Spice (59 page)

You will also want to find aged goat cheese for this recipe, because it is firmer than young goat cheese and works well for pan frying. I like crottin de Chavignol, which is made in France. The name can pose a problem, since
crottin
literally means “horse dung” (the cheese is shaped into two-ounce mounds that bear an unfortunate resemblance to their name), but it is delicious. You can find goat cheese crottin in specialty cheese shops or online at www.zingermans.com.

Try drinking a Bianco di Custoza from the Veneto region of Italy with this dish. It’s a white blend, composed primarily of Garganega with a crisp, dry, light result that has green qualities and pairs well with most vegetable dishes.

S
ERVES
4

1 heaping teaspoon finely chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Pinch of salt plus more to taste

Pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon Greek-style or plain whole-milk yogurt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper to taste

2 cups peeled carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 medium carrots)

4 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted (see page 91)

1 tablespoon chopped dresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

4 goat cheese crottin de Chavignol

½ cup flour

1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk or water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Toasted pita chips (page 122)

1.
In a small stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, let the garlic sit with the lemon juice, vinegar, a pinch of salt, and the sugar for about 5 minutes to soften the sharpness of the raw garlic.

2.
Slowly whisk in the yogurt and 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots, pine nuts, and herbs. Stir in the yogurt dressing and season with salt and pepper. Let this stand for about 10 minutes to let the flavors marry.

4.
Preheat the oven to 200°F for keeping the crottin warm.

5.
Split each crottin in half, widthwise, to make 8 pieces. Roll the cheese in the flour, and shake off any excess. Dunk the floured cheese into the egg mixture and roll the cheese in flour again, shaking off any excess. Repeat this process for all 8 pieces of cheese so that they are lightly coated and ready for frying.

6.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the goat cheese and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until the cheese is golden brown. Remove the cheese from the heat. Keep the crottin warm by covering them or placing the pieces in a very low oven (200°F).

7.
Just before serving, divide the carrot salad onto 4 small salad plates. Top each pile of carrot salad with 2 pieces of hot goat cheese crottin and serve immediately, so that the cheese is warm and soft inside and can melt over the carrots as it’s split into and eaten. Serve with pita chips to pass around.

Fatoush: Chopped Vegetable Salad with Crispy Pita, Yogurt, and Tahini

Served throughout the Middle East in hundreds of variations,
fatoush
, which means “moistened bread” in Arabic, is a wonderfully healthful tossed salad made with chopped vegetables and toasted or fried crushed flatbread. Fatoush is great to serve when you want to make salad a more substantial part of a meal, especially in the summertime, with the bounty of fresh garden vegetables.

Most traditional fatoush are made with romaine, but I leave that out and focus on the fresh chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, and radishes. You can add other crunchy vegetables, like fresh fennel and even green beans or cauliflower. Winter versions could include endives or other bitter greens.

In the summer, when purslane—yes, that invasive weed—is thriving, I like to add the fresh leaves to my fatoush. Purslane is praised all over the eastern Mediterranean for its crunchy texture and thick leaves that hold up in a salad without wilting too quickly. Purslane is also the most heart-healthy green you can eat; it contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and is a good source for essential amino acids and noradrenaline. You can find purslane in Middle Eastern markets during the summer months or even in your own backyard. It’s not a good idea to forage for purslane in an urban area, though, because the soils are usually highly contaminated. If you know a farmer, ask about purslane and he will be overjoyed to sell some of his weeds—or even give them away.

Since the bread soaks up the delicious juices from the chopped vegetables and tomato, the key to a good fatoush is in crisping up the pita so that it won’t get soggy or mushy but will be slightly chewy after sitting for 10 minutes. I also like to make a thick yogurt and tahini sauce and serve it underneath the chopped salad; it’s a rich and creamy surprise at the bottom of the bowl.

I sprinkle the top with a little sumac to brighten the lemon flavor even more. The lemon vinaigrette makes as excellent dressing for any green salad.

A cold pilsner goes perfectly with this fatoush.

S
ERVES
8

¼ cup tahini (see recipe note on page 17; mix it well before measuring)

1 cup Greek-style or plain whole-milk yogurt

½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar

Zest of ½ lemon

¼ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tomatoes (any heirloom variety or beefsteak) or 24 cherry tomatoes

1 English cucumber or 2 Lebanese cucumbers (available at Middle Eastern markets)

1 green bell pepper

4 radishes

¼ cup finely minced red onion (about ½ small)

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 small bunch purslane or arugula or ½ head romaine, washed, thick stems removed, and dried thoroughly

2 cups toasted pita chips (page 122)

2 teaspoons sumac

1.
Make the tahini sauce by combining the tahini, yogurt, and ½ teaspoon of the lemon juice in a small mixing bowl and whisking until smooth and creamy. Season it with salt and pepper and set it aside.

2.
Make the vinaigrette by combining the vinegar, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and Dijon mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, little by little in a slow, steady stream, until the vinaigrette thickens or emulsifies. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set it aside.

3.
Chop the tomatoes into ½-inch cubes or split the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large mixing bowl.

4.
Peel the cucumber and split it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by scraping them out of the middle with a small teaspoon. Cut the cucumber into ½-inch slices, and then chop them into a ½-inch dice. Add the cucumber to the mixing bowl with the tomatoes.

5.
Cut the green pepper in half and then in quarters. Remove the seeds and ribs and slice each quarter into ½-inch strips. Chop each strip into a ½-inch dice and add them to the cucumber and tomato.

6.
Cut the tops and bottoms off of the radishes so they rest on a cutting surface without rocking. Slice them in half and then into quarters. Slice each quarter in half so that you have a ½-inch dice, and add them to the bowl of vegetables.

7.
Stir in the onion and the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

8.
Chop the greens into ½-inch shreds and add them to the salad.

9.
Crush the pita bread with your hands so that you have bits of pita about the same size as the chopped vegetables.

10.
About 10 minutes before serving, toss the vegetable salad with the vinaigrette and crushed pita and reseason the salad with salt and pepper.

11.
Place 2 tablespoons of the tahini sauce on the bottom of each salad plate or bowl and top with the fatoush. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of sumac over each salad and serve.

BEAUJOLAIS VERSUS BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU

Theresa Paopao, Wine Director at Oleana

Gamay from Beaujolais is a versatile wine that pairs beautifully with many dishes. Many people are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, which is very different from the other wines coming from this region. Beaujolais Nouveau is more of a celebration than a serious style of wine. It’s always the first wine of the current harvest, usually only 2 months old, and always released on the third Thursday of November. It’s a guarantee that around the world people are drinking fresh and juicy Beaujolais Nouveau on that Thursday. They drink this juice to taste the grapes of this year and predict the year’s vintage as great, good, or fair. The more substantial wines of Beaujolais Superieur AC and Beaujolais-village AC are released the following spring, and these are the wines to pair with food.