Bundles of herbs are too often the victims of
crisper drawer abandonment. One solution is to store them like a bouquet of
flowers: upright in a jar in the fridge, stems dangling in fresh water, and tops
protected by a plastic bag secured by a rubber band around the base. If you
remember to change the water every few days, your herbs will last for an
unnervingly long time.
I usually don’t remember to do this. And even when
I do, those herbs can’t defy their fate forever. And they don’t have to: Put
them into a traditional Moroccan green spread, translated for the average home
cook’s kitchen by Paula Wolfert—expert on Mediterranean cooking and author of
eight books on the subject.
It doesn’t matter if your herbs are starting to
lose their edge because you’re about to cook the daylights out of them. You’ll
steam your orphaned herbs and greens, then chop, sauté, and mash them into a jam
with some heady spices and pantry staples. The result is surprisingly meaty for
something with so much green in it.
Sure, this jam isn’t here to win beauty
pageants—it’s glorified mulch, really. If this concerns you, tuck it into a
sandwich or omelet, or stir some into a soup as you would pistou. Or just serve
it on a handsome plate with rustic one-ingredient
crackers.
Serves 6 (makes about 1½
cups/360ml)
4 large cloves garlic,
halved
1 pound (450g) baby spinach
leaves
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley,
stems discarded
½ cup (10g) celery leaves,
coarsely chopped
½ cup (10g) cilantro leaves,
stems discarded
¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive
oil, plus more as needed
12 oil-cured black olives,
pitted, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1¼ teaspoons Spanish sweet smoked
paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
Pinch of cayenne
pepper
Pinch of ground
cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice,
or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 Put the garlic cloves in a large steamer basket set
over a pan of simmering water and top with the spinach, parsley, celery, and
cilantro. Cover and steam until the garlic is soft and the greens are very
tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the greens dry, finely chop,
and set aside. Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic cloves.
2 In a medium cazuela set
over a flame-tamer, or in a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the
olive oil until shimmering. Add the mashed garlic, olives, paprika, cayenne, and
cumin and stir over medium-high heat for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the
greens and cook, mashing and stirring, until soft and dry and somewhat smooth,
about 15 minutes.
3 Remove from the heat and let cool to room
temperature. Mash in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Refrigerate, tightly
sealed, for at least 1 day and up to 4 days.
4 To serve, return to room temperature. Stir in the
lemon juice and, if it seems too thick, thin to a spreadable consistency with
water or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
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