You will eat your greens, i promise you!

And what else in the new year?

welcome to COOKING THE MED !

Because you love food from the Mediterranean. From the east to the west, from Palermo to Beirut. Because you need uncomplicated recipes full of flavour in your life, original, authentic and modern at the same time. And no life without lemon, olive oil, onion and garlic. I hope you will feel at home here in Café Mazahar’s COOKING THE MED.

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Hello dear readers,
How is the new year unfolding so far for you?

Usually i start nice and slow the first working week of the year, but this year i’m driving straight into action, which actually feels alive and kicking.

NEWS
This week there was a new January edition of delicious. magazine (in Dutch, sorry guys) with my new column….. of course about the Mediterranean! Exited to have 4 pages to talk about specific dishes, their background, cultural meaning, customs and origins, food culture. And then to finish it off with the cherry on the cake: my recipe a take on with a twist. The first one, about the Turkish egg dish Çilbir (with some fresh simit with sumac and nigella on the side) became to my great satisfaction cover model.

photography Erik van Lokven, styling Maaike Koorman

Yesterday i was already foodstyling and shooting the next two with the team, i will keep it secret still, but i can tell you, it will be delicious and interesting.

VEGAN FOR THE DAY
And today you will be finding me here at Foam the kitchen in The Hague. I will be hosting a vegan workshop! Yes vegan. I’m not a vegan myself as you know, but i do often cook vegan dishes because it just happens. And my love for the (eastern) Mediterranean gives me lots of vegetables, fresh herbs and spices plus an obsession for simplicity. All very helpful in creating vegan recipes. Naturally vegan, that’s what i like! That’s why it’s no wonder my books are full of vegan recipes: we will be cooking a whole menu from both my books, Cafe Mazahar and De Bijbel van de Libanese keuken (bible of lebanese food). And that’s leading up to todays recipe, because one of the things i will cook with the people is a version of the Lebanese hindbeh with fried onions. Hindbeh is usually wild greens, dandelion, but i substitute with the nice slighly bitter green chicory/escarole (for the Dutch among us, andijvie!).

And today i made a party of this dish, with delicious toppings, a mix between Italy and Lebanon in flavors. And i am 100% sure you will eat your veg. And just now I discovered something funny. Because this kind of vegetable i always considered it to be very nordic and Dutch. But guess what. And i’m quoting Nature’s Produce from Canada:

True endives such as Escarole are believed to be native to Sicily and the Mediterranean region. It has been widely cultivated in England from at least the 1500s. It can be traced back to Greece, Rome, and Egypt where it was used as a salad green.

Wow. One of my favorite bitter vegetables is thus extremely Mediterranean at heart after all. The most simple and effective way of eating it is simply how i love it: stir fried with olive oil and garlic, the way of famous and loved mediterranean Chez Panisse restaurant. And by the way today it’s on their menu too, if you happen to be lucky enough to be around there (i know one my subscribers is, in fact!) go and taste it: Black truffle bagna cauda with chicories (probably a mix of bitter veg like escarole and others) and winter vegetable salad!

And you know what? I didn’t use olive oil this time, but butter. Of course with lots of finely chopped garlic. Can you imagine how divine butter is with this bitter leaf? Absolutely fantastic. I love this way of eating lots of vegetables, which is so delicious and so good for your health at the same time, and i’m imagining this goes for you too.

But i’m very curious if this is really the case, and where you like to see my Mediterranean focus this coming year? Beans, veg or other? Condiments, sauces, sweets or? Let me know…..

Before i go on to the full recipe let me tell you that you can join me 28th of January with The Hummus Academy Plate for Palestine in Amsterdam, where i will be making Fatayer Fallahy, a delicious. stuffed bread/salty pastry with fresh za’atar and sumac inside. A bit like this one, from my book Beiroet:

It’s going to be delicious. See you there? Tickets for the event are here

photography Tanya Traboulsi

The recipe of the BAKED ESCAROLE WITH GARLIC & BUTTER AND ZINGY SPECIAL TOMATO SAUCE is for everyone at Café Mazahar’s Cooking the Med table, see you there?