The cuisine of the Middle East is an  exotic and colorful as the people themselves.  It is indeed a traditional and deeply-rooted way of eating with recipes handed down from mother to daughter or daughter-in-law.

Some of the ingredients in these recipes date from civilizations that go back to earliest known history.  The simple foods of the desert and oasis – lamb, milk turned into yogurt and dates – merge with what was available in the maze of food stalls or souks in the markets of towns and cities. Here, olives of brown, green, red, and black, rice, dried beans of all color and varieties, wheat, peppers, onions and garlic were added.

The results of this merging are creations that are as appealing to the eye as well as the palate.  Beautiful vegetables are hollowed out and filled with seasoned combination of meat, rice, nuts, fruits, and spices.  Generous hospitality is the most important phenomenon in the Near east and no one is ever turned away.  Whether you stop for a visit in the morning or afternoon, a long-handled pot of fragrant coffee, platter of sweets, and a bowl of fruit would appear.  This hospitality would also be found at dinner.  Although the dishes were often easy to create, they were made with the utmost care.  Once of my favorite dishes is Harira, a Moroccan soup.   It’s a rich and delicately spiced  soup-stew of beef, vegetables, and chick peas.  It makes a meal in a bowl or is perfect with a light main dish.

1 lb  beef cubes (1/2 inch)
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp crushed saffron or ground turmeric
1 tbsp butter
1 cup beef broth
1 cup minced tomatoes or 1 small can of tomato paste
2 cups of water
1/4 cup of barley
1 lb of chick peas (equal to one can (drained) or 1 lb soaked chick peas)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh lemon zest

In a large pan, brown beef and cook carrots, celery and onion with seasonings in butter until tender.  Add broth, tomato paste, water and barley.  Cover and cook over low heat for an hour and 15 minutes.  Add chick peas, tomatoes, parsley and lemon juice.  Cook 15 minutes more or until done, stirring occassionally.  Sprinkle a pinch of lemon vest over each bowl served.  Make about 9 cups.

Tags: cooking, Food, recipe

Memorial Day is quickly approaching and it is a time to get together, remember those who we have lost, and a time for family.  My own family visits friends, go fishing, and enjoy a nice barbecue.  Proper barbecue (BBQ) is slow-cooking meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal. In North America, BBQ originated in the late 1800s during the cattle drives. The cowboys were fed the less than perfect cuts of meat, often brisket, a tough and stringy piece of meat that required five to seven hours of cooking to tenderize. Other barbecue meats used were pork butt, pork ribs, beef ribs, venison and goat.

The slow cooking would allow the toughest of meats to tenderize during the slow cooking process.  It is no secret that I enjoy cooking over a fire.  BBQ and smoking meats is a nice way of creating a tasty meal out of the cheapest cuts.  Sometimes even sealing up a tough piece of meat, like brisket, can be tender using a slow cooked method.  On of my favorites, is using a cast iron pot on the fire or grill.  I place thinly sliced onions or leeks at the bottom with the brisket on top with just a bit of salt, pepper, and chili powder and then place it fat side up and cover the pot.

The onions will keep the meat from sticking to the pot, help flavor the meat, and help keep it moist while it slow cooks.  When using this method, I let it cook for 2-3 hours.  It’s hard to resist though as it cooks, it smells so good.  When done, I use the onions as a side dish to be served with the brisket.  I avoid the sauces as it just creates a mess.  Keep the flavors simple and you will enjoy your dish.

Other variations can include:

• marinade of soy sauce and honey or using curry powder for an Asian influenced
• marinade of Coca-Cola, so a bit of a “pop.”  The sugar in this version will help caramelize the outside while leaving the inside moist and flavorful.
• A Latin inspired, chili powder and cumin with garlic

Using a wood fire:

Depending on the types of wood you use, can determine the heat of the fire and how long it will last.  Hard wood like Oak, will burn slower and longer.  Pine will burn fast and hot.  I prefer to use fruit tree wood or cedar due to its aromatic influences.  Wood fires are very different the standard BBQ or stove/oven cooking.  I strongly encourage you to try wood fire cooking if you haven’t already.  Please make sure you use safe precautions including having a bucket of water or a hose ready in case the fire gets out of control.

I hope all of my readers have a safe Memorial Day.

Tags: cooking, Food, historical cooking

Pasties have always been one of my guilty pleasures.  It’s flaky crust and hearty insides can make any cold day bright and happy.  Whether the you follow the traditional Cornish (southern tip of England) recipe or the Americanized version made in the Upper Peninsula  (UP) of Michigan, this dish was the original sandwich and researchers in Devon, England have been able to trace references to this delightful dish to the 16th century.

The pasty was developed to help feed the Cornish tin miners who were unable to return to the surface to eat their lunch.  Covered head to toe in dirt, the miners, and later farmers, were able to eat their lunch and discard their now dirty crust “wrapper” to appease the mischievous fey in the mines including leprechauns and brownies.  Today, other variations can be found that include chicken, ham, pork and apples, and vegetables.

