Pepper Route – Page 7 – A global food trail…

Warm Three Bean Dip

By Ria / Appetizer, Beans, Snacks / Leave a Comment / November 20, 2014

Though the name refers to a dip, this actually is not a dip. The only apt word I can think of is ‘scoop’. Instead of dipping your chip into something, you are scooping something with your chip. You get the idea!

Beans are one of the most ancient crops consumed by human beings. Historical evidence points to its consumption in regions widespread in Asia and South America, starting 7th millennium BC. Actual cultivation started later in the 2nd millennium BC. Today, it must be one of the most common staples present in all cuisines around the world.

Strictly speaking, beans like fava beans (broad beans) belonging to a particular species can be called ‘beans’, but in modern usage, the word has become a synonym for pulses or legumes as well. Then there are other thing being called ‘beans’ though they are in no way connected to the actual beans. Examples are coffee bean, vanilla bean, coco bean, etc.

The beans’ claim to fame is that it is the chief food item that meets the protein requirements of vegetarians. According to nutrition experts, beans are comparable to meat in terms of calories, but far superior when it comes to fiber and water content. One cup of cooked beans provides about 12 grams of fiber, while meat has none. In addition, beans are high in antioxidants, and are good for digestive tract health.

Instead of the particular varieties of beans used here, you can choose any of your liking.

The molcajete goes well with the ancient crop of beans as it is also an ancient tool. It was in use during the times of the Aztec and Maya cultures. It is carved out of a single block of basalt stone. Comes in very handy in the kitchen.

Despite all the good it does, beans have this unfortunate blemish on its reputation due to its tendency to produce flatulence, giving rise to numerous stories and jokes. Soaking in water to which a pinch of baking soda has been added, or cooking with spices like coriander and cumin are supposed to overcome this problem. Again, in my opinion, moderate quantities will not cause any such problems.

The dip or scoop is served best with sturdy tortilla chips. And, if you like to spice it up a bit, try it with pieces of pickled jalapeno on the side… truly kicks it up a notch. A quick lunch or a snack, with hardly any effort!

~Ria

Warm Three Bean Dip

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Snack

Ingredients

1 cup butter beans
1 cup red kidney beans
1 cup black beans
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lime
1 bunch (4 or 5) scallions
1 bunch cilantro leaves

Directions

If using the cans of already cooked beans, drain and wash the beans. If using dry beans, soak them for 6 hours ahead of time and boil them.
Thinly slice the scallions and cilantro leaves.
Juice the lemon.
Using a molcajete (traditional grinding stone from Mexico), crush the garlic cloves. If you do not have a molcajete, you can use any other means for the crushing.
Add the three beans and crush them, along with the garlic. It is not necessary to make each bean into a paste; a rough crushing will do. It is good to leave a few whole beans uncrushed.
Scoop out the crushed beans into a serving dish.
Add the olive oil, lime juice, and salt, and mix well.
Add the sliced scallions and cilantro and blend in.
Keep aside for 30 minutes at room temperature for the flavours to meld.
Serve with tortilla chips and crackers to scoop.

Kale with Coconut and Garbanzo

By Ria / Beans, Greens, Sides, Vegetarian / 1 Comment / November 17, 2014

Winter is here and the hardy kale is one of the staples of the season. Among all the leafy vegetables, it occupies a unique place, in terms of history as well as nutritional benefits. And it has an enduring role in almost all cuisines of the world. Being very versatile, it can be made into a variety of soups, pies, salads, sides… a wide choice indeed!

Kale is a member of the cabbage family, though the leaves do not form a head in the center. Other members of the family include broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts.

The commonly available varieties are curly kale and plain kale, in a dark green to gray green colour. There are also varieties that come in white and purple colour, though not commonly available in the market.

Kale is one of the earliest known vegetable, having been cultivated for over 2,000 years. There is evidence of its consumption in Greece in 4th century BC. It was the most common green vegetable in Europe during the Middle Ages, mainly due to its ability to withstand the harsh winter weather.

There are several indications of this leafy vegetable’s historical importance in current culture and usage. An example would be the prominence of the word ‘kale’ in Scottish phrases in use even today. A kaleyard or kailyard as it is spelt in Scottish, is a kitchen garden. And the phrase ‘off one’s kale’ actually means too ill to eat!

