Dukkah Feta and Barberry Bread

I made Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi’s recipe for Dukkah. WOW! it’s really delicious!….You might be wondering what is Dukkah? Dukkah also spelled Duqqa and is an Egyptian blend of nuts, seeds and spices that are toasted and ground….but not to powder and not to paste…somewhere in-between. I only had Dukka a few times at FnB restaurant in Scottsdale and it might have been served on a vegetable?……. Or maybe not but I think that’s how I had it so I thought I’d make dukkah and put it on a vegetable too………..I read about 20 different recipes for dukkah and they differed so much that they didn’t even seem like the same thing. Some recipes were very short. Others were long. Most on the internet are pistachio based but I read the real thing is usually hazelnut based. I narrowed the recipes down to two that seemed like they’d be the best…..and went with the Y.O & S.T. recipe because they are award wining and this recipe was hazelnut based. After I made the Dukkah I didn’t want to put it on a vegetable because of the taste. It was delicious but it didn’t seem like it was for the vegetables I had around. The dukkah was very flavorful and very fragrant, sort of nutty, a little sweet and slightly spicy, maybe a little spice cookie-ish – peanut-ee like but yummier. My first thought was to bake it into cookies. I thought the dukkah would be great in either butter or peanut butter cookies but I didn’t want to eat cookies this week so I baked it up in bread so I can eat some and freeze some………guess I could have froze cookies too…oh well. I do also think the dukkah would be great to flavor chicken. I latter read that dukkah is suppose to be served with bread and oil……..You dunk your oiled bread in Dukkah to make it tastier……..I can see that now………This dukkah is quite delicious I don’t know if most other dukkahs are this good? You can purchase dukkah at the store these days or follow one of the more simple recipes for dukkah but your results will differ. The bread recipe is very easy. I just made a basic dough. Rolled it out. filled it and rolled it up like a jelly roll. Cut the jelly roll in half long ways. braided it around and in the oven it went on a quilon lined baking sheet.

Ingredients for around 14 servings

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons or 1/4 oz)

1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups potato water at 100-110 degrees F or water

4 cups bread flour

1/4 cup scant extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons course sea salt (you might need 3 teaspoons if you use water instead of potato water..)

1 cup bread flour – this is for kneading, letting the dough rest in and for flouring surfaces

2 oz sweet butter – room temperature

dukkah recipe – the whole thing – I will post the ingredients after the recipe at the end of the page if you want to make Dukkah based on Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi’s recipe

4 oz feta – the creamy, not so salty or too tangy type……or use goat cheese – crumbled

1 Tablespoon barberries – if you don’t have skip – nothing will be similar

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for drizzling over the top of the bread

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

In a big bowl add the yeast, sugar and potato water and wait maybe 30 minutes for a foam to develop.

Now add 4 cups bread flour, 1/4 c olive oil, sea salt and mix well and make it into a ball. Add another cup of bread flour to let the ball rest in and knead some of that into the ball so it doesn’t feel sticky.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest till doubled.

Punch down and knead a bit more. Flour surfaces. You can roll out the dough into a something like a 23 inch by 16 inch rectangle and spread the butter on it.

Top the butter with the dukkah, feta cheese and barberries.

Then roll it up like a jelly roll.

Split roll in half.

Braid and put ends together.

Drizzle with oil.

After 15 minutes  turn pan around so it browns evenly.

Bread might be done 10-15 minutes later for a total of around 25-30 minutes.

Dukkah Feta and Barberry Bread

Dig in!

Dukkah, Feta and Barberry Bread

Most people will enjoy this! Ummm it’s like a sophisticated Entenmann’s Cake.

The Forking Truth

I used Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi’s Recipe for Dukkah…..I didn’t mean to but I changed their recipe JUST SLIGHTLY due to what I found in my kitchen. This is how I made their recipe. If you use the Dukkah to bake with like I did then I wouldn’t bother toasting everything or the Dukkah might get burnt. I think baking it is enough.

1/2 cup hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin (not in Y.T. & S.T. recipe)

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (instead of the cumin the recipe should be 1 Tablespoon of cumin seeds but I couldn’t find them at first so I did a teaspoon cumin and later when I found my cumin seeds I just added 1/2 of what the recipe to make up for the cumin I added)

1 Tablespoon green peppercorn or substitute white peppercorn (I used white)

3 Tablespoons coriander seeds

1 1/2 Tablespoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon nigela seeds (I know I have them but couldn’t find so I used caraway seeds)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Basically everything gets toasted and then gets ground up till course. ENJOY!

