A sweet, but not overly so, and fruity side dish (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal.1 The book’s structure surprised me in a good way. Each of the eight chapters has a different narrator, and each chapter contributes to telling the story of Eva Thorvald. She is technically the novel’s protagonist, but doesn’t narrate a chapter, so we see her through the perspective of others who tell their own story and their experience of, or encounter with, Eva. The narrators include Eva’s father, who dies when she is an infant, her cousin Braque, Will, who has a crush on Eva when in high school, Eva’s mother, who left the family shortly after Eva’s birth, and others. I listened to the audio book (narrated by Michael Stuhlbarg and Amy Ryan), which kept in check my desire to jump ahead and see who would be the next narrator.
Eva goes from growing exceedingly hot peppers in her room to becoming a famous and elusive chef who cooks exclusive pop-up dinners in remote locations. While I never wished to attend one of the dinners, I appreciated how Eva helped people in her life, family and strangers. The best moments of the novel for me were those describing kindness and generosity, like when Pat slips the gift card she won at the bake-off competition into the bag of someone who needs it more than she does.
The book includes many references to food, from lutefisk to pepper jelly and succotash, from a variety of bars and traditional Midwest baked goods to the courses of Eva’s famous dinners. I was inspired to create something new in terms of flavor combination, but also simple, since an additional challenge was that I traveled for four weeks between the end of June and the end of July, from Northern California to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, so didn’t have access to my kitchen. Thankfully, I had access to farmers markets and farm stands, and seasonal produce was once again my main source of inspiration: apricots, fresh onions, particularly walla walla, and carrots. Cumin (cumino), ginger root (radice di zenzero), and fresh thyme (timo) contribute to the dish’s flavor profile.
I prepared the first rendition of this dish while we were staying in a lovely house north of Victoria, B.C. I have since made it many times using carrots of various colors. For the version in the photo I used orange and yellow carrots.
2 1/2ounces/ 70 grams ripe apricot(1 large apricot)
Equipment
skillet 10-inch / 25-cm or 9-inch / 23-cm
Method
Scrub carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin, then grate using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Thinly slice the onion lengthwise, then separate the layers.
Warm up the olive oil in a 10-inch / 25-cm (or 9-inch / 23-cm) skillet on medium heat.
Add the onion and stir. Lower the heat and after 2 minutes, add the cumin, ginger and thyme. Stir well and cover. Cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
Uncover the skillet, turn up the heat to medium, add the grated carrots and stir well. Cover, lower the heat and cook for 8 minutes or until the carrots are just tender.
Halve the apricot, remove the stone and thinly slice each half.
Uncover the skillet, sprinkle in the sea salt and stir well. Distribute the apricot slices on the vegetables and stir gently.
Remove from the heat and serve warm.
This side dish is sweet, but not overly so. Still, I like to pair it with something more decidedly savory. I confess it was difficult to stop eating it, either warm from the pan or at room temperature.
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.
smells comforting (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Coming to My Senses by Alice Waters1 chef and cookbook author, whose name is associated to the renowned restaurant Chez Panisse2 in Berkeley, CA, which she opened in 1971 (with Paul Aratow), the farm-to-table movement and the Edible Schoolyard Project.3
I listened to the audio book, narrated by Waters. I enjoyed learning about certain aspects of what makes Chez Panisse special, like the beautiful menus. Listening to Waters’s stories, it’s important to remember that ideas like farm-to-table restaurants, now mainstream, were new when she started implementing them. I don’t share any of her experiences in terms of “food awakening” as I grew up in Italy and with strong connections to food producers.
Waters describes her travels to France and other parts of Europe. She writes off Italy, where she had an unpleasant experience. Initially I was irritated by her words, then realized that I have done the same with France, after an unpleasant experience in Paris. Indeed, first impressions leave a lasting mark.
I don’t have any of Waters’s cookbooks, but I share her focus and delight in cooking with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients (ingredienti freschi, di produzione locale e di stagione). This is the season of peppers, sweet corn and fresh onions (cipolle), including sweet Walla Walla. I was inspired by a recipe from Saveur magazine: Creamy Poblano Rajas With Corn by Fatima Khawaja.4 In my version, I oven roast poblano peppers and sweet corn, the balance of ingredients is more towards the peppers, and I use fromage blanc rather than Mexican crema or crème fraîche. The result is drier, to be served as a side dish.
People who follow me on Instagram know that I celebrate farmers and their products by creating still lifes like the one below, which include two of the recipe ingredients.
from the farmers’ market, including a poblano pepper and fresh oregano
In the spirit of a Chez Panisse menu, below are the sources of the ingredients used in the various rendition of this recipe, purchased at local farmers’ markets or farm stands:
poblano peppers: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm, Shakefork Community Farm
sweet corn: Earthly Edibles, Flood Plain Produce, Shakefork Community Farm, The Corn Crib
Walla Walla onion: Neukom Family Farm
garlic: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm
fresh oregano (origano): Woven Hearts Herb Farm
Foggy Morning (fromage blanc): Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
ready to start cooking
When sweet corn and peppers are in season, roasting them is a kind of ritual I follow once I get home from shopping.
For efficiency's sake, I recommend roasting at least 2 fresh ears of corn, still in their husks and with silks attached (otherwise wrap them in foil before roasting).
Place the corn on a baking sheet leaving a bit of space between the ears and roast for 20 minutes. Let the ears cool briefly, then remove the husks and silks (or foil).
Working in a shallow bowl or dish, stand the corn vertically and use a knife to cut the kernels and scrapings from the cob. (Save the empty cobs to make stock or broth.) Weigh the necessary amount, toss with a fork to separate the kernels, and set aside. Refrigerate (or freeze) the rest.
Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.
Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the peppers 180 degrees.
Roast for 15 more minutes, then turn the peppers. Repeat after 10 minutes. The peppers are ready when their skin has turned dark and is detaching in places. If necessary, continue roasting for a few more minutes.
Put the peppers in a sealed container or paper bag to steam, then peel off the skin, discard the stem and seeds, and the liquid they release.
Cut the flesh into strips ½ inch wide x 2 inches long (1.25 cm x 5 cm) and transfer to a bowl. Transfer the corn to the same bowl.
In a 10-inch / 25-cm deep sauté pan or large skillet, warm up the olive oil and butter (if using) over medium heat. Add the onion, stir well, turn down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes or as needed. Add the oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, less than 1 minute.
