the thin chef

In late December, Jason and I were fortunate enough to travel to Palestine and Israel. We stayed in a small city called Ramallah in the West Bank—the city where Jason’s parents were born and raised, and where a branch of his extended family still lives.

Absolutely delicious dinner

I have always believed that food is the common denominator that brings people together and that it is the perfect way to truly get to know know a culture. Culture differences are all but forgotten when sharing a meal. It was not always the easiest journey being fully accepted into Jason’s close-knit Palestinian family. But I knew from the first time his mother’s face lit up when I tasted—and loved—her lovingly made stuffed squash that food would help us overcome relationship hurdles. Food was the first way I bonded with Jason’s mom. It was the topic of the first real, engaging conversation I had with his dad.

New Year's Day lunch with the best mezze we had all week

And food was, indeed, the way we bonded with our extended family halfway across the world. It was also, for us, a way to bond with the culture itself. Tasting things that are everyday foods—falafel, hummus, ka’ak (sesame bread), pickles, yogurt—infused at least a small understanding of the way of life there.

The tastiest falafel sandwich I've ever had...I had one both times we went to Jerusalem

We ate some dishes that were familiar to us, such as hummus, baba ghanoush (eggplant dip), msakkhan, mini eggplants stuffed with hashweh (a mixture of rice, minced lamb and pine nuts or almonds), malfouf (cabbage rolls, again, stuffed with hashweh), knafeh (melted white cheese and shredded phyllo dough, soaked in sugar syrup) and simple roast chicken. And even though we’d had these dishes before, something about them was different there, and it was really exciting to taste.

Arabic ice cream, locally brewed beer and breakfast (but not eaten all together!)

But we also had plenty of things we’d either never had, or only tried once or twice before, like a dessert made from a sheet of hand-rolled phyllo folded over cheese or nuts and baked; arabic ice cream, which has gum paste in it, giving it a gooey, sticky texture (jury’s still out on whether that’s a good thing!); maftoul (hand-rolled couscous in rich stock and topped with lamb and chick peas); and a dish of blended hummus and bread.

Pastry in Jerusalem—hand-rolled phyllo filled with cheese and baked

We, of course, did more than eat on this trip…although the eating was among the most enjoyable parts. The ancient cities in Israel and Palestine are awe-inspiring and beautiful. And though many see that part of the world as contentious, we found it to be quite peaceful, engaging and hospitable.

Maftoul

Malfouf

I will certainly be exploring more Arabic, and specifically Palestinian, cuisine here going forward. One of my favorite Christmas gifts came from Jason’s parents—a cookbook called Sahtein, which was created by the American Ramallah Federation. It includes wonderful recipes that I now feel ever-so-slightly more equipped to attempt, having tasted many of the dishes on our trip.

Aunties hard at work on our lunch

In the meantime, I think I’ll go to the nearby Arabic grocery to grab a falafel sandwich. I miss them already.

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(my newest favorite ornament that reminds me of our honeymoon, a gift from sweet Lindsey)

Here’s to a new year filled with delicious, laughter-filled, wine-soaked, decadent, comforting, healthful, fresh, locally sourced meals shared with friends around the table.

This space will be quiet (again) for the next two weeks or so as my husband and I travel to the West Bank to do some exploring and to visit his extended family. You know I’ll have my camera in hand to capture the wonderful food we eat, beautiful people we meet, and historic sites we visit. Stay tuned…

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My husband loves mussels. One of our favorite restaurants, the Ravenous Pig, has mussels on the menu most of the year, and he orders them often. They change up the broth each month or so—using hoppy ales or dry wines and flavorings like fennel pollen or dill—but two things always stay the same: the generous size of the mussels and the pint glass of truffled French fries that comes alongside.

While I have yet to master the truffle fries, I love to make mussels for Jason at home. It’s so simple: take a big pot, add a knob of butter and shallots and let them sizzle together. Then pour in several generous glugs of white wine or some kind of straw-colored ale (sipping some while you’re at it), and a few pounds of the shiny black shells. Throw in a handful of chopped fresh herbs, if you feel so inclined (and you definitely should). Simmered for just a few minutes, magic happens inside that pot. When you lift the lid, swirls of fragrant, briny steam escape, giving hints to the flavorful broth and the sweet orange bivalves inside.