Strawberry Salsa

La Santisima Mexican Restaurant in Glendale AZ offers a very large Salsa Bar and one of the salsas they offer is Strawberry so I thought I can do Strawberry Salsa too. With all the great deals we had on strawberries lately and the humid weather we’ve been having strawberry salsa seems just right for this time of year.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 lb strawberries – green leaves removed, strawberries chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 red bell pepper – roasted, skin, stem and seeds removed and then chopped

1/4 cup sweet onion – chopped

1 clove garlic – grated

1 lime – the zest and the fresh squeezed juice

1 pickled jalapeno – preferably my recipe or from a farmers market (jarred from store are nasty)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

.3 oz fresh cilantro chopped (about a 1/3 of a bunch or loose 1/4 cup)

.3 oz fresh mint chopped (just leaves no stems) (about a 1/3 of a bunch or a loose quarter cup)

optional – 3 chitepin chiles – hard to find but worth seeking if you like spicy because they are very delicious tiny peppers with flavor. If you don’t use these peppers you might want use another pepper or more jalapeno.

Directions

Strawberries, sugar and salt go in a medium/large bowl. Mix the bowl contents up and let them sit about 20 minutes. The sugar and salt pull out lots of juice from the strawberries. After the strawberries get really juicy you want to blend half of the mixture so your salsa will have a better texture. Now add the remaining ingredients bell pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, jalapeño, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, cilantro, mint, optional chitepin chili peppers. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and chilies to your liking.

Strawberry Salsa

Strawberry Salsa

Strawberry Salsa

Goes really well with melted pepper jack cheese on a chip.

The Forking Truth

Levant Inspired Shishito Peppers Recipe

I gave my husband some of Shishito peppers to try. He said they are REALLY DELICIOUS but I don’t know what I’m tasting. That is what I expect that most people would say when they try these peppers. I think almost everybody would love the flavors but they might not be able to figure out what they are tasting. I used a lot of uncommon ingredients that most people wouldn’t have in their pantry. Zahtar, Aleppo pepper, Sesame Seeds, Sumac, Cumin and Urfa Pepper these seasonings are amazing together. I tasted a lot of this kind of food at FnB restaurant in Scottsdale over the years so I developed a taste for this kind of food and sought out to find these seasoning and especially Urfa Pepper. They might sound spicy but they actually are more flavorful than spicy. I’ve found all these seasonings at the Asiana Market that is in or near to Deer Valley. Also added a few fresh herbs and creamy mild style feta cheese and that’s what makes this dish  irresistible!

Ingredients for about 4 servings

6 oz shishito peppers

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon urfa pepper

1 Tablespoon zahtar

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sumac

1/4 teaspoon cumin

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

3 oz creamy style sheep’s milk feta cheese – crumbled

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro – chopped

1/2 Tablespoon fresh mint – chopped

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium-large bowl add peppers, olive oil, urfa pepper, zahtar, Aleppo pepper, sesame seeds, sumac, cumin, salt and pepper and mix well.

Place evenly on a baking sheet and place in oven till peppers start to char and burst. About 15 minutes depending on size of peppers.

Evenly apply feta cheese and then fresh herbs.

ENJOY!

Levant Inspired Shishito Peppers Recipe

The Forking Truth

Italian Style Baked Mashed Potato Fries

These Italian Style Baked Fries are Forking Delicious!  To start out with the Potatoes are extra great because they were boiled with a hot banana pepper and an onion to season them to get super yummy. Then they get  mashed with a small amount of butter, a little seasoning and a cup of grated parmesan cheese. The potato mixture gets squirted out with a pastry bag and then after around thirty minutes in the oven they are done! I didn’t measure out the dipping sauce I made but it’s extra delicious with these fries too! All that’s in it are some home made tomato sauce, some Bomba Calabrese and a lighter canola mayonnaise. It’s delicious and even my husband loves it and he almost NEVER LOVES any creamy sauce….I haven’t found Bomba Calabrese at any store so I mailed away for it….Bomba Calabrese is a delicious spicy condiment. If you are a fan of spicy I recommend that you mail away for some. This recipe make around 72 fries…..That’s about 8 servings based on two pounds of potatoes but it’s totally likely you will have way less than 8 servings because people are going to woof these down. I know after I served my husband a plate of them he ran back for more…everyone will run back for more.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 lbs poatoes – pealed – cut in half

cold water to cover the poatoes

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 banana pepper – cut diagonal long ways (I buy them at the Asiana Market……these peppers turn any potato that you boil amazing)

1/2 large sweet onion

5 oz parmesan cheese – shredded

2 oz sweet butter

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch ground white pepper

a few grates fresh nutmeg

optional a little fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste – for finishing

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover three baking sheets with Quilon Coated paper or parchment paper and set to the side.

In a large sauce pot add the potatoes, kosher salt, banana pepper and onion. Cover with cold water. Bring to a medium high boil and boil till the potatoes are fork tender. (usually around 20 minutes). When the potatoes are done discard the onion and banana pepper. You need to drain the potatoes. ****You might want to save the liquid for a soup or a sauce because it’s very flavorful***but you don’t need it for this recipe so you can toss it if you want.

