9 
FRESH HERB COMBINATIONS
PARSLEY, MİNT, DİLL, AND SWEET BASİL
Every summer, I work with an herb farmer named David Gilson, from the Herb Lyceum in Groton, Massachusetts, who grows beautiful fresh herbs. After much deliberation, I choose what I want to grow for the season, and David starts the herb seedlings in his greenhouse. Once the weather allows, we transplant David’s herbs into Oleana’s garden patio—an area behind the restaurant where we offer outdoor dining from May through October. We gather the herbs out of our garden and use them fresh in our dishes throughout the summer season, and Oleana’s customers enjoy the delicate, romantic herbal breezes that waft through the patio. The romance in fresh herbs is related to their perfume, fragrance, and calming effect. For good reason, summer is our favorite time of the year.
You can use fresh herbs, much like spices, to create exciting and bright layers of flavor in your dishes. The fresh herb combinations in this chapter work particularly well together: they complement one another but each herb retains its individual flavor and doesn’t get lost in the mix.
The herbs in this chapter all have a high water content, which makes them bruise easily: they turn black if overchopped or prepared with a dull knife. Parsley and dill are more forgiving and can be finely chopped, but basil and mint need extra care. You don’t need to worry about bruising if you’re making pesto—fresh herbs ground with nuts and oil—but when cutting mint or basil, it’s best to use the French technique called chiffonade. Translated from the French, chiffonade means “made of rags,” and in culinary terms, it refers to finely cut strips or ribbons of leafy herbs or vegetables. To chiffonade your herbs, stack about 6 leaves together, roll them snugly, and then slice them as thin as you can using a very sharp knife. Parsley and dill are trickier to chiffonade because the leaves are smaller. I usually gather a small handful and scrunch the leaves up, holding them with one hand with loosely curled fingers and slicing them little by little.
PARSLEY
Parsley is the most commonly used herb in cooking because it complements most flavors, adding a bright, clean, green, and almost citrusy taste to food, yet never dominating it. Interestingly, the ancient Greeks never cooked with parsley because it was considered to be a symbol of death; they used it as a funeral herb and fed it to horses. It wasn’t used as part of a meal until the Romans discovered that parsley cleaned their breath after feasts of wine and rich food.
There are two types of widely available parsley: flat and curly. Flat, or Italian, parsley looks a bit like celery tops and has a brighter and stronger flavor than curly parsley. Flat parsley has a fuller flavor and gives you more bang for the buck.
Parsley is full of lovely chlorophyll, making it great to add to blended soups or oils to create a bright green color. I like to whip parsley up in the blender with olive oil to make a vivid green oil to drizzle over pasta and soup. It will keep for up to a week if you add a tablet of vitamin C during the blending process. If you want to make a smooth pea soup greener, add a handful of parsley while puréeing.
As the Romans discovered, parsley diminishes breath odor from strong foods like garlic. Garlic and parsley are the perfect complements and work wonderfully in combination on breads, in salads, and with meat dishes. Of course, the famous French snail dish, escargot, would not be the same without this combination added to melted butter.
Parsley lends itself to most soup and sauce bases because it brightens but doesn’t dominate other flavors. Combined with mint, parsley is the key ingredient in the Middle Eastern tomato salad called tabouleh.
MİNT
This fresh-tasting herb comes in many varieties, each with different flavor tones, including pineapple, apple, lemon, basil, licorice, and ginger. For cooking, I prefer to use plain spearmint, and I always choose leaves that are smooth and narrow rather than crinkly or fuzzy. Peppermint is not used much for cooking but lends its flavor to candies and chewing gums.
In Greek myth, the beautiful nymph Minthes was transformed into a plant by jealous Proserpina, wife of Pluto. Pluto could not undo the spell, but he was able to give the homely plant its delightful fragrance. Ancient Romans used mint to freshen their rooms.
Mint grows wild all over the world, but especially in the warm, dry climates around the Mediterranean. Italians mix mint with garlic and toss them together with roasted baby potatoes. In Arabic cooking, mint is often used to flavor lamb, eggplant, cucumber, and stuffed grape leaves. Turks use fresh mint combined with parsley and dill—a staple Oleana herb blend—in chopped vegetable or bean salads.
Mint pairs particularly well with lamb: the famous green jelly that is traditionally served with roast leg of lamb is a classic.
DİLL
The fronds of dill look similar to fennel, but dill is a much stronger herb and has a parsleylike aroma and a hint of anise.
When used modestly, dill is refreshing and can be paired with all sorts of foods—white cheeses, yogurt, white sauces, chicken, fish, eggs, salads, and many vegetable preparations. Dill is classically combined with smoked salmon and capers, and it’s perfect with yogurt and cucumber sauces. My favorite herbs to combine with dill are parsley and mint, but dill mixed with a little cilantro or fresh coriander is equally addictive.
Dill is native to the Mediterranean and southern Russia. The Romans regarded dill as a symbol of vitality and used it to decorate the food given to gladiators. Medieval cooks believed it had magical properties of warding off evil and enhancing aphrodisiacs. The word dill is believed to have come from the old Norse word “dilla,” which means to soothe or lull; the herb was thought to be a digestive with calming effects, and dill tea made from the dried, flowering stems of the herb was given to crying babies. Today, dill is used in many countries, but it’s most popular in Scandinavian, Russian, Greek, and Turkish cuisines.
When buying fresh dill, look for bright bunches that don’t show any signs of wilting.
SWEET BASİL
To me, the flavor of basil is summer. It’s a natural with almost any vegetable, but there’s just nothing like the mouthwatering combination of fresh basil and tomatoes, right out of the garden in late August.
Basil thrives in warm climates, and there are many varieties, including purple, cinnamon, black opal, Thai, and holy basil. Sweet basil, with its refreshing clove and anise tones, is the most popular for culinary use. Basil’s taste is more subtle than its aroma, which is slightly peppery and minty, so you can use it in large quantities.
Basil is considered a sacred herb in India, and it’s been used widely for millennia in Iran, Africa, Egypt, Greece, and Italy. Roman scholars considered basil to be an aphrodisiac; it was given to horses during mating season, and when a lady left a pot of it in a window, it was a signal that her lover was welcome. In Romania, a young man was considered engaged if he accepted a sprig of basil from a young lady.
Basil is now a staple in most Italian cuisines, especially in Liguria, where the precious Genovese basil—as well as pesto—originates. Just past the western outskirts of Genoa, the unique microclimate and the ideal soil favors the growth of this variety of basil, which is especially balanced in terms of taste and aroma. Genovese basil seeds are available through many seed catalogs, including Johnny’s Seeds (see Resources, page 358).
I store my fresh basil, roots on, in a glass, with water just covering the roots. If the water touches the leaves, they’ll rot quickly. Basil kept like this will last in room temperature for up to a week or more, and it makes your kitchen smell like summer. When basil is refrigerated, it suffers and wilts almost instantly. After all, basil loves heat.
RECIPES WITH FRESH PARSLEY, MINT, DILL, AND SWEET BASIL
GRİLLED PEACH AND PEPPER SALAD
CHOPPED ROMAİNE AND CUCUMBER SALAD WİTH YOGURT DRESSİNG
SLİCED SUMMER TOMATOES WİTH BASİL AND WALNUT TABOULEH
JERUSALEM-STYLE CARROT SALAD WİTH HOT GOAT CHEESE CROTTİN
FATOUSH: CHOPPED VEGETABLE SALAD WİTH CRİSPY PİTA, YOGURT, AND TAHİNİ
TROUT SPANAKOPİTTA WİTH AVOCADO AND SALMON ROE
Beet Tzatziki
This beet dish is my twist on classic Greek tzatziki, which is traditionally made with cucumbers and is part of every Greek mezze table. The texture of shredded roasted beets is just wonderful with garlic and yogurt.
There are three widely available beet varieties: red, golden, and candy-striped. Red beets work in this recipe, but they’re intense, and I prefer to use a subtler beet. Red beets are vivid red and bleed their color easily, which makes for stained hands during peeling. They also have a strong, earthy flavor and tend to scare beet haters away. Golden beets have a sweet, subtle, honeylike flavor that turns beet haters into beet lovers. My favorite variety the are candy-striped beets, called chioggia in Italian, with beautiful pink and white rings that swirl throughout.
I like to roast rather than boil my beets because roasting intensifies the sugars and makes for a more richly flavored dish. Boiling beets takes about half as much time as roasting, however, and it’s fine to cook them that way if you’re pressed for time. I’ve listed directions for both methods below.
If you want to make traditional tzatziki, use shredded cucumber instead of beets, and drain the water out by squeezing small amounts between the palms of your hands before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
The choice of yogurt is crucial in this recipe; it’s best to use Greek-style yogurt, which is thicker and creamier than American brands. See page 331 for yogurt tips.
This beet tzatziki is wonderful served with Spinach Falafel (page 185) or grilled meats. It’s great as one of many mezze or antipasti as a salad or vegetable course, served with Cranberry Beans Stewed with Tomato and Cinnamon (page 113) and Spinach Bundles with Warm Goat Cheese (page 180). It makes the perfect accompaniment for a light summer lunch with grilled salmon. And served with vegetable crudités and pita bread, it also works as an intriguing hors d’oeuvre.
