6 
THREE SEEDS
POPPY, NİGELLA, AND SESAME
The seeds in this chapter are a subtle group of flavorings, lending warm, nutty, and rich tones and texture to food. The seeds all have a high oil content, which is what makes them so rich, and toasting them draws out the oils that enhance their flavor. The seeds are great mixed or used separately in certain preparations. I love to make crackers and flatbreads mixing these three seeds, and sometimes I add smaller quantities of other seeds, such as fennel or cumin, to the mix.
Poppy seeds can be a little peppery; they combine well with sweet onions and enhance cheeses, fruits, and creamy dressings or sauces. Nigella seeds have a slight vegetal quality and are particularly good used simply on sliced radishes or cucumbers, in flavoring young cheeses, and on savory crackers. Sesame seeds are gorgeous with just about anything: on breads, sprinkled on cold vegetables like beets or spinach, in salads, with fish and duck, and mixed into tomato sauce. They also partner perfectly with honey. When sesame seeds are ground finely, they form a natural butter called tahini.
POPPY SEEDS
Poppy seeds come from pink, white, or purple opium-producing poppy flowers, not the famously blood-red decorative variety. Once the seeds have formed, the flower contains no narcotic. The seeds are white or blue, and they taste almost identical in flavor, although the blue, which are larger in size, are also slightly more assertive. While white poppy seeds are more common in the Middle East and India (they are a key flavor of Indian vindaloo curry, for example), the blue seeds are more common in Europe and the United States.
Native to southeastern Europe and western Asia and cultivated in many countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Holland, Turkey, and Canada, opium-producing poppies are grown on enormous plantations under strict supervision. The seeds are somewhat of a by-product of opium; poppy farmers take the green latex morphine capsules out of the plants before the seeds form and then leave the plants. Later, the farmers harvest the poppy seeds, treating them with heat or fumigation to stop further germination.
Poppy seeds give a toasty, nutty flavor to food—a flavor that intensifies if you lightly toast the seeds (see page 174). I love to sprinkle toasted poppy seeds over ricotta raviolis and salads, stir them into sautéed onions, and add them to crepe, pancake, waffle, and muffin batters. I also use them on pizzas and tarts (see Caramelized Onion Tart, page 182), and then top that with crème fraîche and bits of smoky bacon. I also sprinkle them on breadsticks or rolls before baking and mix them with pastry to make homemade crackers (Crick-Cracks, page 176).
Because of their high oil content, poppy seeds should be frozen for up to a year to keep them fresh. You can also store them in a cool, dry place, but they can become rancid easily and may not last as long as other spices.
Most supermarkets carry blue poppy seeds; you can find the white variety in many Indian or Middle Eastern markets or online at www.penzeys.com.
NİGELLA SEEDS
Grown mostly in Egypt, the Middle East, and India, nigella seeds come from a tall annual blue-or white-petalled flower that is a member of the buttercup family. The seeds—which decorate Turkish breads, crackers, and string cheese—are tiny and jet black and are often confused for black sesame seeds, but they are more teardrop-shaped and angular. People also incorrectly refer to nigella seeds as black cumin or black onion seeds.
Nigella seeds don’t have much aroma, but their flavor is pleasantly sharp, nutty, peppery, and slightly vegetal, like celery. As with poppy seeds, it’s best to toast them before using them in vinaigrettes and other dishes in which they won’t be baked (see page 174).
In India, nigella seeds are combined with mustard, fennel, fenugreek, and cumin seeds to make a five-seed blend called panch phora, used to flavor fried potatoes. Some recipes for dukkah (page 6) include nigella seeds. I also like to use nigella seeds to flavor goat cheese with dried mint (page 229) and vinaigrette for fish (page 190).
Nigella seeds are quite stable and can last in a cool, dark place for up to a year. You can find them in many Indian and Middle Eastern markets or online at www.kalustyans.com.