Add the poblano peppers and corn and stir well, then add the fromage blanc in small dollops and stir to blend.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle the sea salt, taste and adjust, then serve.
Notes
Roast the sweet corn and poblano peppers ahead of preparing the dish.
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
ready to be served (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the historical novel A Bakery in Paris by Aimie Runyan1, which alternates between the story of Lisette and that of her great-granddaughter Micheline. Both lived in Paris. Lisette’s story is set during the German siege (1870-1871)2 and subsequent Commune (1871)3, that of Micheline immediately after the end of WWII.
Lisette is the original founder and owner of the title’s bakery, which Micheline reopens, offering the usual assortment of French pastries, prepared based on Lisette’s recipes (documented in a notebook and provided at the end of some of the chapters) and her culinary academy training.
One of the pastries is croquembouche (pièce montée). Years ago I made a version of it where I used melted chocolate (70% cocoa) instead of caramelized sugar (zucchero caramellato) to bind the choux pastry, because “I don’t like the contrast between the hard caramelized sugar and the lightly crisp bignè shell, which segues immediately into the soft filling. Melted chocolate offers, in my opinion, the perfect binding material: it provides stability by hardening into a layer of the right consistency, so the progression of taking one bite is: 1) crack thin layer of chocolate, 2) break crisp bignè shell, 3) glide into creamy filling. Basically, heaven.”4
After her husband, Théo, dies fighting with the Communards, Lisette, pregnant, is expected to marry her first fiancé and go to Provence (Provenza) with him until after giving birth. She ends up not going and not marrying him (again), but I decided to stay there for inspiration.
Tarte aux blettes is a Provencal dessert made with Swiss chard. While I was not interested in replicating it (we don’t eat dessert), I played with the idea of adding a sweet note to a vegetable I like and eat regularly.
For my first try, I bought a bunch of rainbow chard at the Little Wing Farm stand5 outside Point Reyes Station while I was riding my bicycle. I had planned to stop there, so had a couple of bags in my backpack. The chard was kept in a tub and I didn’t realize until I took up a bunch how big it was, with long colorful stems (which I adore!) and large leaves. When I put it in the backpack, the top stuck out giving me, I am sure, a curious appearance when riding.
At the San Rafael farmers’ market, where I shop when in the Bay Area, some vendors offer slightly blemished or overripe fruit at a discounted price, and I usually get some to add to dishes, like this one. This is the season of stone fruit and I decided to try pairing the chard with white nectarine (pesca noce or nettarina) first. I then tried using a peach (pesca), peeled, and also apricots (albicocche). All the fruit worked well. The sweetness balances the light bitter nuance of chard and the result is a side dish that nods towards dessert without being overly sweet.
1 pound / 450 grams rainbow chard or Swiss chard, stems included, up to 6-7 inches / 15-18 cm (if you have more, save them for another dish: do not discard them)
4 ounces / 112 grams red spring onion
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil OR 1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon / 15 grams unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon Harissa spice mix
2 tablespoons / 30 ml warm water if needed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
4 ounces fruit (e.g., nectarine, peach, apricot), clean weight
Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Separate the chard stems from the leaves and chop the stems. Halve the leaves lengthwise, stack 5-6 at a time and cut them into 1-inch / 2.5-cm wide ribbons.
Warm up a 5-qt cast iron Dutch oven and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the stems and sprinkle the Harissa spice mix and thyme. Stir well and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Cook for 8 minutes or until the onion is soft, stirring often.
Add the garlic and stir. After 1 minute add the chard. Cover and cook for 1 minute to let the chard wilt, then stir. Cover and cook for another 7 minutes or until the chard is tender.
In the meantime, cut the fruit into 3/4 inch / 2 cm- side cubes. If using a peach, peel it first.
When the chard is almost cooked, add the fruit, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle the sea salt and stir. Transfer to a plate and serve.
Serves 3
A closer look
I like to eat this side dish alongside a more decidedly savory one, like mixed vegetables with thyme6 or the roasted vegetable medley I prepare weekly using zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted corn and garlic.
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.
green on green with a touch of orange (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the historical novel The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. I borrowed the book by accepting a suggestion within the Libby app. I was intrigued by the long title and wanted to know what it was about. I soon found myself drawn to the story, which is set in the UK in the summer of 1919, post-WWI, during the Spanish flu pandemic. It is a challenging time for veterans re-entering civilian life, for women forced to abandon the jobs many held during the war and for the country overall.
The protagonist, Constance Haverhill, has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. There, she meets a kind refugee waiter, a group of women motorcyclists and a (physically and emotionally) wounded veteran. The elderly woman Constance is tasked to take care of turns out to be a more interesting character than expected.
I enjoyed Simonson’s style and treatment of characters so much that after finishing the novel, I borrowed her earlier ones: “The Summer Before the War” (where again the war in question is WWI) and “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” probably her most famous book.
While the Hazelbourne novel is not food-oriented, it includes a number of references to foods. I was inspired by “tiny spring peas” included in a restaurant meal in chapter 2:
There were celery stalks on a long glass dish served with small silver tongs. There were dishes of small green olives, and a plate of the ubiquitous tinned sardines rolled around tiny white onions and stuck through with a cocktail pick. A broth followed, slightly cloudy. Then an indeterminate course of oeufs mayonnaise. Finally, the main course: Mrs. Wirrall had ordered Dover sole for the ladies and the pie for Harris. She had commanded, and was delivered, buttered new potatoes, a dish of tiny spring peas, and a carrot mash. There was even a small wedge of lemon in a muslin cloth, which the waiter squeezed over their fish with a silver tool.
“I haven’t seen a lemon since before the war,” said Constance. There were one or two frowns from ladies at neighboring tables, which indicated that not all patrons had been honored with such an intoxicating spritz.
As we move towards late spring, the farmers’ market is filling with colorful fruit (hello cherries!) and a wider variety of vegetables, including fava beans and peas, both favorite of mine, fresh spring onion (cipollotto) and garlic (aglio — hurrah for no more storage allium!).
green on green with a touch of orange (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
I decided to add a carrot (carota) to the green on green motif and was happy with the result. The small size of the dish reflects the fact that I made it for myself only: you can easily multiply the recipe. Both peas and fava beans require shelling. The latter are much tastier if you remove also the skin (trust me on this).
