The Southeast Michigan Slow Food Review

Shrimp Stuffed with Scallops

2009-07-14T23:09:00.003-04:00

This would make a great appetizer or tapa. It's simply fresh scallops, finely chopped and mixed with a little salt, garlic, paprika, and pepper, stuffed into a butterflied shrimp, drizzled with olive oil, and baked in a very hot oven until done. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon, and there you are!

Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian flavored butter)

2009-07-12T13:34:00.013-04:00

Continuing on with my Ethiopian food kick that was triggered by a visit to Blue Nile a few weeks ago...

Niter Kibbeh is a clarified butter flavored with various herbs and spices that is used in much of traditional Ethiopian cooking. I decided to make a batch today before proceeding with the rest of my Ethiopian cooking experiments. You can make a traditional one, with butter, or a vegan version, using margarine and olive oil.

Niter Kibbeh

In a heavy saucepan, heat:

2lb unsalted butter

1/2 lb margarine
1/2 lb olive oil

Add to this:

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cardamom seeds, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 tablespoon fresh basil

Cook over very low heat for between 45 minutes and an hour. If you're using butter, cooking until the butter solids have precipitated out, leaving a clear, golden liquid.

Strain through cheesecloth or a very fine sieve, making sure no particles pass through. This will keep without refrigeration for many months.

Once it's solidified, the butter becomes opaque, and the color changes as well:

The flavor is actually rather milder than you'd expect.

By the way... if you've never made clarified butter before, be prepared for some serious work getting the carmelized milk solids out of the pan!

Kang's Coffee Break

2009-07-12T10:32:00.005-04:00

We happened to be in the student ghetto area on South U around dinner time, feeling particularly hungry, when we noticed Kang's Coffee Break (1327 South University), which advertises authentic Korean cuisine. There were a few Koreans eating there when we arrived, which is always a good omen.

Kang's is a small place, with a counter dividing the kitchen from the main room, which itself has a few tables arranged in rows and a few seats along the window. But they have a decent sized menu, with 22 entrees, 11 soups and stews, and 9 appetizers. We ordered a plate of potstickers to start, a Bul Go Ki, and a Chap Chae Bop. That's Chap Chae with rice- they also offer a version with rice cakes.

The entrees arrived first, along with two cups cup of delicious soup (beef broth with miso, I think), two kimchee and two sukju namool. Everything was very tasty, and very authentically Korean, at least in our experience. The Chap Chae was especially delicious.

By the time the potstickers arrived we were close to full, so they came home with us. Prices are very reasonable- most entrees are between $7 and $8, and make a filling lunch or dinner. I expect we'll be back many more times to explore the rest of the menu.

Leftover Potato Omlette

2009-07-10T10:52:00.004-04:00

I had a number of extra boiled potatoes in the fridge, and yesterday one became the basis of a hearty lunch.

I began by heating a small amount of olive oil in a pan, and adding large potato I'd grated on my ubiquitous 4-sided grater, using the largest holes.

I gently formed this into cake, using a spatula, and cooked it until it began to brown. Then I poured over it two beaten eggs to which I'd added salt, pepper, and minced fresh parsley. I flipped it once, and there you have it.

You could enhance this dish by adding cooked onions- cook them in the pan before adding the potatoes, and then toss the mixture together- or grated cheese. Or you could toss the potatoes with cooked onions and peppers and cheese and leave out the egg. Improvise!

Ethiopian Lentils (and a trip to the market)

2009-07-09T22:58:00.004-04:00

I took a trip to Kashat Market today to pick up a few vegetables, and this is what I returned with: Red peppers, eggplants, parsley (curly and flat), long beans, red onions, lemons, bulgar (cracked wheat), red lentils, and pita. Enough for a dozen meals or more. Total cost? $18.

The red lentils are for an Ethiopian dish called Mesir Wat. Here's a simple recipe I found.

Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Red Lentils)

Puree:

2 onions
2 cloves garlic
2t ginger

in a food processor or blender, adding a few teaspoons of water if necessary. Heat:

1/4 c clarified butter or oil

in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add:

2T paprika
1t turmeric
1/2-2t cayenne pepper (to taste)

and stir for a minute. The oil should pick up the color of the turmeric.

