avocado & bravado : a food blog » snack

sahlab & a giveaway

Rose — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:12:58 +0000

Sahlab is a popular wintertime drink throughout the Middle East. The drink is made with milk and salep, a flour made from the tuberous root of a species of orchid, Orchis mascula. Salep has a faintly floral taste, but the drink is mainly consumed for its thick texture. Other flavorings, such as orange blossom water and rose water, are added to the drink just before serving and it is traditional to dust the cup with a couple pinches of cinnamon.

Pure salep is notoriously difficult (and expensive!) to come by outside of Turkey, so you’re more likely to find powdered mixes with cornstarch, sugar, and a small amount of salep sold in Middle Eastern groceries. I’ve also seen people ditch the salep altogether and use cornstarch in its place. Even when only made with cornstarch, sahlab is a great drink for those chilly winter nights and a good alternative for those who don’t like tea or coffee. Salep is also a key ingredient in Turkish ice cream (dondurma), which is known for its chewy texture and resistance to melting.

And, oh yeah! A giveaway. Many months ago, a company I had never heard of approached me and asked if I would like to host a giveaway on my site. I went along with it, despite their somewhat slimy SEO tactics because in the end everyone likes free stuff, right? In the months since the giveaway, they’ve approached me two more times asking me to host another giveaway and sweetening the deal by adding $25 each time. I could offer a $75 gift card for a site I’ve never shopped at before. Maybe the winner will buy something related to food. Maybe not. Instead, I’ve decided to host a giveaway of my own. I often post recipes with ingredients that, depending on where you live, may be difficult to find. If you’ve ever wanted to experiment more with Arabic cooking, but haven’t had the chance, one lucky person (maybe you!) will be receiving some of my favorites – pomegranate molasses, tahini, fava beans, sumac, and sahlab.

To participate, leave a comment (just one!) and tell me what you would like to cook with any of the ingredients offered in the giveaway. The winner will be randomly chosen on March 8th.

Also, I will be taking a small break from blogging. My mom will be visiting San Francisco this week and I’ll need a couple days to recover after she leaves. See you next month!

Sahlab
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2 cups milk (I always use whole milk, but use low-fat or non-fat if you’d like)
sugar, to taste (if using pure sahlab powder or cornstarch, most if not all pre-packaged sahlab mixes already include sugar)
2 tablespoons sahlab powder or cornstarch

Optional flavorings and garnishes:

Rose Water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Orange Blossom Water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Almond Extract
Vanilla
Shredded coconut
Chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
Ground cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg, for dusting

Add the milk (and sugar, if using) to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until hot, then add the sahlab powder or cornstarch and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. If adding extra flavorings, like rosewater, orange blossom water, almond extract, or vanilla, stir those in once the drink has thickened. Divide the drink into individual cups and garnish with chopped nuts, coconut, and dust with cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.

Serves 2

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mast-o khiar (persian yogurt and cucumber dip)

Rose — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:35:26 +0000

At first glance, mast-o khiar looks an awful lot like Greek tzatziki. There are countless versions of yogurt and cucumber based dips stretching from Greece to India. Mast-o khiar is a very simple and straightforward dip, it means “yogurt and cucumber” in Persian. Persian cucumbers are most commonly used for this dip. They have thin skins and don’t require any peeling, but they may be unavailable in your area. If you can’t find them, you can easily substitute with common cucumbers available at your local supermarket, but be sure to cut off their bitter skins and deseed them. Serve with warm flat bread, pita chips, and vegetables.

Mast-o Khiar (Persian Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern Food)
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16 oz yogurt, preferably strained or Greek
2 tablespoons dried or chopped fresh mint
salt & pepper, to taste
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced and chopped
Optional garnishes: more chopped cucumbers, ground dried rose petals, more mint (fresh or dried), olive oil

In a large bowl, beat together yogurt until smooth. Add the mint, salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fold in the cucumbers and serve with warm flat bread, pita chips, or vegetables. Add more salt, if necessary. Garnish with any of the following: more cucumbers, mint, dried ground rose petals, or olive oil.

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hummus with roasted garlic and fresh herbs

Rose — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:27:09 +0000

Some people have their favorite recipes and stick to them forever. When I talk to my dad and he tells me he’s making squash or chicken for dinner, I know exactly what he’s talking about. I try keep things constantly changing in the kitchen, but there are a few recipes I rarely ever stray from – mujaddara, for example. As much as I love the traditional hummus bi tahina (hummus with tahini), I’m constantly looking for new ways to reinvent it. I’ve been accused of being a hummus purist and even a snob, but that’s simply not true. I’ve just made it a personal mission to inform people that hummus means “chickpeas” in Arabic. It’s silly to call beet hummus, white bean hummus, edamame hummus, lima bean hummus, etc. hummus if the recipes don’t contain chickpeas. If you see a crazy lady rocking back and forth at a bus stop in San Francisco mumbling under her breath, “hummus means chickpeas in Arabic…” That’s me. Feel free to say hi.