Shell the fava beans and weigh the necessary amount. Blanch the fava beans for 30 seconds, then drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking.
Slit the skin with your thumbnail then pinch or twist to slip the bright green core out of its coat and into a small bowl. (You don’t need to peel tiny fava beans, whose skin is quite thin.) Set aside.
Shell the peas, weigh the necessary amount and set aside.
Finely chop the spring onion.
Scrub the carrot well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin, then grate it using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Peel and mince the garlic clove.
Heat up an 8-inch/20-cm cast-iron skillet, then add the olive oil. When hot, then add the onion and stir well to coat. Sprinkle the Harissa spice mix and stir. Cook on medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring a few times.
Add the grated carrot and stir. Cover and cook on low until the onion is soft, 6 minutes or so, stirring often.
Add the garlic, stir and let cook for one minute.
Add the peas and warm water, cover and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the fava beans and stir. Cover and cook until the peas are tender, 2 minutes or so.
Sprinkle the sea salt and stir. Remove from the heat, sprinkle the parsley, stir and serve.
Serves 1
I like to serve half the amount the recipe makes with an egg sunny-side up on top and a side of mixed vegetables with thyme2
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.
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten1. I am aware Garten is a popular cookbook author and food TV personality. I don’t watch TV (of any kind) so don’t know her. The book’s style is lively and if you are interested in the author, you will probably enjoy reading it.
There was a long wait list to get the book from the library, and when I finally started reading it and doing some research on her recipes, I got sick, in a way that made experimenting in the kitchen out of the question for a while. I am finally better, but also short on time and not yet comfortable in straying far from foods I know I can consume. I had made the recipe below a few times while reading the book, before getting sick and I made it again after I got better, as it belongs to the “safe” category. Adjusting to life happening,I may say.
bunches of daikon radish at the San Rafael farmers’ market (my favorite are the purple ones)
Spring brings to the farmers’ market ingredients I enjoy using, including red spring onions, spring leeks, purple daikon. I still remember the day, a few years ago, when a farmer at the Temescal market in Oakland, suggested I try purple daikon: it’s become a favorite, both raw and cooked. And as with other root vegetables, its greens are edible, so when you purchase a beautiful bunch like those in the photo below, you get two vegetables.
Beside daikon radish (daikon), as root vegetables I used carrots (carote) and red radishes (ravanelli), plus another favorite vegetable escarole. It a type of endive, slightly bitter, and delightfully so. In the photo above you see the curly variety of escarole. like to use the outer leaves (foglie esterne) in a cooked dish, while I add the inner, tenderer leaves to salads. Using carrots and escarole in the same dish creates a delicious bittersweet combination.3
Sometimes, when unwell, I crave a specific food: I like to interpret this as my body telling me what it needs, so I listen. This time it was baked tofu. I decided to purchase it already prepared, which makes the dish quite quick to prepare, another nice feature when energy is low.
If using only olive oil, the dish is vegan. I like to substitute 1/2 tablespoon of the oil with butter (unsalted), which goes well with the carrots.
3 ounces purple daikon radishes OR a combination of purple daikon radishes and red radishes
3 ounces / 85 grams escarole leaves
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces red spring onion, clean weight, diced small
¼ teaspoon Harissa spice mix
Leaves from 4-5 thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons / 30 ml hot water
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
1 ¾ ounces / 50 grams baked tofu, sliced thin and each slice halved
Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin, then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Scrub the daikon radishes and red radishes (if using) then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Wash and drain the escarole leaves, halve them lengthwise then slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch / 2.5 cm strips.
Warm up the olive oil in a 10-inch / 25-cm skillet.
Add the onion, lower the heat and stir, then after 1 minute, add the grated carrot and stir, sprinkle the harissa spice mix, add the thyme, and stir well. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 minutes, stirring often.
Add the daikon and radishes, if using, to the skillet and stir. Add the hot water and stir, then cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the escarole to the skillet, stir well, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times.
Uncover, sprinkle the sea salt and stir.
Distribute the tofu on the vegetables and allow it to warm through, 2 minutes or so. Fold the tofu into the vegetables (as in the top photo) or leave it on the surface (as in the photo below).
Before removing the skillet from the heat, taste to ensure the vegetables are tender to your liking.
Remove from the heat and serve warm.
Serves 2.
one portion, plated
You can add more tofu, if you wish. I find the amount given in the recipe a good balance with the vegetables for a side dish (contorno).
Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post
[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]
mixed vegetable with thyme (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge1. In post-war Paris, a woman is found murdered in the basement of the building where Paul and Julia Child live, and the murder weapon is a knife from Julia’s kitchen. If this brief introduction sounds intriguing, you’ll probably enjoy the book. I’m afraid I didn’t find the novel believable.2
The narrator, a young woman named Tabitha, lives with her grandfather not far from the Childs and befriends Julia. He grows a variety of herbs (erbe aromatiche) in his greenhouse:
There were rows of planters in the dome-shaped room… filled with herbs like tarragon, chervil, rosemary, thyme, basil, and of course, catnip. (dragoncello, cerfoglio, rosmarino, timo, basilico, erba gatta)
Thyme is probably my favorite herb and I use it with abandon, most recently on the first summer vegetables that have made their appearance at the farmers’ market.Usually, I strip the leaves, but sometimes I add the sprigs (rametti) whole, and remove the almost bare stems at the end, before serving. The tenderest ones blend with the vegetables and are undetectable when eating.
Last month, I spent a week in Los Osos, a town on the Central Coast of California, south of Morro Bay. The Monday farmers’ market there is one of my favorite: small, but offering a rich variety of produce. Also, with respect to the markets in Northern California, it was ahead of time in terms of summer vegetables. As a result, while there I ate the first zucchini (zucchine) and tomatoes of the season and even some sweet peppers. I also found glorious bunches of carrots (carote).
bunches of carrots at the Los Osos farmers’ market: irresistible
At the San Rafael farmers’ market, I recently scored the first eggplant (melanzane) of the season and at the Arcata farmers market, I put in my bag a beautiful head of escarole (scarola): it a type of endive, slightly bitter, and delightfully so. I like to use the outer leaves (foglie esterne) cooked with other vegetables, as in the recipe below, while I add the inner, tenderer leaves to salads. Using carrots and escarole in the same dish creates a delicious bittersweet combination.
summer vegetables are here! (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO
The dish is easy to make and cooks fairly quickly. I finish it with some flavorful creamy white miso3 from a local producer. As is, the dish is vegan. You can enrich it with eggs, cheese or, to keep it vegan, nutritional yeast.
1 tablespoon white miso or 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin, then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Warm up the olive oil in a 10-inch/25-cm deep sauté pan.
Add the onion, lower the heat and stir, then after 1 minute, add the grated carrot and stir. After 2 minutes, sprinkle the harissa spice mix, add the thyme, and stir well. Cook on low heat for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
In the meantime, trim top and bottom of the eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch / 6 mm slices lengthwise, then cut each slice into small dice.
Add the minced garlic to the pan and stir. After 1 minute, add the diced eggplant and stir, then add the water and stir. Cover the pan and cook for 4 minutes, stirring a few times.
Wash and drain the escarole leaves, halve them lengthwise then slice them crosswise into 1-inch / 2.5 cm strips.
Add the escarole to the pan, stir well, cover and cook for 4 minutes.
In the meantime, trim the zucchini, then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.
Add the zucchini, turn up the heat to medium and stir well. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 4 minutes or so, until the zucchini are just tender.
Uncover, add the white miso and stir until well blended (or sprinkle the sea salt and stir).
Remove from the heat and serve warm.
Serves 3-4.
I have already prepared this dish several times and I see myself doing it often this summer.
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.
eggplant and tomatoes: summer on a plate (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
The combination of eggplant and tomatoes is a favorite of mine. A summer dish I particularly enjoy is my version of parmigiana di melanzane, where I roast the two main ingredients and use two types of cheese1. A few years ago, I made a Persian dish that brings together eggplant and tomatoes with yellow split pea1. Eggplant is a popular vegetable in the Middle East, as baba ganoush lovers may know. Recently I discovered a couple of eggplant recipes from Afghanistan, including Borani Banjan, a dish made with slices of fried eggplant (melanzane fritte) simmered in tomato sauce and served topped with yogurt.
farm fresh ingredients and my homemade yogurt (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
I found versions in which the eggplant is roasted2 (the garlic too) or grilled3 (the onion too). My version takes inspiration from those and adds some personal touches. I made it a few times to try different options and below is my current favorite.
6 ounces / 170 grams fresh red or Walla Walla onion
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound / 450 grams fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces / 1/2 cup / 112 grams low-fat or whole milk plain yogurt
water to dilute the yogurt, as needed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or thyme leaves
Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.
Line two baking sheets (or one baking sheet and one cookie sheet) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Trim the eggplant and cut them crosswise into slices 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm thick. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over the slices and toss them with you hands. Distribute the slices on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a bit of space around each slice.
Cut the onion lengthwise into slices 1/4 inch / 0.6 cm thick. If the slices are long, cut them in half crosswise. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over the slices and toss them with you hands, separating the layers. Distribute the onion on the other prepared baking sheet or the cookie sheet.
Wrap the garlic cloves into aluminum foil, 2-3 cloves per small packet. Place the packets on the same sheet as the onion.
Place the sheets in the oven next to each other or the one with the onion on a rack above the other. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.
Take the sheets out of the oven. With a fork, flip the eggplant slices and with a spoon, toss the onion (make sure it does not burn). Put the sheets back in the oven, switching their position. Bake for 10 minutes. Take the sheets out of the oven. Let the vegetables cool for a few minutes, then transfer the eggplant onto a plate and the onion into a bowl. Unwrap the garlic cloves.
In the meantime, chop the tomatoes and place them in a bowl with their juices.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until it turns pale golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, paprika, turmeric, sea salt and pepper and bring to a lively simmer. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have broken down and become saucy, 6 minutes or so.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skin and place it into a small bowl. Mash with a small fork, then add the yogurt, stir and mash some more to make sure the garlic blends into the yogurt. If needed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the yogurt is the consistency of thin pancake batter and can be drizzled. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Add the onion to the tomatoes and stir well. Nestle the eggplant slices into the sauce and spoon some of the sauce over them. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the eggplant slices are very tender and have absorbed some of the sauce, but still retain their shape, 5 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and let cool.
To serve, divide the eggplant and their sauce among individual plates, drizzle the yogurt on top and sprinkle the mint or thyme. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post
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.
melanzane e pomodori: l’estate sul piatto (tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)
Arrivati alla lettera M del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho scelto di preparare un piatto con le melanzane, una delle mie verdure preferite, particolarmente abbinate ai pomodori. Cercando un piatto tradizionale di uno dei paesi dove non siamo ancora state, ne ho trovati un paio dall’Afghanistan, tra i quali Borani Banjan: fette di melanzana fritte, ripassate in sugo di pomodoro e servite con sopra dello yogurt.
ingredienti freschi dal mercato dei produttori e yogurt fatto in casa (tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)
Ho trovato versioni nelle quali le melanzane sono cotte al forno1 (e anche l’aglio) o sulla griglia2 (e anche la cipolla). La mia versione si ispira a queste ricette e aggiunge qualche tocco personale. L’ho fatta diverse volte per provare dettagli diversi e qui sotto è la mia preferita. Vi ricordo che 1 cucchiaio = 15 ml e 1 cucchiaino = 5 ml.
Ingredienti:
560 grammi di melanzane globose
170 grammi di cipolla rossa
2 cucchiai / 30 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
4-6 spicchi d’aglio non pelati
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
3 spicchi d’aglio, pelati e tritati
450 grammi di pomodori freschi, maturi e sugosi
1/2 cucchiaino di paprika dolce
1/4 cucchiaino di curcuma in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di pepe nero macinato fresco
1/2 teaspoon di sale fino
112 grammi di yogurt bianco intero o parzialmente scremato non dolcificato
acqua per diluire lo yogurt, q.b.
2 cucchiai di foglie di menta or timo tritate
Scaldate il forno a 200 C.
Foderate due placche da forno con tappetino da forno di silicone o carta da forno.
Tagliate le melanzane per largo a fettine spesse 1,25 cm. Spruzzate 1 cucchiaio e mezzo di olio d’oliva sulle fettine e mescolatele con le mani per oliarle. Distribuite le fettine sulla placca più grande lasciando un pochino di spazio intorno a ciascuna fettina.
