sweet memories

growing up with my european parents often meant eating foods or dishes that you would never see on the tables of my canadian friends whose families were more or less north-americanized by at least 2 generations. i knew my friends thought we were weird from the faces they made when, on occasion, they would stay for supper. no, the food wasn't bad at all — it just wasn't the "meat and potatoes" they were used to. how embarrassed i was, thinking my friend was probably sorry s/he accepted the invitation and would never talk to me again ;) hamburgers and hotdogs didn't often grace our table. no, i got things like a green salad with escarole/frisée and arugula alongside this kind of sweet-sourish fresh apricot custardy tart .... and that wasn't part of dessert but rather what went with the salad for part of a summer meal. as i child, i just didn't appreciate it.

one thing my parents, like many europeans, were big on when it came to baking was hazelnuts. with their very distinctive flavour, they showed up in many a thing from chocolate confections to cakes & breads/pastries and cookies.

hazelnuts, unless you buy them already skinned can be a real pain to prepare; i still have vivid memories of my mother roasting and then rubbing these little almost dried chickpea looking nuts with a tea towel -- sometimes pounds of them before the holidays -- to remove their dark brown papery skins. what work it was for something to be gobbled up in a fraction of the time it took to remove their outer coatings.

a while ago, i happened across a recipe for a cookie from one of my favourite {french} foodstylists-now-baker, florence edelmann, which is exactly the same as i remember eating on special occasions. they are sugary, crispy and full of hazelnut flavour. to be honest, all you need is just one or two of them to feel satisfied.

in the end, all i have to say is -- sugar fiends -- these are a definite "must try" if sweet things are up your alley & you like the taste of hazelnuts! not only are the following croquants aux noisettes terribly simple to make, they taste incredibly good, look like you spent a lot of money on them and store for a very long time without any deterioration to their texture or flavour. all this from very few ingredients!



croquants aux noisettes
sugary crispy hazelnut cookies

makes 18 cookies

ingredients:

1/2 c hazelnuts (whole) [70g]
6 tbsp flour [40 g]
1/2 c + 1/3 c minus 1 tbsp sugar [160 g]
1 pkg vanilla sugar - NOT vanilla extract
1 egg white

method:

preheat the oven to 400 F (200C) and line TWO baking sheet with parchment paper. you must use two sheets or bake one batch and then the next as the cookies need space on the baking sheet. they will spread out as they bake.

divide the hazelnuts equally. grind 1/4 c with 1 tbsp of the sugar until it is fine (i.e. almost powdery). be careful not to overprocess the nuts or they will become oily.


chop, by hand, the other 1/4 c. do not chop the nuts finely - you want a coarse texture.

place the nuts and sugars in a medium sized bowl.

stir to blend and add the egg white.

mix it until it is blended.

add the flour and stir to combine until you have a type of (sand-like) dough. don't overmix.

divide it into 18 equal portions.

using a tablespoon, place the cookie dough on the baking sheet - 9 per baking sheet, WELL spread out.

bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes - they should be lightly golden brown.

the undersides should be golden.

very important: let them cool several minutes on the baking sheet so they do not fall apart. they will be fragile at first but firm later. move them to a cooling rack after ~ 10 min.

these cookies stay crisp and store very well — umm, if you have any left later, that is!

enjoy!!

more mezze

many variations exist for this simple appetizer recipe called ma'hammara (aka muhammara). with just one bite of it, you'll be hooked! like all recipes, the differences in ingredients used, quantities or proportions and method are based upon the country of origin and the (ethnic) group who is preparing it. no doubt this was originally prepared by hand with a mortar and pestle or having all ingredients chopped finely and then mixed together. today, it can be quickly and easily made in a food processor or blender.

this unctuous red and spicy spread is said to have its origins in syria however it is made and served in many a country in the middleast and {eastern} mediterranean. the original syrian version includes aleppo pepper which can still be bought today from places like kaluystan's in new york city or establishments like dean and deluca that sell more specialized ingredients. if you can get your hands on it, use it by all means. ma'hammara was one of several mezze appetizers to show up on our table for holidays and sabbath celebrations; the following rendition is how i know it.

there are some special instructions, or tips if you want to call it that, that i've explained in the recipe so be sure to read it through before starting. they are important for the final outcome. one thing that has recently come to my attention again, and something i have noted in the past, is the use of very little oil in many a recipe. when you see something that says 2 tsps or 2 tbsp, move on ..... it's more like 1/2 c of oil! that's what gives it its final luscious texture. if you're worried about fat content, remember it's olive oil which is good for you — and unless you live alone and are voraciously hungry for ma'hammara, are you really going to eat the whole thing by yourself in one sitting? LOL.

walnut & roasted red pepper appetizer
ma'hammara

makes ~ 2 cups (16 oz)

ingredients:

