cook the mag: bon appetit's feta with sumac and black sesame seeds

If you would have said to me, say three years ago, "Batya, how are the Broncos doing this season?" I would have shrugged and stared back at you blankly. The confused look might have been followed by something like, "You mean the football team, right? The one from Denver?" But that would have been the extent of it. I come from a long line of Yankee stock, and other than baseball, we didn't follow other sports. Football hardly registered at all.

Things changed exactly one year ago when my husband's cousin Melissa gave us tickets to see the Denver Broncos, a gift for our 5th anniversary. It was my first trip to the stadium, and even though I was hopped up on meds (following a diagnosis of acute tonsillitis with an extreme form of strep), I fell in love with the sport. Football is a religion around here, and I've become a pretty faithful practitioner. I'll admit that I don't know every rule or intricate detail of the game, but my heart is definitely in it. 

In addition to cheering for the home team, Sunday football has become a catalyst for our weekend gatherings too. Sometimes we head over to our neighbors' house, other times we host at our home. And since there's never really enough time to clean the house and cook a meal, I opt for dishes that are big on flavor and easy to make. Last week's menu included olives (the good kind), a cheese plate, hummus (2 ways),shakshuka (sauce made the night before), and this feta sumac spread from Bon Appetit. Though our team didn't win the game (don't worry, they're still in 1st place), we all had a great time. And isn't that what football gatherings are really about? (S

xx, 

Batya

Feta with Sumac and Black Sesame Seeds (Courtesy of Alison Roman for Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2014)

Ingredients

1½ pound feta, sliced ¼” thick

1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram leaves (optional, I made it with and without) 

1½ teaspoon black sesame seeds

1½ teaspoon ground sumac

Olive oil (for drizzling)

Crackers (for serving)

Preparation

Divide feta among small serving dishes. Top with oregano, sesame, and sumac. Drizzle with oil; serve with crackers.

Notes: 

If you're looking for really good cheese, olives, crackers- that sort of thing- and you live in Denver, head over to the Truffle Cheese Shop on 6th Avenue. It's one of the best in the city. 

Sumac, a tart, citrusy spice, is available at Middle Eastern markets or specialty foods stores. I have a friend who brings back sumac from the Middle East (Lebanon), but when I run out I head over to Arash Market in Aurora. 

rocky mountain arsenal wildlife refuge + a breakfast shakshuka

If you are a parent with a small child (or children), my guess is that you are about to (or already have) spent a whole lot of time with your kids. It's winter break and most preschools are closed for the holidays. My own children have been off since December 20th and classes don't resume until January 7th! Yup. There's a whole lot of quality time taking place up in here...

Since winter break began, we have visited the Children's Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Museum of Nature and Science (also referred to in our household as "The Dinosaur Museum"). Joyce, our fabulous realtor, cooked a five-course dinner at our home for some friends (party!) and we ate lots of delicious food at Christmas Eve dinner…and even more yumminess at a lunch the following day. I felt like a walk was in order and I wanted to do something new…

So when my friend Kelly asked me if I wanted to go to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, I was game. It was also going to be 60 degrees in Denver (we are having a stretch of mild weather), so really, how could I refuse? I don't know why I hadn't visited the refuge before-- it's so close and so cool!

The refuge sits on about 15,000 acres and it's only 10 miles outside of Denver. I would liken it to the distance between Manhattan and Jacob Riis beach; you can't believe it's so close and yet it seems so far away. The refuge has gone from Native American hunting grounds, to homesteader farmland, to a WWII weapons arsenal and an Army chemical manufacturing facility (I believe sarin and mustard gas were produced here), to land leased to the Shell Oil Company. The arsenal was quite controversial until it closed in 1992, but then it was cleaned up (a major urban achievement) and turned into a wildlife refuge, managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Today you can find more than 330 species of wildlife at the former arsenal.

We parked in the lot near the Visitor's Center and immediately spotted two coyotes. The kids colored coyote masks, howled a bit, alarmed some of the other visitors, and we snagged free exploration packs (borrowed for the day), complete with magnifying glasses, nets and bird charts. Then we set off in the direction of the bison (you have to drive, you can't walk or bike due to safety concerns).


After viewing some bison (we saw calves too!), we walked around both lakes and set up a picnic lunch. The views of the Rocky Mountains were breathtaking. If you are looking for someplace near the city and want to see wildlife, this is the place to do it! It's a hidden gem that's right in your own backyard. 





 


Getting there: It takes about 15-20 minutes from our home in the Congress Park section of Denver (close to the Botanic Gardens). 
Admission: Free!
Activities: The new Visitor's Center has a lot of information, colorful wall panels and a kids activities room. Pick up an exploration pack too!

