Читать книгу An Edible Mosaic - Faith Gorsky - Страница 11
ОглавлениеBasic Recipes
Many recipes in this section are so basic that they cross cultural borders and can be used in different applications in any number of cuisines from around the world Creamy Garlic Mayonnaise, one of the variations of Creamy Garlic Sauce (Toumieh) (below), which is an integral addition to Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps (Shawarma Dajaj) (page 92), can be used as you would use any other mayonnaise. Apple Vinegar (Khul Toofah) (page 26) not only has a whole host of applications, but is probably one of the tastiest vinegars you'll ever experience (more like a cross between apple cider and vinegar than anything else… it’s so much sweeter than you'd expect). The Spice Mixes (Baharat) (page 29) are also an indispensible resource; I like to keep a jar of Seven Spice Mix (page 29) in my pantry at all times; for a quick way to add a huge flavor punch, nothing beats a sprinkle of this mix on red meat, poultry, or fish before cooking.
Creamy Garlic Sauce TOUMIEH
Toumieh, which is commonly referred to as “Toum,” is a very potent garlic sauce that is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern kitchens. Toum is a difficult sauce to make and master, since in its authentic state it is just an emulsification of garlic and lemon juice in oil, made with a mortar and pestle. If the sauce breaks and the oil separates there is no recovering it, but it is possible to save it with a thickener (although at this point the sauce is no longer pure Toumieh). This sauce can be used as the base for soups, sauces, salad dressings, or dips; or as its own condiment eaten with plain bread, in sandwiches, on rice, or with other finished dishes.
The variation I give for this recipe is basically just a garlic mayonnaise. The egg acts as a stabilizer, making this sauce much easier to master and faster to make than original toumieh. Incidentally, this is the sauce that you will commonly find used in restaurants in the Middle East, particularly in foods like Spiced Shawarma Chicken wraps. This sauce can be made using two egg whites or one whole egg; however, using a whole egg yields a much creamier, richer tasting sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to make the sauce the old-fashioned way with a mortar and pestle, otherwise, a blender works fine.
Yields about 1 cup (225 g)
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
1 head garlic, (12-15 cloves) peeled
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (200 ml) oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Optional Thickeners
½ cup (110 g) Yogurt Cheese (Labneh) (page 73)
Or
½ cup (110 g) mayonnaise
1 Crush the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a smooth paste.
2 Add the oil, drop by drop, while mixing (after you’ve added 1 tablespoon of oil drop-by-drop, you can add the oil a little faster). Make sure the oil you add is fully incorporated before adding any more.
3 Once you’ve added ½ cup (125 ml) oil, alternate between adding the oil and lemon juice, and continue mixing until smooth and creamy.
4 At this point, if you want to thicken the garlic sauce, you can add the optional thickeners listed. If you choose to add a thickener, start by mixing in a little bit at a time and increase the amount until the sauce is as thick as you want it.
VARIATION
Garlic Mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a mortar and pestle with ½ teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or
1 large egg 1 cup (250 ml) oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold water
1 Crush the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a smooth paste.
2 whisk together the garlic paste and egg until well blended.
3 Add the oil, drop-by-drop, while whisking (after you’ve added 1 tablespoon of oil drop-by-drop, you can add the oil a little faster). Make sure the oil you add is fully incorporated before adding any more.
4 Once you’ve added ½ cup (125 ml) oil, alternate between gradually adding the oil and lemon juice and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
5 Add the cold water and mix until smooth and creamy.
Clotted Cream ISHTA
Traditionally, ishta is the cream that is skimmed off the top of whole milk as it cooks down; the cream thickens considerably as it cools and should be stored in the fridge. The process of cooking the milk and skimming of the ishta as it forms takes quite a while, and while the end result is delicious, these days a healthier cream substitute (made of milk and cornstarch) is often used, this substitute is still called ishta though!
This ishta recipe can be used in Middle Eastern Pancakes (Qatayef) (page 124) or as an alternative filling instead of cheese for Sweet Cheese Pastry (page 122). If you want to serve ishta as it is, you can give it a stir before chilling so it has a clotted-cream look to it, or you can leave it be without stirring before chilling so it can be unmolded like an italian Panna Cotta. Either way is lovely, especially with a drizzle of Scented Sugar Syrup (page 28), Apple Vinegar (page 26), or honey, along with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios.
Serves 2 to 3
Preparation Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 minutes, plus time for the cream to chill
2 cups (500 ml) milk, divided
6 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon rose water (optional)
½ teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
1 whisk together ½ cup (125 ml) of milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
2 Combine the remaining 1½ cups (375 ml) milk and sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; cook until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the boiling milk and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.
3 turn off the heat and stir in the rose water and orange blossom water, if using. Pour into individual serving dishes. Cool to room temperature, stir if you want a clotted cream look (don’t stir if you want to unmold it), and then refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Sesame Sauce
TARATOOR
This sauce is a flavorful condiment for fried vegetables, falafel, shawarma, or fish. Both variations keep very well for up to 5 days if refrigerated.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Yields about 1 cup (250 ml)
½ cup (120 g) tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup (125 ml) plus 2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a mortar and pestle with ½ teaspoon salt
1 whisk together the tahini and lemon juice in a medium bowl (the sauce will thicken).
2 whisk in the water drop-by-drop at first, and then in a thin drizzle (the sauce will thicken even more at first and then thin out).
3 Stir in the garlic and refrigerate until serving.
VARIATION
Sesame-Parsley Dip
BAQDOUNISIYEH
This version is a bit thicker; it’s commonly scooped up with flatbread and eaten as a dip, but it also makes a fantastic dressing for salads or fried vegetables.
½ cup (120 g) tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup (125 ml) water
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a mortar and pestle with ½ teaspoon salt
½ of a bunch of fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 whisk together the tahini and lemon juice in a medium bowl (the sauce will thicken).
2 whisk in the water drop-by-drop at first, and then in a thin drizzle (the sauce will thicken even more at first and then thin out).
3 Stir in the garlic and parsley and refrigerate until serving (it will thicken more as it sits).
Apple Vinegar KHUL TOOFAH
When you’re making something with apples that requires peeling them, like Apple Preserves (page 126), this recipe is the perfect use for the leftover peels. Similar to commercial raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, this vinegar is murky and brownish with sediment at the bottom. However, its flavor is sweeter and much more palatable than commercial vinegar and it is a real treat in salad dressings.
Yields 3 to 4 pints (1.5 to 2 liters)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes, plus 2 to 6 months to ferment
4 cups (1 liter) warm water
1 cup (250 g) sugar
Apple skins and cores from 2 lb (1 kg) apples (about 3 cups, slightly pressed down)
1 apple, grated (including skin and core)
Two thin pieces fresh ginger, (optional)
1 teaspoon oil
1 Sterilize a 2-liter (2.11 qts) canning jar.
2 Combine the water and sugar in a large measuring cup with a pour spout; stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and then cool to room temperature.
3 Add the apple skins, cores, and grated apple to the sterile jar along with the ginger, if using. Pour in the sugar water.
4 Cover the jar and leave it to form vinegar, opening it to stir once every day and make sure the apple skins are completely submerged; you can add more apple skins/cores during this time if you want. (this process can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months, depending on the weather. The vinegar is done fermenting when a white skin forms on top).
5 Strain the vinegar through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, wringing out the cheesecloth to extract as much liquid as possible.
6 to store, pour the vinegar into a glass bottle along with the oil; store at room temperature.
VARIATION
Grape Vinegar KHUL AINAB
use 3 cups (450 to 500 g) of de-stemmed grapes (any kind you like) instead of apple skins, cores, and the grated apple; proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Basic Savory Flat Pie Dough
AJEEN FATAYER
Ajeen Fatayer, the basic dough used to make a variety of savory pies, is a true Middle Eastern staple. To this day there are communal ovens in Damascus, a tradition that dates back to a time when very few homes had ovens of their own. Each family brought the filling of their choice to the baker at the communal oven, who used his own dough to make pies out of the filling provided. The family paid for the dough that the baker used and went home with the finished pies. This tradition has endured despite the fact that most Damascene homes now have their own oven.
Yields This recipe makes enough dough to make one of the following recipes: Spiced Meat Flat Pies (page 35) Spinach Turnovers (page 36), or Thyme-Spiced Flat Pies (page 37).
Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus 1½ hours to let the dough rise
Cooking Time: See individual recipes
3½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1½ teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons warm water
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1¼ teaspoons fine salt
¾ cup (185 ml) milk, at room temperature
1 Brush ½ tablespoon of oil on the inside of a large bowl and set aside.
2 Mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
3 whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, and then stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Gradually stir in enough milk to form “shaggy” dough (you may not need all the milk).