Tagliate la cipolla per lungo a fettine spesse 0,6 cm. Se le fettine sono lunghe, taliatele a metà per largo. Spruzzate 1/2 cucchiaio di olio d’oliva sulle fettine e mescolatele con le mani per oliarle, allo stesso tempo separando gli strati. Spargete la cipolla sull’altra placca.
Avvolgete l’aglio nella carta stagnola, 2-3 spicchi per pacchetto e mettete i pacchetti sulla placca con la cipolla.
Infornate le placche una accanto all’altra o mettendo quella con le cipolle un livello sopra a quella con la cipolla. Cuocete le verdure in forno per 15 minuti.
Sfornate le placche. Con una forchetta, girate le fettine di melanzana e con un cucchiaio mescolate la cipolla. Rimettete le placche in forno scambinado la loro posizione. Cuocete per 10 minuti. Sfornate e fate intiepidire le verdure per qualche minuto, poi trasferite le melanzane su un piatto e la cipolla in una ciotola. Scartate gli spicchi d’aglio.
Nel frattempo, tagliate a pezzi i pomodori e metteteli in una ciotola con il sugo che rilasciano.
In una padella larga e profonda, scaldate 1 cucchiaio di olio d’oliva a calore medio-basso. Aggiungete l’aglio tritato e cuocetelo, mescolando, fino a quando sia biondo, 1 minuto circa. Aggiungete i pomodori, la paprika, la curcuma, sale e pepe e portare a leggero bollore. Coprite e cuocete, mescolando frequentemente, fino a quando i pomodori siano ridotti ad un sugo, circa 6 minuti.
Sbucciate l’aglio arrosto e mettetelo in una ciotolina. Schiacciatelo con una piccola forchetta poi aggiungete lo yogurt e mescolate in modo da incorporare la crema d’aglio. Aggiungete acqua, 1 cucchiaio alla volta, fino a quando lo yogurt abbia la consistenza della pastella e potete spruzzarlo. Coprite e tenete in frigorifero fino a quando state per utilizzarlo.
Aggiungete le cipolle ai pomodori e mescolate bene. Mettete le fettine di melanzana nella padella e con un cucchiaio copritele con del sugo. Coprite e cuocete a fuoco basso fino a quando le melanzane siano molto tenere e abbiano assorbito parte del sugo, ma mantengano la loro forma, circa 5 minuti. Togliete le verdure dal fuoco e fatele intiepidire.
Dividete le melanzane e il loro sugo su piatti individuali, cospargetele di yogurt e distribuite la menta o timo. Servite le melanzane calde o a temperatura ambiente.
Contribuisco le mie melanzane dall’Afghanistan alla lettera M 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.
a bowl of rich flavor (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Food Americana by David Page1: The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories behind America’s Favorite Dishes, including pizza, barbecue, fried chicken (pollo fritto), ice cream. I found the book interesting as it draws a lively picture of each food and also lets people speak: chefs, historians, restaurants’ customers and more. Each chapter ends with a recipe.
Inspiration for something to make could not come from the foods described in the book as I basically don’t eat any of them,2 but the reading got me thinking about how living in the U.S. has brought me into contact with cuisines from around the world, of which the Ethiopian one is a favorite. So I decided to make a favorite dish among those that are served at Ethiopian restaurants when you order the vegetarian combo, which consists of an injera (the traditional flat bread made with teff flour) spread on a large plate and topped with small mounds of various dishes, one of which is Misir Wot (or Misir Wat), a spicy red lentil stew.
one of the ingredients is niter kibbeh, spice-infused butter
As I started reading various recipes, I realized there was more to the dish than red lentils and berbere, the traditional Ethiopian spice blend, which I’ve been using for years in my kitchen. First, I learned about niter kibbeh, butter infused with spices which is used for cooking in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The recipe I followed is in the blog Hunt Gather Cook3: I made 1/4 of it and used red onion instead of shallots, which I could not find at the grocery store (they are not in season).
Then, in the recipe for misir wot4 that I chose to follow more closely among all those I consulted, I learned about mekelesha, another spice blend used in making the stew. While I made both niter kibbeh and mekelesha, I decided to skip making berbere5, as I have some and want to finish it before making more. As I am cooking Misir Wot for myself only, I halve the recipe I reference below and I use niter kibbeh instead of the vegetable oil it calls for.
Clockwise from the left: nigella seeds, niter kibbeh (melted), mekelesha, berbere and red lentils
Once you have the various elements, the dish does not take long to make. However, the recipe I most closely followed4 recommends to let the dish rest for hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend. The spices also mellow a bit. This is usually a great suggestion for stews and soups, and it is something to incorporate in the planning.
1 tablespoon minced red onion (the original recipe calls for shallots, but they are out of season)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 scant teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
Toast the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a small dry pan over medium heat until they smell aromatic, about a minute.
Cut the butter into small cubes. Put the butter and all the other ingredients (including the toasted spices) into a small saucepan with a heavy bottom. Let the butter and spices come to a bare simmer over low heat. Depending on your burner, turn the heat further down to keep the bare simmer. Cook gently for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat when you see browning. For me this happened at about 22 minutes. I think if you make a larger quantity, the time will be longer.
Cut a small piece of cheesecloth, double it and line a tea strainer with it. Strain the butter through the cheesecloth into a small, clean glass jar. The spiced butter lasts months in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
Ingredients for the mekelesha spice blend:
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (cardamomo)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (cannella)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (chiodi di garofano)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (pepe nero)
Blend the spices in a small, clean jar. You will use a small amount of mekelesha, so once done, it will be ready for future misir wot batches or other stews and curries.
Ingredients for the red lentil stew:
4 1/2 ounces / 125 grams dried split red lentils
2 tablespoons niter kibbeh (if you use vegetable oil instead, the dish is vegan)
4 1/2 ounces / 125 grams red onion, finely chopped
1/2 -inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2-2 teaspoons berbere (see Note below)
1/4 teaspoon ground nigella seeds (it is easy to grind whole seeds using a mortar and pestle)
1/4 cup / 60 ml warm water for the onion
1 1/2 cups / 350 ml warm water, plus more as needed, for the lentils
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon mekelesha spice blend
Note: whether you buy it or make your own, berbere‘s spiciness varies by blend and personal perception. If you are unsure, use 1 1/2 teaspoons to start with, then, depending on the result, increase it to 2 teaspoons the next time.
Place the lentils in a mesh strainer, and rinse until the water runs mostly clear.
In a 8-inch / 20 cm-wide saucepan, warm the niter kibbeh over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until it smells aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the berbere and nigella and add a splash of water. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir, add another splash of water and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat the process once more. If the onion is very dry at the end, add a splash more water.
The slow, long cooking of the onion with berbere truly makes the dish: at the end, the onion is reduced to an intensely aromatic, almost creamy mass.
Add the lentils and half the sea salt and stir well. Add 1 cup / 240 ml of the warm water. Cover, turn up the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally and add warm water a bit at a time to ensure the lentils cook through and don’t dry out. You should use about 1 1/2 cups / 350 ml of water total.
Cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 10-12 minutes, stirring in the mekelesha when the lentils are almost done. You can gently mash some of the lentils against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the remaining sea salt and stir.
Remove the pan from the heat. You can serve the stew now, but it will taste better if you let it cool and refrigerate it overnight, then reheat it and serve.
Makes 2 servings (2 cups)
1 The book’s page on the publisher’s website 2 The chapter on Mexican cuisine mentions mole. From briciole’s archive: mole poblano. 3 Recipe for Niter Kibbeh on Hunt Gather Cook, by Hank Shaw 4 Recipe for Misir Wot in the Washington Post, which includes the recipe for mekelesha spice blend, adapted from “Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa,” by Yohanis Gebreyesus with Jeff Koehler (Kyle Books, 2018) 5 Recipe for berbere in the Washington Post
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post
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.
un piatto ricco di sapore (tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)
Arrivati alla lettera L del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho scelto di preparare Misir Wot (o Misir Wat) un piatto con le lenticchie rosse tradizionale dell’Etiopia che era nella mia lista da molto tempo:
Se andate a mangiare in un ristorante di cucina etiope, potete ordinare il misto vegetariano, che consiste in un pane injera (il tradizionale pane piatto, morbido e un po’ spugnoso fatto con la farina di teff) con sopra mucchietti di vari piatti, uno dei quali è appunto Misir Wot, lenticchie rosse stufate speziate.
uno degli ingredienti è niter kibbeh, burro speziato
Quando ho cominciato a leggere varie ricette mi sono resa conto che avrei avuto bisogno non solo di lenticchie rosse e berbere, il misto di spezie tradizionale della cucina etiope che uso da anni (è ottimo per insaporire verdure). Prima di tutto niter kibbeh, burro infuso con spezie utilizzato in Etiopia ed Eritrea per cucinare. La ricetta che ho seguito è dal blog Hunt Gather Cook1: ne ho preparato 1/4 e ho usato cipolla rossa invece dello scalogno che non ho trovato nel negozio dove faccio la spesa (non è stagione).
Poi mekelesha, un altro misto di spezie che appare nella ricetta per misir wot2 che ho scelto di seguire più da vicino tra tutte quelle che ho consultato. Ho preparato niter kibbeh e mekelesha, ma non berbere3, perché ne avevo abbastanza e volevo finirlo prima di fare la mia versione. Dal momento che preparo Misir Wot per me sola, nella mia ricetta dimezzo le quantità della ricetta e utilizzo niter kibbeh invece dell’olio vegetale.
in senso orario da sinistra: semi di nigella seeds, niter kibbeh (fuso), mekelesha, berbere e lenticchie rosse
Una volta che avete gli ingredienti pronti, cuocere il piatto non richiede molto tempo. Ma la ricetta che ho seguito più da vicino4 raccomanda di far riposare le lenticchie per diverse ore o durante la notte per dare tempo ai sapori di mergere. Questa raccomandazione è in generale ottima nel caso di stufati e zuppe ed è un elemento da incorporare nella pianificazione. Vi ricordo che 1 cucchiaio = 15 ml e 1 cucchiaino = 5 ml.
Ingredienti per niter kibbeh:
4 baccelli di cardamomo schiacciati
0,6 cm di bastoncino di cannella
1 chiodo di garofano
112 grammi di burro
1 cucchiaio di cipolla rossa tritata (la ricetta original richiede scalogno, ma non l’ho trovato da comprare)
1/2 spicchio d’aglio tritato
1/2 cucchiaio di zenzero fresco grattugiato
1 cucchiaino scarso di origano secco
1/8 cucchiaino di curcuma in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di fieno greco in polvere
Tostate a secco il cardamomo, il chiodo di garofano e la cannella in una padellina a fuoco medio fino a quando diventano aromatici, circa un minuto.
Tagliate il burro a cubetti. Mettete il burro e tutti gli altri ingredienti, comprese le spezie appena tostate, in un pentolino con il fondo pesante. Scaldate a fuoco basso fino a bollore minimo. Cuocete per 30 minuti. Togliete dal fuoco quando vedete che il burro comincia a imbrunire. Nel mio caso questo è successo dopo 22 minuti di cottura. Credo che se utilizzate più burro, il tempo necessario sarà più lungo.
Tagliate piccolo pezzo di garza alimentare, piegatelo in due e usatelo per foderare un colino. Versate il burro nel colino e fatelo colare in un barattolino di vetro. Il burro speziato si conserva per mesi in frigorifero e potete anche congelarlo.
Ingredienti per il misto di spezie mekelesha:
1/4 cucchiaino di cardamomo in polvere (possibilmente macinato fresco)
1 cucchiaino di cannella in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di chiodi di garofano in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di pepe nero macinato fresco
Mescolate le spezie in un barattolino di vetro. Userete solo una piccola quantità di mekelesha ma l’avrete pronto per futuri misir wot batches e altri piatti.
Ingredienti per le lenticchie:
125 grammi lenticchie rosse decorticate
2 cucchiai di niter kibbeh
125 grammi di cipolla rossa, tritata
un pezzetto da 1,25 cm di zenzero fresco grattugiato
1 piccolo spicchio d’aglio, tritato
1 1/2-2 cucchiaini di berbere (vedi Nota in basso)
1/4 cucchiaino di semi di nigella in polvere (è facile macinare i semi di nigella in un piccolo mortaio e pestello)
60 ml di acqua riscaldata, per cuocere la cipolla
350 ml di acqua riscaldata, un po’ più se necessario, per le lenticchie
1/2 cucchiaino di sale fino, diviso
1/4 cucchiaino di misto di spezie mekelesha
Nota: l’intensità del berbere varia. Se non siete sicuri, per cominciare utilizzate 1 1/2 cucchiaini e poi, a seconda del risultato, la volta successiva aumentate la dose a 2 cucchiaini.
