It all started when our lovely neighbor, Erica (the green thumbed guru in our Urban Gardens series), brought me a big bunch of fresh parsley plucked from her garden. The timing couldn’t have been better. I had already started making this tabbouleh but I was going to make it without parsley because I had just used my last bit in homemade veg stock. Now my recipe just got better!

Traditionally Tabbouleh, a Lebanese dish, is predominately made of up of parsley with the bulgur and other ingredients taking the back seat. The Americanized version has bulgur being the main ingredient and everything else is used to complement that flavor, such as this version. This recipe still has the Middle Eastern flair though, from the addition of cumin and coriander to spice it up. Both of these spices are renowned as having health and nutritional benefits not to mention adding great flavour.

Coriander is considered both an herb and a spice since both its leaves and its seeds are used as a seasoning condiment. When I first moved to the States I had to adjust to coriander being called ‘cilantro’, with coriander referring to the seeds. In Europe coriander refers to the leafy plant as well as the seeds. To clear up any confusion, the leafy cilantro/coriander plant produces seeds which, when dried, are the portions used as the dried spice, and like cumin, coriander seeds are available whole or in ground powder form. That’s a mouthful! Along with containing a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals, coriander is known to aid in digestion, is believed to help lower cholesterol and ongoing studies are showing coriander might contain a powerful weapon to naturally fight the Salmonella bacteria. Good to know, especially these days!

RECIPE:
Serves 8

2 1/2 cups bulgur wheat
8 oz sugar snap peas
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp (1/4 cup) fresh mint – chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup fresh parsley – chopped
1 lemon – zested
1/2 lemon – juiced
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by putting the bulgur in a large mixing bowl and cover with plenty of cold water, about an inch above the grain. Let soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, drain and using your muscles, squeeze out the excess liquid. In a small bowl add all remaining ingredients except for peas. Whisk ingredients together and pour over bulgur. Mix well. Taste and season with S&P. Let stand for 30 minutes to absorb flavour.

Meanwhile, in a preheated large saute pan, add sugar snap and garden peas with 1/2 cup water. Loosely lay sheet of foil over and cook peas for 1 minute. Give them a stir after 30 seconds.
Drain and pat dry. Add to bulgur mixture and combine all ingredients together. Taste and season and you’re ready to rock!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Here we are at our final week of Spice Month and these last two spices came in neck and neck in the race. So this week will feature both Cumin and Coriander and luckily they taste great together!

This first recipe was inspired by my days back in Ballymaloe Cookery School. This was a dish we would make using chicken paired with mint raita, so I knew the flavours worked well but I had never tried it with fish. Basically I used the spice mix much like you would when you’re “blackening” fish. Blackened - A cooking technique where meat or fish is coated with a seasoning mixture of spices in a skillet that is heated until oil added to the pan reaches its smoke point. This technique gives the food a crust and sears in the juices. NOTE: Ideally you’d use Grape seed oil as it gets to a higher temperature before smoking. I, however didn’t have any so I used my go-to olive oil.

As it turned out the crust using the cumin-coriander combo worked great but I didn’t feel it would go with the usual raita so I decided to pick (rob) some fresh tomatoes and make a lovely coulis with fennel and red pepper as well. There’s something so fulfilling using fresh ingredients from the garden (or shall I say neighbor’s garden!) Cheers Cristina!
Disclaimer: That’s not my hand in the photo! Couldn’t tell you whose it is.

RECIPE:

Serves 2

2 x 4-5 oz wild Pacific Halibut portions

Spice Rub:
2 tbsp cumin seeds – roasted in dry saute pan for 3-4 minutes
3 tbsp ground coriander
pinch sweet paprika
1/4 tsp salt
You’ll have extra for next time.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix the spice rub mixture together and dredge the fish in the rub on all sides. Set aside.
Preheat non-stick skillet and add drizzle olive oil.
Sear fish on medium high heat, on all sides for 1 minute until golden. Place on foiled oven tray and pop in the oven for 4 minutes until cooked through or internal temperature of 160F.
Let rest for 5 minutes after cooking.

Tomato Fennel Sauce:
4  tomatoes – core removed and roughly chopped
1/2 fennel bulb – core removed, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper – seeds removed, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat saucepan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add peppers & saute for 1 minute, stirring. Add fennel and tomatoes and stir together. Cover with cartouche.
Simmer on medium low for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup low sodium chicken/veg broth and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, covered.
Remove and blend. Taste and season with S&P.
NOTE: Be careful when blending hot liquids as they expand so puree in batches.

I found this video for you guys to show you how to make a cartouche. It’s a handy cooking tip and will impress everyone when you bust it out at your next dinner party.

One of the first techniques I learned back in Ballymaloe after stocks and sauces was how and why to make cartouche.

