Shakshuka

Do you frequently stumble across and make great dishes, and then promise yourself "I'll definitely be making that again"?  I do this often, but the reality is that I come across so many great new dishes all the time that I seldom get around to revisiting some of those wonderful discoveries.

Not so with this dish.  This was one of the first dishes I made when I got my copy of Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi, and I loved it so much it has become a regular round here.  In fact, I've made it so many times that when I pick up the book it automatically falls open at this page, and there are a gazillion red, peppery splatters all over the page.  Now that to me is the hallmark of a great recipe.

The other thing I love about this dish is that really it's just an "idea" - you can play around with it to suit yourself.  Ottolenghi uses a combination of red and yellow peppers, but I nearly always only use red - I just like the visual richness of all that red contrasting with the single yellow hit of the egg yolk.  I also like to add some chorizo sausage and a little preserved lemon.  The original recipe contains onions, but I usually leave them out.  This is traditionally eaten as a breakfast/brunch dish, and although I often have this for dinner, I nevertheless can't really face the idea of onions in what is breakfast food (just one of my funny little things).  That said, I think there is more than enough flavour going on here, especially with the chorizo, to get by without the onions.  I also like to swap out cayenne pepper for some harissa and I like to add a dash of pomegranate molasses.  Feta cheese is a nice addition if you have it on hand, and I have even been known to add chickpeas on occasion.

The other great thing about this dish is that everything up to the point of adding the eggs can actually be prepared in advance - it can even be frozen at this stage in individual portions if you like, then you can just whip it out of the freezer before you go to bed, ready for breakfast the next morning.

Following is my adaptation of this wonderful dish, which I've prepared for our Optional Monthly Community Recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  The original recipe can be found here.

Shakshuka Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Plenty

Serves 4

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1x medium sized chorizo sausage, thinly sliced

olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4-8 red peppers (depending on size), thickly sliced (seeds discarded)

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2x bay leaves

small bunch thyme

generous handful fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

(plus extra for garnish)

6-8 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

generous pinch of saffron threads

2 tablespoons harissa

1/4 of a preserved lemon

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

water

free range eggs (1 or 2 per person)

Heat approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frypan over medium-high heat.  Add the chorizo to the warmed pan and fry until the lightly browned.  Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside.  Reserve the oil from the pan.

Now set a large, deepish, frying pan over high heat, and dry roast the cumin seeds for a minute or two until toasty and fragrant.  Now add the reserved oil from cooking the chorizo, and another tablespoon or so of olive oil.  Add the peppers, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar and herbs, and continue cooking on high (stirring regularly) until the peppers have started to caramelise - 5-10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, preserved lemon, saffron and harissa.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the peppers and tomatoes are soft, and the mixture has a pasta sauce consistency, adding a bit of water from time to time as necessary - about 15 minutes.  Stir in the reserved chorizo sausage (and feta, if using), taste and adjust seasoning.  You can prepare up to this stage in advance if you like - you could even freeze it at this stage.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks, and discard.  Now to add the eggs.  If serving this in the one big pan, family style, use the back of a soup ladle to make some indentations in amongst the peppers, and drop an egg into each indentation.  Sprinkle the eggs with salt, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat until the eggs have set to your liking - 10-12 minutes.  For individual servings, divide the vegetable mixture among four ovenproof dishes.  Again, using the back of a ladle, make an indentation in amongst the peppers and drop an egg into each indentation.  Season.  Place serving dishes in one large ovenproof dish, pour boiling water into the oven dish to about three-quarters of the height of the individual dishes.  Cover the whole thing with tinfoil, and put into an oven preheated to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F), until the eggs are set - about 15 minutes.

Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander, and some warm flatbreads or crusty sourdough to mop up the juices.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Plenty and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh Soup

A "new to me" blog I discovered recently is Blue Kale Road.  I was lured in when I came across this post for a Persian spice blend called Advieh and a Kidney Bean and Barberry Kuku, an adaptation of an Ottolenghi dish.  By the time I'd read to the end, I was hooked - after all, any woman who cooks Ottolenghi is a woman after my own heart.  I've continued to enjoy Hannah's posts ever since, and when she recently stopped by my blog and suggested that I join the Tasting Jerusalem group (a group dedicated to cooking their way through Ottolenghi's book, Jerusalem:A Cookbook), I was in.

The challenge this month is couscous, and we had the option of making Couscous with Tomato & Onion or Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh (Israeli couscous) Soup.  I had all good intentions of making the couscous with tomato and onion, but as it happened I had a pile of aubergines in the veggie bin which needed using up, so soup it was.  Besides, I'd had this one bookmarked for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it.

This week is also Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we continue our journey with Yotam Ottolenghi, so this post is doing double duty.

Now I did take quite a few liberties with the recipe, and what follows is my adaptation.  If you want the original recipe you'll find it on page 141 of the book.

Firstly - "burning" the aubergines.  Ottolenghi offers a method for doing this of lining the base of a gas hob with tin foil and then blackening the aubergines directly in the flame. This smacks to me of "mess" and also having to stand over the flame and keep moving the aubergines around.  His alternative suggestion is doing them in the oven under a hot grill. My method of choice is doing them on the barbeque - altogether less mess and less fuss, and works perfectly.  You do want to make sure first of all that you make a few long slashes through the skin in each one - helps to prevent any possibility that they might explode!!

Secondly, the recipe calls for slicing onions, chopping tomatoes and mincing garlic.  As it turns out I have on hand several batches of homemade sauce, which contains all of those ingredients, inspired by this sauce from the lovely Nicola at Homegrown Kitchen.  Although I love making things from scratch, I can also be incredibly lazy, so it made no sense to me to go through all that chopping and slicing again, when I could just bust out a cup of that sauce.

Thirdly, in addition to the burnt aubergine which gets blitzed into the soup base, Ottolenghi fries additional aubergine which serves as a garnish to the finished soup.  Fried aubergine, I have to say, just doesn't happen in my world - although it is undeniably delicious, I don't have the patience for standing over pans of frying aubergine, not to mention the amount of oil that it uses.  Much easier, less messy (and no doubt healthier) to toss with a little olive oil and bake in the oven.

The final dish exceeded all my expectations.  The flavour is deep, smoky and intense, and the mograbieh (also known as Israeli couscous) along with the chunks of roasted aubergine add great textural interest.  Now I know that there are those amongst you who could eat soup every night of the week - I am not one of those people.  Soup is something I do on occasion, but it's definitely not a "go-to" dish for me.  Well let me tell you that this is the soup that could potentially change all that - this is so good that I feel like I want to eat this every night for the rest of my life ... or at least until the next great Ottolenghi dish comes along.

Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh Soup Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem:  A Cookbook

Makes 4 generous servings

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

3x large aubergine

olive oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup roasted vegetable sauce (see above)

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

zest & juice of 1x lemon

100g (3-1/2 oz) mograbieh (Israeli couscous)

2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).

Cut one aubergine into large dice, toss generously with olive oil, and spread in a single layer in a shallow, parchment-lined baking dish.  Season liberally with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Put into the hot oven and bake until the aubergine pieces are golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut a few long slashes through the skin of the remaining two aubergine, and put onto the grill of a hot barbeque.  Turn regularly and cook until the skin is black and flaky and the flesh is soft - about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the aubergines from the heat and leave until cool enough to handle.  Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the soft flesh in long strips and discard the blackened skin.  Put the flesh into a sieve set over a bowl for any water to drain out of the flesh while you continue with the rest of the dish.

Now heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and as soon as they are fragrant and sizzling, add the tomato paste.  Cook for a moment or two, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste is "caramelised".  Add the roasted vegetable sauce, chicken stock, water, lemon juice (reserve the zest), salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a small pan of water over high heat and bring to the boil.  Salt the water liberally, and add the couscous to the boiling water.  Cook exactly as you would any pasta, until al dente.  Drain and refresh under cold water.

Now add the burnt aubergine flesh which has been draining to the soup.  Remove from the heat and, using a stick blender, puree till smooth.  Reserve some of the oven-baked aubergine and couscous for garnishing and add the rest to the soup.

Simmer for another few minutes to heat everything through.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Serve immediately in warm bowls, with a sprinkling of the reserved aubergine and couscous on top.  Garnish with a little lemon zest and basil, and finish with a generous swirl of your very best extra virgin olive oil.