Mettete le lenticchie in uno scolapasta a rete e sciacquatele fino a quando l’acqua sia limpida.
In una pentola bassa di 20 cm di diametro, scaldate il niter kibbeh a fuoco medio-basso. Aggiungete la cipolla e cuocetela per 10 minuti, mescolando di tanto in tanto. Aggiungete l’aglio e lo zenzero e cuocete per 1 minuto, mescolando di continuo. Spargete il berbere e la nigella sulla cipolla, mescolate e aggiungete un po’ dell’acqua calda (1 cucchiaio). Coprite la pentola, e cuocete a fuoco basso per 10 minuti. Scoperchiate, mescolate, aggiungete un altro po’ dell’acqua calda e cuocete per 5 minuti. Ripetete un’altra volta. Se la cipolla è secca alla fine della cottura, aggiungete un altro po’ dell’acqua.
La cottura lenta e lunga della cipolla con il berbere è importante per la riuscita del piatto: al termine la cipolla è ridotta quasi ad una crema molto aromatica.
Aggiungete le lenticchie e metà del sale e mescolate bene. Versate 240 ml dell’acqua calda sulle lenticchie, coprite la pentola, e portate a ebollizione su fuoco moderato, poi riducetelo a basso e mantenete un leggero bollore. Mescolate di tanto in tanto e aggiungete il resto dell’acqua un po’ alla volta per fare in modo che le lenticchie cuociano completamente senza mai rimanere secche.
Cuocete le lenticchie fino a quando siano tenere ma non del tutto disfatte, 10-12 minuti. Aggiungete la mekelesha quando le lenticchie sono quasi pronte e mescolate. Se volete, potete schiacciare un po’ delle lenticchie con un cucchiaio di legno contro la parete della pentola. Aggiungete il resto del sale e mescolate. Togliere la pentola dal fuoco.
Potete servire le lenticchie immediatamente, ma saranno più buone se le fate raffreddare e le tenete in frigorifero durante la notte. Riscaldatele e servitele. Sono davvero ottime.
Porzioni: 2.
1 Ricetta per Niter Kibbeh sul blog Hunt Gather Cook, di Hank Shaw (in inglese) 2 Ricetta per Misir Wot sul Washington Post (in inglese; comprede la ricetta per il misto di spezie mekelesha) adattata dal libro “Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa” (Etiopia: ricette e tradizioni dal corno d’Africa) di Yohanis Gebreyesus con Jeff Koehler (Kyle Books, 2018) 3 Ricetta per berbere sul Washington Post (in inglese)
Contribuisco il mio Misir Wot con lenticchie rosse dall’Etiopia alla lettera L 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.
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus1 which tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a research chemist in California in the early 1960's, who becomes the host of a cooking show.
Rowing plays a role in the book, referred to mostly as a a source of physical discomfort, if not downright suffering. I thought I would balance out that perspective with a photo I took recently while rowing on Richardson Bay (an arm of San Francisco Bay). I captioned it: for this is why I row.
Based on the length of the library's waiting list, the book is popular. A light reading.
Besides dishes prepared during the show, there are others mentioned in the book: none sparked my imagination. On the other hand, this is the time of year when fresh fava beans are available and I enjoy bringing them into my kitchen. Most often I use them as an ingredient in salads2, but a recipe for a soup in La Cucina, the Regional Cooking of Italy by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina3 caught my attention, as it uses another seasonal ingredient I enjoy: spring onions. After months of using storage onions, fresh, juicy spring ones are a pleasure to savor.
I cannot imagine Elizabeth Zott choosing this soup for a Supper at Six installment, though had she done so, she could have explained to her audience about favism4 (favismo) a severe reaction to consumption of fava beans that occurs in people affected by deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and could have expanded on the role enzymes play in chemical reactions. Once diagnosed, people affected by the genetic condition avoid ingesting fava beans.
two main ingredients plus a non-traditional one (for an Italian dish) (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
My rendition of this simple soup includes an ingredient I recently purchased from a local farmer5: a miso made with green lentils (lenticchie verdi) and aged for a bit more than three years. I have been adding it to various dishes and even to cookies.
Note: the miso6 I use is aged 3+ years, like red miso, but it is made using green lentils rather than soybeans. It has a relatively mellow flavor. I suggest using yellow miso first. Depending on your preference, you may then mix it with some red miso for a stronger flavor (or with white miso for a lighter one).
Shell the fava beans and blanch them for 30 seconds, then drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking.
Slit the skin with your thumbnail then pinch or twist to slip the bright green core out of its coat and into a small bowl. (You don't need to peel tiny fava beans, whose skin is quite thin.) Set aside.
Chop the spring onion.
Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and stir well to coat. Cook on low heat until the onion is soft, 6 minutes or so, stirring often.
Add the fava beans to the saucepan and stir well. Pour the water into the saucepan: the vegetables should be submerged, but visible just below the surface. (Add more water if necessary.) Cover the saucepan and bring the soup to a boil.
Cook the soup on low heat until the fava beans are soft, 25-30 minutes or as needed. Stir every now and then with a wooden spoon and mash some of the fava beans against the side of the saucepan.
Put the miso in a small cup. When the soup is almost ready, spoon some of the liquid into the cup and stir to blend. Pour the diluted miso into the soup and stir well.
Remove the soup from the heat. Serve hot, with some chives sprinkled on top, if desired.
Serves 2-3.
I love this soup: the spring onion gives it a fresh flavor, the fava beans make it earthy, miso adds umami and the result is satisfying,
[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.
Arrivati alla lettera F del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho deciso subito che avrei preparato un piatto con le fave, che in questo momento sono di stagione. Mio padre le adorava e a tutti in famiglia piacevano crude, mangiate a fine pasto, semplicemente sbucciate e con un pochino di sale o, meglio ancora, del pecorino fresco.
