Spice (42 page)

This is a fun tart to serve as an appetizer or little hors d’oeuvres. The recipe has both Alsatian and Turkish origins; it’s inspired by the famous
Flammekuchen,
an Alsatian pizza made with crème fraîche, smoked bacon, and onion. For Turkish flair, I use savory Crick-Crack dough (page 176) and add some poppy seeds to the onion mixture, finally sweetening and souring the flavors by adding date slivers to the bacon topping. The texture and nutty, earthy flavor of the poppy seeds make this tart one of my all-time favorites.

This dish pairs very well with an Alsatian pinot blanc. If you can find it, try Alsatian pinot auxerrois, a rich, ripe, spicy relative of pinot blanc that goes perfectly with the bacon and dates.

M
AKES
6
TARTS TO SERVE
6

6 regular slices smoked bacon or 3 thick-cut slices

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

2 to 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped

½ recipe Crick-Crack dough (page 176)

Flour for dusting

8 tablespoons (½ cup) crème fraîche

3 dates, split in half and pits removed

1.
In a large 12-inch skillet, render the bacon over medium-low heat until crispy, cooking for about 5 minutes on each side. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof container to discard later, after it cools completely.

2.
Wipe the skillet, leaving some bacon fat behind.

3.
Heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown.

4.
Add the onions, and increase the heat to high. Cook, shaking the pan from time to time, for about 7 minutes, until the onions become limp and translucent.

5.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the onions while stirring, for about 15 minutes, until they are soft and are just beginning to brown. Stir in the wine and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the poppy seeds, crème fraîche, and thyme and set aside to cool.

6.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

7.
Roll out the Crick-Crack dough, dusting with plenty of flour on both sides.

8.
Keep rolling and dusting with just enough flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the board or the pin, until the dough is ¼ to 1/8 inch thick.

9.
Using a small glass bowl or round cutter with a 4-to 5-inch diameter, cut out 6 rounds. Reserve the scraps to make Crick-Cracks.

10.
Top each round of pastry with 2 tablespoons of the onion mixture, leaving 1 inch around the edge of pastry.

11.
Cut each bacon strip into 4 pieces and tuck 4 pieces of bacon into each pile of onions. If you’re using thick-cut bacon, you can cut it into smaller pieces and divide them equally among the tarts.

12.
Cut each date half in two and tuck 2 pieces (a half date total) into each pile of onion.

13.
Fold the edges of pastry up over the onions, in a free-form overlapping fashion. Each tart should be open in the center and 1/3 covered with the overlapping dough.

14.
Place the tarts on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with a nice glass of dry Alsatian Riesling as an hors d’oeuvre or with a green salad as an appetizer.

REVIVING SPICES AND SEEDS

If your spices have lost their oomph or you think your seeds might be stale, slowly and gently toast them on a low flame in a sauté pan for 3 to 4 minutes or until you can smell them and/or they begin to look oily. Shake or stir them constantly over the low flame; do not walk away from the pan. And remember that if you are toasting a spice powder such as curry or turmeric, it only takes a minute.

Toasting draws out the natural oils of seeds and spices and will perk them up considerably, but this technique doesn’t work for dried herbs.

Spinach Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Pickled Pears

I created this nontraditional falafel—a very popular menu item at Oleana—as a light twist on traditional falafel, which I often find to be too heavy, especially as a side dish or mezze. When I was in the Turkish town of Gaziantep, I tasted ultralight and creamy hummus made with chickpea flour, and I was thus inspired to create a lighter, creamier, airier version of falafel, with all the typical falafel flavors. I like vegetables in my falafel—common in both Egyptian and Palestinian variations—so I load mine up with fresh, chopped spinach.

Serve this falafel on a rectangle of lavash bread with pickled pear, tahini sauce, and salad greens. Roll it up and eat as a sandwich for lunch.

At Oleana, we vary our pickles, depending on the season. In the summer, we use green tomato pickles. In the fall, we use turnip or pear pickles (see Nookie’s Pickles, page 280).

The falafel batter will hold up to 3 days and freezes well. You can freeze the falafel in balls and fry them straight out of the freezer.

Falafel pairs wonderfully with a glass of pinot noir. Falaghina, an aromatic, rich white wine from Italy with piney and briny flavors, is also delicious with this dish.

M
AKES
16
TO SERVE
4
TO
6

½ small onion, peeled and finely chopped (½ TO ¾ CUP)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Ice cubes

¾ teaspoon salt plus more to taste

1 pound spinach leaves

1 cup milk

1/3 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste

¾ cup chickpea flour (available at most Indian or Middle Eastern markets)

¼ cup cooked (see page 111) or canned chickpeas, drained

2 teaspoons lemon juice

4 to 6 cups canola oil for frying

¼ cup flour for dredging

2 rectangles lavash bread, cut into halves

½ cup tahini sauce (page 187)

Salad greens for garnish