Lip-smacking, drooling and orgasmic sighs as you devour this are all totally permissible.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I'm also sharing this post this week at Tasting Jerusalem (Tasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of “Jerusalem: A Cookbook” by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, and liking our Facebook page), at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, and often hilarious, Michelle at Ms. enPlace, and at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

          

Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam (Bayildi ev Kadini)

One of my favourite dishes is an aubergine dish called Imam Bayildi.  I love it not just for its deliciousness (what's not to love about aubergine, tomatoes, garlic & onions simmered in copious (and I really do mean copious) amounts of good olive oil), but I also love the name of it and the story behind it.  Loosely translated it means "the imam fainted" or some say "the imam swooned".  Opinion is divided, however, on whether the imam fainted with pleasure at the flavour of the dish, or whether in fact he fainted when he discovered the cost of the ingredients his wife had used in the dish (olive oil then being a very prized and expensive ingredient).  Either way, it's a "swoon-worthy" dish.

So why am I telling you this, and what could it possibly have to do with Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam? Well, quite simply, when I scooped up a big spoonful of this jam on a hot, flaky, buttery croissant, I almost swooned myself with the sheer pleasure of it.  If only, I thought, I could come up for a name for this that might convey such delight.  If a magnificent aubergine dish can be called "the imam fainted", could this wonderous jam then perhaps be called "the housewife fainted"?  With a little bit of help from Google Translate then Bayildi ev Kadini is what I came up with - of course, I've placed a huge amount of faith in the translator here, so if this really says something horribly inappropriate in Turkish then you will let me know won't you?!

Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam Recipe (Bayildi ev Kadini)

Makes about 3 cups

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1 kg (2 lb) fresh figs

500g (1 lb) sugar

2x vanilla pods

100g chocolate of your choice, roughly chopped

(I used Whittakers Hazelnut)

Cut figs in half and place in a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized pan along with the sugar.  Split the vanilla pods in half, scrape out the seeds, and add the seeds and the pods to the pan.  Stir a few times.

Set the pan aside and allow to stand for about 24 hours.  By this time the sugar will be mostly dissolved, and the fig juices running.

Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Now turn up the heat and boil rapidly until thick and gloopy and "jammy".  Towards the end you need to keep an eye on it - you want to take it to a stage where it is well reduced and it is just about to catch on the bottom.

Remove from heat and bottle into sterilised jars by putting a spoonful or two into the bottom of the jar, then add a layer of chopped chocolate.  Continue alternating layers of jam and chocolate until the jar is full.  The heat of the jam will melt the chocolate a little allowing it to ooze through the jam a little, but without melting it completely, so that when you dive into the jam you get some nice big chunks of chocolate.

Now you know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow ... what will you be having?

This will be my submission this month to Sweet New Zealand, inspired by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Monica at Delissimon - can't wait to see what sweet treats everyone has come up with this month.

Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche

When we decided to spend the next six months at I Heart Cooking Clubs cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi, one of the first people I told about it was my friend Mairi at Toast.  She is at least as big an Ottolenghi fan as I am, and I knew she would want to join in.  In her post this week for these wonderful Sweet Potato Fritters, Mairi says ... "I am loving it, it has somehow reinvigorated me a little.  Made me really, really enjoy cooking again & sharing it here on Toast without it feeling remotely like a chore.  It is again a pleasure & a joy.  And that is what I love about Ottolenghi, always inspiring.  I have yet to cook something from any of his books that has not delighted. There is something wonderful & exciting the first time you try some sort of new flavour combination or a new way to cook a few simple ingredients & turn them in to something so much more than the some of their parts."

And that is exactly the way I feel.  I am always excited by the interesting flavour combinations that Ottolenghi introduces me to and, as Mairi suggests, turning a few simple ingredients into something that is so much greater than the sum of their parts.

Case in point ... these Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche.  Wedges of sweet potato are tossed with a combination of sea salt and ground coriander, and roasted until tender and caramelised.  Sweet potato with ground coriander was a new flavour combination for me, and one I'll definitely be trying again.  As for the dipping sauce - creme fraiche made zingy with lemongrass and lime - heavenly with just about anything.  And then put the sweet potato and the sauce together, and sprinkle over a bit of chilli and fresh coriander, and we're taking awesomely, incredibly, amazingly good. 

I will definitely be making these again ... most likely even before the week is out!!

Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche Recipe

Adapted (ever so slightly) from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Plenty

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2x large sweet potatoes

olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1x fresh red chilli, finely sliced

handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

For the sauce:

fresh lemongrass stalk

200g creme fraiche

grated zest & juice of 2x limes

small knob of ginger, peeled & grated

flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).