It is very easy to grow, being tolerant of extremes of weather. However, not all varieties of kale are edible as some are coarse and indigestible.

Kale is rich in vitamin C and K, and beta carotene, in addition to calcium. It is also known to possess anti-cancer and DNA repair properties, along with the ability to lower cholesterol.

The stems of the kale leaves are quite tough and need to be removed. Just cut along the two sides of the stem and to separate and discard it.

The leaf part can then be sliced to the size you want.

This dish is simplicity itself, yet tastes great, and is quick to make, with just a few ingredients.

I have used curly kale and cooked it without adding any extra liquids, which is the best way to cook leafy green vegetables.

You could easily substitute any other bean like cannellini or butter beans for the garbanzo beans. Best eaten with boiled or steamed rice.

Did you know that the ornamental kale in white, pink and purple that you see decorating many a front garden is edible as well?

~Ria

Kale with Coconut and Garbanzo

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Sides

Ingredients

1 bunch curly kale leaves
1 cup heaped, cooked garbanzo beans
½ cup scraped coconut (can be fresh or frozen thawed)
1 medium yellow or white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
A pinch red chili flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Remove the central stem of the kale leaves. Gather the leaves together into small bunches and slice thinly.
Cut the onion into ¼ inch wedges.
Crush the garlic.
In a large pan, heat the cooking oil.
Add the onion wedges and sauté till they are transparent.
Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add the kale leaves and stir. The leaves will start to wilt right away.
When they are fully wilted, add the garbanzo beans.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and mix well.
When all the liquid from the kale has evaporated, in two or three minutes, add the coconut (and the chili flakes, if using) and mix.
Remove from heat and serve right away, as lunch or a side to dinner.

Fruit and Nut Banana Loaf

By admin / Bread / 4 Comments / October 27, 2014

After a trip to the food store or the farmers market, there are some fruits that go straight into the refrigerator… like grapes, peaches, nectarines or any kinds of berries. Other fruits like apples, oranges, grapefruits and bananas are always left in the fruit basket. Mainly, because they don’t need refrigeration but also because space inside the refrigerator is rather scarce.

This arrangement is fine with the apples and oranges, as they keep fresh for ages and get eaten fairly soon. Haven’t studies shown that fruit outside the refrigerator gets eaten way before those inside? 🙂

It is a different story with the bananas, though. They sometimes refuse to go along with the plan. One day they are sitting there looking pretty and the next time I look, they are all covered in brown spots. But that doesn’t matter, I can easily take care of them. After all, don’t I have a bunch of recipes for over ripe bananas? From banana bread to muffins to cream pies, they are all delicious. Sometimes I purposely ignore the bananas in the fruit basket till they reach that pulpy stage!

One of the easiest things to make with very ripe bananas is a banana loaf. And this past weekend, I got around to making a quick banana loaf to be part of a brunch I was planning.

This banana loaf has a very generic ingredient list. You need half a cup of dried fruits and half a cup of nuts. In any combination. I used a mix of dried apricots, plums and raisins. And almond slivers and walnut pieces for the nuts part. Actually, a banana loaf is a smart way of using up the last bits of fruit and nut in your pantry!

And the process is rather simple too. You mash the bananas…

Add the eggs and beat them together with other liquid ingredients.

Add the chopped fruits and nuts.

Finally add the flour and gently mix everything together.

Pour the batter into pans and it is ready for the oven.

One of the best things I like about a banana loaf is the fragrance of it baking in the oven, filling the whole kitchen.

Teamed up with eggs and grapefruit, it will make a wonderful breakfast.

Not only is this banana loaf easy to make, it is pretty much healthy too. As the banana provides most of the sweetness, you wouldn’t need to add much sugar. Also, instead of butter, this is made with vegetable oil. So an overall winner!

