A Little Spice to Make Things Nice!

"Chorba" Semplice con Finocchio, Zucchine, Pomodorini & Lenticchie Rosse

Simple Fennel, Zucchini, Cherry Tomato & Red Lentil "Chorba"

"Chorba" is the name used to describe a soup, or stew, in many, many cultures and countries... apparently! In Arabic, Balkan, Eastern European, Russian or even Asian countries, the names are similar,,, but of course, the spices used in each nations cuisines will be vastly different.

What made my vegetables soup into a "chorba" for me, was a Tunisian spice mix consisting of turmeric, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, aniseed, garlic and cumin that I bought pre-made at an Ethnic supermarket... keep your eyes and your minds open and try some of these things out! You will be glad you did- trust me!

I am not sure if or how something like this would be prepared in Tunisia, but I found this to be a lovely, aromatic, mild comforting addition to some everyday vegetables. Together with a couple of handfuls of red lentils to thicken the broth and add a little body, this was a quick, light and delicious evening meal... and again- something just a little different to the same-old, same-old...

For 2 good bowls of soup I needed 2 small round zucchini, 2 small carrots, 1 stalk of celery, 1 onion, 9-10 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 of a small bulb of fennel, 2 handfuls of red lentils and 2 tablespoons of Tunisian chorba spice. And yes- of course I used a little salt, pepper and olive oil too- but that almost goes without saying I should have thought!

Basically, for me, this dish was put together in the same way that any Italian would prepare a minestrone... you just use what you have in the fridge! So, the ingredients may vary from season to season, but the spices will remain and so will your interest in making this again and again- and having a different meal every time.

I began by frying the onion, fennel, celery and carrot, which were all chopped in a moderately fine dice in a little olive oil and seasoning with plenty of pepper and a good pinch of salt.

Once the onion had become translucent, I added the chopped zucchini, tomatoes and spices and stirred everything together until everything was nicely and evenly coated.

I added just enough water to half-cover my ingredients, brought it up to the boil, then reduced the heat till it was on a low simmer, put on the lid and let everything bubble away for 9-10 minutes.

I then added more water, brought that to the boil again and then added the lentils.

Once the lentils were stirred in, I let everything bubble away merrily for the next 10 minutes. And of course I did have a little taste (or 2!), in the meantime and adjusted the seasoning as necessary- zucchini are pretty sweet and tend to be rather bland otherwise.

After boiling for 10 minutes, I let it sit for 5 minutes more, covered and with the heat turned off, so that it could continue boiling gently, the flavors would infuse into the zucchini better and the lentils could thicken the broth... and then I served it up nice and hot, with little fresh pepper and a sprig or two of the fennel greens.

So- what is the moral of the story? If you get yourself some interesting spices and let them do all the work for you- you can easily make yourselves a meal like this in next to no time!

And that simple meal will be as tasty as tasty can be- just you mark my words!

Prepare to Lick Your Fingers

Carciofi con Piselli, Pancetta & Limone

Artichokes with Peas, Bacon & Lemon

Beautiful, young and tender artichokes! What an absolute delight- especially if you prepare them right! As you may have noticed, you are not likely to ever see me preparing artichokes to simply pluck apart and dip into anything- that is just not my style!

I am not used to doing that from "back home" and I always prefer to stuff artichokes in one way or other... and this evening, I did something that was slightly more "other" than usual wink emoticon haha!

Lemon is something that always goes with artichokes- not only because it helps them to retain their green color, but also simply because the fresh and tangy flavor goes with them so well.

And another favorite, typical ingredient to go with them is peas- as that sweetness is also a classic, well-loved and well suited combination. So- what more could I add into that equation that would make sense and help give a better solution? Bacon of course! Savory, slightly smokey and full of seasoning and richness, it was the perfect addition and made these beautiful little artichokes into a real treat!

