Elizabeth Ingram's Quarantine Quitchen Kale Caesar Salad

This isn’t my recipe, but I wanted to post it here because it’s SPECTACULAR and I feel compelled to preserve it for future reference. (I sure as heck know I'm gonna want to revisit it time and time again.)

It was made up 100% on the fly by Elizabeth Ingram during an episode of Quarantine Quitchen on July 13, 2021. We just happened to have extra of one of the relatively specialized ingredients lying around (Bottarga), with no particular plans for finishing it off -- so we decided to procure the rest of the ingredients and make the salad ourselves.  Boy are we glad we did! This is, hands down, the Caesar salad that all Caesar salads wish they could be.

Combine the following things in a bowl and whisk together until they become salad dressing:

• 2 small Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup grated* Manchego Cheese
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Cumin
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Smoked Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Sumac
• 1.5 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil
• Bottarga, grated* (I probably used about 3/4" of it; 3-4 Tablespoons)

*I use a microplane for grating.

Toss the dressing with torn Lacinato (“Dinosaur”) Kale leaves, and prepare yourself for the yummy noises you are about to make while eating it.  Seriously.

Around the World in Foodventures (Azerbaijan: SHORGOGHAL)

Shorgoghal are laminated (meaning, layered) pastries traditionally prepared for Azerbaijan's Novruz holiday, which celebrates the new year and the coming of spring. I was intrigued to make them because in my world, the majority of pastries are sweet or filled with sweet things. But these are savory and stuffed with a spiced filling (which while savory pastries certainly aren't unheard of, they just isn't as common). So, here we are:

Note -- Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoon of Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
• 1/3 cup of Warm Water
• 5 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if using Morton)
• ½ teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup (= ½ pound, or 8 ounces, or 16 Tablespoons, or 2 U.S. sticks) of Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 cup of Milk
• 1-2 cups of Clarified Butter or Ghee (or strained Brown Butter*), melted
• Extra All-Purpose Flour for dusting

* I went too far with my butter in the clarification process, thus turning it into good ol' Brown Butter -- but that's okay; it still worked great for this recipe (strained, of course -- we don't want the solids here).  If you want to read more about the similarities of and differences between Clarified Butter, Ghee, and Brown Butter -- go here.

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon of Fennel Seeds
• 2 teaspoons of Anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if using Morton)
• ½ teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 cup (= ½ pound, or 8 ounces, or 16 Tablespoons, or 2 U.S. sticks) of Unsalted Butter, melted

GLAZE/DECORATION INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Nigella Seeds

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof.  It should get bubbly/foamy. (If it doesn't get bubbly/foamy, you have one of three problems: your water was too hot--try again with cooler water, your water was too cold--try again with warmer water, or your yeast is unfortunately dead and you'll need to get new yeast before continuing.  The water temperature should be between 105 and 110°F)
2. Whisk the flour, salt, and turmeric together. Then add the yeast mixture, the egg, the 1 cup of butter, and the milk. Stir to combine into a dough.  (Don't be afraid to add a little bit more water, if it seems too dry; this will depend on many factors such as the temperature in your kitchen, the altitude where you live, etc. -- just go slow and be careful.)
3. Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, but not tight – adding little bits more of flour as needed if it's too sticky.
4. Put it in a bowl in a warm place and let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in volume.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

1. Roast the 2 cups of All-Purpose Flour in a 350°F oven until it turns a light cream color (this took about 20 minutes with the flour spread out on a baking tray).
2. Toast the Fennel and Anise seeds on the stovetop (just a couple of minutes over low-to-medium heat) until they are fragrant. Grind them either in a coffee grinder, a spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle. They don't need to be super fine. Combine with the rest of the spices.
3. Mix the spices with the roasted flour; then, using a fork, combine with the melted butter until you get a crumbly, wet sand-like mixture.
   
   

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

1. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls and cover them with a towel to keep moist.
2. Roll the first ball out into a square that you can just about see through (use dusting flour as necessary – but sparingly – to prevent sticking).  Brush on a generous amount of the Clarified Butter/Ghee/Brown Butter (reserving enough to do the same on each of the next 7 layers to come).  Don’t worry about any holes that may happen; patching isn't necessary.
   

   

   You can see here that my squares were the size of my rolling pin, about 18" wide.

3. Roll the second ball out -- same as the first one -- into a square that you can just about see through (again, use dusting flour as necessary – but sparingly – to prevent sticking). Place it on top of the first one, and brush it with butter just like the first layer (and as before, reserving enough for the remaining layers).  Still, don’t worry about any holes that may happen; patching isn't necessary.**
   ** You may find that the dough retracts some when you pick it up to place it on the layered pile.  But you can utilize the butter that you spread out to sort of stick it down and re-stretch it to fit the same area.
4. Repeat this process until you are out of dough and butter.
   

