Feb
16
2009
So I had some ripe bananas and went about creating something different. I realize most of you wont have the variety of international food products located in my pantry, so use substitutions when appropriate, but the variety of flavors produced by the variety of products is one of the things that makes this stand out - I haven’t thought of a name yet for this recipes - Suggestions are welcome - Please post!!!
It is a wonderful low sugar dessert, having fruit and honey provide the sweetness, instead of processed sugar.
1/3 cup plantain flour (Caribbean)
1/3 cup manioc flour (Brazil) - aka as cassava or yuca
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup fig paste (Middle Eastern/Greek)
1/3 cup honey
14 oz. can peaches in pear juice
2 bananas, sliced
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons grated coconut (not the flaked, sweetened stuff but the dessicated freshly grated)
non fat cooking spray
Combine all dry ingredients. Whisk in egg and buttermilk. Add honey and fig paste. Add 1/2 cup pear juice (from can of peaches). Mix well - make sure there are no clumps of fig paste.
Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray. Pour half of the above mixture in casserole. Place the peaches on top and then the sliced bananas. Cover with the rest of the batter. Top with coconut. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until knife inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm!!
Substitutions - Use 1 cup all purpose flour, instead of the variety of flours.
Any flavor preserves can be used as a substitution for the fig paste (strawberry would be wonderful)
Mar
20
2008
Purim is a very festive holiday celebrated by Jewish people the world over - complete with noisemakers, heroes and villains. In short, it is a story of deliverance of the Persian Jews. For the full story, please see here
But over to food, which is what I blog about. One of the greatest things about Purim is Hamentaschen. Fruit filled butter cookies that melt in your mouth. I am not Jewish, but I think this is one of the best reasons to celebrate Purim with your Jewish friends (not diminishing the importance of the holiday for them).
Here is a recipe for Hamentaschen (I will not take credit for the recipe - I simply pasted it from a Jewish website) - You don’t have to be Jewish to make these!!
Recipe for Hamentaschen
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup orange juice (the smooth kind, not the pulpy)
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour (DO NOT substitute white flour! The wheat flour is necessary to achieve the right texture!)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
Various preserves, fruit butters and/or pie fillings.
Blend butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Add OJ and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating white and wheat, blending thoroughly between each. Add the baking powder and cinnamon with the last half cup of flour. Refrigerate batter overnight or at least a few hours. Roll as thin as you can without getting holes in the batter (roll it between two sheets of wax paper lightly dusted with flour for best results). Cut out 3 or 4 inch circles.
Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, folding the last corner under the starting point, so that each side has corner that folds over and a corner that folds under (see picture at right). Folding in this “pinwheel” style will reduce the likelihood that the last side will fall open while cooking, spilling out the filling. It also tends to make a better triangle shape.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown but before the filling boils over!
Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune, but apricot is my favorite. Apple butter, pineapple preserves, and cherry pie filling all work quite well. I usually use Pathmark grocery store brand fruit preserves, and of course the traditional Simon Fischer brand prune lekvar. I have also made some with Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread); I find it a bit dry that way, but some people like it.
The number of cookies this recipe makes depends on the size of your cutting tool and the thickness you roll. I use a 4-1/4 inch cutting tool and roll to a medium thickness, and I get 20-24 cookies out of this recipe.
Sep
29
2007
Good Morning:
I think fall is finally upon us with the cool breeze here today. My computer faces s window and the cool breeze and bright sunshine facing me promises today is going to be a gorgeous day in the Big Apple today.
I am letting you guys in on one of the secrets of my new spice blends. Global Tastes & Travels’ Middle Eastern Gourmet Spice Blend is a gourmet mix of all those flavors that we associate with Middle Eastern food like garlic, cumin, parlsey and many other herbs and spices, but I am letting you in on the secret ingredient that gives it that special umph - Za’tar. Za’tar is used all over the Middle East from Lebanon and Turkey to Palestine and Israel. Although individual country recipes vary, the basics in them all is thyme, sumac, parlsey and sesame seeds.
The addition of Za’tar gives an almost lemony taste to food it is seasoned with, plus all of the other herbs adds zest to your food.