2 young artichokes, 2 tablespoons of finely diced bacon, 4 tablespoons of frozen peas, 1 Spring onion, 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs, a little fresh parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil- a little Parmesan cheese for grating- the end. That was all it took!

The great thing about these artichokes, which of course is not always the case- was that they still had plenty of the stalks intact... and that they were so young and tender! 

That was the reason that I added this filling, which I enjoyed eating with a knife and fork, along with the stems of the artichokes, before I began plucking the rest apart in the usual way. and of course... after that, there was the reward and the great highlight of the he artichoke heart to enjoy right at the end... what a celebration!

A slightly messy one when it came to eating- I'll give you that... but an absolute celebration of contrasting and complimentary flavors... which I hope you will also enjoy!

I prepared these a little differently than the usual way, in that I began peeling the stalks from the end, toward the petals- but I immediately rubbed the stem with each slice of peel I took off to keep them from discoloring. 

I then cut them in half and removed "choke", as one does, and drizzled them with lemon juice too- and then into my pan they went!

I placed them face-down in a frying pan, added about 1" or so of boiling water, a few slices of lemon and a sprinkle of salt and let them simmer away, with the lid on top for a good 30 minutes.

In the meantime, I simply mixed together the peas, bacon and finely chopped onion, a little finely chopped lemon zest.

I flipped the artichokes over and spooned plenty of filling into the cavity of each , then returned the lid and let them continue cooking and steaming for a further 5 minutes.

Next, came a sprinkle of bread-crumbs over everything and just a little parmesan cheese. I seasoned with salt and pepper, added a good drizzle of olive oil... and then returned the lid once more for a further 5 minutes. 

This made the bread crumbs become moist and made them and the peas and filling of course stick to the artichokes... and the cheese of course helped too!

The final step them was to pop the artichokes into a hot oven, at 220°C for 5 minutes to make them dry out a little and a further 5 minutes under the grill to get everything nice and crispy and golden brown!

Look pretty amazing, don't they? Well fear not! They were pretty amazing, too!!!

It's all there- sweet, tangy, delicious, crispy, succulent and otherwise simply divine! And also- so very importantly... Different!

Crispy on the outside with a moist and flavorful interior... and such a wonderful and rich aroma! You won't mind getting your fingers dirty for this one!

More Brilliant Greens!

Puntarelle Saltate in Padella con Olive, Capperi & Pomodori Secchi

Puntarelle Sautéed with Olives, Capers & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Puntarelle are one of my favorite of all vegetables- slightly bitter, yet juicy and and delicious, with a flavor, if you are not familiar with them that is similar to that of radicchio or endives. If you like either of those- you are bound to love these!

I am truly fortunate and blessed to be able to buy them at our wonderful indoor market here in Frankfurt, Germany- but whether you can get them or not, you can use the same preparation that I did on any number of other greens... read on!

It is the combination of the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and olives that brings these greens to life and it would work equally wonderfully on broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, chard, dandelion or turnip greens or even kale and cabbage... If you have some leafy greens- you can do it!

This was a small head of puntarelle, but once sliced up and prepared, it made for a nice panful of greens. So, I am going to say, that to jazz up the flavor and to magically transform any frying pan full of leafy greens, you will need: 3 halves of sun-dried tomato, 5-6 olives, 1 tablespoon of capers, the zest and the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a little salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. And 15 minutes of cooking time at the most- yay!

These are very Sicilian or southern Italian flavors, they are simple, rich and seductively intense... one bite will have you wanting more... and more... and more! So- fill that pan right up!

Any other greens, you can simply wash and chop into larger, bite-sized pieces, as all vegetables will reduce in size after cooking/steaming.

For the puntarelle, if you are fortunate enough to get some, what you need to do is to snap apart the individual bulbs as you can see here and to trim away the "woody" ends of the larger ones- the small ones are tender as can be.

Cut the larger punterelle in halves or even quarters lengthwise, so that they cook more quickly and evenly. You count want to cut them the other way and have a panful of rings now do you? Hehe!