***

Hiking or walking on an empty stomach is a big no-no in my book. I get grumpy and so do the boys. So before we set out on our arsenal excursion, I made this simple and super tasty dish. Shakshuka, eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, is one of my favorite things to eat in the morning and it's relatively easy to make. I've posted the dish before and I've been playing around with the recipe ever since.
For that post I used an old Saveur recipe, adapted by Smitten Kitchen. This time I futzed around with the original recipe and made a few adjustments- but they were pretty minimal. Instead of using 8 cloves of garlic, I used 5. I also used 3 jalapeño peppers instead of 5 Anaheim chiles. Instead of crushing the tomatoes by hand, I pureed them (I like the sauce a little bit smooth, though there is some bite thanks to the peppers and onions) and I cooked the sauce longer than suggested, until the garlic was really soft (that's just my preference).
I firmly believe that recipes are meant to be tinkered with, so fool around with it until you find what tastes best to  you. 
Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce, Shakshuka
(Adapted from Saveur)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1  28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained (I puree them)

Kosher salt, to taste

8 eggs (I always use at least 6)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Warm pita, for serving

1. Heat the oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat (I love using my cast iron skillet for this dish). Add the chiles and the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes (this step takes me 5-7 minutes).

2. Put the tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush them with your hands (see note above, I favor pureed tomatoes). Add the crushed (or pureed) tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 20 minutes (sometimes longer, taste it). Season the sauce with salt.

3. Crack the eggs over the sauce so that the eggs are evenly distributed across the sauce's surface. Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle the shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pita, for dipping.

You can find the original recipe here.

Share it with a group of friends, a loved one, some kids…or just gobble it up yourself! Enjoy!
xo,
Batya

Other shakshuka recipes that I can not wait to try:
This one from David Leibovitz
This one from Kate Bradley's Kenko Kitchen
This one from Melissa Clark at the New York Times

In Instagram: Coffee & Pie (Ottolenghi and Tamimi's Jerusalem Herb Pie)...and link love!

It's been almost 15 years since my mother escorted me on a 3-day road-trip from New York City to Madison, Wisconsin, which is where I originally started law school (this was long before I realized that I did not actually want to be an attorney). And it was on that road-trip that I figured out just how different we sounded from some of our Midwestern countrymen. Less me, more my mother. 
My mother's accent is 100% pure Bronx. She grew up in the 1950s and 60s on the Grand Concourse (which if you're wondering, does have the second largest collection of Art Deco architecture outside of Miami). The accent is very particular and it's distinct from its more popularized Brooklyn counterpart. As for my accent, I like to think that I don't really have one. Maybe it's slightly more pronounced if I drink a few glasses of wine, or right after I've talked with my mother on the phone. But for the most part, I think that I can 'pass' as someone who is generally from the Northeast, or mid-Atlantic...unless I say the words dog, ball or coffee...

..which brings me to Novo Coffee. They're one of the top 10 roasters in the country, and they happen to roast right here in Denver. Their coffee is served at some of the city's top restaurants, but there aren't too many places where you can buy their beans retail. So I was happy to discover that their warehouse is open on Friday between 1 and 3 pm for retail purchases. (I'd call before you go- just to confirm.)

Last month I finally found some time to check it out. I was greeted by Herb Brodsky, a co-founder of Novo. And it took me less than a minute to peg his accent... 
This Bronx-born coffee roaster relocated to Denver back in 1995 and started his business shortly thereafter. But geographic kinship aside, Novo roasts some of the best beans I've ever tasted- thanks in part to their master-roaster Erich Rosenberg. My boys and I toured the facility and I schmoozed with Herb. And for a brief moment he suspected that he had dated my mother. But there were lots of ladies with the surname Goldstein in the Bronx in those days, so it was an easy mistake to make. It turns out they never dated.

On the hunt for more good coffee and/or cappuccino, I also found The Humble Pie, which is located in the Baker Historic District of the city. In addition to great coffee, they also have some of the best pies around. There are savory and sweet options, so obviously I got one of each.

Feeling inspired by both coffee and pie, I decided to drink a nice cup of joe while scouring my favorite blogs and cookbooks for some pie ideas. I found an herb pie recipe from Jerusalem that looked so good, I just had to make it...even though it's a bit different from the pies that originally inspired me at The Humble Pie.

I hope you like this pick. It reminds me (a bit) of my favorite Moosewood Spanakopita...just with more herbs. 

