Sofra Bakery and Cafe. - Soframiz: vibrant Middle Eastern recipes from Sofra Bakery and Cafe

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS

Some ingredients are essential for achieving authentic Middle Eastern flavors, and it is worth seeking out a marketplace or specialty shop that you trust so that you can have them on hand to prepare the recipes in this book. We hope you will find many uses for them, and that they become ingredients you cant live without. We have all of our essential pantry ingredients available at Sofra, so that we can share them with our customers.

ALMOND FLOUR

Made from finely ground almonds, almond flour (sometimes called almond meal) is what remains after the nuts are ground and the oils are pressed out of the nuts. You can use almond flour made from blanched or natural almonds for ).

ALMOND PASTE

Made from ground almonds and sugar in equal parts, almond paste is widely available at supermarkets or specialty food stores. It comes in tubes or cans. You can also find it at americanalmond.com in the Love n Bake line.

BULGUR WHEAT

Our favorite whole grain for cooking and eating is bulgur. This partially cooked, dried, cracked wheat is available in varying grades, from fine (#1) to coarse (#4). The #1 fine is not milled as much as flour but can be used similarly to thicken a liquid or to make kibbeh by reconstituting the grain in hot water and kneading it to make a dough. The #4 coarse is delicious cooked like rice to make a rich, nutty pilaf.

CACAO NIBS

We are big fans of cacao nibs. They are the actual cacao bean that has been roasted and broken into tiny pieces. They add a slightly nutty and bitter flavor and are a way to add chocolate taste without using chocolate. Available from tazachocolate.com.

DATE MOLASSES

We use date molasses or date syrup (also called date honey and silan) interchangeably. Both are made by boiling dates and reducing them to a sweet, fruity syrup. Date syrup is more versatile than the traditional date molasses, which is darker and more bitter. You can use it as an alternative sweetener on yogurt or ice cream or in coffee. Date syrup is available from ilovedatelady.com or amazon.com.

DATES

There are many different date varieties. Medjool dates are grown in California and are considered one of the best varieties, especially for baking. They are full and soft with a hint of caramel and honey flavor. They are widely available in supermarkets.

DEMERARA SUGAR

This is a large-grain, coarse, raw sugar similar to brown sugar with a light caramel flavor. It is usually partially refined, so it holds moisture better than regular brown sugar. Unlike brown sugar, it does not have added molasses.

DRIED MINT AND OREGANO

These are two out of three dried herbs we use most often. They marry nicely and can be used interchangeably. Each offers a very distinct Eastern Mediterranean taste.

The flavor of dried mint is likely most familiar to you in tea form. However, its sweet, warm notes are perfect for cooking. Use dried mint in place of oregano in a tomato sauce for sweeter flavors or add a spoonful to a cucumber-yogurt sauce, and youll be hooked. In Turkey, dried mint means dried spearmint. This is the variety that is cooked with most often. Other mints, like peppermint, are great for teas or sweet pastry preparations but dont have the same warmth or subtle sweetness.

Turkish and Greek oregano offer warm, earthy flavors. There are several different species that grow wild and are foraged all over Greece, where the herb is known as rigani. Our contractor, Max Hatziiliades, supplies us with rigani harvested by his family on Mount Olympus. Its difficult to find oregano of the same quality outside of Greece, but look for Turkish or Greek species. You can find the Turkish variety at penzeys.com, and any Greek grocer or specialty shop should carry some rigani.

FETA CHEESE

If you are Greek, there is no messing around with feta; feta comes from Greece and Greece only. That being said, I love using sheeps milk feta for certain recipes like whipped feta or melted feta because its creamy from higher butterfat. For salads, I prefer the barrel-aged feta from Greece that crumbles nicely. Feta is always brined and cured but can be found made with different milkssheep, cow, and goat.

GRAPE MOLASSES

Grape molasses, or pekmez, as it is known in Turkey, is commonly found in Turkish homes and used the way we use granulated sugar. It is produced in Anatolia by reducing grapes to a syrup after hours of boiling. One of the most popular breakfast items in Turkey is a combination of tahini and pekmez. It is also rich in calcium and potassium, so some parents feed a spoonful to their children every day. Store it in its jar at room temperature.

GREEK YOGURT AND LABNE

Yogurt is an essential part of cooking anything and everything Middle Eastern. It adds acidity, sourness, fat, and creamy texture to a dish. Yogurt is the heavy cream of the Middle East, but with more dimension and less fat. Here in the States, there is a whole grocery store aisle dedicated to yogurt that wasnt there five to six years ago. Shopping for yogurt is confusing, and most Greek yogurts on the shelf arent Greek. Real Greek yogurt and labne dont have thickeners like carrageenan in them. Theyre made with whole milk and strained to remove water, making them thick.

Find a whole-milk Greek yogurt or labne with as few ingredients as possible and youll be happy. Unless you make it yourself, youll battle with the labels, so pick one that you think tastes good (like Fage) and be sure not to skimp on the fat. If you have to avoid dairy fat, add a little bit of olive oil to the recipe for a creamier mouthfeel.

To make your own labne, line a colander with cheesecloth and place a mixing bowl underneath it to catch the liquid that drains from the yogurt. Put 4 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (the ingredients should include only milk and cultures and no thickeners) in the colander and wrap the cheesecloth over the top. Place a small saucer or plate on top to lightly press it down. Refrigerate at least overnight, or for up to 2 days. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

HALOUMI CHEESE

Haloumi cheese is a sheeps milk cheese from Cyprus that is cooked and then brined. Because it is cooked, it can be sliced and put straight in a pan to caramelize without being breaded. Its best eaten very hot; it has a squeaky texture like cheese curds when it cools down. Haloumi is often seasoned with dried spearmint, which adds a sweet warmth to the cheese.

HALVAH

The word halvah can be used to refer to sweets or desserts, but it is mainly used to mean tahini halvah, a flaky, dense sesame candy that is one of the most popular desserts in the Middle East. It is sold in blocks in Middle Eastern specialty stores.

HARISSA

Great to have on hand, this well-known Tunisian condiment is used to perk up almost anything. Its the Mediterraneans answer to sriracha and has flavors like cumin, coriander, and caraway, and sometimes even rose. Harissa is medium-hot but rich with spices. Store it in the refrigerator to finish sauces, soups, or sandwiches. We love the brand Harissa Entube, which is available on Amazon.

HONEY

We love experimenting with different flavors of honey. You can really alter the flavor of a dish by using a bold-flavored honey. You can brush the , we use a raw honey from Champlain Valley Apiaries in Vermont, because we prefer something thick to create the caramel layer. Dont be afraid to experiment or splurge on a special jar of honey, or start a honey collection of your own.