Cut the sweet potatoes (unpeeled) in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into four long wedges.

Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking paper, and brush the paper lightly with a little of the olive oil.  Place wedges, in a single layer on the paper and brush liberally with more olive oil.  Mix together the flaky sea salt and ground coriander, and sprinkle generously over the sweet potato wedges.

Roast in the preheated oven until the wedges are golden brown and tender - about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile get on with the dipping sauce.  Put creme fraiche in a small bowl.  Add the grated lime zest and juice, grated ginger and sea salt.  Place the "fleshy" end of the lemongrass stalk on a wooden board and, using a kitchen mallet or the back of a knife, bash to break up the stalk a little and release the flavour and aroma.  Now use the "beaten up" stalk like a spatula to mix the sauce until it is well blended, and leave the stalk in the sauce, to continue releasing its flavour, while you set it aside until the wedges are cooked.

The wedges are best served warm or at room temperature.  When you're ready to serve them, set the wedges on a platter or board, sprinkle over the fresh coriander leaves and chilli, and serve the dipping sauce on the side (discarding the lemongrass stalk just before you serve).

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Plenty and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Rocket & Cress Salad with Roasted Figs & Haloumi

Last week when I shared with you this Salad of Baby Spinach with Dates & Almonds, from Yotam Ottolenghi, I thought it was not possible to improve on perfection.  And that may still be true.  But when I set out to make this salad again for my lunch today, and ended up allowing a few different ingredients I had on hand take this in a slightly different direction, I think I came pretty close.

I had some rocket (arugula to some of you) and watercress kicking around in the fridge, which I thought would make a nice change from the spinach.  I also had a nice block of haloumi I'd made a couple of weeks ago, using this recipe from Alessandra Zecchini.

I stuck with the sumac and chilli-spiked croutons and almonds from the original recipe, which I've got to say are so addicitive that I could eat just a bowlful of them on their own as a wee snack.  Sitting on my kitchen bench is also a large bowl of fresh figs, raided from my neighbour's tree, and it seemed like a few of those roasted off would make a nice substitute for the dates.

The result was everything I dreamed it would be, and more.  The peppery rocket and cress, combined with the lemony-spicy croutons and almonds, the sweet, juicy figs, and the salty haloumi was a blindingly-good flavour combination.  While crunchy nuts and croutons, velvety leaves, soft fruit and squeaky cheese all added up to a great textural combo as well.

This is the perfect dish for a light autumn lunch, or would also make a great side dish to roasted chicken or some lovely barbequed lamb chops.  Hope you'll give it a try.

Rocket & Cress Salad with Roasted Figs & Haloumi Recipe

Inspired by a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tomimi

from Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Vegetarian

Makes a meal for one person or side dish for two

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

Note:  Really you don't have to be too fussy about quantities here, just adjust to suit what you have on hand or to suit the number of mouths you want to feed

approx 100g (3-1/2 oz) haloumi, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for dressing

1-2 slices of sourdough bread, cut into cubes

small handful of raw almonds, very roughly chopped

1 teaspoon sumac

chilli flakes to taste

4x fat, juicy, fresh figs, cut into quarters

2x large handfuls rocket & watercress leaves, mixed

juice of 1/2 lemon

flaky sea salt

Heat a small pan over medium heat, and once the pan is hot, dry fry the haloumi slices until golden on both sides.  Remove and set aside to cool.

Wipe out the pan, add one tablespoon of the olive oil, and return the pan to the heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the bread and almonds to the pan and cook until they are crisp and golden, stirring regularly.  Remove from the heat, add the sumac and chilli flakes, and a small pinch of flaky sea salt.  Toss to combine well, then remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, wipe out the pan again and return to the heat.  Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and, once hot, add the figs.  Saute for several minutes, turning regularly until the figs are caramelised and softened and juices starting to run.  Remove and set aside while you assemble the salad.

Put rocket and watercress leaves into a serving bowl or platter.  Add the toasted bread and almonds and toss well.  Tear or chop the haloumi slices into bite sized pieces and distribute evenly amongst the leaves.  Arrange the roasted figs over the top, squeeze over the lemon juice, and drizzle generously with the extra virgin olive oil.  Taste and sprinkle over another pinch of flaky sea salt if necessary.

I'm sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, and at Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollam.

