Char-Grilled Broccoli Salad With Sweet Tahini

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This salad is loved even by those who claim not to like tahini.  It is delightful as part of a cold buffet or a picnic.
   

I am on an adventurous streak these days, experimenting with new flavors and cuisines instead of falling back on that which is familiar.  Perhaps it has to do with Spring and its association with new beginnings.  Maybe it's just a phase or an "itch", but the truth is I want to feel excited again about cooking.

Discovering Yotam Ottolenghi has opened new doors for me and has introduced me to new dishes, new flavors and spices  I had never heard of.  It has also pushed me to go out on a limb and experiment with the unknown.  It has been almost as good as having an affair!

Take tahini paste.  First time I tried it was three years ago in hummus.  It took me awhile to like hummus but once I did, I couldn't stop eating it.  A couple of months ago, I bought my first bottle of tahini and made Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from scratch.  Little steps...
 
The recipe below is the second time I use tahini, this time to make a delicious drizzle for a broccoli salad.  The Ladies Who Lunch (and travel to London) will be most impressed.  They have heard of Ottolenghi.
 
Tahini  is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds used in North African, Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is served as a dip on its own or as a major component of hummus and other dishes.  Nowadays you can find it in most supermarkets.  I found mine in the Jewish section at Publix.

I promise you I am not going to turn this blog into a Middle Eastern affair but I will, from time to time, introduce you to new flavors and spices.  I hope you enjoy delving into the unknown and the unexpected, once in awhile, and join me on this culinary adventure. I can't think of a better guide than Yotam Ottolenghi.

 

We had the broccoli salad last night, together with grilled chicken and royal basmati and wild rice.   We both loved it but agreed that it would show off best if served as part of a cold meal or buffet.

Char-grilled sprouting broccoli with sweet tahini

Serves four.

550g broccoli (1 head)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 oz/40g tahini paste
1½ tsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp each black and white sesame seeds, toasted (or just 2 tsp white)

Trim any big leaves off the broccoli and cut off the woody base of the stems. Blanch for three minutes in boiling, salted water until al dente, refresh, drain and leave to dry.

Toss the broccoli in the oil, a teaspoon of salt and a large pinch of pepper, then cook on a very hot ridged griddle pan for two minutes on each side, until slightly charred and smoky. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the tahini, honey, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt, and slowly start to add water half a tablespoon at a time. At first, the sauce will look as if it has split, but it will soon come back together.

Add just enough water to make the sauce the consistency of honey – around three tablespoons in total. Arrange the broccoli on a platter, drizzle with sauce and scatter with sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.


Recipe Yotam Ottolenghi
All photos Lindaraxa

 

Guest Post...The Corinthian Column Makes A Souffle!

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I was delighted to wake up one morning last week and see a post on what looked like a very professional souffle.  I had to do a double take to make sure where it was coming from.  Now, we are not talking about any of the food blogs I follow.  No, it was posted on one of my favorite art blogs, The Corinthian Column, better known to most of us as the Columnist.  I know very little about him, personally, but I like his style, his taste in art, his knowledge and the fact he is a true gentleman.  He lives in Bangkok, summers in Scotland, and was born in Singapore to British parents.  Sometimes when things get crazy in Thailand, as they have recently, we follow him to undisclosed locations until things get better and it is safe for him return back home.


His blog is a treasure trove of information on art, antiques, interior design, architecture and as of now, souffles!    I urge you to take a peak and if you are interested in learning about beautiful thing from a very knowledgeable source, follow him.


But now, back to his souffle...


I have asked him if we would be so kind as to share his recipe with my readers and he has graciously agreed.  I am also dying to ask him some questions as I am always interested in knowing what makes people tick in the kitchen.  Does he cook everyday? Where and when did he learn? What are his favorite dishes? Cuisine? Where does he get his recipes? Favorite cooks?  Cookbooks? Did he really beat those egg whites BY HAND? and finally what is it like living surrounded by all that wonderful Thai food!

