Salad from Senegal

The Ingredients (for 6 servings):

• 225 g (or 1 cup) of fonio, an African grain, preferably a well hulled and clean brand such as Earth's Goodness
• 10 g (or 2 teaspoons) of salt

• 1 or 2 mangoes, weighing approximately 450 g (or 16 oz)
• 1 small red onion, weighing approximately 240 g (or 8 oz)
• 1 medium Japanese cucumber, weighing approximately 300 g (or 10 oz)
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley,  weighing approximately 100 g (or 3½ oz)
• 1 bunch of mint, weighing approximately 60 g (or 2 oz)
• a few sprigs of basil,  weighing approximately 15 g (or ½ oz)
• 60 ml (or ¼ cup) of lemon juice
• 180 ml (or ¾ cup) of salad grade olive oil

Keith mangoes—sweet and tangy with
small, flat seeds and no long fibers

The Method:

1. Place 2 cups of water into a small saucepan that has a fitted lid, add the salt, and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
2. Meanwhile, if necessary, rinse 1 cup of fonio in a bowl of water and pour off the water. Repeat this until the rinse water is clear. (With Earth's Goodness product pictured above, this step is not necessary.)
3. When the salted water boils, turn the burner to its lowest possible setting, pour the fonio into the pan, and immediately place the lid on the pan.
4. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir the fonio thoroughly with a fork or fine-bladed spatula to break up congealed lumps of the cooked cereal.
   
5. Remove the pan from the stove and replace the lid, allowing the fonio to cool.
6. From time to time, repeat step 4 until the fonio is at room temperature.
7. Place the fonio into the refrigerator or freezer to further cool it until it reaches a temperature suitable for assembling the salad.
8. As the fonio cools, prepare the other salad ingredients by first peeling the mango and slicing it into approximately 1.5-cm (or ½-inch) cubes.
9. Peel and dice the red onion into the same size cubes.
10. Wash and dice the cucumber into the same size cubes.
11. Wash the cherry tomatoes and halve them.
12. Wash and dry the parsley, mint, and basil, remove the leaves from the tougher stems, and chop them finely.
13. Place the lemon juice in a small bowl or measuring cup and drizzle the olive oil in, whisking with a fork to form an emulsion. (Alternatively, my preference is to place lemon juice and olive oil in a small, screw-top jar and shake it vigorously for several seconds, giving a better emulsion.)
14. When the fonio is cool, empty it into a salad bowl.
    
15. Add the prepared salad ingredients and toss to distribute them evenly throughout the fonio.
    
16. Toss again, adding the salad dressing sparingly until all of the salad has a thin coating.
17. If you have them on hand, sprinkle shelled pistachios on the top of the salad before serving.

The Story:

I modified somewhat a recipe that I found on The Splendid Table website for this salad. In particular, I added instructions on how to cook fonio, an easy but quite specific technique.

Asean Arugula au Pear

The Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 80 ml (or ⅓ cup) of rice vinegar
• 22 ml (or 1½ tablespoons) of sherry
• stevia equivalent of  35 g (or 2 tablespoons) of sugar
• 12 g (or 1½ teaspoons) of salt
• 5 g (or 1½ teaspoons) of ground white pepper
• 60 ml (or ¼ cup) of toasted sesame oil
• 180 ml (or ¾ cup) of grapeseed oil

• 30 g (or  ¼ cup) of pecans
• 1 bunch of arugula, weighing approximately 115 g (or 4 oz)
• 1 Asian pear, weighing approximately 225 g (or 8 oz)
• 55 g (or 2 oz) of blue cheese
  

The Method:

Salad Dressing

1. Place the rice vinegar, the sherry, the stevia, and the salt into a cruet or similar vessel.
2. Swirl to dissolve the salt.
3. Add the pepper and swirl again to distribute it evenly.
4. Add the sesame oil and the grapeseed oil.
   
