Spice (67 page)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-ince dice

6 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded (see page 104), and coarsely chopped

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 2 large cloves)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or summer savory

Salt and pepper to taste

12 large shrimp (U-10 or 10 to a pound), peeled and deveined

1 cup sheep’s milk French feta or creamy-style feta

¼ cup ouzo

1.
Place the onion and peppers in a large skillet with the tomatoes and olive oil and cook them over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

2.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

3.
Stir the garlic and oregano into the vegetable mixture and cook for a few minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

4.
Pour the vegetable mixture into a casserole dish and nestle the shrimp into it in one even layer. Sprinkle with feta.

5.
Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and the casserole is bubbly.

6.
Just before serving, place the casserole on a low burner until the mixture starts to bubble again. Add the ouzo and carefully light the casserole with a match, standing back a little in case the flame goes high. Bring the casserole to the table and allow the flames to burn off, leaving only the flavor of the ouzo, before serving.

Sage-Rubbed Pork with Red Rice and Beans

This is my Mediterranean spin-off of pork with rice and beans, a favorite dish in Latin countries. Fresh sage is an herb that pairs really well with pork and turkey; it’s good with rich red and white meats because it cuts through fatty flavors and brightens the taste.

I love using flageolet beans, available at gourmet and whole foods markets, because they’re delicate, fragrant, and naturally sweet and buttery. Even though I usually shy away from dried herbs, I like to toss the beans with herbs de Provence (see Resources, page 358). This high-quality fresh blend of rosemary, cracked fennel, thyme, basil, tarragon, and just enough lavender imparts a floral aroma that doesn’t overpower.

In this recipe, I like to use red rice from the Camargue region of the south of France, a marshland that butts up against the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Montpelier. The high natural salt content in the Camargue’s soil makes growing most crops a challenge, but rice can handle high levels of salinity. Camargue rice has been granted a Protected Geographic Indication by the European Community, recognizing its uniqueness and its connection to the region. You can find American-grown varieties, but Camargue red rice is superior (see Resources, page 358). It is an earthy, gutsy unmilled short-grain rice, brownish-red in color, nutty in flavor, and firm and slightly chewy in texture. It’s excellent paired with sage and other strong flavors. As a short-grain rice, it is not meant to fluff and separate and should be slightly sticky when cooked.

Enjoy a pinot noir from Burgundy with this dish.

S
ERVES
6

2 small bunches sage, leaves only

4 cloves garlic

¼ cup lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

7 tablespoons olive oil

2½ pounds boneless pork loin

2 cups flageolet beans, soaked overnightin plenty of water in the refrigerator

Salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons herbs de Provence

2 cups red rice from the Camargue

1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped

1.
Using a blender, make a sage rub by puréeing the sage leaves with garlic, lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.

2.
Rub the pork loin on all sides with the sage rub and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting to impart flavors.

3.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

4.
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, over high heat. Drain the soaked flageolet beans through a sieve or colander and add them to the boiling water, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the beans for about 18 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain them in a colander or sieve and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Season them generously with salt and pepper and stir in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the herbs de Provence. Set aside.

5.
Season all sides of the pork loin generously with salt and pepper.

6.
Put the pork loin in a roasting pan and place it in the oven, uncovered; after 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F. Continue to cook the pork for 20 to 30 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork loin, until a meat thermometer reads 140 to 145°F, so the pork will be pink or medium. Leave the thermometer in and let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes, so that it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F. Add a cup of water to the roasting pan to loosen any bits of carmelized juice and roll the loin around in the juices to glaze it.

7.
Meanwhile, bring 8 to 10 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan.

8.
Add the red rice and onion and stir. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Drain the rice well in a colander and put it back into the saucepan. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, using a fork so that the rice fluffs. Season the rice with salt and pepper.

9.
Spoon a cup of rice in the center of each plate and make a well in the center to hold a ¼ cup of beans.

10.
Slice the pork loin into 12 to 18 thin slices and lay 2 to 3 slices over the beans and rice and serve immediately.

11

FLOWER POWER

C
OOKİNG WİTH
N
ASTURTİUM
, O
RANGE
B
LOSSOM
, R
OSE
, C
HAMOMİLE
, L
AVENDER, AND
J
ASMİNE

Like herbs and spices, edible flowers have been used throughout the Mediterranean region for millennia to add perfume, flavor, and intrigue to dishes of all kinds. Flowers and their essences grace carrot salads, teas and lemonades, custards, goat cheeses, and sangria. The combinations are endless.

Arabs are famous for using roses and orange blossoms—which they distill to make rosewater and orange-blossom water—in pastries and savory and sweet dishes. North Africans make rose-scented chili pastes. In Lebanon and Syria, they add rose petals to spice blends for pilafs and roasted meats, particularly game birds and lamb.

N
ASTURTİUM

Nasturtiums rank among the most common edible flowers, and the sunset-bright and pleasant flowers come in many varieties, ranging from trailing to upright. The blossoms have a mild, sweet flavor that gives way to spice, similar to watercress. It’s fun to stuff whole nasturtium flowers with smoked salmon mousse or chop them and whip them into soft butter to melt over corn cakes or corn on the cob. The peppery leaves have a wonderful, velvety texture and work very well, like arugula, in salads.

O
RANGE
B
LOSSOM

Orange blossoms are the flowers of love. Highly scented and full of essential oils, they are traditionally used as adornments in wedding ceremonies.

The blossoms impart an invigorating citrusy, bittersweet flavor that is balanced by a toasty, caramel note, making them perfect with savory dishes such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and in stews with chicken and dried fruits.

Seville oranges are fragrant, bittersweet, and native to Asia. The Moors introduced these oranges to Spain in the eighth century, and the country remains the sole grower, with England taking 90 percent of the crop to make marmalade. The rest of the crop is used to make liqueurs and orange-blossom water, which is a by-product of the distillation process.

The trick with orange-blossom water is to create intriguing flavor by using very little and giving the merest hint of fragrance. Too much orange-blossom water, like rosewater, described below, will make your food smell like a garden or a bar of soap.