MAKES 2½ CUPS 
For the Beets
1 cup cooked, shredded candy-striped, golden, or red beets (about 4–5 golf ball-size beets)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Tzatziki
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (about 1 clove)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ¼ lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups whole-milk plain or sheep’s-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
To Make Roasted Beets
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Wash the beets.
3. Trim the root ends off of the beets so that they stand without rolling around.
4. Rub the beets with a little vegetable oil and place them in a small, heavy roasting pan or skillet. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste, pour in ½ cup water, and cover them twice with foil. Four golf ball–size beets should take 45 minutes to roast. They should be tender when poked with a fork.
5. When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
6. Grate the beets using the large holes of a box grater.
To Make Boiled Beets
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. You should be able to fit 4 beets, covered with water, into the pan easily.
2. Wash the beets.
3. Trim the root ends off of the beets so that they stand without rolling around.
4. Drop the beets into the boiling water and turn the heat down to medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. Drain them into a colander.
5. When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
6. Grate the beets using the large holes of a box grater.
To Make the Tzatziki
1. Place the garlic into a medium mixing bowl with the lemon juice and salt. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. This takes some of the heat out of the raw garlic.
2. Stir in the yogurt, olive oil, and black pepper.
3. Fold in the shredded beets and dill, and reseason with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Serve the beets cold or at room temperature.
Grilled Peach and Pepper Salad
This recipe is a favorite in late summer, when peaches are best. I first tasted this combination in a small taverna outside Athens, where they served slices of roasted red pepper and grilled peaches spiced with cumin seed. I like to use fresh herbs to heighten the smoky flavors and bring out the brightness of the pepper and sweet peach.
It’s perfect paired with Fried Haloumi Cheese (page 10) and is also wonderful with grilled swordfish. You also can serve this as a mezze or antipasti course with the Cranberry Beans on page 113 and/or with crumbled feta or blue cheese.
A glass of chilled Arneis, a white wine from the Piedmonte region which sometimes has a little fizz, is delicious with this salad. Arneis in the Piedmonte dialect means “a difficult and demanding person”—an appropriate name for a grape which is difficult to properly vinify. Arneis usually has a slight licorice flavor with an aroma of apple and pear.
SERVES 4 AS A MEZZE OR ANTİPASTİ COURSE
2 ripe peaches, unpeeled
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/8 lemon)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded (see page 97)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
¼ to ½ teaspoon Aleppo chilies
1. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Cut each half into halves again, and then each quarter into 4, making 16 pieces total. Toss the peaches with ½ teaspoon of the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and set aside.
2. Cut each pepper in the same fashion as the peaches, making 16 pepper strips. Scrape off any remaining seeds or black skin with the back of a knife. Do not wash the peppers or you will wash away their natural oils and much of their flavor.
3. Place the pepper strips in a small mixing bowl and toss them with the remaining ½ teaspoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat, until hot. Sear the peach slices on one side until they begin to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the slices over and brown the other side. Remove them from the pan immediately and place them back into the mixing bowl. If the skins bother you, you can remove them at this point. They should come off easily and leave a beautiful pink stain on the peach pieces.
5. Toss the peaches carefully, without breaking them up too much, with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the herbs, pepper slices, and Aleppo chilies.
6. Serve at room temperature arranged on a platter or in a glass serving bowl.
Variation
You can grill the peaches in halves on a charcoal grill (see Grilling Tips, page 100) for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the skins when the peaches are cool enough to handle and slice each half into quarters, giving you 8 pieces.
Chopped Romaine and Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing
This crunchy, flavor-packed salad is inspired by the finely shredded romaine salads I ate in Greece, and is one of the most requested recipes at Oleana. The magic comes from the combination of the fresh parsley, dill, and mint. It’s worth every bit of labor and love that goes into it.
This salad is richer than a simple green salad, so portions can be modest. Serve it with Deviled Eggs with Tuna and Black Olives (page 203) for a terrific light lunch and drink a Soave from Northern Italy.
SERVES 4
For the Salad
1 large head of romaine, blemished outer leaves removed
1 English cucumber
¾ cup walnut halves, lightly toasted (See page 91)
1 cup roughly chopped arugula (about 1 small bunch), washed and dried well
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon Aleppo chilies
For the Yogurt Dressing
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 1 large clove)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 tablespoon champagne or chardonnay vinegar (avoid acidic brands like Heinz)
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ cup Greek-style, whole-milk plain, or sheep’s-milk yogurt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To Make the Salad
1. Wash the romaine leaves. Be careful to dry the greens thoroughly, or the dressing won’t cling. Chop the romaine into ¼-inch shreds and place them in a large salad bowl.
2. Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Spoon out the seeds. Cut each half in half widthwise, making four long pieces, and grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands.
3. Add the cucumber to the romaine. Add the walnuts, arugula, and herbs, and set aside or keep cold until you’re ready to toss and serve.
To Make the Dressing
1. Make the dressing by combining the garlic with the lemon, vinegar, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let this mixture sit for at least 10 minutes to soften the sharpness of the raw garlic.
2. Finish the dressing by whisking in the yogurt and then the olive oil, little by little. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Just before serving, add half the dressing to the salad, season with salt and black pepper, and toss. Romaine is thick and crunchy and needs more dressing than a delicate lettuce. Taste the salad, and if the dressing’s too light, spoon on more. Sprinkle with Aleppo chilies and serve immediately.
Mincing Garlic Very Finely without a Press
Peel the garlic and cut the clove in half lengthwise. Remove any sprout or germ because it’s not digestible and can be a little bitter. Place the flat side of the garlic down on a cutting board and mince it, using the back of a chef’s knife (the exact opposite side from the blade side)—smashing and chopping and crushing all at the same time. Then go back over the garlic with the sharp side of the knife to make an even finer mince.
Sliced Summer Tomatoes with Basil and Walnut Tabouleh
Tabouleh is an herb and bulgur salad popular in many eastern Mediterranean countries. I like to use fine bulgur instead of coarse because I find that fine bulgur absorbs more flavor and is softer and less chewy. Most Arabic tabouleh is made with lots of mint and parsley and a little bulgur to bind the herbs. My version showcases the bounty of a late-summer harvest: it bursts with the flavors of basil, tomatoes, and peppers fresh from the garden.
This healthful dish is perfect for a light lunch on its own or as a salad before a main course with dinner.
It’s lovely served with a glass of Ligurian Vermintino. This wine is zesty and light and has a slightly savory quality. Pesto is a specialty of Liguria, and so it appropriately works well with these flavors.
SERVES 6
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
¼ cup finely minced red onion (about ½ small onion)
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
Pinch of salt plus more to taste
½ cup fine bulgur
2 bunches fresh sweet basil, preferably Genovese variety, leaves only, washed, (about 38 to 40 leaves)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts plus a few pieces for garnish (see page 91)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper to taste
2 large or 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (see page 269) or another good vine-ripened tomato, such as beefsteak
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice with the onion, garlic, and pinch of salt. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until the rawness of the onion softens and it turns pink.
2. Stir in the bulgur, adding 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let this stand for 10 minutes, until the bulgur swells and it is tender, not crunchy.
3. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, chop the basil leaves with the parsley, 1 cup walnuts, and the olive oil until the mixture is a bright green paste. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in the bulgur mixture until well combined. Let this sit for 5 minutes to give the bulgur a chance to bind and absorb the flavors.
5. Just before serving, use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the tomatoes across the top into 16 round slices, about ½ inch thick. Capture any juices that run off the tomatoes to stir into the tabouleh.
6. Arrange the tabouleh in an even layer on the bottom of a large serving platter, spreading it thin and even with a knife or spatula. Top the tabouleh with the tomato slices in an even layer, slightly overlapped. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper and top them with a few crushed walnut pieces. Serve immediately at room temperature.
Jerusalem-Style Carrot Salad with Hot Goat Cheese Crottin
I was inspired to create this dish at the Casablanca restaurant in Cambridge by the many Jewish recipes that combine carrots and pine nuts. It’s also a variation on a salad I made in cooking school in France, showing off the contrast between bright herbs, sweet carrots, and bold garlic. In France, I didn’t include pine nuts, but I like to add them to give this salad a Middle Eastern flair.
This salad is great any time of the year, but make sure you can find good-tasting carrots. They should be crisp and sweet and bright orange, with no black spots or rot.
You will also want to find aged goat cheese for this recipe, because it is firmer than young goat cheese and works well for pan frying. I like crottin de Chavignol, which is made in France. The name can pose a problem, since crottin literally means “horse dung” (the cheese is shaped into two-ounce mounds that bear an unfortunate resemblance to their name), but it is delicious. You can find goat cheese crottin in specialty cheese shops or online at www.zingermans.com.
Try drinking a Bianco di Custoza from the Veneto region of Italy with this dish. It’s a white blend, composed primarily of Garganega with a crisp, dry, light result that has green qualities and pairs well with most vegetable dishes.
