Chicken and Okra
This recipe comes from a 1973 cookbook that is out of print (“The Alpha and Omega of Greek Cooking,” by Saul Kreig). It’s OK to cheat a little and use a package of frozen stir-fry vegetables with cut onion, yellow, green and red peppers. Go ahead and use a frozen 10-ounce package of cut okra if you don’t want to slice the pods. The rice can be tooted up with the addition of a pinch of aromatic turmeric added to the water, which gives it a pale yellow color. Add salt last because kosher chicken is already salted. Serves 6.
Ingredients
Directions
In a nonstick frying pan, brown chicken pieces in olive oil and butter. Transfer pieces to a large stockpot over low heat. Add ham and cover pot for 10 minutes. Add onions, green and red peppers, parsley, thyme, tomatoes, bay leaves, basil and chicken stock. Stir gently. Bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Add okra and cayenne and simmer low, covered, for another 30-45 minutes, stirring periodically to make sure ingredients don’t stick. Serve over long-grain (Texmati or basmati) rice.
Wine ideas: Conjure up Greece with glasses of chilled assyrtiko from Santorini; the grape’s broad, lemony flavors and dry, sharp acidity will meld with this rich chicken-rice casserole. Boutari makes an excellent, easy-to-find version for about $16; Argyros, Hatzidakis and Gaia are well worth searching out. – Tara Q. Thomas
Quasi Filet Oscar
This recipe comes from Jason Pissare of Sir Loin Meat and Fresh Seafood in Aurora. He substitutes a port wine demi glace for the traditional béarnaise because he’s not a big fan of tarragon. However, if you’re a stickler for authenticity, you can make your own or buy the Knorr packaged version, which isn’t bad if you’re a beginning cook. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with table salt, half of the minced garlic and black pepper. Coat filets mignon with this mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour.
On a 16-inch piece of aluminum foil, place asparagus, rest of garlic, kosher salt, lemon juice. Fold aluminum to mak a pouch.
Heat gas or charcoal grill to hot and remove steaks, allowing them to come to room temperature. Reduce heat and grill for 5 minutes on each side, turning once. (This is easier if you have a gas grill and can turn off one side. If you have a charcoal grill, pour one-half can of beer evenly over the coals.)
Move steaks to the coolest part of the grill. If using gas, move them to the side you turned off. Place the pouch of asparagus on the hot part of the grill. Cook 10-12 minutes turning once, and the filets mignon will come to a perfect medium and the asparagus will not be too soft.
Make a bed of 4 asparagus on each plate. Place a steak atop it, place generous scoop of crab on the filet and coat with demi glace (or béarnaise).
Port Wine Demi Glace
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add shallots; cook until translucent. Add wine, bay leaves, sage and peppercorns.
Boil until wine has reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons. Add veal and beef stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and return sauce to pot. Bring to hard boil then lower temperature to medium, stirring frequently so sauce doesn’t burn. Allow to reduce by approximately two-thirds. When complete, the sauce will have the consistancy of a thin gravy.
Speedy Béarnaise Sauce
Yes, you can buy this in a package too, but the freshly made version is so much better. Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
Directions
Combine vinegar, wine, tarragon, shallots and pepper in a saucepan; bring ingredients to a boil until almost all liquid evaporates.
In a small saucepan, heat butter until it bubbles, but don’t let it turn brown. Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in blender or food processor. Cover and pulse at high speed. Gradually add hot butter while blending at high speed. Add herb mixture, cover and blend on high speed four seconds. Serve immediately.
Wine ideas: Filet mignon is the least beefy cut of beef possible; top it with tender, sweet crab and creamy béarnaise, and you’re in white wine country. This is the place to pull out that big, rich chardonnay you’ve been saving for a grand occasion, like Talley’s broad, rich version from Arroyo Grande, or Ramey’s spicy Russian River Valley bottlings, or any from Peter Michael, long steakhouse favorites for the white wine set. Red wine lovers, go the port sauce route, and break out a merlot for its gentle richness.– Tara Q. Thomas
Goat Curry
This recipe from “Dorinda’s Taste of the Caribbean,” by Dorinda Hafner, is a favored dish in Jamaica, particularly at celebrations. Goats were allegedly brought to the islands by Spanish explorers, who, on their arrival, found little they believed they could eat or hunt. On subsequent journeys, they brought goats and released them into the wild. With the later arrival of indentured labor from India, goat curry was born. It is best to marinate the goat’s meat overnight. This dish, which can be made a day in advance and reheated, is served over white rice with fried plantains and your favorite chutney. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl combine chiles, curry powder, garlic, scallions, cornstarch, vegetable oil and salt. Dice the goat’s meat and stir into the mixture until well-coated. Marinate, well-sealed and refrigerated, for 3 to 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Remove after marinating and let meat come to room temperature.