Usually when I prepare hummus, I use canned garbanzo beans and simmer them in a saucepan with some water for 15-20 minutes. I find that this method helps the beans blend easier and improves the texture of the hummus. Plus, I love popping a few garbanzo beans into my mouth. They’re melt-in-your mouth delicious after simmering for 15 minutes or so. There are Syrian grandmothers who swear by soaking the garbanzos overnight and discarding the skins of the beans for the creamiest hummus possible, but I’ll leave that time consuming method to the experts (grandmothers, that is).

I’ve been on a garlic roasting kick lately. I’d say we’re going through 3 to 4 bulbs of garlic a week… and I have the breath to prove it. I’ve been adding roasted garlic to everything. Potatoes, toast, salad dressings, and now hummus. Apparently, there is such a thing as too much raw garlic. Not really for me, but for Cory. So I added roasted garlic to this batch of hummus. With roasted garlic, you get the garlic taste without at all being overpowering. The fresh herbs add a nice kick and a lovely pale green color.

Hummus with Roasted Garlic and Herbs
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1 bulb of garlic, roasted
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 15-oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained plus 1 cup of reserved water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (roasted is best, but raw is fine)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, plus extra for garnishing
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice the top of the garlic bulb open, revealing the tips of the cloves. Place the garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle a teaspoon of oil over it. Wrap the bulb in the aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the hummus. Drain and rinse the can of beans. Toss the garbanzos into a small sauce pan with a cup of water and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside. Juice lemons, set aside tahini, and chop the herbs. Add the lemon juice, chives, parsley, salt, and a ladleful of garbanzos with some reserved water. Pulse together in a food processor or blender. Continue adding garbanzos a ladleful at a time and blending, adding more water until needed. Continue this method until all the garbanzos have been blended.

By now, the garlic should be ready. Open up the foil and let the garlic cool until easy enough to handle with your hands. Pop the cloves out of the bulb into a small bowl. Take a fork and smash the garlic until formed into a paste. Toss the paste into the blender and pulse until thoroughly blended. Transfer the hummus to a large bowl. Add the tahini to the bowl and mix thoroughly, this will thicken the hummus considerably. Taste the hummus, adding a couple more pinches of salt or lemon juice, if needed.

Serve with warm flat bread, pita chips, or your favorite raw vegetables. Garnish with olive oil, extra freshly chopped herbs, and spices (thyme, sumac, za’atar, paprika, etc).

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almond vanilla granola

Rose — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:26:53 +0000

San Francisco acquired a new resident today – Cory’s brother who has a freshly minted MBA. Cory and I assembled a humble care package for his arrival with the basic necessities – dish soap, body soap, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, hangers, and a laundry bag, among other small things. Since he won’t be doing any grocery shopping until tomorrow, I also took it upon myself to make him a very large salad with a red wine vinaigrette and homemade almond vanilla granola. Yes, I am 25 going on 70. My mom keeps reminding me how old I am, so I may as well bring out my inner-doting grandmother, you know?

A funny thing happens when you eat 90% of your meals at home, everything you don’t prepare for yourself becomes incredibly expensive. I had every intention of buying granola, but I experienced slight sticker shock at the grocery store and decided to just make a small batch of granola at home. After all, I already had the ingredients waiting for me in the pantry. As far as granola goes, this one is fairly standard. Simple, very lightly sweetened, and warmly spiced. If you’re new to making granola, this is a good place to start. Just a warning, almond extract is strong. 1/4 teaspoon doesn’t seem like much, but any more than that would probably be too much.

Almond Vanilla Granola
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1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup barley flakes (optional)
1 cup almonds, chopped (or slivered almonds)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
pinch of salt
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300F.

Meanwhile, toss together the oats, barley flakes (if using), almonds, and shredded coconut in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, honey, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the oats and toss to coat. Transfer the granola into an even layer on the largest baking sheet you have and bake for 40-50 minutes. Stir the granola every 10 minutes or so, to make sure the oats toast evenly.

When the granola is golden brown, remove from the oven and mix in the raisins before transferring to an air tight container. Store the container away from direct sunlight. Serve the granola with yogurt and fresh fruit.

Makes 5-6 servings

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pita chips

Rose — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:07:17 +0000

Do you buy certain foods even though you don’t like them very much? That’s the sort of relationship I have with store bought pita bread. Supermarket pita pales in comparison to its restaurant and freshly baked counterparts. It’s often stale, dry, and cardboard-y. Still, I buy it anyway because I rarely bake bread and I don’t have a Lebanese grandmother. Store bought pita is good for one thing, though – pita chips. They’re crispy and addictive. Adding a little bit of salt and pepper to them is a must, but from there the spice combinations are endless. They’re a cinch to make, too.

Pita chips
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4 pita breads
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a few pinches other spices (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Meanwhile, cut each pita into 8 to 12 triangles. Place the triangles on a cookie sheet.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a small bowl. Dip a pastry brush into the bowl and brush each triangle lightly with oil. Add another tablespoon of oil to the bowl, if needed. Add a few pinches of salt over the triangles and add freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer the cookie sheet to an oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy.

Serve with hummus or your favorite dip. And go ahead, eat them all a couple of days. Your secret is safe with me.

Makes 32-48 chips

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