Menu Diary: Persian-inspired Autumn Supper

I seem to have dropped off the blogging tear in 2011! But I would love to start a diary of menus, to keep track of what I make and serve at different gatherings.

Tonight:

pomegranate-rosewater martinis

cashews with spicy pineapple dust

a big salad of green grapes, walnuts, parsley, pomegranate seeds, persimmon and pistachio-lemon oil 

a big steaming "zereshk polo" made with spaghetti squash instead of basmati rice, topped with pistachios, barberries, carrot strings, saffron, and onions caramelized in butter

roasted cauliflower served with four sauces (tahini-mustard, mint-cilantro, mango-chilli, tamarind)

lamb, salmon and shrimp seared with za'atar, Aleppo pepper, dried lemon
(and, in the case of the lamb, a little pomegranate syrup, too)

saffron panna cotta

Moroccan mint tea

Randy Mayor; Jan Gautro

Tree Trimming Sipper: Rosemary Martinis

Last night, we Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians, Muslims and Christians trimmed my favorite Persian and Jewish couple's Christmas tree while becoming steadily more inebriated on a very alcoholic infusion of rosemary lightened with lemon. Spirits were high in more than one sense of the word, and the sweet scent of pine wafted not just from the Douglas fir but also from our martini glasses.

I made a simple syrup infused with rosemary by slowly over low heat stirring 1 cup sugar into 1 cup water along with all the needles from five or six rosemary stalks. When the sugar completely dissolved, I let the rosemary sit to infuse the simple syrup, probably for at least half an hour until the others arrived.

I took wide strips of zest off several lemons and juiced them, and set myself up with ice, vodka, and a cocktail shaker to make individual martinis.

For each, I placed a few strips of zest, a shot of vodka, and half a shot of rosemary infused simple syrup into the cocktail shaker with two ice cubes and the juice of about half a lemon. I vigorously shook each cocktail for at least 30 seconds, strained, and served.

Happy syncretic Obama nation holidays to all : )

Beijing and Hong Kong Food

Eating wild blackberries while hiking an unrestored section of the Great Wall;
Having a Baishi apricot blossom tea ice at the sculpture garden of the Pace gallery in Beijing's 798 Art District;
Yogurt snacks at Wangfujing Night Market in Beijing;
Hot pot ingredients come to you on a conveyor belt on "Gourmet Street," the food court at Oriental Plaza in Beijing;
Shaved ice, red bean, and condensed milk desserts;
Mung bean popsicles -- many people were cooling off with these at Tiananmen Square, so I had to try one;
Tasting fine jasmine and osmanthus green and oolong teas in Hong Kong;
Even Starbucks has adapted to the Asian preference for jellies.

Recipe: Lychee Royales

Lychee Royales

Mix lychee liqueur and chilled prosecco in a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio, to taste, and pour into a flute with one fresh lychee.

(We made virgin versions of these for the prego ladies, with lychee juice and sparkling water.)

Recipe: Moroccan Mint Tea

I just returned from a trip to Casablanca, Morocco; Matemwe and Stone Town, Zanzibar; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In Casablanca everyone seems to be drinking thé à la menthe marocain all day. It's wonderful, and I could easily drink it all day, too. I saw shopkeepers making cups of it for other neighboring shopkeepers in the middle of the afternoon, and it was available everywhere and every time I had a meal.

Moroccan Mint Tea (Thé à la Menthe Marocain)

1 big bunch fresh mint leaves (remove from stems)

3 tsp green tea leaves (they seemed to be using Chinese gunpowder tea)

3 tbsp sweetener (I've been making it with raw turbinado sugar; Whole Foods makes it with agave syrup; in Morocco they were using white cane sugar)

~4 C water

Boil water. Add some hot water to the empty teapot and swish a few times to warm the teapot, then pour out the warming water. Put the mint leaves - reserving 4 for garnishing later - and the tea into the teapot, add the sweetener, pour the rest of the hot water over the leaves and sweetener, and muddle a little bit. Brew, covered, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes. Pour the tea (through a strainer if necessary) into tea glasses to serve. Garnish with remaining mint leaves.