SERVES 4
1 heaping teaspoon finely chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt plus more to taste
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon Greek-style or plain whole-milk yogurt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper to taste
2 cups peeled carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 medium carrots)
4 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted (see page 91)
1 tablespoon chopped dresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
4 goat cheese crottin de Chavignol
½ cup flour
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk or water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Toasted pita chips (page 122)
1. In a small stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, let the garlic sit with the lemon juice, vinegar, a pinch of salt, and the sugar for about 5 minutes to soften the sharpness of the raw garlic.
2. Slowly whisk in the yogurt and 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots, pine nuts, and herbs. Stir in the yogurt dressing and season with salt and pepper. Let this stand for about 10 minutes to let the flavors marry.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°F for keeping the crottin warm.
5. Split each crottin in half, widthwise, to make 8 pieces. Roll the cheese in the flour, and shake off any excess. Dunk the floured cheese into the egg mixture and roll the cheese in flour again, shaking off any excess. Repeat this process for all 8 pieces of cheese so that they are lightly coated and ready for frying.
6. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the goat cheese and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until the cheese is golden brown. Remove the cheese from the heat. Keep the crottin warm by covering them or placing the pieces in a very low oven (200°F).
7. Just before serving, divide the carrot salad onto 4 small salad plates. Top each pile of carrot salad with 2 pieces of hot goat cheese crottin and serve immediately, so that the cheese is warm and soft inside and can melt over the carrots as it’s split into and eaten. Serve with pita chips to pass around.
Fatoush: Chopped Vegetable Salad with Crispy Pita, Yogurt, and Tahini
Served throughout the Middle East in hundreds of variations, fatoush, which means “moistened bread” in Arabic, is a wonderfully healthful tossed salad made with chopped vegetables and toasted or fried crushed flatbread. Fatoush is great to serve when you want to make salad a more substantial part of a meal, especially in the summertime, with the bounty of fresh garden vegetables.
Most traditional fatoush are made with romaine, but I leave that out and focus on the fresh chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, and radishes. You can add other crunchy vegetables, like fresh fennel and even green beans or cauliflower. Winter versions could include endives or other bitter greens.
In the summer, when purslane—yes, that invasive weed—is thriving, I like to add the fresh leaves to my fatoush. Purslane is praised all over the eastern Mediterranean for its crunchy texture and thick leaves that hold up in a salad without wilting too quickly. Purslane is also the most heart-healthy green you can eat; it contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and is a good source for essential amino acids and noradrenaline. You can find purslane in Middle Eastern markets during the summer months or even in your own backyard. It’s not a good idea to forage for purslane in an urban area, though, because the soils are usually highly contaminated. If you know a farmer, ask about purslane and he will be overjoyed to sell some of his weeds—or even give them away.
Since the bread soaks up the delicious juices from the chopped vegetables and tomato, the key to a good fatoush is in crisping up the pita so that it won’t get soggy or mushy but will be slightly chewy after sitting for 10 minutes. I also like to make a thick yogurt and tahini sauce and serve it underneath the chopped salad; it’s a rich and creamy surprise at the bottom of the bowl.
I sprinkle the top with a little sumac to brighten the lemon flavor even more. The lemon vinaigrette makes as excellent dressing for any green salad.
A cold pilsner goes perfectly with this fatoush.
SERVES 8
¼ cup tahini (see recipe note on page 17; mix it well before measuring)
1 cup Greek-style or plain whole-milk yogurt
½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
Zest of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes (any heirloom variety or beefsteak) or 24 cherry tomatoes
1 English cucumber or 2 Lebanese cucumbers (available at Middle Eastern markets)
1 green bell pepper
4 radishes
¼ cup finely minced red onion (about ½ small)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 small bunch purslane or arugula or ½ head romaine, washed, thick stems removed, and dried thoroughly
2 cups toasted pita chips (page 122)
2 teaspoons sumac
1. Make the tahini sauce by combining the tahini, yogurt, and ½ teaspoon of the lemon juice in a small mixing bowl and whisking until smooth and creamy. Season it with salt and pepper and set it aside.
2. Make the vinaigrette by combining the vinegar, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and Dijon mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, little by little in a slow, steady stream, until the vinaigrette thickens or emulsifies. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set it aside.
3. Chop the tomatoes into ½-inch cubes or split the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large mixing bowl.
4. Peel the cucumber and split it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by scraping them out of the middle with a small teaspoon. Cut the cucumber into ½-inch slices, and then chop them into a ½-inch dice. Add the cucumber to the mixing bowl with the tomatoes.
5. Cut the green pepper in half and then in quarters. Remove the seeds and ribs and slice each quarter into ½-inch strips. Chop each strip into a ½-inch dice and add them to the cucumber and tomato.