   

   This is what my pile looked like after 3 layers.

5. Now, you can either roll the whole layered thing up first, then cut it into pieces about 1-to-2” wide -- or you can cut the layered rectangle into 1-to-2” strips and roll them up individually. (If you go with the former, you can even stretch the full roll out a little more to make it longer before cutting it into individual rolls -- to get more yield. I took this option.)  Either way, you should end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 or 15 pieces that look like this:
   

   

   I also had the 2 uneven scraps from the ends that could still be cooked and eaten --
   but I used them for another purpose.  See Step # 9 below....
   

6. Let the rolls rest, cut sides up and down, for 10 minutes.
7. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare enough baking sheets to fit all the rolls plus space in between, with paper.
   
   
8. If necessary, gently seal the end of each roll so that it isn’t sticking out; then, using your fingers inserted into the center of each roll, begin pushing out from the center to make a little crater in which you will put the filling. Be careful not to puncture all the way through– you need the roll to still have a bottom.
   
   
9. Fill the hole in each roll with 1-2 Tablespoons of the spiced filling, then bring the edges together and seal the filling completely in. I found this closing-of-the hole/sealing part to be difficult, and so decided to enlist the uneven scrap ends from the roll --> I divided it up into the same number of rolls I had, flattened each little piece out, and used it to help patch the hole, cover the filling, and seal it in as best I could.  (It ended up working quite well.)
   
   
10. Put the rolls patch/seal-side-down onto your baking sheet, and lightly press each one to flatten into an approximately 4-to -4.5” disc. They should be at least 1-inch apart on the baking sheets.
11. Mix the egg yolks and olive oil together, and brush some onto the top of each roll. Then sprinkle Nigella seeds all over in any pattern you wish.
12. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through -- or until they are golden brown with an internal temperature of ~190°F.
13. Let them cool before eating. Serve with tea.
    

    

    The inside.

I studied three web pages (1, 2, 3) -- and used a combination of them plus other knowledge to write my own recipe that you see above.

 

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Lemongrass & Ginger Chicken Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• ½ a yellow/Vidalia Onion (chopped)
• ½ of a large Carrot (cubed)
• 3 stalks of Celery -- I used one from the outside and some from the middle, with leaves (chopped)
• 6-10 (choose your own adventure) Garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 large Chicken Breast (cubed)
• 6 cups of Chicken Stock
• 2 Tablespoons of Savory
• ½ of a large Carrot (cut into half-moons)
• 2 handfuls of Sugar Snap Peas (edge strings removed and cut into thirds)
• 2 stalks of Lemongrass (cut into 4”-ish lengths and then cut in half longways to expose the centers)
• 4 slices of Ginger (about ¼” thick each)
• Young Green Peppercorns in Brine (you can find these at markets selling Southeast Asian products)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the Vegetable Oil into a soup pot and (along with some Salt & Pepper) sauté the Onion, the cubed Carrot, and the Celery until softened and just starting to brown.  Add the Garlic cloves and cook for another couple minutes.
2. Throw the Chicken into the pot along with the Chicken Stock and Savory.  Low boil this for ~15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
3. Put the half-moon Carrots, the Sugar Snap Peas, the Lemongrass, the Ginger, and the Young Green Peppercorns all into the pan.  (It was at the point I realized I needed more liquid, so I poured in enough water to cover everything, plus 3 crushed Maggi chicken cubes – you could just add more Chicken Stock if you have it, or any other combination of flavors and liquids you choose such as Vegetable Stock, Better Than Bouillon, or even plain water.)
4. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked to your liking, adjust to taste with more Salt & Pepper, and eat!

NOTE: The Lemongrass and Ginger are just there to infuse flavor and aren’t meant to be eaten.  Pick them out either while portioning into bowls, or just avoid them while eating.  The Young Green Peppercorns can be eaten, but don’t have to be (I personally chose to remove them from their stems when putting them into the pot, and eat them – some people prefer to leave them on the stems so they can be more easily removed and not eaten.)

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Austria: KARDINALSCHNITTEN - "Cardinal Slices")

Popular all over Austria, "cardinal slices" get their name at least partially from their appearance encompassing the colors of the Catholic church -- gold, red, and white.

