Turkish White Bean Salad

Here’s a traditional “meze,” or Middle Eastern appetizer, that I learned from my friend “Kalo,” a Turkish chef and restaurant owner in Decatur. I used to hang out at his place when I was free on Saturday afternoons, and served as “Guest Chef.” The time working with Kalo and several other guys there influenced my cooking considerably, both at home and at our family restaurant in Athens, Donderos’ Kitchen.

The dish is completely “vegan” or (as the new term is emerging) “plant-based.” The freshly grated ginger and the cinnamon give the dish its exotic and slightly “meaty” overtones. We make a similar, though slightly different, white bean salad for catering at Donderos’ Kitchen.

The recipe serves six to eight as part of an appetizer selection, or about six as a side dish.

2 (14-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 medium-large clove garlic, minced or put through a garlic press

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon paprika, plus more for sprinkling on top

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

A pinch of cayenne

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 of a long cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup “grape” or cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley, flat ‘Italian type’ preferred

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Kalamata or other Greek black olives for garnish

Drain the beans, rinse them in running water, and drain again. Place them in a large bowl with the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, dry seasonings, lemon juice, and olive oil. Mix gently so as not to break the beans. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cucumber, tomato, parsley, and cilantro. Stir in and allow the mixture to sit several minutes.

Taste a bean and cucumber piece and a little dressing. Add salt and/or lemon juice if necessary for full flavor and light tanginess. Ideally, let the salad sit at least 20 minutes before serving. (Refrigerates well for up to 8 hours.) Taste one last time before serving and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve in a shallow dish, or several small low bowls for a meze table. Garnish by sprinkling with a little paprika, and arrange a few black olives on and around the salad.

Thai Massaman Curry with Beef, a Classic from Southern Thailand

Thai Massaman curry, “Gaeng Massaman,” is richly flavored but not very hot from peppers. The curry paste is made from darkly caramelized red onion and garlic and has aromatic spices like cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. These flavors reflect the dish’s origins in southern Thailand’s Muslim community, which is ancestrally Malay/Indonesian.

The classical meat for Gaeng Massaman is beef, with lamb as an occasional option. The other key ingredients are potatoes and peanuts. The meat requires long simmering in coconut milk. American Thai restaurants, though not so much Thai people themselves, make a quick stir-fried version they call “Massaman Curry,” using whatever meat you want, or even tofu, throw in a little curry paste and coconut milk and then add miscellaneous vegetables as stretchers. But that’s not a real curry.

 

Massaman’s a Muslim curry (that’s what its name means in Thai): do NOT make it with pork!

Last year, I again tried the ploy of submitting something different in a chili competition in Athens. My “Golden Chili” again stood out from the crowd. Unfortunately, the judges this time were looking for the best traditional chili -- red with beef and pinto or, possibly, black beans. I got nowhere, as did several wonderful green chili entries.

I’ll try again in another chili cook-off and hope for different judging criteria. Meanwhile, my current version of Golden Chili scores with members of my family. So here it is.

Generally, I don’t use bouillon-type cubes or other pre-mixed commercial seasonings in cooking. But Mexican and other Latin American cooks do use them, to give that “little extra” to their rice and bean dishes. So “When in Rome – or maybe in Ciudad Reynosa….” In this chili I use “Sazón Goya” (available in the Latin American food section of supermarkets) and “Achiote Condimentado” (at Mexican groceries), along with more standard ingredients.

The recipe serves six.

1 medium-large onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey (85% lean)

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 packet Sazón Goya (see above)

2-1/2 teaspoons Achiote Condimentado (see above)

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon (or more) cayenne or dry pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup water plus more as needed
2 (14-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup sour cream
Crumbled “queso blanco” or “cotija” (Mexican-style crumbling cheese) for serving, optional

Fry onion in olive oil until it softens and begins to turn golden. Reduce heat. Add garlic and fry 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ground turkey, increase the heat, and fry, breaking up the meat, until raw color is gone. Add diced orange bell pepper, seasonings and salt. Stir and fry briefly, then add the water.

Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, adding a little water as needed, so there is always a bit of liquid with the meat. Add drained beans. Heat together for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in sour cream and simmer several minutes. Taste for salt at end of cooking.

The chili is best made ahead and reheated to serve. Sprinkle lightly with crumbled Mexican-type cheese, if desired.

“Drunken” Black Beans – “Frijoles Borrachos” -- with Vegetable Sofrito

This luscious dish has come a long way. The trouble is from my reading I can’t find out where the dish started its journey. I have not uncovered direct lineage back to Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America. What seems plausible culinarily is that Frijoles Borrachos started as slow-cooked Frijoles Charros (“Cowboy Beans”), a bonafide Mexican dish that I actually ate with a family there. The addition of beer and perhaps increasing the bacon makes the beans “drunken,” and I’m guessing this cute variation on Charros probably started in the US.

Bowl: Maria Dondero, Marmalade Pottery, Athens GA

As I said, the dish as I make it has come a long way. Mexican Charros beans are typically prepared from pinto or other tan-colored beans. “Drunken Beans” in all the recipes I’ve checked stick with pintos and add specifically Mexican beer. Like Charros, Borrachos typically have bacon and sometimes ham cooked in. On our most recent visit in Mexico, when my wife and I stayed with family friends in San Luis Potosí, the Charros they served with barbecue on Sunday were made with pintos. However, the family’s daily beans, always slow simmering on the stove, were black beans because of the grandmother’s influence. She came from Vera Cruz, near the Caribbean coast, where black beans are favored.

Black beans, with their rich, complex flavor, have become my favorites as well. Thus the drunken beans I make are drunken black beans. I’ve also “upgraded” the dish by using red wine rather than beer. And I’ve found that the typical bacon and ham are not necessary for great-tasting drunken black beans. And while I was not seeking a vegetarian bean dish, I stumbled into one, and it’s even a vegan. This much-modified dish with uncertain origins has become a family favorite. A similar, larger-scale version shows up for occasional specials at our restaurant, Donderos’ Kitchen.

A “sofrito,” or fried seasoning mixture, stirred into well-simmered beans in Spanish-Caribbean and Mexican cooking adds a fresh flavor shortly before serving. The best beans are cooked from scratch, after overnight soaking, but for convenience I use canned beans.

The recipe serves 8 as a side dish or for spooning onto tacos or nachos. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator.

                                                                       

3 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, set aside                                        

2 tablespoons olive oil                                                                                      

1/2 of a small-medium onion, finely diced (save remaining half for the sofrito)                

1 clove garlic, minced                                                                                                  

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus to taste                                                                                     

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves                                                                                         

In pot, gently fry the onion in olive oil until well softened. Stir in the garlic and fry gently 2 minutes. Add the drained beans, water up to 1/2 inch below the surface of the beans, the salt and ground cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if liquid is drying down.

Sofrito:

3 tablespoons olive oil                                                                                                  

1/2 small-medium onion, finely diced                                                                

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced                                                                                   

1/2 medium Poblano pepper, finely diced (substitute is half a green bell pepper) 

1 large clove garlic minced                                                                                           

1/4 teaspoon salt                                                                                                         

1/4 teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper or cayenne                                                

3/8 cup red wine                                                                                                                                                                                              

In a frying pan, fry the onion, bell and Poblano peppers and garlic in the oil, stirring frequently until vegetables are softened. Add salt, hot pepper and wine. Stir and fry about two minutes to dry it slightly.

Stir the sofrito into the cooked beans. Let simmer 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Add a little water, if necessary, to provide a little creaminess to the sauce around the beans. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Serve sprinkled with Mexican crumbling cheese and coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, if desired. Accompany with a salsa (green salsa preferred) plus wedges of lime to squeeze on.

