Cookbooks and a Long-Overdue Soup sims life stories

West African Peanut Soup

Cookbooks and a Long-Overdue Soup

by Victoria Challancin

For the last several years I have somewhat backed off buying cookbooks simply because I have no more room for them. None! But there are several chefs that I avidly follow with great anticipation, waiting like a hungry baby bird with my mouth open for whatever they might produce. I own all of their respective cookbooks, until now bought from Amazon UK because I couldn't wait for them to be released in the U.S. This time I actually waited for their U.S. release--but not patiently. The two chefs are Yotam Ottolenghi, whose column I follow each week in the UK paper, The Guardian, and Greg Malouf, an Australian of Lebanese descent. Both restauranteurs, both innovative, both exciting talents.

I first became aware of Yotam Ottolenghi when I discovered his cookbooks via a British food newsletter some years ago. Intrigued, I immediately ordered both Plenty (with Jonathan Lovekin) and Ottolenghi (another co-authored with the talented Sami Tamimi), which quickly became two of my favorite cookbooks. Malouf also found his way to me via the UK when I was looking for a good cookbook on Middle Eastern food, something new and different. I quickly devoured all of his books, excited to the core to see my favorite cuisines showcased: Turquoise ( Turkey), Arabesque (Modern Middle Eastern) , Moorish: Flavors from Mecca to Marrakech, Saha (Lebanon and Syria), Artichoke to Za'atar, and Saraban (Persia--to be released in the U.S. in May 2013). Dazzled. I was and am dazzled by these innovative and often heart-stoppingly beautiful and poignantly written books by this former husband-wife team.

Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli Jew who moved to London to study cookery at the Cordon Bleu, owns the London restaurants, Ottolenghi and Nopi. Drawing on diverse culinary traditions, but focusing on Mediterranean, Ottolenghi provides some of the most innovative food in the modern food scene. In the new Jerusalem cookbook, he teams up again with Sami Tamimi, an Arab born of Palestinian parents, who grew up in east Jerusalem. The blending of Arab and Jewish cultures and food come together splendidly in their new book, which celebrates the vibrant, exciting food of the Middle East, specifically Jerusalem.

A few of the many recipes I have starred to try are:

Chermoula Eggplant with Bulgur and Yogurt
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Hazelnuts
Spicy Carrot Salad with Harissa
Butternut Squash and Tahini Spread
Saffron Chicken and Herb Salad
Polpettone with Green Sauce
Fricassee Salad with Harissa
Every condiment in the book...and don't get me started on the desserts

The second much-anticipated book comes from Greg Malouf, the Australian chef, consultant, and restauranteur, who with his former wife Lucy, has produced some of the most exciting books in my collection. Malouf's take on Middle Eastern food, spanning from Lebanon to Turkey to North Africa, showcases traditional ingredients used in unique, modern ways.

A sampling of recipes just waiting for me to try from Malouf: New Middle Eastern Food by Greg and Lucy Malouf are:

Golden Mussel Chowder
North African Couscous Soup
Preserved Lemon Guacamole
Green Olive, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad
Braised Chard with Crisp Onions and Tahini Sauce
Crunchy Red Lentil Kofte with Mint
Crunchy Zucchini Stuffed with Haloumi
Jeweled Cracked Wheat Pilaf with Honey-Ginger Tomato Sauce
Parsnip Skordalia
Profiterole with Thick Fig Cream
And as with Ottolenghi and Tamimi's book, the Larder...the larder where the condiments reside...too many stars to count

* * *

After writing about Mexican Day of the Dead for the last couple of posts (and still with dozens more photos to share of the celebration...), I am back to offering a recipe. And what a recipe it is! For years I have been saving an assortment of recipes for a West African Peanut Soup. After having tried something a peanut-yam stew in East Africa, Kenya to be exact, many years ago, I have long thought of trying to make something similar in my own kitchen. Somehow I just never got around to it until last week.

As predicted, the Mexican cooks in my cooking class, thought this soup sounded strange. Of course, once we made it, they all loved it, all except the youngest who didn't even want to try it because it sounded so odd to her. My sister-in-law loved it so much that she went home and made it the next day. Trust me, this soup recipe is a keeper. A star, nay, five stars. A new favorite recipe.

Although I have a folder full of versions of this soup, I decided on a simple one by NYTimes columnist/blogger and cookbook author Mark Bittman. Easy to prepare, full of fresh goodness, and loaded with favorite ingredients, I knew this would be tasty. I had to substitute spinach for the collards required in the original recipe, but any greens would work. Because I am fond of punched-up, lively flavors, I might add even more ginger next time and even a bit more cayenne. But now that I consider it, it tasted so good just as written that perhaps no adjustments are needed.

Cook's Notes: I used chicken breasts, a combination of 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups water (because that is what I had), fresh tomatoes (would peel them first next time), spinach, and chunky peanut butter (1/2 cup and perhaps a tad more).

Recipe: West African Peanut Soup with Chicken

(Recipe by Mark Bittman, The NYTimes)

Serves 4

3/4 cup roasted and shelled peanuts

2 tablespoons peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

1 medium red or white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon garlic

1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken (about 2 thighs or breasts), cut into chunks

Pinch of cayenne

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups stock or water

2 sweet potatoes or yams (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into thick slices (I cut them into cubes)

8 plum tomatoes, cored and halved (canned are fine; drain and reserve the liquid for another use)

1/2 pound collards or kale, washed and cut into wide ribbons

1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth

Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly.

Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, brin to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining chopped peanuts.

Parting Shot: