Vegetables flavored with Tabil

Tabil ('table'), a North African hot spicy sauce/flavoring, was a fun discovery when I got that birthday present a few years ago - a cookbook -Moorish by Greg & Lucy Malouf.

The ingredients that make up Tabil were all there in Indian cuisine that I am used to but I had not used them in quite that combination, especially the caraway. Caraway has a rather strong flavor which is not used much in South Indian cuisine. I substitute Cumin seeds instead of Caraway sometimes - a different flavor but equally strong - and Tabil has seasoned many dishes at home since.

The recipe for Tabil here is more like a fiery green sauce with plenty of cilantro and a few hot green chilies and the vegetables are simmered in this sauce and served fairly dry. I made extra sauce and saved a portion of it in the fridge for a few days to use in a different recipe.

Sometimes, Tabil can also be a dry spice mix although I prefer the wet sauce consistency of it with all that extra fresh cilantro leaves.

Ingredients
For Tabil:
2 Tbsp minced garlic
4 to 6 fiery green Thai or Serrano chilies
2 to 3 cups freshly chopped coriander/cilantro (I used leaves and stem)
1 Tbsp toasted caraway/cumin seeds
4 Tbsp olive oil
water as needed

Vegetables: Broccoli florets, baby corn, pear onions, red and yellow bell peppers, onions, chunks of carrots, cauliflower florets (or, any other favorite combination)

Optional: Pan-fried or baked Tofu

1 Tbsp vegetable/olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Par-cook the vegetables in the microwave while getting the Tabil sauce ready
2. Tabil Sauce: Combine the ingredients in a blender and grind to a smooth paste, adding water as needed to get the sauce consistency
3. Heat a Tbsp of oil in a pan, add the Tabil cooking sauce, saute a bit; add the par-cooked veggies, some salt to taste, cover and simmer till vegetables are cooked and the sauce reduces a bit, concentrating the flavors
4. Serve warm with pita bread, naan, or rice

Nesting Taklia Chicken

Couldn't resist throwing in the "nesting" part for the title, what with Spring in the air, birds tweeting everywhere, nests abound around this time of the year... plus the chicken :)

Taklia is one of the wet spice pastes I like to make on and off, thanks to Greg & Lucy Malouf's cookbook, Moorish, a birthday present way back in 2008. I do take epicurean licences and end up with something tailored to my taste in-the-spirit-of the original recipe, so, this Taklia I share here might not be authentic. But, since I am all about Fusion Cuisine, it works out all right.

A plateful of delicious vegetables flavored with Taklia was a satisfactry meal for me, whereas D got the Nesting Taklia Chicken: cooked chicken pieces drenched and smothered with Taklia, resting on a bed of pan-fried noodles and sauteed onions forming the nest.

I was a bit liberal with olive oil and so the Taklia spice paste felt a little greasy when tossed with the lightly steamed vegetables, but, the aroma of coriander and garlic blooming in the oil is absolutely irresistible.

Typically, taklia is added at the end to give a burst of flavor and aroma to the dish, but, can be used as a flavor layer while building sauces and stews.

Ingredients
For Taklia:
4 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 Tbsp coriander powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp brown sugar (optional)
4 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves

1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil (as needed)

Sautéed onions - as much as preferred (optional)

Chicken: breast or thigh pieces chopped into chunks, marinated for 10 mins in lemon juice and oil

Vegetables: Red and green cabbage, Italian green beans, Lima beans, carrots, cauliflower florets

Nest: Chuka Soba noodles, cooked, drained and pan-fried till lightly crunchy

Garnish: Scallions and Cilantro, plus extra Taklia if preferred


Preparation

1. Taklia: Heat oil in a shallow pan, add the garlic and coriander powder and sauté till aromatic; stir in the chopped cilantro leaves and the rest of the ingredients if using; allow to cool if storing for later use; can refrigerate for up to 2 months; use as a condiment or the base flavoring for curries and tagines
2. Cook the chicken till done, stir in as much Taklia as preferred
3. Cook the vegetables with a pinch of salt if preferred, stir in Taklia for flavoring
4. Nesting Taklia Chicken Assembly: Spread a layer of noodles at the bottom, add a layer of sauteed onions, chicken pieces on top, a dollop of Taklia for extra flavoring, garnish and serve warm or at room temperature

Chermoula Eggplant Two Ways

After the kids arrived, stealing 10 minutes alone, sipping my tea and poring over the pictures in cookbooks just for the pleasure of it, has become somewhat of a challenge (and a secret indulgence when I can manage it).

