor though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. [source]

The recipe I use comes from 101 Cookbooks. I halve the quantities, because the full recipe makes quite a bit. And I like it coarsely ground (I use the food processor to do the grinding).

fresh kefir cheese (drained kefir)

Back to the kefir, this time I drained it using a double layer of cheese netting instead of cloth. As I was about to gather some herbs to repeat the process followed before, my eyes encountered the jar where my freshly made dukkah was stored and I interpreted that as a sign. Next to it, there was the container where I keep cacao nibs (which I get from Dick Taylor Chocolate). Having successfully used cacao nibs with hard cheese, it was not difficult to decide to add those as well (after all, they are also toasted and ground, like the spices and nuts in dukkah).

I added a teaspoon each of dukkah and cacao nibs, relying on my sense of balance to make an educated guess. I wanted the flavor to be detectable, but not overpowering, a balance I had previously achieved with the herb mix. I also added a bit more of salt, mixed lightly and then filled the heart-shaped mold. Once again, I let the cheese sit in the fridge and drain further for 3-4 days and then tasted it: I was very happy with the result.

For my second batch of kefir cheese, I increased the amount of both dukkah and cacao nibs to 1 and 1/2 teaspoon each and let the cheese rest in the fridge 5 days. If you try, I recommend you start with the lower quantity and see how you like it. (I suspect that the combination would also work with labneh, but have not tried it.)

Ingredients:

10 oz drained kefir (see Note below)
a generous pinch of sea salt
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon dukkah (see text above)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon cacao nibs (see text above)

Note: How much kefir? I use kefir made with non-fat milk and drain about 7 cups (1.65 l). I don’t make that much kefir all at the same time. I usually make a pint (2 cups, 475 ml) or a quart (4 cups, 950 ml), depending on what my plans for using it are. (According to this site, it is actually better to let kefir ripen for a day or two before using it.) Pour kefir into a cloth-lined colander (I use a cotton napkin with a tight weave or a double layer of cheese netting). Gather the corners and make a bundle. Hang it over a bowl and let drain for 24 hours. (I don’t have a photo of my set up, but this is quite similar: note the colander placed over the pot: if for whatever reason the bundle falls, it doesn’t splash into the whey.) Reserve the whey and use it.

Sanitize a 4 1/4-inch heart-shaped mold (or other mold of choice) in boiling water. Sprinkle salt, dukkah and cacao nibs on the drained kefir and mix in. Place into mold and pack lightly.

Place a small grid at the bottom of a container and put the mold on it. Cover the container and refrigerate. Every day, discard the whey that collects at the bottom of the container.

After 3-5 days, unmold the cheese ahead of time and serve at room temperature. If the cheese is still very wet, put the leftover back into the mold and the draining container. If the cheese is not too wet, store it in cheese paper. Either way, put the cheese in the fridge. Ideally, you should bring to room temperature only the amount of cheese you will consume, so the rest can remain at constant temperature.

curry pumpkin and ginger scones

My favorite combination is kefir cheese spread over curry and pumpkin scones made with kefir instead of buttermilk and brown butter (details in an upcoming post).

Exciting update (May 26, 2012): my kefir cheese story is featured in today’s post on the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company blog.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

formaggio fresco di kefir fatto in casa

or launch the formaggio fesco di kefir fatto in casa audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

kefir, cheese, dukkah, cacao nibs

kefir fatto in casa / homemade kefir

March 23, 2012 | Simona

mango lassi made with kefir

A couple of months ago, I made kefir using this culture. The process was straightforward and in about 24 hours, we could taste it. I ended up making fresh cheese with it: I will described that in an upcoming this post.

While my first adventure with kefir was unfolding, Jeri, who writes the blog of the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, published a three-part summary of information received by readers of their newsletter: 1. ordering kefir grains; 2. growing kefir grains; 3. using kefir grains.

In the first post, I learned more about kefir grains (grani di kefir) and the difference between them and the culture I had used. The cultures have probiotics in them, but "nowhere near as many as in the living grains." Probiotics are defined as living organisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition.

