Flavors of the Sun

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

by Victoria Challancin

I was traveling in the states all last week and missed getting out a post. Wanting to give you something yummy to chew on, I found this photo in my files of some delicious pork I prepared in mid-March. Because it was warm then, I chose not to make the roasted sweet potatoes that go with the recipe, but I did include them in the original recipe below. And while this photo doesn't do the dish justice, the flavors were sensational and the leftovers fantastic in sandwiches. As for the vinaigrette...well, it would be perfect on almost anything from seafood to chicken to vegetables or salad. What's not to love about hazelnuts?

Variation: For those of us experiencing warmer weather now, this would be fantastic served room temperature over a salad of mixed greens and citrus or mango.

Fun Facts about Hazelnuts

The Latin name for hazelnut is Corylus avellana
Because the earliest ripening date for hazelnuts in England is August 22, which is St. Philibert's Day, hazelnuts may have been called "Filberts" after him
Of course, I have also read that St. Philibert, a 7th century Frankish abbot, celebrates his feast day on August 20th
"Hazel" is the older European name; "Filbert" is much newer
Others say the the name originated from the word for "full beard," which refers to the husk, or beard, that entirely covers some varieties
Hazelnut trees can produce for 80 years or more
The Greek physician Dioscorides praised the healthy properties of hazelnuts ore than 1,800 years ago (he suggested pounding them with honey for coughs and mixing with black pepper to cure a cold)
As early as 2800 B.C. in China hazelnuts were revered, being one of the five sacred nourishments God bestowed on human beings
The hazelnut is unique because it blooms and pollinates in the middle of winter with the pollinated seeds lying dormant until June, when the nut begins to form
Hazelnut harvest is late September or October after the nuts fall to the ground
One pound of shelled nuts equals about 3 3/4 cups
In antiquity, hazelnuts mashed with figs or raisins were used as a paste to put on scorpion stings
Dioscorides also suggested that a paste could be made to place on bald spots to encourage hair growth
Hazelnuts are nutritious: high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin E
Hazelnuts are high in protein and monounsaturated fats
Hazelnuts are also a source of cancer-fighting antioxidants
Most of the hazelnuts grown in the U.S. are grown in Oregon, where the hazelnut is the state tree
France was the first European country to grow the hazelnut and the French introduced them into the U.S.

Recipe: Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

(Recipe by Chef Octavio Becerra for FoodandWine.com)

1 tablespoon finely chopped dried orange peel

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground sumac

3 pounds pork loin or 2 tenderloins

3 pounds small sweet potatoes, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 rosemary sprigs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup hazelnut oil

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

In a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the orange peel, smoked paprika, coriander, and sumac. Add the pork, seal the bag, and turn to coat the meat thoroughly with the spices. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes, turning once, until tender and lightly browned, aout 40 minutes. Drizzle with the melted butter; keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olie oil. Scrape most of the spice rub off the pork and season the meat with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the skillet and sear over moderately high heat, turning, until lightly browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 145 degrees. Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes.

S[read the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until fragrant, about 12 minutes. Rub the hazelnuts together in a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. Finely chop.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar with the honey and the mustard. Whisk in the hazelnut and grapeseed oils, stir in the hazelnuts, and season with salt and pepper.

Slice the pork on the diagonal. Arrange the slices on a platter along with the sweet potatoes and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

Parting Shot: Paris, May 2013

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Moroccan Potato Cakes with Chermoula Sauce

Moroccan Potato Cakes with Chermoula Sauce

by Victoria Challancin

Eaten by themselves or as a filler for a sandwich, Maakouda Batata, or potato cakes, are a popular street food in Morocco, where it is usually served in a sandwich. These fritters can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or as a sandwich, served either in flatbread or a split baguette with tomato slices, onions, and lettuce. For a recent Moroccan dinner of salads that I mentioned before, I chose to serve them as side dish and paired them a lively chermoula sauce made of fresh herbs and spices. Served hot, warm, or at room temperature, these richly flavored patties awaken the senses with the exotic spices of North Africa in an unforgettable combination of flavors. Simple, yet delicately flavored, these potato cakes will fly off the plate.

