Tag Archives: Olives

Fig, Olive and Halloumi Babka

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My husband’s frame of reference for Babka is a Seinfeld episode. Jerry and Elaine debate which babka, cinnamon or chocolate, is the lesser babka. In case you’re curious, my husband believes that chocolate is the lesser babka and cinnamon reigns supreme.

When I told him I was developing a recipe for a savoury babka, filled with figs, olives and halloumi cheese, he said, “that sounds interesting”, but we have been married for almost 39 years and I knew exactly what he was thinking. “Why would you mess with perfection?”

Olives and halloumi cheese add a salty note and dried figs and a drizzle of honey add a touch of sweetness. A generous dusting of za’atar takes the Babka fully into Mediterranean territory.

The finished loaf was so yummy. The buttery brioche dough baked up soft and tender. Little pockets of salty melted cheese combined with honey-sweet dried figs and briny olives to create the perfect bite. I served this with drinks one night for aperitivo and then toasted the leftover slices the next day to serve with a fruit and cheese plate for lunch. It freezes beautifully.

My husband ate his slice very quietly and then suggested that while it was delicious, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that it was savoury and contained no sugar or cinnamon. He suggested that I just name it Fig, Olive and Halloumi Loaf, so that those with a similar mindset wouldn’t be disappointed when you promise Babka. I guess you have to know your audience. Whatever you call it, it’s just plain delicious.

Click here to print recipe for Fig, Olive and Halloumi Babka.

Chicken Marbella Reboot

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Last week I had a craving for Chicken Marbella. If you are of a certain vintage, you will know exactly the dish I am talking about. Created, in 1982, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, of The Silver Palate fame, Chicken Marbella appeared at every dinner party I ever attended in the 80’s. Chockful of prunes, olives and capers, it was considered very “gourmet” and a bit exotic for the times.

I pulled out my well-worn cookbook, and read through the recipe, to make sure I had all the ingredients. I was shocked to disover that it called for adding a 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the marinade! Clearly my tastebuds (as well as my skin) have matured since the 80’s. I would never consider adding that much sugar to a chicken marinade today. This dish clearly needed a reboot.

I ditched the brown sugar for a modest amount of honey, just 2 Tablespoons. Instead of dried prunes, I opted for dried apricots for their vibrant colour and dried cherries, for their tart flavour. I kept the olives and capers, and, while I was searching for the capers, I saw a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, another blast from my past, lurking in the back of my fridge. Sun-dried tomatoes were ubiquitous in the 80’s and 90’s. We overused them and they became shunned by chefs everywhere. But, in defense of sun-dried tomatoes, when used sparingly, they can add a certain savory sweetness that is welcome in many braised dishes.

To boost the flavour profile further, I added anchovy paste (an umami bomb) and a generous pinch of Aleppo pepper for some heat.

This reboot did not disappoint. Packed with flavour and not too sweet, it satisfied my craving. Sometimes you can go back again!

Click here to print recipe for Chicken Marbella Reboot.


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Celery, Green Olive and Plumcot Salad

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cropped closeIf you are anything at all like me, then there’s a pretty good chance that even though there’s not much to eat in your home, and you are in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store, there are always some olives and a few stalks of celery, albeit, a little limp and bendy, in your fridge. So you would be forgiven if the title of this post has you believing that this is one of those, “Clean out the Fridge” deals.

That is precisely what my husband thought when he discovered this salad on our dinner table last night. Au contraire, my dear husband. Although this salad does contain said limp celery and the dregs of the olive container, it is actually one of the most delicious flavour combinations I have come across in quite a while. Thanks to Chef Bonnie Reichert, for this inspired combo.

Instead of using plums in this salad, as in Bonnie’s original recipe, I substituted my fruit crush of the month, Plumcots. Can we just talk about plumcots for a minute please? A super sweet cross between a plum and an apricot, plumcots (sometimes called pluots) are consistently delicious. The sweet apricot cancels out any hints of sourness from the traditional plum. Plumcots are available June through late-October and each variety is only available for a few weeks. Seek them out. You will thank me later!plumcotsSweet juicy plumcots and fat salty green olives make such excellent playmates in the bowl. The crunch from the celery stalks add a very welcome crispness to this salad. The tender celery leaves, from the heart of the celery, which most people sadly discard, are chopped up and added to the salad and provide a lively hit of pale green freshness.mise en placeA simple vinaigrette, boosted by a dash of grainy mustard and dollop of sweet honey, make all the flavours of this salad start to hum. Toasted sliced almonds, scattered over top make this salad literally sing. Cleaning out your fridge has never been this delicious.

Click here to print recipe for Celery, Olive and Plumcot Salad.

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