A Winning Warm Winter Salad

 

Ready for a different kind of salad?   I’ve got just the recipe.  It’s not only over-the-moon delicious, but it’s healthy and beautiful.  The salad is made from small green French lentils, known for having the best texture and flavor of all lentil varieties (and they keep their shape during cooking, unlike other lentils that basically turn to mush).  Most up-market grocery stores carry them, but Amazon can have them on your door-step in a matter of days if you can’t find them locally.

                          Only lentils grown in Le Puy's volcanic soil can be called Le Puy.

Green lentils are from France's central Auvergne region, specifically from the village of Le Puy.  They are registered by the French government as their own special appellation because of their unique qualities.  Grown in the center of France’s volcanic soil, these small green lentils have a slightly different flavor profile due to the earth in which they’re grown.  Some say their flavor is more earthy, but I think Le Puy lentils are more nutty and peppery.

One of my most treasured recipes of all time is from Green’s Cookbook (Batnam Books, published 1987).  Those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area well know the ethereal Green’s restaurant, one of the first vegetarian-only restaurants in San Francisco.  Established in 1979, Green’s is still going strong.   Debra Madison, Green’s owner & chef, really knocks-it-out-of-the-park with her warm lentil salad.  Infused with intoxicating aromas of mint, parsley, cilantro and thyme, along with roasted red peppers, feta and an seductive lemon vinaigrette containing smoky paprika and a hint of cayenne, this dish is both stunning in presentation and fabulous for your taste buds.

If you don’t have the cookbook, the LA Times has published the recipe.  This dish perfect for a pot-luck (but you should consider making a double recipe as there won’t be any leftovers to take home).   I often add toasted walnuts & mix in arugula just before serving. 

https://www.latimes.com/style/la-xpm-2008-sep-10-la-fo-bayleafrec10c-2008sep10-story.html

Bon appetit!

 

 

 

 

The Hottest New Foodie Item

               Dukkah is an aromatic condiment that changes even the mundane to a super-star
 

This culinary item had me at “hello.”   Wine-Knows took a group to New Zealand last year just before the pandemic knocked the world off its axis.  On a private boat charter in search of New Zealand’s prized green lip mussels (the world’s largest),  the onboard chef prepared a just-plucked-from-the-sea mussel lunch.   Also on the table was a bottle of country’s gold medal winning olive oil and a strange ground mixture that none of us recognized at all.  It was dukkah  (pronounced duke-ah).

The chef explained that we were to dip the freshly baked bread in the olive oil, and then into the dukkah.  One bite and all 15 Wine-Knows’ pairs of eyes were saucer-sized.   By the end of the charter we had eaten three bowls full of dukkah and would have eaten four, but that was all the chef had made.  So what is dukkah?

                Small pieces of pita with dukkah, avocado & extra nuts is a killer app

Dukkah (also spelled dukka & duqqa), is an aromatic condiment made of pulverized nuts and seeds, with a blend of spices and herbs.   It comes from Egypt where its name means “to pound.”    In Egypt, the condiment is made by pounding all of the ingredients together with a traditional mortar and pestle (however, I’ve discovered that a food processor delivers excellent results). 

        Ingredients vary from Eqyptian chef to chef but they are combos of these nuts, seeds & spices

Dukkah is made from items commonly found in every Egyptian home: 

                       ~ some type of nut (think hazelnut, almonds, and/or pistachios)

                        ~ common herbs such as fennel seeds, cumin

                        ~ sesame seeds

Dukkah has become so popular that is now located in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  Even Trader Joe’s has jumped on the Dukkah bandwagon (3.3 oz for < $4), as has the spice giant McCormick.    But, if you want the read-deal, blow-your-mind homemade version, watch the video at the end and make your own.  It’s easy and quick to make, and the difference will astound you.  (BTW:  make a double batch as it’s addictive).

            Olive oil, dukkah & hummus with a loaf of  great bread makes the perfect quartet
 

There are unlimited ways to use dukkah.   Google it and you’ll come up with nearly a half million recipes with dukkah as an ingredient.   It can be used in main dishes, as well as with roasted veggies and salads.  Dukkah adds big-time aeromatics, great texture and intoxicating flavors.  That being said, I love to serve it in the virginal way that I first experienced it----with a great loaf of bread and an artisanal olive oil.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt-7c-l7K68