Notes on the pie: I couldn't find the right kind of ricotta (the one that crumbles, not the one you use in baked ziti), so I used Myzithra-- a Greek substitute that I think worked really well. Also, and I can't really explain this one, I couldn't find any arugula at the supermarket. I went to two grocery stores, and they were both sold out. (Does Colorado have an obsession for arugula that I don't know about?) A man stocking the produce section told me to come back on Monday. And I was thinking, "Are you kidding, me? I can't wait three whole days to make this pie!" So I went ahead and substituted fresh spinach for the arugula. 

Due to a 'situation' with my youngest son Theodore, the pie got baked a bit too long (the recommended time of 40 minutes is probably perfect), but it was still really good. I'm now 3-for-3 with Yotam and Sami's new cookbook.
And here you go...

Herb Pie (adapted slightly from Yotam Ottoleghi and Sami Tamimi's Jerusalem)
Serves 4 
This pie can happily sit at the center of a vegetarian meal.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing the pastry
1 large onion, diced
1 lbs. Swiss chard, stems and leaves finely shredded but kept separate
3-4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 scallions (green onion), chopped
1 large bunch fresh spinach (The original recipes uses 1 3/4 ounces of arugula, which I think the British call rocket.)
1 ounce flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I used between 1/2-3/4 cup)
1 ounce fresh mint, chopped (I used between 1/2-3/4 cup)
2/3 ounce dill, chopped (I used about 1/2 cup)
4 ounces of anari or ricotta cheese, crumbled (I used about 3/4 cup of Myzithra)
3 1/2 ounces aged cheddar, grated (I used about 3/4 cup)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used about 2 small, but full, handfuls)
the grated zest of 1 lemon
2 medium free-range eggs
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of superfine sugar

9 ounces filo pastry 

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Pour the olive oil into a deep frying-pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 8 minutes without browning. Add the chard stems and the celery and continue cooking for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chard leaves, increase the heat to medium-high and stir as you cook for 4 minutes, until the leaves wilt. Add the scallion/green onion, spinach (or arugula) and herbs and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and transfer to a colander to cool. 
• Once the mixture is cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and transfer to a mixing bowl. (I didn't have much water to drain-- probably because I'm at altitude and the water evaporates more quickly.) Add the three cheeses, lemon zest, eggs, salt, pepper and sugar and mix well.
• Lay out a sheet of filo pastry and brush it with some olive oil. Cover with another sheet and continue in the same manner until you have 5 layers of filo brushed with oil, all covering an area large enough to line the sides and bottom of a 8 1/2-inch pie dish, plus extra to hang over the rim. Line the pie dish with the pastry, fill with the herb mix and fold the excess pastry over the edge of the filling, trimming the pastry as necessary to create a 3/4 inch border.
• Make another set of 5 layers of filo brushed with oil and place them over the pie. Scrunch the pastry a little to create a wavy, uneven top and trim the edges so it just covers the pie. Brush generously with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filo turns a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

* * *

link love...

an interesting read on buffalo mozzarella. 
discovery of the week. and they run a fabulous company.
another new-to-me food blog.
ordered this. 
time is up!
building that bridge... 
on the book shelf (thanks Jo Ellen for the recommendation).
a fabulous looking winter salad (thanks, Yana).

Please note: These are heart-felt recommendations. I have no business relationship or sponsorship with Novo Coffee, The Humble Pie or any of the links mentioned on this blog. 

A Market Inspiration: Swiss Rösti topped with Shakshuka

Last week I took the boys to the Denver Christkindl Market, a traditional German Christmas market that replicates the kind of markets that have existed in Germany and throughout parts of Western Europe for over 700 years. The month-long market (which ends on December, 22) is located at Skyline Park in Downtown Denver, right on 16th Street at Arapahoe. 

Vendors are selling German crafts (ornaments, biersteins, wood-carved toys, lace, nesting dolls, etc.) from traditional wooden stalls. 

And in addition to the crafts (which were quite beautiful), there's lots of great food: cinnamon pretzels, German pastries, crepes, and bratwurst, to name a few.... 

 

You can eat your culinary treats (and drink some Glühwein too) in a large tent at the end of the market. The tent is filled with picnic tables and benches, a bar, and a stage designated for musical performances.

One of my favorite food vendors at the market is Latke Love. They are serving traditional potato latkes (which I always considered quintessential Jewish food from Eastern Europe, but turns out also exists as a German dish called Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen). I got the classic: latkes topped with applesauce and cinnamon whipped cream. I'm also a big fan of their other vegetarian option, Oy Vey Caliente!- where latkes are piled high and topped with green chili and a poached egg. Delicious!(For the omnivores, there are meat options too.)  

Now many cuisines have potato latkes, they just go by a different name. 
In Germany the latke is called Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen. In Luxembourg you'd order Gromperekichelcher. Poles slather their placki ziemniaczane in sour cream. Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians call their potato pancake deruny or draniki. And the Swiss have Rösti, a very large potato pancake that's a lot like a latke, except it doesn't contain eggs or flour. 
There are variations on rösti: some recipes add herbs like rosemary and caraway seeds. Others add meat, eggs or cheese. But they are all basically grated potato, that's been pressed and fried in a pan. 

This rösti recipe, considered the definitive version, is from Restaurant Della Casa in Bern. It was first published in the January/February 1998 issue of Saveur magazine. And last month, in celebration of Saveur's 150th issue, they reprinted it under 150 Classic Recipes. (I also saw it on Lottie + Doof, one of my favorite food blogs.)

Rösti: Swiss Hash Browns (Courtesy of Saveur Magazine) 

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

2¼ lb. russet potatoes (about 3 large)

2 tbsp. lard or unsalted butter

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes, and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Peel potatoes, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Grate potatoes using the large holes on a cheese grater; set aside.

2. Heat butter (or lard) and oil in an 8" nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When lard has melted, add potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and mix well, coating potatoes with fat. Using a metal spatula, gently press potatoes, molding them to fit the skillet. Cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

3. Cover skillet with a large inverted plate, invert the rösti over onto plate, then slide it back into the skillet, cooked side up; cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with salt, and cut into wedges to serve. 

Now rösti is plenty delicious on its own, but I was feeling inspired by the latke toppings I'd seen at the market. I decided to top the potatoes with shakshuka, a fabulous dish whereby eggs are simmered in a spicy tomato sauce. 

I used a tried-and-true recipe that I've posted here, but  made a few adaptations:

• Omitted the peppers and instead added a few pinches of red pepper flakes.
• Omitted the fresh parsley and instead used a few pinches of dried parsley.
• Used 1/2 a small onion and added one shallot, chopped.
• Pulsed the sauce a few times with an immersion blender to give it more of a pomodoro-like consistency, which I thought would go better on top of the potatoes.

But get creative. Top the rösti with something you like. Or, you can do as Swiss purists do...and eat it like it's been eaten at Bern's Restaurant Della Casa for hundreds of years.
Happy holidays and happy eating! 

Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield (and Linguine with Lemon, Feta and Basil)

The other day I found myself wanting to leave the city. I didn't want to go too far, so I ruled out Rocky Mountain National Park. I was thinking about the Wildlife Sanctuary which is relatively close by, but decided to save that for a day when we had a few more hours to spare. I remembered that I hadn't been to the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield in quite some time and it was calling me.  

The satellite garden is a nature preserve that has grasslands, blooms and Hildebrand Ranch. The old ranch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it houses chickens, roosters, goats and ponies. We also met a large toad in the pond. Otis named him Walter. He wanted to "take him" and relocate Walter to our couch. I explained that the toad probably liked his natural environment a lot more than he would our home...and that his mom and dad would miss him dearly if we were to snag him, put him in a paper bag and bring him back to Denver. Otis seemed satisfied with my explanation. Walter was left in the pond. 

The garden is also affiliated with a local CSA  and if I lived a little bit closer I would have signed up for the season. But our long-term plans in Denver aren't certain, and I decided to forgo a CSA membership this year. Instead we will rely on the Denver Farmers Markets for our fruits and vegetables. I'm heading to the markets next week and I'm excited to see what they've got.

Back to the farm...

We spent a good deal of time in front of the chicken coup. Otis decided that this would be a good place to wrestle his baby brother Theo. As you can see from the photos below, the hens couldn't believe their eyes.  

There are lots of picnic benches in the gardens, so next time I'll bring some food and eat outside. And since Chatfield is only 30 minutes away from Denver, I think I'll be going back again soon...

When we got back from Chatfield, both boys feel asleep. It was quiet time in the house and I, not wanting to use all of nap time to cook, decided to make something super-simple that I had seen on Cookstr. And here it is...

Linguine with Lemon, Feta, Pinenuts and Basil (Courtesy of Cookstr, Gordon Ramsay)
The light and zesty flavor of this pasta dish makes it ideal for the summer. It's also quick and easy for supper during the week, because you are likely to have the ingredients on hand.
Yield : Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound fresh (or 10 ounces dried) linguine
¼ cup olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh basil, leaves only
7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Directions
Cook the fresh pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes. If using dried pasta, cook according to package directions until al dente. Tip the pasta into a colander, leaving about 2 tablespoons of the cooking water in the pot.
Immediately return the pasta to the pot and add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan, basil, and three-quarters of the crumbled feta. Toss well and check the seasoning. Divide among warm plates and scatter the remaining feta and the pine nuts over the top. Serve at once.