I mashed the potatoes with a bean masher, leaving them a little bit chunky; the onions sautéed with spices and the chopped cilantro give the dish its rich flavor

The potatoes after mixing the ingredients

Recipe: Maakouda Batata, or Moroccan Potato Cakes

(Original recipe from Christine Benlafquih, About.com)

Cook's Notes: I used this recipe as a guideline and added the ingredients to my taste, which means I didn't peel the potatoes (I like the bits of skin left in). Nor did I measure anything, but I think I stayed pretty true to the basic amounts given, adding a bit more cilantro than listed. I have given the amounts I used, more or less.

1 kg or 2 lbs potatoes (about 5 medium)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 medium to large cloves garlic, pressed

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or start with 1/4 cup and add more if preferred)

2 eggs, beaten

Olive oil, for frying

Place potatoes, peeled or not, in a pot of cold water. Boil until soft enough to pierce easily with a sharp knife; cooking time will depend on size of potatoes. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool a bit. Chill the potatoes for several hours or overnight if you have time. If not, simply continue with the recipe.

Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the onions, and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté one minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the spices to onion-garlic mixture.

Grate the potatoes into a mixing bowl or mash with a potato or bean masher. Add the cilantro and onion mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add enough beaten egg to bind the potatoes, but not so much that there is excess egg in the bottom of the bowl.

Shape the mixture into cakes about 3 inches in diameter.

Heat enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of a skillet or griddle. Add the potato cakes, and cook slowly over medium heat, about 10 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve as an appetizer, side dish, or main vegetarian dish hot, warm, or at room temperature. You can also make this into one large cake in a skillet, instead of individual ones.

The potato cakes look quite greasy here, but in fact, they weren't at all

The finished potato cakes

Moroccan chermoula sauce

Moroccan Chermoula Sauce

Chermoula, also spelled "charmoula" or even "chrmla," is an extremely popular sauce found throughout North Africa. In Morocco I have mainly eaten it with fish, where it is usually used as a marinade, in a fish tagine, or a wet sauce to be brushed over grilled fish as it cooks Versatile, this sauce can be used with anything--seafood, roasted vegetables, meat, chicken, cheeses, or even as a salad dressing.

Recipes vary according to the cook. Some versions include saffron, preserved lemon, onion, fresh chiles, and even tomatoes, though my Moroccan friends tell me that tomatoes aren't included. I have made so many versions of this sauce, but this one, that I copied years ago from who knows where, but probably from my dear friend Latifah, is one of my favorites. Feel free to experiment.

Chermoula
(Recipe by Victoria Challancin)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I used Spanish smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne or 1/2 finely chopped serrano chile, red or green

2 medium-large garlic cloves, or to taste

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lightly toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind to a powder. Add the remaining dry ingredients and pulse to grind again briefly--or mix a bit more by hand.

Place garlic, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil in a blender or food processor. Grind to a smooth paste. Add the spices and lemon juice; blend until smooth, adjusting flavors according to taste. Add more chile, lemon juice, or oil if desired.

Chermoula sauce or marinade

Just to show you how versatile this sauce is, here is a dish I served with the other 8 Moroccan salads at the afore-mentioned dinner party. This is a great sauce--once you start making it, you won't stop!

Steamed cauliflower with chermoula sauce

Cook's Note: Although I chose to serve the chermoula sauce with cauliflower, it would be wonderful with carrots, asparagus, zucchini, beets or roasted vegetables in general. Steam the vegetables, or roast them in the oven using a bit of the chermoula to moisten them.

Recipe: Steamed Cauliflower with Chermoula

(Recipe by Victoria Challancin)

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 cup chermoula sauce (see the above recipe)

Steam the cauliflower until crisp-tender. Place in a bowl and add chermoula sauce while still hot. Toss to combine. Add more chermoula sauce if desired. Serve room temperature or cold.

Parting Shot: Morocco

Morocco: A reflection of the way we felt when WIFI was strong!

For information about upcoming Moroccan Tours, contact me at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com

Like love and life, recipes are meant to be shared, but please ask permission before using text or photos. Thanks!