Add the pureed onion, garlic and ginger, and cook until mostly dry.

Add

1lb red lentils
4c water

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils are cooked, adding water if the mixture gets too dry.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a side dish, or as part of a traditional Ethiopian meal.

None of the recipes I've found specify exactly what kind of onions to use; a little research reveals that shallots have been the predominant allium grown in Ethiopia for many years. Red onions taste similar, and would make a reasonable substitute, I think.

Another bit of research suggests that rather than plain clarified butter, many Ethiopian dishes are cooked in a spiced butter called niter kibbeh. In addition to the spices already in this dish, it contains cardamom, nutmeg, fenugreek, cinnamon and cloves. But that's a project for another time. First, I have to try the basic recipe- and I'll report back how it went.

Mango Nectarines?

2009-07-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

I found these "mango nectarines" at Westborne Market today for $2.49/lb. They do have the color of mangoes. Take a look at that flesh:

As for the flavor- they taste pretty much like any other nectarine.

Barbecued Chicken

2009-07-06T11:45:00.004-04:00

I decided to have 40 close friends over for a post-parade 4th of July barbecue, and the first choice for the menu was chicken, marinated and grilled with the help of my friend Peter, who drove 50 miles to have a relaxing afternoon at a barbecue, only to discover that he was being put to work. (Thanks again, P.) Peter also reminded me that it's very important to trim excess fat off the meat "so you don't get quite as many grill fires."

It's important to pick the right piece of chicken. You want something that won't dry out before it's cooked, and for that reason, chicken breasts are not a good choice. They also tend to be relatively tasteless, as most chicken is slaughtered long before it develops and flavor. For that reason I prefer chicken thighs and sometimes drumsticks.

It's also important to use a good marinade.

Sure, you can make your own, but I can get this great Goya Mojo Criollo at Holiday Market from two dollars and change. Two bottles easily did 20 lbs of chicken. It contains orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and other spices, and results in a very tender and flavorful chicken. I also used some to marinate and bake leftover chicken the next day.

Last, invite friends who will bring lots of good side dishes and desserts.

Blue Nile

2009-07-06T11:29:00.003-04:00

While there are now three Blue Nile restaurants in Michigan, I almost always end up at the one end up at the one in Ferndale (545 W. 9 mile) as it's closest to me. The food is the same at all three: A large piece of Ethiopian fermented flatbread, called injera, on which is served various meat and vegetarian dishes. You scoop up a mouthful of your choice with another piece of injera torn from the stack at the side of the table and feed yourself and your dining companions. It's delicious and lots of fun.

Seen above is our serving a few minutes after it arrived at the table- when food is this tasty, often I can't get the camera ready before the food is half eaten. You can see more photos of Blue Nile food at their web site. Prices are reasonable, though not cheap- $18.90/person for the full feast, and $16.90/person for the vegetarian feast. Add a couple of Ethiopian iced teas or coffees ($1.95) and and two fruit sorbets ($4 each) for dessert, and it'll run you about $60 with tip and tax.

Stuffed Eggplant, with fish, meat, or tofu

2009-07-02T10:23:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of different ways to stuff eggplant; this one was based on a recipe I had for Chinese bitter melon stuffed with fish paste. The fish paste is easy- just take any mild tasting fish fillets and puree (using a food processor or mortar and pestle) with a little bit of salt. I added some cilantro, crushed garlic, and crushed ginger as well.

The small eggplants were sliced into 1/2" thick rounds which were sliced about halfway through, and then further hollowed out with the tip of the knife. A small amount of the fish mixture was placed in each slice. The slices were then dredged in corn starch and fried in 1/2" of peanut oil.

You could also do this using ground pork or turkey, mixing it with some black beans, garlic, and soy (or prepared black bean sauce). And I recall a "mock oyster" recipe I came across several years ago that used mashed tofu, seasoned with the same ingredients.