SESAME SEEDS
Sesame seeds come from a 3- to 6-foot annual plant with white, pink, or lilac flowers that grow all the way down the stem. The flowers are followed by capsules that contain the seeds. When fully ripe, the capsules shatter with the slightest touch. The famous phrase “open sesame” in the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves has its roots in this phenomenon.
Before they are hulled, sesame seeds are golden brown or black and have a chewier texture and a sharper, nuttier flavor than the hulled white seeds. Hulled seeds have a very high oil content that you can feel with your hands, and they give off a faintly nutty aroma. Most of the world’s sesame seeds are extracted for their oil, which is refined into sesame oil and tahini paste or a honey-sweet sesame butter called halvah.
When combined with chickpeas, sesame seeds make a complete protein, as in the Middle Eastern favorites falafel and hummus. Sesame seeds are a key ingredient in one of my favorite spice blends, called za’atar (page 230), and the Egyptian spice blend called dukkah (page 6). They’re delicious on salads, cooked spinach, fish or scallops, flatbreads, with slow-simmered tomatoes (see Tomato-Sesame Jam, page 192), and even in ice cream.
You can store sesame seeds in a cool, dry place; they are best kept in the freezer, though, because they have a very high oil content, like poppy seeds.
TOASTING SESAME SEEDS
It’s best to toast sesame seeds before sprinkling them over food. Sesame seeds take a little longer to toast than other spices, however. To toast them, heat a pan, just as you would for dry-roasting any spice, and shake the seeds around while heating them so they don’t stick and burn. When they begin to hop around and show signs of tanning, tip them out of the pan and let them cool.
TOASTING POPPY AND NIGELLA SEEDS
Poppy and nigella seeds can be toasted to revive them if you suspect they’re stale. See page 184, Reviving Spices and Seeds.
RECIPES WITH SEEDS
CRİCK-CRACKS: SAVORY TURKİSH-STYLE CRACKERS
SHOUSHAN’S HOMEMADE STRİNG CHEESE WİTH NİGELLA SEEDS
SPİNACH BUNDLES WİTH WARM GOAT CHEESE
CARAMELİZED ONİON TART WİTH POPPY SEEDS, BACON, AND DATES
SPİNACH FALAFEL WİTH TAHİNİ SAUCE AND PİCKLED PEARS
CREAMY PARSNİP HUMMUS WİTH PARSLEY
SWORDFİSH KEBOBS WİTH NİGELLA SEED VİNAİGRETTE
ROASTED CRİSPY DUCK WİTH TOMATO-SESAME JAM
ROASTED RED PEPPERS WİTH SESAME SEED VİNAİGRETTE
Crick-Cracks: Savory Turkish-Style Crackers
My friend Ayfer Unsal from Gaziantep, Turkey, introduced me to the savory treats she calls crick-cracks. Found in many different shapes—round rings, long and thin breadsticks, or flat—in bakeries throughout Turkey, they’re traditionally eaten with afternoon tea, but I like to serve them as a cracker for spreads (such as the Whipped Feta on page 149, Creamy Parsnip Hummus on page 188, and the Hot Buttered Hummus with Basturma and Tomato on page 200). Turkish crick-cracks are sprinkled only with nigella seeds, but Oleana’s pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick loads the restaurant’s crick-cracks with all three seeds discussed in this chapter.
MAKES 1 POUND OF CRACKERS TO SERVE UP TO 12 PEOPLE AS A SNACK 
1½ cups of flour plus ½ to ¾ cupsfor rolling out the dough
½ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1. In the mixing bowl fitted for a standing mixer (such as a KitchenAid), combine the 1½ cups of the flour, the cornmeal, sugar, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the butter.
2. Using the paddle attachment or an electric mixer, mix the ingredients on low speed until the butter breaks down into pea-sized pieces. Pour in the buttermilk and mix again until it is just combined. The dough will come together quickly and will be a little wet.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic, pressing it into a flat rectangle about an inch thick. Chill the dough for 3 hours or overnight.
4. Divide the dough into quarters. Lightly flour your rolling-out surface with about ¼ cup of flour. Roll out the first quarter into a rectangle, approximately 12×15 inches. Don’t worry about making the dough into the perfect size or shape; it’s most important that it rolls out to be 1/16 inch thick or as thin as you can make it.
5. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough over the rolling pin or fold it in half to pick it up and place it on the lined baking sheet. Place another sheet of paper on top of the rolled dough and roll out the remaining quarters of dough, layering them on the baking sheet, separated by parchment paper. This is an easy way to store the dough as it chills. Chill the rolled-out dough for at least an hour or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Place 1 sheet of dough onto each of 4 heavy baking sheets, leaving them on the parchment paper. Dock the dough by pricking little holes into it with a fork; this keeps the dough from bubbling too much when it bakes and creates a cracker pattern.
9. Using a ruler and a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into 3-inch squares, leaving odd pieces on the ends. It’s easier to leave those pieces to snack on after they’re baked rather than reroll the scraps and repeat the process. The dough will get tough if rerolled.
10. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nigella seeds, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
11. Using a pastry brush, moisten each sheet of cut crackers lightly with water and then sprinkle each evenly with the salted seed mixture.
12. Place the crackers in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325°F. Bake them for 8 minutes and rotate the pan. Continue baking the crackers for another 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. If your oven can only hold two pans at a time, keep the other two chilled while you are baking the first two.
13. Cool the crick-cracks completely before serving. Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Shoushan’s Homemade String Cheese with Nigella Seeds
Shoushan Stepanian is the sister of my good friend Vartan Nalbandian. She makes this string cheese for Oleana, and we serve it as a bread condiment alongside our Armenian Bean and Walnut Pâté (page 334) on the prêt-à-manger (ready to eat) menu. Shoushan’s cheese is sweet and nutty, and the nigella seeds give it a subtle celery flavor.
The texture is fantastic: softer and silkier than commercial varieties and not nearly as salty. String cheese sold in Middle Eastern and Armenian stores is usually brined and can be very salty. When I’ve tried soaking that cheese in cold water to remove excess salt, the texture becomes mushy. Other commercial brands, found in grocery stores, are rubbery from stabilizers and overprocessing.
String cheese is easy to make, but it takes some practice to get it just right. For your first time, you’ll want to order an extra pound of cheese to practice with. The practice batch may not look very appetizing, but it will taste delicious. You can also order a few pounds of cheese and make the string cheese in three batches. Kids love this recipe; they have so much fun stretching the cheese.
You need a good source for cheese curds. I get mine from www.todarobros-specialty-foods.com. You can buy it by the pound, and it usually arrives the next day. String cheese freezes very well, so you can make a big batch and keep it handy in the freezer.
MAKES 1 POUND OF STRİNG CHEESE OR 1 LARGE BRAİD
1 pound mozzarella curd
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1. Cut the mozzarella curd into small pieces and place them in a Teflon pan. Add the salt and nigella seeds.
2. Heat the cheese on low, stirring, until it is melted thoroughly and there are no lumps left.
3. Remove the cheese from the heat and drain off the excess water in a colander.
4. While the cheese is still very warm but cool enough to handle, pick it up in a large lump and poke a hole in the center with your fingers, so that the cheese resembles a large doughnut.
5. You will need to work very quickly at this point because the cheese cools down rapidly once it has been stretched. You’ll have about 3 minutes to stretch the cheese. Grab it with both hands and stretch it so that it forms a large loop. Stick your finger through each end of the loop, and very quickly start winding the two strands of the loop around each other, as if you were making a rope while winding. Keep stretching the cheese gently, almost to the breaking point. The more you stretch, the stringier the cheese will be. When finished, you should have a length of cheese that resembles a thick rope or a tightly wrung-out dish cloth.
6. Twist the ends of the cheese in opposite directions and intertwine the rope into a braid. Place one end through the loop of the other to lock it.
7. Set the cheese aside in the refrigerator or in a cool room for about an hour to dry thoroughly. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze it; it will keep for a week in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer.
8. To serve the cheese, open the braid, cut one loop, and pull the cheese apart into thin strands. Serve with pita bread.
Spinach Bundles with Warm Goat Cheese
At Oleana, we list this dish as spinach dolmas and serve it as one of three mezze on a single plate, alongside Cranberry Beans Stewed with Tomato and Cinnamon (page 113) and Beet Tzatziki (page 252). I was originally inspired to create this dish because I wanted to offer three different mezze from the regions of Greece, Turkey, and Armenia, and showcase them harmoniously on one plate. These creamy, warm bundles are slightly nutty from the nigella seed, and the assertive, earthy mint complements the subtle cheese and is also perfect with the spinach. You can also substitute chard leaves for the spinach.
In this recipe, good goat cheese—creamy and delicate with some acidity, and that softens as it warms—is crucial. I like to use Laura Chenel from California or Westfield Farms Capri from Massachusetts, available at specialty shops. Both of these small companies raise goats specifically for making delicious goat cheese; they allow their goats to graze and eat what they would naturally. Neither farm uses gums or stabilizers like some commercial varieties.
As an appetizer course, this dish pairs wonderfully with a sauvignon blanc from Sancerre.
MAKES 6 LARGE BUNDLES USİNG 2-OUNCE RAMEKİNS OR 12 SMALL BUNDLES USİNG 1-OUNCE RAMEKİNS
Salt to taste
Ice cubes
20 large, flat spinach leaves, washed (you will have extra for patching)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
15 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon dried mint
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
Pepper to taste
1. Bring a small pan of water to a boil on high heat. Add salt.
2. Prepare a bowl with ice cubes and cold water for shocking and cooling the spinach down quickly.
3. Add the spinach leaves to the boiling water and cook them until they wilt and are soft; this takes less than 1 minute.
4. Drain the spinach into a small colander and then tip the leaves into the ice water, enhancing their green color. Let the spinach sit in the ice water for a couple of minutes, stirring to melt the ice.
5. Drain the spinach leaves in the colander again and squeeze them into a little ball. Pull the leaves apart and place them on a paper towel to drain more.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Brush the olive oil onto the insides of six 2-ounce ramekins.
8. Line each ramekin with two spinach leaves (smoothest side down), so that they completely line the ramekin and hang over the sides. Use a third leaf if two don’t do the job. Place the ramekins on a small baking sheet.
9. In a small mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, mint, and nigella seeds and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Fill each ramekin with 3 generous tablespoons of goat cheese and fold the spinach leaves over the cheese to make little bundles. Press down to pack them into shape.
11. Bake the bundles until the cheese is soft and melted, about 12 minutes.
12. Invert the ramekins onto plates and serve warm with cranberry bean salad, tzatziki, and/or Crick-Cracks (page 176) and a glass of ouzo or raki to slightly wet the lips between bites.
Caramelized Onion Tart with Poppy Seeds, Bacon, and Dates
This is a fun tart to serve as an appetizer or little hors d’oeuvres. The recipe has both Alsatian and Turkish origins; it’s inspired by the famous Flammekuchen, an Alsatian pizza made with crème fraîche, smoked bacon, and onion. For Turkish flair, I use savory Crick-Crack dough (page 176) and add some poppy seeds to the onion mixture, finally sweetening and souring the flavors by adding date slivers to the bacon topping. The texture and nutty, earthy flavor of the poppy seeds make this tart one of my all-time favorites.
This dish pairs very well with an Alsatian pinot blanc. If you can find it, try Alsatian pinot auxerrois, a rich, ripe, spicy relative of pinot blanc that goes perfectly with the bacon and dates.
MAKES 6 TARTS TO SERVE 6
6 regular slices smoked bacon or 3 thick-cut slices
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 to 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped
½ recipe Crick-Crack dough (page 176)
Flour for dusting
8 tablespoons (½ cup) crème fraîche
3 dates, split in half and pits removed
1. In a large 12-inch skillet, render the bacon over medium-low heat until crispy, cooking for about 5 minutes on each side. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof container to discard later, after it cools completely.
