Cardamom and Tea

Masy’s chipteh

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A couple months ago, my aunt Masy taught me and my grandmother how to make one of my favorite cookies from my childhood. But before we got to baking, Masy told me all about her version of chipteh (CHIP-tee) stew, which her three-year-old great grandson can’t get enough of, and which has become a family favorite.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Masy: Let me tell you how to make my chipteh.
Kathryn: Oh yum! I love kipteh*
Oh no, this is not kipteh, this is chipteh.
Oh like kifteh?
No, chipteh.
Oh yum! Where did you learn how to make it?
This one’s my own recipe.
Oh cool! Is it related to kibbeh? Are kipteh and chipteh the same?
They’re related, but not exactly the same. This is my recipe for chipteh.

Fair enough! Masy then dictated her recipe, which is sort of a cross between kipteh and kibbeh. I took careful notes, but didn’t get around to trying it until a few months later, and I was totally blown away by how wonderful it is. I love it because it’s delicious (and definitely our favorite stew of winter 2018/19), but also because it’s such a beautiful expression of Masy’s creativity.

* an Assyrian stew, similar to kift’it gu shirwah

By the way, this is my first post that I photographed in our new kitchen in our tiny apartment in the Sheung Wan neighborhood of Hong Kong. Over the next couple months, I’ll be posting a mix of things I photographed before we moved (I’m a planner, and I like to work on posts a couple months ahead of time), and things I’ve photographed more recently. I’ve been having so much fun getting to know the new kitchen, and learning how to work with the new lighting situation.

It’s the most ridiculously tiny space I’ve ever cooked in, and it only has two little cupboards, but I’m getting creative with storage, and finding solutions to the problem of having nowhere to put my camera and notebook while I’m working. My camera’s new home is strapped across my chest, resting on my back, and my notebook’s new home is on a bench I drag into the kitchen and plop in front of the freezer. But I’m the kind of person who would rather have slightly too little space than too much, and the challenge has been mostly fun so far (with the exception of learning the hard way that command hooks won’t stay stuck to the side of the refrigerator, and definitely won’t support the weight of all our silverware). I made Masy’s chipteh for the first time right after we moved in, and it was the perfect way to feel at home.

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Masy’s chipteh

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  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

for the kibbeh:

  • 1 lb 5 oz lean ground beef (600 grams)
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, minced very finely (85 grams)
  • 1 small bunch chopped cilantro (40 grams)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (about 9 grams, or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (2 grams)
  • 3/4 cup bulgur #1 extra fine (150 grams) – do not soak it or cook it
  • 1 large egg (55 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons softened clarified butter or olive oil (26 grams)

for the stew:

  • 2 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil (26 g)
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped (85 grams)
  • 6 oz can tomato paste (170 gram can)
  • 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (800 gram can)
  • 3 cups water or stock (680 grams)
  • Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 1/2 cups of your favorite veggies, large-diced (Masy likes celery and carrots, I like green pepper, but you could also do kale or another green)
  • Juice from 1/2 a lemon or 1 whole lemon, to taste

Instructions

  1. Mix the kibbeh ingredients together: Combine the ground beef, minced red onion, chopped cilantro, salt, black pepper, bulgur, egg, and clarified butter/oil. Set aside.
  2. Make the stew: Place a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the butter/olive oil and wait a minute or two, until it melts. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 or 6 minutes, until they soften. Reduce heat to low, add the tomato paste, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, water/stock, and season to taste (I use 1 teaspoon, but check how salty your tomatoes and/or stock are). Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a gentle boil.
  3. While you wait for it to boil, shape the meat/bulgur mixture into small meatballs, about the size of an in-shell walnut (about 20- to 25-gram balls).
  4. Once the liquid comes to a gentle boil, carefully add the meatballs, making sure they’re submerged (at least mostly, but it’s ok if they’re poking out a little). Let it come back up to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes covered, then cook for another 15 minutes uncovered. During the last few minutes of cooking, add your favorite veggies (e.g., add green peppers 3 minutes before the meatballs are done, carrots get 8 minutes, kale gets 3 or 4, celery gets 4 or 5, etc. Feel free to cook them to your preferred doneness).
  5. Once the stew is done, add the lemon juice, stir together, and serve. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator or freezer.

