Pita Bread

This pita bread isn't the fluffly, stuff with veggies variety so often found in great Greek restaurants. Instead, it's a slightly salty, hearty bread that will hand a pile of tomato salad or a scoop of hummus without bending. The kids ate it hot off the grill blowing on their fingers while the adults tried, but failed, to practice restraint.

If you are going to give this a try, make sure you start early in the morning and have the day blocked out. The process is involved, but the end result is well worth the effort. A triple batch was made for dinner and very few pitas remained by the end of the evening.

Pita Bread

1 tbsp. active dry yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

4 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading/forming

2 tbsp. salt

¼ cup and 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing

1. Preheat Oven to 350°. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of warm water. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the salt in 1 cup of warm water. Add the flour and turn the mixer on. Slowly add the yeast mixture and 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Mix until the dough combines. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and place on a lightly greased sheet pan. Coat lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for an hour.

4. Punch the dough down and knead for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 (5 oz.) pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, being careful not to let the plastic wrap stick to the balls. Let the balls proof for 15 minutes.

5. Lightly dust one piece of dough at a time on both sides with flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to get it to 7" in diameter and 1/8" thick.

6. Transfer the dough to an inverted lightly floured sheet pan. Place in the 350° oven and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the bread over and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven, transfer to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the bread. Let the bread sit for 10 minutes, or until cooled.

7. When ready to serve, lightly brush the pitas with olive oil and grill for 1-1 ½ minutes on each side. Cut the bread into wedges and serve.

Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart

This dessert was an exercise in persistence and patience. First it began with the quest for rose water. Later we discovered a local Mediterranean eatery sells the heavenly scented liquid, after a Amazon.com purchase had been completed. Then it was the never ending search for the correct "high-quality white chocolate." Many e-mails went back and forth among us trying to determine if baking white chocolate was correct, if white chocolate chips for cookies would work, and if any local candy stores had what was required. In the end another Amazon.com purchase was placed.

Then the day of the dinner Tara woke (I would say "early" but she is always up before dawn) and began by making the crust, letting it rest and hour, rolling it out, letting it rest, baking it, letting it cool....etc. It was an all-day affair. In the end a very pretty but overly sweet tart. Next time leave the sugar out of the meringue and up the rose water to 1/4 tsp. and enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart

FOR THE CRUST:

3/4 cup pistachios

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup cold water

FOR THE GANACHE:

12 oz. high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup orange juice

1/8 tsp. rose water

FOR THE MERINGUE:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

4 egg whites

20 drops red food coloring (optional)

Make the crust:

1. Combine pistachios and sugar in food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. Add flour and process to combine.
3. Add butter and pulse until no large chunks remain.
4. Add egg yolk and water and mix just until combined.
5. Transfer to counter and knead into a disk.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. On a floured counter, roll dough to 1/8" thick.
8. Line a 9" tart pan with dough.
9. Prick with fork over the bottom and refrigerate for 1 hour.
10. Heat oven to 375°.
11. Bake for 20 minutes and then let cool to room temperature.

Make the Ganache:

1. Place chocolate in a medium bowl and set a fine strainer over bowl.
2. Heat juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer.
3. Remove from heat and pour through strainer into bowl with chocolate; let sit for 1 minute.
4. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir rose water into mixture until smooth.
5. Pour ganache into cooled crust and let cool completely.

Make the meringue:

1. Place the sugar and juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil with a candy thermometer.
2. Place cornstarch, cream of tartar, and egg whites in a stand mixer with a whisk and beat to soft peaks.
3. When syrup reaches 250°, pour into a glass measuring cup, and then slowly stream into the beating egg whites until all is added; add food coloring, if you like.
4. Continue beating until glossy, stiff peaks form.
5. Immediately pipe or cover the pie with the meringue.
6. Chill until meringue is firm.
7. Use a blowtorch or the broiler to brown the meringue.

Sweet Pepper Salad

Interestingly, this sweet pepper salad calls for fire roasting green rather than the typically sweeter red peppers. The soft texture perfectly compliments warm pita bread while while the tangy preserved lemons give it enough zest to enjoy on its own.

Sweet Pepper Salad

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 green bell peppers

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 minced peeled clove garlic

1 minced Preserved Lemon

Salt

1. The recipe called for the peppers to be seared in a cast iron skillet, however doing it over a grill made for a more uniform and easier sear. After all sides are blackened, place peppers in a brown paper bag, close bag, and allow peppers to cool for 20 minutes.

