August 10, 2010
Gomadofu (Sesame "Tofu")
Because summers in Japan are hot and humid, Japanese cooks know a thing or two about the refreshing dishes such sultry days call for.
Gomadofu falls into that category: a concoction of sesame paste cooked with a thickening agent until set, it resembles tofu in color and texture, hence the name (goma = sesame), and is served chilled.
I first came across it when Maxence and I traveled to Japan last spring, and stayed overnight at a temple in Koya-san. There we were served a shojin ryori dinner, the vegan cuisine that is practiced by Zen Buddhist monks in Japan*, and one of the many little dishes brought to us was a shallow cup of gomadofu, silky on the tongue and richly flavorful.
I hadn't really thought to make it myself until I found this post on Maki's ever-helpful Japanese food blog. Her recipe seemed so easy, I couldn't not try it.
I already had sesame paste on hand -- mine is a Middle-Eastern-style tahini I buy at the organic store -- so all I needed to get was some kudzu powder, a starch drawn from a Japanese vine, which is not hard to find if you have access to a natural foods store or a Japanese market.
I made my first batch following Maki's recipe, to deliciously rewarding results. All you do, really, is combine the sesame paste with kudzu powder and water, heat it up to thicken, then chill to set.
On a later occasion, I used a couple of tips I got from another inspiring Japanese food blog I frequent, called Tess's Japanese Kitchen. I steeped some kombu (a type of seaweed) in the water first, and added a little sake for flavor, but both of these steps are optional.
All in all, very little exertion is required to create your very own sesame "tofu," which you'll then divide into cubes and serve cold, as an appetizer or as part of a light meal, typically pairing it with soy sauce, wasabi, and freshly grated ginger, or the homemade sauce Tess suggests.
I myself like it with yuzukosho (a yuzu and pepper condiment) and a little seaweed -- strips of torn nori or, as pictured above, a sprinkle of freshwater seaweed from Jugetsudo in Paris -- in addition to soy sauce.
Having made the original sesame version a few times now, I am planning to branch out and make amondodofu with almond butter and kashudofu with cashew butter**.
Don't forget to read Maki's post and Tess's post; they both offer interesting info on gomadofu.
* If you'd like to learn more about shojin ryori, Maki recommends a book called The Enlightened Kitchen, by Mari Fujii.
** Not official names; I've just made them up.
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Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Recipe Inside! - Starters
August 6, 2010
[Edible Idiom] Ne pas manger de ce pain-là
This is part of a series on French idiomatic expressions that relate to food. Browse the list of idioms featured so far.
This week's expression is, "Ne pas manger de ce pain-là."
Translated as, "not eating that kind of bread," it means refusing to act in a way that goes against your values, steering clear of a situation or behavior that you think is beneath you.
Example: "Il faudrait que je fasse des ronds de jambe à la directrice pour obtenir une place pour ma fille, mais je ne mange pas de ce pain-là." "I'd have to kowtow to the principal to get a spot for my daughter, but I don't eat that kind of bread."
Listen to the idiom and example read aloud:
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August 3, 2010
Olive Oil and Seed Crackers
If you've been on the fence about getting a pasta roller -- either an attachment for your stand mixer or a hand-cranked one for your biceps -- I may be able to offer the justification you were hoping for: a pasta roller proves handy for homemade crackers, too.
You see, to make good crackers, you need to roll the dough out thinly, for optimal snap, and evenly, so that they'll bake in a uniform fashion, without doughy or burnt spots.
And as I learned from my talented friends at Hidden Kitchen (see their blog), a pasta roller is the ideal tool to achieve that. You'll use the first roller only, the one that's just two cylinders facing each other and rolling inward, and switch from narrow to narrower, exactly like you would for pasta, until you have a super thin strip of dough, ready to be baked.
It's also a kitchen activity that ranks high on the fun-o-meter: rolling pasta or cracker dough never fails to remind me of my play-doh days, and I could spend all afternoon doing just that.
My cracker recipe is quite simple: regular flour and semolina flour (the latter provides a slightly more rustic texture), some seeds (I use sesame and poppy seeds), a bit of salt and olive oil, and enough water to bind into a dough that will be smooth but not tacky (or it will gunk up your pasta roller).
The crackers you get in return for your efforts are impeccably crisp -- sturdy enough to scoop up stuff, but thin enough to shatter under your bite -- and will remain so for a few weeks.
This is a good thing because the recipe makes quite a bit, but as long as you're taking out the roller and preheating the oven, you might as well bake a good batch. And really, once you have them around I don't think you'll run out of things to eat them with: hummus, roasted eggplant and yogurt dip, anchoïade, muhammara, peacamole, cashew cheese, you get the idea.
The recipe is naturally open to variations, so you could add the spices and dried herbs of your choice, and possibly some grated hard cheese to the dough. If you decide to play around with the seeds, though, I recommend you stick to teeny ones, or they'll get in the way of the thinning of the dough.
Sourdough starter note: If you maintain a sourdough starter, you can use up some of your excess starter in this recipe, according to the same conversion rule I've described before: here, I've been using 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) 100%-hydration starter, and lowering the amount of flours to 125 grams (4.4 ounces) each and the water to 75 ml (5 tablespoons).
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Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Appetizers - Bread & Brioche - Recipe Inside!
August 1, 2010
August 2010 Desktop Calendar
At the beginning of every month, I am offering C&Z; readers a new wallpaper to apply on the desktop of your computer, with a food-related picture and a calendar of the current month.
Our calendar for August is a picture of slow-roasted tomatoes (tomates confites in French), a fine way of preserving a glut of fresh tomatoes, if such is your delicious plight.
It's simple, really: you just bake halved tomatoes for a few hours in a low oven, and the process leaves you with scarlet half-moons that pack a tomato punch, ready to be thrown later in salads, sandwiches, pasta, and assorted dips and spreads. (See recipe details.)
What about you, what's your favorite way to deal with too many tomatoes?
Instructions to get your calendar are below.
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July 27, 2010
Tomato and Einkorn Wheat (or Spelt) Salad
My weekday lunches revolve around salads like this one, built on grains, fresh vegetables, some sort of protein element, and fresh herbs. I prepare a few servings at a time, and that conveniently takes care of lunch for the next couple of days.
I do try to mix things up so as not eat the same thing all the time, but I admit I've become a little fixated on this particular one lately: it is full of flavor, refreshing and filling, with a satisfying mix of textures from the fleshy tomatoes and the chewy grain.
The cereal I am using is petit épeautre (literally, small spelt), an ancient cousin of spelt that goes by the Latin name Triticum monococcum or the common English name einkorn wheat.
Petit épeautre was one of the first cereals cultivated for food*; it is a nutritious grain that thrives on arid, mountainous grounds where little else will grow. The one I buy, an organic petit épeautre de Haute Provence grown in the Southeast of France, is said to have been grown unchanged -- without cross-breeding that is -- in the area for 9,000 years**. It is protected by a geographical indication, and it hopped aboard the Slow Food Ark of Taste a few years ago.
Einkorn wheat has long been displaced by higher-yield crops, but it is regaining a little popularity in France and elsewhere, as conscious eaters try not to rely so heavily on common wheat, and also because it has been suggested that the grain, although not gluten-free, might be safe for gluten-intolerant patients. (I'll hasten to note that more research is needed and it is too early to be taking any risks, but these initial findings are hopeful.)
Einkorn wheat is worth seeking out, but if you can't find it, feel free to substitute spelt (Triticum spelta) or emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum, a.k.a. farro) here, depending on what's available locally.
While the tomatoes and petit épeautre are permanent fixtures of this salad, the third wheel varies according to what's on hand: I like it with firm tofu, as pictured, but it is also very good -- perhaps better -- with feta or mozzarella. You'll also note that I add a touch of ground cinnamon to the seasoning mix: it is too subtle to be identified as such, but I like the spicy tickle it brings.
* See Alternative Wheat Cereals as Food Grains, G.F. Stallknecht, K.M. Gilbertson, and J.E. Ranney, 1996.
** If you understand French, I recommend reading this interview with einkorn wheat producer Etienne Mabille.
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Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Recipe Inside! - Salads - Vegetables & Grains
July 23, 2010
Six Podcasts For Food Lovers
Whenever I walk, bike or metro my way somewhere, whenever I go for a run or sit down for a lengthy fava bean peeling session, I rely on podcasts to keep me entertained.
Although there are a few I listen to that are not food-oriented -- This American Life being my unrivaled favorite -- you won't be surprised to hear I lean toward those that discuss cooking, eating, and the cultural or political ramifications of both activities.
I can't be alone in this, and I'd like to share those podcasts I listen to regularly.
I wrote a similar post almost four years ago, but there are new kids on my podcast block, so I thought it was time to update that list.
Naturally, if you have favorites of your own to recommend, I'm always happy to add new ones to my rotation!
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