Green Goddess Dressing

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Green Goddess Dressing originates from the famed Palace Hotel, in San Francisco.  In 1923,  Philip Roemer (the hotel's chef) wanted to create something to pay tribute to actor George Arliss and the play, The Green Goddess.  Roemer then concocted the dressing, which, like the play, became a tremendous hit. 

The dressing is a variation of a dressing originated in France by a chef to Louis XIII who made a sauce au vert (green sauce), which was traditionally served with "green eel."

Green Goddess Dressing was a favorite of mine when I was a child.  It was popular in the 1970s, into the early 1980s, and has all but disappeared from stores.  In addition to the dressing's scarcity, I have become decreasingly less impressed with store bought dressings, as they have a weird gelatinous texture, that is not a substitute for creaminess.  This is my version of the San Francisco classic, which is very simple to make.


Skill level:

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/3 cup fresh chives (loosely packed)

• 1/3 cup fresh parsley (loosely packed)

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

1.  Place chives and parsley into a food processor, and pulse two to three times, until coarsely chopped. 
 
2.  Add mayonnaise and sour cream, and pulse until ingredients are combined

3.  Add all remaining ingredients, and pulse until the mixture is smooth, with a greenish color, and small amounts of the fresh herbs are still visible.

4.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Tabbouleh!

After some really heavy meals last week, I want to come into the holiday season eating healthy, and I will try to eat mainly vegan or vegetarian until Thanksgiving. While this may sound like a challenge, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines offer many flavorful vegetable dishes.  

I chop my parsley in a food processor. 

It only requires a few pulses to have

roughly chopped herbs.

Tonight I am serving Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة‎ tabūlah), which is a seasoned salad originating from the mountain regions of Syria, and Lebanon. It is popular throughout the Middle East, with countless regional variations. Traditionally, tabbouleh is made of herbs (usually parsley) and bulgar.  This variation uses barley.

Tabbouleh

Skill level: 

Ingredients

1/4 cup barley

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 Roma tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped cucumber

1 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

fresh ground pepper (10 turns, or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped mint

juice from 1/2 lemon

Preparation

1. Boil water, and add barley.  Boil for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.

2. Drain barley, and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
3. combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.

4. Chill for at least one hour to allow flavors to combine.

Tabbouleh, served with hummus garnished with olive oil and paprika, sliced and toasted pita bread, and olive orzo salad.

Preserved Lemons

I saw this on http://www.saveur.com, and thought that this is something I would like to do someday.

Preserved Lemons

As lemons cure in a salty, spicy brine, their flesh softens and sweetens; after a month, they're ready to be finely chopped and added to everything from Moroccan tagines to vinaigrettes.


ENLARGE IMAGE: Credit: Todd Coleman
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

Ingredients

6 medium lemons
¼ cup kosher salt
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp. nigella seeds
¼ tsp. fenugreek seeds
8 whole allspice berries
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf

Preparation

1. Quarter each lemon lengthwise so that it stays attached by about ½" at the stem end. 
2. Place lemons in a bowl and stuff with the salt. 
3. Transfer lemons to a sterilized 1-qt. glass jar and add the lemon juice, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, nigella, and fenugreek seeds, allspice, cinnamon, and bay leaf; seal with a tight-fitting lid and set aside in a dark place, shaking jar every other day or so, until lemons are soft, about 1 month. 
4. Refrigerate after opening, and use within 2 weeks.

Easy Creamy Hummus

Hummus garnished with a dusting of paprika, olive oil, and black sesame seeds,

served with home made crostini crackers.

Hummus is an ancient dish, and variations have made, and consumed, in the Middle East for over a thousand years.  Early forms of hummus usually were usually ground chickpeas (or garbanzos) served with vinegar, pickled lemons, and a variety of herbs.  The modern incarnation of hummus, using tahini and garlic, does not appear until Byzantine times. 

Hummus is one of my favorite foods, and preparation is uncomplicated, and when eaten with bread, is a complete protein, and rich in amino acids, B6, folate, and dietary fiber.

The key to preparing a good hummus is the use of garlic, fresh lemons, and of course, plenty of tahini (a ground sesame paste, available at most specialty food stores, and Albertsons).  There are innumerable variations to hummus recipes, but I think this one has a nice flavor, and is very easy for beginning cooks to prepare.

Hummus

Skill level:

Ingredients

1 (15 to 16 oz.) can garbanzo beans 

1/3 cup tahini

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

juice from 1/2 of a lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/3 cup water

Preparation

1. Open can of garbanzo beans, and pour contents into a colander.  Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

2. Peel the garlic, and chop into large chunks.
3. While sitting in storage, the oils and solids in tahini usually separate.  Stir or blend tahini until smooth and creamy.



Using a small hand blender, I recombine

separated tahini, until it is smooth and creamy.

4. Put rinsed garbanzos, tahini, chopped garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika, and coriander in a small food processor.  (I usually just use my Cuisinart Mini Prep).

5. Alternating between the "chop" and "grind" cycles of the food processor, grind mixture into a rough paste.

6. Slowly add the water, using the "grind" cycle of the machine.  



I usually just pour the water though the "liquid port"
on the top of the machine's cover,
while running the processor.

7. After water is added, continue to run the food processor until mixture is smooth and creamy (this usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes).  Remove the food processor lid, and scrape the bowl twice during the process.

8. Transfer the hummus into an air tight container, and refrigerate mixture until completely cold (roughly two hours).  Flavors seem to blend better while chilling, and the hummus will set a bit while cooling.
9. Serve with flatbread, such pita, na'an, sangak, or crackers.  Optional:  Garnish with olive oil, paprika, sesame seeds, pine nuts, or chopped parsley.