3 large red peppers (capsicum type) - roasted, peeled & seeded
2 - 4 cloves garlic

~1 c (100 - 120 g) walnuts*
1 small pita bread or 1 or 2 slices wholewheat bread or similar**

1/2 lemon, juiced
1 - 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses ("dibs" [ruman]) or balsamic vinegar
1/2 -1 tsp salt
1 - 2 tsp sugar
1 tsp harissa paste OR 1 red (fresh chili seeded)
OR 1/2 tsp paprika + ~ 1/2 tsp chili powder OR chili flakes
1/2 - 1 tsp paprika, optional
(you can use smoked or hot paprika but be careful not to overdo it if using hot paprika)
1/2 tsp (or more) ROASTED cumin powder

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided: 6 tbsp + 2 tbsp

*they MUST be toasted first or you will end up with a flat raw tasting appetizer dish. do not roast them for too long though as they can turn bitter.

**either leave the pita or wholewheat bread out to dry overnight OR dry it in the oven or toaster or microwave. i use an 7 or 8 inch sized pita; you may not need to use the whole thing.


method:

there are two ways to do this — one is by processing all in successive steps in the food processor. often, people will overprocess so i am giving the directions in the other way, which is to combine and mix. some people find this easiest.

roast your red peppers either in an oven at 425F turning every so often or in a grill pan (or over the hobs of a gas oven). allow them to cool (covered in a container) and then peel the skin off. remove the veins and seeds and cut them in large pieces.

i use preroasted turkish red peppers which come in a jar and are different from the standard capsicum type. they are a bitter spicier and have a different shape (longer and thinner). either work fine for this recipe, however.

the good part is that the preroasted ones just require remove a few seeds and cutting them up.

n.b. before grinding the bread and walnuts, make SURE they are both at room temperature and are not hot or warm. this will cause them to fuse together as the oils have not resolidified in the walnuts and there is moisture in the bread.

take the bread and place it in the food processor. run the machine by pulsing to break up the bread. if you are using pita, you may not need to use the whole thing -- you'll have to experiment and see. give the bread a quick process before adding the nuts to break it up smaller.


add the walnuts and process until it is fairly smooth but remains a bit textured. place this in a bowl.

place the garlic in the same processor bowl and chop it up finely. be judicious with your garlic as adding too much will ruin it. i use two large ones. if your cloves of garlic are small, use 3 or 4 to compensate. if using a fresh red chili, add it to the garlic at the same time.

into the garlic, add the red pepper pieces and pulse the processor until it is chopped.

now run the machine and pour the 6 tbsp of oil into it and let it process until it turns orangey-red and lightens.
you will have small flecks of red. do NOT overprocess your mixture.

add the red pepper paste to the walnut-bread mixture and stir.

add the salt, sugar, ONLY 1 tbsp pomegranate syrup or balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, paprika (if using) and cumin.

mix again and taste. adjust the cumin, salt and sugar. add the second tbsp of pomegranate syrup or vinegar if needed. the colour will be less red at this point.

let the mixture sit for about 2 hours minimum.

place the mixture in a dish or spread it on a plate and drizzle the last 2 tbsp olive oil on top before serving. garnish with mint sprigs and serve with fresh pita or dried pita "chips". it is also very good with challah bread.

enjoy!

takin' it off!

well, this won't be the most exciting post i've added to my blog but it is useful information {provided you need it!}.

buying shelled nuts, such as pistachios, is a two-way street. by that, i mean that they are typically quite a bit more expensive than unshelled ones due to the labour involved in decorticating them. some people don't mind paying more as it saves time, especially if you need many for whatever you're preparing.

if you only have a few to do, however, there is a very quick and fast way to remove the peel of pistachios. the same procedure can be done for other nuts like almonds but they take longer to process as the skin is thicker; mind you, they are just as easy to do. hazelnuts are a different procedure involving heating them and rubbing the skins off them. i have no patience for that so i'd buy those already prepared!


removing the skin from pistachios, almonds, etc...

"ingredients":

pistachios, almonds, etc.
boiling water


method:

place the nuts in an appropriately-sized heatproof bowl or dish.

pour boiling water over them to cover by about an inch or so.

let soak for about 15 to 20 minutes (if you are doing almonds let them soak for up to an hour and cover the dish or bowl).

take out one of the pistachios and inspect it to see if the skin has swelled and loosened.

if it has, start to break the skin with the nail of your finger and then peel off the skins.

place aside and rinse off the pistachios.

that's it! simple, easy and quick.

• n.b. if you are going to grind them finely you have to let them dry or you can speed the process in an oven set at 200 F. for about 15 to 20 minutes but keep an eye on them. they mustn't brown.
• if you are going to sliver or quarter them then this is the appropriate time to do it since they will be soft enough to slice cleanly. if they are dry, they will most likely shatter or disintegrate.