2. Wipe the skillet, leaving some bacon fat behind.
3. Heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown.
4. Add the onions, and increase the heat to high. Cook, shaking the pan from time to time, for about 7 minutes, until the onions become limp and translucent.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the onions while stirring, for about 15 minutes, until they are soft and are just beginning to brown. Stir in the wine and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the poppy seeds, crème fraîche, and thyme and set aside to cool.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Roll out the Crick-Crack dough, dusting with plenty of flour on both sides.
8. Keep rolling and dusting with just enough flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the board or the pin, until the dough is ¼ to 1/8 inch thick.
9. Using a small glass bowl or round cutter with a 4- to 5-inch diameter, cut out 6 rounds. Reserve the scraps to make Crick-Cracks.
10. Top each round of pastry with 2 tablespoons of the onion mixture, leaving 1 inch around the edge of pastry.
11. Cut each bacon strip into 4 pieces and tuck 4 pieces of bacon into each pile of onions. If you’re using thick-cut bacon, you can cut it into smaller pieces and divide them equally among the tarts.
12. Cut each date half in two and tuck 2 pieces (a half date total) into each pile of onion.
13. Fold the edges of pastry up over the onions, in a free-form overlapping fashion. Each tart should be open in the center and 1/3 covered with the overlapping dough.
14. Place the tarts on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with a nice glass of dry Alsatian Riesling as an hors d’oeuvre or with a green salad as an appetizer.
REVIVING SPICES AND SEEDS
If your spices have lost their oomph or you think your seeds might be stale, slowly and gently toast them on a low flame in a sauté pan for 3 to 4 minutes or until you can smell them and/or they begin to look oily. Shake or stir them constantly over the low flame; do not walk away from the pan. And remember that if you are toasting a spice powder such as curry or turmeric, it only takes a minute.
Toasting draws out the natural oils of seeds and spices and will perk them up considerably, but this technique doesn’t work for dried herbs.
Spinach Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Pickled Pears
I created this nontraditional falafel—a very popular menu item at Oleana—as a light twist on traditional falafel, which I often find to be too heavy, especially as a side dish or mezze. When I was in the Turkish town of Gaziantep, I tasted ultralight and creamy hummus made with chickpea flour, and I was thus inspired to create a lighter, creamier, airier version of falafel, with all the typical falafel flavors. I like vegetables in my falafel—common in both Egyptian and Palestinian variations—so I load mine up with fresh, chopped spinach.
Serve this falafel on a rectangle of lavash bread with pickled pear, tahini sauce, and salad greens. Roll it up and eat as a sandwich for lunch.
At Oleana, we vary our pickles, depending on the season. In the summer, we use green tomato pickles. In the fall, we use turnip or pear pickles (see Nookie’s Pickles, page 280).
The falafel batter will hold up to 3 days and freezes well. You can freeze the falafel in balls and fry them straight out of the freezer.
Falafel pairs wonderfully with a glass of pinot noir. Falaghina, an aromatic, rich white wine from Italy with piney and briny flavors, is also delicious with this dish.
MAKES 16 TO SERVE 4 TO 6
½ small onion, peeled and finely chopped (½ TO ¾ CUP)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Ice cubes
¾ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 pound spinach leaves
1 cup milk
1/3 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
¾ cup chickpea flour (available at most Indian or Middle Eastern markets)
¼ cup cooked (see page 111) or canned chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 to 6 cups canola oil for frying
¼ cup flour for dredging
2 rectangles lavash bread, cut into halves
½ cup tahini sauce (page 187)
Salad greens for garnish
½ recipe pickled pears or green tomatoes (see Nookie’s Pickles, page 280)
1. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the cumin and allspice. Cook, stirring from time to time, for about 6 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Reduce the heat to medium if the onions cook too quickly; they should not brown. Remove the onions from the heat and set aside.
2. Prepare a medium bowl of ice water.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Drop the spinach in and cook for 1 minute, until it becomes limp and dark green. Drain and drop the spinach in the ice water. Let the spinach sit in the ice water for a couple of minutes or until completely chilled.
