Recipes
Za'atar Khachapuri
This popular Georgian pastry will soon become one of your favorite comfort foods! Khachapuri is a boat-shaped bread filled with cheese, egg, and other ingredients. After baking, the crust can then be ripped off and dipped into the filling. It's a perfect dish for brunch time cravings or a happy hour snack. This recipe combines a three cheese blend with Green Za'atar, a mix of toasted sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, dill and oregano. The grassy, nutty notes of the Za'atar neatly compliment the cheese and egg.Why stop there, though? One of the best qualities of Khackapuri is the endless flavor variations you can try. Try making this recipe with Syrian Za'atar or or Svaneti Seasoned Salt instead. This was our first Khachapuri attempt, but it certainly won't be our last.
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Nigella Watermelon Salad
Nothing says summer quite like watermelon, and this salad has all the right flavors to complement it. Juicy watermelon chunks are dressed with lime juice for an unbelievable sweet/tart pairing. Nutty arugula and savory onion hints from the nigella seeds add a hint of savory crunch. And because my crowd is always game for a little extra summer heat, a sprinkle of Marash chile flakes round out the finish. This salad is easy to whip up for a weeknight side dish and scales up nicely for a crowd pleasing BBQ or picnic.
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Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo translates as “Brother Devil”, and refers to this spicy, tomato and seafood-based pasta dish. The tomato sauce is light, perfect for spring and the Marash Chile Flakes add a mellow heat with well rounded flavor that plays perfectly with the sweetness in the vegetables. The gentle, warming heat increases upon reheating, so keep that in mind if you’re planning for leftovers.I’ve been making this dish for many years, but only recently came across a technique that really helps bump up the flavor. More advanced cooks are well aware of how to coax the maximum amount of flavor from shrimp by utilizing the peeled shells, and now I do the same. It’s really not that difficult, and it’s amazing the difference it makes to the dish. Most Fra Diavolo recipes call for a long noodle such as linguine or spaghetti, but I prefer a corkscrew-shaped pasta, or any other shape with crevices that can capture and hold onto the sauce. Regular or gluten-free pasta works equally well here.
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Cold Ayam Apple Soup
One of the advantages of this soup is the fact that you can make it ahead of time and it’s ready to eat whenever you are. Or wherever you are, seeing as this is a quintessential British picnic dish meant to be served cold. The Indonesian Ayam gives it a gentle curry-like flavor, but without too much heat. As for the apples, I like to use both Granny Smith for their tartness and a second variety that brings more sweetness to the dish, but feel free to use all sweet apples or your favorite varieties. As always, feel free to play around with the ingredients! You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken, or choose between the cream or the yogurt for the finish. If you use the yogurt, which will add more tang, then go lighter on the lemon juice.
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Raw "Couscous" Cauliflower with Almonds, Dried Cherries, and Sumac
Winner of a James Beard Award Best Book in Vegetable-Focused Cooking and topping many "Best Cookbook of the Year" lists, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables highlights the evolving attributes of vegetables throughout their growing seasons - from spring to early summer to midsummer to the abundant harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and, the the earthy mellow sweetness of winter.Joshua McFadden, chef and owner of renowned trattoria Ava Gene’s in Portland, Oregon, is considered to be a "vegetable whisperer", and has learned to appreciate every part of the plant and how to get the best from vegetables at every stage of their lives. Each chapter begins with recipes featuring raw vegetables at the start of their season, progressing to sautés, pan roasts, braises, and stews. We think you'll enjoy this Raw "Couscous" Cauliflower with Almonds, Dried Cherries and Sumac - it tastes as good as it looks!From the author: "In this dish, I crumble the raw cauliflower so that it has the look and texture of couscous—it’s easy and unexpected and makes you think of cauliflower in a whole new way. If you can’t find dried tart cherries, use golden raisins or even chopped dried apricots; the idea is to have a sweet-tart and chewy element as contrast to the granular vegetable. And be sure to dress and season this salad generously. Underdressed, it risks being dry."
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Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter
With its location between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, Turkey has an amazingly rich and varied cuisine. For most of the past twenty years, Journalist Robyn Eckhardt and her photographer husband, David Hagerman, have traveled around Turkey tasting all of the country's most delicious dishes. Now they're sharing them with us in their wonderful cookbook, Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey. They first start in Istanbul, which is home to one of the world's great fusion cuisines. Then they travel to some of the lesser-known provinces, which feature cuisines influenced by neighboring Georgia, Syria, Armenia and Iran. These authentic and easy to follow recipes all come from local bakers, village home cooks, farmers, fishermen and café chefs. This Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter is an example of one of the many colorful and flavorful dishes found in this cookbook. We're sure that you'll fall in love with this cookbook just as much as we have.From the author: "For this warming dish from Hakkâri, delicate lamb of beef meatballs studded with ground rice are laid atop a bed of pumpkin chunks and then steam-simmered in a light tomato sauce. Before serving, the dish is drizzled with sizzling tomato butter seasoned with purple basil and red pepper flakes, which play off the richness of the meat and the sweetness of the pumpkin. I ate this dish at the home of Sehmur and Baran Kurt, in Hakkâri.A good meatball is light and tender, attributes achieved in Turkey by hand-chopping the meat, something even I am unwilling to undertake on a regular basis. But you can achieve a similar texture by spreading ground meat on a cutting board, sprinkling the seasonings over it, and cutting everything together with a knife. (This keeps the meat from turning into a paste, as it would if you mixed the ingredients in a food processor or by squeezing and kneading with your hands.) The process takes only about 5 minutes. Combine this technique with very light handling when you form the meatballs, and they'll end up tender.You must soak the rice for 1-1/2 hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe, during which time you can peel, see, and slice the pumpkin and complete other prep work. The meatball mixture can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Serve the dish with a simple cooked vegetable like spinach and plain Strained Yogurt. For a dinner party, give your guests an appetite-rousing preview by placing the pot in the middle of the table before pouring over the sizzling spice butter."
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Kofte Meatballs with Marash Yogurt Sauce
These lamb meatballs made with our Kofte Spice are a crowd pleaser, and are even more marvelous with Marash Chile Flakes and warm yogurt sauce. Sound exotic? It is! But they are easy to make and the seasonings have wide appeal. Serve them over your favorite grain pilaf or roll them out at your next cocktail party for a new take on everyones favorite hors d'oeurve.
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Fried Eggplant Roll-Ups
One of the countries in the Persian culinary region that has colorful and flavorful food is Georgia. Nestled between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a climate similar to the Mediterranean's, and a love of vegetables blended with walnuts and vibrant herbs. This recipe from Naomi Duguid's book Taste of Persia shows up how the combination of eggplant and a rich walnut paste can make for one delicious dish. From the author: "These succulent roll-ups are one of the treasures of the Georgian table. Strips of fried eggplant are coated with spiced walnut paste and rolled up. They're best if made an hour or more ahead of time and slightly chilled, so that the filling firms up and the flavors have time to blend. Badrigiani make a great appetizer, though in Georgia they are usually served as part of a wide selection of dishes at a meal."
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Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern dish that is quick and easy to make, and can be served for any meal. Our favorite occasion is always brunch with friends, though, because it's such a crowd pleaser. This versatile recipe is traditionally seasoned with cumin and paprika, but you can use just about any spice blend that suits your fancy. For this one, I used our El Greco, with Mediterranean herbs and a hint of sumac. To top it off, I added chopped spinach and feta cheese to the sauce.
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