Anise to Za'atar

  • Home
  • About
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • About Anise to Za’atar
    • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Breakfast
    • Brunch
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Lunch
  • Contact Me
  • Dinner/ Food Writing/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Manoomin and Grilled Halloumi Salad

    August 9, 2019
  • Baking/ Dessert/ Food Writing/ Recipes

    Mexican Chocolate Cake with Sour Cherry and Red Currant Jam

    July 25, 2019
  • Dessert/ Recipes

    Mulberry Earl Grey Sorbet

    July 19, 2019
  • Food Writing/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Vietnamese Inspired Seafood Pasta Salad

    May 3, 2019
  • Baking/ Dessert/ Food Writing/ Recipes

    Donald Trump eats Tacos: Why eating and cooking diverse food won’t make you a better person (and, a recipe for Eggless Ras El Hanout Spiced Apple Cake with a Brown Butter and Rum Icing)

    April 4, 2019
  • Baking/ Breakfast/ Recipes/ Reflections

    On Grandmothers and Cooking (and a recipe for Dutch Canadian rye bread/roggebrood)

    February 20, 2019
  • Breakfast/ Brunch/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Shakshuka with Ethiopian Berbere Spice

    February 7, 2019
  • Baking/ Dessert/ Recipes

    Speculaas Bourbon Crumble with Pear and Cranberries

    January 29, 2019
  • Dessert/ Recipes

    Sheep’s Milk Panna Cotta with Sumac, Brandied Cherries and Hazelnuts

    January 22, 2019
  • Cookbook Reviews

    From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free: A review of Joudie Kalla’s “Baladi” and “Palestine on a Plate”

