During warmer weather, I like infusing herbs and other aromatics into lemonade and limeade (for instance: mint, basil, rosemary, lemongrass, ginger). I was recently pondering the possibility of infusing thyme into lemonade since my thyme plants are going crazy in the backyard, and there are other savory recipes that pair lemons with thyme. I did a quick bing search, and the first item that popped up was a Martha Stewart recipe for thyme lemonade. Martha says it has an “unexpected grown-up flair.” I decided to go for it, since Martha approves. If a different herb sounds good to you, feel free to follow this process and substitute another herb in the thyme’s place.
This recipe makes a concentrate which will create 4-5 pitchers of lemonade. To save space in the fridge before a party, I make a concentrate which consists of the lemon juice and infused simple syrup. Then right before serving, I dilute a small portion of the concentrate in a with water in a pitcher. My ratio is 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water, but you can adjust that per your own taste. You can use flat water or sparkling water, your choice. If you want to turn this into a cocktail, gin would be a complementary option.
The thyme in my backyard is a fluffy and fuzzy sort of thyme. It’s fun to use, but the regular variety of thyme will look more delicate and dainty floating in the lemonade pitcher.
THYME-INFUSED LEMONADE – makes 4-5 pitchers
4 cups of freshly-squeezed lemon juice
grated zest of 2 lemons
2 cups sugar
1 cup loosely-packed fresh thyme branches
1 cup water for the simple syrup
water or sparkling water to fill the pitchers
gin, optional
METHOD:
Juice the lemons. If you have an electric citrus juice, this will go faster.
Make the infused simple syrup by combining the sugar, lemon zest, thyme branches, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a full boil, then remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Combine the infused simple syrup with the lemon juice in a pitcher or large tupperware, and chill in the fridge until ready to use. Leave the thyme branches in the lemonade so that they can continue their infusion. The thyme will be more pronounced the next day, but not overpowering.
To serve, I combine 1 1/2 cups of this concentrate with 6 cups water in a pitcher. That is a ratio of 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water. Adjust this ratio for yourself depending on the size of your pitcher, and the size of your sweet tooth. I like this proportion because it is less sweet and more refreshing, but you might like it a bit more concentrated. You might also want to adjust the concentrate itself in terms of the balance of sugar to lemon juice. You can add a shot of gin to your glass, if desired.
When you slowly simmer good olives into a stew, they infuse the stew with a saltiness that is more complex than simple salt. This dish is simple, delicious, and possibly addictive. My vegetarian cooking group put together a huge Greek meal last night, and ate a long extended table in the backyard. This was one of the favorite dishes, and the serving dish was practically licked clean.
The recipe comes from Diane Kochilas’ cookbook The Greek Vegetarian, which has become one of my most favorite and beat-up cookbooks. Kochilas says that this dish is inspired by a classic dish from Zakintohos. I’ve made this stew a few times over the years, and I plan to make it several times over the summer before I move to China, since olives will be harder to find there!
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
GREEK POTATOES STEWED WITH KALAMATA OLIVES
2 1/2 pounds medium-sized potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups kalamata olives
2-3 cups canned plum tomatoes, with their juices
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
METHOD:
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and cut each half into four slices, each about 1/2-inch thick. Drain the olives and pit them.
In a stewing pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Toss in the garlic and stir. Add the olives, and stir and saute for 2-3 minutes. The olives will break apart a little and the dish will change color and darken.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
To break up the canned tomatoes, grate them with a large-tooth cheese grated. Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, until they are very tender and the sauce is thick. In my experience, it may take a little longer than this for the potatoes to become completely soft. Add a little water during cooking if it seems as though the potatoes are in danger of burning.
Just before removing the pot from the heat, add the oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. This stew would be good with some feta as a garnish. Here you can see the potato and kalamata stew served at my vegetarian cooking group alongside a slice of spanakopita, or “Spartacus” as my friends were calling it, as well as an arugula, orange, and wrinkled olive salad.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
A lovely soup, flavored with the classic Belgian trio: leeks, thyme, and bay leaf. This was the first course at the Belgian meal with my vegetarian cooking group last weekend. We started by making a simple vegetable broth (the one I previously posted), and then built this soup following the recipe from Ruth Van Waerebeek’s Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.
These days, it’s common to make pureed carrot soups with ginger and curry flavors, but I tend to prefer pairing carrots with fresh green herbs. Apparently, traditional Belgian cuisine highlights the best of Medieval European cooking skills. This means that they utilized fresh local European herbs before the spice trade.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
BELGIAN HERBED CARROT SOUP
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts
1 large onion
6 cups vegetable broth (you can use my easy basic broth recipe, or used boxed broth)
1 – 1/2 pounds carrots
1 large baking potato
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 – 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
METHOD
Wash and thinly slice the leeks into rings. Slice the onion. Peel and slice the carrots into 1-inch slices. Peel and cube the potato. You don’t need to be precise in your chopping, since you will puree the soup at the end.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
Melt the butter in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion. Cook, stirring until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, the carrots, potato, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very soft, 35-40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool a little. Discard the bay leaf.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
Puree the soup with a stick immersion blender. Stir in the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup and serve sprinkled with minced parsley.
This tart is in the same family as quiche, but more exquisite. Puff pastry is topped with caramelized Belgian endives, quiche-style egg custard, gruyere cheese, and parsley. It was the main dish at my vegetarian cooking group’s Belgian meal this weekend. Belgian endives are slightly bitter in a refreshing way. When they are caramelized they are still slightly bitter, which is immensely pleasing and complex in combination with the buttery puff pastry and nutty gruyere cheese.
photo by Joel Weaver
I’ve adapted the recipe from Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth Van Waerebeek. I’ve made the tart vegetarian by eliminating the ham, and have replaced the pie crust with a puff pastry crust, which makes it more special. You can buy puff pastry in the frozen section of most grocery stores.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
BELGIAN ENDIVE TART
1 sheet puff pastry
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
4-5 Belgian endives
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
freshly ground nutmeg
2 ounces Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
METHOD
Defrost the puff pastry for about an hour.
Cut off the core end of the endives. Thinly slice them into slivers.
Melt the butter in a large heave skillet. Add endives, salt, pepper, and powdered sugar. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. Cook, covered, over medium heat until the endives are soft and slightly caramelized, about 30 minutes. Stir from time to time to make sure they do not burn.
In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then beat in the half-and-half. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a generous grating of nutmeg.
While the endives are caramelizing, you can pre-bake the puff pastry. Your puff pastry will most likely come in a long rectangular shape. If you are using a large round tart pan, you will need to use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into a square that will fit in the pan. Place in the tart pan, and tuck the ends under the edges.
photo by Joel Weaver
photo by Joel Weaver
Pre-bake the puff pastry in a medium-heat oven for around 10 minutes, until it is starting to puff even in the middle a little. If you won’t pre-bake the puff pastry, the custard will make it soggy. Remove the puff pastry from the oven. If the middle has puffed up, it will collapse a little when you pour the filling in. You also might want to think about baking it with “weights.” Arrange the caramelized endives over the bottom of the crust. Pour the egg mixture over. Grate the gruyere cheese, and sprinkle it over the egg mixture. Top with the chopped parsley.
photo by Joel Weaver
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
Bake at 350F until the custard is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 18-25 minutes.
Let the tart set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges and serve while still warm. It is still wonderful at room temperature, if you are thinking of bringing it to a picnic.
photo by Joel Weaver
Filed under: recipes, starters | Tags: appetizers, Belgium, cooking with wine, walnuts
Blue cheese, cognac, and walnuts complement each other perfectly. Here they’re combined as a spread, and then piped into Belgian endive leaves for an appetizer. This classic blue cheese and walnut spread is often served on toast or crostini, just like the crostini paired with this soup. As delicious as it is on toast, you might find that endive is a more refreshing and healthful platform for the spread compared to starches like bread.
photo by Joyce Hiendarto
You don’t need to buy a piping set to pipe the mixture into the long and slender endive leaves. The cheaper method for piping is to use a ziploc bag, and snip off one of the corners to use as a piping tip.
This makes an easy and delicious appetizer for parties. You can make it hours in advance, and the endives will still stay fresh. The endive leaves are also visually stunning on a platter.
ENDIVE LEAVES FILLED WITH BLUE CHEESE, COGNAC, AND WALNUTS
2-3 Belgian endives
4-5 ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 tablespoons cognac
1/3 cup walnuts
METHOD
Toast the walnuts in the oven until fragrant. Chop roughly.
Remove the core end of the Belgian endives, and separate the leaves.
In a small bowl, mix the blue cheese, butter, and cognac together to form a smooth paste. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Spoon the blue cheese mixture into a small ziploc bag to use as a piping bag. Using scissors, snip off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Use this open tip to pipe the mixture into the Belgian endive leaves.
I remember eating vanilla ice cream topped with pistachios in Damascus, in an old ice cream parlor with high ceilings and tiled walls near the Umayyad Mosque. This pistachio ice cream recipe also comes from Syria, but has ground pistachios in the ice cream itself, instead of a topping. Creme fraiche adds a touch of freshness and tanginess in the ice cream, instead of plain milk and cream. You can find creme fraiche in most grocery dairy cases, even TJ’s.