Favorite Chinese Food in Ann Arbor

2009-06-28T22:35:00.007-04:00

Regular readers know my two favorite eating spots in Ann Arbor- Asia Legend on William Street, and TK Wu on Liberty- and we managed to hit both this weekend and try some new dishes. First was dinner at Asia Legend. We started with a couple of specials- first the cold sesame noodles with cucumber.

Perfect for a hot summer night. Next, the Shrimp with Green Melon and Tofu. This is a very mild, cooling dish- very Yin- with a subtle, intriguing flavor.

And last, a perennial favorite- the braised beef in scallion pancake:

I didn't think we'd eat Chinese two days running- although hundreds of millions of Chinese do- but the following day, after two hours of strenuous kayaking, fighting the current of an overflowing Huron, we went to TK Wu for either a late lunch or an early dinner, starting with Cha-chun noodles with tofu and mushrooms- very tasty:

A vegetable- our favorite, pea tip with garlic-

and a new dish on the special authentic Chinese dishes menu, described (if I remember correctly) as Chef Special Chicken Steak. This was mouth-meltingly tender pieces of chicken and onions in a sweet sauce served on a sizzling hot iron platter. Definitely a new favorite.

Long Beans, two ways

2009-06-27T07:59:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite vegetables. They're popular in Chinese cooking, in Mideastern cooking, and perhaps in several other cuisines as well. You can trim the ends, cut them in 2-4" lengths and cook them as any other green bean, but they're particularly suited to dishes involving high heat and long cooking, as they hold up much better than the usual green bean in these conditions. I've seen then for $5-6 in specialty stores and expensive groceries, but they're $1.99/lb at most of the Chaldean and Chinese groceries around here.

Here's a classic bit of Chinese home cooking:

Long Beans with Pork and Garlic

Wash, trim, and cut into 2" lengths

1 lb long beans

Mix together

8oz ground pork
2t light soy sauce
1t dark soy sauce
2t salted black beans, rinsed and chopped
1t sesame oil
2t corn starch
a few twists of ground pepper

Heat your wok to high, and add

2T canola or peanut oil
1 minced garlic clove

As soon as the garlic is fragrant (don't let it burn!) add the pork mixture. Keep breaking it up as it cooks.

When the pork mixture is about almost done, lower the heat to medium, add the beans, and keep stirring until the beans are cooked but still crunchy- about 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove. Add another teaspoon of sesame oil, toss a few times, and serve.

If you don't eat pork... you could try substituting ground dark meat turkey. And if you're feeling a bit lazy, you can buy a prepared black bean and garlic sauce at most Chinese markets and in the Asian foods section of many groceries. Just substitute a tablespoon of the prepared sauce for the black beans, garlic and soy sauce.

And if you'd like an Iraqi recipe:

Lamb with Green Beans

Saute in oil until browned on all sides:

1 lb cubed lamb

Add:

1 onion, chopped
4c water

and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add:

1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in 2" lengths

and cook for 10 minutes. Add:

1 8oz can tomato paste
1t salt
1/2t baharat spice mixture

and cook for 15 minutes more. Serve with rice- preferably Basmati, cooked with a little butter or oil.

You can buy baharat at an Iraqi grocery, or mix your own:

1 T ground black pepper
2 T ground allspice
2 T ground cinnamon
1/4 T ground cloves
1/4 Table. ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Serviceberries!

2009-06-21T22:31:00.004-04:00

Sometimes there's food around you that you're not even aware of- like the three large Serviceberry (Amelanchier) bushes I planted outside my side porch around eight years ago. Last year I was reading the single most useful book on edible plants I've yet found, The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants, wherein I found a long section on the edibility of the Serviceberry. I tried a few ripe berries and discovered they tasted a bit like blueberries, but milder. Luckily the birds in my neighborhood have yet to discover them for some reason.

What to do with them? Sprinkle them on your cereal, as I did with these. Or make jam, or macerate them with a bit of sugar, and spoon over ice cream, or on cheesecake. Or just munch on them right off the bush.