4. Remove the spinach from the ice water, little by little, squeezing it dry in small amounts. Squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves (squeeze hard between the palms of your hands). You should have about 2 cups of blanched spinach.
5. Chop the spinach into small pieces and set aside.
6. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil (when it rises up in the pan) on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in ¾ teaspoon of the salt and 1/3 teaspoon of the pepper. Taste the milk to make sure that it is seasoned well and add more salt and pepper to taste.
7. Slowly whisk in the chickpea flour, little by little, until it is so thick that you can’t whisk it anymore. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and keep stirring for another minute, until it is incorporated. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to get your face too close to the pan because it can bubble and spit, like polenta. When done, the edges should pull away from the sides of the pan and the mixture should be very thick.
8. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, onion mixture, chickpea mixture, and chopped spinach. Stir until the ingredients are incorporated into the chickpea mixture, which is the binder for all the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Scrape the mixture onto a baking sheet or shallow roasting dish and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
10. Form the falafel into 15 to 16 balls, about 1½ in diameter.
11. Place the canola oil in a large, heavy saucepan or in a countertop fryer and heat to 350°F (use a thermometer if you don’t have a countertop fryer).
12. Dredge each falafel ball in flour and carefully drop them, one by one, into the hot oil. Cook for about 4 minutes, until golden brown and hot inside. Remove the falafel from the oil and drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle the falafel lightly with salt.
13. Line a platter with the lavash bread and top them with the hot falafel. Spoon a couple of teaspoons of tahini sauce over the top of each falafel and garnish with just a few salad greens and enough pickled pear slices for everyone to have 1 or 2 with each falafel. Serve immediately, passing around extra tahini sauce and pickled pears.
TAHINI SAUCE
I prefer the dark-roasted variety of tahini from Tohum, available at www.tohum.com.
MAKES ½ CUP 
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon chopped garlic (about 1 clove)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
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.
Creamy Parsnip Hummus with Parsley
Hummus versions abound, but most—except for some Turkish recipes—are made with chickpeas and tahini. Hummus means “chickpea” in Arabic, and it is taken very seriously in the Middle East, where people debate questions such as whether the chickpeas should be peeled before puréeing or whether chilling the tahini ruins its texture.
Sometimes I like to leave out the chickpeas and experiment with ingredients such as white beans, avocados (page 17), pumpkins, squash, and parsnips. This, of course, breaks the rules since technically hummus is not hummus without chickpeas. Oleana’s customers, though, understand why I call this recipe hummus when they taste it. I purée parsnips in place of the chickpeas, but I flavor the dish with the traditional garlic, lemon, cumin, and tahini. The parsnip’s texture is perfect for hummus: it is smooth and creamy, just like chickpeas, but has twice as much flavor.
In New England, parsnips are the first spring crop, even before spinach, nettles, or fiddleheads. Farmers like to harvest parsnips after they’ve “wintered over” because the freezing ground makes the sugars more intense. The sweetness of the parsnips paired with the bitter, nutty tahini and earthy cumin is just divine.
If I’m serving this dish to a group as a mezze, I mound the creamy parsnips onto a platter and make a well in the center, which I fill with tahini sauce, and then serve it with Crick-Cracks (page 176) or pita bread. This dish is also a wonderful accompaniment to the Beef Shish Kebobs with Sumac Onions and Parsley Butter on page 98; my guests pass the tahini sauce around the table like gravy at Thanksgiving.
I happen to like the dramatic visual contrast of the white parsnip purée holding the dark tahini sauce, but if this presentation seems too fussy to you, you can combine the tahini with the parsnips before serving.
If you serve parsnip hummus as an hors d’oeuvre, try pairing it with a Falanghina from Italy; the flavors in the wine have just enough bitterness to set off the tahini and sweet parsnip.