Cornish miners, who migrated to America, brought over their family recipes and influenced other cultures in creating their own version of the pasty including the Finnish copper miners of Michigan and the Mexican silver miners of Hidalgo.  Both ethnic groups created their own versions of the Cornish recipe and are available for purchase in various markets in their respected regions.

Cornish Pasties
Pastry Crust Ingredients:
4 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 sticks of butter (softened)  (do not use olive oil or margarine as the crust will be hard instead of flaky)
1 egg
a bit of water

Pasty Filling Ingredients:
1 lb. round or chuck steak (diced)
4 medium red potatoes (sliced thin)
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 medium turnip, peeled and sliced thin
3 medium carrots, sliced thin
1/2 stick of butter
pinch of rosemary
pinch of thyme
3 cloves minced garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper

For the Crust:
Sift together dry ingredients and blend with softened butter.  Combine egg with enough water to make 1 cup and add to mixture.  Mix lightly and divide into 4 parts.  Roll each part to a 10-inch dinner plate size, using a plate as a template, cut a circle out, and lightly flour the surface.  Any scrap crust can be used to make additional crusts or be added as decoration to the pasties being made.

For the filling:
Divide the filling ingredients into four parts.  Place one of the divided parts of the filling on the one half of the crust round.  Sprinkle the filling with herbs and spices and add one-tablespoon butter.  Fold the pastry in half and seal by brushing melted butter on edges before pressing together and brush top of pastry with butter and pierce top of pastry.  I like doing a braided twist on the crust, which adds a nice touch to the pasty.  Begin at one of the corners of the half circle, lift and fold over by 45 degrees, pick up the new crust point that has been formed and fold that over 45 degrees.  Continue until the pasties are completed.  The folding over process creates a braided appearance to the crust.  Using a knife, slice three small cuts in the top of the crust to let the steam out.

Bake at 350 degree for approx. 1 hour or until golden brown.
Serves 8

Variations:
By following the crust recipe, you can make a vegetarian version-using root vegetables:  potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and beets.   Which provides a very colorful presentation and dish.

Tags: cooking, Food, recipe

The potato, which was introduced to Europe in 1536, became very popular in various cuisines.  Over the last 473 years, the potato has become a very important crop in Europe and over the last nine years, the potato has become important through China and Southeast Asia.  Today, the potato has become one of the most versatile vegetables around.  Although a starch, it can be boiled, mashed, baked, grilled, broiled, fried, and riced.  It can be made into a gluten-free flour for breads and vegetarian thickener for stews and is even used in the medical industry to stop bleeding in accident victims.

The issue of Renaissance Magazine, I paired one of my easiest entrée recipes with one of the more complex side dishes.  Applejack Pork is one of my family’s favorite recipes.  Easy to make and always a crowd pleaser, it’s perfect for any potluck or historically accurate meal you may make.  For this particular meal, I would recommend pre-slicing the potatoes, placing them in cold salt water (kosher or sea salt), and pre-heating the oven before beginning the Applejack Pork.  This way, the potatoes and pork will get done together.

Applejack Pork
Ingredients:
4 lb Pork Loin (can be larger or smaller)
Apple Cider (non-alcoholic)
10-12 Cinnamon sticks
Powdered Cinnamon
Powdered Nutmeg
4-8 Cored Harrelson or Braeburn Apples
Cooking time: One and a half hours

Take the pork loin and rinse with water.  Place in pot, fat side up, on top of the stove.  Fill the pot with apple cider so that it covers the pork loin.   Add all of the cinnamon sticks so that they are in the apple cider.  Sprinkle liberally with the powdered cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cover and cook on the stove top at medium to medium-high heat to poach the pork loin.

While cooking, you will want to check on the pot.  You want to make sue there is enough apple cider to keep cooking the meat and keep it moist.  After about an hour, add the cored apples to the pot Cook for another half an hour so that apples are soft and tender.

Pull the pork and baked apples from the pot and turn up the heat on the leftover apple cider and pork au jus to reduce to approximately 2 cups.   The reduction should be served with the pork loin like a light sauce and sprinkle lightly with powdered cinnamon.

Potato Dauphinoise
Preheat over to 350 degrees F
3 lbs of red potatoes, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large garlic clove, halved
4 table spoons of butter
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potato slices into a bowl of cold water to remove the excess starch.  Drain and pat dry with paper or cloth towels.  Take the halved garlic clove and rub the cut side around a wide, shallow, ovenproof dish or cast iron pot.  Butter or spray oil the dish/pot generously and blend the cream and milk together.  Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of the potatoes.  Dot a bit of the butter and minced garlic over the potatoes and season with the salt and pepper.  Pour a bit of the cream and milk mixture over the layer.  Continue making layers until all of the ingredients have been used, ending with just a layer of cream.  Bake for about 1 1/4 hours. If the potatoes are browning too quickly, cover with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil.  The dish is done when the potatoes are soft and tender and the top is golden brown.  Serves 8

Tags: Food, historical cooking, recipe