I have very few cookbooks at home despite the fact that I love to cook. Being more of an intuitive cook with a passion for experimenting with cuisines from around the world, I rarely follow a recipe to the letter, opting to be daring (or foolish) with the spice combinations and ethnic ingredients. This is a boon and a curse as Mr. Monk would say.

Baking fails miserably when I take Epicurean licences with the tried-and-tested recipes, but, many other interesting dishes have come out of this incurable urge to deviate from the prescribed that it has been worthwhile.

It is no secret that I love eggplant, and it is quite possibly  the most showcased fruit here at Delectable Victuals.

Many dishes were inspired by Greg and Lucy Malouf's Moorish which I have shared here before.

Here is yet another eggplant dish with North African flavors, cooked two ways:

1. Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's Chermoula Aubergine (as the main course)
2. Inspired by Greg and Lucy Malouf's Eggplant and Feta Stir-fry (as a side dish)

As I had some preserved lemons handy, I did take liberties with the Chermoula formula.

Chermoula
1 Tbsp cumin powder
2 Tbsp coriander powder
2 Tbsp sweet paprika powder
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
4 to 6 dry red chilies (I used the dry Thai chilies from home-garden)
1 wedge of preserved lemon (optional)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a smooth paste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 months.

For the Chermoula Aubergine à la Ottolenghi

I followed the recipe as close as I can, except of course, I used the chermoula paste as above. It might be a sacrilege in some books to tamper with a master's recipe. But, as all fantastic cooks say, adapt and personalize recipes to your taste.


For the bulghur, since I am not fond of raisins/sultanas, I used dried cranberries; used walnuts along with almonds; used chopped celery leaves and dried mint for flavoring; plus finely chopped jalapenos (seeded).


For the Chermoula Eggplant Stir-fry

1 large globe or black beauty eggplant cut into even-sized chunks
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
4 to 6 tablespoons of chermoula paste
salt to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup diced feta (or crumble on top if preferred)

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the eggplant in a single layer; add the onions and saute till soft
2. Add half the chermoula paste and stir-fry till aromatic; bring the onions plus chermoula to the center of the pan to make room for eggplant
3. Add the eggplant chunks around the sides, sprinkle some salt, add the rest of the chermoula paste, cover and cook till eggplant is done, stirring once in a while to ensure even cooking
4. Off heat fold in the feta, or crumble it on top; serve warm with flat breads like naan or paratha; or with fragrant rice and tzaziki on the side

Mock Kibbeh with Ras al Hanout

This recipe is again inspired by Kibbeh recipe in Moorish by Lucy and Greg Malouf. Kibbeh is traditionally made with lamb, but since we don't eat lamb, I decided to make it with chickpeas. In that sense this is more of a glorified falafel than a kibbeh :)

Essentially, this is an ordinary pan-fried patty. However, I had made a batch of Ras al Hanout, a Moroccan spice mix from the same book, and liked it a lot, so, was looking for ways to incorporate it in my cooking.

Ras al Hanout is sort of like Indian Garam masala blend of spices, sometimes having up to 30 ingredients some of which are exotic and hard to find. But, this recipe in the book presented a humbler version and I had all the ingredients needed for it. I did adjust the flavors a bit after the first batch which turned out a bit overpowering for my taste, so this is not an authentic spice blend.

Ingredients for Ras al Hanout:
4 Tbsp cumin seeds
4 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp whole black pepper
6 cardamom pods
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
2 Tbsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp allspice powder

Preparation

1. Toast the first five ingredients lightly till aromatic, allow to cool a bit
2. Combine all the ingredients and grind to a fine powder, allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container

For mock kibbeh, the texture of the mixture makes it retain its structural integrity, else it falls apart easily or gets dense. I've varied the ingredients a bit each time I've made it and it has all turned out okay so far. Adjust the ingredients below to suit your tastes.