Mia madre preparava anche la zuppa di fave: a me non piaceva per via delle bucce. In tutti i piatti che preparo con le fave il primo passo è quello di liberarle dalla loro buccia, previo breve sbollentamento.
i due ingredienti + uno non tradizionale (per un piatto italiano) (tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)
Ho trovato questa zuppa sul sito dell'Accademia Italiana della Cucina1 che la colloca in Campania come regiode d'origine. La ricetta è brevissima e io l'ho personalizzata con l'utilizzo di un ingrediente non tradizionale, il miso, che in questo periodo sto usando molto perché ho trovato un produttore locale che mi ha ispirato.
Una nota riguardo al favismo: è una reazione all'ingestione di fave che può colpire persone affette da carenza dell'enzima glucosio-6-fosfato deidrogenasi (G6PD). Una volta diagnosticata la carenza enzimatica (che ha base genetica), queste persone evitano le fave.
Ingredienti:
450 grammi di fave fresche
225 grammi di cipolla novella rossa (cipollotto rosso)
2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
355 ml di acqua, o q.b.
3/4 cucchiaio di miso (vedi nota in basso)
erba cipollina tritata, facoltativa
Nota: il miso che utilizzo è maturato per oltre 3 anni, come il miso rosso, ma è fatto con lenticchie verdi invece che fagioli di soia. Non ha un sapore forte. Vi suggerisco di provare prima ad utlizzare il miso giallo. Se preferite un sapore più intenso, potete usare un mix di miso giallo e rosso. In generale, più il miso è scuro, più lungo è stato il periodo di fermentazione, più intenso è il sapore. Se non trovate il miso o non desiderate usarlo, potete fare lo stesso la zuppa e condirla con del sale fino.
Sgranate le fave e sbollentatele per 30 secondi, poi scolatele e tuffatele in acqua ghiacciata. Spellate le fave (a parte quelle proprio piccole, dalla pellicina fine) e mettetele da parte.
Tagliate finemente la cipolla.
In una pentola scaldate l'olio di oliva, aggiungete la cipolla e mescolate bene. Cuocere a fuoco dolce fino a quando la cipolla è tenera, circa 6 minuti, mescolando spesso.
Aggiungete le fave e mescolate bene. Versate l'acqua nella pentola: le verdure devono essere appena sommerse. (Aggiungete acqua se necessario.) Incoperchiate la pentola e portate ad ebollizione la zuppa.
Cuocete la zuppa a fuoco basso per 25-30 minuti o fino a quando le fave siano tenere. Mescolate la zuppa di tanto in tanto con un cucchiaio di legno e schiacciate alcune fave contro la parete della pentola.
Mettete il miso in una tazzina. Quando la zuppa è quasi pronta versare un po' del liquido nella tazzina e mescolate bene. Versate il miso diluito nella zuppa e mescolate bene.
Togliete la pentola dal fuoco. Servite la zuppa ben calda con, se volete, dell'erba cipollina tritata sparsa sulla superficie.
Porzioni: 2-3.
Questa zuppa mi piace molto: la cipolla novella le dà un sapore fresco, le fave un sapore rustico, il miso contribuisce umami e il risultato è ottimo.
1Ricetta sul sito dell'Accademia italiana della cucina
Contribuisco la mia zuppa di cipolle e fave dall'Italia alla lettera F 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.
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Midnight Chicken by Ellen Risbridger1, a cookbook with stories. The most exciting thing for me related to this book is that I was able to get the electronic version from the library (biblioteca). I am still not sure how I got the various pieces to work, but one day, I clicked on a link in an email and pretty soon I could open the book in my e-reader. I don’t think this is the best solution for cookbooks (seeing as the kitchen is not the best environment for electronics), but for reading it is great. I am already half-way into the second book I borrowed.
Risbridger talks about her life and about how cooking helped her in moments of particular difficulty. She is open about her mental health and her struggles. She lives in London and her shopping and cooking are influenced by the urban environment. She favors prepackaged vegetables, like cleaned and cut winter squash, and canned legumes and wonders who makes homemade puff pastry (I do). Her ingredients are British, like self-raising flour.
I was not inspired to make any of the recipes, but one of them reminded me that red beets are called beetroots in England and that inspired me to grab a beautiful bunch of them at the farmers market, with their glorious greens (foglie di barbabietola) still attached. In our household we LOVE beet greens so those disappeared fast. The book includes a recipe for Butternut squash mash, which reminded of a recipe I made some time ago that brings together those two ingredients into a bright soup that is just perfect for when the weather is gray and cold.
This time I used honeynut squash, a relatively new variety of winter squash2 which I introduced in a post last year.3 Honeynut squash looks like a mini butternut squash: it has the same elongated shape, solid neck, bulbous end, but it is smaller, darker in color and sweeter in flavor. This year, a local farmer grew it, so I’ve been able to find it at the market. Given its small size, it is perfect for recipes where you don’t need a large squash.
1 cup / 240 ml chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade
2 cups / 475 ml water
1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
If you purchase a bunch of red beets with their greens, cut off the greens about 1 inch / 2.5 cm from the root and cook them as soon as possible like you would other types of dark leafy greens.
The honeynut squash and beets are roasted before being used in the soup. This step can be done in advance.
Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
Scrub the beets, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on the baking sheet.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (a grapefruit spoon works well to do this). Place the squash halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down.
Bake the squash until it’s tender enough to pierce easily with a blade, about 40 minutes.
Bake the red beets until easily pierced with a knife, an additional 20 minutes or so.
Let the squash cool then scrape the flesh off the skin with a spoon.
Let the red beets cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin. Cube the beets and set them aside.
Warm up the olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat, then add the onion, stirring well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the ginger and stir. Cover and cook on gentle heat for another 8 minutes, until the onion is soft, stirring often. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and hot paprika, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the squash and the red beets to the pot, stir and add the broth and water. Bring the soup ring to a boil, covered, then turn down the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Season with the salt and stir. Let the soup rest, covered, for 15-30 minutes, then purée it with an immersion blender.
Making the soup at least a few hours before serving will allow it to rest and ripen.
When ready to eat, heat the soup, ladle it in bowls and serve immediately.
Serves 4-5.
shapes and surfaces
I like the bright red color and the sweet and spicy flavor of this nourishing soup.
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.)
This is my contribution to 
Contribuisco le mie melanzane dall’Afghanistan alla lettera M di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di 
Contribuisco il mio Misir Wot con lenticchie rosse dall’Etiopia alla lettera L di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di 
I am contributing my soup also to