January 2019 Dinner - Ottolenghi theme

In January we got together for our first dinner of 2019.  Our theme was Ottolenghi.  I chose this theme because I thought the fact that he has many interesting vegetable dishes would be a great challeng for the beginning of the new year.

We started with a Grilled Leeks with Spring Onions appetizer made by Christiane

I found the recipe online in The Guardian and just loved the colors. Copying it here so we do not lose it.

Grilled leeks and spring onions with dolcelatte and pickled onions

Ingredients

1½ tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
⅛ tsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed
¼ tsp pink peppercorns
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 leeks, trimmed, cut in half lengthways and then into 6cm-long pieces (450g net weight)
60ml olive oil
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, cut in half lengthways and then into 6cm-long pieces (75g net weight)
60g mascarpone
30g dolcelatte
1½ tbsp double cream
5g chives, cut into 2cm lengths

½ red onion (about 60g), peeled and very finely sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)

Put the first eight ingredients in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Thoroughly massage the onions in the mixture, then leave to pickle for at least an hour.

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Lay the leeks cut side up on a 25cm x 35cm oven tray and season with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Drizzle over two and a half tablespoons each of the oil and of cold water, and roast for 15 minutes, until the leeks are beginning to soften and blacken around the edges. Scatter the spring onions over the leeks, add a pinch of salt and half a tablespoon of oil, and return to the oven for eight minutes. Turn the oven grill to its highest setting, then grill the vegetables for four minutes until they are charred and soft, but not burned. Leave to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk the mascarpone, dolcelatte, cream, a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper until combined and smooth.

Once the leeks and spring onions are cool, use a fish slice to slide them on to a serving platter (so keeping the leeks cut side up). Drop dollops of the cheese-and-cream mixture haphazardly all over the vegetables.

Combine the chives with the remaining tablespoon of oil, then dribble all over the top of the vegetables and cheese. Spoon on the pickled onions (including their pickling liquid and aromatics), and serve at room temperature

Next we had Parsnip Dumplings in Broth made by Katharina

This was from an Ottolenghi vegetable cookbook that I borrowed from the library.

For the broth:

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

5 celery stickes, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, quartered

1/2 celeriac, peeled and chopped

7 garlic cloves, peeled

5 thyme sprigs

2 small bunches parsley

10 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

8 prunes

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add all the vegetables and the garlic and saute for a few minutes until they colour lightly. Add herbs, spices and prunes and cover with cold water. Simmer for 1.5 hours, adding more water as needed, to have enough liquid for 4 portions at the end. Strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pan. Set aside.

For the dumplings:

1/2 pound russet potato (1 small), peeled and diced

1.5 cups parsnip, peeled and diced

1 garlic clove

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/3 cup semolina

1 egg

salt and white pepper

Cook the potato, parsnip and garlic in plenty of boiling salted water until soft; drain well. Wipe dry the pan and put the vegetables back inside. Add the butter and saute on medium heat for a few minutes to get rid of the moisture. While hot, mash with a potato masher. Add flour, semolina, egg and salt and pepper and mix until incorporated. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.

Reheat the broth and taste for seasoning. In another pan, bring some salted water to a light simmer. Dip a teaspoon into the water and use it to spoon out the dumpling mix into the water. Once the dumplings come up to the surface, leave to simmer for 30 seconds, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Ladle the hot broth into bowls. Place the dumplings in the broth, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

For the main course, I made Lamb Siniya, from Ottolenghi's newest cookbook, Simple

Lamb Siniyah

This is the Middle Eastern equivalent of shepherd's pie, with a tahini crust standing in for the layer of mashed potato.  It's a rich and comforting dish, making a star of both the tahini and the stewed lamb.

This stew can be made well in advance - a day or two ahead, if kept in the fridge or frozen - ready for the tahini sauce and baking.  Serve with bulghur or rice.

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup/60ml olive oil

2 small onions (1 3/4 cups/250g), finely chopped

6 medium celery stalks (2 cups/250g) thinly sliced

1 tsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp. baharat spice mix (see below)

2 lb 2oz/1 kg stewing lamb (shoulder, leg, or neck), cut into 3/4"/2cm chunks

salt and black pepper

1 lb 2oz/500g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 cup/40g parsley, chopped

Tahini sauce:

2/3 cup/200g tahini

1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

2/3 cup/160ml water

salt

1. Put 2 tbsp of the oil into a 8-inch/20cm casserole pan and place over medium heat.  Add the onions and celery and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft.  Add the tomato paste and baharat, cook for another 2 minutes, then tip into a large bowl.  Keep the pan as it is; you don't need to rinse or wipe it.

2. Season the lamb with 3/4 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper.  Add 1 1/2 tsp of the oil to the same pan and place over medium-high heat.  Add 1/4 of the lamb and fry for 3 minutes, turning throughout so that all sides get browned.  Transfer to the bowl of onions and repeat with the remaining lamb, adding 1 1/2 tsp of oil to the pan with each batch.  Return all the lamb and vegetables to the pan and stir in two-thirds of the tomatoes, the paprika, 1/2 tsp salt and plenty of black pepper.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 70 minutes, covered, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick.  You might need to remove the lid for the last 5 or 10 minutes, for the sauce to thicken up.  (Kim's note: I used a 28oz can of Trader Joe's crushed tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes and I neglected to only add 2/3 of the can.  My meat was tender at 70 minutes and my sauce was already quite thick so no need to cook additional time).

Stir in the pine nuts, parsley, and remaining tomatoes and set aside.

3. About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  

4. To make the tahini sauce, whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, the water and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.  The consistency should be pourable - thick like heavy cream - so add a bit more water if you need to.  Pour this evenly over the lamb and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, untl the tahini sauce has thickened.  Uncover the pan and bake for another 20 minutes, uncovered, for the tahini sauce to turn golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and then serve.

Baharat Seasoning 

from www.daringgourmet.com

Ingredients:

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp cardamom seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

(Kim's notes: I halved this recipe and it made a little more than I needed for the lamb dish)

Instructions:

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and dry roast the whole spices/seeds (set aside the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg) until they become very fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, tossing regularly to prevent scorching. Transfer them to a bowl and allow them to cool completely before grinding them in a spice or coffee grinder along with the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep stored in an airtight glass jar.

For dessert, Lauren made Rum and Raisin Cake with Rum Caramel Icing from Sweet.

Rum and raisin cake with rum caramel icing

The cookbook has the recipe in US measurements. a 23 cm Bundt is a 9 cup (9x3) in US measurements.

We make this in a 23cm bundt tin. If you don’t have one, use a 23cm round springform tin instead – it won’t look quite as pretty, but it will still work. The raisins need to be prepared a day ahead, so they’re nice and plump from soaking up all the booze. Iced or un-iced, this cake will keep for two to three days in an airtight container. Serves eight to 10.

200g raisins
120ml dark rum
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
250g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
250g light brown muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 large eggs
200g soured cream

For the rum caramel icing
60g unsalted butter
80g light brown muscovado sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp dark rum
100g icing sugar, sifted

And approx. US measurements instead of Metric:

Cake

• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 2 1/3 cups (300 g) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups (240 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Rum Caramel Icing

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 cup (120 g) confectioners sugar

A day ahead, put the raisins and rum in a large jar or container for which you have a lid. Give it a good shake and leave to macerate for a day. Whenever you walk past the jar, give it another shake.

The next day, heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5, and grease and flour a 23cm round bundt tin.

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place, and beat on a medium-high speed until smooth and light. Add the eggs one a time, beating well after each addition, then reduce the speed to low and, with the machine running, add the flour mix alternately with the soured cream, beginning and ending with the flour mix, to stabilise the mixture and prevent it from curdling. Finally, add the soaked raisins and rum, and mix on a low speed just to combine.

Scrape the mix into the tin, smooth the top, and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Take the cake from the oven, leave for 15 minutes, then invert on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Make the icing only when you are ready to serve. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, then add the sugar and cook for one minute, stirring continuously, until the mix comes together. Add the milk, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the rum, mix well and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cool, beat in half the icing sugar using a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, add the remaining icing sugar and beat until thick and smooth. Spread the icing all over the top of the cake, letting it run slowly down the sides, leave to set a little and serve.