Erica De Mane

Aleppo pepper from Syria, Ravida’s Sicilian sea salt, and Maras Biber Turkish pepper, all from Kalustyan’s.

Recipes:

Veal Stew with Saffron, Basil, and Hedgehog Mushrooms
Linguine with Cockles, Saffron, and Rosemary
Orange Salad with Vanilla, Orange Flower Water, and Mint
Ciambella with Rosemary, Orange, and Vanilla

There’s a Middle Eastern and Indian grocery store on the East Side of Manhattan in the Twenties called Kalustyan’s (the area is referred to as Curry Hill, since it’s near Murray Hill and is loaded with Indian restaurants and shops). It’s a longish but scenic walk from my apartment, and I go there often, usually to buy things like Turkish pine nuts, Aleppo pepper, saffron, rose-water candies, or fresh dates on their stalks flown in from California (if you’ve never tasted a fresh date, you really should find a way to try one; they’re smooth and glossy skinned, but oozy and sweet inside; however, you’ll have to wait until late summer, when they’re in season). Often I stop into Kalustyan’s just to inhale the aroma of the packets of ground Indian and Middle Eastern spices (and to admire their gorgeous burnished colors, especially the various red hues of the dried peppers). This almost always perks me up when I’ve got a lagging culinary spirit, or just a messed up head in general.

I tend to focus on spices in cold weather and then turn back to herbs in late spring and summer, even now when I can buy fresh herbs year round at the supermarket. It’s now officially spring, but as is usually the case in New York, the climate is not completely in tune with the traditional symbols of the season, such as lovely weather; it’s chilly, windy, and often brilliantly sunny; I know some people like this crisp, bracing air, but I find it irritating, actually preferring rain until it really warms up.

Early spring is a transitional time, mentally and culinarily, so I often choose to experiment by using both spices and herbs in the same dishes, paving the way to warm-weather cooking. Since few spices are used in traditional Italian cooking, I don’t get much guidance on the subject from flipping through my Italian cookbooks or from my memories of traveling to different parts of Italy on food discovery missions. I have, however, learned about several successful herb-spice combinations while delving into Sicilian cooking; cinnamon with fresh mint, and saffron with wild fennel are two great ones that come to mind immediately. Saffron with basil is another excellent pairing, one that you’ll notice I’ve included in my veal stew recipe this month (I suppose saffron is not technically a spice, but it’s not an herb either. It seems more spice than herb to me, so I’ll call it a spice). Nutmeg with parsley is another of my favorite Italian inspired herb-spice combos, automatically thrown into ricotta by many Southern Italians as a flavoring for pasta fillings. Dried red chilies with oregano or marjoram is another interesting combo, one that I’ve run across in Basilicata, often blended with anchovy and garlic (these four flavors make a powerhouse sauce for spaghetti, by the way; you grind them together with a mortar and pestle with an ample amount of good olive oil, and that’s the sauce).

Devising my own mixes of herbs and spices is tricky, since without a careful balance I can wind up with a taste that’s slightly off, as I’ve certainly discovered in the past, when I for instance included too much ground clove and rosemary in a beef stew, ending up with a strangely medicinal brew. But I am starting to feel that my culinary skills have become fine-tuned enough over the years that I’m now incapable of producing something truly awful (at least I hope this is the case).

In March I was playing around with rosemary, orange, and vanilla, figuring out ways to blend them together. I posted several recipes and promised another one for a ciambella, an Italian ring cake. I was extremely happy with the way it turned out, so I’m keeping my promise. All three flavorings come through distinctly, yet they compliment each other in a beautiful, warming way. The cake is wonderful with a glass of not-too-dry rosé wine, which I think picks up the orange flavor, or with a glass of port, if you want to bring out the rosemary.

For a variation on this theme, I’ve been blending vanilla with orange-flower water, a gorgeous, perfumy combination that’s often used in Southern Italian ricotta cakes for Easter. I’ve decided to include these flavors, along with fresh mint, in a sweet orange salad, something very refreshing to me as a dessert this time of year, before any local fruit is available here in the Northeast. This dish came out best of all.

Have fun with your early spring cooking.

Veal Stew with Saffron, Basil, and Hedgehog Mushrooms

I find hedgehog mushrooms in my markets around March and April. They look and to a lesser degree taste like chanterelles, but they can have a bitter edge that softens nicely when simmered in a stew for a few minutes.