The drained potatoes get mashed with parmesan cheese, butter, black pepper, rosemary, oregano, basil, white pepper and nutmeg. Hand mash till mixture is lump free. (I didn’t add salt because the potato mixture is salty enough from boiling and more likely from all the cheese)

Add a large star tip to your pastry bag and start squirting out some fries on to the quilon covered baking sheets. The fries come out a little better if you shake your hand slightly while piping.

Keep going till your done.

Put the sheets of fries in the oven.

In about 15 minutes the top rack will be browning so switch it with the bottom rack and check the fries in another 15 minutes.

After 30 minutes I thought the bottom rack needed another 5 minutes but the two other racks I switched around again and they needed about ten minutes more. But my oven doesn’t cook evenly so you might not have the same issue.

I pulled the fries out when they all looked like this.

Let them cool a few minutes and then you can remove them easily with a spatula.

“Oh God they smell Forking so good!” “I’m so hungry for them!”

Italian Style Baked Mashed Potato Fries

I think everyone will love these fries. The fries have a nice light fluffy center. They have crisp edges, an appetizing aroma and have a really tasty flavor from the parmesan cheese and seasonings. Also everyone will love the sauce. Again I didn’t measure the sauce but it’s only made from home made tomato sauce, bomba calabrese and a small amount of canola mayonnaise.

This one is Forking GOOD!

The Forking Truth

Hatch Chile Blueberry Corn Salsa

This time of year all the markets have corn and blueberries on sale. I thought instead of something sweet I wanted to do something savory. OMG……This came FORKING AMAZING. I know I make pretty good salsas….but this Hatch Chile Blueberry Corn Salsa got flavors and textures that will blow most salsas away……It just pops!……..I brought some over for my husband to taste….he said at first before he tasted it…..”oh I was expecting something better”…….then he taste it. He said, this is surprisingly VERY GOOD!…It really FORKING is!

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 cup blueberries

1 cup corn kernels -that you just cooked fresh (not frozen or canned corn)

1/2 fire roasted hatch chile – chopped fine (or to taste you might need more or less but start with a half because they are usually super hot)

1/2 cup sweet onion – chopped well

1 garlic clove – ( I used a bigger one) – shredded

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped

2 Tablespoons scallions – sliced thin

fresh crushed sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl together. Adjust the Hatch Chile to your liking. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Hatch Chile Blueberry Corn Salsa

Something different that’s Forking Tasty!

The Forking Truth

Mixed Fruit Cobbler with Malted Milk Batter Crust

Cobblers do DIFFER! They can be savory or sweet. They are mostly either topped with crust, batter, dumplings or biscuits and a few even come with a bottom crust. I had a bunch of plums, nectarines, peaches and blackberries so I thought I’d make a cobbler. I made an easy batter topping that contains milk so I added some malted milk to it to add another flavor. For fruit pies I strongly prefer using tapioca flour for thickening so I grind tapioca pearls for the flour I need.  I’ll be honest and admit at first I thought this wasn’t sweet enough…….but then the next day I topped it with a little vanilla ice cream and it’s just right for me. My husband generally doesn’t like sweets and he thinks it’s just right even with out ice cream. The sweetness of your cobbler will differ depending on the sweetness of your fruits.  For the very best results make sure the fruits you use are very juicy, ripe and sweet. Mine weren’t the juiciest or the sweetest and I thought they’d be better as a cobbler and they are!

Ingredients for about 12 servings

13 oz small plums – cut in quarters

1 lb 4oz nectarines and peaches – cut in about same size as plums

14 oz blackberries

1/2 cup sugar – for fruit mixture

1/4 cup ground tapioca – for fruit mixture

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt – for fruit mixture

pinch cinnamon – for fruit mixture

few grates nutmeg -for  fruit mixture

pinch ground white pepper – for fruit mixture

1 cup flour – for batter

1 Tablespoon baking powder – for batter

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt – for batter

1/2 cup milk (I used non fat) – for batter

3 Tablespoons malted milk mix – for batter

1 egg – lightly beaten – for batter

Directions

Set oven to 350 degree F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the plums, peaches, blackberries, sugar, tapioca, 1/4 t salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground white pepper. Mix carefully and put to the side.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the remaining ingredients and mix till smooth.

In a large baking dish or half pan pour in the fruit mixture and spread evenly.

Now pour the batter on evenly and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until it seems done.

30 minutes latter mine was done.

Mixed Fruit Cobbler with Malted Milk Batter Crust

It’s a #crowdpleaser It doesn’t seem heavy like a pie or filling like a cake. It’s just delicious. A perfect lighter dessert that’s delicious!

The Forking Truth