My partner and I both enjoy cooking and sometimes work together, disproving the proverb "too many cooks spoil the broth". We seem to have perfected the art of ignoring each others' foibles, so it's usually a harmonious experience, as was the case with making these souffles. He made the white sauce, separated the eggs and beat the yolks and whites, (by hand). I prepared the broccoli and the ramekins. When we cook together it is not preordained who does what, but when tasks are agreed, we tend stick to them.

We cook or prepare one or all meals everyday, quite often taking turns. We are both fastidious about a tidy kitchen, so once pans and boards are used, they are washed straight away. As much as anything in a hot climate it is important to remove any food residue that might attract insects. In addition the kitchen counters, hob and oven are thoroughly cleaned by the maid everyday.

In particular response to your piece, we are both self-taught, although my mother showed me some basics when I was young. I have no particular favourite dish, although I enjoy "comfort food", but everything in moderation. Cuisines I favour include Japanese, (my partner is Japanese), Chinese, (I lived in Hong Kong for many years) and Thai, (I have lived in Bangkok since 2003), but the latter not all the time, as it can be very rich.

The recipe is as follows:


Broccoli Souffle

Serves 4


Ingredients

45g (1 1/2 oz) butter

3 tbsp plain flour

250 ml (8 fl oz) milk

pinch of grated nutmeg

salt and cayenne pepper

375g (12 oz) broccoli florets

3-4 shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

4 egg yolks

175g (6 oz) blue cheese, crumbled

6 egg whites

4 x 250 ml (8 fl oz) souffle dishes/ramekins


Method

Melt the 30g (1 oz) butter in a large pan, add the flour, and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat, gradually blend in the milk, then bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.

Add the nutmeg, and salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Steam the broccoli for 2-3 minutes until just tender.  Rinse in cold water, then chop coarsely.

Heat the remaining butter in the pan, add the shallots, and cook gently for 3 minutes, or until soft.

Prepare the souffle dishes; butter the bottoms and sides and sprinkle with a thin layer of the grated Parmesan, rolling it around until it adheres to the surface inside.

Beat the egg yolks, add to the cooled sauce with the broccoli, shallots and blue cheese.

Whisk the egg whites until they form a firm but not dry peaks. Fold 1-2 tbsp of the egg whites into the broccoli mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the souffle dishes. Bake the souffles in the top half of a preheated oven at 180C, (350F, Gas 4) for 30minutes. Serve at once.


This recipe is from Mary Berry's Complete Cook Book.



For more pictures and a post on the next day's lunch click here and here.

This Weather Calls for Comfort Food...Broccoli Cheddar Casserole

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What is it about cold weather that makes you crave good old comfort food, the one your mother used to make when you were young?  Last night I craved Lima beans and corn, something I used to despise when they served it in boarding school!  Not anymore...

Comfort food to me is meatloaf, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, pot roast,  Mac and Cheese, and all those canned soup casseroles my mother used to make in the 60's and the 70's.  Plain and simple, no need to gild the lily.  I have Junior League cookbooks full of casserole recipes from practically every city in the U.S.  For chicken, tuna, zucchini, squash (my favorite) broccoli ,whatever.  Poor broccoli got a bum rap from the first President Bush when he declared he didn't like it.  My mother, at the tender age of 85, has declared she doesn't really like it either...really? After all the broccoli you made me eat  because it was soo good for me and would make me grow like trees?! Seriously now, what is it with broccoli and old people!

Well, in complete defiance of my mother, I am making one tonight, straight from the archives of Campbell's Soup.  That and breaded pork chops with Mott's applesauce...Chocolate pudding anyone???

P.S. I promise to go back to tapas tomorrow, unless we have another casserole emergency due to the cold weather!

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoon yellow mustard (I use Dijon)

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed*

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs*

2 teaspoon butter, melted

Directions

Stir the soup, milk, mustard, broccoli and cheese in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the broccoli mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Cook's Note
You can use fresh broccoli,  First cook it for about 10 mins.
You can substitute the breadcrumbs with 1 cup crushed cheez-its or Riz crackers.  Add the melted butter on top.