5. Shake the cruet vigorously to form an emulsion.
   

Salad Assembly

1. Toast the pecans in an oven at 175°C (or 350°F) for 5 minutes. Allow them to cool.
2. Wash and trim the arugula and place it in a bowl sufficiently large to toss it in.
3. Wash the pear, core it, and slice it into thin wedges.
4. Toss the arugula and pear with a little of the salad dressing, to taste. (The remainder can be stored in the refrigerator and used for more or different salads.)
5. Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle it over the arugula and pear.
6. Finally, sprinkle the pecans over the salad.

   

   Asean Arugula au Pear complements Sichuan spiced rack of lamb

   
   

Piele Purple

The Ingredients (for 8 servings):

• 1 kg (or 2½ lb) of Okinawan sweet potatoes
• 350 ml (or 1½ cups) of coconut cream
• 30 ml (or 2 tablespoons) of fresh lime juice
• 8 g (or 1½ teaspoons) of salt

The Method:

1. Brush the skins of the potatoes thoroughly and steam them whole for at least 45 minutes (or the equivalent in a pressure cooker) until they are soft in the middle. (I use a bamboo skewer to pierce the biggest one.)

2. With a small paring knife, scrape off the skins of the potatoes.
   
3. Cut the potatoes into thick slices.
   
4. Mash or process the potatoes with the coconut cream, lime juice, and salt until there are no large lumps of potato in the mash.
   
5. If necessary, reheat the piele in the microwave before serving.



Piele Purple accompanies *PC Stout Corned Beef and Caraway Cabbage, also in this blog

6. The Story:

The Okinawan sweet potato is not a true potato, but a tuber in the Convolvulaceae family, a taxonomic category that also includes the morning glory. Its origin is in Central America, and it said to have been brought to Hawai'i by the Polynesians. It has a much lower glycemic index than most potatoes and other tubers despite its sweet taste. Piele is one of the ways that Hawaiians like to prepare this vegetable.

*PC Artichauts Vinaigrettes

*Pressure Cooker

Menu Notes:

• The smaller the artichoke, the shorter the time in the pressure cooker. I don't like to use artichokes much smaller than 10 to 12 oz because trimming them takes so long that I'd rather do just one big one per person.
• Large artichokes can be carefully cut in half vertically after they have cooled, and the chokes scraped out with a table knife or spoon. That way, 4 artichokes can serve 8 people.

The Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 1 lemon
• 4 jumbo artichokes, each weighing approximately 350 g (or 12 oz)
• 2 g (or 1 teaspoon) of powdered garlic
• 8 g (or 1 teaspoon) of salt
• 35 ml (or 2½ tablespoons) of balsamic vinegar
• 120 ml (or ½ cup) of cooking grade olive oil
• (or ½ teaspoon) of freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cloves of garlic, weighing approximately 20 g (or ¾ oz)
• 5 bay leaves

The Method:

1. Wash the lemon, halve it, and put it aside.
2. Remove the stems from each artichoke immediately below the outermost leaves, making a flat surface for each one to stand on.

3. Pull or cut off all of the outer leaves that are less than three-quarters the height of the artichoke, and trim the base of their stubs.

4. Rub the cut surfaces with one piece of the cut lemon.
5. Turn each artichoke on its side and cut off the top one-quarter of the artichoke. Using kitchen shears, cut off the thorny tops of any leaves that escaped the cut.
6. Rub the cut surfaces with the same piece of lemon.

7. With your thumbs, pull all of the leaves outward from the center of the artichoke so that there is space between the layers. Inspect for and remove any insects or dirt that may be there.
8. Stand the artichokes in the bottom of the pressure cooker.
9. Squeeze the juice out of both pieces of lemon, and cut the skin into 4 pieces.
10. Drizzle the lemon juice evenly into the artichokes, and place the lemon peels around the bottom of the pressure cooker.
11. Sprinkle one-quarter of the powdered garlic over each artichoke.
12. Sprinkle one-quarter of the salt over each artichoke.
13. Drizzle 7 ml (or ½ tablespoon) of balsamic vinegar into each artichoke and pour the remainder into the center of the pressure cooker.
14. Drizzle 20 ml (or 1½ tablespoon) of olive oil into each artichoke and pour the remainder into the center of the pressure cooker.
15. Peel the garlic cloves and distribute them around the bottom of the pressure cooker.
16. Place a few bay leaves in the bottom of the pressure cooker.

17. Pour 240 ml (or 1 cup) of water into and around the artichokes in the pressure cooker.
18. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and, following the manufacturer's instructions, cook the artichokes at high pressure (100 kPa, or 15 psi) for 13 minutes, then use the recommended method to reduce the pressure as quickly as possible.
19. Remove the artichokes to a serving platter and, if necessary, boil down the liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker.

20. Cool the liquid, strain it, and either pour it over the cooked artichokes or serve it on the side.
21. Provide empty bowls on the table for the inedible undersides of the leaves and the aptly named chokes.

The Story:

I ate my first steamed artichoke in my mid-twenties, at a friend's house in San Francisco. I was fascinated by the ritual of tearing off one leaf at a time, dipping in mayonnaise, raking the soft meat off with my teeth, working it down to the choke, shelling out the choke with a knife, and finally reaching the toothsome heart. I liked everything, even the mayonnaise. When I started cooking them myself, I wanted to add condiments during the steaming process, and for years half-boiled, half-steamed them in lemony water with some oil added. This transferred wonderfully to a pressure cooker method, because minimal water is necessary for the cooking, and flavors—of course I added more—are more easily absorbed by the vegetable.

Artichaut Vinaigrette with my Turkey Gobbler, also on this blog

Grill It

The Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 6 pieces of dried tomato, weighing approximately 15 g (or ½ oz)
• 120 ml (or ½ cup) of mayonnaise, preferably an olive oil-based product
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of soy sauce (or equivalent seasoning)
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of lemon juice
• stevia equivalent of 5 g (or 1 teaspoon) of sugar
• 2 heads of Romaine lettuce
• 20 to 24 cherry tomatoes
• 8 anchovies
• 15 g (or 2 tablespoons) of capers
• cooking grade olive oil
• salt
• pepper

The Method:

1. At least 1 hour before assembling the salad, place the dried tomato into a measuring cup and fill it to the 1-cup mark with boiling water.
   
2. When it has cooled, place the tomatoes and their soaking water into a blender or food processor and purée it.
                        
3. In a 2-cup measuring cup or similar receptacle, place the mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, stevia, and 60 ml (or 4 tablespoons) of the tomato purée.
4. Whisk the mayonnaise mixture with a fork until it is completely homogeneous.
   
5. Trim the stem ends of the Romaine lettuces then cut them in half lengthwise.
6. Rinse them gently, then shake each half to remove as much water as possible.
7. Lightly salt and pepper the cut surfaces of the lettuce.
   
8. Brush or spray a light coating of olive oil onto a griddle or a large skillet, and place it on high heat.
9. When the oil is smoking, place the lettuce halves, cut side down, onto the griddle and leave them there for 2 minutes. If you are using a cast-iron griddle you can turn the heat off after 1 minute.
                    
10. Remove the lettuce halves and place them, cut side up, into a serving platter. 
11. Place 2 anchovies on each lettuce half, sprinkle the anchovies over them, and arrange the tomatoes on and around the lettuce halves.
12. Drizzle the salad dressing over the lettuce halves.
    

Riced and Spiced Cauliflower

Riced and Spiced Cauliflower with lamb and vegetable kebab

The Ingredients (for 6 servings):

• 5 sprigs of basil
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 110 g (or 4 oz) of onion
• 0.7 kg (or 1½ lb) of cauliflower florets
• 30 ml (or 2 tablespoons) of sesame oil
• 60 g (or ½ cup) of raw sesame seeds
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of rice wine vinegar
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of Asian fish sauce
• 2 small cans of coconut cream, approximately 320 ml (or 11 oz)
• 8 g (or 1 tablespoon) of no-salt lemon pepper such as Lawry's
• 3 g (or ½ tablespoon) of powdered cardamom
• 3 eggs
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of Tabasco
• 80 g (or 2½ oz) of frozen peas

The Method:

1. Remove the basil leaves from the stems and put them aside. Chop the tender part of the basil stems finely.
2. Chop the cilantro finely and put it aside.
3. Dice the onion finely.
4. Roughly slice the cauliflower florets and tender stalks then place them in a food processor or similar machine, using more than one batch if necessary.
5. Pulse the food processor so as to chop the cauliflower into rice-like pieces.
6. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over high heat and stir-fry the riced cauliflower with the basil stems and onion for approximately 6 minutes, until the cauliflower releases most of its moisture and starts to turn slightly brown.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sesame seeds, stir-frying for another 3 minutes.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in first the rice wine vinegar and then the fish sauce so that both are thoroughly mixed with the cauliflower.
9. Stir in the coconut cream, cilantro, lemon pepper, and cardamom, stir-frying until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and/or evaporated.
10. Whisk the eggs together with the Tabasco sauce in a bowl.
11. Return the skillet to high heat, and add the egg mixture, reserved basil leaves, and frozen peas, stirring constantly and swiftly until the egg is incorporated and cooked thoroughly in approximately rice-size morsels.
    

The Story:

This recipe was inspired by Jackie Alper's recipe for Thai Cauliflower 'Fried Rice' with Coconut on her website. Many ingredients and amounts have been changed in my version but I did retain the coconut.

*PC Lamb Shank Soup

*PC Lamb Shank Soup garnished with a sauce made from garlic, salt, chèvre, and goat milk

*Pressure Cooker. (You can prepare this dish without pressure by simmering at boiling point for about three times as long as the pressure cooker in step 14.)


The Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 70 g (or ½ cup) of bulgur
• 2 medium onions, weighing approximately 450 g (or 1 lb)
• 4 cloves of garlic, weighing approximately 15 g (or ½ oz)
• 2 or 3 carrots, weighing approximately 225 g (or 8 oz)
• 2 sticks of celery, weighing approximately 170 g (or 6 oz)
• 6 sprigs of fresh oregano (or the equivalent dried)
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (or the equivalent dried)
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf variety
• 4 lamb shanks weighing approximately 1.4 kg (or 3 lb)
• 20 g (or ½ tablespoon) of cinnamon powder
• 700 ml (or 3 cups) of beef stock or consommé
• 25 ml (or 1½ tablespoons) of tomato paste
• Cooking grade olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

The Method:

1. At least 3 hours before serving the soup, soak the bulgur in 350 ml (or 1½ cups) of hot water and let it stand for at least 1 hour.
   
   
2. About 1½ hours before serving the soup, prep the vegetables by first dicing the onion.
3. Finely dice, crush, or grind the garlic cloves.
4. Peel the carrots and cut them into bite-size pieces.
5. Cut the celery into fine slivers.
6. Wash and finely chop the oregano, rosemary, and parsley.
7. Wash, trim if necessary, and pat dry the lamb shanks.
8. Lightly season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
   
9. Heat the pan of a pressure cooker over medium-high heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
10. Place the seasoned lamb shanks into the pan and brown them on all sides.
    
11. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and cinnamon powder.
12. Stir until the onions are starting to wilt.
13. Immediately add the beef broth, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, and parsley, and 10 cups of water.
    
14. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and, following the manufacturer's instructions, cook the lamb shanks and vegetables at high pressure (100 kPa, or 15 psi) for 40 minutes.
15. Allow the pressure to recede gradually.
16. Remove the lid, and add the bulgur to the soup.
17. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes without the lid on to cook the bulgur.