Monday, June 3, 2013

A Special Tuna Salad and Moroccan Market Food

A Special Tuna Salad and Moroccan Market Food

by Victoria Challancin

Have you ever invited anyone over for tuna salad? Probably not. Neither had I until I included this unusual tuna dish as a part of a recent dinner party featuring Moroccan Salads. This version, which is a far cry from the tuna salad of my Mom (sweet pickle, celery, mayo, and hard-cooked eggs) and includes such North African spices as caraway and coriander seeds heated in oil and poured over the salad. And although I dabble with my tuna salads often (a current favorite includes olives, vinegar, mustard, and chile), this is by far the most interesting cold tuna dish I have ever made. And as a plus--everyone at the dinner loved it!

I found this recipe for a Tunisian Tuna Salad on the excellent Australian Women's Weekly site. When I visit the Middle East, I always make it a point to pick up several of the AWW's wonderful cookbooks. Paperback and portable, they are always packed with usable, original recipes. In fact, I think this is exactly how my nephew, who lives in Abu Dhabi, learned to cook--by just following AWW's lead!

To make the harissa-inspired dressing, caraway and coriander seeds are heated in a garlicky olive oil, then mixed with lemon juice and red wine vinegar and poured, while still warm, over the tuna salad. The flavors are subtle enough so that diners recognize that the flavors are exotic, but not exactly what they are. Truly, this dressing is a keeper--you can be sure I will use it again, probably over roasted vegetables or grilled seafood. AWW suggests you eat it with a fresh, crunchy bread or rolled up in pitta or lavash. They also suggest making it with fresh char-grilled tuna, which would be so yummy that I want to go on a search for some top-grade tuna steaks right now!

If you want to read more about what I have say about harissa, the spicy red-pepper paste beloved in North Africa, I wrote about it here and here.

Recipe: North African Tuna Salad with Harissa-Style Dressing

(Recipe from Australian Women's Weekly)

Cook's Notes: I omitted the anchovies in this recipe as I thought it would be fishy enough without them. The original recipe doesn't state whether to use tuna in water or oil; I opted for tuna packed in water because it is what I had on hand, but you can bet in North Africa oil-packed tuna would be the choice. Because I had other spicy dishes, I chose to omit the red chiles here, but they would be wonderful if included. Also, I used two cans of tuna and just made a bit more dressing--for this reason I used more mint, eggs, and olives than in the original recipe. Because I only have larger capers, not baby ones, I chopped them. The eggs can be quartered and put on top as I did, or chopped and included in the salad itself.

For the salad:

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped or in quarters

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped finely (200g)

2 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped finely (380g)

4 green onions, finely chopped

2 large canned anchovy fillets, drained, chopped finely ( I omitted the anchovies)

10 pitted green olives, roughly chopped

2 red Thai chiles, seeded, chopped finely

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves (I doubled the amount--or more)

1 185g can tuna, drained, flaked

1 tablespoon baby capers, drained

Harissa style dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic clove, crushed or minced

1 heaping teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar

1 heaping teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly bruised in a mortar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

To make the dressing: Heat the oil in a small pan, add garlic and seeds; cook, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in juice and vinegar.

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl, including the eggs, unless placing them on top; drizzle dressing over salad, toss gently to combine.

The tuna salad after being tossed--can you see the tiny seeds?

Moroccan Market Foods

These photos are from my recent trip to Morocco. For more information about the groups I lead there each year or to be placed on my mailing list, contact me at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com

Fresh goat's cheese, just like the one Anthony Bourdain overpaid for here ;-)

Dried figs on a string--for meat tagines

Don't get me started on the glory of Moroccan olives and olive oil--I wrote a five-part series on the olive harvest with tons of photos, starting here

Nopal cactus fruits (called tuna in Spanish), called "Berber Figs" in Morocco because they are cheaper than regular figs

A fruit and nut stand in Marrakech, where we stock up before heading out on the road

A Moroccan spice store--see which one is the most used!