2. Remove skins by rubbing the peppers inside their bag. Then remove seeds and veins and dice into 1'' pieces.

3. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in same skillet over low heat. Add peppers, chopped flat-leaf parsley, cumin, garlic, preserved lemon, and salt.

4. Cook about 15 minutes or until the juices evaporate.
5. Cool and serve.

Pistachio Sauce

This sauce is not a very wet sauce, so do not be surprised if it looks like wet chopped nuts...it is supposed to. The combined flavors of the pistachios and the mint combined well with the lemon preserved stuffed chicken. So much so, more than one person swore they'd make it again.

Pistachio Sauce

1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and coarsely ground

3 tbsp. roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh mint

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced into a paste

1 red Fresno or Holland chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (use a jalapeno if you can not find one of these two chiles)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon


3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black

pepper, to taste

1. Combine pistachios, parsley, mint, garlic, chiles, and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl.
2. Add oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly with a fork until the sauce is well combined; season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover sauce and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Sauce will keep, refrigerated and covered, for up to 3 days. 

Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives

The chicken in this simple but exotic dish from Yacout is so moist and succulent that its flesh can easily be lifted from the bones and eaten, Moroccan-style, with the fingers. This chicken it great on it's own but for an even better flavor combination, serve it with the pistachio sauce on the side. 

Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch saffron threads
Freshly ground black pepper
2 2 1/2-lb. chickens, quartered
2 chicken livers
3 medium onions, grated and drained
12 oz. Moroccan green olives, Pitted
1 Preserved Lemon, rinsed and completely quartered

Instructions

1. Crush garlic on a cutting board with flat side of a chef's knife. Sprinkle with about 2 tsp. salt, then finely chop garlic and crush again to form a smooth paste. Combine garlic paste, parsley, cilantro, cumin, ginger, saffron, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken quarters and livers, stirring well to coat with herbs and spices. Cover bowl and set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or 4 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Place chicken quarters and livers in a large heavy-bottomed casserole. Add onions and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep chicken moist.

3. Remove chicken livers and mash to a paste with a fork, adding a bit of cooking liquid if necessary. Return livers to casserole and cook for another 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and thigh meat comes away from bone.

4. Add olives and lemon quarters to casserole and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove chicken, olives, and lemon quarters from casserole with a slotted spoon and place on a platter; set aside, cover, and keep warm. Bring pan juices to a high boil and cook until a very thick sauce forms, about 15 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

March 2013: A Moroccan Buffet

In approaching this month's menu, I kept coming back to sultry nights, tangy lemons, sweet mint, and the bright patterns of Morocco. Having never encountered the flavors of Morocco I was intrigued by the color and ingredient combinations, making it too tempting to resist.

Besides, who could say no to warm homemade pita bread fresh off the grill?

Moroccan cuisine is extremely refined, thanks to Morocco's interactions and exchanges with other cultures and nations over the centuries. Moroccan cuisine has been subject to Berber, Moorish, and Arab influences. The cooks in the royal kitchens of Fes, Meknes, Marrakesh, Rabat and Tetouan refined it over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine today.

Morocco produces a large range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables and even some tropical ones. Common meats include beef, mutton and lamb, chicken, camel, rabbit and seafood, which serve as a base for the cuisine. Characteristic flavorings include preserved lemon, cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil and dried fruits. It is also known for being far more heavily spiced than Middle Eastern cuisine.

We knew it was going to be a night of full flavored food.

The Hostess

The Writer

The Theme

A Moroccan Buffet

The Menu

Sides: Pita Bread | Eggplant Smothered with Charmoula | Moroccan Pasta SaladMoroccan Tomato Salad | Moroccan Potato Salad| Sweet Pepper Salad

Main Dish: Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives (serve with Pistachio Sauce)

Dessert: Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart

Artichoke Dip

This simple and easy dip was a hit with the kids - who we had to monitor for challenging the "no double-dipping" rule. Mandy picked this recipe the night we polished off her torta-di-santantonio, so she thought she deserved something EASY to make this month.  You might even have all of the ingredients in your pantry! She baked in a Le Creuset dish which dressed this starter up nicely.

Artichoke Dip 

INGREDIENTS

3–4 cups cooked artichoke hearts or 15-oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Minced onions to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the artichokes, cheese, and mayonnaise, mixing well. Stir in the onions.
3. Spoon into an 8" square baking dish and bake until bubbly and lightly browned.
4. Serve with assorted crackers