MAKES 4 CUPS TO SERVE 8 AS AN APPETİZER OR 4 AS PART OF A MEAL
1 pound parsnips (about 6 medium or 4 large), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
½ recipe tahini sauce (page 187)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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. Purée 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 purée with salt and pepper. Spoon the purée 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 purée, big enough to hold about ½ cup. Spoon the tahini sauce into the center of the well. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Swordfish Kebobs with Nigella Seed Vinaigrette
I was inspired to create this recipe by traditional Circassian rice dishes and salads, which contain cilantro and coconut—unique in Turkish cooking. I was also inspired by the Black Sea region of Turkey, where marinated fish chunks are wrapped in grape leaves and then skewered and grilled.
In late summer, when swordfish is in season, these kebobs are wonderful served following Sliced Summer Tomatoes with Basil and Walnut Tabouleh (page 258) and accompanied with Rice Cakes (page 65) served with Seared Sea Scallops (page 62). To give the coconut vinaigrette a smoky flavor, I lightly oil the celery and grill it before chopping it and adding it to the vinaigrette.
It’s preferable to use fresh grape leaves for this recipe, but jarred leaves are okay. You can find grape leaves at any Greek or Middle Eastern market or online at www.kalustyans.com.
This dish pairs nicely with a dry chenin blanc from Savennieres, a complex and full-bodied white wine with ever-changing flavors: herbaceous, mineral, floral, and citrus. You’ll never tire of what this wine has to offer.
SERVES 4
Four 6- to 8-inch skewers
2 pounds swordfish, boned and skinned
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
12 grape leaves
2 ribs celery
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
Pepper to taste
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
1. If you don’t have metal skewers, soak bamboo skewers in warm water for 1 hour.
2. Slice the swordfish into 4 equal steaks, about ½-inch thick. Using a boning knife, trim off any blood line that may be left on the steaks (a dark red-brown color that the fishmonger may or may not remove). Cut each steak into three 1-inch-square nuggets.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, big enough to hold the swordfish pieces, combine 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the oregano and 1 teaspoon of the salt and whisk until combined.
4. Add the swordfish and toss with your hands until the nuggets are well coated with the marinade.
5. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and drop in the grape leaves, one by one. Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer the leaves for a minute to remove excess brine or soften them if they are fresh. Drain and cool.
6. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill (see Grilling Tips, page 100).
7. Trim the stems off the grape leaves by pinching them with your fingers or cutting them off with a small paring knife.
8. Place each grape leaf down on a cutting board with the ribbed side facing up and the smoothest side down. Place a nugget of swordfish on the bottom end or stem end of the grape leaf, ½ inch from the bottom of the leaf. Fold the sides over the swordfish and roll the swordfish up like a cigar, from the bottom toward the top.
9. When all the swordfish nuggets are wrapped, assemble them on the skewers by piercing through the sides of each bundle, spearing 3 wrapped chunks to a skewer. Leave about ¼ inch between each swordfish nugget so that the sides can cook thoroughly.
10. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the first layer of tough strings off of the outer side of each celery rib. Chop the celery into small pieces and set aside.
11. In a blender, make the vinaigrette by combining the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the sugar, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the coconut milk, and celery, blending until the mixture is smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon.
12. Scrape the vinaigrette into a small mixing bowl and stir in the nigella seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
13. Pour the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil onto a large plate or platter big enough to hold the swordfish skewers. Roll the 4 skewers around in the oil so that the wrapped swordfish nuggets are lightly coated.
14. Grill the skewers for 5 minutes on each side over a medium-high flame.
15. Place the wrapped swordfish on a clean platter, lined with extra grape leaves if you like. Spoon a tablespoon of vinaigrette over each skewer and sprinkle the coconut over each and serve. Pass around extra vinaigrette.
Roasted Crispy Duck with Tomato-Sesame Jam
The smell of a roasting duck drives me wild with anticipation, but I often find the consistency of roasted duck to be too rich. When I created this recipe, I was playing with condiments that would cut through the duck’s richness. The North African spice tones, acidity of the tomato, spiciness of the ginger, and sweetness of the honey in this tomato-sesame jam do just that.
Duck is as easy to make as roasted chicken. I prefer Muscovy duck because the breast meat is larger than that of a Peking duck; when you roast the Muscovy duck whole, the breasts and legs cook in equal time. You can find Muscovy ducks at specialty meat or butcher shops or online at www.grimaud.com.