I’ve adapted the recipe from Anissa Helou’s book Mediterranean Street Food, but have made two changes. I have omitted the rose syrup because I think it tastes like cheap perfume. I’ve also substituted brown sugar instead of white sugar for a deeper flavor. I had a fantastic toasted-almond-brown-sugar ice cream in Jounieh, Lebanon that inspired me to pair pistachios with brown sugar as well.
SYRIAN PISTACHIO ICE CREAM
2 3/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup pistachios (peeled if you have the patience)
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche
METHOD
Heat the milk and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Let cool.
Peel the pistachios. Put the pistachios in a food processor and process until ground medium-fine. Add the nuts and the creme fraiche to the milk mixture. Stir to incorporate. Pour into a tupperware container to chill fully. Use an ice cream maker to finish, and follow the ice cream maker instructions.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can still make this. Freeze the mixture completely in a tupperware container. Pull it out of the freezer and use a large knife to chop the block into 1-inch squares. Put the squares in a food processor or blender to break up the ice crystals. Return to the tupperware to let it set.
We don’t need mayo to make deviled eggs! Why didn’t we think of this before? Instead, feta makes the filling more vibrant and zesty than the standard mayo and pickles. I’m sold. This is going to be my new family Easter tradition.
I discovered this Greek recipe in Diane Kochilas‘ cookbook The Greek Vegetarian. Everything I’ve made from this cookbook has been absolutely wonderful. I used this cookbook to make a huge Greek dinner for my mom’s birthday this week, complete with about 8 mezze (appetizer) dishes.
I’ve doubled the original recipe here, because if you’re making these for a party or for Easter, don’t you want a whole plate-full to share? If you want fewer, then simply cut the recipe in half.
GREEK DEVILED EGGS STUFFED WITH FETA AND CAPERS
8 large eggs (look for better-quality eggs with dark yolks)
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons capers, drained
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
cayenne for garnish
fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
METHOD
Place the eggs in a small pan and cover with warm water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 12 minutes. Immediately run the eggs under cold water to cool. Drain and peel.
While the eggs are cooking, whip together the feta and capers in a food processor or blender.
Cut the eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully scoop the yolks into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the yolks with half of the olive oil. Add the feta and caper mixture, the oregano, and the remaining olive oil. This mixture should be salty enough with the feta and capers, but you can salt to taste. Place a little of the filling into each of the whites, mounding it slightly.
Sprinkle lightly with cayenne and garnish each stuffed white with a parsley leaf.
Filed under: desserts, recipes | Tags: baking, cake, citrus, cooking with wine, desserts, family recipes, Italian, lemon, walnuts
This is one of my favorite cakes in my Grandma’s regular rotation. It’s a single-layer, round cake decorated with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar. The cake looks simple and spartan, but the flavors are bold and complex, with the fragrance of toasted walnuts, lemon zest, and rum. When I asked Grandma Willa for the recipe on the phone, she told me the list of ingredients, then told me to dust it with powdered sugar when it comes out of the oven. When I asked about the assembly process, she scolded me, “Don’t you know how to bake a cake?” This is to say that it’s a pretty straight-forward and easy cake.
I have changed Grandma’s recipe by toasting the walnuts and adding salt. Many old fashioned cake recipes omit salt, but I like a little salt in my dessert to bring out the rest of the flavors.
Also, I normally make the cake with whole-wheat pastry flour instead of white flour. Both types of flours work beautifully, but the whole-wheat flour makes it a little more healthful. This is a comparatively nutritious cake because it’s roughly half walnuts, with the batter essentially holding the cake together.
Serve with strong coffee, or small glass of limoncello or sherry.
ITALIAN WALNUT CAKE
2 1/2 cups walnuts
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 packed teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
METHOD
Toast the walnuts in the oven until fragrant. Meanwhile prepare the cake batter.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer). Add the rum, lemon zest, vanilla, and egg. Beat to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt
When the walnuts come out of the oven, chop them fine. Stir them into the cake batter.
Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Pour the batter in the pan, and bake at 350F for 40-60 minutes (depending on your oven). The top will be golden brown, and an inserted toothpick will come out clean.
Invert the cake onto a cake plate by placing the plate upside down on the cake in the pan, then quickly flipping it over. The cake should easily slip onto the cake plate. Dust with powdered sugar, using a sifter or strainer.
A few months ago I started a vegetarian cooking group with some friends. The group has an educational bent, and we have been teaching each other recipes and techniques when we gather to cook. This last meal was Salvadoran, and my friends Ashley and Elvis taught us all how to make pupusas and other Salvadoran items like refried beans, horchata, jamaica, cabbage slaw, and salsa. I’m sharing the refried bean recipe here because I was so excited to learn this for myself. You can use these garlicky refried beans in a myriad of ways. Our group used them as pupusa filling, and also as a topping for Salvadoran enchiladas which look like small tostadas.