    January 8, 2019
  • Collaborations/ Dinner/ Food Writing/ Recipes/ Reflections

    Haitian Soupe Joumou for New Year’s Day

    January 1, 2019
  • Drinks/ Recipes

    Sorrel and Rose Gin and Tonic

    December 12, 2018
Older Posts
Newer Posts

Follow

Justice Oriented Food Writing

Personal Food Stories

Cookbook Reviews

Baking Recipes

Instagram

  • There's a new recipe on the website (link in profile!) ⠀⠀ This Spicy Chorizo and Mahón Stuffed Dates with Smoked Paprika Aioli is an easy appetizer or party plate to put together, a terrific balance of sweet, spicy, and savory! ⠀⠀ And I wrote a little about the history of the ingredients, of the techniques of bringing together sweet and savory, and how it was the Arabic/Muslim empires of the Iberian Peninsula that brought this to Spain (they also brought dates!) ⠀⠀ Check it out and keep this recipe in your back pocket for your next get together (or even that love day coming up!), it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. ⠀⠀ #easyrecipes #spanishfood #appetizers #eattheworld #rookwoodpottery #foodblogger #fbcigers #medjooldates #mahoncheese
  • I’ve written a past post here about how my kitchen is a simple one; it’s not one of those gleaming, well kept, modern lines and hand selected materials kitchens. It’s a townhouse that we rent, a kitchen built on utility and without much care to the food that will come out of it. It’s just there, really. But that doesn’t matter much; it doesn’t define the food that comes out of it. ⠀ 300 (!) posts here, dozens of recipes on my website, and hundreds of meals - this has been my spot. It’s where the good smells come from, where I chop countless onions and cloves of garlic, where I help little hands stir and knead. ⠀ It’s hard to keep this kitchen clean. It’s small and piles gather too quickly. Food is spilled and spattered, bits of this and that sometimes sit too long on a counter before they get cleaned up. But that’s ok too. A family lives here and the mess that accumulates is a sign of that. ⠀ I remember reading somewhere about how you don’t need to worry too much about cleaning every mark or discoloration off of your pots or pans; each mark forms part of a patina. With chef knives, leather, etc we value the patina - it is a sign of character, unique to the wear of the user. This is the same with my pots and pans; each mark, each smear that didn’t come off is a patina that speaks of the many delicious meals made in them. Pots and pans shouldn’t look new, spotless, gleaming - they should be used, carrying the stories of the meals made in them. ⠀ This kitchen, too, has a patina of sorts. Its mess carries the stories of the people who live here. ⠀ And, whenever we move from this place, I will miss the reminders of those stories, of the many moments that happened here. Sometimes I dream of a new, shiny kitchen but this one is the only kitchen my kids know and the one that will be first in many of their own memories of our family, of our meals, and the times we spent making and eating them. That makes it pretty special. ⠀ Thanks for sharing these moments in the kitchen, these meals and recipes, with me. You too, each of you, are part of the memories I have been making here, the space I have been carving out to learn, to write, and to cook. Thank you.
  • Sometimes you need a full plate of rib-sticking, hearty, flavorful food. It's not fancy but it's f*#&@# delicious. That's this plate. ⠀⠀⠀ Yesterday, I made Cuban mojo pork, using @kenjilopezalt's recipe from @seriouseats, which uses the leftover marinade to create a fresh herb sauce to drizzle over the pork. Mojo, at its heart, is garlic, naranja agria (bitter orange), cumin & oregano. That plus pork butt/shoulder slow roasted to its crispy, fall apart perfection = magic. ⠀⠀⠀ Add: Cuban black beans with sofrito, rice & tostones/plantains/maduros. Plus lime. And the result is a full, satisfied belly with eyes that keep wandering for more 😂 ⠀⠀⠀ #cubanfood #caribbeanfood #seriouseats #comfortfood #eattheworld #pulledpork #homecooking #fbcigers
  • 🗣 Pomelos are in season 🗣 and I have a recipe for Vietnamese pomelo salad (gỏi bưởi) with shrimp and crispy tofu crumbles up on the website (link in profile!) ⠀⠀ Last winter I fell deeply in love with pomelos! ⠀⠀ From the moment you rip into that thick, pillowy rind and that distinctive musky smells fills the room, it demands your attention. It demands all of your senses, and eating it is a process! From the sinking of your fingers into the rind to carefully pull apart and peel the papery skin of each segment, to the intoxicating fragrance, to the icicle like globules of fruit, the burst of each individual globule as you bite into it, and the textured but still juicy citrus bitterness – it’s a whole body experience! ⠀⠀ And last year I also made this pomelo salad for the first time. It often has minced pork in it, which is how I had made it (and love it!) but one of my goals for this year is to eat less meat so I wanted to make a version that was porkless but still had all the good things the pork brought: the fat, the flavor, the texture. ⠀⠀ And I think I nailed it! It's a vibrant, fresh salad that is easy enough to put together (and can be made ahead of time!) and I definitely think you should check out! ⠀⠀ Side note: shout out to @andreanguyen88 whose recipes were my starting point on this - and who just celebrated the 1 year anniversary of her latest book #VietnameseFoodAnyday! There's also a quick note on this recipe about why citation matters in recipe development..... (More on that another time!) ⠀⠀ #vietnamesefood #easyrecipes #eattheworld #goibuoi #pomelo #saladsofinstagram #fbcigers #torontofood #pescatarian #tofurecipes #f52grams #eatrealfood #eatwell #eeeats #cookathome #homecooked
