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Redo You: Cooking with Susan Feniger
Chef Susan Feniger is chef and owner of Border Grill and Susan Feniger’s STREET.
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RECIPES Courtesy of Chef Susan Feniger and Chef Kajsa Alger
From the book “Susan Feniger’s Street Food”
Burmese Gin Thoke Melon Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
½ small seedless watermelon (2 ½ pounds)
½ ripe cantaloupe melon (1 ½ pounds)
¼ ripe honeydew melon (1 pound)
2 (3-inch) pieces young ginger peeled and minced (1/3 cup); or 2 (3-inch) pieces of regular fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1/3 cup)
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
¼ cup lime juice (from 3-4 limes)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup dried green lentils
2 cups wide-flake unsweetened coconut
1 ¼ cups raw blanched peanuts
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, chopped
Method
- Start by cutting up the melons: Trim off the rind of all 3 melons, remove any seeds, and cut the flesh in to ½- inch dice. Put all of the diced melon in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the ginger, sesame seeds, lime juice, soy sauce, ¼ cup of the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Mix well and pour over the melon. Toss, and let marinate at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Put the lentils and 4 cups cold water in a small saucepan set over high heat, and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 5 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain, rinse with cold water to chill, and then stir into the melon mixture.
- Combine the coconut, peanuts, kaffir lime, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, remaining ¼ cup olive oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a large sauté pan. Toast the peanut mixture over medium-low heat, stirring it constantly, until the coconut and peanuts have toasted, somewhat unevenly, to a golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Just before serving, add the peanut mixture to the melon mixture and stir gently to combine. Serve in a large bowl, preferably at room temperature.
Tunisian Chicken Kebabs with Currants and Olives
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ cup dried currants
4 ounces (1 cup) jarred Peppadew peppers, plus ¼ cup of their juice
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and seeded
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 –inch cubes
Kosher salt
Tunisian Relish (recipe follows)
Method
- Put the currants in a bowl and add ¼ cup warm water. Let sit until the currants have plumped, about 10 minutes.
- Drain the currants and put them in a blender. Add the Peppadews, their juice, the bell pepper, oil, and salt, and puree on high speed until smooth. Pour half of this mixture into a bowl, add the chicken, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours. Reserve the remaining puree to use later on.
- Heat a grill or griddle to high.
- Slide 4 to 6 cubes of chicken on each of about 8 skewers. Salt the chicken to taste, and then grill, turning the skewers so that the chicken browns on all sides, 5 minutes total. Remove from the grill, brush with the reserved puree, and top each skewer with a spoonful of relish.
Tunisian Relish
Makes 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
½ cup dried currants or black raisins
1 cup pitted green olives (such as Manzanilla), chopped
½ cup Peppadew peppers, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup aged sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Method
- Put the currants in a bowl and add warm water to cover. Let sit until the currants have plumped, about 10 minutes.
- Drain, discarding the water, and put the currants into a bowl. Add the olives, Peppadews, oil, vinegar, and salt. Stir well to combine, and serve. You can make the relish up to 2 days in advance and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and stir it before serving.
Black Kale Crostini with White Beans and Spanish Anchovies
Serves 12
Ingredients
Beans
2 cups dried white beans, or 1 (14 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped red onion
1 red jalapeno pepper, stemmed and chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Croutons
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
12 white anchovy fillets (sometimes called “boquerones” or “Spanish anchovies”), chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 small loaf olive bread, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
Kale
2 bunches black kale (sometimes called “lacinato” or “Italian kale”)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
- To prepare the dried beans, put the beans and 10 cups cold water in a small stockpot. Remove any stones or irregular pieces that may float to the top. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans are cooked through. Turn off the heat and strain the beans in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid.
- If you cooked dired beans, wash out the pot and return it to the stove; if you are using canned beans, place a large saucepan on the stove. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and sauté the onion in the oil until it is a deep caramel color, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavor. Add the beans (dried or canned), salt, and 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid (or 2 cups water if using canned beans). Stir, then simmer for 10 minutes. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.
- To make the anchovy croutons, preheat the oven to 350.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, anchovies, and salt. Mix well with a spoon until all of the ingredients are combined. Spread the mixture on one side of each slice of bread, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake, turning the baking sheet occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the croutons are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
- To prepare the kale, first remove the large stems. Then cut the leaves crosswise into thin strips. Wash them well in cold water to remove any excess dirt. Drain.
- In a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until it becomes fragrant but does not color. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the kale and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally so that the kale and garlic do not burn, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the kale is soft but not mushy. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Stir well, and pour the kale onto a platter or bowl.
- To assemble the crostini, take a slice of anchovy toast, spread it with a generous amount of the pureed white beans, and top with the sautéed kale. Set on a platter and repeat with the remaining toasts. Serve while still warm or at room temperature.
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