Crispy Leeks with Tangy Yogurt Caper Dressing

Of all the things I could have dreamed of making with leeks, never would I have thought to bread and crisp them.

Cooking my way through Plenty is like following the path less traveled on.  It makes so much sense.  Why wouldn't I bread and crisp leeks?  This man is brilliant.

Adapted from p. 42 of Ottolenghi's Plenty 

Serves 4 as a salad topping or appetizer

Ingredients

3-4 leeks, whites, cut into 5 cm parts

3-4 serrano chiles (optional)

150 mL sunflower oil for frying

Breading:

1 cup panko crumbs

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chile powder

few cracks black pepper

1/4 tsp fleur de sel

1 egg, beaten

Dressing/Dipping sauce:

juice from 1/2 lime

1 1/2 Tbsp capers

2 small green onions, sliced thinly at an angle

2 - 3 Tbsp yogurt

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

pinch fleur de sel

few cracks black pepper

Directions

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the leek pieces, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.  You want the leek pieces to be tender, not mush.. but not hard either.  Drain and pat dry (or let dry).

2.  While the leeks are blanching, prepare the breading stand.  Mix all the breading ingredients except the egg together on a plate.  In a separate bowl, have the beaten egg ready.

When the leeks are dry, dip each piece into the egg, then roll around in the breading.  I added 4 serranos from my garden in this step.

3.  Heat the sunflower oil in a sautée pan on high and fry each breaded leek piece for about 30 seconds on each side.  You may need to do this in batches.  They should be nice and golden.  Do this with your serranos as well.  Set aside onto paper towels.

4.  Make the dressing or dipping sauce.  Stir all the ingredients together.

5.  Serve as finger appetizers or as a salad topping.

I did both.  I couldn't help it.

Once salad, and then the leftovers were finger food appetizers.

The texture is insane.  Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, hot vs cold sauce.  The dipping sauce has that tang that pairs perfectly with the crunch.

This will be making an appearance at my next happy hour evening... and I'll make people guess what they are.
Oh and the serrano?  Best decision I've made all week!

This is delicious beyond words.. why didn't I think of this myself?

Butternut Squash Couscous

When I read reviews about Ottolenghi's recipes, I see many people are put off by the number of ingredients.  I find that funny because most of his recipes are things I can make without going shopping for extras.  A well stocked spice drawer (or spice room) is the key to being spontaneous.  Plus, many things can be exchanged without altering the heart of the recipe.  Don't have parsnips?  Who cares, use a different vegetable or extra carrots.  Don't have dried apricots?  Use dried figs or raisins.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

8 shallots, peeled but left whole

2 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

3 bay leaves

4 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp hot paprika

1/4 tsp chile flakes

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into chunks the same size as the carrots

1 zucchini chopped into chunks (original uses parsnips)

1-2 whole serrano chiles

1 handful dried raisins (original uses dried apricots)

200g (7 oz) cooked chickpeas (I cooked mine in the crockpot)

35-40 cL (11-14 floz) chickpea cooking liquid or water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups dried couscous

large pinch saffron threads

1 1/2 cups boiling vegetable stock

1 Tbsp butter or more olive oil

1-2 preserved lemons, pulp removed and skins finely sliced

harissa and chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1.  Place the carrots, shallots, serrano peppers, cinnamon, star anis, bay leaves, 4 tbsp oil, few pinches salt, and all the other spices in a large baking dish.  Mix well and bake at 190°C 375°F for 15 minutes.

2.  Add the butternut squash and zucchini to the baking dish, stir well, being careful not to break the pepper, and bake for another 40 minutes.  The vegetables should be slightly tender.

3.  Add the chickpeas with their cooking liquid along with the dried raisins, stir well, and cook for another 20-25 minutes.  It should start to smell amazing.

4.  About 15 minutes before serving, place the couscous in a heat safe bowl that can be covered.  Drizzle a pinch of salt, a bit of olive oil into it and add the saffron threads.  Pour the boiling vegetable stock onto the couscous, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes.  The couscous will drink up the saffron infused water.  Open and add a pad of butter or a more olive oil and fluff with a fork.