  • I've been cooking with a lot of dried beans recently and let me tell you something I've learned: ⠀⠀⠀ USING GOOD DRY BEANS MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE! ⠀⠀⠀ Like, a really big one. The dried beans in most grocery stores have been sitting around forever. They're not only dry but old. You can pre-soak them overnight, cook them for hours and hours and hours and you still can't get the right consistency. ⠀⠀⠀ Good beans are fresher. They cook, often without soaking, in an hour (in some cases). And, the consistency is RIGHT! Creamy in the center, melt in your mouth, glorious. And it makes a world of difference in your dish. I look for locally grown beans, sold in places I know care about quality (or, if you're in the USA, you can even order @rancho_gordo online - my kingdom for something similar in Canada!) ⠀⠀⠀ This is the mole amarillo de frijol blanco con nopal y camarones from @bricialopez new book #Oaxaca: Homecooking from the Heart of Mexico. ⠀⠀⠀ It's a yellow mole made with guajillo chiles and spices and thickened with masa (nixtamalized white corn), into which go white beans (I actually used black eyed beans instead, which is what I had on hand), nopales (cactus 🌵), and shrimp 🍤). It's a delicious, homey bowl filled with the flavors of Oaxaca. I'm really looking forward to diving into this book more! ⠀⠀⠀ #oaxacanfood #mexicanfood #homecooking #eattheworld #comfortfood #soupseason #cookbooklove #OaxacaCookbook #fbcigers
  • A little Turkish comfort food to start the week right! ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kuru fasulye, a white bean and tomato stew, is common across Turkey and I first started making it from @istanbulandbeyond's terrific book (and I still follow her general process). ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now, I add a few of my own touches, but the result is the same: deliciousness. Rich, thickened tomato gravy, rich with olive oil. Meaty white beans alongside chunks of beef or lamb (beef this time), with the addition of beef broth to make the sauce particularly flavorful. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ But the star of the show, in my mind, is the Turkish peppers. I used a mix of urfa biber and pul biber. Pul biber is close to Aleppo pepper, bright red but mild heat with a hint of earthyness. Urfa biber is maroon in color, dark with hints of smoke and fruits. It's also mild so while there's a generous amount of pepper in here, it's mild on heat but packed with flavor. The pepper transforms a simple dish into something truly special. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Served with buttery, toasted orzo and rice and it's 😍😍😍 ⠀⠀⠀⠀ I pulled it out this past week because it's also great for a group, a big pot of rich beans and tomato sauce is just the recipe for a laid back winter gathering with friends, where the windows get steamy, the house smells amazing, and the house is packed with laughter and warming conversations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ #istanbulandbeyond #turkishfood #kurufasulye #whitebeans #stews #comfortfood #eattheworld #torontofood #fbcigers
  • It's Thursday and a new recipe is here (link in profile!!) ⠀⠀ I’m excited about the recipe I’m sharing: both because it is rare to see Dutch food updated in a more modern context and also because, during my research for this recipe, I found that is has a unique connection to my family! ⠀⠀ **It's balkenbrij (a pulled pork loaf with buckwheat) on braised, spiced cabbage, with a fried egg** ⠀⠀ What is balkenbrij? Balkenbrij was typically made from leftover pork parts (especially the head) after butchering a hog, as a way to use the scraps so that they wouldn’t be wasted. One Dutch writer described it as, “a mixture of brains, eyeballs, and other leftover parts of pigs, pressed together with lard to form a loaf. Sliced thin, it could be fried and dished up with corn syrup, presumably to cover its many sins.” ⠀⠀ Yum.... 😬😬😬 ⠀⠀ But, it's delicious! 😂 (and no pig heads in this recipe!) It's similar in many ways to the more common American #scrapple or even the Cincinnati #goetta (shout out to @cincyexperience and the #savblogawards where I got to try goetta!). ⠀⠀ It also, when you break it down, has many of the aspects of a classic American breakfast: The pulled pork matches the meaty element often provided by bacon or sausage, the buckwheat in the #balkenbrij corresponding to the hotcakes. The fried egg is a hallmark of these breakfasts too, and then the plate often has an abundance of sweet maple syrup that spreads over the plate, tying it all together. I, for one, love when my bacon sits in that pool of maple syrup… ⠀⠀ My recipe us based off of the balkenbrij I had in Holland, Michigan on a road trip this summer (shout out @newhollandbrewpub!) and a recipe I found from my great-grandmother, which was a super cool connection. ⠀⠀ Check the post (link in the profile!) to learn about balkenbrij and how this recipe came to be (It's a great story!) ⠀⠀ #dutchfood #dutchcuisine #dutchtraditions #eattheworld #f52grams #hollandmichigan #americanbreakfast #fbcigers #torontofood #foodblogger #canadianfoodblogger #michiganfood #canadianfood
  • I over promised and under delivered last week so here's a Monday special - recipe for these ** Yuzu Lemon Curd Donuts with Earl Grey Sugar** is up on the website 🙌 (link in profile!) ⠀⠀⠀ I also tried to write about Canada, donuts, and the myths we Canadians often tell ourselves: especially the myths that paint us as a welcoming country to newcomers without ever talking about racism. It was written, edited, rewritten, reedited, stewed on, and then edited some more. And I'm still not entirely happy with it.... That's writing sometimes 😂 ⠀⠀⠀ But check it all out: Canadians love their donuts! We even had the #doughnutgate political scandal last week... 😂 ⠀⠀⠀ You won't find these yuzu lemon donuts at #TimHortons. They're delicate and bold, sophisticated. I'd say they're an adult donut but my kids loved them too 😍 Tart, perfumey yuzu curd encased in fried dough, coated with Earl Grey sugar. What's not to love?! ⠀⠀⠀ Link in profile for the writing and the recipe! Check it out and please share! ⠀⠀⠀ #canadianfood #homemadedonuts #yuzu #bakefeed #eattheworld #f52grams #feedfeed #donutlove #torontofood #fbcigers
  • It's the deep of winter, and we need this jar of sunshine STAT! Citrus is the queen of winter, for real 👑 ⠀⠀⠀ New recipe coming on Thursday that uses this yuzu lemon curd. It's tart, perfumey, sweet, and custardy. And I won't blame you if you only make the curd. And then eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon... like I did 😂 ⠀⠀⠀ Coming Thursday! ⠀⠀⠀ #citruscurd #citrusseason #yuzu #eattheworld #foodblog #eatfresh #homemade
  • Three years ago, I spent a winter baking sourdough and learning some of the magic of naturally leavened bread. ⠀⠀⠀ Three years later I'm returning to it. I plotted a process, mixed the levain and dough, bulk fermented, shaped & put it into the fridge for a slowed final ferment. I felt good: I know far more about dough and fermentation than I did three years ago. I was able to see and discern what was happening far easier. My dough looked good! ⠀⠀⠀ And then, this morning, I totally failed. I was impatient. My old oven struggles to heat to a high temp and I rushed it, trying to knock the baking off my to-do list and get on to other things. And it FLOPPED (see pic) 😂😭 It cooked so badly! ⠀⠀⠀ But that's the process: sometimes it includes failure. Today, I was reminded of that. It sucks but I'm excited to be back baking bread nonetheless. ⠀⠀⠀ There's something about the rhythm, the process, that even when it's imperfect there's something satisfyingly delicious to eat (most of the time 😂). The process itself is guided by science and numbers (hydration %, weight, etc) but is sense driven (how does it smell? How does it feel?). It's new to me (again) and I'm excited to see what the process has to teach me this time around. Already, the lessons are hitting hard... 😬😂 I wasn't going to post this photo/bake but FAILURE IS PART OF THE CREATION PROCESS! It's ok, it's normal, it happens. ⠀⠀⠀ The next loaf's levain is mixed and it's a chance to try again. ⠀⠀⠀ #sourdoughbread #sourdoughbaking #homebaking #failureispartofsuccess
  • Sometimes I just have to stop and thank 'past Me' for being so well planned out 🤣🤣🤣 ⠀⠀ I needed a quick meal and pulled some of these Merguez meatballs stuffed with mozza (recipe from @moribyankitchen!) out of the freezer! ⠀⠀ Paired with some sauteed green beans and tomatoes, and some maftool, and dinner was ready to go! Spice laden lamb meatballs with cheese that leaks out the center as they cook 😋 What's not to love here?! ⠀⠀ Thank you 'past Me', you're alright!! ⠀⠀ #comfortfood #merguez #midweekmeals #ketorecipes #eatrealfood #castironcooking #dadcooks #eattheworld #f52weeknight #f52grams #eeeats
  • It's time for a new recipe - I've got this *Masala Chai Granola* up on the website (link in profile!) ⠀⠀⠀ I started writing about how much I love the smell of freshly ground green cardamom (especially that good single origin @diasporaco stuff!), and how my kids love it too. ⠀⠀⠀ Which led to writing about colonization and the history of chai (of course), which led to writing about the current Indian government, their new law that could strip citizenship from Muslims, as well as the mass protests against the law. Which means it's a bit of a rambling essay.... ⠀⠀⠀ But it's an important one, a reminder that food is always political. Masala chai has been appropriated by North American culture, stripping it of the history and the cultural moorings. But all of that matters, it's how masala chai came to be what it is. The politics, the culture, the history, the place, the people - it all matters. ⠀⠀⠀ Anyways - check out the essay. And check out the recipe, it's one of my favorites for how it fills the house with delicious smells when it bakes. It's loaded with spices and even includes some ground tea leaves to include the chai with the masala 🙌 add it to a bowl with some milk and it's a delicious way to start the day or for a snack at any time! ⠀⠀⠀ #masalachai #chaispice #homemadegranola #eattheworld #foodpolitics #foodispolitical #fbcigers #breakfastideas #eatgoodfood #f52grams #eatfresh #eathealthy

@anisetozaatar on Instagram

Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved.

Top

Designed & Developed by SoloPine.com