Some Like It Hot

Some like it hot, and I am one of those people. When it comes to food and flavorings bold spicy flavors are at the top of my list. I favor pungent spices and heat however, flavors should always be balanced with a hint of sweet from fruits and ripe vegetables as well as offset with a neutral grain such as rice, pasta, or other starch. Flavors from Mexico, Jamaica, Vietnam and Morocco are usually simmering in my pot. Today I started my day, like I typically do on Saturday at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market. The market was full of plump peppers, sweet peaches, tangy tomatoes crunchy cukes and squash and lots of juicy corn and melon. Summer produce at it's best!

I was craving fluffy couscous and a rich stew of vegetables so I planned on making a tagine. Tagine or tajine, I have seen both spellings used, is the name of the hearty Moroccan stew as well as the cooking vessel it is prepared in. Moroccan cuisine is ultimate comfort food that fragrances my apartment with amazing aromas of spices and flavorful aromatics. I picked out some cubanelle peppers that are tangy and juicy, great for stuffing and frying, Early girl, brandy wine and zebra striped tomatoes varying in sizes, shapes and colors. Baby squash, lemon cucumbers, tender lettuce speckled with purple and light green. Also, some heirloom carrots that varied in shades of orange, white and purple. I do what I can to be "green" so lately I have taken the bus to the market. I figure with the cost of gas, plus parking, the bus is actually doing me a favor as well as me doing something for Mother Earth. We are blessed with so much abundance. A day at the market alone will make you see things in a whole new light and for me it helps to keeps things in perspective and I am very appreciative of all the variety that I have access to. Always inspired from my trip to the farmer's market I come home full of glee and ready to cook!

Along with my vegetable tagine I also made some couscous and I figured I would go all out and make my own harissa. Harissa is a condiment used throughout Northern Africa and is often served with couscous, stews and grilled meats. The flavors are smokey, tart and spicy. In a dry skillet I warmed cumin, caraway and coriander seeds until slightly toasty. I used my mortar and pestle to grind the spices. I fire roasted the cubanelle peppers and added them to my food processor with re hydrated guajillo chiles for heat, some tomato paste for tang and lots of garlic. I added the ground spices and drizzled in rich and golden extra virgin olive oil. A splash of red wine vinegar rounded out the harissa.

For my tagine I roasted onions and tomatoes in the oven until golden brown. I sauteed chopped garlic in olive oil along with cinnamon, coriander, cumin and fennel seed. I added in chunks of eggplant, carrot, squash and the pureed tomato and onion along with saffron bloomed in warm vegetable stock and a hefty dose of my freshly made harissa paste. The vegetables simmered in the flavorful broth until tender. I finished the tagine with assorted olives and a few lemon slices.

I boiled vegetable stock with butter and added that to my couscous and some currants in a bowl which I covered tightly with plastic wrap and allowed to steam. Once the couscous absorbed the hot liquid I fluffed the little grains with a fork and folded in some fresh diced apricots and green onions. My meal was so good and my apartment was scented like a spice house I put on some Arabic music and sashayed around delighted and full.

Melting Pot

The sun is out and the breeze is warm and inviting. I love it! I'm sitting in my kitchen, with the French doors open, overlooking my little patio. Sipping on an iced coffee, my dog Casey snoozing at my feet. These are the days I live for. Just chill, no work, no hassles, a little old school R&B on the radio....priceless. I kinda needed it, being that I overindulged a bit over the 4Th of July holiday weekend. Food, booze, little sleep, and lots of dancing. It's back to work tomorrow. However, had one last good time yesterday. My friend's Roger and Desi had an impromptu potluck dinner/house party. Everytime we get together it's guaranteed to be a good time. Great food, chill music, amazing people and just an ultimate relaxed vibe. In the past I have brought over saffron rice pilaf for a Persian New Year celebration, lamb shawarma for a birthday, and a plum crisp just because. I make what I want and cook what I have. It's also nice when you know the guests appreciate your cooking and they like what you bring. Seriously I get cheers when I walk in the room.."Yo, yo it's The Food Diva!"

Inspired by watching Sunny Anderson make her firecracker wings on "Good Morning America" on Friday and then watching Bobby Flay on Sunday cook beef short ribs with habanero and pineapple on his new series "Grill It!" I had the flavors of the Caribbean islands in my mind. Chiles and fruit, just the right amount of spice and sweet, one of my favorite flavor profiles...so on the menu Jamaican jerk chicken skewers with pineapple, zucchini and bell pepper. By the way Chaka Khan was on GMA too, and well she just turned it out!! I used to roller skate to "I Feel For You"...remember that jam? It's still hot!
When I lived in Florida I had Jamaican food all the time. I had several friends from the West Indies and traveled to the Bahamas and Virgin Islands on many vacations. So I'd like to think I know a thing or two about island cookery. My friends and I would make curry and listen to Nadine Sutherland while we sipped on pineapple soda. Hot from the Florida humidity and buzzed from the sugar we would dance in the garage (where it was cooler) to "Action". That song was all I heard for like a year in high school. So, when it comes on you know I'm on the dance floor!


