Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [34]
WINES WITH MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD
Pairing wines with the foods of the Middle East is an interesting proposition. On the one hand, you have a series of cultures and countries where grapes have been grown and wines made and consumed for several thousand years. On the other hand, you have the same cultures and countries from which the juice of fermented grapes has been all but banished since the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.
Although the countries of the Middle Eastern region provided some of the first sites of serious wine production in the world (the pharaohs took wines with them to their tombs), wine culture today does not exist in most of them. This means that we are not likely to find traditional wine and food pairings in a Middle Eastern country. (The exception to the rule is Lebanon, a country with a significant Christian population, at one time referred to as the “Paris of the Middle East.” Because of its pre–civil war affluence and its Christian population, Lebanon had a sophisticated level of wine appreciation and consumption. Today, fine wine production has met with a renaissance in this beautiful country.)
The good news is that the door is wide open, so to speak, and you have only your taste and your intuition to guide you in matters of food and wine pairing when exploring the foods of the Middle East. In the case of dishes that are strongly spiced, the rules for Indian cuisine might be useful: crisp, chilled whites, sparkling wines, cavas and champagne, rosés, and even younger, fruity reds. In the case of those dishes that are a bit more mild, such as the Chickpea Fattet made with hummus, I can easily envision enjoying a rosé, a red, or even a beer!
LEBANESE EGGPLANT STEW
Serves 4 to 6
Many years ago as a student at the University of California, Berkeley, I was invited to a dinner given by professor Laura Nader, a Lebanese-American professor of Middle Eastern studies and sister of maverick politician Ralph Nader. Her dinner was simple and elegant, and the main course was a sort of Lebanese ratatouille. It was a delicious first for me, and contained many of the same elements as its French counterpart—eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and green pepper—but its seasonings, rather than being the basil and garlic of the French version, were more typical of the Middle East. You might serve the dish with rice and a simple salad of romaine lettuce, just as Professor Nader did so long ago. I would also offer some crusty bread on the side.
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ onion, cut vertically into 8 pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon allspice berries
1-inch piece cinnamon
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Salt to taste
Combine the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in the slow cooker insert.
Using an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the peppercorns, allspice berries, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes to a powder.
Add the spices to the vegetables, cover, and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the olive oil and parsley, and add salt to taste just before serving.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I think I’d choose a Merlot or Cabernet to accompany this dish.
CHICKPEA FATTET “TOSTADAS”
Serves 4
Hummus is everywhere in Mediterranean cultures. In Greece, it is generally served as an appetizer, swimming in olive oil, accompanied by pita triangles, feta cheese, and olives. In the United States, it is also served as a dip for raw vegetables, and often has other ingredients, such as roasted red peppers or pine nuts, blended right in. The basic formula is pretty simple: chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini (sesame butter), lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. Proportions