6. Cut the tops and bottoms off of the radishes so they rest on a cutting surface without rocking. Slice them in half and then into quarters. Slice each quarter in half so that you have a ½-inch dice, and add them to the bowl of vegetables.
7. Stir in the onion and the herbs and season with salt and pepper.
8. Chop the greens into ½-inch shreds and add them to the salad.
9. Crush the pita bread with your hands so that you have bits of pita about the same size as the chopped vegetables.
10. About 10 minutes before serving, toss the vegetable salad with the vinaigrette and crushed pita and reseason the salad with salt and pepper.
11. Place 2 tablespoons of the tahini sauce on the bottom of each salad plate or bowl and top with the fatoush. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of sumac over each salad and serve.
BEAUJOLAIS VERSUS BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU
Theresa Paopao, Wine Director at Oleana
Gamay from Beaujolais is a versatile wine that pairs beautifully with many dishes. Many people are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, which is very different from the other wines coming from this region. Beaujolais Nouveau is more of a celebration than a serious style of wine. It’s always the first wine of the current harvest, usually only 2 months old, and always released on the third Thursday of November. It’s a guarantee that around the world people are drinking fresh and juicy Beaujolais Nouveau on that Thursday. They drink this juice to taste the grapes of this year and predict the year’s vintage as great, good, or fair. The more substantial wines of Beaujolais Superieur AC and Beaujolais-village AC are released the following spring, and these are the wines to pair with food.
Eggplant Soufflé
Each summer from late July through September, when my husband Chris harvests eggplant, I celebrate by making this delicious soufflé. Eggplant is a Mediterranean staple, and it grows there in some regions year-round. But for most of the year in New England, eggplant has to travel a long way to get to us, and the miles and travel time make the flesh flabby and bitter. We compensate for that by salting the eggplant after cutting it, letting it weep away some of the bitterness, and then wiping it dry just before cooking. With farm-fresh eggplant, there is no need for salting and wiping. The flesh of freshly harvested eggplant is bone-white, sweet, and creamy, and its blackish-purple skin is tight and super shiny.
I love this light and creamy preparation, which never fails to turn skeptics into eggplant lovers. In making a good soufflé, you’ll need a buttered and floured soufflé dish (or eight 6-ounce ramekins) and a thick eggplant base into which you’ll fold the whites. You can make the eggplant base up to 3 days before making the soufflé.
At Oleana, we serve this soufflé with Baby Sole with Crab and Raki, an anisette-flavored liqueur (page 270).
MAKES 1 LARGE OR EİGHT 6-OUNCE SOUFFLÉS TO SERVE 8
2 large black bell eggplants
¼ cup salt plus more to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup milk
Peeled outer layer of 1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons butter plus 3 tablespoons softened butter
¼ cup plus 5 tablespoons flour
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
½ cup grated kasseri cheese or Asiago cheese (page 206)
½ cup chopped fresh dill
4 eggs, separated
1. Trim the top and bottom off of each eggplant so that they can stand on a cutting surface. Peel each eggplant with a vegetable peeler and slice the flesh into 2-inch chunks.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add the ¼ cup of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the eggplant for about 15 minutes, until soft and tender when squeezed with a pair of tongs. Drain the eggplant immediately in a colander.
3. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree the eggplant until smooth. Season the eggplant puree with salt and pepper; it may not need much salt because of the salty cooking water. You should have about 2½ cups of puree. Set it aside.
4. In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a boil with the onion and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and let it stand at least 10 minutes, to infuse the milk with flavor. Remove the onion and bay leaf.
5. In another small saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter until it starts to foam. Whisk in ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of the flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking, until the mixture is a golden brown color, but not dark.
6. Add the hot milk and whisk vigorously. At this point, the mixture should be thick, like dough (this will bind the eggplant). Season the thick white sauce with nutmeg and salt and pepper.
7. Stir in the kasseri cheese, dill, and egg yolks.
8. Combine the white sauce with the eggplant purée.
9. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
10. Using a large whisk and large mixing bowl or an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
11. Fold the egg whites into the eggplant mixture (see page 135). Set the this aside while preparing the soufflé dishes.
12. Butter eight 6-ounce soufflé dishes or one 1-quart soufflé dish evenly with the 3 tablespoons softened butter. Dust each dish or the large dish with the remaining 4 tablespoons flour and shake out any excess.
13. Fill each small dish or the large dish ¾ of the way up to the top with the eggplant soufflé mixture and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and tall. The soufflé should be a little soft in the middle but not soupy.
