Island Style Sweet and Spicy Cabbage - Recipe

Island Style Sweet and Spicy Cabbage

More than 20 years ago, I lived in an odd little shared house in Oakland, and one of the other renters was a guy named John, from one of the Caribbean islands. Sad to say, I can't recall which island (possibly Barbados?), but I do remember that he moonlighted in a steel drum band, and we would often cook simple dinners together and hang out in his room watching Golden State Warriors games.

He had this unlabeled bottle of hot sauce that friends would smuggle in when they came from home, and it was unlike any other I'd tasted. There was lots of chili heat, but almost an equal hit of mustard, so much so that the sauce was yellow. Probably similar to this bottle of Lottie's. This sauce could be used at the table, but what I loved even more was how he cooked with it.

The first thing to go in the pan with the oil was always minced onions and brown sugar. After the sugar caramelized a bit, in would go the hot sauce. Then the main ingredient, whatever it was, would be fried in this intensely flavored base.

I don't have this type of hot sauce on hand, and you probably don't either, so I decided to see if I could get a similar result by building the sauce directly in the pan. I liked the result a lot; it was hot, sweet, full of spice, and quite close to how I remember the taste of John's cooking. Today I used this technique on napa cabbage, but you could adapt it to just about anything from potatoes to paneer. Okra would be amazing.

I served this cabbage with dhal puri roti (an Indo-Caribbean flatbread filled with yellow splitpea dal), and Jamaican rice & peas.

I'd love to hear from anyone who is familiar with this style of cooking that begins with sugar and hot sauce in the pan. Are there other niceties to this technique? Is it particular to certain islands?

Island Style Sweet and Spicy Cabbage
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free
Serves 4 as a small side dish
5 minutes active, 15 total

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 medium white onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (or some part of a habanero or scotch bonnet if you dare)
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 heaping tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard (double check if you need gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• several grinds fresh black pepper
• 1 head napa cabbage, cut across the head in 3" wide ribbons

1. In a wok or large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over a medium high flame. Add the brown sugar and onion, and cook for 1 minute; do not let the sugar burn.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeno, ginger, mustard, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir and cook for a couple of minutes until it is thick, dark and fragrant.
3. Add the cabbage. Stir it through the sauce, and cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the lid, stir again, and then cook until tender. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Ethiopian Ful Medames - Fava Beans with Berbere and Tasty Garnishes - Recipe

Ethiopian Ful Medames

Ful medames (pronounced fool mehdahmez) is one of my favorite foods. A big bowl of fava beans with lots of olive oil and garlic, it is eaten throughout the Middle East, mopping up with fresh pita. Filling, inexpensive, and nutritious. So imagine my joy a few years ago when I found out that one of our local Ethiopian restaurants (Cafe Selam, 2715 Cherry St., Seattle) was serving their national version of this dish, which is eaten for breakfast or an early lunch.

I set out to make my own ful because it is such a simple and tasty dish that it makes a great weeknight supper for our family. If you use canned favas (or cook them yourself in advance), you can have it on the table in 20 minutes.

The main differences between Ethiopian and other ful medames is that the beans are fully mashed, a little berbere is added to flavor the mix, and it is served with big rolls of white bread (not pita or injera). The rolls are crusty on the outside and fluffy and warm on the inside. You don't want a real artisan baguette here. Something with a softer texture that lets you soak up the sauce is ideal. This is the only utensil you will have - no forks, spoons or knives are ever used with Ethiopian food.

A lot of the love in this ful comes from the garnish of olive oil, green onions, feta cheese, diced tomato, jalapeno and hard boiled egg slices. You can customize each bite for a new experience.

Berbere is the best known spice mixture from Ethiopia. If you live in Seattle, it is readily available from any of the markets in the Central District, or you can find it on Amazon (Berbere 4.0 oz by Zamouri Spices). It typically contains chilis, ginger, cardamom, cloves, coriander, allspice, fenugreek, rue and ajwain, and is quite hot. In this dish, it provides just a subtle background flavor, but if you make other Ethiopian stews it can play a starring role.

The beans themselves are a type of fava, but they aren't the ones that look like giant lima beans. They are more round, like a chickpea but a lot darker. Any Middle Eastern or Ethiopian store will carry them, usually both canned and dry. Just ask for ful. The canned ones work just fine in this dish, just be sure to drain and rinse well before using.

Ethiopian Ful Medames
Vegetarian / vegan if you omit the feta & egg / gluten free if you choose a different bread
Serves 4
20 minutes if you have pre-cooked beans

• 4-6 big crusty rolls
• 1/4 cup olive oil + more for garnish
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup minced white onion
• 1 teaspoon berbere
• 6 cups cooked ful (round fava beans)
• salt
• 6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 6 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced tomato
• 1 finely diced jalapeno
• 2 hardboiled eggs, cut into 1/8" slices
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

1. Put the rolls to lightly toast in your oven or toaster oven.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and fry the garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add the berbere and cook for 1 more minute. Add the ful and 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat, mash the ful, adding water if needed to reach the texture of refried beans. Salt to taste. Return to the heat briefly.
4. To serve, divide the mashed beans between four shallow bowls and garnish rather heavily with more olive oil, green onions, feta cheese, tomato and jalapeno. Top with the egg slices and sprinkle them with a little cumin powder. Serve immediately, with the rolls on the side.

 

Tomato Jam With Rosemary and Saffron - Recipe

Tomato Jam With Rosemary and Saffron (on a Grilled Cheese Sandwich)

Tomato jam. Sounds kind of funny, right? But then when you think about it, a tomato is a fruit after all. Cook them down with sugar and seasonings and you get a piquant jam, though you might think of it more as a chutney.

Whatever you call it, this tomato jam is amazing on a grilled cheese with seriously sharp cheddar, or with the chickpea fritters I'll tell you about next week.

For flavorings, I opted for rosemary, saffron and chili flakes. It could be equally delicious with garlic and lemon zest, or with coriander, turmeric and black pepper.

It is important to peel the tomatoes before making the jam, otherwise you will have unpleasant stringy bits in it. To peel them, you simply make an X in the skin at the end away from the stem, dunk 'em in boiling water for 10 seconds, let 'em cool, and you can zip the skin right off. Doing this for half a dozen tomatoes just takes a few minutes. When I was stageing at Canlis, I cored, peeled and seeded two cases of Roma's. That takes more than a few minutes.

Since you don't need picture perfect tomatoes for this jam, you might ask at your farmer's market to see if you can buy seconds that are a little bruised or otherwise unloved. At my market, they are about half the price of the number ones.

This recipe will make about a cup of jam, which will keep in your fridge for a few days. I'm not a canner (yet), so I don't know whether it is suitable for processing and longer-term storage.

Tomato Jam With Rosemary and Saffron
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free
Makes about a cup

• 24 ounces (by weight) tomatoes, cored and peeled (see above), roughly diced
• 1/2 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves, very finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sugar (you could also try a little less)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch of chili flakes
• pinch of saffron, crumbled
• a few grind of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. How about this for easy? Bring all ingredients to a simmer (the liquid will all come out of the tomatoes, you don't need to add any). Cook for about an hour, until thick and syrupy. Taste and adjust seasonings.