In a large frying pan or skillet (preferably nonstick), heat the corn oil and ghee over a medium heat. Sear meat in oil quickly to seal and brown the outside. Add onions and saute for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, marinade and water. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lower heat and simmer slowly until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced to a creamy, consistency, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add chicken stock if sauce becomes too thick. Serve over rice.
Kibbe Hamda
Syrian Stuffed Meatballs with Lemony Vegetable Stew
If you like lemon-tasting dishes, you’ll love these meatballs, shared by Sarina Roffe of the Brooklyn Syrian community. The recipe, adapted from “Jewish Cooking in America” by Joan Nathan, is best served with Syrian rice, a mixture of long-grain white rice and orzo. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Directions
Grind twice in a meat grinder 1/2 pound of the ground beef, rice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt (or process for about 2 minutes in a food processor).
To make the filling, mix the remaining ground beef, teaspoon salt, celery leaves, and allspice.
Place vegetable oil in a small bowl. Roll the twice-ground meat mixture into 1-inch round balls. Dip your finger into the oil and then hollow out each ball with your finger. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the meat filling into the hollow and close the opening. Continue until all are done and then refrigerate or freeze.
Bring water to a boil in a heavy pot with a cover. Peel potato and cube it. Add the celery and carrots and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add garlic, kosher salt, lemon juice, sugar and mint leaves.
Before serving, bring to a boil and add the meatballs. Boil another 10 minutes. Taste the sauce. It should have a lemon flavor – you may need to add 2 more tablespoons of lemon juice. Syrian Jews like this thin soupy sauce over rice; it is usually served in a bowl on the table and everyone ladles some on.
Ray Dayan’s Syrian Rice with Orzo
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and brown the orzo until slightly brown.
If necessary, rinse rice in a bowl with warm water, rubbing lightly. Drain and repeat 2 more times.
Bring water to a boil, add rice, orzo, and salt. Return water to a boil and stir thoroughly. Cover pan tightly and lower heat. Simmer rice and orzo for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Mexican Steak
The steak component in this recipe – borrowed from Rick Bayless’ “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” – is the carne asada centerpiece around which a meal of guacamole, salsa, rice and beans can be built. It is simplicity incarnate. Amazing what a little fresh citrus and garlic will do for a nice chunk of beef. The other good news is that great salsa, pico de gallo and fresh guacamole are available from local specialty stores, and you can whip up a nice batch of well-rinsed canned red beans doctored with a touch of sauteed garlic, ground cumin, a half-cup of chicken stock and a half-cup of beer. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Directions
In a small glass or ceramic dish bowl, whisk together lime juice, garlic and salt. In a nonreactive pan, rub marinade into each steak, cover and refrigerate for no more than 2 hours. Bring steaks to room temperature.
Heat a gas grill to medium high or light a charcoal fire until the coals are covered with white ash and very hot. Let the grill heat 5-8 minutes.
Remove steaks from marinade and brush or spray with olive oil. Place steaks on hot grill and cook, turning once, to your preferred degree of doneness. Grind pepper onto steak to taste.
(For medium rare, allow about 2 1/2 minutes per side for a steak that is 1/2-inch thick.)
Wine ideas: There’s a revolution going on in Spanish wines today, and this spicy, Latin-inspired recipe is a great excuse to check it out. Spanish vintners are flocking to areas once regarded as no-man’s land for good wine and turning that impression on its head. Take Jumilla, for example, in the province of Murcia, where the monastrell (mourvedre to you Francophiles) used to make thick jug wines. Now vintners like Juan Gil and Julia Roch e Hijos are putting out dense, structured, minerally reds that deserve a good rib eye. – Tara Q. Thomas
Kibbe Nyi
The Middle Eastern version of the French steak tartare, raw kibbe can be eaten with pita, or on onion petals. This recipe also can be made into a loaf or meatballs. This is adapted from a recipe from Rande Wahdan. Her husband, Imad, is the lead butcher at International Market in Aurora. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak bulgar wheat in 1 cup warm water for about 30 minutes then drain thoroughly, pressing it through a sieve if necessary.
Grind the lamb fine in a meat grinder, keeping it as cold as possible.
Combine onion, salt, allspice, mint, chilled water and mix thoroughly by hand (if you have a meat grinder, run the entire mixture through the fine blade instead).
Mold the kibbe on a platter and drizzle it with olive oil. Garnish with parsley, tomato wedges and lemon slices. Serve with pita.
Note: Some Middle Eastern countries surround the base of the kibbe with onion petals. To make them, cut two small white onions into quarters and separate the layers. Scoop the kibbe up on the “petals.”
Wine ideas: To be good, kibbe has to be fresh, zingy with lemon, sprightly with herbs and only mildly lamby. You’ll want a white wine to heighten that fresh feeling, something as zingy as the dish, without the weight of oak flavors yet rich enough to handle meat. In a word? Albariño. This Spanish grape has a weighty, waxy texture that it comes by naturally – no need to spend time in barrels – and a lemony acidity that brightens any meal. Condes de Albarei and Nora both run $15 or less. – Tara Q. Thomas
