Chef in my own mind

Mahleb: variations on a theme

   

Mahleb is also called sour cherry and Saint Lucie cherry.  This whole seed comes from the black cherry and is mostly grown in Iran, but is also grown in Turkey and parts of the Mediterranean.  Its taste can be described as having a bitter almond flavor with cherry notes.

Tsoureki bread is made by making an enriched dough using white flour, yeast, sugar, milk and eggs.  Traditionally flavored with a spice called mahleb, gives it an authentic aroma of intense bitter almond/cherry.  This dough rests overnight in the refrigerator for a slow rise.  It will be baked tomorrow morning.  

Cultural traditions are repeated yearly and exist in any world culture.  I married into a Greek family back in the eighties and while am no longer in this family, the traditions still entice me to celebrating this rich Greek culture.  I had never made Greek Easter bread but was inspired to make it this year.  I remember asking about the flavorings found in Easter bread and my mother-in-law said it was mastic.  I have learned that both can be used.     Greek Easter has a movable holiday which changes each year.  This year our Christian Easter is celebrated March 31 while the Greek Orthodox Easter will not be celebrated until May 5. 

I found this particular recipe for tsoureki (Greek Easter bread) from King Arthur flour website and was attracted to it by a particular ingredient I had in my spice cabinet called mahlab.  This is the pit of the sour cherry, Prunus mahaleb.  Some other European cultures refer to it as the Saint Lucy (or Lucie) cherry.  It is grown mostly in Iran and also in Turkey and Syria.  Armenian rolls called chorek and turkish kandil rings and Lebanese pastries filled with dates and nuta all incorporate mahleb into the recipes.  The seeds contain coumarin as in all pit fruits (apricot, peach, cherry, etc).  I found the whole seeds a few years ago from Penzey's spices so had to buy a small jar and figure out how to use them.  The whole spice is ground in a spice grinder.  It has a hauntingly fragrant aroma when ground up.  The first time I smelled it, the familiar new Play-doh smell came to my mind.   It is commonly used in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines mostly in baked items.  When baked the aroma just blossoms and fills the kitchen with its subtle cherry aroma.   The spice can be found in whole and ground forms.  If ground spice is what you find, store it in the refrigerator since it can go rancid rather quickly.  I personally prefer whole spices in my pantry.    Other pairings for this spice include anise, cinnamon, clve, mastic, nigella, nutmeg, poppy seed and sessame seeds.  Apricots, almonds, dates, pistachio nuts, rose water and walnuts all have natural affinity with mahleb.  The source for this information comes from Jill Norman's comprehensive book called Herbs and Spices.

The following day the dough is punched down and divided into thirds.  Set a third of the dough aside and place 2/3's of the dough in a lightly greased 9 1/2" round baking pan, seen below.

Two thirds of the dough goes into a greased round baking pan.  

I do not think it matters what tradition you celebrate yet the common thread is celebration with family and friends.  Cultures center around a belief system be it religious or secular.  My favorite course during my high school years was called world humanities.  We studied cultures and belief systems around this earth.  There are stark differences but many had threads of a similar color running through them.  Celebrate, family, friends, common ideas.  

Divide the remaining dough into 3 equal pieces and roll into long ropes of about 20" in length.  

As we have spent the weekend quietly relaxing, minimal family in town I think about peoples around the world who celebrate their traditions.  Jewish passover celebrations intersect also this week.  Somehow food always seems to be involved with the traditions that follow.  It is a reality check that we all are human beings and have to eat to live, so why not celebrate while you're at it, right?!  Let's live to eat.  

Begin a braid with the 3 dough strands, pinching them together at the top.  

This braid was not quite long enough so I adjusted how it goes on top of the master dough in the pan and created a braid circle.  From here I laid it on top of the dough in the pan.  

Now the dough is ready for the red eggs.  

OK, so my eggs are more pink than red.  Red eggs are made red with a special red dye found in Middle Eastern stores.  It dyes the eggs to the deepest red you have ever imagined.  Cover the dough with greased plastic wrap and let rise for about 2.5 hours at room temperature.  [Note: Consider these eggs to be used for decorative purposes only and not to be eaten later.]

 

The recipe called for more eggs but I decided to use three to be historically correct with the trinity.  The bread bakes until a thermometer reads 190 degrees F.  

The bread is lovely toasted as we did on Easter morning.  I read also that it makes great french toast.  That is generally true of most enriched sweet breads.  They have a substance that you do not get with non-enriched bread doughs.  

