own spices. The flavor will be fresher and more intense. I prefer to toast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cardamom pods, and peppercorns separately in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, as some spices take longer than others. After they cool, use a either a mortar and pestle or a propeller grinder, like the kind you use for coffee, to powder the toasted spices. (If you use the same grinder for coffee and spices, clean it out by grinding a little cornmeal before switching uses.)
PIRI-PIRI SAUCE
——— Makes 2 small portions ———
Peppers were introduced to the Portuguese colonies of Africa shortly after the first voyage of Columbus. They quickly began to thrive in the wild and were spread across Africa by birds. Piri-piri , peri-peri , and pili-pili are various written versions of a Swahili term that literally means “pepper pepper.” These are all names for the chile known as the African bird’s eye pepper in English. The small pointed chile is a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens , the same species as Tabasco peppers. It grows in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It is also found growing wild in the jungles of Sudan. Piri-piri sauce is an important part of Portuguese cooking and the hybrid African-Portuguese cusines of Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa. + Portugalla restaurant in Houston makes their piri-piri sauce fresh to order, and serves it in a Chinese soup spoon for presentation. They use red or yellow Thai peppers instead of African bird peppers, but red chile pequíns work well, too. Serve the sauce with African dishes or as a condiment for grilled chicken.
¼ cup red bird’s eye chiles, chile pequíns, or fresh red Thai chiles
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Remove the stems and mince the chiles. Combine with the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt, and oil in a mixing bowl. Use immediately.
HOT AJVAR
——— Makes 1½ cups ———
It’s easy to forget that until World War I, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Indonesia to the former Yugoslavian republics. Eastern Europe acquired its own hot and spicy food traditions under the rule of the Turkish sultans. Eggplant dips and spreads are common Turkish appetizers, typically served with pita bread. + In the Balkan countries, a variation of these eggplant spreads, called ajvar , has become a culinary icon. Ajvar is typically made once a year, after the autumn harvest in a canning marathon that produces the zimnica (winter foods). Jams, jellies, pickles, pickled chile peppers, pickled tomatoes, and countless other preserves are made. But for many, ajvar is the most important canned item of all. + Ajvar is a popular condiment with the spicy Balkan hamburgers called pljeskavica and the kebab-shaped cevapcici . But ajvar is also eaten thickly spread on buttered bread as an appetizer. + In Macedonia and Northern Croatia, the ajvar is fiery hot. Since we don’t have the long, spicy Hungarian paprika peppers in Houston, my Balkan-Texan friends mix roasted red bell peppers with jalapeños to make hot ajvar at home. + I made my first batch on a charcoal grill and was proud of its smoky flavor. But one of my Bosnian friends had a suggestion to improve the recipe. After the eggplant and peppers are roasted on the grill and the skins and seeds are removed, she said her mom simmered the vegetables with the garlic and olive oil on the stove for a while. The extra step was worth it, and the silky texture that results from slow cooking in oil is amazing. + Serve as an appetizer with home-baked bread or on fresh pita with feta. Or use as condiment with grilled chicken or Balkan burgers.
6 red bell peppers
3 to 5 jalapeños
2 eggplants (about 1 pound each)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
PIRI-PIRI SAUCE
——— Makes 2 small portions ———
Peppers were introduced to the Portuguese colonies of Africa shortly after the first voyage of Columbus. They quickly began to thrive in the wild and were spread across Africa by birds. Piri-piri , peri-peri , and pili-pili are various written versions of a Swahili term that literally means “pepper pepper.” These are all names for the chile known as the African bird’s eye pepper in English. The small pointed chile is a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens , the same species as Tabasco peppers. It grows in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It is also found growing wild in the jungles of Sudan. Piri-piri sauce is an important part of Portuguese cooking and the hybrid African-Portuguese cusines of Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa. + Portugalla restaurant in Houston makes their piri-piri sauce fresh to order, and serves it in a Chinese soup spoon for presentation. They use red or yellow Thai peppers instead of African bird peppers, but red chile pequíns work well, too. Serve the sauce with African dishes or as a condiment for grilled chicken.
¼ cup red bird’s eye chiles, chile pequíns, or fresh red Thai chiles
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Remove the stems and mince the chiles. Combine with the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt, and oil in a mixing bowl. Use immediately.
HOT AJVAR
——— Makes 1½ cups ———
It’s easy to forget that until World War I, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Indonesia to the former Yugoslavian republics. Eastern Europe acquired its own hot and spicy food traditions under the rule of the Turkish sultans. Eggplant dips and spreads are common Turkish appetizers, typically served with pita bread. + In the Balkan countries, a variation of these eggplant spreads, called ajvar , has become a culinary icon. Ajvar is typically made once a year, after the autumn harvest in a canning marathon that produces the zimnica (winter foods). Jams, jellies, pickles, pickled chile peppers, pickled tomatoes, and countless other preserves are made. But for many, ajvar is the most important canned item of all. + Ajvar is a popular condiment with the spicy Balkan hamburgers called pljeskavica and the kebab-shaped cevapcici . But ajvar is also eaten thickly spread on buttered bread as an appetizer. + In Macedonia and Northern Croatia, the ajvar is fiery hot. Since we don’t have the long, spicy Hungarian paprika peppers in Houston, my Balkan-Texan friends mix roasted red bell peppers with jalapeños to make hot ajvar at home. + I made my first batch on a charcoal grill and was proud of its smoky flavor. But one of my Bosnian friends had a suggestion to improve the recipe. After the eggplant and peppers are roasted on the grill and the skins and seeds are removed, she said her mom simmered the vegetables with the garlic and olive oil on the stove for a while. The extra step was worth it, and the silky texture that results from slow cooking in oil is amazing. + Serve as an appetizer with home-baked bread or on fresh pita with feta. Or use as condiment with grilled chicken or Balkan burgers.
6 red bell peppers
3 to 5 jalapeños
2 eggplants (about 1 pound each)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
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