A big hunk of crusty bread is mandatory, and the remainder of the bottle of wine or some of the same beer you used in the broth is highly encouraged. We like to pour the contents of the pot into a big ceramic bowl and just share—it’s slurpy and messy and just plain fun.

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Gingerbread is one of those reminiscent, sentimental foods that evokes memories with a single whiff of the mixture of spices. I think people probably fall into two camps when it comes to the holiday sweet: crisp or soft. Perhaps the preference isn’t firm…but I’ve found that almost everyone does have a favorite texture. For me, it’s soft.

These cookies are exactly that. Cakey, slightly chewy, and very tender. I like that there’s just enough spice, not enough to overpower the characteristic taste of molasses. Again—don’t fear the Crisco. It’s not exactly an haute cuisine ingredient, but it’s what gives the cookies the light, cakey crumb, and you can’t omit it.

For frosting, I used the one from yesterday’s post. We put it in a ziploc and snipped a corner off as a sort-of piping bag, just right for making eyes, buttons, and the like on your gingerbread people.

Quick recipe note: if you don’t have buttermilk, and don’t want to buy any for just 1/4 cup, combine 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar. Stir, and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dough.

Classic Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Originally published in Bon Appetit

6 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves or allspice
3/4 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsulfered molasses
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine 5 1/4 cups flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to combine well. Beat butter and shortening in large bowl until uniform Add 1 cup sugar and the molasses, and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg and buttermilk.

Combine 2 teaspoons water and baking soda in small ramekin to blend; add to butter mixture. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in 2 additions. Add in more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a slightly firm dough forms. Dough will be sticky.

Divide dough into 4 equal parts and place each mound on a piece of parchment. Top with a second piece of parchment, and shape each into a disc just less than 1/4-inch thick. Wrap disks and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°. Working with 1 disc at a time, roll dough between sheets of parchment, if needed. Cut cookies. Re-roll scraps, refrigerating as necessary to keep dough hard. Refrigerate for a few minutes before baking to ensure a crisp shape.

Bake cookies until slightly darker at edges and just firm to touch in center, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Cool baking sheet with cold water before using for the next batch.

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Well, so much for my 40 nonstop days of blogging. I’m getting back on track today, though, with this delicious and healthy salad we had for dinner a few nights ago. Mark Bittman writes a column for Cooking Light about using less meat in main courses, without making the meal completely vegetarian. This salad combines skirt steak (I got ours from Deep Creek, an awesome local, grass-fed ranch) with tofu to top a green salad dressed with a tangy Thai-style dressing.

We try to keep the meat to a minimum in our house—we do love it, but to eat mostly organic (or grass-fed, free-range, responsibly raised, etc.) it can get really expensive. And, of course, it’s just better for you to eat more veg than meat. So I love recipes like this one that call for only 4 ounces of steak, total (a mere quarter-pound). It’s just enough for the flavor and satiety that comes from a bite of juicy beef, but not so much your stomach feels like a brick afterward.

If you don’t dig tofu, you could go the surf-and-turf route, and toss in some wild-caught shrimp. Or, just do the steak. The recipe is technically for 4 people, but because it’s all we had for dinner, we ate two servings each, and I only cooked about 5 or 6 ounces of tofu. Another note: I left the oil out completely when cooking the steak, because my pieces were nicely marbled, and the rendered fat from the beef was enough to cook the tofu. You be the judge of whether you need the whole tablespoon, or, really, any at all. I also cooked the beef and tofu separately, because we like tofu nice and brown, and I didn’t want the meat to overcook.

Thai-Inspired Beef & Tofu Salad
adapted, ever so slightly, from Mark Bittman’s recipe in Cooking Light
serves 2 as a main course

6 ounces firm tofu, cubed
6 cups fresh salad greens, such as romaine, Bibb, arugula, baby spinach, or a mix
1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1  cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1  tablespoon fish sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
2  teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon mirin or brown sugar
1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon peanut oil (optional, depending on the marbling on your steak)
4 ounces skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut across the grain into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place tofu cubes on several layers of paper towels on a cutting board or countertop. Cover with additional paper towels, and top with a baking sheet and weigh down with a coffee mug or can of soup. Let stand 30 minutes.

Combine lettuce, herbs and cucumber in a large bowl. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, mirin and serrano pepper in a small bowl, and stir to combine. Drizzle half of the dressing over lettuce mixture; toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until the beef is browned, stirring only once or twice. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, and add tofu to the pan. Cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.