14. Serve the soufflé immediately, before it falls (it will fall after about 6 minutes).
Istanbul-Style Artichokes
My good friend Ferda Erdinc, who owns Istanbul’s Zencefil restaurant, taught me how to make this traditional Turkish specialty. One spring during artichoke season, Ferda and I were walking down the streets of the Jewish neighborhood in Istanbul, where vendors had their artichoke carts out on corners. Their giant wheelbarrows overflowed with these gorgeous thistles, and we couldn’t help but buy a few. We watched the vendor clean them for us right there, rubbing them with a little lemon to keep them from browning on the way home.
Ferda prepared this recipe in her home kitchen that evening, and we ate them with a crispy tomato-rice dish. The artichokes can be served as part of a meal with fish or red meat or as one of many mezze before a meal.
MAKES 6 ARTİCHOKES
6 whole artichokes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup honey
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
12 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
4 scallions, root ends trimmed and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Trim the stem end halfway off of each artichoke with a serrated knife, and then cut the top third of each artichoke off. Pull off the dark green outer leaves with your fingers, stopping when you can see the tender yellow leaves.
3. With a paring knife, clean and shape the base of the artichoke by trimming it down and removing most of the dark green color. You’ll want to keep the shape of the artichoke but pare it down uniformly.
4. Split each artichoke in half lengthwise and remove the fuzzy insides by scraping them out with a small teaspoon.
5. Season both sides of each artichoke with salt and pepper and then place the artichokes cut-side down in a heavy roasting pan or Pyrex dish.
6. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour with the honey, lemon juice, and olive oil and pour this mixture over the artichokes.
7. Add the wine and garlic to the pan and cover it tightly twice with foil.
8. Bake the artichokes for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are cooked through. Some of the liquid will evaporate and slightly glaze each artichoke.
9. Sprinkle the artichokes with scallions and dill and serve them warm or at room temperature with any extra braising liquid for dipping and extra salt and pepper.
REAL TOMATOES
I’m excited that after years of tasteless, pale, and uniform tomatoes, farmers are growing real tomatoes again. Tomatoes stopped being real tomatoes at some point in the 1950s, when agribusiness and food transportation became priorities in the United States. Farmers started growing new hybrid tomato varieties throughout the country, because they were consistent in size and shape and could be shipped cross-country without suffering. But in this process, the best features of tomatoes—tender skin, juicy flesh, and burst-in-your-mouth flavor—were lost. Thank goodness that some farmers are now starting to reverse that trend, planting beautiful, mouthwatering tomatoes of all colors, sizes, and shapes.
The term heirloom refers to many fruits, vegetables, and grains, including beans, apples, squash, wheat, and tomatoes. Heirlooms are open-pollinated plants (non-hybrids) that were bred over generations for qualities such as flavor and viability in local growing conditions. Heirloom varieties usually have a history or folklore of their own.
Farmers charge more for heirloom tomatoes—up to $8 apiece in some markets—because of their low yield and because they are highly perishable. But those who have tasted an heirloom tomato know they are worth every cent.
There are many heirloom varieties, so ask to taste them all and choose the ones you like best. For flavor, I like brandywine tomatoes; for color and juiciness, I like German Johnson; and for acidity, I like Valencia. All three of these contain a lot of water, and so they’re best for eating raw or making gazpacho. They’re also delicious in flavoring rice and bulgur, and I make a tomato purée for those dishes, using renowned Mediterranean food expert and author Paula Wolfert’s technique. I split the tomato in half and remove as many seeds as possible with a small spoon. Then I hold the tomato half in one hand and, with the cut side facing out toward the large holes of a box grater, I grate the tomato until there’s nothing left but skin. Finally, I strain out the water and add the purée to risotto, pilaf, and pasta dishes.
Don’t refrigerate your tomatoes unless they are overripe. Refrigeration can change a tomato’s texture, making it slightly mealy, and can alter its flavor and reduce its fragrance.
Baby Sole with Crab and Raki
We’ve had this elegant dish on the menu at Oleana since we opened in the winter of 2001. I was inspired to create it after I had a delicious meal at a fish restaurant on the Asian side of Istanbul, where I dined on creamy eggplant with crab that was broiled with raki. I also sipped on raki as I ate, and discovered that the liqueur matches perfectly with the flavors of eggplant and crab.
Raki, also called Arak, is a fennel-flavored liqueur similar to Greek ouzo that brings out the wonderful flavors in this dish but won’t overwhelm it. If raki is unavailable, you can substitute ouzo or even the French pastis or pernod. If raki or ouzo doesn’t appeal to you for sipping, try a clean pinot gris from Oregon, with ripe stone fruit flavors.
Serve Eggplant Soufflé (page 265) with this delicate fish dish.