Bangkok Cuisine

2009-06-20T22:41:00.001-04:00

Saturday night we went to the Bangkok Cuisine at 13 mile and Woodward, in Royal Oak, which I've always liked, and ordered a Pad Thai and a "Thai Boxing Chicken", described as grilled chicken with black pepper and garlic, served in a sweet sauce. What arrived was a single chicken breast, thickly sliced, with a bit of pepper on the outside, and a paper cup filled with bottled chili sauce... for $12.75. It was flavorless, dry, and we left most of it on the plate.

The Pad Thai wasn't bad, but increasingly it seems that all the Thai restaurants around here are drifting towards the same kind of bland, tasteless glop that characterizes most Chinese-American restaurants. The only Thai restaurants in Southeast Michigan that still rate high on my list are Marnee Thai and Lotus Thai, in Ann Arbor- which are both owned by a gentleman who also owns a number of restaurants in Thailand. They may be others, but these are the two I've had the best experience with.

Chinese Barbecued Ribs

2009-06-19T23:00:00.002-04:00

Found these at Fruitasia Market- a but you don't usually find in markets. You can cook them any number of ways, usually after cutting them into individual pieces. One is to deep fry them, and serve with a sweet sauce. Another is to stir fry them with various sauces- a friend is partial to a mix of Hoisin sauce and ketchup. I thought I'd barbecue them. This makes the choice of sauce easy:

Sure, you could also mix your own, but this works fine. After coating the ribs with sauce and marinating for a few hours, you could simply roast them in the oven, but I decided to cook them in the big barbecue, with indirect heat:

Notice how the coals are all piled up at one end? I cooked them at a fairly low temperature- probably under 300- so the fat would render and the ribs would be more tender. After a couple hours I removed them from the bbq and cut them into separate pieces for serving.

If you're barbecuing any sort of ribs, here's a trick I learned from a friend who in turned learned it from a good barbecue chef: Cook the ribs over a moderate heat for a few hours (with smoke, if you like) then wrap them tightly in foil with a fair amount of apple cider vinegar, and bake for another hour, either on the grill or in the oven. The acidity of the vinegar helps to break down the connective tissue and makes the ribs very tender.

Today's Tomato Sandwich

2009-06-19T22:56:00.002-04:00

Ripe tomatoes, leafy greens from the garden, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar on a toasted bun. Mmm.

Mideastern Pizza

2009-06-19T16:50:00.003-04:00

A quick dinner using naan bread from the Iraqi bakery. But wait, you say- isn't naan an Indian bread? Well, yes, but there's a lot of overlap in the world of food. The ancient Persians- Aryans, as they were also known- migrated through Northern India and on to Europe, where they became the modern Europeans. Later, the Turks advanced through Europe and got as far as Vienna twice, in the 16th and 17th Centuries, and they left a trail of cuisine along the way. Mediterranean cooking is largely Mideastern in origin.

On this naan I placed sliced tomatoes, onions, cooked eggplant, anchovies, basil, parsley, organo, salt, pepper, and a good drizzle of olive oil. About 20 minutes at 450F and there you have it.

Mahi-Mahi Poached in Olive Oil

2009-06-15T23:05:00.004-04:00

Continuing on with my favorite way of cooking fish: The fillets above- only $4.99/lb at TJ- were placed in a pan with a sliced shallot and a chopped garlic clover, and covered with oil- about 1/4c. The burner was set on high until the first bubbles started to form- and then turned down to the lowest setting, and the pan covered. I checked every few minutes, until the fish looked like this:

Perfectly done, moist, and tender. And very aromatic. Transfer to your serving dish with all the onions and a bit of the oil, and sprinkle with some fresh parsley or maybe thyme. You can strain the oil, put it in the fridge, and use it again the next day- or just pour it out if you didn't use much.

(A good way to check if the fish is done is to test if it easily flakes apart when pulled with a fork.)

Baked Tofu Sandwich

2009-06-15T23:00:00.003-04:00

Tofu is such a wonderful ingredient- you can flavor it, change the texture, and make it into a million different things. For this sandwich I started with extra-firm tofu, whcih I sliced into four thin pieces. These were marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and a small amount of Chinese cooking wine, and then baked at 350F in a shallow baking dish with the marinade poured over the tofu. I checked every so often, and when the liquid had mostly been absorbed or evaporated I took the tofu from the oven and let it cool.