Alternate Method:  If using a full sized food processor, combine steps 3 through 7; just put all ingredients in the food processor, using the blade attachment, and blend/grind for two to three minutes. (Scrape bowl twice during the cycle). 

Attention Gazpacho Lovers, Try Making Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup!

One of my favorite summer treats is gazpacho; I absolutely love it on warm summer evenings. I make a couple of batches every summer.

Chilled TomatoBisque Soup, garnished
with olive oil and balsamic vinegar,
served with toasted French bread.

Last year, while searching got new gazpacho recipes, I found this recipe for Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup, which is extremely easy to prepare. I absolutely love this tomato delight, and have added it to my summer cooking rotation.

The creamy texture of this soup is fantastic, and comes from the cashews. It is really amazing, as if dairy products were included in the recipe! 

Like a good gazpacho, this recipe is great alternative on hot summer days. It is completely raw, requiring no time in front of a hot stove.  It is also both vegetarian, and vegan!

Skill level:

Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup 

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, de-seeded 

1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours 

1/2 cup water 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 clove garlic 

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

1 teaspoon agave syrup 

2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped 

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Serve immediately or store in a tightly covered container (for up to 3 days) in the refrigerator. 

Serves 3-4 

Additional Notes:

• I do not mind traces of tomato seed in my soup, so I often skip deseeding the tomatoes.  A good blender will reduce most of them, anyway.
• If you do not have agave syrup, substitute honey or brown sugar.  It just adds a bit of richness to the soup.
• I garnish my soup with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It looks pretty, and really accents the flavors.
• If you do not have time to soak the raw cashews, boil them for about 20 minutes.  Soaking is preferable, as it gives the best creaminess, but boiling works well, too.
• I store left over soup in the refrigerator, in the blender container.  When ready to serve, I just but the blender container back on the motor base, and give the soup a couple of quick pulses to recombine any ingredients which may have separated.

Paul's Fantastic Gougére Filling

I was invited to a party, and planned to bring gouéres as an appetizer. 

I was having difficulty trying to figure out how I wanted to serve my appetizers; there are many ways to fill a gouére....from chicken salad, to tomato and cheese slices, or just plain cream cheese. Nothing I could think of sounded very appealing. I knew I wanted something a bit cheesy, a bit creamy, a nice hint of herbs. Possibly some greens. Something slightly savory.

Filled with indecision, I went online, and looked at many filling recipes. None of the recipes I saw really had all of the qualities I was looking for, so, I came up with this original recipe, which incorporates all of the elements I was looking for in a filling. And, most importantly, they are simply light and delicious!!

Skill level:

Ingredients:

Make 24 gouéres, and cool to room temperature (see recipe, previous post).

For the mouse:

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 heaping teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon of curry powder
1/4 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons of milk

1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of gelatin
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Garnishments:

1 (3 ounce) package of prosciutto
1 ounce of fresh pea shoots (abavailable in the produce section of most specialty and gourmet markets)

Preparation:

Making the mousse:

Put cream cheese, rosemary, parsley, curry powder, lemon zest, milk, sugar, and gelatin in a bowl. Whip on high speed, using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, for 4 minutes, scraping bowl at 30 second intervals, until creamy. It will have the consistency of a light frosting, or mayonnaise.

All ingredients for the mousse, except the cheese, in the bowl.

The whisk attachment installed on the mixer,  whipping
the sour cream,  milk,  herbs, and spice.

Creamy mouse, awaiting the cheese.

By hand, stir in the cheese, until incorporated.  Cheese strands will be visible in the mix.  

Mouse, completed, with cheese strands visible.

Refrigerate the mousse while assembling the gougéres.

Assembly:

Typically, a 3 ounce package will have 8 slices (but I have seen them vary, slightly).  Cut the packaged prosciutto into thirds, which will yield 24 slices.

Cut gouéres in half,  I keep the halves together, as I have, on occasion, had mismatched tops.  

On the bottom half of each gouére, add a slice of prosciutto.  If the slice of prosciutto is too large, just fold it in half.  It does not have to be pretty.

Matched pastry tops and bottoms,
with prociutto on the lower half.

Take the pea shoots, and cut them at the leaf intersections, so  that there is a raw stem on one end, and a few leaves on the other  (see pictures, below).

Pea shoots, as I purchase them at the grocery.

A single pea shoot

Cut the shoot, just past each leaf cluster.

Remove mousse from refrigerator.  Add one slightly rounded teaspoon of mouse to each gouére, on top of the prosciutto slice.  If you end up with a bit extra of the mousse, just dollop a small amount on existing gouéres.

Take the cut pea shoots, two to there at a time, and put on top of the mousse,  allowing  the leaves and stems stick out of the gougére, a bit.  Like the mousse, if you have extra shoots, just add them to already topped gouéres.  If you run short, as pea shoots will vary, simply cut a few more from the bunch to finish topping the mousse.

Assembling the gougéres: bottom portion of the
pastry, prosiutto, herbed cream cheese mousse,
and a pinch of greens.

I work one set at a time, keeping tops
and bottoms of the pastries matched.

Put the tops on the pastries, and press down  gent ally.  This will even out the mousse, and allow it to be slightly visible on most of the gougéres.

Completes gougéres, with fillings sticking out slightly.

Arrenge on a plate, and refrigerate for about an hour and a half.  This will allow for the mouse to set, a but.

Ready to serve!

When ready to serve, remove the gougéres from the refrigerator, and allow to warm to room temperature.