Heat up a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the puntarelle, the olives (cut in half with the stones removed), the sun-dried tomatoes cut into thin strips, a small pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.

Toss and stir-fry them for a good 4-5 minutes at a high heat, then add just a little splash of water and cover immediately with the lid.

Let the greens continue cooking/steaming away for a further 4-5 minutes with the lid on top, shaking the pan occasionally and keeping all of the goodness and flavor inside.

Continue cooking on the stovetop, should any moisture be left in the pan, until it evaporates away, then add the juice of half a lemon, a last drizzle of oil, stir through and serve with a little fresh pepper and a scattering of capers and lemon zest... delicious!

Vegetables prepared this way are delicious to serve hot, or even cold as an antipasto- colorful, delightful and easy at the same time! And you have got to love that!

A Fast Repast!

Fagioli con Carne, Pomodorini & Cicoria

White Beans with Ground Meat & Cherry Tomatoes and Chicory

Here's another quicky for you, to whip-up in next to no time after a long day at work. Well, actually, this was for me- but after checking this out- you can have your turn in the morning if you like- haha!

I used some tender, young chicory greens to serve on the side for this, but you could use spinach or chard- and the rest... well, the beans came out of a can on the spur of the moment, the ground meat was just a handful left over from the other night and not even enough to make a decent burger from... and the rest was pure improvisation. And it's pretty cool what deliciousness you can come up with in just 15 minutes if you are ravenously hungry... don't you think?

It's not hot and spicy, nothing like chili con carne- it is a much more simple and southern Italian kind of dish, with mild, fresh flavors and yet is still as satisfying... and I know there is a lot to be said for those old tried and tested dishes like chili... but me? I like to try something different whenever I have the chance. And that means always! Haha!

To make 2 people happy, you will need 1 can of beans- cannellini or butterbeans- or even those gigantic Greek white beans would be fine, 1 handful of ground beef, a couple of handfuls of fresh chicory greens (or similar), 1 Spring onion, 1 small, mild pepper, a handful of cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and thyme, salt, pepper and a little olive oil.

It's not hot and spicy, nothing like chili con carne- it is a much more simple and southern Italian kind of dish, with mild, fresh flavors and yet is still as satisfying... and I know there is a lot to be said for those old tried and tested dishes like chili... but me? I like to try something different whenever I have the chance. And that means always! Haha!

To make 2 people happy, you will need 1 can of beans- cannellini or butterbeans- or even those gigantic Greek white beans would be fine, 1 handful of ground beef, a couple of handfuls of fresh chicory greens (or similar), 1 Spring onion, 1 small, mild pepper, a handful of cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and thyme, salt, pepper and a little olive oil.

As I already mentioned- I used chicory leaves- the southern Italian kind, which I adore for their slightly bitter flavor, but you can also use spinach, chard, dandelion or turnip greens- it's all good as long as they are tender and fresh, as they will be an excellent contrast to the juicy and flavorful beans. I'm sure you will love the combination!

I rinsed and trimmed the chicory greens down to lengths of around 3" and popped them into a saucepan with very little water, a good pinch of salt and a lid on top- and let them cook in the background whilst I got busy with the meat and beans. They really do take care of themselves.

As for the beef, I opted that into a non-stick frying pan with no added oil and began frying it. Whilst I browned, I chopped the Spring onion and green pepper finely and then added those to fry until the meat had turned completely from red to brown.

I then added the beans (drained), the cherry tomatoes (halved) and seasoned with salt, pepper and plenty of freshly plucked thyme.

I stir-fried these at a high heat until everything was sizzling and all of the flavors of the onion, peppers, tomato, beef and thyme had started to come together... the smell of it was quite divine!

I then simply added a good splash of water to deglaze the pan and to really bring the flavors out, then let things simmer on and stirred occasionally until the water had been absorbed and everything was nicely and richly coated with rich juices. 