Serve the couscous with the baked goodness topped with some preserved lemon slices topped with some harissa hot sauce and chopped cilantro.
That roasted serrano pepper went onto my plate.  It was divine intervention.

This meal was full of pleasant flavor.. the cinnamon and star anise make a nice fragrant broth that infuses the vegetables.  The butternut squash and shallots are nice and sweet, the chickpeas roast a bit while being heated by the fragrant broth.
Partaking in this feast was like breathing in Love..

Mixed Vegetable Korma

This weekend, I needed a taste of India.

Fresh curry leaves have been located somewhere in Lyon, but I don't know exactly where... all I know is they made their way into my hands.

For as long as I have been cooking Indian food (which means a reasonable number of years) I've been longing for curry leaves.  When I first went to India I tried to source some but I didn't know what to call them in Hindi.  Now I know, it's Kadi Patta.  But over there, they sold me Tej Petta which I later figured out are bay leaves.  I thought all was lost when I finally discovered the Indian supermarket in Lyon where they (sometimes) carry dried curry leaves in little baggies.  After cooking with them for the first time, I became enamored.  They add such a distinct flavor to daals and vegetable stir fries, they're almost like a secret ingredient, unable to be replaced or substituted.  They were my little best kept secret... until I was told that they were seen fresh in town.

Fresh curry leaves?  But they grow only in hot climates and only stay fresh for a few days!  How can this happen in Lyon?  Everyone I know that cooks with fresh curry leaves doesn't buy them.. they grow them.. in India, California, and Malaysia.. never in France.

So when they were gently handed to me as proof that when you really long for something, it becomes reality, I may have concealed my happiness in order not to make a scene in public.

This offering surpasses all others.

This offering is more than just a thing, this is the deepest understanding of my desires.

Thank You.

Inspired by VegRecipesofIndia

Serves 6-7 as a side

Ingredients

Spice paste:

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

2 cloves

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 green cardamom

1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds

2-3 dried red chiles, deseeded

1 tsp poppy seeds

6 Tbsp grated coconut

6-8 cashews

1/2 Tbsp chickpea flour

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 inch piece ginger, grated

1/2 cup water for grinding

Korma:

3 Tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp freshly grated turmeric

2 sprigs fresh curry leaves

spice paste

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 large tomato, diced

2 large handful fresh green beans (about 1 cup), tailed and cut in half crosswise

1 handful snap peas

1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup water

2 Tbsp yogurt (optional)

salt to taste

chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1.  Make the spice paste.  Dry roast the cinnamon, cloves, fennel, cardamom, coriander seeds, chiles, poppy seeds, and cashews until fragrant, then add the coconut, and chickpea flour and dry roast a few more seconds.  Transfer to a blender with the rest of the spice paste ingredients and grind into a thick paste.  Set aside.

2.  Prepare the Korma.  Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based pan, then add the onions, turmeric, and curry leaves.  Cook until onions are translucent.

3.  Add the spice paste and fry while stirring, making sure it doesn't burn.  

4.  When the oil starts to separate, add the carrots, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

5.  Add the rest of the vegetables along with a few pinches of salt.  Cook on medium heat, stirring for another 15 minutes.  Add water as needed.

6.  Before serving, stir in 2 Tbsp plain full fat yogurt.  This step is completely optional and only adds decadence to the dish.  It is perfectly delicious without the yogurt.  Heat through, then remove from heat.

Serve hot or warm topped with chopped cilantro.

I served mine in a thali along with some saffron basmati rice, toor daal, rotis, and some whole roasted tandoori chicken.

Now I just need to get the intel on where exactly to find these next time... for everyone has their secrets and this one was not shared with me...

