Cauliflower with Cardamom-Kissed Schug & A Trip Around the World
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes,” said Mark Twain. Travel has always given me a sense of adventure, but more importantly a new window to the world, a new color palette, a new paradigm, and indeed a new set of eyes.
I travel as often as possible but one need not physically go to a place to experience the magic of other cultures. Inspiration is everywhere. If you live in New York, go to Queens! A short subway ride and you can taste food from all over the world. Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world. And what better way to embark on a voyage of discovery than experiencing cuisine?
We can virtually travel too. Explore a farmer’s market in Kuwait or go to the kitchen of a Mother-Daughter team cooking together. Joyfully visit the sunny kitchen of an effervescent former New Yorker in Tel Aviv celebrating the colorful bounty of Mediterranean produce. The passionate food of a hungry Egyptian living in Australia, or the nostalgia of Pakistani cuisine by way of a culinary teacher in Glasgow. Notice a pattern? Of course here at Basil & Roses: A culmination of the flavors of my Jewish, Iranian-American heritage, with hopes of transforming you to a beautiful place and time.
You can find your own favorites. There are so many. For now, will you travel to North Africa with me?
Schug! (Skug, Zhug, Zhoug). A gorgeous green chili sauce of Yemeni origin. It is fresh, bright, spicy, and verdant. The herbs are cool, the chilies pack heat, and the playful dance between coriander and cardamom create a unique flavor which is unbeatable.
You can use many chilies with veins and seeds removed, or use a few and include all the feel-good, dopamine-releasing, capsaicin-filled parts of the euphoric the spice. The adventure is up to you.
Schug works well on roasted cauliflower, but also brightens rich foods. Great on grilled meats, in a soup, on a sandwich or mixes with yogurt or labneh to sass up grilled vegetables.
Afiyet olsun!
(That’s bon appetit in Turkish! More Turkish inspiration here ).
Ingredients
4-6 Serrano chiles or 6 green jalapeños, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups tightly packed fresh parsley leaves
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoons ground cumin
Zest and juice from 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preparation
-
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, except the oil. Pulse until a coarse paste forms — stopping and scraping the sides of the food processor if necessary.
- Transfer the herb mixture to a large bowl and stir in the oil and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper or lemon to taste.
- Transfer the Schug to an airtight container, cover with a bit of olive oil to preserve and refrigerate.
~Note
You can use whole coriander and cumin seeds. Roast them for 1 minute in a dry pan release the oils and aroma of the spices crushing them with a mortar and pestle and adding to the mix
Note:
The Schug was phenomenal over roasted cauliflower.
I smeared Greek Yogurt on the plate (labneh also works well), then topped with cauliflower + Schug.
Just keep in mind you don’t need to season your cauliflower much when you roast it, the green sauce already packs tons of amazing flavor.