The tiny sour cherry pit is barely 1/4 inch in diameter and even looks like coriander seeds.    When ground it smells faintly like cherry and a bit like bitter almond even in taste.  I have read that it can also be used in jams and preserves as well as puddings.  This summer I may try it when jam making season begins here in Virginia.    Today, for Easter I decided to use it to make Greek Easter bread and created a dish of my own using mahleb: chia panna cotta with mahleb.  

Panna cotta is a simple to make Italian dessert made with unflavored gelatin.  It can be flavored with many elements.  I wanted to embellish it a bit so decided to add some chia seeds for a textural contrast.  They will give a tapioca-like texture to the dish.  Chia also adds a protein element to the dish.  

 

Chia seed panna cotta with mahleb, an original recipe by Bonnie

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 packet unflavored gelatin

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 vanilla bean scraped into pan)

1 teaspoon finely ground mahleb

2 Tablespoons chia seed

pinch sea salt

1. Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan.  You want to scald the cream but not bring it to the boil, but almost.  Whisk to keep ingredients well distributed in the pan.  Once bubbles start to form on the edge of the pan, it is ready to pour into remekins.  Let cool, then refrigerate until set for several hours.  

2. To serve, you can serve as it is or add a little topping like some toasted almonds, fresh sweetened whipped cream, finely chopped candied orange, a few drops of Grand Marnier or even Amaretto liquor or a combination.  

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Greek Easter menu March 31, 2013:

Mezze

Pate campagne with little toasts

Short smoked salmon

Main

Marinated grilled lamb kebabs with rosemary, garlic & lemon

Parmesan crusted baked asparagus

Greek braised green beans with tomato and potatoes

Homemade pita bread

Dessert

Chia seed panna cotta with mahleb, toasted almond, candied orange 

Grand Marnier

Chia pudding with toasted almonds and ground candied orange peel.  I ground them up in the spice grinder.  

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 Celebrate traditions.    Add new ones.    Share with loved ones.  

Bonnie 

During my research of this spice I found some neat leads below...for your added inspiration:

The Kitchn: mahlab

Bake with me:  Sambusik: a holiday cookie using mahleb Lebanese nut turnovers 

Turkish cordial: Mahlep  (I gotta find some of this!)

Martha Stewart: Chocolate pot de Creme with mahleb.

 

Miso in twenty. A post yoga cocktail to cure what ails you.

The seasons are changing slowly from winter into a sluggish spring.  I do not get sick often but every once in a while something grabs me.  Who knows, maybe the change in seasons made me vulnerable and I woke with aches and pains and felt tight all over.  A tightening in my chest yielded itself into a cough and underpinnings of a late winter cold.    

Homemade miso soup is one that is unique to you.  Make it with whatever you have available.

Last fall I began vinyasa yoga classes as part of a health and wellness caring of self and have worked to go three times a week.  Keeping up with my fellow yogis is no easy task and yoga is not for the faint of heart.  Yoga is hard yet the benefits are great if you stick with it long enough to feel better breathing, sleeping, flexibility and ability to focus.  Being about 75% kept me out of class most of the week much to my chagrin.  When I woke up this morning, a sunny but chilly Saturday I decided I felt well enough to head over to my yoga class at Inner Power Yoga.  The instructors have all the wisdom of the universe in their gentle and persistent teachings, encouraging us to breathe through the nose both in and out.   I wondered if I would make it through the class today and alas did, so I think I will live to yoga another day.  So to fnd the perfect fuel for post yoga class I turned to my all time Asian favorite: miso soup, homemade.

Mise en place (everything in it's place) for miso soup ala Bonnie.

The one thing that heals and fuels my body when I am under the weather is making my own miso soup.  I am not talking about those packages which would be easy but rather just going into your pantry for an assortment of health giving staples and homemade miso soup will always be the norm no matter how under you feel.  

Dried shitake & seaweeds go in the pot first with 2 cups of water.  Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat.   You can add dried ginger too if you have that lying around.  I usually have fresh but dried is available at Penzeys so you are never out. 

I want to share it with you but before I just give a recipe (and you do not really need a recipe) let me say how making the conscious choice to eat healthy most of the time means you make that committment somewhere along the line and then bring that commitment to fruition by creating your pantry first.  Purge the processed pantry items in the freezer, fridge and pantry is more liberating than you know and it may be done in stages.  That is for another post however so here we go.  

Thinly sliced savoy cabbage.  Use any thinly sliced greens you may have like kale or spinach or chard, or even wild foraged greens (nettles) if you are a forager like me. 

 

A few ingredients make homemade miso a breeze and something that means little effort.  I came home and put it all together in about 20 minutes and had all ingredients on hand.  Twenty minutes from taking ingredients out of the pantry and fridge, setting up mise en place (cutting stuff up) and then warming it on the stove.  I had leeks and carrot so thinly sliced a few bits of each and added to the simmering pot of health-giving, immunity producing brew.

