Persian Tomato and Basmati Rice Soup

This is the ultimate tomato and rice soup. The fragrant spices and exotic ingredients will fill your kitchen with intrigue. This is a variation of the soup that I made for the Rethinking Soup program at the Jane Addams Hull House in Chicago. I also made the Harira recipe below. It was a great time, lots of eager soup eaters who are interested in the world around them. All are welcome at these events. There is free soup and lively "Organic" discussion. Donations are gladly accepted! If you find yourself in the great city of Chicago, stop by on any Tuesday between 12:00 Noon and 1:30. The combination of history, soup, and current organic food trends makes this a worthwhile lunchtime event.

Persian Tomato and Basmati Rice Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
3/4 cup carrots, diced small
3/4 cup celery, diced small
1 onion, chopped
1 cup Basmati Rice
4 to 5 cups water or chicken stock
3 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup dill, chopped
1 Persian dried lime*
salt and pepper

Place oil or ghee into large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots,celery,and onion. Saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the rice, tomatoes, liquid, and spices, and dried lime. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

After 1 hour, add cilantro and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls.
This soup will thicken as it sits, so you may need to add more liquid from time to time.

* Dried limes can be found in Persian specialty stores or on-line.

Harira - Feeding The Soul of North Africa

One of the greatest soups in the world is the North African Harira. This soup, popular in Morocco and Algeria, is served at the break- fast meal in the evening during the Islamic Month of Ramadan. A hearty meal in itself, it soothes the body and nourishes the soul after many hours of intense fasting. Harira is also served for weddings, and other important family occasions.

There are many variations of this soup, but it basically consists of lamb, chick peas, lentils, onions, tomatoes, pasta or rice, and a multitude of fragrant spices. It is truly unique, and a soup worth exploring. Just one sniff of the fragrantly spicy pot will transport you to the streets of Morocco.

Harira
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 pound lamb shoulder, cubed
3/4 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup green lentils
1 pound soaked chick peas, or 1 15 ounce can chick peas
4 ounces vermicelli pasta, broken into small pieces
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
7 cups water
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, beaten
salt to taste
lemon slices for garnish

Place oil or butter, lamb, spices, carrots, celery, onions, and tomatoes into a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir for about 5 minutes, and then let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add water, lentils, and chick peas to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and allow the soup to gently simmer covered for 2 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, turn heat to medium-high and add the pasta or rice. Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta or rice is cooked. Just before serving, add salt to taste, and add the lemon juice, beaten eggs, cilantro, and parsley. Mix thoroughly. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with lemon slice.

Torta di Mele e Mandorle all'Olio

We are heavily into apple season here in the Midwest. It is one of my favorite times of year to cook. The local farmers' markets are teaming with a multitude of great produce, but the apples are really starting to stand out. It is amazing to see the variety that is available to the Chef. We are no longer constrained by the usual mass-market options. Heirlooms rule at the farmers' market. The shapes, sizes, colors, and names just make you smile.

One apple that I look forward to every year is the Honeycrisp. It seems to be a perfect package. It is tart, sweet, and crisp yet yielding. They are a great option for baking. They make an incredible pie that is tender and heavily perfumed with the purest essence of APPLE. After I have made my quota of yearly apple pies, I like to find other ways to use this apple. One of my favorite recipes is an Italian Apple and Almond Cake that is made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This recipe is my variation of the Italian classic. If you haven't used olive oil in your baking, you must try this recipe. It will transport you to the mountains of Italy where Grandmothers have been baking variations of this cake for centuries. You must plan ahead a little, as this cake is better if allowed to rest for a day before serving.

Torta di Mele e Mandorle all'Olio

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup rum

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 pound Honeycrisp apples, diced small

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Place oven rack in center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch spring-form pan.

Place raisins and rum in small bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.

Place oil and sugar together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat with paddle attachment until just combined. Increase speed to medium and begin to add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg. Continue beating, the mixture should have the consistency of mayonnaise. Add the vinegar, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly.

In another bowl combine the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix together with a whisk until evenly blended.

With mixer on low, add dry ingredients to oil mixture. When almost combined, add apples and raisins, with the rum. Blend thoroughly, it is OK if some of the apple gets smashed by the beater.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Smooth surface and top with sliced almonds. Gently press almonds into surface so that they all stick to the cake. Bake for 1 hour. Test doneness with a wooden skewer, it should come out clean. If not, continue cooking in 5 minute intervals until done.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the collar from the pan and cool the cake completely. Once cool, wrap loosely and allow to sit for 1 day. This will help the cake to develop deeper flavor. Before serving, liberally dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

Serve the cake with strong coffee, tea, or as the Italians do, a glass of Vin Santo.

Ful Mudammas - Egypt's National Dish

I have grown tired of the usual American breakfast fare. Eggs and bacon are great, and who doesn't love a good pancake? But let's face it, it's boring...

Sure, you can vary things. You can have oatmeal, farina, cold soggy cereal, sugary, fat-laden pastries, blimp- sized bagels, or a multitude of twigs, bark, and berries. All of these are commonplace, but even more boring. If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why is it the least creative or exciting of the day's meals? I know that most Americans are very busy in the morning. We try to steal as much sleep as we can and then fly out the door for work. Who has time to be creative when your train is leaving in 20 minutes? There must be an interesting breakfast alternative that doesn't require a lot of morning preparation? There is!

Lately I have been eating breakfast the way the Egyptians do. I have Ful Mudammas. It is a simple preparation of small, dried fava beans, red lentils, onion, and tomato. This may not sound very interesting, but trust me, it is. The basic Ful is just a healthy, fiber-rich catalyst. The real magic is in the multitude of condiments that can be served with the Ful. I start my mornings with hot sauce, olive oil, and tahina. Sometimes I go for the fried egg option with kashk and sumac. Even a simple drizzle of salted butter raises the Ful to new levels of good!

Ful not only gets your tongue dancing, it is healthy, and will stick with you for most of the day. It is like throwing a big log on your metabolic fire. No quick burn and crash here, this stuff keeps you going strong. 80 million+ Egyptians can't be wrong!

Preparing Ful requires some planning. The beans must be soaked for 24 hours. The dish itself needs to cook for 12 hours. The good news is that you can make it in a slow cooker overnight. Then it is ready by breakfast time. Once made, the Ful can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, and reheated in the microwave as needed. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

Here is the recipe that I use. It is very traditional, but with a few personal touches. This recipe will make quite a large batch, so feel free to cut it in half if you need to.

Ful Muddamas

3 pounds small dried fava beans*, soaked overnight in the refrigerator

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 1/2 quarts vegetable stock or water

1 tablespoon hot sauce (your favorite, optional)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (optional, traditionally Ful is not salted until served)

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on High for 2 hours. Turn temperature down to low and cook for 10 hours. After 12 hours, check consistency. Ful should not be too thick. Add more liquid to make more "soupy". Serve in a bowl with your favorite condiments and plenty of whole grain flat-breads.

If you do not have a slow cooker, start Ful on top of stove in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in a 200 degree oven for 12 hours.

Here are some of the traditional garnishes for Ful Mudammas, but feel free to try your own:

hot sauce, olive oil, tahina, hummus, tomato sauce, kashk, butter, garlic sauce, fried egg, hard-cooked egg, chick peas, green onions, and sumac.

* Small fava beans can be found in most Arab or Persian stores, or on-line.

In a pinch, you can substitute regular, brown lentils. This of course is not traditional, and probably will ruffle some purist feathers.