~Ria

Fruit and Nut Banana Loaf

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 or 3 very ripe bananas
½ cup light brown sugar
4 tbsp orange juice
2 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup dried fruit
½ cup nuts
1 tbsp orange rind, without the inside white part

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree farenheit.
Butter a 9 inch the loaf pan or two smaller ones.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Chop the dried fruits and nuts roughly.
Thinly slice the orange rind. Or, if you prefer, you can mince it.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.
Add the brown sugar and orange juice and mix well with a hand-held beater.
Add the eggs and continue beating.
Add the vegetable oil and beat thoroughly.
Gently blend in the chopped fruits, nuts and orange rind.
Add the flour in batches and blend in.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Any leftovers can be frozen for later.

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

By Ria / Grains, Greens, Soups / Leave a Comment / October 23, 2014

The main focus of this soup, the key flavour that dominates, is mushrooms. Their earthy, woody flavour stands out and if you like mushrooms, you will love this soup!

That is one thing about mushrooms… you either love them or hate them. In biological taxonomy, mushrooms are classified as a kingdom, ‘fungi’, separate from plants and animals. Actually, the mushrooms that we see are the fruiting parts of the fungus. The common name of mushrooms is toadstools, though no one uses that name these days.

While reading about mushrooms, I was a bit surprised to find that genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. No wonder many vegetarians do not eat mushrooms!

Humans have been known to use mushrooms as food for a long time. Also, they have been used as leavening and fermenting agents in food preparation.

There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both cultivated and growing wild, in different sizes and shapes and colours. The most common variety available in the markets will be the white button mushrooms which are widely cultivated commercially. Shiitake, portobello, oyster, cremini, chanterelle… these are other common varieties used in cooking.

One of the most expensive food items in the markets today, truffles, are a variety of mushrooms that do not sprout above ground. Highly prized by chefs the world over, they have been known since ancient Roman times. Trained pigs and dogs are used in hunting for truffles growing below the soil surface.

There is a branch of biology devoted to the study of fungi, known as mycology.

Enough about mushrooms… let’s talk about the soup. I wanted to make it a real mushroomy soup and used two types of mushrooms in it… fresh sliced baby portobellos and dried shiitakes. The water in which the shiitake has been soaked, should be added to the soup as well.

If you do not want the intense mushroom flavour, you can omit the dried shiitake, which is the stronger flavoured variety, and use just the portobellos. Or even use white button mushrooms instead.

I have used a wild rice mix for this soup. Instead, if you prefer, you can use either quinoa or barley with very tasty results. Whichever grains you are using, you have to cook it separately before adding it to the soup.

The main part of the preparation is the chopping of the veggies. Once that is done, the rest is easy.

I have used chicken stock as the base, as I love the chicken-mushroom combination. If you want to keep this as vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock or just plain water. However, in the light of the studies mentioned above, I don’t see much point in that! 🙂

A very versatile and tasty soup, that can be enjoyed regardless of vegetarian or non-vegetarian!

~Ria

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

½ cup wild rice mix
2 bay leaves
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms
½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1 large red onion
2 stalks celery
2 medium sized carrots
4 cups chicken stock
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried herbs (mix of thyme, basil, and parsley)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

In a small pot, bring one cup of stock and one cup of water to boil.
Add the wild rice, bay leaves and enough salt. Cover and cook on medium heat, till tender.
Soak the shiitake mushrooms enough water to cover them.
Slice the onion lengthwise, into thin wedges.
Chop the celery.
If the carrots are slim, slice them thinly; if they are fat, slit them lengthwise and then slice them.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and carrots.
When the onion turns transparent, add the tomato paste and continue stirring for two minutes.
Add the remaining stock, mix well and bring to a boil.
Add the cooked rice along with the bay leaves.
Add the soaked shiitake mushrooms along with the soaking water.
Add the fresh sliced mushrooms and check that there is enough liquid in the soup.
Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.
Check the consistency and add more water, if required.
Add the dried herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve hot.

Pumpkin Orange Cake

By Ria / Cakes, Desserts / 1 Comment / October 20, 2014

October is pumpkin season. Starting with the green pumpkins which are great in soups and stews, we go on to enjoy the ripe pumpkin in pasta sauce, cheese cake, ice cream and a lot more. And the month ends with the large bright orange pumpkins that get carved into lanterns for Halloween. BTW, it is great fun to set about carving a pumpkin… if you haven’t tried it, you should.

Okay, so we were talking about it being pumpkin season now. These days we find so many products that are pumpkin flavoured. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin syrup, pumpkin butter, pumpkin ales… the list goes on. We have come a long way from the traditional pumpkin pie, the staple at the Thanksgiving table.

Pumpkin flavour in food items originated with the pumpkin spiced coffee, first introduced by Starbucks, which has become a regular item at any coffee place during the season. From there, its popularity has grown greatly over the recent years. According to the US Department of Agriculture, pumpkin sales have gone up by 34% in the last years alone!

Keeping with the spirit of the season, this pumpkin orange cake brings on the goodness of pumpkins, combined with an orangey sweetness. Preserved pumpkin is the base of this cake.

The preserve is prepared from the smallish sugar pumpkins during the pumpkin season and frozen, for use throughout the year. Cut the pumpkin into four pieces, remove all the goop from inside and roast in the oven till soft. Scrape out the flesh and cook it down, in a pan, with a bit of brown sugar. The pumpkin preserve is ready. It is great for making pies, cookies, cakes and brownies, all pumpkin flavoured. 🙂

To make the cake, in addition to the basic cake ingredients, you use cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to add some zest. Rest of it is very routine.

Beat together butter, egg, and the wet flavours.

Add the pumpkin preserve and mix well.

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the milk.

You can use either a 11 inch cake pan or multiple smaller baking dishes. I had these bakery type paper cake pans which worked perfect!

You have to allow the cake to cool on a wire rack, before applying the frosting.

To prepare the frosting, thoroughly mix the ingredients together.

Decorate with orange segments (either from a fresh orange or a can) and a glazed cherry, and the beautiful cake is ready!

BTW, pumpkin seed oil is the latest beauty product to arrive on the fashion scene. Don’t know whether it will be good for cooking!

~Ria

Pumpkin Orange Cake

Ingredients

½ cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup concentrated pumpkin preserve
1 large egg
¼ tsp finely minced ginger
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
powdered sugar
¾ cup cream cheese, softened
2 tsp orange zest
Orange segments (fresh or canned) and glazed cherries for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together, till fluffy.
Add the egg, vanilla and ginger and mix well.
Add the pumpkin preserve and thoroughly beat into the mix.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the flour mixture into the beaten butter-sugar mix, in batches, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Prepare cake pans by buttering them. You can either use an 11 inch pan or smaller pans.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans till ¾ full.
Place in the middle rack of the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the frosting, beat the cream cheese till smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and orange zest and mix well, till fluffy.
Apply the frosting to the top of the now cool cake, and decorate with orange segments and glazed cherries. Lovely to look at, and tasty to eat!

A Potato Casserole for a Cold Rainy Day!

By Ria / Entrée, Vegetarian / Leave a Comment / October 16, 2014

Yesterday was one of those reluctant days… when you are reluctant to step out of the house, go to work, and sit glued to the computer looking out at an ominous sky hunkering down with dark clouds and this unending drizzle-drizzle-drizzle of cold clammy rain. In fact, reluctant even to get out of bed. Though winter is not yet here, it was like we were being given an early taste of what is to come; it was that bad with temperatures plunging into the low 50s! Not that I did not consider working from home, but a scheduled meeting that I needed to attend personally, prevented that. So off I went, reluctantly!

By the time I got back home, again stepping through that icy freezing rain, I was seriously craving some comfort food. Something piping hot and full of the gooey goodness of cheese! And fast…

The first thought that came into my mind was mac & cheese. Alas, no suitably shaped macaroni in the house. What then? Potatoes! Have I ever mentioned my love of anything potatoes? I believe I have! 🙂 So a quick potato casserole with a crispy top… the perfect food for a cold wintry day!

This is something I have done many times, each time with minor variations. Here I had to go with the quickest possible version.

Main ingredients… potatoes, breadcrumbs and cheese. In the 10 minutes that it took the potatoes to boil, I got everything else prepped.

Did not have time to chop much; my hunger was getting to me. So it had to be just onions. Sauté them with butter and some whole grain mustard, to be added to the breadcrumbs for a crispy top.

