Spice (48 page)

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves

¼ cup coriander seeds, toasted (page 37), cooled, and ground

¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ cup ground dried ginger

3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, ground

2 tablespoons Aleppo chilies

2 tablespoons cardamom seeds (not the pods; see page 3), ground

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1.
Push the fenugreek leaves through a medium-fine sieve over a small bowl to remove bits of stem and to powder the leaves. You should have 1 tablespoon ground leaves.

2.
Mix all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl until combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place for up to 3 months.

Golden Gazpacho with Condiments

In creating this recipe, I set out to give my guests the pure tomato experience of a refined Spanish gazpacho. It’s worth it to wait all year until late summer to make this recipe, because that’s when sungold tomatoes are in season. These tiny, yellow-gold cherry tomato hybrids are super sweet; eaten whole, they burst in your mouth like candy made from sunshine. They have a slightly nutty smell—almost like tobacco—on the calyx (the group of leaves that sits on the tomato like a little hat). I wash the tomatoes and put them in the blender whole, with a few of the calyxes on, because I think the fragrance adds to the gazpacho flavor. After puréeing the tomatoes with the other ingredients, I strain the soup through a fine sieve to remove bits of seed and skin; it’s hard work, but this step creates the silkiest texture and purest tomato flavor.

This gazpacho must be served very cold, and guests can add condiments to the soup at their whim. They should first taste the concentrated flavor of tomato and then add toppings, little by little. For condiments, my favorites include minced fennel, bits of shredded Serrano ham or prosciutto, minced melon, crabmeat, Aleppo chilies, or minced onion. Just be sure to chop everything up as small as possible to maintain the elegance of the dish.

This gazpacho deserves a dry white port or Manzanilla sherry to go with it.

M
AKES
4
CUPS TO SERVE
4

2 pints sungold tomatoes (about 6 cups)

½ cup fresh, plain bread crumbs or ½ a small pita bread, torn into ½-inch pieces

2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 cup bottled sparkling mineral water

1 cup hand-torn crouton-size bread pieces

1 hard-boiled egg (see page 204)

1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely minced

6 chives, finely minced

1.
Place the tomatoes, bread crumbs, vinegar, ½ cup of the olive oil, the turmeric, curry powder, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and sparkling water in a blender. Purée until smooth.

2.
Strain the soup through a fine sieve or china cap (a very fine cone-shaped sieve) into a medium stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, pushing it through with the back of a small ladle or pestle. Discard the pulp and seeds and check the soup for seasoning. It should be a beautiful golden color. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

3.
Chill 4 soup bowls for 20 minutes.

4.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

5.
In a small bowl, toss the hand-torn bread in the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil and place them on a small, heavy baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for about 7 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Cool and set aside.

6.
Grate the hard-boiled egg with the finest side of a box grater so that you have little egg “jimmies.” Place them in a small bowl and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and chill.

7.
Ladle the soup into the 4 chilled soup bowls. Serve immediately with the egg, peppers, croutons, and chives, all passed around separately so that guests can add condiments with each bite.

Fanny’s Fresh Pea and Two Potato Soup

At Oleana, Mother’s Day is special: we depart from our regular Arabic/Mediterranean menu and prepare recipes I’ve collected from twelve wonderful mothers I know. The recipes are family-tested, comforting, and delicious. We serve this soup every year.

Fanny Ramirez, who created this recipe, is one of our honored mothers. She lives in Columbia and is the mother of one of Oleana’s sous-chefs, Wilton Osorno. Fanny taught Wilton a lot about cooking and caring about food. She uses turmeric to make the soup golden and earthy and to give body to a soup base with or without meat. Little bits of tortilla or cooked egg float in the soup like hearty dumplings. This healthful soup can be served as a meal, and it’s a great way to highlight different potatoes.

M
AKES ABOUT
10
CUPS TO SERVE
8

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and diced into ½-inch cubes

2 ribs celery, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and diced into ½-inch cubes

1 large Spanish white onion, peeled and diced into ½-inch chunks

1 pinch saffron

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika, cayenne, or Aleppo chilies

2 medium baking potatoes (1 pound), peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes

5 small fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced into ¼-inch rounds

6 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1½ cups freshly shucked peas

2 eggs, beaten until smooth

2 bunches cilantro, stems removed, washed, dried, and roughly chopped

1.
In a large saucepan, heat the butter with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat, until the butter begins to brown. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, saffron, turmeric, and paprika. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent.

2.
Stir in both kinds of potatoes and add the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

3.
Stir in the peas and continue to simmer for about 8 minutes, until the peas are cooked and tender.

4.
Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil until hot. Add the beaten egg little by little to the pan, stirring all the while, and cook until the egg is set, about 1 minute. You should have scrambled eggs.

5.
Remove the eggs from the heat and slide them onto a chopping board. Chop them into ½-inch cubes, about the same size as the other vegetables.

6.
Add the egg and cilantro to the soup just before serving. Serve this soup hot.

Acorda: Portuguese Bread Soup with Rock Shrimp

I discovered this unusual soup in Portugal when I was traveling with my business partner Gary Griffin, and my dear friend Ailsa Cooke, from Ailsa’s house in the Piedmonte region of Italy through the south of France, over to the north of Spain, and on to Portugal. Gary and I wanted to do some research before we opened Oleana, so we were exploring Mediterranean recipes and design ideas. With Ailsa as our guide, we reveled in the Arabic-influenced foods we sampled: coffee-infused cream served with beef, heavy eggy flans, and subtle curries that enriched fish broths. And we ate many variations on the delicious, garlicky bread soup called
acorda
.

The toasted garlic gives this acorda its authentic flavor. The Spanish and Portuguese have a wonderful trick of toasting garlic: caramelizing it to lend a rich, nutty flavor to many dishes, including vinaigrettes. I also like to use this method of toasting garlic to add to sautéed greens like Swiss chard or spinach or with sherry vinaigrette, tossed into a hot escarole salad.

S
ERVES
6
AS A GREAT LUNCH OR VERY COMFORTING DİNNER