Fight Back Fridays

Tamatem Ma’Amrine

/ Ren

Tamatem Ma’Amrine is a Moroccan dish of roasted tomatoes stuffed with albacore, capers, olives and preserved lemon..

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Tamatem Ma’Amrine (click to enlarge)

Adapted from a recipe by Claudia Roden

Carve a lid out of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides as you would a jack-o’-lantern.  Don’t let the walls get too thin, or the tomatoes will split while roasting. Turn the tomatoes upside down and let the water drain.

Meanwhile, flake apart US Pacific troll or line-caught albacore and toss gently in extra virgin olive oil with bits of roasted red pepper, coarsely chopped capers and black olives, thinly slivered preserved lemon and chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Season tuna mixture with cracked coriander, fennel and white sesame seeds and stuff into the tomatoes.

Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.  Roast in a 375 degree oven until slightly blackened, perhaps 30 minutes.

Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold; a crisp salad goes well in either case.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

© Monterey Bay Aquarium

© Monterey Bay Aquarium

Seafood Watch: Tuna, Albacore

Penang Goat Curry

/ Ren

Pastured goat seared, then slowly simmered in coconut red curry with fried tomatoes, onions and Thai dragon peppers, with fresh ginger, garlic and Kaffir lime leaves..

Goat Curry

Penang Goat Curry

Serves 2

1 pound goat stew meat
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, diced
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red or green chiles
1 tablespoon traditionally-fermented soy sauce
1 tablespoon poivron rouge
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon true cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
2 kaffir lime leaves, slivered
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup thick, raw coconut milk
1 cup filtered water
coconut oil or ghee for frying

In Austin, pastured goat and kaffir lime are available from Farmhouse Delivery.

Trim goat meat of fat and silver-skin and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Thoroughly rinse then pat dry.  Heat raw coconut oil or ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat until the first wisp of smoke appears.  Add the goat and sear until dark brown with a slight surface crustiness.  Transfer meat to a plate.

Stirring frequently, fry tomatoes, onions and chiles until until the onions are translucent and the tomatoes lose some of their moisture.  Add ginger, garlic and dry spices and cook until a thick paste is formed.

Add coconut milk, goat meat and lime leaves and simmer until goat is tender, about 75 minutes.  Stir the pot now and then, adding water as needed to keep it from thickening too much.

Taste for salt, then add chopped cilantro just before serving.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

Lechon Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

/ Ren

Mojo-marinated, slow-roasted pork shoulder with sour orange juice, cumin, oregano and fresh peppers, served with black beans and saffron rice..

Lechon Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

Lechón Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

For the Mojo (Cuban Marinade, Three Guys from Miami)

8-10 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup sour orange juice, or 1/2 cup orange juice plus 1/4 cup each fresh lemon and lime juice

Use a large mortar and pestle to mash all the ingredients (except orange juice) into a paste.  Transfer paste to a bowl and combine with the orange juice.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the Pork

Marinate the pork in the mojo for 4 hours (refrigerated).  Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry.  Heat some fat in a Dutch oven set over medium heat, then brown the pork well on all sides.  Transfer the pork to a plate and pour off all but a tablespoon or two of fat from the Dutch oven.

Toast a tablespoon of whole cumin seeds in the Dutch oven, then add a cup of chopped red onion, 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/3 cup of Cubanelle, bell and/or jalapeño  peppers and sauté until softened and fragrant.

Nestle the pork shoulder (fat side up) in the vegetables, then pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and the marinade.  Add some wedges of lemon and lime and a palm-full of chopped fresh oregano. Cover and cook in a 200 degree oven until fork tender, about 3-4 hours depending on the size of the roast.

Remove from the oven, uncover and let stand 20 minutes.

For the Rice

Cook long-grain aged basmati in chicken stock until tender, adding water-soaked saffron during the last few minutes of cooking.  Season to taste with salt & pepper and garnished with chopped parsley.

For the Beans

Soak black beans overnight in filtered water before preparing in the usual fashion.  Stir in some of the vegetables from the Dutch oven during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

To Serve

Spoon rice onto a serving plate then top with beans.  Use 2 forks to pull the pork into chunks and place alongside the rice and beans.  Spoon some of the vegetables and pan juices over the pork and serve immediately.

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This post is part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays!

Elderberry Syrup

/ Ren

“European elder is a plant native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Western-and Central Asia. Its flowers and berries have a long history of use in traditional European medicine. Elder berries have also been used for making preserves, wines, winter cordials, and for adding flavor and color to other wines. Native Americans used the flowers, berries, and bark of elderberry trees to treat fevers and joint pain for hundreds of years, but elderberry’s real claim to fame is as a cure for the flu. Israeli researchers have developed five formulas based on elderberry fruit that have been clinically proven to prevent and ameliorate all kinds of influenza.”  –Mountain Rose Herbs

“This syrup is especially helpful for those with colds or flu. The elderberry will assist with the healing while the added cinnamon, ginger and cloves will help the syrup to be warming and the honey adds an antibiotic and quality while also making the syrup soothing for sore throats and coughs. Take 1 tablespoon per hour during illness.  Elderberry syrup is also a wonderful preventative so you can take a few tablespoons of this syrup each day during cold and flu season to help avoid getting sick. Better yet, pour it over your pancakes and benefit from it’s health promoting properties while enjoying this special breakfast treat!”  –HerbMentor

1/4 pound dried organic elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
5 cloves
1  cinnamon stick
1 heaping tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cups filtered water
1 cup raw honey

Combine all ingredients except honey in a small pot.  Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer until the liquid has reduced in volume by half, about 25 minutes.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then stir in honey.  Transfer to a sterile jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Take up to 1 tablespoon per hour during illness or up to 3 tablespoons per day during cold and flu season to help avoid getting sick.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

For educational purposes only.  This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

/ Ren

A little bit like ramen and a little bit like Phở, this healthy, nourishing soup is made from homemade beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, buckwheat soba, fresh scallions, grass-fed beef, herbs and whole spices..

Preparing Asian Beef Noodle Soup

Preparing Asian Beef Noodle Soup

Serves 2

(adapted from a recipe by Jennifer Iserloh)

4 shiitake mushroom caps
4 oz grass-fed beef  (I’m using a small muscle cut from a chuck roast)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled & minced
1 finely minced hot chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon star anise
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan pepper
1/2 package organic buckwheat soba
1 cup beef stock
2 cups seasonal herbs and greens (I have pea shoots, cress, cilantro and basil), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon traditional fermented shoyu

Set the trimmed beef in the freezer to firm up so that it is easier to slice.

Grind the anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon and Szechuan pepper together in a spice grinder (you’ve just made Chinese Five Spice).

Pre-heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add the butter, then quickly sauté the mushrooms, ginger, chiles and garlic until fragrant.  Sprinkle a little of the 5 spice over the top and stir to combine.  Unused 5 spice will keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Add the broth, noodles and shoyu. Cover and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the beef across the grain as thinly as you possibly can.  As soon as the noodles are tender, drop the meat into the boiling broth and give it a swirl.  Add the fresh herbs, greens and scallions and heat until wilted, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

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