When all that is mixed together, with some chopped parsley, the breadcrumb top is ready. If you want the top to be not too crumbly, you can use equal quantities of bread crumbs and all-purpose flour.

Once the potatoes are boiled, all you have to do is, mash them with some butter and milk and fold in some shaved cheddar cheese.

It doesn’t have to be cheddar, you can use any soft melting cheese like Monterey Jack or Asiago.

First set the mashed potato mix at the bottom of the casserole.

Then, spread the crispy top mix evenly on top, pushing down a bit. For a minute, I thought of some bacon on top, but then decided it will be too much.

20 minutes of baking and you are ready to eat. My friend, the Good Witch Galora, stopped by and we enjoyed it thoroughly with some lovely red sangria. For something that was whipped up in less than an hour, it was awesome!

Does the photo above remind you of an insect? If so, here’s the disclaimer: Any resemblance to real insects, living or dead, is purely coincidental. 🙂

~Ria

A Potato Casserole for a Cold Rainy Day!

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Casserole

Ingredients

2 large mealy potatoes
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
½ cup shaved cheddar or similar cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
A few sprigs parsley
1 tsp whole grain mustard
4 tbsp butter
½ cup shredded cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degree farenheit.
Peel, and cut the potatoes into large pieces.
Boil the potato pieces.
When boiled, drain the potato pieces and mash them along with 2 tablespoon of butter and milk.
Fold in the shaved cheese.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Evenly spread the potato mix in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Chop the onion into large pieces.
Crush the garlic roughly.
In a pan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoon of butter.
Add the onion, garlic and mustard to the melted butter and cook till brown around the edges.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
In a bowl, mix together, the breadcrumbs, flour, minced parsley and the sautéed onion mix.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Mix together with your fingertips thoroughly.
Spread the mix evenly, over the potato mash in the casserole, and press down.
Place in the heated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut into wedges and serve with chilli sauce. A simple green salad will go very well with this casserole.

Red Beans and Green Pumpkin Soup

By Ria / Soups, Vegetarian / 2 Comments / October 13, 2014

October is a time of change…

Most noticeably, the trees change. What was green till yesterday starts turning into yellows and oranges and bright reds…

Temperature goes from warm to cool…

Sweaters and scarves begin to emerge from storage…

Dawn and dusk move towards each other making days shorter…

Early birds start on their migrations south; squirrels get real busy gathering the last of the nuts…
Winds pick up… trying to shake loose the leaves from the trees, getting them ready for the coming winter…

Beaches get deserted; movies and malls get crowded…

Thermostats go from Cool to Heat…

That reminds me of a funny story. Once I was travelling by train to Canada, in the middle of summer. Inside the train, it was freeeezing! Considering the season, all that I had packed were summer clothes. Not a single sweater or jacket in sight! Finally, I approach the conductor and request that the thermostat be turned up a bit. And she goes… “This train has only two settings; heat or cool. Now it is on Cool. And you know what will happen if I turn it to Heat. Do you want me to get beaten up by the other passengers?” Of course, with a smile. The question that came to the tip of my tongue was, “So you think I can’t beat you up?” but considering that I had to spend a few more hours on the train, I pushed that question right back down. And went back to my seat to look at the warm outside world passing by my window, shivering all the time… Did not made that mistake again; Canada always finds me arriving with a jacket, even at the height of summer!

But I digress… we were talking about changes…

Octoberfest and pumpkin ale reign supreme before making way for robust red wines…

And the produce… oh boy, what an abundance of pumpkins and squashes… In all shapes and sizes and colours. The market is so full of them. And they make such wonderful displays. And so many ways of cooking them!

Before the ripe, orange pumpkins in their varieties get to the market, there is a small window of time when, if you are lucky, you will come across the green ones, likely in a farmers’ market. They are nothing like their later selfs; these are more akin to potatoes in their mealy texture. Though you can cook pretty much anything with them, they excel in soups and stews.

This soup is a quick and easy one. Starting with a base of Mirepoix, you build the soup by simply throwing things into the pot.

I have used a banana pepper as well, just for the reason that it was sitting lonely in the refrigerator and I did not have any other use planned for it. That is precisely how my recipes grow most often. 🙂

Among the spice mix, I’ve added a bit of chilli powder which is totally optional. Also, you can either soak dried red beans and boil them or get them out of a can. Tastes equally good either way.

