Recipes

South Asian Coconut Butter

If you love sauces, and want to try something new, check out Mastering Sauces by Susan Volland. This book is full of inspired and delicious sauces like this coconut "butter," using classic South Asian flavors like Turmeric and Brown Mustard Seed to add a little zing to coconut oil. From the Author: "In South India, coconut oil is the cooking oil of choice. Many dishes are garnished with a drizzle of coconut oil, popped black mustard seeds, crispy fried curry leaves, and frizzled small red onions. I like to stir these wonderful ingredients together like a compound butter and spread or melt it on various foods as the whim strikes: on savory pancakes, pilafs, or grilled whole fish."

Fried Potatoes with Harissa Tehina

Zahav is a popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Philadelphia, and its owner Michael Solomonov wrote a fantastic cookbook using recipes that he serves at the restaurant, as well as at his home. Cowritten by James Cook, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking reinterprets the type of Israeli Cuisine served at the restaurant, but makes it more manageable for American kitchens. We're especially excited about this inventive recipe for fried potatoes using Harissa, a perennial favorite here at the shop!From the Authors: "This dish happened by serendipity. At Zahav, our Israeli pickles come packed in huge cans with a ton of excess pickle juice. One day, in a passion for brining, I decided to throw some peeled potatoes into that leftover pickle juice. A day later, I drained and fried the potatoes, ending up with the most amazing French fries ever. The potatoes were seasoned from within with a garlicky tang from the pickle juice. Deep-frying can be an undertaking, so when I make this dish at home, I just slice the potatoes into rounds and pan-fry them on both sides in a cast iron skillet until they’re nice and crispy. I serve the potatoes with tehina augmented with harissa, the North African condiment based on dried chiles that’s a staple on the Israeli table. In my harissa, I use ground Aleppo pepper from Syria, which has a fruity flavor and is not screamingly hot, so you can appreciate the pepper’s earthy undertones. I thin the sauce with a little more pickle juice to cut through the richness and echo the flavor of the potatoes. I’ll bet there’s a jar in your fridge, with a lonely pickle or two bobbing in a sea of brine. This recipe is the perfect way to put those pickles out of their misery."

Sri Lankan Banh Mi

Who doesn't love a great sandwich! We are all fans of banh mi sandwiches, and loved this recipe from Andrea Nguyen's The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches. We have tried many different types of banh mi, and loved this one made with a Sri Lankan Curry.From the author: "When Viet people eat curry with baguette, they typically dip the bread into the spiced coconut-scented sauce. San Francisco chef Alex Ong sent me his recipe for this bewitching curry (the name comes from the dark-colored spice blend), insisting that it would be perfect stuffed inside a baguette for banh mi. He was right, but to avoid a soggy sandwich, I hand shredded the cooked chicken and recooked it in the sauce, allowing it to fry in the residual oil and become encrusted with the seasonings. It became like an Indonesian rendang or, as my husband put it, a curried chicken carnitas. It’s fantastic."

Chile & Cumin Hanger Steak

We love all kinds of barbecue, and especially love exploring delicious barbecue from around the world. Brazil has a history of great barbecue, so we were glad when we found cookbook, Brazilian Barbecue & Beyond. This recipe is easy to make, which we always appreciate. You can make the marinade ahead of time, and then marinate the steak overnight, grilling the next day. From Brazilian Barbecue & Beyond: "At traditional Brazilian churrascarias, rock salt is usually sprinkled on the side of meat that faces the grill, then knocked off just before serving. It’s tasty just like that, but we’ve adapted our steak to include a bit more spice. Our Chili & Cumin Marinade is a blend of vinegar, cumin seeds, oregano, and red pepper flakes; we use it to marinate all our steaks, but it’s equally good on lamb or fish."

Chermoula

Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry is a mainstay vegan cookbook on our shelves at home. He researched traditional Southern cooking, going back to its roots in Africa and the Caribbean, but made the recipes vegan. The results are delicious! (Bonus: Every recipe has a song choice, too!) We especially love this recipe. Chermoula is a versatile marinade combining fresh herbs with dried spices, oils and citrus to create layers of flavor. It is used liberally in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking to flavor fish, seafood, meats and vegetables.

Pumpkin Kale Enchiladas

Last October, the shop was bedecked with lovely heirloom pumpkins. Once they had seen the end of their lives as decorations, we roasted them and added them to everything -- and I mean everything! This recipe was conceived to please the vegetarian we had on staff at the time, as well as all of the ardent carnivores we always have around. It's the best of our pumpkin experimentation and was the first dish to disappear at our most recent tasting.Cooking with whole chile pods can be intimidating, if you've never done it, but it isn't difficult and the flavors are unparalleled. It should be mentioned that "chile" is not synonymous with heat. In this sauce, darkly sweet Anchos complement the roasted pumpkin, while Pasilla Negro and Mulato provide an earthy base to support the sharpness of the kale. Just a touch of smoke is added with the Pasilla Oaxaca, producing a rich and complex concoction that is remarkably mild. If you like your Latin fare a little spicier, you can customize the heat level with a pinch or two of Chipotle Flakes.

Five Seed Roasted Potatoes

This fabulous twist on roasted potatoes generously comes to us from chef Jerry Traunfeld of the late restaurant, Poppy, here in Seattle. The spice mix is a version of Bengali Five Spice, a.k.a. Panch Phoron, using ajwain seed in place of fennel. I made this for a celebratory Sunday evening feast after enjoying the sunny afternoon harvesting potatoes. Lots of love went into growing our potatoes this year, and it was a joy to toss them with this exquisite mixture. Thanks, Jerry!

Cuban Black Bean Burger

There are many veggie burger recipes out there, but we have a fondness for this one. With protein-rich black beans and quinoa, this is a veggie burger with some substance. We added our savory Cuban Spice, zesty Voodoo and herbs to amp up the flavor even more. Top with lettuce, tomato, or any other burger fixings you love. This delicious and addictive veggie burger will become one that you will want to eat year round.

Yucatan Rojo Fish Tacos

15 min

These tacos are perfect summer fare, getting their flavor from beautiful swordfish, the smoke of the grill, and the tangy, complex flavor of Yucatan Rojo BBQ Rub. The creamy and crunchy slaw and the crisp, spicy pickled vegetables using our Limón-Chile are refreshing in their acidity, and a perfect complement to the dense corn tortillas. Garnish with plenty of fresh cilantro, and if you've got them, slices of buttery avocado. With my eyes closed and taco in hand, the Yucatan Peninsula comes to me!