Ingredients
½ cup cooked chick peas, drained and crushed to paste
3-4 Tbsp fine cornmeal, or tabbouleh mix if handy
1-2 shallots minced finely
1 Tbsp Ras al Hanout
salt to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
water as needed
some buckwheat flour or all-purpose flour, as needed, to bind

4-8 Tbsp canola oil for pan-cooking the patty

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients for the patty, knead it well so it can hold its shape; if not, refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes before pan-frying
2. Heat some oil in a pan, cook the patties on both sides till well done on the inside; I usually "sacrifice" one patty - cut it open to see if it is done
3. Allow to cool a bit before serving
4. Drawing inspiration from Lucy & Greg's recipe, I serve it here with some salad made with mesclun greens from our garden

Moorish Eggplant Pilaf

This recipe is loosely based on the Eggplant Pilaf recipe in Moorish by Greg and Lucy Malouf, and my usual baby eggplant curry recipe.

It is not very different from the vegetable pilaf/pulao or chicken biriyani recipe in that this is a one-pot dish.

Now, it is no secret that I love eggplant and look for ways to make it often. This recipe just combines ideas from the slit-and-stuffed curry with baby indian eggplant and vangi bath, borrowing the spices and flavoring elements from Moorish by Greg and Lucy Malouf.

Some pearl onions, fresh mint leaves, fennel leaves, and spring onions from the home garden got thrown in as well, making this a quick and easy meal.

Ingredients
6-8 baby indian eggplant, slit and stuffed as in this recipe
1 medium red or yellow onion sliced thinly
3-5 pearl onions (optional)
2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves
¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
4-6 cups water or vegetable stock
1½ cups basmati rice or long grain rice
1 14oz canned diced tomatoes
2-4 Tbsp canola oil or olive oil
salt to taste
optional spices: 1 Tbsp sumac, 1 Tbsp cumin powder, 2 Tbsp hot chili powder

Preparation

1. Slit and stuff the baby eggplant as in baby eggplant curry or stuffed baby eggplant, varying the spiced masala filling to suit your taste
2. Heat oil in a pan, sauté the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes and a sprinkling of salt and spices, stir well, then add the mint and parsley in a single layer
3. Add the rice and stir it to coat well
4. Nestle the slit-and-stuffed little eggplant into the pot in a nice arrangement, add the water/stock, cover and allow to cook over medium lowtill eggplant and rice is cooked through till all the water is absorbed, turn off heat
5. Remove the lid, cover with a tea towel and put the lid back on to allow it to steam for about 10 minutes
6. Garnish with nuts and dry fruits if preferred, or with some fresh parsley or cilantro
7. Divide it into wedges so each serving gets one eggplant, and serve warm with plain yogurt on the side

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

This Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic dish is another recipe from Moorish by Greg & Lucy Malouf that I had made a few weeks ago, especially for D.

This is a well-known French peasant dish, apparently, and the garlic is cooked in its skin, becoming soft and velvety smooth and creamy. Being lazy, I usually have a large jar of peeled garlic in the fridge, so, I simply threw in a whole bunch.

So, even though I didn't add exactly 40 cloves of garlic, I added about two handfuls of peeled garlic cloves - enough to get a bold garlic flavor they suggest. Also, the dish uses Merguez sausage from North Africa, but, I substituted mock chicken sausages.

Basically, it is a stew of sorts with bold and interesting flavors and chunks of chicken, sausage and vegetables. And, as usual, I simply could not execute the recipe exactly as they specify, so, this is an approximation :)

Ingredients
2-3 heads of garlic -OR- 30-40 cloves of garlic
2-4 favorite sausages
2-3 large potatoes cut into chunks, or several baby potatoes
4 tomatoes, halved
1-2 medium onion cut into chunks, -OR- 6-8 small shallots, peeled whole
1-2 red bell peppers, roasted
3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1-2 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika
2 Tbsp coriander powder (for rubbing the chicken pieces)
2-4 Tbsp Sumac (some for rubbing the chicken pieces)
2 Tbsp Taklia**
a few strands of saffron (optional)
a few sprigs of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup or so of lemon juice
olive oil (a few Tbsps)
garnish: parsley, rosemary, pickled chilies