Once you have sautéed the chopped stuff, you will have to move it to a large pot, or start with a pot in which you can do the sautéing as well.

A hunk of crusty bread is all you need to make a great meal!

~Ria

Red Beans and Green Pumpkin Soup

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Soup

Ingredients

2 lb green unripe pumpkin, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 cups cooked red beans
2 red onions, chopped fine
2 ribs celery, sliced thin
1 carrot, slit lengthwise and sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 cup chopped tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 small bunch cilantro (coriander leaves), minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, heat the cooking oil and sauté the onion for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add celery, garlic and carrot and continue sautéing for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the red beans, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cumin and chilli powder, if using. Stir together.
Add 5 cups of water to the mix and bring to boil.
Add the pumpkin pieces and chopped tomato.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and add the minced cilantro.
Remove from heat and serve hot with crusty bread.

Caramelized Pear And Roquefort Cheese Tart

By Ria / Desserts, Other sweet stuff / Leave a Comment / October 9, 2014

I have been interested in cooking for a very long time. Of course, at the bottom of it is my love of good food. And never been afraid to try new food items or recipes. A friend has suggested that ‘Fearless in the kitchen’ could be my tagline! 🙂 So when I started this blog, there was no dearth of topics to write about; there are so many tried and tested recipes lying around. But then, I also want to continue my adventures with new things… so this post is about something that I tried for the first time – a delicious tart of caramelized pear and Roquefort cheese!

This tart was a continuation of the theme of contrasting food flavours, which turned out truly terrific. However, a word of warning… do not attempt this tart unless you are a hard core cheese aficionado. Roquefort cheese is not for the faint of heart. Its sharp, tangy, salty, and ripe flavour comes from the mould Penicillium Roqueforti that grows on the floor of the Combalou caves in which the cheese is aged.

You can see and smell the mould in green powdery veins on the cheese. And boy, is it delicious! A bit of it on a warm cracker, and your evening is made! No wonder it is called the ‘cheese of kings and popes’!

Roquefort cheese is made from the milk of sheep of the Lacaune, Manech and Basco-Béarnaise breeds, in the south of France. And aged for five months in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. According to legend, a young shepherd left his bread and sheep’s milk cheese in the cave while he went courting. When he came back months later, the cheese had gotten all mouldy from the mould growing on the floor of the cave. Either he must have been a courageous guy, or extremely hungry… he tried that cheese and found that it was sooo good. Thus was born the Roquefort cheese.

The cheese is very creamy and moist, and has the distinctive bluish green veins of edible mould all over. A typical Roquefort cheese weighs around six pounds and has no rind.

It can be used for salad dressings and dips, meat sauces, tarts, pies and quiches. Crumbled over pasta, it is yummy as well.

Roquefort belongs to the family of blue cheeses, Stilton and Gorgonzola being other well-known members.

There are restrictions on the production and labeling of the cheese, imposed by the EU to ensure quality standards. There are only seven companies manufacturing Roquefort cheese today.

A group of doctors at a biotech company, based in Cambridge has advanced theories that Roquefort and similar mouldy cheeses help improve cardiovascular health and prevent joint inflammation. Even the longevity and good health of the French population is being ascribed to the anti-inflammatory properties of these cheeses. So people, all you have to do is consume some cheese and crackers along with your daily red wine for a long, healthy life! Don’t you love research of this kind?

Another thing about this tart is that it is a bit time consuming to make. So don’t attempt this if you are in a hurry… pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the making of the tart.

You need to prepare the dough for the shell and chill it first.

Then, blind bake the shell. That is, bake just the shell without any filling, but with some weights in it so that the shell holds its perfect shape.

Then you grill the pears… look at them glistening!

Prepare the liquid filling.

Arrange the pears in the shell, add the liquid filling and the cheese and ready for the oven.

And the mouth-watering pear and cheese tart is done!

Perfect finish to a fabulous dinner! The port wine reduction for drizzling is so delicious it adds much to the tart. Next time, maybe I’ll take it another level by adding a bit of jalapeno oil to that. Let’s see.