“Fresh” Salsa, Mexican Restaurant Style

The salsa that is typically, and automatically, served with tortilla chips at Mexican American restaurants as soon as you sit down is loosely based on the real Mexican “Salsa Fresca.” However, in Mexico the real one is made entirely of fresh vegetables grilled over fire then peeled and ground with lime juice in a 3-legged, shallow stone mortar called a “Molcajete.” The salsa is often served directly out of the mortar. Mexican American restaurant salsa seems to use canned ground tomatoes and is made in large batches. It’s tastier at some restaurants more than at others.

Here is my version of Salsa Fresca, which can be used as a dip for tortilla chips, spooned onto tacos or fajitas, or used in various Mexican-type casseroles. At Donderos’ Kitchen we serve a fairly similar salsa as a condiment with our breakfast burritos, breakfast egg sandwiches and our various “griddles.”

The salsa will keep for several days in the refrigerator, but it’s freshest tasting the first day.

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (Hunts brand is pretty good)

1 small onion

1 medium-small fresh green jalapeño pepper (remove part of seeds if milder salsa is desired)

1 medium-small bunch cilantro (including the stems)

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place crushed tomatoes in a bowl.

In food processor (or on cutting board with a chef’s knife), finely mince together the onion, jalapeño and cilantro, scraping down inside of container. Add to the tomatoes. Add lime juice, salt, cumin and pepper.  Mix well.

Allow to sit 10 minutes. Stir well. Taste and add salt and/or lime juice to taste.

                                                

Chill several hours before using, for full flavor. Stir and taste before serving and add salt, if needed.

Pan-Fried Salmon with Brown Butter and Fried Capers (Saumon Grenobloise)

The traditional French method of making a sauce of “brown butter” for sautéed or pan-seared fish is remarkably easy. Brown butter, in French “Beurre Noisette” (literally hazelnut butter), is simply unsalted butter fried in a pan until the solid bits turn light brown. In its simplest form, with a little lemon juice and parsley, brown butter sauce is “Meunière,” most famous with sole. A slightly darker brown butter sauce with capers is “Grenobloise” (meaning in the style of Grenoble, a city in the Alps), which is a favorite French way of serving pan-fried trout. With the rich flavor of salmon I like a hint of rosemary.

Plate: Maria Dondero, Marmalade Pottery, Athens GA

This dish calls for chilled Chardonnay, my preference is for unoaked Chardonnay. Generally I’m not a fan of Chardonnay, especially if it has lots of buttery and vanilla oak overtones, but the rich fish plus the butter sauce call for Chardonnay. Alternately, a cold Viognier goes well.

The recipe is for four servings. For each diner, allow 4 ounces (1/4 pound) of fish.

1 pound salmon fillet, with or without skin

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons capers, drained

12 tiny leaves stripped of a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional)

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon chunks

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

If fish is frozen, thaw it quickly in its plastic envelope in slowly running room-temperature water. Remove from envelope and pat fish dry with paper towel.

Sprinkle fish moderately on both sides with salt and pepper.

Prepare remaining ingredients and keep separate. Measure and drain capers. If using rosemary, pick 12 tiny leaves off a sprig. Squeeze lemon juice. Cut butter.

Heat frying pan, preferably non-stick, large enough to hold the fish, to medium high. Add oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. When butter fully melts, fry fish on both sides, starting with the skinless side, if the skin is still attached. Scrape under it with a sharp spatula so fish doesn’t stick to pan. When fish is nearly cooked in middle (twist point of sharp knife in thickest part and look for changed color in middle), lift out onto a warm platter. (Before you do this, you can often scrape off the skin, if present.)

Remove any bits of skin or fish from the pan, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir it over gentle heat until bits of solids turn golden brown. Add capers and rosemary and stir and fry for 15 seconds. Stir in lemon juice. Remove from heat. Taste for salt, and add a little if needed.

Spoon sauce and capers over the fish.

Provençal Cauliflower Gratin: A Dazzling Vegetarian Dish

The wonderful vegetable casseroles of southeastern France, particularly of Provence and Savoie, known as “Gratin” range from Au Gratin Potatoes made with either milk (“scalloped” in American terminology) or chicken broth (“Pommes Savoyarde”) to Cauliflower Gratin (“Gratin de Choux Fleur”) to eggplant gratin (Gratin d’Aubergine) to Provençal Tomatoes (Tomates Provençal). All share cheese and breadcrumbs and are baked in shallow dishes. All are delicious and satisfying.