Add beef and tofu to the bowl with the dressing, tossing to coat. Pour tofu mixture over lettuce mixture; toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Are you in Orlando? Need plans this weekend? Come see edible Orlando publisher Kendra Lott and me at the Edible Orlando Cooking Stage at the Orlando Home Show! We’ll be doing cooking demos of Thanksgiving dishes from the current issue. Lots of other great local chefs and food personalities will be there as well, making delicious local food. Click here for tickets! See you there!

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photo from Food52.com

I got some fantastic news today: My cauliflower recipe was chosen as a finalist on Food52.com. Are you familiar with the site? It’s a wonderful community of home cooks, sharing recipes, as well as insightful articles, tips, and inspiration.

They spotlighted my blog a while ago, which was so very lovely. And today, I found out I’m a finalist for the cookbook. Cue the happy dance. Amanda Hesser, one of the finalists, wrote Cooking for Mr. Latte (which I actually just referenced here last week). When I read that book, it stoked the little foodie fire in me and encouraged it to become a full blown passion. Amanda has always been a huge influence on me, and someone who I often look to for inspiration. So seeing pictures of her cooking a recipe I made, and reading the words that she and Food52 cofounder Merrill Stubbs wrote about it…well, to say it made my day is an understatement.

If you feel so inclined, try the recipe (if you haven’t already) and lend me your vote. If my recipe “wins,” it gets a spot in the second Food52 cookbook, which is published and bound—a real book! But regardless, make sure to take a look around Food52 and see for yourself what a fabulous community it is.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a tasty Thai-inspired recipe!

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This chili, a recipe from Tyler Florence, is unlike any other chili I’ve had before. The spices are pretty typical, for the most part, but the texture is totally different. Instead of using ground beef, this chili uses beef shoulder that braises for 2-plus hours until it’s falling-apart tender. Then you mash it up until the pot is full of tender shreds of beef coated in richly spiced sauce. If it’s possible, this chili is even heartier than the usual ground-beef version.

I made a few adjustments for what I had on hand, which I’ll note in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed Tyler’s words to a T. This was a big hit at our football party yesterday, and is even better the next day. (How do I know, you ask? I ate it for breakfast. No big deal.)

Not Your Average Beef Chili
very loosely adapted from Tyler Florence
serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef shoulder, cut into large cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons good-quality chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon hot paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 small/medium onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Garnish: sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and shredded cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and brown it. As it’s browning, stir in the chili powder; cumin; coriander; regular, hot and smoked paprikas; oregano; and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Lower the temperature to medium. Place the onions, garlic, jalapeno, and tomato paste in a food processor, and puree. Add puree to the pot. Stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes or so, stirring often to keep mixture from scorching.

Add enough water to cover by 1 inch, and add tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the meat is completely tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As it cooks down, add more water to keep the consistency loose but not soupy. Use a potato masher and mash the beef so it comes apart in shreds. Taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos.

*Post Script

Making in a Slow Cooker
My friend Lainie asked in the comments whether this could be done with a slow cooker, and I think it could. I’d probably brown the meat first in a large skillet, for the added flavor. But if you don’t have time, it would still be fine. If you did brown the meat first, add the spices to the skillet to toast them. If not, then add the spices to the food processor with the onion mixture.

Place the meat (browned or not) in the slow cooker, and add the pureed onion mixture, tomatoes, and enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef falls apart when mashed. Uncover for the last 1/2 hour or so to thicken it up just a bit. Mash, and serve!

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Today we had the chance to visit Eatonville, one of the very first all-black towns formed after the Emancipation Proclamation in the late 1800s. Situated between the cities of Winter Park and Maitland, Eatonville is a small but thriving community just bursting with history. You may have heard of their most celebrated former citizen, Zora Neale Hurston, an author whose most lauded novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is on many middle- and high-school reading lists.

Anyway, we took a guided walking tour through some of the town’s most historic areas, and then we had lunch—fire-grilled BBQ chicken, baked beans, cornbread, lemonade, and apple pie. It was all lovingly made from scratch by a few 90-plus-year-old Eatonville residents, and it was simple and delicious.

Eatonville—with its soul-food joints, barber shops, churches, and vibrant, friendly community members—is something of a community treasure. We came for the food, but left with an interesting history lesson, and I’m so glad we got to visit. And we’ll definitely be back for some hot fish and grits…

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