Pickled vegetables--with harissa

Even the modern grocery stores, where we head to buy excellent Moroccan wines and other goodies, again before heading out on the road, have beautiful spice displays

Preserved lemons, chiles, olives, and more

Parting Shot:

One of many from my collection of chicken-store signs

Like life and love, recipes are meant to be shared, but please ask permission before using photos or text. Thanks!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Moroccan Textures and a Recipe

Beet Hummus with Black Tahini and Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar

Moroccan Textures and a Recipe for Beet Hummus with Black Tahini and Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar

by Victoria Challancin

Note: If you would like to be on my mailing list for information about my next Moroccan tour, email me at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com. Thanks!

Making black tahini in the blender

For a dinner I made on Friday for visiting friends, I featured 9 Moroccan salads, including this interloper: beet hummus. While not Moroccan at all, it blended with the other flavors beautifully, making it a perfect addition to the general panoply of dishes featuring a small portion of the myriad salads found on the Moroccan table (more on this soon, I promise). This dish was a stand-out and a favorite with everyone.

I first encountered a recipe for beet hummus on Serious Eats. Intrigued with a recipe that included three of my favorite ingredients, beets, chickpeas, and tahini, I knew I had to try it. When I discovered that it included black tahini, something totally new to me, the deal was clinched. Having just purchased a wickedly delicious cinnamon-pear balsamic vinegar from San Miguel's Olio Fino, which features olive oils and balsamic vinegars with staggeringly fascinating flavors, I thought it would be a perfect addition to the hummus, and it was! Utterly delicious... Also, for more information on hummus, check out the post where I explain in depth the mystery of this oft-maligned and misused term (it includes a great recipe for a hummus platter as well).

When a special friend requested that I post this recipe as the first of many from Moroccan menu, how could I resist? For you, E.

Recipe: Black Tahini

(Recipe adapted from Serious Eats)

Cook's Notes: The original recipe calls for 1 cup black sesame seeds to 2 tablespoons oil. I found that the seeds I used required at least double the amount of oil plus a good pinch of kosher salt to give it the taste I was looking for. This is truly a recipe that requires tweaking. Because the seeds are black, you have to rely on your ose to tell when the seeds are sufficiently toasted, but it should only take about one minute.

1 cup black sesame seeds
3 to 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
A large pinch of kosher salt

Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.

Transfer the sesame seeds to a blender. Begin with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, adding it slowly. Add additional olive oil until you have the desired consistency, which is thick and creamy. Add salt and blend again. Adjust, adding more oil or salt, as required.

Recipe: Beet Hummus with Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar

(Recipe adapted from Serious Eats)

Cook's Notes: I used a delicious specialty balsamic vinegar, though regular would work fine. Fig balsamic would also be particularly nice. Looking for a sharp spicy hummus, I umphed the amount of tahini, garlic cumin as well, but this is completely a matter of taste. I also boiled the beets due to time, but roasting would yield a more complex flavor. As with the black tahini recipe itself, this one requires tweaking until you are happy with the balance of flavors. Even with the additional amounts I used, this dish was surprisingly mellow and gently flavored. Check the original recipe for a starting place and then play with it, as I did.

4 medium beets ( about 1 lb), cooked, peeled, and cubed

1 (15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar or other balsamic viengar

1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional as needed

Kosher salt to taste

Mint or chopped parsley to garnish

Place beets, chickpeas, cumin, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. With machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil, additional oil if needed. Season with salt to taste. Serve, drizzling with extra olive oil and a mint sprig or chopped parsley.

Serve with crusty bread, pita, or pita chips.

Moroccan Textures:

Morocco is truly a marvel at every conceivable level: the gentle people, the rich culture, the food (OMG, the food), the colors, the smells, the textures. Endlessly varied, it is an assault to the senses everywhere you turn. In my last post I offered you a few colors...today I give you textures...and for even more reasons why I visit Morocco every year, please check out my summary here.

Bronze doors on the royal palace in Fès

A polished ammonite fossil, approximately 18-inches wide, from Erfoud

Fishing boats and nets, Essaouira

A tagine decorated with corral and hennaed camel bone

A tea-seller's hat, Marrakech

Snails, ready to be dropped into rich anis-scented broth

A hammered tin container (for bread?) in front of zellij tilework (terra cotta tiles covered with enamel and set into plaster--these are several hundred years old) from our riad in Fès