Caramelized Garlic Tart from Plenty

As I leaf through Ottolenghi's Plenty and marvel at the way his mind works, I stumble upon something that makes me react out loud, the "Funny Onions" chapter.  The more I read the introductions and the compilations of his recipes, the more I realize that this is the real way to compose.  I tend to focus one one ingredient that I want to make shine, and then create the recipe around that one ingredient, with other vegetables used to elevate the importance of the initial ingredient.  So the "Funny Onions" chapter is all about making bulbs sublime.  This speaks to me, for I am a garlic and onion lover.. sometimes I don't know which to choose, so I use both.  I love shallots, and can easily cook them whole and eat them as a side, for they sweeten when cooked.  I love fennel bulbs, raw or roasted, paired with just about anything.  Never in my mind had I ever thought of making a garlic tart.  Onion tart, yes.. onion soup.. yes, but Garlic Tart?  You mean a pie full of garlic?  What a genius idea!
This tart has almost 3 whole heads of garlic in it.. but it is relatively mild, since the garlic is left whole and par-boiled, then caramelized.  The result was mind blowing.  Mild, slightly sweet, and most importantly, making the garlic shine like the star she really is.
Adapted from page 38 of Plenty.
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
1 rosemary paprika buckwheat shortcrust (original uses an all butter puff pastry)
2 1/2 heads garlic, separated and peeled (original uses 3)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme
150g cubed feta (original uses 2 different goat cheeses)
1 handful roasted cubes butternut squash (not in the original recipe..I had leftovers)
1 large handful cherry tomatoes (not in the original)
2 eggs
200mL yogurt (original uses double cream and creme fraiche)
salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

1.  Place the shortcrust or puff pastry in a 28cm fluted tart tin over parchment paper, lightly stab it with a fork, and cover the edges with foil.  Pre-bake it for 15 minutes at 180°C 360°F.  In a lower oven rack, place the cherry tomatoes so they can get a head start and lose their water.

2.  Make the caramelized garlic.  Place all the garlic cloves in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a simmer and blanch for 3 minutes.  Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the water.

3.  Dry the garlic and the sauce pan, then heat the olive oil and the whole blanched garlic cloves on high heat.  Fry for around 2 minutes, then deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and garlic water.

4.  Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Add the sugar, rosemary, and thyme along with a pinch of salt.  Leave to simmer until the garlic cloves are coated in a dark syrup (around 10 minutes).  Set aside.

5.  Assemble by placing the feta cubs into the pre-baked crust along with the butternut squash cubes and blistered cherry tomatoes, then add the garlic cloves and their syrup, making sure to spoon it evenly all over the other vegetables and cheese.

6.  In a separate bowl, make the custard by beating the eggs until frothy, and then adding the yogurt and beating well.  Add some salt and pepper to this mixture before pouring it into the crust over the rest, making sure to fill the gaps but can still see some veggies and cheese over the surface.

7.  The recipe says to bake at 160°C 320°F for 45 minutes, but after 1 hour, mine was still not done, so I turned it up to 170°C 350°F for 20 more minutes.  You want the custard to have set and the top to be golden.  By this time the house smells so lovely you just can't handle it anymore.. you just want to dive into the oven and swim through all that magnificent caramelized garlic.

8.  Let cool at least 20 minutes.  You can do it!

I served mine with a crunchy salad of baby romaine, shredded cabbage, chickpeas, lime, cilantro, and olive oil.

So.. how did it taste?  That first bite is transcending.  It's crunchy from the caramelized garlic that crisped in the oven and creamy on the inside.  The sharpness of the feta mixed with the tang of the oven roasted cherry tomatoes dance as if to thank you for having elevated them to this high ranking status.

That tart is honored to be your guest.  This is genius at its best..

End of Summer Garden Spaghetti

There's something romantic about picking the vegetables and aromatics from your own garden and eating them the very same day.

The fresh taste of each tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, and chile slice becomes gourmet.. with very little need to adorn.

I used about 5 baby eggplants, quartered them, sautéed them in some olive oil with a sliced up serrano, then added some garlic slivers, a sprig of rosemary, 2 sliced bell peppers, a bowl full of cherry tomatoes, and about a cup of leftover cooked chickpeas. 

In another pot I boiled some spaghetti died with squid ink, reserved about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drained, then tossed it all with a generous filet of olive oil from Nyons.  I added that pasta water back in to make it saucy.

And all it needed at this point was some black pepper and a sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt, topped with fresh basil.

The only thing NOT from the garden or somewhere sexy was the spaghetti and the chickpeas.

Even the olive oil was special.

I've been making this with different variations of pasta all summer long.

This one was the most beautiful.

Perhaps it is the last until next summer...