Salvadoran enchiladas topped with refried beans, avocado, hard-boiled egg, queso fresco, and cabbage slaw, photo by Kelly McPhail
This version is vegan, but tastes as rich as if it had lard in it. The trick seems to be the inclusion of an entire head of garlic, plus 2 onions, which all get pureed into the beans. Part of the onions and garlic boil with the beans, and the rest are seared in a cast iron skillet until blistering and brown. What surprised me is that you only chop the onion into quarters before sauteing it, and the garlic cloves are left whole to sautee. Previously, I had always cut these aromatics into smaller pieces to cook in a skillet, but this process sears the edges while it softens in the interiors. The pieces all turn richly fragrant, and mildly sweet. In the end, the beans also have a slightly sweet flavor from the softened onion and garlic. It’s the kind of subtle sweetness you find in caramelized onions or oven-roasted garlic.
The recipe calls for red Salvadoran beans, which you can find at most Latino markets. If you can’t find them, you could substitute another kind of small red bean. They are small enough that you don’t have to soak them before boiling.
RECIPE
1 pound Salvadoran red beans
8 cups water
2 onions (separated)
1 whole head of garlic (separated)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
METHOD:
Add the beans to a large soup pot with the water. Thinly slice one of the onions, and add it to the beans. Peel 4 of the garlic cloves, and leave them whole. Add the garlic cloves to the beans, along with the salt and cumin.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours, until the beans are soft. At this point, you could stop and enjoy this as soup.
Transfer most of this to a blender. You may reserve some of the liquid if it looks too soupy. You can use what you are not using for a separate soup, if you wish. Puree the beans in the blender until very smooth.
Ashley blending the beans, photo by Kelly McPhail
Cut the remaining onion into 4 quarters. Peel the remaining garlic cloves, but leave them whole. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on medium heat. When hot, add the onion quarters and peeled garlic. Saute on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. They will develop brown areas, and might look almost burnt, but they will smell wonderful. With a slotted spoon, remove them from the oil, and add them to the blender. Keep the oil in the pan. It has absorbed the flavor of the onions and garlic, and you will use it to fry the beans.
Use the blender to puree the sauteed onions and garlic into the beans. When smooth, ladle this back into the skillet. Stir and cook around 10-15 minutes, until it thickens to your desired consistency. Add more salt to taste.
Filed under: recipes, starters | Tags: appetizers, French, olives, vegan
Pissaladiere is a French onion tart essentially made from pizza crust topped with caramelized onions and good black olives. The rich and sweet caramelized onions are slowly cooked with fresh thyme, and are perfectly paired here with the salty olives. On a trip to Portland, Oregon a few years ago, my friend Annarie made this for me…. actually, I think she made it twice on that visit. She’s seriously addicted to caramelized onions, and has a hard time keeping herself from eating them straight out of the skillet.
This recipe comes from Joanne Harris’ cookbook My French Kitchen. During my Portland visit, Annarie sung the praises of this cookbook, and used several of its recipes. I was compelled to pick up a copy for myself. It’s full of simple and rustic French dishes, including the basic salad dressing I used for the raw brussels sprout salad.
This is best served for a crowd, and has become one of my favorite party appetizers, as of late. I made it this year for an Oscar party, as well as for New Year’s Eve.
PISSALADIERE RECIPE
For the onions:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
bunch of thyme
3 1/2 pounds onions, very finely sliced
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the dough:
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
about 1 cup black Mediterranean olives, pitted
METHOD
Prepare the onions by slicing them very thinly. Warm the 2 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS butter in a large heavy skillet or saucepan over low heat. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and add about half to the pan. Add the onions, and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent browning. They should be soft and slightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper and let cool.
While the onions are slowly cooking, make the dough. Mix the yeast with the lukewarm water and sugar. Leave for 10 minutes in a warm place until the mixture becomes frothy.
Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, add the yeast mixture and the olive oil, and mix until you have a dough ball. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and soft. Brush the inside of the bowl with a little olive oil, put the dough in, and cover with a cloth. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Brush a baking sheet with a little olive oil.
Knock the air out of the dough on a lightly floured surface and kneed for 2 minutes. Roll the dough out to a 12 x 10-inch rectangle, place on the baking sheet, and brush the surface of the dough with a little more olive oil. Cover with the cooked onions. Arrange the olives. I usually cut the olives in half after pitting, but you can leave them whole if you choose. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme.
Leave somewhere warm to rise again, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 425F. Bake the pissaladiere for 20-25 minutes, and serve warm.