(Serves 4 as a main course)

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon sugar
A small piece of fatty prosciutto end, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
A few large thyme sprigs, the leaves chopped
A few generous scrapping of nutmeg
Salt
Black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken or light meat broth
1 small can (15 ounces) chopped tomatoes, with the juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups hedgehog mushrooms, brushed clean, the tough stem ends removed
A splash of cognac or brandy
A generous pinch of saffron threads, ground to a powder and dissolved in a little hot water
A handful of fresh basil leaves, lightly chopped

Over medium flame, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large casserole. When it’s hot, add the veal chunks, and sprinkle them with the sugar. Brown on one side and give them a flip (do this in batches if the pan is crowded). Add the prosciutto, shallots, and carrots, and let the veal brown on the other side. Add the thyme and nutmeg, and season with salt and black pepper. Veal tends to give off a little foam as it sears, sometimes preventing it from browning easily. If you notice this, let the foam bubble away until the meat starts to brown. Add the white wine, and let it boil a few minutes. Add the chicken or meat broth and the tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover the casserole, and simmer until the veal is tender, about 2 hours.

About 10 minutes before the veal is perfect, melt the butter over medium heat in a sauté pan. When hot, add the mushrooms, seasoning them with salt and a tiny pinch of sugar. Sauté a few minutes then add the cognac or brandy, letting it bubble a few seconds. Add the mushrooms and any pan juices to the casserole. Add the saffron.

Skim the surface of the stew very well and then taste for seasoning, adding more salt, if necessary, and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Add the basil. I like this served with plain white rice.

Linguine with Cockles, Saffron, and Rosemary

This is a deeply and unexpectedly flavored version of the classic linguine with clam sauce, which is usually flavored with just parsley and garlic. I think the reason the rosemary works well here with saffron is because I’ve also added pancetta, which gives the dish body. Everything blends together with the briny cockles to create something rich and opulent.

(Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a first course)

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 thick slice pancetta, well chopped
3 small, firm garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large sprig rosemary, the leaves well chopped
The grated zest from 1 large lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
A large pinch of saffron, ground and dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water
Salt
1 pound linguine
2 pound cockles, scrubbed
A generous pinch of dried red pepper flakes (if you have Aleppo pepper, that would be my choice)
A large handful of flat leaf parsley, the leaves lightly chopped

Put up a large pot of pasta cooking water and bring it to a boil.

In a skillet large enough to hold all the cockles, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium flame. Add the pancetta, and sauté until crisp. Add the garlic, rosemary, and lemon zest, and sauté a minute to release all their flavors. Add the white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes. Add the saffron water.

Add a generous amount of salt to the pasta water and drop in the linguine.

Add the cockles to the skillet and cook uncovered until they open, about 4 minutes or so. Add the dried red pepper, the parsley, and about 3 tablespoons of fresh olive oil. When al dente, drain the linguine. If your skillet is big enough, add the linguine to the clam sauce and toss it gently over low heat for a few seconds (otherwise just put the linguine in a large, warmed serving bowl and pour the sauce on top and toss). In either case, taste to see if it needs salt (it may or may not, depending on the saltiness of your cockles). Serve hot.

Orange Salad with Vanilla, Orange Flower Water, and Mint

This is a simple dessert, but it has a lot of culinary power, thanks to its lovely flavor mix of vanilla and orange flower water. I would serve it for a special-occasion dinner.

(Serves 6)

8 oranges (including a few blood oranges if you can find them), peeled and sliced into rounds
1 tablespoon orange flower water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
A handful of shelled, unsalted pistachios
A few sprigs of fresh mint, the leaves lightly chopped

Arrange the orange slices on a nice-looking platter. Drizzle on the orange flower water and the vanilla. Sprinkle with the sugar, and let sit unrefrigerated for about 1/2 hour (this will give all the flavors time to blend and melt into one another). Just before serving scatter on the pistachios and mint leaves.

Ciambella with Rosemary, Orange, and Vanilla

Ciambella is an Italian ring cake, usually served unadorned, no frosting or whipped cream or anything. I’ve often eaten versions of it for breakfast when staying at pensiones in various parts of Italy. Vanilla and lemon seem to be the most popular flavorings, but I’ve tried orange and anise flavored ones too.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks melted and cooled butter
1 sprig rosemary (about a teaspoon), the leaves well chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The grated zest from 2 oranges
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or another orange liqueur

Butter a ring mold or bundt pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and the baking soda.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and rosemary together with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and orange liqueur to the milk, and beat that into the batter. Add the flour, and gently beat it in just until blending.

Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake until browned and springy to the touch, about 50 minutes.