                     

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we last week began our journey of cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi, we are all about Loving the Leaf!  There is certainly no shortage of inspiration in any of Ottolenghi's books for turning out dishes of leafy green goodness, but with his latest book Jerusalem: A Cookbook being the most recent addition to my collection that was where I turned first.  With so many great choices here (Raw Artichoke & Herb Salad;  Kohlrabi Salad with Watercress & Mint;  Swiss Chard Fritters;  Swiss Chard with Tahini, Yoghurt & Buttered Pine Nuts;  Split Wheat & Swiss Chard with Pomegranate Molasses;  Watercress & Chickpea Soup with Rose Water & Ras el Hanout), and that was just in the first half of the book, I needed to look no further.   I would happily devour any one of those dishes, but it was this recipe for a salad of baby spinach leaves tossed with dates, almonds, and crispy croutons that really took my fancy.  Spinach is without doubt my favourite leafy green, and any kind of spinach salad is a favourite meal for me on just about any occasion - combine that with sweet, sticky dates, crunchy nuts and croutons, a little bit of lemony tang from a touch of sumac, and a little kick of heat from chilli flakes, and I am in leafy, salady heaven.

This salad delivered on all fronts - texture, taste (just the right amount of that sweet, salty, sour going on), and leafy goodness.  I made a couple of small changes - I subbed in fennel in place of red onion, which I'm not particularly fond of raw in salads, and I replaced pita bread croutons with sourdough, because that's what I had on hand.  I also adjusted quantities to make a delicious lunch for one person.  This certainly won't be the last time that this salad graces my lunch table.

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem:  A Cookbook

Makes a generous meal for one person, or a side for two

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1/2 a large fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

(a mandolin is ideal for this if you have one)

3x Medjool dates, cut into quarters, lengthwise (stones discarded)

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

knob of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for dressing

thick slice sourdough bread, cut into cubes

small handful raw almonds, very roughly chopped

1 teaspoon sumac

chilli flakes to taste

2x large handfuls baby spinach leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon

flaky sea salt

Put fennel and dates into a small bowl, add the vinegar and a small pinch of salt, toss well and set aside for about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil and butter in a small frying pan over medium heat.  Add the bread cubes and almonds to the pan and cook until they are crisp and golden brown - stir regularly.  Remove pan from the heat;  add the sumac, chilli flakes and another small pinch of salt.  Mix well and set aside to cool.

Toss the spinach leaves with toasted bread and almonds.  Add the dates and fennel, lemon juice, a generous drizzle of olive oil and another pinch of salt.  Taste to check seasoning, and when it is balanced to your taste, serve immediately.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, and at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

          

Lamb-stuffed Quince with Coriander & Pomegranate

At last the moment I've been telling you about for the last couple of weeks has arrived - yes, we begin our six month journey at I Heart Cooking Clubs with Yotam Ottolenghi.  Yotam is a new chef to many in our group, and I know that everyone has been pretty excited about getting to know him and his food.  On the other hand, he is no stranger to me - I first discovered his books a couple of years ago and have been cooking from them on a regular basis.  This is a little sampling of some of the dishes I've made and posted from his books Ottolenghi, The Cookbook and Plenty, and with his latest book, Jerusalem, now added to my collection, I'm looking forward to making Ottolenghi a weekly guest in my kitchen.

Since this is the beginning of a new journey, it seemed only fitting that I should choose a recipe from the new book, Jerusalem.  I had several dishes bookmarked to try, but when I picked up these beauties at the market last week, it seemed like the decision was made for me.

The recipe for Lamb-stuffed Quince with Coriander and Pomegranate was one that had enticed me from the moment I picked up this book.  This is a Persian inspired dish and everything about it seems exotic and celebratory to me.  In fact, as I was preparing this, channeling my "inner Persian housewife" it occurred to me that although this would not be an "every day" kind of dish, the use of such exotic ingredients as coriander, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, allspice, cardamom would nevertheless be commonplace store cupboard ingredients in your typical Middle Eastern household.  Although, all of these ingredients are now readily available in specialty stores here, and will have found their way into the pantries of many an adventurous cook, they are still about as far removed from the standard fare of your average Kiwi cook as you could get.