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grilled radicchio fattoush

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A few summers ago, I was obsessed with grilling radicchio. It all started when some friends rented a cabin in the Poconos, where we spent a lot of time making double-decker s’mores, playing Settlers of Catan, and spying on the family of black bears that liked to hang out in the back yard (which was kind of terrifying, but also absurdly adorable from a distance). I volunteered to coordinate the food for our trip, and one of our favorites was Melissa Clark’s grilled sausages and radicchio, which was simple and perfect in every way. From then on, I worked grilled radicchio into just about any meal I could, and it’s been a perennial favorite ever since.

So a year ago, when I was still really new to blogging, I developed a recipe for grilled radicchio fattoush, but I got carried away piling on way too many ingredients, and the whole idea got kind of lost in my unfinished drafts of blogposts. Then recently, I revisited it, and came up with this more streamlined and thoughtful version, which I’m now super excited to share.

Fattoush is such a wonderfully tangy, acidic salad, so radicchio (especially grilled) works perfectly in place of romaine, because all the pomegranate molasses and sumac nicely balance the bitterness. Growing up, fattoush was at just about every single dinner at my grandparents’ house, so the classic version will always be my favorite, but it’s fun to mix things up once in a while.

This is a lovely salad for fall, because radicchio is in season and a little easier to find right now, and (if you ask me) October is the perfect month for grilling. It’s cool enough outside so that standing over a hot grill doesn’t feel like such a chore, but not so cold that the walk over to the grill is bracing. Plus, depending on where you live, you occasionally catch a day that’s nice enough for dinner outdoors.

Here in sunny Hong Kong, we have neither fall weather nor space for a grill, but we’re going to Tokyo to enjoy both next month, and we can’t wait. Simon’s going to be working a lot of the time, and I’ll be vacationing on my own for part of it, so feel free to message me with all your favorite solo Tokyo activities.

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grilled radicchio fattoush

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  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 medium heads radicchio (about 1 1/2 pounds, or 1 pound 5 ounces without the core)
  • olive oil
  • 2 pitas
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses*
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons sumac (plus up to 1 tablespoon more for garnish, optionally)
  • 1 1/2 cups tomatoes in bite-sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups Persian cucumbers in bite-sized pieces (about 3 Persian cucumbers)
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces (green is more traditional, so feel free!)
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped mint
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the grill** over very high heat. Split each radicchio in half, from stem to end, leaving them as intact as possible. Coat the cut sides in olive oil.
  2. Once the grill is very hot, place the radicchio cut-side-down. Grill, uncovered, for a maximum of 4 minutes (don’t let them become soft). Do not turn or flip the radicchio, and check on them frequently. As soon as they are charred, remove immediately and cool, cut-side-up on a plate. The radicchio should remain largely raw throughout and charred only on the cut side. Chop the radicchio into large bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cut the pita bread into bite-sized pieces and coat in about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread out in an even layer on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes, until they’re golden brown and crunchy.***
  4. Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and sumac.
  5. Place the radicchio in a large salad bowl with the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, mint, green onions, and parsley. Give the dressing one more whisk, and then pour it over the salad. Toss everything together until everything’s evenly coated. At the last minute, add the pita chips, toss it together, and serve immediately.

Notes

* In my opinion, pomegranate molasses isn’t totally essential for fattoush, so if you don’t have it, feel free to use a little bit of honey and a little extra lemon juice. Sumac, on the other hand, is essential.

** If you don’t have a grill, you can do this with a broiler or stovetop cast iron grill grate, but you won’t get quite as much char as a hot grill. Use the hottest possible temperature, set your broiler tray as close to the heat source as possible, and keep a close eye on them to make sure they’re not cooking through.

*** You can alternatively bake the pita chips with the residual heat of the grill to save energy, but be careful that they don’t burn, and make sure you use indirect heat (don’t place the pita chips directly on the grates).

Meal-planning suggestions: To get the most out of heating up the grill, you can plan a whole grilled meal around this dish. Once the radicchio is done, send it inside for someone else to throw the salad together while you stay outside to grill more. It goes great with grilled veggie shish kebabs, grilled corn, grilled sweet potatoes, and grilled meat, especially sausages with toasted rolls.

Storage suggestions: If you are planning on keeping some of the salad as left overs or packing it to take to work, put some of the dressing in the bottom of a storage container, add the veggies, then the herbs and radicchio, and pack the pita chips in a sealed plastic bag on top. It should keep this way for a couple days. Once you’re ready to eat, you can toss everything together and enjoy.

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