Here’s a colorful summer Provençal version based on cauliflower baked in milk with cheese, but topped with thick slices of tomato, breadcrumbs and olive oil that melt into the casserole. It’s sort of a hybrid of cauliflower au gratin and Tomates Provençal. In a way it’s the best of both worlds, with both Mediterranean and more inland French elements.

The recipe serves six to eight as a side dish for dinner or as a lunch accompanied by a salad. Red wine goes with this dish, Côtes du Rhône being the most regionally appropriate.

1 medium-large cauliflower

2 cups (loose) grated Gruyère and/or other Swiss cheese (1/4-1/3 pound), part saved for topping

1/2 teaspoon salt for the cauliflower plus 3/4 teaspoon for the sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups whole milk

1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

4 large or 6 Roma-type tomatoes, as ripe as possible

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs moistened with 2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley for topping

Set the oven for 375 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into 1-1/2-inch flowerets, and steam it 3 minutes or until just tender. Test for doneness with a fork or tooth pick. Place the steamed vegetable in an attractive casserole dish large enough to make a tightly packed single layer. Sprinkle it with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Distribute about three-quarters of the grated cheeses evenly over the vegetable.

Prepare the béchamel sauce:  In a heavy pan over a medium setting heat the olive oil with the flour, and cook the mixture for 2 minutes, stirring. With a whisk, mix in the milk, raise the heat a little and continue to whisk until the sauce comes to a boil. Let it simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus the pepper and nutmeg. (If the vegetable is still being steamed, let the sauce cool, whisking it from to time to time so that a skin does not form.) 

When the vegetable is prepared and the cheese is on it, spoon the sauce evenly over top. Remove tough core from the tomatoes and slice tomatoes crosswise a little over 1/4-inch thick. Lay slices close to each other on top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the olive oil, salt and reserved cheese. Distribute the mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Finish by drizzling a little olive oil over the topping. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Bake on a middle shelf of the oven until the sauce is bubbling, the tomatoes soften, and the surface begins to brown, about 30-40 minutes. Serve hot. Or the dish can be cooled, refrigerated, and re-baked long enough to heat through.

Provençal Pistou and Pâte au Pistou (French-Provençal noodles dressed with Pistou)

Pistou, the (French) Provençal version of Pesto alla Genovese, omits the pine nuts or walnuts in the Italian original. It can be used on pasta (pâte), or spread on toast crusts (croûte) for the traditional Provençal fish soups, or simply spread thinly on crusty bread for an appetizer treat.

Pistou-dressed pasta can serve as its own course or as a side dish with a strongly flavored meat course.

I like some cilantro in it, even if it isn’t traditional.

Pistou sauce

1 1⁄2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

1⁄2 cup parsley leaves, flat “Italian” type preferred, lightly packed

1⁄2 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed (optional)

1 medium-large cloves garlic, peeled

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3⁄4 teaspoon salt, plus more for boiling pasta

1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Put basil, parsley, cilantro, garlic, oil and salt in a food processor or blender. Pulse it a number of times, scraping down the container with a spatula. Do not purée the herbs, but chop them until they are tiny specks.

Remove the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the cheese. Taste a little (it’s strongly flavored), and add salt if necessary.

(Use as is for a spread.) If making the pasta dish:

Noodles

12 ounces narrow flat noodles (fettuccini, narrow egg noodles, etc.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-1⁄2 tablespoons salt. Add pasta and stir well immediately so it doesn’t stick together. Let boil, stirring frequently. When pasta is tender to the bite, remove 1⁄4 cup of the pasta-boiling water and stir it into the pistou.

Drain pasta in a colander, shaking once or twice, and transfer it to a large serving bowl. Toss pasta with the diluted pistou. Taste, and add a little salt if needed.