In the meantime, the greens were tender and needed only to be drained and lightly drizzled with olive oil before serving... because... dinner was now officially ready!

A little more pepper, a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley- and a perfect, quick and hearty supper was ready as quick as you like! And if you are anything like me- then you will like it as quick as can be!

Trust me folks- this is a lovely supper and unbeatable in terms of ease, value and yep, I think it's pretty healthy too! All good reasons to keep something like this in mind- because it really never needs be a chore or a challenge to fix something for dinner- it should always be a joy!

I Believe I Can Fry

Carduni Piccanti Friuti ca Farina di Ciceri

Spicy Cardoons, Fried in Chickpea-Flour Batter

A "contorno" or side-dish, often served cold in the evening with a few other equally humble "companaggi" or accompaniments, to some simple bread and maybe a glass of wine... that is Sicilian "old school".

It is the way that we eat at suppertime when I visit- small, simple things and a little bread- after all, we do have a warm meal for lunch... which of course would be equally simple and delicious- but that is what Sicilian food is all about!

Traditionally, cardoons are either tossed with a little vinegar and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and enjoyed that way, or served fried in a simple egg/flour/milk batter. 

But I thought I could do better than that... and so I did!

Taking a little inspiration from another of my favorite Sicilian foods, made with the humblest of humble ingredients, chickpea flour, I left out the egg and milk and came up with this rather excellent variation!

It was as simple as this- one small bunch of cardoons (about 15-16" tall... they can be HUGE!!), 1 red chili pepper, 2 cups of chickpea flour, some fresh parsley, salt, olive oil... and a few drops of water!

Another of my favorite things to eat when I am in Sicily, is "panelle", which are simple fritters made from chickpea flour, which is boiled-up as one would polenta, poured out and allowed to set, then cut into little rectangles and deep fried. Usually they are served with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt and parsley and strangely enough, in a bread roll... Sicilian burgers!

The thing is... the taste of that simple chickpea-flour batter, fried... is simply delicious! And so- I used that idea to make my cardoons ultra-delicious too!

If you are not familiar with cardoons- just think of them as kissing-cousins with artichokes- only they do not produce the flowers, they simply have loooong stalks that look a little like celery to the layman... except that they are much larger, a silver gray/green color... and have these nasty little thorns along the edges- so watch your fingers!

There is no denying that the cleaning of them is quite a chore- and a messy one at that- but some things just have to be done!

Trim away those 2 dangerous outer edges first and then cut away the outside layer of fibrous skin. Don't mess around trying to peel them super thin- cut down until you expose the shiny, green flesh beneath the silver skin and discard the rest. It is absolutely inedible and life is too short!

In the meantime, finely chop your chili and parsley. You could alternatively use dried chili flakes to the fresh, or if you prefer simply pepper if you want to make them milder. Add a good pinch of salt, and begin to add water and stir it in, little by little, until you have a batter of the consistency of a light custard. And just look at that lovely yellow color!

The cardoons need to boil for 45 minutes in well salted water. I cut mine into lengths of around 3" and split the larger stems in half lengthways too... just like my mamma does!

Once they were boiled and tender, i drained the cardoons and rinsed them under cold water to cool them off and stop the cooking process- you can alternatively of course simply set them aside to cool off by themselves... but I was in a hurry!

Now all you need to do is to dip them into the batter... and you're ready to fry!

Fry at a relatively high heat with just a touch of olive oil- they will only take a couple of minutes from either side to become lovely and golden brown.

They will look lovely and smell even better- just like this!

Fry them up in small batches to keep them easy to handle, keep the amount of oil you use low... and you will have a wonderful plateful of beautiful cardoons like these to serve up and enjoy in next to no time!

And of course... any left -over batter simply gets poured out into the pan on its own and turned into a chefs little extra treat... like this! Because you and I deserve it!