~Ria

Caramelized Pear And Roquefort Cheese Tart

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup almond flour
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 egg yolk, beaten with 4 teaspoons of water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium sized firm pears, peeled, halved and cored
2 tbsp light brown sugar
3 ounces Roquefort cheese
½ cup half-and-half or light cream
3 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups port wine

Directions

To make the crust, mix together the all purpose flour, almond flour, sugar and salt.
Add the butter cut into pieces and using your finger tips, mix into the flour mix to form a bread crumb like texture.
Add the egg mix and form into a dough.
Shape into a disk, cover with cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. You can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Peel and core the pears, and cut them into 1 inch thick slices.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan, on medium high heat.
Lay down the pieces of pear flat in the butter and cook till browned on one side.
Turn over to brown the other side.
Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and stir.
Allow to cook till the brown sugar is dissolved and starts to caramelize. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degree farenheit.
Carefully roll out the chilled dough to cover a 10-inch tart pan.
Place the rolled out dough in the tart pan and push gently in, to fit into the pan.
Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights or any of the larger beans. (These beans will not be suitable for cooking after this, but you can use them again and again for baking.)
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and replace in the oven for another 5 minutes. When done, allow to cool.
When the shell is slightly cooled, layer the caramelized pears in it. Keep aside any pan juices from the pears.
Crumble the cheese over the pears.
To the pan juices from the pears, add the half and half, sugar, egg yolks, and flour and mix well.
Pour over the pears and cheese.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, till the center is set.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
In a small pan, bring the port to a boil.
Constantly stirring, reduce the port to about half and the consistency is syrupy.
Cut the tart into wedges and serve garnished with the port reduction.

Sinigang… the Tamarind Stew

By Ria / Seafood, Soups / 1 Comment / October 6, 2014

What is with the onset of cold weather and comfort foods? Why don’t I crave comfort foods in the summer? And why are most comfort foods full of all those good things that we have been told over and over, are not good for us? Questions, questions…

Comfort foods are usually food items that we are familiar with, and I believe those that have strong associations with good times. So maybe we are trying to bring back those times, or at least memories of them, by eating the same foods. Yeah, the same old food therapy, looking to make things better with food! 🙂

Every culture has its own favourite comfort foods, which very often are not the best of their cuisine. And individual childhood memories also play into a person’s choice of comfort food.

However, there are common threads connecting all these food items, regardless of which part of the world you are from… they are invariably rich in calories and have high carb and fat levels. And also, they are mostly not complex and easy to prepare items. Say, fish and chips instead of bouillabaisse?

The term ‘comfort food’ was first used in 1977, according to Webster’s and Oxford English dictionaries. Whoever invented that, I like it very much; quite an evocative phrase!

I have a very straight forward approach to the concept… comfort food is for when you are uncomfortable. And what makes me uncomfortable right now is the slowly advancing cold weather. Which is the way it is every year. However, this year instead of going for my routine items, I’m planning to check out comfort food from different parts of the world.

Let’s see… Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash and a jam roly-poly from the Brits, onion soup and a chicken liver pate from France, pierogies and potato latkes from Poland, blintz, borscht and vareniki from Russia, goulash and paprikash from Hungary, a seafood paella from Spain… the list goes on. Of course, not forgetting local mac and cheese, meatloaf, fried chicken and chicken pot pie.

And I’m starting with sinigang, a Filipino dish which truly deserves the name comfort food. A combination of many vegetables, it can include chicken, pork or beef. Fish goes well too, and shrimp sinigang is one of my favourites. The tanginess of tomatoes and tamarind combined with the hotness from black pepper, lots of it, will bid ‘paalam’ to any gloominess in no time! 🙂

Generally I prefer to prepare all my spice mixes at home, but in this case, I have used a packaged mix. In case you can’t find it, you can use the extracted juice of tamarind. A half-inch diameter round of tamarind or 1 tbsp of tamarind extract will work fine. And of course, as usual I have made some minor adjustments to the original recipe. 🙂

Now that you have read all that about comfort food, one question… do you believe comfort food makes you feel better? Here is a recent news item, reported right on NPR – National Public Radio! Interesting, right?