** Taklia is an all-purpose mix used in Lebanon and Syria, usually added at the end of the cooking for its aromatic flavoring

Preparation

1. Taklia: can be prepared ahead of time and saved in the fridge for other use - combine about 6 cloves of minced garlic and 2-3 Tbsp of coriander powder with some sea salt and olive oil
2. Marinate the chicken in some red wine vinegar, some lemon juice, after rubbing in the sumac and coriander powder, while assembling the rest of the ingredients
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F
4. Assemble the rest of the ingredients in a casserole dish - pan sear the sausages first to give it a nice skin, par-cook the potatoes in the microwave to speed up cooking time
5. Pan sear the marinated chicken chunks to develop a good outer crust and throw it into the casserole dish with the rest of the ingredients
6. Stir in the Taklia with enough stock and lemon juice till well incorporated
7. Bake in a 400°F oven for about 45 min to an hour, checking for liquids often, and cover with foil if top seems to be drying out
8. garnish with pickled chilies, parsley and some fresh rosemary
9. Serve with buttered rice, as suggested in the cookbook

Moorish Eggplant Salad

Recently, D gave me this simple and easy-to-follow cookbook for my birthday: Moorish by Greg & Lucy Malouf. I have been trying out some recipes from it. And, as usual, I try to follow closely but I end up taking liberties with the recipe just because I have this chronic inability to do as directed :)

Long Chinese or Japanese eggplants are best suited for this recipe. I like to cut them into discs, although, I guess long slices would be fine too.

Some of the ingredients may be hard to find in regular grocery stores. We get ours from a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern market in the city, and, fortunately, there is a Penzeys Spices nearby and I get quite a few exotic items there and stock up my shelves periodically.

It is recommended that the eggplant be salted, sweated, drained and patted dry before baking to remove the bitterness, but, I have skipped this step and found it just as tasty - I love eggplant, so, this step doesn't seem to adversely affect the flavors for me.

Also, the Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing can be served as a dip or as a sauce. Sometimes, I use the spice mix sold as "Kou Kou" which seems to be a mixture of dried parsley, dill, leek/onion, coriander for the dressing.

If making a small batch, I cook the eggplant in a stove-top grill pan. Else, I like to brush the eggplant disks with olive oil, sprinkle some salt, paprika, and cumin powder and bake them in a single layer in a 425°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Ingredients
2 long Chinese eggplants, sliced crosswise into discs
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 small onion (preferably red) diced coarsely
1 medium tomato, diced coarsely (optional)
1-2 Tbsp canola oil, or canola oil cooking spray
¼ cup Feta, crumbled (optional)
1 tsp paprika for sprinkling on top of eggplant
1 tsp cumin powder for sprinkling on top of eggplant
salt to taste

Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing:
2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
2-3 Tbsp Tahini
¼ cup sour, thick, plain yogurt (I use Nancy's™ or Zoi® Nonfat Greek Yogurt)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced finely
1-2 tsp coarsely ground (or cracked) black pepper
1 Tbsp Sumac
1 Tbsp Kou Kou mix - dried parsley, dill, onion/leek, coriander powder
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Tahini Sumac Yogurt Dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender and whip till smooth and thick; alternately, whisk the ingredients by hand till well combined, still thick
2. Heat the oil in a grill-pan over medium-high heat and place the eggplant rounds/discs in a single layer; sprinkle some salt, paprika, cumin powder on both sides; cook both sides till done but not mushy; if needed, cook the eggplant in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan; alternately, brush with oil, arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan, bake in a 425 °F oven for 15 minutes or till done.
3. In a separate pan, sauté the onions and tomatoes (if using) with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper
4. To Serve: Arrange the grilled eggplant pieces on a plate, drizzle some of the dressing on top, pile some sautéed onions and tomatoes, garnish with crumbled feta and parsley (or cilantro) if preferred; sprinkle some smoked paprika powder; serve some extra dressing on the side