I'm essentially copying a recipe found on the Vienna Now♦Forever website, but am re-writing it here with a couple of slight adjustments that I made.  I'm also taking this opportunity to show how I like to color-code ingredients for efficiency and clarity, which was particularly helpful to me with this recipe because it's a confusing one.  (It also means I get to put rainbows - or at least partial ones - in my blog. 😃)  

In my opinion, this is one of those things they'd use on The Great British Bake Off as a technical challenge, because it's pretty complicated and a bit hard to follow if you don't already know what you're aiming for.  So, for clarity, I will say right up front that you are basically making a sweet, footlong sandwich filled with cream and raspberries.  The "bread" of this sandwich is made of stripes of two different whipped mixtures (one like meringue, one like cake) that get baked together.  The whole thing gets cut up into individual servings after full assembly -- like one of those huge submarine sandwiches people order for Super Bowl parties.  Here's the final product:

That said, I gathered up my INGREDIENTS as follows (each color represents things you can put together in one container/bowl, and things in the white section should each be kept separate by themselves) --

For the Meringue Mixture: 350 grams of Egg Whites (this was 10-11 eggs worth for me) 240 grams of Powdered Sugar 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract A pinch of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if you are using Morton Kosher)

For the Cake Batter: 3 Eggs 4 Egg Yolks 80 grams of Powdered Sugar The zest of 1 Lemon

For the Creamy Filling: 1 and 2/3 cups of Heavy Cream 2 Tablespoons of Instant Espresso Powder

Ingredients to Keep Separate -- 100 grams of All-Purpose Flour Powdered Sugar for dusting 1 small container (mine was 170 grams) of Fresh Raspberries 2 Tablespoons of Raspberry Brandy 4 teaspoons of Advocaat 2 teaspoons of Powdered Gelatin 40 grams of Powdered Sugar A pinch of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if you are using Morton Kosher) 1 handful of Shaved Almonds (roasted)

INSTRUCTIONS --

1. Beat the Meringue Mixture ingredients until thick and stiff (Note: I wouldn't recommend doing this by hand unless you're looking for a real good workout -- it took at least 5 minutes using my handheld electric mixer with the whisk attachments).  Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large, round nozzle (or you can use a zip-top plastic bag with one corner snipped off).
2. Beat the Cake Batter ingredients until fluffy (same as above, I wouldn't recommend doing this by hand -- I beat mine for 2 minutes using my handheld electric mixer with the whisk attachments).  Add in the 100 grams of All-Purpose Flour and beat again until it's mixed well and thicker (this took about a minute with the electric mixer).  Transfer it to another piping bag fitted with a large, round nozzle (or, again, you can use a zip-top plastic bag with one corner snipped off).
3. Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C).
4. Cut two strips of baking paper to lay side-by-side on and cover your baking tray.  On each piece of baking paper squeeze out 3 lines of the Meringue Mixture, about 2 centimeters apart. In between those, squeeze 2 lines of the the Cake Batter.  Dust it all generously with Powdered Sugar.
   
   

   

   It will look like this (before and after the dusting of Powdered Sugar).

5. Pop the tray into the oven and bake with the door slightly open -- just stick a wooden spoon in there -- for about 20 minutes (or until the Cake Batter is cooked, the Meringue Mixture has firmed and dried).  Everything should have baked into one another, as well, forming two long pieces of striped "bread."  Allow them to cool, then gently turn them upside down and remove the baking paper.
6. While the "bread" is cooling, marinate the Raspberries in the Brandy.
7. Whip the Heavy Cream with the Instant Espresso Powder until stiff (you are now making the Creamy Filling).
8. Heat up the Advocaat and stir in the Powdered Gelatin until it dissolves. Mix this into the Creamy Filling along with the 40 grams of Powdered Sugar and the pinch of Salt.  Allow it all to set in a cool place (I put it in the fridge for a while).
9. Gently spread half of the Creamy Filling in an even layer onto one of the upside down pieces of "bread" (you're applying the filling to the flat side).  Place the marinated Raspberries (relatively evenly spaced around) on top of this cream, and then gently spread the other half of the Creamy Filling onto the flat side of the other piece of "bread."  Flip it onto the Raspberries-dotted other half of the to complete your "sandwich."
10. Sprinkle the whole thing with more Powdered Sugar and the Almonds, then slice into portion-sized pieces.

This is a light and delicious dessert, and tasted a lot like Tiramisu to me.  I do wish the particular flavors of Lemon in the cake, the Raspberry Brandy, and Advocaat came through more, though.  I also felt that the Cake Batter was too runny (but it did work out just fine because it nestles between the Meringue rows -- so maybe it was just as it was supposed to be).  Were I to make this again, I think I might increase the amount of flour a bit to thicken the Cake Batter, as well as add additional lemon zest to it.  I would also increase the amount of Advocaat - both for flavor and because it just didn't seem like enough liquid to dissolve the amount of Gelatin I was adding to it.  Still, it's all very yummy and I am in no way complaining.  I would be happy to pay for this in a restaurant and would be quite satisfied by it.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain