Nuts in the Kitchen (13 page)

Brazil Nut Fish

Makes 4 servings

I almost feel as if I should apologize to Brazil nuts. Since childhood I had avoided them in favor of cashews, pistachios…just about any other nut. Now that I’ve written this book, I have a great appreciation and taste for them.

While I don’t snack on Brazil nuts—it’s not really a great idea to do that since they are high in selenium, and health care professionals recommend eating no more than six at one sitting, I love cooking with them. Aside from their exotic upbringing—they’re harvested by hand in the rain forest, they refuse to be cultivated, they have their own special bee to pollinate them—Brazil nuts have a dense texture and an intriguing flavor. Here they make this crisp fish extraordinary.

I like to serve steamed vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, even fennel with poppy seed dressing (see dressing recipe Chapter The Basics) alongside this dish.

1.
Using a mortar and pestle or in a small food processor, grind the nuts with the salt until they are quite ne, just before the powder stage. If there are a few larger pieces of nut, that’s fine. Stir in the flour and paprika, then transfer the mixture to a shallow dish or plate.

2.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon water until thoroughly combined and slightly foamy. Transfer the egg mixture to a shallow dish.

3.
Place the oil in a large skillet and heat it over medium heat.

4.
Dip each piece of fish into the egg mixture, then into the nut and flour mixture. Pat the nut mixture all over the fish if it doesn’t stick evenly, so it is covered evenly.

5.
When the oil is hot but not smoking, place the fish in the pan and cook until it is golden on each side and translucent in the center, 7 to 10 minutes total. Serve immediately.

Hanger Steak with Horse radish and Walnuts

Makes 6 servings

Hanger steak seasoned with creamy horseradish and melted onions emerges from its quick roasting crisp on the outside, tender and juicy inside, and infused with the flavor of the golden walnut and horseradish stuffing. The cooking juices are simple and hearty and make a lovely drizzle atop the meat. Try serving this with the Nutty Fresh Shell Beans (Chapter A World of Side Dishes) or Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes with Poppy Seed Dressing (Chapter A World of Side Dishes) and a Côteaux du Languedoc, such as Musardises from Domaine les Grands Costes.

Note:
Hanger steak—a long, thin, lusciously flavored and textured piece of beef—is called
onglet
in French. The roasting time is short, so that the meat remains rare. If you prefer your beef more well done, roast as directed and let it rest for a longer time. If you prefer more of a horseradish bite, use regular horseradish rather than creamy.

1.
For the stuffing, place the olive oil and the onions in a medium skillet over medium heat and stir. Cook the onions until they are translucent through and soft, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently so they don’t turn golden. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and cool.

2.
Mince the parsley.

3.
In a small bowl, mix the parsley, horseradish, and walnuts. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

4.
Cut the hanger steak crosswise into two equal portions, then slice down the center of each steak but not all the way through it (butterfly), so that you can open the steaks like a book. Spread one-third of the horseradish mixture inside each steak. Place one-third of the cooked onions atop the horseradish mixture in each hanger steak and season with pepper. Close the steaks over the filling as though you were closing a book, pushing any onions inside the steak if they threaten to ooze out.

5.
Spread the remaining third of the horseradish on top of one of the hangar steaks, season it with salt and pepper, and top it with the remaining onions. Set the other hangar steak on top, pressing the two rmly together. Tie the steaks together with kitchen string to create what looks like a beef roast.

6.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

7.
To cook the steak, place it in a roasting pan. Pour the wine and stock or water into the pan, add the bay leaves, and place the pan in the center of the oven. Roast until the steak is rare and tender to the touch, about 20 minutes, basting it twice and adding more stock or water to the pan if necessary. You don’t want all the liquid to cook away. Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and keep it warm by covering it with an aluminum foil tent.

8.
To make the sauce, place the roasting pan over medium heat and bring the cooking juices to a boil. (If there aren’t many juices, add ½ cup [125ml] wine to the pan). Boil just until the juices have reduced to a light
syrup. Correct the seasoning, and whisk in the butter. Strain the sauce into a pitcher or a bowl.

9.
Remove the strings from the steak and cut it into ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick slices. The slices may fall apart, but you’ll see that you can arrange them nicely on the plate.

10.
To serve, place three lovage or celery leaves in the center of each of six warmed plates. Arrange two slices of beef atop the leaves, then drizzle the slices with the reduced cooking juices. Season with fleur de sel and serve with any remaining juices on the side.

Laurus Nobilis

Laurus nobilis is the botanical name for the tree that gives the delicately perfumed bay leaves that go into so many stews, soups, sauces, and other savory and sweet dishes. Native to southern Europe, the
Lauris nobilis
gives us the Turkish bay leaf so often called for in recipes. It shouldn’t be confused nor eschewed in favor of the California bay,
Umbellularia californica.

Lamb Shoulder with Apricots and Walnuts

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Lamb is, hands down, my favorite meat, no matter what the cut. It isn’t just the flavor of lamb I find pleasing, but the fact that it is so versatile. It can be seasoned or left plain, made sweet or salty, cut into chunks or left whole, grilled or braised. Its flavor and texture rise to any occasion.

Here, apricot marmalade and walnuts turn lamb shoulder into a sweet and sour masterpiece.

Try a lovely, lush Corbières with this, such as one from Clos de l’Anhel.

Note:
Ask the butcher to remove the blade bone from the shoulder and to loosen but leave in the upper leg bone.

The herbs in the wine that surrounds the lamb are a flavorful addition; always use fresh herbs, as their flavor is so much brighter than dried.

I suggest using cinnamon from Vietnam or Indonesia, which pretty much covers the world’s major cinnamon-producing areas. I prefer Vietnamese cinnamon for its spicy, hot bite, while the Indonesian spice is a bit more mellow. The main point is to buy and use quality cinnamon. Visit www.penzeys.com.

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

2.
If the upper leg bone hasn’t been loosened, cut around it with a knife to detach the meat from it.

3.
In a small bowl, mix together the preserves, walnuts, and cinnamon. Rub the mixture over the inside of the
lamb shoulder, tucking a fair amount of the stuffing into the space created by loosening the meat from the bone. Season with salt and pepper. Tie the lamb into a packet with kitchen string, keeping the apricot stuffing mixture and the leg bone, if you have it, inside the packet. You will end up with a roundish packet.

4.
Place the lamb in a heatproof nonreactive baking dish and pour the wine around it. Place the herbs in the wine and roast until the lamb is browned on the outside, resists slightly when pressed, and has an interior temperature of about 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare, about 1¼ hours, basting it occasionally with the liquids in the pan. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the shoulder with coarse salt, and transfer it to a cutting board with a trough around the edge, to catch any juices that emerge from it. Cover the lamb with a tent of aluminum foil and let it sit for at least 20 minutes and up to 40 minutes, to allow the juices to be reabsorbed.

5.
Place the baking dish over medium heat and bring the cooking juices to a gentle boil. Remove the herbs and reduce the cooking juices until they are the consistency of a thin syrup. Taste for seasoning.

6.
To serve, remove the string from around the lamb and slice it into ¼-inch slices. Drizzle with the cooking juices and serve.

Pistachio- and Pepper-Stuffed Lamb Fillet

Makes 4 servings

I spent an unforgettable evening in the kitchen with Fatih Babacon, chef of the restaurant Mahana in Gaziantep, Turkey, watching him prepare his very special version of traditional Antep Turkish dishes. He uses the best possible ingredients and stays close to tradition. Here, a tender piece of lamb is flattened and rolled around a moist and flavorful stuffing of dark red pepper paste, leeks, yogurt, and pistachios, then quickly grilled over a wood fire. This would be perfect with a Côtes de Provence from Clos d’Alari.

Note:
I use what the French call a
fillet
of lamb, from the neck. In North America, it is best to use a fillet from the lamb round or upper thigh. Pound it gently to flatten it, but don’t use too much force; meat is best if its cellular structure remains intact. If you cannot find the deep, rich Turkish pepper paste (biber salcasi, available by mail order from kalustyans.com), use an extra teaspoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon mild to hot paprika, or to taste. Precede this with Parsley, Green Olive, and Walnut Salad (Chapter Small Plates) and accompany it with Potatoes with Yogurt and Pistachios (Chapter A World of Side Dishes).

1.
Build a fire in the grill or fireplace. When the coals are red and dusted with ash, place the grate about 3 inches (8 cm) above the coals.

2.
Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium, heavy pan. Add the leeks and garlic and stir to coat them with the oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stir
ring frequently, until they are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3.
Lay out the lamb on a work surface. Butterfly it (or ask your butcher to do this) by cutting nearly all the way but not quite through the length of the piece, and spread it open. You may need to pound it slightly to flatten it; if so, pound it gently so as not to compromise the texture of the meat. Spread the meat with the tomato and pepper pastes, then with the yogurt. Top with the leek mixture, arranging it in a thin line down the length of the lamb, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edge. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the pistachios atop the leeks. Roll the long side of the lamb back over and atop the leek and pistachio stuffing, enclosing the stuffing within it. Tie the roast firmly in several places to keep it together. Brush or rub the lamb with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.

4.
When the grate is hot, place the lamb on it, directly above the coals, and cook until the side closest to the re is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn the roast until it is golden all over, a total of 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how rare you like lamb. Fifteen minutes results in perfectly cooked, but slightly rare, lamb.

5.
Remove the lamb from the grill and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Remove the string, then slice the lamb into rounds 1½ inches (4 cm) thick. Serve immediately, drizzled with any juices that have emerged from the lamb.