Now living on the West coast, Caribbean food is harder to come by. So when I crave it I make my own and I love making jerk marinade. I make a huge batch then keep some in a jar for later use. I don't have a "recipe", since most of my cooking is done by instinct. You know a little of this, a dash of that..all good. Allspice, cinnamon and clove are the main spices in jerk seasoning. For heat I used habanero, serranos and cayenne. The chiles give various degrees of heat, some that linger and some that are sharp and sudden on the tongue. For sweetness I juiced pineapple and fresh ginger in my juicer and I also added some light brown sugar. Fresh thyme, green onions, and parsley added herbal notes. Apple cider vinegar and lime juice for a little tartness. Different types of acid that hit the palate at different spots. Lots of fresh black pepper, canola oil, salt and a splash of sweet soy sauce. Whizzed it all in the blender and then added it to chunks of chicken thigh meat that I cubed. I like the dark meat better..more flavor, stays moist. I let that marinate for about 5 hours. I made little skewers with diced pineapple, red bell pepper and zucchini that I seasoned with olive oil, S&P. I was going to grill them outside, but I had no wood chips and figured the skewers were so small by the time I pulled them off I would be left with dried out chicken jerky and not jerked chicken...no good. Instead I fired up my griddle pan, and only marked the skewers, then finished them in the oven on a sheet pan. Let me tell you, when you cook with jerk spice, you better open all the windows in your place or you will smoke and choke!! My poor dog Casey walked out and stayed in the yard..too spicy for the pooch. I should have gotten her goggles. She's so cute isn't she? The chicken came out moist and tender with the perfect balance of spice and the sweet from the pineapple...it was worth the smoke out.

Along with my offering for the potluck the guests shared some great little bites. Gaby made petite bread rolls that at first glance I thought were gougeres (cheese puffs). He served them cut in half with a creamy hummus and a delicious pork filling sauteed with onion, fennel seed and paprika. That's a real French chef for you..he made his own bread that day!

I loved the meatiness of the pork with the smokey paprika and sweet fennel. I told him that "no offense Gaby, but this flavor reminds me of Chicago pizza pockets". He was like "what is that?". Somewhat embarrassed that I may have offended the French Chef and relaying to him that it actually was a high compliment of a childhood memory, I went on to explain what a pizza pocket was. Roger, the host and fellow Chicagoan, knew exactly what I was talking about. Pizza pockets are this crazy Chicago street snack made of puff pastry filled with a somewhat sloppy Joe-esque style of ground beef with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. And here's the kicker, it's deep fried for ultimate cheesy melted goodness. I know it's a heart attack waiting to happen. But I only had those like once a year with an RC Cola. Roger, you feel me?

Speaking of Roger, this guy just does it all, and he does it with style. He was rolling out dough when I walked in the house. He made a delicious fruit tart with blackberries that he gathered near his house in Bernal Heights. This guy is like Tom Sawyer I tell you. Check out his blog Soul CocinaRoger is also a spice king when it comes to cooking. He was toasting pepitas (pumpkin seeds) with a few habaneros. Again, get goggles and open the windows!
He pulled out the old school food processor and pureed the toasted seeds to make a delicious Yucatecan dip known as sikil pak. It was great! Toasty nutty flavors, with a hint of spice and very creamy, almost like hummus.

Another dish offered was a do it your self sushi. Sticky rice seasoned with pickled ginger, rice wine vinegar, daikon, shredded nori, carrot, green onion and togarashi. It was light and flavorful and the nori wrapper was really good. I love food that is interactive.

Desi and Roger have an eclectic group of friends from all over the globe. Such diversity adds an amazing element to their gatherings. Indian, Italian, French, Pakistani, Japanese, Irish, Mexican, this certainly is a melting pot of culture and what I truly enjoy about living in San Francisco. Roger got on the turntables and started to spin some tunes. He has an amazing collection of world music. I swayed to dance hall beats, chanted along as a guest sang a Hindi birthday song and even got on the mic and did a little freestyle rhyme. Check out the lyrics. The beat was "Bam Bam" from Sister Nancy.


I'm sure it was not as concise as I posted here. Grant it, I'm no poet and I had a few cocktails, but here's the gist of it.

I'm the Food Diva and I cook with spice.

I like to mix up flavors, you think it's a nice.

With my cookin' I will entice.

I made jerk chicken.....next time maybe beans and rice.

Music and food are two things I appreciate in my life tremendously. Roger and Desi are very gracious hosts and their little man Anthony is the cutest kid. He even jumps into the jam session with his maracas.

Amigos thanks for the good times! Keep on cookin'!!