New Orleans Weekend and Shaya

A trip to New Orleans is always fun. Recently we decided to spend 4 days there and did some things tourist do and tried some new restaurants. We did spend two days at the New Orleans Antiques Forum which we find really interesting and informative. The first day was spent looking at houses in other areas of Louisiana and this year we went to Franklin, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and saw two very different houses: a Creole cottage on the bayou and a grand raised town house; and on to Jenerette, Louisiana to see a sensational plantation house and the collection of artist Hunt Slonum. My husband thought the view of the bayou from the second story rear gallery worth the price of admission.

We spent the third day at the World War II Museum and if you have not been, it is worth a visit. It is the top attraction in New Orleans and voted the 5^th best museum in the country and 11^th in the world. It does take a day to get to all the exhibits. I had gone several years ago but my husband had never been. It has grown a lot since I last visited.

Sunday was church at Trinity Episcopal Church and lunch at Commander’s Palace. This has always been my favorite way to spend Sunday in New Orleans. A lunch at Commander’s is always a treat and it remains high on my list, still, for a great Sunday brunch of good food and some jazz---‘Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?’

We found a fantastic new restaurant in New Orleans called Shaya. I had been reading about this new chef by the name of Alon Shaya, who worked with John Besh at the Dominica restaurant. Shaya is an Israeli restaurant, but uses some of the vibrant cuisine from Turkey to Morocco, Bulgaria to Greece, and Yemen to Russia. Everything we had there was fresh and they use produce from the local farmers in Louisiana and Mississippi. All the food is shared by the table which I am seeing more and more in restaurants. We chose three items for the table (3 for $15.00) which included wood-fired okra, red onions, and tahini; tzatziki with field peas and sea beans; lutenitsa, a Bulgarian puree of roasted peppers, eggplant, garlic and tomato. For our main courses we ordered avocado toast with smoked whitefish and pink peppercorns on rye bread and curried fried cauliflower with caramelized onions and mint. The cauliflower was served atop a plate of hummus and there were four other offerings on the menu for toppings for the hummus. The place is marvelous and I cannot wait to go back. I met the chef and he was so proud of his restaurant. It is located at 4213 Magazine Street in New Orleans and he has a website at shayarestaurant.com.

I came home and did the avocado toast which is easy. Just get some good Jewish rye bread and toast it, add some prepared guacamole, top with smoked whitefish (I bought some at Whole Foods) and top with pink peppercorns (which I also found at Whole Foods). The pink peppercorns are quite expensive but the taste is spicy and sweet. Now I use them for everything.

I also did the grilled okra and just made a Greek sauce of yogurt, garlic, and some red onions. You could add any other spice that you like to the sauce. I threw in some pink peppercorns!

The August’ Food and Wine’ magazine did an article on Alon Shaya and gave the recipe for the hummus with curried cauliflower and onion. I did not have to dream up a recipe, but got to follow the chef’s recipe. It was delicious. I made hummus from dried chick peas and let me tell you, the hummus was fantastic and made a huge amount. Enough to last for many meals. It is said that Mr. Shaya made three gallons of the hummus almost every day for two months to land the amazing recipe used at the New Orleans restaurant. (It was worth the effort).

So when you are in New Orleans next time go to this restaurant. It has been opened for 6 months but it is busy so book ahead. You will not be disappointed.

From August 2015 ‘Food and Wine’ magazine.

Curried Onion and Cauliflower Hummus

Makes 5 cups

1 lb. dried chickpeas (2 ½ cups), soaked overnight and drained

8 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp. baking soda

½ cup tahini (can buy at Whole Foods)

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

½ tsp. ground cumin

Salt

Canola oil, for frying

½ lb. cauliflower, cut into ½-inch florets

2 tsp. curry powder

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 ½ tsp. finely crushed pink peppercorns

Chopped parsley, for garnish (or mint as at the restaurant)

In a saucepan, cover the chickpeas, garlic, and baking soda with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring every 15 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender, 50 minutes; if necessary, add water to keep them covered.

Drain the chickpeas and garlic and transfer to a food processor; puree until very smooth. With the machine on, gradually add the tahini, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil and the cumin; season the hummus with salt.

In a skillet, heat ¼ inch of canola oil. Add the cauliflower and fry over moderately high heat, stirring, until tender and deeply browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain. Add one teaspoon of the curry powder and toss well. Season with salt and toss again.

Pour off all but ¼ cup of the oil from the skillet. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just starting to soften and brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the pink peppercorns and the remaining 1 teaspoon of curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Spoon the hummus into a bowl and top with the onion and cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with parsley and serve.