~Ria

Sinigang... the Tamarind Stew

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Filipino

Ingredients

2 medium sized red onions
3 tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
½ lb yard long green beans (sitaw)
½ lb radishes
3 small red potatoes
1 each red and green bell peppers
2 banana peppers
1 lb tail-on shrimp
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 packet tamarind seasoning mix (can be replaced with tamarind juice)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Slice the onions into thin wedges.
Cut the yard long beans into 1 ½ inch pieces.
Cut the tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, and banana peppers into bite sized pieces.
Slice the radishes thinly.
Crush the garlic.
In a large pan, heat the oil and sauté half the onions, cut tomatoes and crushed garlic.
When the onions turn transparent, add the vegetables and sauté for five minutes.
Add enough water to cook the vegetables.
Add the fish sauce and crushed black pepper to taste.
Cover and cook.
When the vegetables are almost done, check that there is enough water left in the pan. There should be enough water to make it look like a soup.
Add the shrimp and enough salt.
Stir and allow to come to a boil.
Cook for three more minutes or till the shrimp is cooked.
Check seasoning and remove from heat.
Serve over steamed/ boiled rice or thick slices of bread. No weather blues for a long while!

Pepper Cumin Cookies… A Spicy, Sweet Treat

By Ria / Cookies, Desserts / Leave a Comment / October 2, 2014

All traditional cuisines have prescribed ways of combining and contrasting flavours and textures in food. However, chefs these days seem to be taking more of an experimental approach in their choice of flavours… be it in food or drink. What is most interesting about these new trends is that many of the combinations that work really well are indeed contrasts! Many of the new food products that have been successful fall into this category.

The highly popular salted caramel, a direct influence from France, is a perfect case of contrasting flavours finding success. Anything from candies and ice cream to cakes and macaroons are available in this flavor which was unheard of in the mass market, just a few years back. In fact, an article in the New York Times talks about how 2008 was the lucky year for ‘sweet caramel seasoned with fancy salt’.

Though the theory that different areas of the human tongue are responsible for detecting different basic tastes has been debunked, scientists are still of the opinion that some parts of the tongue taste some flavours before the others. Would that be a likely explanation why contrasting tastes prove to be very satisfying sometimes?

Right now, what sent me in the direction of contrasting flavours is the thought of some cookies. You bite into one… you are a bit confused at first… is it spicy, hot, sweet? All at the same time? As the pepper cumin cookie crumbs melt in your mouth, you realise… aah, it is a combination of all those flavours!

This is a cookie that is very popular with my friends as well. In fact, I have a friend who can smell these baking in the oven even from far away, and can be at the door at the right moment! 🙂

As the name indicates, the ingredients that add a zest to the cookies and kick it up several notches are pepper, cumin and lemon zest.

And there are no eggs in the recipe. So perfectly vegetarian!

The black pepper and cumin are crushed coarsely, adding to the texture of the cookie.

Chilling the rolled up dough in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes makes it easy to cut it into rounds. BTW, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Remember to place the cookie rounds far enough apart on the cookie sheet as they will expand quite a bit.

I like to make them a bit on the thick side, but you can make them very thin as well. Only, remember to reduce the baking time.

Perfect with a cup of green tea, on a lazy afternoon.

Or some sweet wine will work equally well.

~Ria

P.S. The contrast of flavours is so enticing… check back for a Caramelized Pears and Roquefort Tart soon.

Pepper Cumin Cookies… A Spicy, Sweet Treat

Author: Ria

Recipe type: Snacks

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 lemon
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Zest the lemon and keep aside 1 tablespoon of zest.
Coarsely crush the black pepper and cumin.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and crushed pepper and cumin.
Cut the butter into pieces and drop in the flour.
Add the vanilla extract.
Using finger tips, mix the butter into the flour mixture, till it resembles bread crumbs. Do this quickly and do not over mix.
Gather together the mixture and form into two logs, about 1 ½ inch thick.
Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the dough rolls into uniform rounds.
Place the rounds on the cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch space between them.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till the cookies are lightly browned.
When done, remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a rack.
Stored in an airtight container, the cookies will keep fresh for up to one week.

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