The tomato-sesame jam, inspired by the flavors of North Africa, is an excellent condiment for any roasted meat, including pork and rich fish, such as salmon. The idea is to cook the tomatoes as slowly as possible in olive oil over low heat so that they melt and become sticky, like jam or stewed fruit. The saffron, freshly grated ginger, and loads of sesame seeds add color, brightness, and texture. I serve this duck with Rice Cakes (page 65) and sautéed green beans, perfectly rounding out the meal.
Drink an Oregon pinot noir with this dish.
MAKES 1 DUCK TO SERVE 4, OR 2 WİTH SOME LEFTOVERS
1 whole Muscovy duck (about 4 pounds)
4 teaspoons salt
Black pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 pinch saffron (about 8 threads)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ¼ lemon)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Rinse the duck under cold water and pat very dry with paper towels.
3. Place the duck on a cutting surface with the breast side up and split it in half between the two breasts. Open the duck up, prying it open with your hands. Lay the duck flat with the rib side down, so that the skin side is facing up. Press on the duck legs with the palms of your hands so that you crack the bones a little, causing the duck to lay flat. Do the same with the breasts, making the duck as flat as possible. Trim off the tail part (it contains glands that are very bitter) and discard.
4. Trim the excess fat from the neck and discard it or reserve it for something else. Discard the liver, kidney, and neck meat or reserve it for something else.
5. Season the duck with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the black pepper. Turn the duck over and season the other side with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and more black pepper.
6. Place the duck skin side up into a very large roasting pan or heavy baking sheet with sides (the duck fat and juices will drip while roasting, so you need a pan that can catch the juices). The duck will be laying flat.
7. Tuck the lemon slices under the ribs in the empty cavity. It’s okay if they rest between the duck and the roasting pan.
8. Rub the skin side of the duck with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and place it in the oven to roast. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and roast the duck for 45 to 55 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the juices run clear from the leg when pierced. Remove the duck from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving and serving.
9. While the duck is roasting, make the jam. Simmer the tomatoes in a large sauté pan over low heat, adding the remaining ½ cup of olive oil, saffron, and salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft. Stir in the honey, lemon juice, ginger, and sesame seeds.
10. To carve the duck, remove the legs from the carcass and cut each leg into two between the joints of the thigh and bottom leg piece. Remove the breast meat from the carcass using your hands and a knife to pull the meat away from the bones. Trim off the wings. Slice each breast into 4 equal pieces. Discard or reserve the roasted bones for stock.
11. Skim off the fat that rises to the top of the roasting pan; you may have as much as 1 inch to remove. Place the roasting pan with the lemons over a medium flame and add ½ to 1 cup of water. Using a spoon, scrape the bits of stuck sugars from the bottom of the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer for just a minute.
12. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and pour it back into the roasting pan. If the duck needs to be warmed before serving, you can place it in this glazy juice with the skin side up, so that the duck skin doesn’t simmer in the sauce and get soggy. Heat the duck for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
13. Serve each guest 2 slices of breast meat and a half of a leg and pass around the bowl of tomato-sesame jam.
Roasted Red Peppers with Sesame Seed Vinaigrette
This recipe makes a delicious mezze served alongside Fried Haloumi Cheese with Pears and Spiced Dates (page 10) and a dry sherry such as Fino, or sparkling wine like the Paopao Cocktail (page 36).
The peppers are also great chopped into small pieces to make a relish for grilled fish; try mixing in some peeled and chopped grilled peaches in the late summer when peaches are at their best.
I recommend buying white sesame seeds and toasting them yourself for a richer flavor (see page 174).
SERVES 4
4 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled (see page 97)
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic (about ½ clove)
1. Cut each pepper into quarters, removing as many seeds as possible and scraping away any rib on the underside of each piece.
2. Place the peppers in a small glass mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir to coat the peppers with the sesame seeds, vinegar, garlic, oil, and dill. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1½ hours) and serve.