(190°C). Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Lightly flour a work surface. Working with half the dough, roll it out as thin as you can, 1 / 8 to ¼ inch (.3 to .6 cm) thick. Cut the dough into strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide, then cut the strips the length you’d like them. Transfer the pieces of dough to the prepared baking sheets, arranging them so they are almost touching, as they will not expand during baking. Bake in the center of the oven until they are pale gold and cooked through, which will take 15 to 18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake them, as they can become bitter. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool, and when they are completely cooled, either serve them immediately or store them in an airtight container. They will keep well for about 10 days.
Green Mango or Papaya Salad—Som Tam
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer
I had not been in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for more than ten minutes before I was speeding down side roads, over the Ping River, through harsh sunlight and down a dusty street where my friend and guide, Sunny Bovormat, screeched to a halt. With Andy Ricker, Thai food expert, we descended from the car and entered a lush, breezy world. It was a wonderfully cool restaurant with a thatched roof, no walls, and three kitchens, each responsible for something different. The green papaya salad kitchen, which was near the grilled meats section, was the busiest, the “pok pok” of the mortar and pestle the background music to the ambience. My two expert guides ordered som tam the way they wanted it, for in Thai restaurants it is the client who creates the recipe. I loved my hosts’ choice, and this is their recipe.
3 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 fresh or dried Thai chile, seeded if desired and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) lengths
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 teaspoon dried shrimp, rinsed
1 long bean, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces, or 3 standard green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce, preferably Thai
2 small green mangoes or papayas, peeled and shredded (1½ cups/375 ml)
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 heaping tablespoon peanuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
Note: I call for either green mangoes or papaya here. You may actually use any vegetable mixed with either of the two or, if you cannot find a green papaya or mango, substitute grated unripe pear or an unripe apple—something crisp and tart.
All of the Asian ingredients can be found at Asian markets and many supermarkets.
1. Place the garlic, chile, and palm sugar in a mortar and grind them together until they make a paste. Add the dried shrimp and pound them until they break apart. Add the long bean and just crush it with the pestle, then stir in the lime juice and sh sauce.
2. Add the shredded mango and pound it just slightly into the sauce ingredients, then continue mixing usingtwo forks until all the ingredients are combined. Stir in the tomatoes and peanuts and taste for seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a shallow serving bowl and serve immediately, making sure that each guest gets some of the dressing and the juice that the green mango will give up.
Eggplant with Saffron Walnuts
Makes 6 servings
Walnuts, eggplant, saffron, and fresh herbs are combined in this rustic dish. Make it at the height of summer when eggplant is plentiful. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a first course, alongside grilled fish or meat as a side dish, or as the main course of a vegetarian meal.
1 / 3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 scant teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds/625 g), cut lengthwise into ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick slices
Sea salt
1 generous pound (520 g) onions, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup (75 g) walnuts, lightly toasted and minced
2 cups (20 g) gently packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
¾ cup (8 g) gently packed cilantro leaves
¾ cup (8 g) gently packed basil
5. Lightly flour a work surface. Working with half the dough, roll it out as thin as you can, 1 / 8 to ¼ inch (.3 to .6 cm) thick. Cut the dough into strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide, then cut the strips the length you’d like them. Transfer the pieces of dough to the prepared baking sheets, arranging them so they are almost touching, as they will not expand during baking. Bake in the center of the oven until they are pale gold and cooked through, which will take 15 to 18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake them, as they can become bitter. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool, and when they are completely cooled, either serve them immediately or store them in an airtight container. They will keep well for about 10 days.
Green Mango or Papaya Salad—Som Tam
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer
I had not been in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for more than ten minutes before I was speeding down side roads, over the Ping River, through harsh sunlight and down a dusty street where my friend and guide, Sunny Bovormat, screeched to a halt. With Andy Ricker, Thai food expert, we descended from the car and entered a lush, breezy world. It was a wonderfully cool restaurant with a thatched roof, no walls, and three kitchens, each responsible for something different. The green papaya salad kitchen, which was near the grilled meats section, was the busiest, the “pok pok” of the mortar and pestle the background music to the ambience. My two expert guides ordered som tam the way they wanted it, for in Thai restaurants it is the client who creates the recipe. I loved my hosts’ choice, and this is their recipe.
3 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 fresh or dried Thai chile, seeded if desired and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) lengths
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 teaspoon dried shrimp, rinsed
1 long bean, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces, or 3 standard green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce, preferably Thai
2 small green mangoes or papayas, peeled and shredded (1½ cups/375 ml)
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 heaping tablespoon peanuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
Note: I call for either green mangoes or papaya here. You may actually use any vegetable mixed with either of the two or, if you cannot find a green papaya or mango, substitute grated unripe pear or an unripe apple—something crisp and tart.
All of the Asian ingredients can be found at Asian markets and many supermarkets.
1. Place the garlic, chile, and palm sugar in a mortar and grind them together until they make a paste. Add the dried shrimp and pound them until they break apart. Add the long bean and just crush it with the pestle, then stir in the lime juice and sh sauce.
2. Add the shredded mango and pound it just slightly into the sauce ingredients, then continue mixing usingtwo forks until all the ingredients are combined. Stir in the tomatoes and peanuts and taste for seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a shallow serving bowl and serve immediately, making sure that each guest gets some of the dressing and the juice that the green mango will give up.
Eggplant with Saffron Walnuts
Makes 6 servings
Walnuts, eggplant, saffron, and fresh herbs are combined in this rustic dish. Make it at the height of summer when eggplant is plentiful. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a first course, alongside grilled fish or meat as a side dish, or as the main course of a vegetarian meal.
1 / 3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 scant teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds/625 g), cut lengthwise into ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick slices
Sea salt
1 generous pound (520 g) onions, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup (75 g) walnuts, lightly toasted and minced
2 cups (20 g) gently packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
¾ cup (8 g) gently packed cilantro leaves
¾ cup (8 g) gently packed basil
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