A cartouche, from the French word carta meaning ‘paper’, is a circle of parchment or wax paper cut to fit the circumference of the pot.  It’s used for braises, stews, sauces or even for glazing baby vegetables. The beauty is they keep some moisture and heat in the pan yet allow enough of it to escape so that the liquids can reduce at a slow pace. Give it a go now and make one.
Let me know how you get on!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Welcome to our 3rd and final installment for turmeric week. I suppose when I asked myself, ‘could I do more?’ I wasn’t messin’ about! I had a blast trying out all these new recipes and I definitely learned some new skills. I hope you enjoyed this week as much as I did.

If you’re not familiar with quinoa, it’s time to try it out! Quinoa is packed full of nutrients and is cooked very much like rice although it has more protein than most other grains. I’m a big fan of using quinoa in place of rice because it adds a nutty flavor, which also adds a new dimension. It’s not as heavy as rice tends to be, it’s light and nutty—just like my Missus. (Ha! I’ll get some brownie points for that!)

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1/2 can garbanzo beans (15 oz can) Also known as chickpeas.
1  tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 lemon – zested
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove – minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup veg broth / water
1/2 cup quinoa – rinsed (any color quinoa works–I used Inca Red)
1/4 tsp salt

2 zucchini, topped and tailed, sliced in half lengthwise, sliced in diagonal slices 1/4″ thick
3/4 tsp ground cumin

2 green onions (scallions) – thinly sliced
1/8 cup chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by adding beans, lemon juice & zest and olive oil in a small bowl. Combine and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat medium saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute.
In small pot add broth and quinoa. Cook for 15 minutes, partially covered until tender. While that’s going, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a saute pan and add cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon. Mix together for about 30 seconds over low heat. Add in zucchini and minced garlic and continue sauteing on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once quinoa is cooked, drain.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, spiced zucchini and add in ground cumin, green onion and parsley to finish. Mix well. Taste and season. Serve warm or at room temp.

Here’s another great quinoa recipe to try out.

Now, the first time I made this I realized I forgot to buy quinoa. Luckily I had couscous in the pantry, which is my usual substitute for quinoa as they’re similar-ish in texture. So yes, you can use couscous instead if you wish.

One good one down, one to go.

To accompany my couscous I made a traditional Tikka Marinade, which I decided to use with a lovely piece of wild salmon. I thought the flavours would work really well together. They did but….the salmon didn’t turn out as I had expected. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It happens, right?
I decided to post it anyway, in hopes that you could help me out. Here’s what I did:

Tikka Marinade
Serves 2

1″ piece of ginger, minced or finely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a fine paste
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cumin (plus an extra dash)
1 tsp peanut oil
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the garlic and ginger into a paste-like mixture. In a bowl, mix together the paste, yogurt, lime juice, garam masala, cumin & salt.

Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat for about a minute or until hot hot. Then add in turmeric and cayenne–you should hear them sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Mix quickly for just a few seconds so it doesn’t burn, then stir this into the yogurt mixture.

I then marinated the salmon for about 2 hours and baked on 400F for 15 mins approx. At first guess I think I put too much marinade on the fish. What do you think? Where did I go wrong and how can I make it better?

Ah, the glory of cooking!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Does Indian food hold a key ingredient to keeping our memory fit? I read an article recently which was titled, “10 Ways to Improve Your Memory”. Though I only caught the first 5 (I can’t remember the other ones), they were great to know because they’re already healthy choices.

1. Move It or Lose It. Target goal: 30 minutes of vigorous cardio activity 4-6 times a week.
2. Stop Stressing. If you don’t learn how to relax, stress hormones will shrink your brain’s memory center.
3. Ban the Sugar. Sugar and refined carbohydrates, like those found in processed foods, cause cognitive damage and memory impairment. In fact, diabetics are four times more likely than non-diabetics to suffer from dementia.
4. Sip Red Wine. Studies show that drinking red wine in moderation (no more than one glass daily for women) slows the buildup of plaque in the brain, which can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Curry Flavor. Studies found that turmeric-the yellow spice that gives curry its distinctive color-increases brain function when eaten at least once every six months.

There it is. I must figure out what to do with Turmeric. As much as I love Indian food I don’t have many recipes for it (I am an Irishman after all), so I went surfing to find a recipe that not only looked as good as it sounded but also had my new favorite spice, turmeric.

It didn’t take me long to find the winner with Gobi Mattar aka Cauliflower and Peas, a spin on Aloo Mattar. It was the picture that caught my eye right off the bat (nice work Maya!) so I headed to my kitchen to give it a go. This ought to be good coming from the Paddy.

Here’s my version which turned out great. I’m not really into spicy food but I’ve come to like a little kick. This recipe is not a spicy one but it is huge in flavour. Ironically the only thing I would add to this recipe would be a little heat believe it or not. Perhaps the little Indian Kitchen around the corner has had some influence on me! To see the original recipe visit myfeasts.blogspot.com. They’ll be calling me Paddy Sitar after this!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.