This turned out to be a wonderful dish, but it's definitely a labour of love.  Quince are very "hard" fleshed, and scooping out the flesh is difficult work.  Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to make this dish for someone unless you care for them a great deal.  In the introduction to the recipe Ottolenghi does say, that you can take the easier route, and simply dice the quince flesh and turn the lamb into meatballs, cooking them together in the sauce.  I think I would definitely go this route next time around.

The lamb is spicy and aromatic with the allspice and chilli.  The sauce has that delicious sweet-sour-tangy thing going on with the pomegranate molasses, and the indescribable flavour of the quince.  I thought long and hard about how to describe the flavour of quince, but I'm at a loss.  To say it tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear does not do it justice, and to me it seems that the flavour is as much tied up in the fragrance as just the taste.   You just have to try it for yourself - just don't make the mistake of trying to eat them raw.  They are pretty much inedible and must be cooked.

For a special occasion dish, this is a great one to try, and the perfect use for those quince which make such a brief appearance each year.

A couple of notes about the recipe.  Firstly, the recipe calls for simmering the stuffed quince on the stove-top - I think that in future I would bake them in the oven.   Secondly, the recipe called for simmering them for about 30 minutes.  Having had the experience before of cooking them long and slow, I was actually skeptical that they would cook in that short space of time so didn't bother checking them.   As it turned out, by that time they were a little overcooked, so I would check them after 20 minutes or so.  The original recipe included onions, which I replaced with fennel;  I reduced the number of cardamom pods to four, as cardamom is a strong flavour and the eight originally called for seemed a little excessive to me.  Lastly, you may wonder where I got pomegranate seeds at this time of year - I usually buy a few pomegranates when they're available, remove the seeds and stash them in the freezer, ready to sprinkle through salads and other dishes at any time.

Lamb-stuffed Quince with Coriander & Pomegranate Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi from

Jerusalem

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

500g minced lamb

1x clove garlic, finely chopped

1x hot red chilli, deseeded (optional) & finely chopped

large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

(plus extra for garnish)

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1 teaspoon ground allspice

4cm (1-1/2 in.) piece ginger, grated

1x large fennel bulb

1x large free-range egg, lightly beaten

1 large juicy lemon

3 or 4 quince, depending on size

3 tablespoons olive oil

4x cardamom pods

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses

2 teaspoons brown sugar

500ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock

seeds of 1/2 a pomegranate

flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Discard the tough outer "leaves" of the fennel bulb, and cut the bulb in half.  Cut one half into very small dice (in the same way that you would an onion), and slice the other half as thinly as you can (a mandoline is ideal for this if you have one).

Put the lamb in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add the finely chopped garlic and chilli, coriander, breadcrumbs, ground allspice, half of the grated ginger, the diced fennel, the egg, a generous pinch of flaky sea salt and a good grind of black pepper.  Mix everything together until well combined (your hands are the best tools for this job), and set aside.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves - don't discard the shells.  Reserve one tablespoon of the juice, and add the rest to a medium sized bowl filled with cold water.  Cut the quince in half lengthwise - keeping any pieces you are not working with in the acidulated water.  Using a small spoon (or melon baller if you have one) scoop out the seeds and discard.  Now continue to scoop out more of the flesh, leaving a shell approximately 1cm (1/3 in) thick - the flesh is very hard and this is not easy - I found using a small, sharp knife and "chiseling" it out worked best. As you work, keep rubbing the cut surface of the quince with the squeezed-out lemon shells.  Don't discard the quince flesh that you scoop out - drop that into the bowl of acidulated water too.

Now drain the hollowed-out quince shells briefly and pat dry with a paper towel.  Fill the shells with the lamb mixture, using your hands to press it in quite firmly.

Drain the remaining quince flesh from the water and put into the food processor.  Blitz until quite finely chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat.  Add the minced up quince flesh, remaining ginger and sliced fennel, and cardamom pods.  Saute until the fennel has softened completely - about 5-10 minutes.  Now add the pomegranate molasses, sugar, the reserved tablespoon of lemon juice, stock, another generous pinch of flaky sea salt, and a good grind of black pepper.

Now, nestle the quince halves in amongst the sauce, with the stuffed side uppermost.   Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes), until the meat is cooked through, the quince soft and the sauce reduced.  If necessary, remove the stuffed quince from the sauce and increase the heat in order to reduce the sauce further.

Best served warm rather than hot, so allow it to cool a little before serving.  Garnish with extra chopped coriander and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I'm also sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.