Volume 9, Issue 72 - October 11, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

Here is a little bit more information about Paula Wolfert's new release of The Cooking Of Southwest France.

The many regions of the French Southwest—Gascony, the Périgord, Bordeaux, and the Basque country - —all come alive in these pages. Let your taste buds travel with superb classic recipes for cassoulet, sauce périgueux, salmon rillettes and beef daube; new and revised recipes for ragouts, soups, desserts and more and, of course, numerous recipes for duck—the most exemplary of all southwest French ingredients—including the traditional method for duck confit plus two new, easier variations.

Other recipes include such gems as Chestnut and Crèpe Soup With Walnuts, magnificent lusty Oxtail Daube, mouthwatering Steamed Mussels With Ham, Shallots and Garlic, as well as Poached Chicken Breast, Auvergne-Style and the simple, yet sublime Potatoes Baked in Sea Salt. You will also find delicious desserts such as Batter Cake with Fresh Pears from the Corrèze, Marie-Claude's Chocolate Cake with Fleur de Sel, and Prune and Armagnac Ice Cream.

If you know someone who loves a good cookbook, give them a copy of this one for Christmas. They will love you for that. Pam...are you listening?

Red Pepper, Pomegranate Molasses and Walnut Sauce

This is one of the outstanding dips of the eastern Mediterranean, as delicious and striking as the far more famous hummus with tahini and baba ghanoush. It is called muhammara which means brick red in color. Try it with meat or fish kababs, or simply with crisp pita triangles or warmed floppy lavash. The dip will keep well for up to one week in a closed container in the refrigerator, improving in flavor a little each day. Remember to return the dip to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds sweet red bell peppers
l small hot chili or 1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup wheat crackers or zwieback
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, more for garnish
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil, more for garnish

Preparation:

Roast peppers and chili over a gas burner or under a broiler, turning frequently until blackened and blistered all over, about 12 minutes. Place in a covered bowl to steam for 10 minutes. Rub off skins; slit peppers open and remove stems, membranes and seeds. Spread peppers, smooth side up, on a paper towel and let drain for 10 minutes.

In a food processor, grind walnuts and crackers with lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, salt and sugar until smooth. Add bell peppers and process until puréed and creamy. With machine on, add olive oil in a thin stream. Add chili to taste. If paste is too thick, thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, let dip come to room temperature and sprinkle with cumin and olive oil.

Source: The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen

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Chef Moshe Basson's Stewed Leafy Greens and Tahini Dip

This savory dish was originally made with mallow leaves, a green that grows abundantly around the Mediterranean and the U.S. You can substitute chard, spinach, or a mixture of the two.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound young, mild-flavored leafy greens (mallow, lamb's-quarters, Swiss chard, flat-leaf spinach) or 1 cup fully cooked mixed leafy greens, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup homemade tahini sauce (see note)
salt and pepper
ground sumac

Preparation:

Steam uncooked greens until tender and drain well. Press to express all moisture.

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the garlic in the oil until golden, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the cooked greens and cook, stirring 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl combine the greens with 5 tablespoons of the prepared tahini sauce, mixing until completely blended. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow dish. Thin the remaining tahini until it has the consistency of creamed soup. Drizzle over the greens and sprinkle with ground sumac.

Note: To make 1/2 cup homemade tahini sauce, blend 4 tablespoons tahini with 3 tablespoons lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Add 3 tablespoons ice water, salt and 1 crushed clove garlic and process until smooth. Thin with additional cold water to make 1/2 cup.

Source: Mediterranean Grains and Greens

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Moroccan Herb Jam

In Morocco, this thick purée of greens with herbs and olives is called baqquola. It combines spinach, chard, celery, cilantro and parsley and cooks them down to a thick, dark jam perfumed with spices and heady with smoky tones. Serve with an earthy flavored semolina flatbread baked on stone or cast iron.

Ingredients:

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 pound stemmed baby spinach leaves
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley (about 1/4 pound), stemmed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves
1/2 cup stemmed cilantro leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
12 oil-cured black olives (about 1 ounce), pitted, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons Spanish sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
pinch of cayenne
pinch of ground cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Put the garlic cloves in a large steamer basket set over a pan of  simmering water. Top with the spinach, parsley, celery and cilantro. Cover and steam until the garlic is soft and the greens tender, about 15 minutes. Cool, then squeeze the greens dry, finely chop and set aside. Mash the garlic cloves.

In a medium cazuela (earthenware pot) set over a flame-tamer or in a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, olives, paprika, cayenne and cumin. Stir over medium high heat for 30 seconds. Add the greens and cook, mashing and stirring, until soft, dry and somewhat smooth, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add the remaining olive oil, mashing to combine. Refrigerate, tightly covered, for 1 to 4 days. To serve, return to room temperature. Stir in the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers or semolina bread.

Source: The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen