Magic Of The Mediterranean
Award-winning chef Ana Sortun fell in love with Mediterranean cuisine on a trip to Turkey. She brought the spices and techniques she learned there to the kitchen of her Boston restaurant, Oleana.
The use of Mediterranean flavors is also the basis of Chef Sortun's new cookbook, appropriately called "Spice." She demonstrates that flair in a visit to The Saturday Early Show, preparing a three-course meal on a budget of $40. On the menu, Creamy Parsnip Hummus, Seared Salmon with Egyptian Garlic, and Syrup-Soaked Bread Pudding with Pistachios.
FOOD FACTS
Hummus: This thick Middle Eastern sauce is made from mashed chickpeas seasoned with lemon juice, garlic and olive or sesame oil. It's usually served as a dip with pieces of pita, or as a sauce.
Parsnips: The first frost of the year converts this vegetable's starch to sugar and gives it a pleasantly sweet flavor. Fresh parsnips are available year-round, with the peak period during fall and winter. They can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to two weeks. Parsnips contain small amounts of iron and vitamin C.
Tahini: Used in Middle Eastern cooking, tahini is a thick paste made of ground sesame seed. It's used to flavor various dishes, such as hummus and baba ghanoush.
Coriander: Native to the Mediterranean and the Orient, coriander is related to the parsley family. It's known for both its seeds (actually the dried, ripe fruit of the plant) and for its dark green, lacey leaves (cilantro). The flavors of the seeds and the leaves bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. The tiny yellow-tan seeds are lightly ridged. They are mildly fragrant and have a flavor akin to a combination of lemon, sage and caraway.
Mascarpone Cheese: Hailing from Italy's Lombardy region, mascarpone is a buttery-rich double-cream to triple-cream cheese made from cow's milk. It is ivory-colored, soft, and delicate, and ranges in texture from that of a light clotted cream to that of room-temperature butter. This delicately flavored cheese needs little embellishment other than being topped with fruit.
RECIPES
Creamy Parsnip Hummus with Parsley
(Makes 4 cups; serves 8 as an appetizer, or 4 as part of a meal)
Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips (about 6 medium or 4 large), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 recipe tahini sauce (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Method:
1) In a medium saucepan, cover the parsnips with water and bring them to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the parsnips for about 20 minutes, until they are very tender when squeezed with a pair of tongs or pierced with a fork. Drain the parsnips in a colander, reserving 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid or water.
2) Transfer the parsnips to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Puree the parsnips with the reserved cooking liquid, garlic, lemon juice, butter, olive oil, and cumin until smooth and creamy, for about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
3) Season the puree with salt and pepper. Spoon the puree into a serving bowl and cool it to room temperature, for about an hour.
4) Use the back of a large serving spoon to create a well in the center of the puree, big enough to hold about 1/2 cup. Spoon the tahini sauce into the center of the well. Garnish with parsley and serve with pita bread.
Tahini Sauce
(Makes 1/2 cup)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chopped garlic (about 1 clove)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. The tahini sauce will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Seared Salmon with Egyptian Garlic and Coriander Sauce
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)
2 cups peeled and seeded and tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons lightly toasted, ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Four six-ounce salmon fillets, boned and skinned
2 tablespoons lightly toasted, roughly chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish
Method:
1) In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until the butter starts to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic toasts and turns golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. The garlic will start to release its sugar and stick to your spoon just before it turns brown.
2) Immediately stir in the tomatoes and coriander. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the tomatoes for about 20 minutes, until they are soft and make a sauce. The consistency of the sauce may vary, depending on how juicy the tomatoes are. If it seems too dry, add a teaspoon or more of olive oil and a teaspoon of water.
3) Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.
4) Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
5) In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the pan is hot, place each salmon fillet on its skinned side (the oily side, which browns the best) in the pan and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until a nice golden-brown crust begins to form. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid or heavy foil. Continue cooking the salmon on this side for another 6 minutes, until it's almost completely cooked except for a little rare spot in the thickest middle part of the fillet. Turn off the heat and flip each fillet over to cook the rare spot, letting the fillets sit for about 3 minutes.
6) Remove the fillets and place each on a dinner plate, crispy side up.
7) Top each fillet with 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce and sprinkle them with the peanuts and parsley. Serve immediately, accompanied by seared greens.
Seared Greens with Garlic
Ingredients:
2 pounds green or red Swiss chard (about 4 small bunches)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 8 cloves)
Method:
1. Trim the stalks from the Swiss chard and reserve them for another use or discard them. Wash the chard well and place it in a colander to drain.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet or deep-sided pan with a fitted cover. When the butter begins to brown, add the garlic, stirring constantly, and cook until the garlic turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the chard immediately and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes, until chard is limp and becomes tender. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Palace Bread: Syrup-Soaked Bread Pudding with Thick Cream and Pistachios
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups mild honey
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 large baguette (about 12 ounces) cut into four 6-inch pieces, crusts trimmed and removed
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 finely chopped, lightly toasted pistachios
Method:
1) In a large, shallow saucepan or sauté pan big enough to hold the loaf of bread, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.
2) Stir in the honey, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking until the honey-syrup darkens to light amber. This will take about 18 minutes.
3) Add the rosewater and lemon. At this point, the syrup should be quite thick.
4) Put the bread in the pan and carefully push it down into the syrup with the back of a ladle. Ladle the syrup on top. Slowly simmer the bread in the syrup for 30 to 40 minutes, continuing to submerge and baste the bread with syrup. From time to time, carefully add small amounts of water to thin the syrup and prevent it from becoming too dark and sticky.
5) When the bread has turned a translucent amber color all over, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to let the bread cool slightly and absorb most of the remaining syrup.
6) Transfer the bread to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, cut it into 8 squares and then again into 16 small triangles.
7) Serve 2 pieces of bread on each plate, topped with 2 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese and a generous tablespoon of chopped pistachios over the mascarpone.