Kefir is a unique cultured dairy product due to combined lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation of lactose in milk. Kefir is produced by microbial activity of “kefir grains” which have a relatively stable and specific balance of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. [source]

I decided I needed to get some first-hand experience of the interesting-looking kefir grains. At the same time (and I guess this was all part of a grand scheme), Claudia of Honey from Rock wrote about her adventures with kefir. Shortly afterwards, I spent a few days on the Big Island and visited Claudia

Among the many goodies that Claudia gave us (I already mentioned one in this post), there was a small bag with some kefir grains in a milk bath. They did fine on the trip back and as soon as I got back home, I started my first batch of kefir.

Basically, it does not get easier than this. You still need to be careful about sanitizing the tools you are using, but really, making kefir at home is a breeze: you only need a glass jar, a strainer and a spoon or something similar to move the kefir grains. I sterilize the glass jar in the oven and the lid with boiling water. When the jar has cooled, I strain the kefir grains (from the previous batch of kefir or from the milk in which they were resting in the fridge).

The photo above is from a while ago. Most recently, instead of straining the kefir grains, I spoon them out, taking advantage of the fact that they tend to be at the surface of the jar of ready kefir. I then strain the content of the jar to separate small grains left behind. I have not read this anywhere: I feel like this way I stress the grains less. In any case, when straining kefir grains, be gentle.

Add milk of choice to the jar (I use pasteurized organic milk straight from the bottle) and then the strained kefir grains, cover the jar (leaving the lid just a bit loose to allow the CO₂ produced to escape), then set it aside in a warm, dark place (or wrap it in a kitchen towel). The kefir grains will take it from there and deliver kefir within a certain number of hours. It takes me 24 hours to get kefir, sometimes a bit longer, depending on the temperature. Once strained, I store kefir in the fridge and let it ripen for a day or two before using it.

Rather than go into the details of the set up, which is described in details in a number of places on the web — like this page and also this page, the one most people reference — I have summarized in a diagram the ways in which I have used kefir in its natural or drained state (arrows pointing down from "kefir"). The arrow pointing up from kefir grains means that I reculture milk with the grains strained out of the previous barch. I don't make kefir continuously. When I don't need more kefir than I have, I place the grains in a jar, cover them with milk and put them in the fridge for a few days. Since the grains grow while also making kefir, you may want to find a friend who wants to try and give her/him the extra grains that you get.

I have already shown one of the ways in which I use kefir in this post, where it substitutes sour cream topping for soup. The mango lassi in the top photo was made with

chopped ripe mango
kefir
a bit of agave nectar as sweetener (the quantity depending on the sweetness of the mango and your personal preference).

And the beautiful scones below were made using kefir instead of buttermilk (latticello).

curry pumpkin and ginger scones

If you go to Honey from Rock and enter "kefir" in the Search field, you get the list of posts where Claudia talks about her adventures. The idea is that once you have kefir, you come up with various ways to use it. That is, at least, what happened to me.

Due to the claimed health benefits of kefir which include reduction of lactose intolerance symptoms, stimulation of the immune system, lowering cholesterol, and antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties, kefir has become an important functional dairy food and consequently, research on kefir has increased in the past decade. [source]

There are indeed a number of scientific papers describing research that looked more closely at the composition of kefir grains and at various effects of kefir administration to mice and rats. There are studies on specific health effects of kefir consumption in humans. For example, in this one on people with lactose maldigestion, kefir improved lactose digestion and tolerance. In other areas, results have been mixed (as this article summarizes): I hope larger studies will be conducted. In the meantime, I will continue enjoying making and using kefir at home.

Exciting update (May 26, 2012): my kefir story is featured in today's post on the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company blog.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

kefir fatto in casa

or launch the kefir fatto in casa audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

kefir

briciole

Simona Carini serves recipes and Italian words related to food

Spice & Condiment

tomato and date chutney / chutney di pomodori e datteri

chutney di pomodori e datteri

roasted vegetables with za’atar / verdure arrosto con za’atar

verdure arrosto con za'atar

Purgatory bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear / insalata di fagioli del Purgatorio con tahina e pera asiatica

raita ai cachi / persimmon raita

raita ai cachi

broccoli al vapore con salsina al miso e noci / steamed broccoli with walnut miso dressing

broccoli al vapore con salsina al miso e noci

lorighittas al sugo piccante / lorighittas with spicy hot tomato sauce

borș / crusca di frumento fermentata / fermented wheat bran

borș / crusca di frumento fermentata

vaniglia pura / pure vanilla

vaniglia pura

formaggio fresco di kefir fatto in casa / homemade fresh kefir cheese

kefir fatto in casa / homemade kefir