As with all my spice blends, they are 100% sodium free so they are a great way to season food for individuals on restricted diets.
Remember - they are all available at a discount price for a limited time only - please visit globaltastes.mysite.com to place an advance order!
Sep
26
2007
Yesterday as I was walking around Manhattan, I was noticing figs everywhere. All of the Indian fruit vendors have them on their stands. Figs have become the “en vogue” fruit. With the popularity of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food at an all time high, the fig has landed with reckless abandon everywhere - even in my local Shoprite supermarket in Brooklyn. I no longer have to schlep all over town to some super expensive gourmet supermarket to find a fig - now they are everywhere and I am loving it.
For the Caribbeans out there, I am not referring to the baby bananas that West Indians call fig or more appropriately spelled figue. The fig is the fruit that is used in Fig Newtons. Now I know everyone knows what a fig newton is. But fig newtons use dried figs and in years past, dried figs were all you were able to find. This rampant availability of the fresh fig is a new phenomenon. If you have not tried a fresh fig, you must go out and buy one NOW. They are not the seedy, grainy dried fig that you may not like. A fresh fig is a refreshing, sweet fruit that is delicious on a warm sunny day, like the Indian summer we are having today in NY. They are one of the most popular fruits eaten in the Middle Eastern desert countries. They are light and refreshing with a high amount of potassium to give you the energy to cope with the heat.
The fig is native to Western Asia, but was transported successfully to the Mediterranean. The fig is a very sturdy plant, able to grow in dry as well as sub tropical climates. In addition to Western Asia and the Mediterranean, figs are grown almost all over the world - from California to Columbia to China to India.
Although some people prefer to peel the fruit, I enjoy it as is. I bite into it as though I am biting into a perfectly ripe peach. Another great condiment now readily available in many supermarkets in fig spread. I first discovered fig spread several years back when I was working at Whole Foods. We used to make a pizza with fig spread, arugula and parmesan. It was one of our most popular pizzas - absolutely delicious! It is great on crostini with some cheese on top - like firm goat cheese or machego!
So go out there and buy those fresh figs and embrace the increasing globalization of the world that is enabling us to have access to all the produce the world has to offer!!
Sep
01
2007
Hello Everyone:
I started this blog last week on another server and have had problems ever since, so I have now switched to google. The first few posts you see here - I am copying and pasting from that blog before I delete the account.
I started off my blog with this gret Middle Eastern recipe I came up with to complement on article being published next month in South Brooklyn Reader. Here you are getting the recipe, with my complements.
Please try it and let me know what you think. If you can’t find any of the ingredients, send me an email and I will help you:
Pistachio Chicken in Fruit Sauce with Green Wheat Pilaf
Serves 4
Chicken1 pound boneless and skinless chicken thighs
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup pistachios
¼ cup roasted chickpea flour
1 tablespoon Za’tar (Middle Eastern seasoning mix of thyme, sesame seeds, and other spices)
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Lebne
3 tablespoons honey
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
12 dates, coarsely chopped
10 natural dried apricots, coarsely chopped
Green Wheat2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
1 cup green wheat (aka frick)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
Rinse chicken with lemon juice and trim excess fat. For a leaner meal, you can also use chicken breasts.
Using a food processor, chop pistachios for about 2 minutes, until almost completely ground. Add chickpea flour and Za’atar and process until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Empty contents onto a plate.
In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil on high heat. Place each chicken piece in pistachio flour mix and coat evenly on both sides. Place in hot oil and sauté on each side until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Reduce the flame to low and slowly pour white wine vinegar into pan. It will boil immediately. Using a whisk, stir in Lebne, honey, ¼ cup water and pomegranate molasses until everything has dissolved into a sauce. Add dried fruits and put sautéed chicken pieces back into pan. Raise the flame to high again and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pan and reduce the flame to low. Simmer until chicken pieces are cooked thoroughly, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add green wheat and stir until wheat is coated with the oil. Add water and salt and bring to a boil.
Once it is boiling, cover and reduce the flame to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed by the wheat.
Toss in chopped parsley and serve with chicken.