Remove the inner green part of garlic this time of year because it tends to be bitter.  Slice thinly and add to the pot.  I learned this little tip from Dorie Greenspan in her book Around My French Table. 

Dry staples include items like edible seaweeds like wakame, dulse, and kombu (take out when done) and dried shitakes.  You can't always have fresh shitake on hand but reaching into your pantry for a container of dried shitake mushrooms, you will have all kinds of quick and dirty nutrition right at your fingertips.  Most health food stores and asian markets will have these items.  If you live in outlying areas and do not have these kinds of shops closeby, consider mail order sources. I found some nice links to the ingredients mentioned in this post. Check them out for some additional education. 

 Fresh ginger is peeled first, then thinly sliced and then thinly slice the slices.  This cut is called julienne. I learned about julienne cuts in my knife skills class from my online cooking school Rouxbe.

From the fridge you might have tofu and miso paste.  Be discriminating about the miso paste you buy because some miso has MSG which you want to avoid.  I buy mine from the health sections.  It comes in different types from brown, red, yellow and white miso pastes and keeps a long time in the fridge.  There are many other uses for miso besides soup.  

One important piece to remember about miso is that it is a living fermented culture and as such should never be added to boiling liquid or you will kill the active and health-giving enzymes in the miso.  The enzymes in the miso and what make it a true health food capable of boosting immune systems with regular consumption.   You can figure on 1-2 teaspoons of miso per 8 oz of water.  Measure it out into a separate bowl, add some of the liquid from the soup and stir till combined.  Remove the soup from the heat THEN stir in the miso.  You can also portion the soup into each bowl and add the miso separately. Miso is one of the few plant sources of B-12 nutrition! 

This is red miso paste.  Do not buy miso paste with MSG.  You can find miso paste in health food sections or health food stores.  Use about 1-2 teaspoons miso per cup water or broth.  

Let's make soup:  

Take 2 cups water and put in a small saucepan. 

Add a pinch of wakame seaweed, a 2" piece of kombu and some dried shitake mushrooms.  (I added a piece of dulse which I also had in my pantry bag of dried seaweed goodies.

Thinly slice some onion or green onions, or some leek, carrot, cabbage or whatever other green vegetables you may have in the bottom drawer of the fridge.  You could add some thinly sliced broccoli.    Set the pot over medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer.  Add vegetables as you prep them.  Add a clove of sliced garlic and some fresh ginger (about 1/2 inch) julienned.  

This is an organic non-GMO extra firm tofu I found at my local Asian market.  I cubed a half inch slice and put it into the soup.  Store opened tofu in its liquid and use within a week.

One key to making a tasty soup is being able to thinly slice the vegetables so they will be easy to eat.

Most seaweeds will expand astronomically like this piece of kombu.  I rolled it up and sliced it into ribbons and added it to the soup.  It has a slightly gelatinous character when cut.  Kombu is a great source of B-12. Kombu is a bit thick and leathery.  

Kombu is the chief ingredient in dashi broth which is a component of most miso soups.  Here it is sliced thinly and added to the soup for added texture and nutrients.   

Tofu is a nice addition to miso soup and adds some welcome protein.  If you have any leftover small pieces of cooked meat, chicken, fish or shellfish, a small amount may be added.  You will not need but a tiny bit of any of these additions.  When choosing tofu, look for firm or extra firm tofu that is preferable organic and non-GMO for the best upgrades.  

Once your broth and vegetables have simmered for about ten minutes you can prepare your miso as your last addition.  Get your bowl and spoon out.  Take the soup off the heat and add the miso that you have tempered.  Serve and feel good.  

Temper your miso with some hot broth.  Never put miso in really hot liquids or you will kill the beneficial properties of fermented miso.  

Think minimalist when you make miso soup.  Small amounts are good.  Think immunity and comfort to heal your body and make it feel good.  

It has been nearly a year away from this blog and I have missed writing.  I have nearly a year's worth of new experiences to share with readers and hope they inspire you to cook and try new foods.  

In my journey to make miso soup my own inspiration came from some of these popular sources: 

101 Cookbooks

Steamy Kitchen

Dr. Andrew Weil's miso soup; great nutritional info here too

South River Miso soup This is a great brand of unique and high quality miso products.  

Natural Health Foodie: Homemade Miso soup.

Ginger-lemongrass miso soup

Broth with Tatsoi ala Ming Tsai

 

Heal.               Be well.                      Care for self.                              

Cook for those you love...every day.

OMMMMM.....

 

Bonnie