The sandwich you see is just a slice of the tofu over some avocado with olive oil drizzled on top. I added some mixed greens and that was it.

Tomato-Spinach Sandwich!

2009-06-15T22:58:00.003-04:00

This seemed like a good idea, and it was. Fresh ripe tomato, salt and pepper, mayonnaise, and baby spinach leaves, all on a toasted bun from Jerry's Iraqi Bakery.

The assembled sandwich. Is beautiful, no?

Garden Update

2009-06-11T20:31:00.003-04:00

This photo is a week old, and the herb garden already looks completely different. The leaf lettuce (back rows) is much bigger and the parsley is probably twice the size shown. I also have cilantro, thyme, marjoram, mint, thai basil, sorrel, curry plant, rosemary, bay laurel, and of course the giant loveage plant seen in the upper left.

Roasted Chickepeas with Dukkah

2009-06-09T22:09:00.003-04:00

Another use for that Egyptian spice mixture I made the other day.

Rinse and drain cooked chickpeas (canned are okay) and dry thoroughly. Toss with olive oil, spread out on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until they reach the desired state of crunchiness. Toss the hot chickpeas with some salt and the spice mixture, and let cool.

These keep well in a sealed container.

Barbecue at Peter and Julie's

2009-06-08T19:30:00.004-04:00

Saturday night we had an impromptu grilled dinner with our friends Peter and Julie. I stopped at Bush Market on the way and grabbed several pounds of chicken thighs, a few pounds of small Yukon Gold potatoes, Videlia onions, a ready-made marinade (something I almost never buy- especially marinades with cutesy names- but we were in a hurry as it was getting late)...

...and some little pre-packaged pork tenderloins that came individually wrapped, each with a slice of bacon around it, for $1 a piece. I don't usually buy that sort of thing but my curiosity was piqued, and they turned out excellent. That's them on the right of the plate, below, along with grilled carrots and onions:

I may have set the menu, but Peter is the acknowledged grillmaster, and it was he who produced the chicken seen at the top of this page.

As we were short on grill space, the potatoes were sliced in half, microwaved a total of 10 minutes, then tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and put in a 400F oven until they were browned.

The dinner actually took surprisingly little time to prepare and was a huge hit with all attending. We finished the evening sitting around the fire with coffee and brownies.

Dukkah

2009-05-31T21:28:00.007-04:00

Dukkah is Egyptian street food and snack food- a mixture of toasted nuts, dried herbs, and spices eaten by dipping a piece of pita into olive oil, and then into the dukkah. Here's a simple recipe.

Start by toasting:

1/2 cup hazelnuts

in a 350F oven for 5-10 minutes. Next, pan toast the following, one at a time:

1/4 cup coriander seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Keep stirring the seeds until they start to turn color or give off a strong aroma- just a few minutes over high heat. As soon as each is ready, transfer it from the hot pan to a cool bowl.

Last, add to the previous ingredients:

1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1 teaspoon salt

..and then crush in a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a food processor until you have a medium fine mixture- but not a paste.

To serve, dip pita bread in good olive oil and sprinkle with the dukkah.

Nippon Grille, Berkley Michigan

2009-05-31T17:41:00.004-04:00

We finally got over to Nippon Grille, at 2959 West 12 Mile Road last night, and it was well worth the wait. Between the four of us we had goyoza, seafood tempura, udon, yakisoba, various sushi, and mango and lichi sherbert. All of it was pronounced excellent. Prices are reasonable, the atmosphere casual and relaxed, and the service friendly and efficient. This is a great neighborhood restaurant that also offers takeout and catering- you can see their full menu here. You can bet we'll be back before too long.

Tamales with Mango Salsa

2009-05-29T06:56:00.002-04:00

Another use for the sweet-spicy mango salsa I made the other day: Served over tamales I bought at Holiday Market. One of these days I'm actually going to make tamales, but for now, these locally made ones (from a supplier in Southwest Detroit) are pretty good.