Spice (12 page)

2.
Strain the chickpeas, place them in a medium saucepan, and cover them with water to double or triple their volume. Place on high heat and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 minutes, until very tender. Add a tablespoon of salt and let them sit.

3.
Meanwhile, to make the fideos, crush the pasta coils with your hands into very small pieces (about ½ inch) over a large baking sheet. Spread the pieces out evenly on the sheet and then bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.

4.
In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat and add the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, saffron, vanilla bean, coriander, and fennel. Stir well so that all the ingredients are coated with oil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes, until the carrots and onion start to soften. Add the chilies, tomatoes, cocoa, and the water and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 55 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about a third. Remove the bay leaf and the vanilla bean. Scrape the vanilla bean lightly and add any black seeds back into the broth.

5.
Purée the broth with a handheld emulsion blender or in small batches in a regular blender until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt and pepper. You should have about 8 cups of well-seasoned, concentrated broth.

6.
In a large sauté pan (about 11 inches) with deep sides, bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat, and add the chard leaves. Cook over low heat, until the chard wilts and starts to become tender, about 6 minutes.

7.
Drain the chickpeas and add to the broth.

8.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the fideos and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta absorbs all the broth.

9.
Season with salt to taste.

10.
Add 4 tablespoons of lemon aioli and stir until the mixture becomes creamy. If the fideos are really thick, stir in a little water. The mixture should have the consistency of macaroni and cheese before baking. It should be nice and creamy but thick enough to stay on the spoon when you eat it. Serve immediately.

Lemon Aioli

After you add this lemon aioli to the fideos, you’ll have a lot left over. It’s delicious served with roasted potatoes, raw or roasted vegetables, cold poached shrimp, or the Halibut Cakes on page 76 (substitute the aioli for the olive oil lemon sauce).

M
AKES
1
CUP

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 2 large cloves)

Zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup canola oil

1.
Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt until frothy, about 30 seconds.

2.
With the machine running, slowly pour in the canola oil, little by little, until it becomes thick, like face cream.

3.
Reseason with salt to taste.

A Substitute for a Richer and Deeper Flavor
In place of the lemon zest in the aioli, take the zest of 2 oranges and dry them out in a low oven (200°F) for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly toasted. For more information, see “Toasting Citrus Zest” on page 72. Cool and grind the toasted zest in a spice grinder. This zest adds a malty orange flavor that is absolutely fabulous with the fideos
.

Egg-Lemon Soup with Saffron and Crab

This recipe is a twist on the classic Greek
avgolemono
or egg-lemon soup. It is rich and velvety—perfect for a cold day. I like to combine a bouillabaisse flavor like saffron to the lemony soup base. I’m partial to crab because I grew up eating so much of it in the Pacific Northwest, but you can also add or substitute lobster and shrimp to this dish if crab is not available or if you want to make a bigger meal. I like to use Spanish medium-grain or Arborio rice in this soup because it contains a little more starch than long-grain rice and helps to give the soup a silkier texture. If you need to substitute long-grain rice, add another half cup to the recipe. The fish broth that makes the base of this recipe is best when made the same day as the soup.

Try this soup as a first course before serving a meat dish, such as Lamb Steak with Turkish Spices (page 166) or
Sarikopites
(page 83) for a light meal. It is delicious with a glass of chilled sake.

M
AKES ABOUT
10
CUPS TO SERVE
8

3 pounds cod bones or any white fish bones, with heads removed

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

1½ teaspoons saffron

½ teaspoon paprika

1 cup medium-bodied, non-oaky white wine, such as a dry Riesling

1 cup medium-grain Spanish rice, or round rice such as Arborio

Salt and pepper to taste

6 egg yolks

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, either Maine or Dungeness

1.
Using a heavy knife or cleaver, chop the fish bones in 4-inch pieces so they fit easily in a large saucepan. Rinse the bones under cold water to remove most of the excess blood and drain them well.

2.
In an 8-quart stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the fish bones. Stir, using a pair of tongs, so that the fish bones are coated in the oil. Let them cook for 5 minutes, still stirring to draw more flavor out of the bones.

3.
Add the onion, bay leaves, garlic, celery, saffron, and paprika. Add the wine and then cover the bones with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t cook the broth any longer, or it will turn cloudy and off-flavored.

4.
Strain the broth through a fine strainer into another 4-quart saucepan.

5.
Add the rice and season lightly with salt and pepper. The liquid will concentrate when reduced.