SERVES 6
1 cup heavy cream
½ pound Maine or Dungeness crabmeat
1 plum tomato, quartered and seeds removed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Six 4- to 5-ounce sole or flounder fillets, boned and skinned
1¾ to 2 cups fish fumet (page 161)
½ cup raki or ouzo
4 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a small heavy saucepan, over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 12 minutes, until the cream is thick and reduced by half.
3. Meanwhile, drain the crabmeat in a colander and press on it, extracting as much water as possible without tearing up the meat.
4. Chop the tomato into a small dice and place it in a medium mixing bowl with the crabmeat.
5. Add the fresh herbs and gently stir in the cream, seasoning the mixture with salt and pepper. The thick cream should bind the crabmeat but not make it soupy or too creamy.
6. Season both sides of the fillets with salt and pepper and place them; skin-side up, into a baking dish or roasting pan.
7. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the crab mixture on the bottom third of each fillet and roll the fillet over and around the crab mixture, making 6 roulades. Make sure the roulades are tightly rolled for a nice presentation.
8. Add the fish fumet and raki to the pan and bake the fish for 16 to 18 minutes, until it is just cooked through.
9. Remove the fish from the baking dish and set it aside under foil to keep it warm. Reserve your pan juices in a small saucepan.
10. Just before serving, heat the saucepan with pan juices over high heat. Boil the juices until they reduce by a little more than half and are slightly thickened and concentrated, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the butter is incorporated, remove the saucepan from the heat and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
11. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately. You can also pass the sauce around the table in a gravy pitcher for guests to pour themselves.
Trout Spanakopitta with Avocado and Salmon Roe
This dish is a fun, modern twist on two classic Greek mezze: spanakopitta and taramasalata. Spanakopitta means “spinach pie” in Greek, and instead of phyllo filled with the traditional spinach and feta cheese, I like to fill rainbow trout with a creamy spinach mixture, seasoned with plenty of fresh dill. Crisping the trout skin as much as possible mimics the crisp and flaky pastry used in traditional spanakopitta.
Taramasalata is a potato purée with carp roe that is smeared on pita bread and eaten before a meal. I like to make the purée with avocado and stud it with little pink salmon eggs. Each one bursts a little sea salt into a mouthful of creamy, rich avocado.
Gamay is perfect for this dish, with its fruity notes of cherries and black pepper spices. The tannins are low and the high acidity complements the richness of the trout. Look for a Beaujolais (see page 264) from the villages of Julienas, Chenas, Morgan, or Moulin a Vent. These provide the deepest, most aromatic red.
SERVES 6
Ice cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds spinach, large stems removed and washed
1 bulb fennel
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 2 large cloves)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 scallions, minced
1 teaspoon ouzo or raki (optional)
½ cup feta
1 egg
½ cup Greek-style or plain whole-milk yogurt
6 rainbow trout, boned but left whole (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 avocados, peeled, halved, and scooped out
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 cup flour
5 tablespoons brown butter (page 108)
4 teaspoons salmon roe or caviar
1. Prepare a medium mixing bowl with ice water.
2. In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt. Add the spinach and cook until wilted and tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the spinach into a colander and then set it in a bowl of ice water to shock and cool it quickly.
3. Drain the spinach into the colander again and squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands. Squeezing small amounts at a time works best. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside.
4. Trim off the long fennel fronds and remove the tough outer layer. Cut the fennel into quarters and remove the core. Slice the fennel lengthwise and then chop it into to a fine dice.
5. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add the onion and fennel. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes on medium-low heat, until the onion is translucent. Stir in 1½ teaspoons of the garlic and all of the spinach and cook for 5 minutes more.
6. Place this mixture in a medium mixing bowl and stir in the dill, scallions, and ouzo (if using).
7. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, purée the feta, egg, and ¼ cup of the yogurt. Stir this into the spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove the heads from the trout and lay them open with the tails toward you, on a work surface. Season each fillet with salt and pepper.
9. On the top half of each fillet, spread ½ cup of the spinach mixture. Fold the fillets in half the short way, forming rectangles. Set aside.
10. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, purée the avocados with the remaining ½ teaspoon garlic and ¼ cup yogurt, the lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
12. In a medium skillet, over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly dredge the trout fillets in flour and shake off any excess. Brown the trout in the skillet for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You can probably fit 2 fillets at a time in the skillet. After both sides are brown, place them on a heavy baking sheet and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Repeat the browning process until you’ve browned all the trout.
13. Place the trout in the oven. Bake the trout for another 5 to 6 minutes to cook it through and to assure that the spinach mixture is hot. The trout should be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
14. Drizzle the trout with brown butter and serve each piece alongside a few heaping spoonfuls of avocado purée dotted with salmon roe.