Orange and Fennel Salad

There are many epic love stories throughout history - Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon and Josephine, Cleopatra and Mark Antony. None of these, however, compare to the perfect pairing of orange and fennel. The blend of citrus notes with the peppery, anise flavor of the fennel is a match made in heaven. Ahh, true love!

Ingredients 
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced with a mandoline
1 orange, supremed and cut into chunks
1/2 cup thinly chopped Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Toss fennel, orange, lettuce, and parsley together. Sprinkle lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Day 104! Maldives - Mas Kavaabu (Curried Coconut Tuna) Up Next, Mali

Initially, I was really excited about this meal since it included tuna and a whole bunch of exotic-scented spices, ground into a pungent paste...plus, (one of my many) weaknesses, coconut milk. But as I got into the recipe, I couldn't help feeling as though I was over-riding the wonderful flavor of the tuna with a thick gravy. Then, the coconut milk curdled, and that made what already looked like a nondescript stew look worse. But...the mission of this blog is to cook and eat as authentically close to the recipe and culture whose country I'm visiting. So, casting all aesthetic judgement aside, I focused on the flavor which was spicy, hot and full of garlic, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and curry - not great the best looking meal I've ever made, but tasty nonetheless.

Located in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is an island nation formed by a chain of 26 atolls off India's Lakshadweep Islands between Mincoy and Chagos Archipelago. Maldives is actually the tops of a vast undersea mountain range that is spread over 90,000 square kilometers, making it the most dispersed country in the world. It's also the smallest of the Asian countries in both land mass and population. Lastly, Maldives is the lowest country on the planet and the lowest highest point in the world...check out the map and you'll see!

Food in Maldives ranges from mild to very hot, depending on how many chilies are used. It is influenced by both European and Asian traditions, and relies mainly on sea food and fish as it's source of protein. Tuna is the most commonly eaten fish in this country, being served boiled, grilled and smoked. Because the soil in Maldives is moist and the climate humid, huge varieties of tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples, coconut, avocado, mangoes, oranges, lemons and limes are available. Curry, onions, chili, rice and roti are all serve as the seasonings and accompanies to most meals.

Mas Kavaaku (Curried Coconut Tuna) - Adapted from Wikia)

Boneless fresh tuna cut into medium sized pieces
1 Tbsp. grated coconut
Cream of half a coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp. coriander powder
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. anise seed
2 Onions, chopped
10 Curry leaves
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. pepper
2 cardamom pods
1 1/4 piece of cinnamon stick
8 cloves garlic
2 1/2 in piece ginger
1/4 tsp. fenugreek seed
oil for frying
salt to taste

Take 1 Tbsp. coconut and fry in oil until it becomes golden brown in color, to this add curry leaves and a few slices of the onion and dry until golden.
Grind cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, ginger, cumin seed, aniseed, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder and pepper into smooth paste.
Fry remainder of sliced onion until golden brown. Then add fenugreek seed, curry leaves and ground paste and fry again for a few minutes until it becomes dark brown in color. Add some of the coconut cream and cook until sauce becomes thick.
Add the rest of the coconut cream, tuna fish chunks, tomato, salt and simmer until cooked and gravy becomes thick.

Day 103.5 Homemade Fig Newtons - The other lunch box cookie

I should be doing my taxes this afternoon, but I don't want to. So, to delay the pain as long as possible and still feel productive, I decided that making Fig Newtons was the only thing to do. Now, this recipe is not one you can throw together quickly, so don't plan on starting it if you're rushed or cranky.  And, yes, there are a fair number of steps, but like any labor of love, the heavenly end product more than justifies the means.

If you're wedded to the childhood memory of a cake-like Fig Newton, you may, at first, be taken aback by the crunchiness of the short bread cookie in this recipe. But in my opinionated opinion, the combination of honey-scented fig jam and butter-rich cookie straight-up kicks that dry Fig Newton of yesteryear to the packaged cookie curb.

Full credit for this recipe goes to flour, Joanne Chang's most excellent baking book. For those of you kind enough to follow my cooking forays, you already know that flour is my favorite pastry/baked goods cookbook of all time. For first time visitors, if you do nothing else this week, treat yourself to the book. I don't change the recipes because I could NEVER improve on anything Chang does. Is it possible to have a baking crush? The only thing I did change, because I had to, was to substitute dry figs, as I couldn't find fresh figs in this season of New England ice and snow.**read notes below about this substitution.

Homemade Fig Newtons (Only slightly adapted from flour, by Joanne Chang)


Fig Jam Filling


2 pints ripe black mission figs
or dried Calimyrna figs if fresh figs are not available**
1 orange, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Shortbread Dough


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

To make the filling: Remove any stems on figs, then cut them into quarters, and place in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Add the orange, brown sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce teh heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes, or until the figs have softened and lost their shape and the filling jam-like. **If you are using dried figs, add a little water as they simmer to keep the mixture from drying out. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool for 1-2 hour, or to room temperature (if the jam is too watery, drain a little excess liquid before using as filling). *** If you used dried figs, place the finished cooked figs in a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times until figs achieve a jam-like consistency. This can be made in advance up to three 3 days ahead.

To make the shortbread dough: Using a stand mixer fitted with a the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stop the mixer a few times and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle to release any clinging butter or sugar. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bowl and paddle to make sure the egg is thoroughly incorporated.

In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix for about 15 seconds, or until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl again to make sure all of the flour is thoroughly incorporated.

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap entirely, pressing down to form a disk about 6-inches in diameter and 1-inch thick. Refrigerate the dough for about 30  minutes, or until it has firmed up but is still somewhat pliable.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, heat to 350F.

Place the dough disk on a large sheet of parchment paper. Liberally flour the dough on all surfaces, then roll out into a rectangle about 16 x 9 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Don't let the dough stick to the parchment or the rolling pin by adding a little flour as you gently roll the dough out.

Position the rectangle with a long side facing you. Spoon the cooled filling lengthwise along the center of the rectangle. In a strip of about 2 1/2 inches wide. Lifting the edge of the parchment farthest from you, drape the top of the dough rectangle over the jam, covering the top half of it. Gently peel the parchment away from the dough. Repeat wit the bottom edge of the parchment, draping the bottom of the dough over the jam. The edges of the dough rectangle should meet in the middle. Gently pinch the edges of the dough together, and then turn the rectangle over, so it is facing seam-side-down. Using a pastry brush or your hands to brush any excess flour off the parchment.

Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until the short bread is entirely golden brown. A little fig juice make leak out the sides, but it's fine. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 2 hours, or until completely cool. Using a chef's knife, cut on the diagonal into strips about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide.