Lahmacun Recipe from chef Selami of Urfa Dürüm in Paris !

We miss living in Paris. It's been two years since we moved back to California, and I am so grateful that we are at least able to still work in and visit Paris each year to keep the balance that we were hoping for. But dang, we miss the street food options that were found in the 10th arrondissement, like our favorite Turkish/Kurdish teeny tiny restaurant, Urfa Dürüm. 

Adrian's scribbled recipe from the phone call with Selami, plus our young son's high energy doodle

I woke up on a recent hazy weekend morning and all I wanted was one thing... Lahmacun from Paris.  I popped up from the couch and asked my husband Adrian to call (Adrian's french is fluent, whereas mine is ok) Selami in Paris, the man in charge at Urfa Dürüm, to get the real recipe so we could make it STAT. We had befriended Selami after filming at his restaurant with the team of Anthony Bourdain's show, "The Layover". After that Selami was always so extra welcoming to us. So Adrian picked up the phone and called Selami. He was so happy to hear that we would like to recreate his magic in our California home and casually relayed his recipe in the middle of his dinner service... "it's easy!", he said.  You just have to have a couple Turkish seasonings to make it authentic. These ones: Kirmizi Pul Biber (Aleppo) or Marash pul Biber (Turkish chili with medium heat and a sweet-earthy taste), and Sumac (has a lemony earthy flavor).

 

For the mince you will need:

2 lbs ground lamb

2 medium onions

a bunch of parsley

2 very red bell peppers

Turkish Chili flakes,  either Kirmizi Pol Biber (Aleppo) or Marash

Ground Cumin

Fresh cracked black pepper

Sea Salt 

Dough:

All purpose Flour

Salt

Water

...and for the garnish: 

Red onion, Lemon, Sumac, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Parsley 

(you can also add a handful of your fave lettuce)

Equipment: Wooden pizza paddle and pizza stone

Before you start prepping, place your pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and pre-heat to 450-500 degrees. Nice and hot.

First deseed and devein the bell peppers and chop them into very fine pieces. Then finely chop the onion. Put ground lamb, chopped peppers, and onions into a big bowl and add 1-2 TB of Turkish chili flakes ( these chili flakes have a medium heat to them, so add as much or little as you like), 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, 1 TB of ground cumin, and 1 TB ( more or less) of salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Selami did not give us any specifics about making the dough, he simply said to mix flour, salt and water gently together and hand knead a little bit until you get a very soft dough. Divide dough into individual portions,  form into tennis sized balls and cover for 15 minutes. We used about 4 cups of flour and poured a fair amount water into the flour well and slowly mixed the water in with our hands. Add about 1 teaspoon or so of salt. We experimented a little and it was easy to achieve. We covered our dough with plastic wrap, but you can pre-form all dough and simply cover with a tea towel if you have lots of people to feed and you will use it quickly.

I couldn't find my rolling pin so I used my 4 year olds, hey it worked!

Toss some flour on your work surface and roll out a ball of dough into a very thin round 10" shape, then place rolled out dough onto a well floured pizza paddle (or large cutting board) . Using your hands, start pressing a thin layer of lamb mixture over the dough.  Gently transfer to the pizza stone using jab like gestures, to get it on the stone properly. This will take a little practice. You can give the paddle a few test shakes to make sure the Lahmacun is moving around ok. Make sure there is a nice layer of flour on your board, the flour acts like tiny ball bearings that help make the transfer to the stone way easier. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Check on it and when the edges get crispy and light brown, it's done.

En route to the hot as oven

Et Voilà !! Now just throw on the garnishes and roll up and grub

 Watch the short video below of Adrian placing the final touches on the first Lahmacun to come out of the oven. From the streets of Paris to our lunch time mouths in California. Yes!

Urfa Durum in Paris:
56 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010
Open every day except Sunday

A Candlelit Birthday Dinner in Paris

Recently, I was able to celebrate my birthday with my twin sister Simone, who crossed the seas from Marfa, Texas to be in Paris for our annual fête. First we went on a road trip through white truffle laden Piedmont, Italy and after, hosted an intimate birthday dinner party at a friend's elegant home in Paris. 

My French-American friend and private cook, Alix Lacloche, helped us prepare the meal. She effortlessly organized the shopping and the prep and let us chill out. She threw on her apron and started chopping, tasting and pulling all the elements together. Simone and I were in charge of one thing, the white truffle ravioli that we made from scratch using a truffle we hand selected at the white truffle fair in Alba. 

I adore the apartment that belongs to the charming couple, Michaela Lee and Alex Thumerelle.  Alex runs a bookstore, gallery and boutique, called Ofr. I met Alex when I curated an art exhibition in the Ofr gallery a few years ago featuring three artist and musician friends from California. Their chic apartment also functions as an extension and atelier of the Ofr universe. It's a gorgeous apartment used for photo shoots, private events, a showroom during fashion week and beyond. I was thrilled when she offered us the space for our birthday dinner, as it has lots of old world Parisian spirit, magic and soul. 

Alix prepping a pile of fresh Chanterelle mushrooms from a nearby market, 

Simone cutting the pasta sheets for the ravioli

Alix carefully inspects the Chanterelle mushrooms

Simone inhaling the intoxicating smell of the chosen white truffle at the Alba truffle show in Italy

A truffled egg yolk sitting in a pillow of fresh ricotta from my favorite fromagerie down the road

Each guest was served a single raviolo to begin the meal. I finished each one with a drizzle of browned butter and grated white truffle. One of the best things I have ever tasted in my life. Seriously. Quickly cooking dishes à la minute was fast-paced and fun, especially when one of our guests happened to be co-owner of 3 of Paris' best cocktail bars (Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste and Glass) and made everyone in the kitchen a round of very good Negronis. Yes!

Á table! Simone takes a moment to slowly stoke on the raviolo. Mmmmmmmmmmm

Stuffed pork loin with Chanterelle mushrooms and herbs, 

Lovely Michaela in her billowy white chiffon blouse

Alix explains it all

Alix slicing the pork loin, 

A happy dinner plate with stuffed pork loin, roasted potimarron squash with herby salsa verde, potato purée, sautéed Chanterelles, and fresh greens. 

Last but not least... came two birthday cakes brought by a guest from Stohrer, the oldest Pâtissier in Paris (since 1730), along with lots of champagne

All photos by Danielle Rubi-Dentzel, except for top 2 photos by Simone Rubi

First Bombay Style Bistro in Paris

Finally. An Indian restaurant in Paris with fresh ingredients and heart warming flavors. There is love put into this food. A respected chef from London ( Cinnamon Club) , Manoj Sharma, has put a modern touch on traditional Indian cuisine at the brand new MG Road restaurant in the eastern Marais district of Paris. MG Road will quickly become a favorite place to tuck into, with quality food that will hug you. The menu features dishes like Sea Bass steamed in banana leaves with lemon infused rice, Chicken tikka with fresh herb chutney, Creme Brulée in the form of an Indian rice pudding, and a wine list with biodynamic wines. They also sell items like vanilla salt, black salt, tea spices, teas, chutneys and more.

Velvety butter chicken curry, dal with black lentils, and Pulao rice make up the lunch box to-go called the "Tiffin Box"

We opted to try their Tiffin box, a traditional stainless steel stacked to-go lunch box, which we brought home around the corner. They have two options, one vegetarian and one with meat. You simply pay a deposit for the box and either bring the box back later, or hold on to them to re-fill later. Which we plan to do. A lot.

The owner, Stephanie de Saint Simon, has a background in high end specialty catering and event planning. Along with party planning, she started Ouma Productions,  an interior design business specializing in beautiful decor, furniture and design objects from India. 

Tiffin Boxes filled with goodness to take home for those living in the nearby quartier

Tiffin Boxes with Pulao rice, dal with black lentils, chickpeas with tamarind, and butter chicken

MG Road Restaurant
205 Rue Saint-Martin
Tel. 01 42 76 04 32
75003 Paris

Open from 9am - Midnight, closed Sunday & Monday.
Breakfast : 9am - Noon
Lunch: Noon – 3pm
Dinner: 7pm –10:30pm

Lunch at Au Passage in Paris

It was one of those weekends in Paris where the sun was hot, the mood was mellow and our son fell asleep at all the right times. In this post, I will share the outstanding lunch we had, while Anton was fast asleep, at one of our favorite restaurants in Paris, Au Passage.

Asparagus in a 'beurre rouge' sauce, a buerre blanc style sauce using red wine

Ceviche with Red Mullet

Terrine of foie gras on toast with pickled peppers

Bavette steak with sweet onions and potato purée

Veal tartare with fried black olives crumbled on top, piment d'Espelette, and all the right fixings

Strawberries with rhubarb sorbet, meringue crumbs and white chocolate mousse

Au Passage
1bis Passage Saint-Sébastien
75011 Paris, France

Lunch and dinner, Monday-Friday; dinner only Saturday; Closed Sunday

tel: +33 1 43 55 07 52

BEEF TARTARE WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE

Ingrid and I were were walking the streets of Paris one recent afternoon and quickly decided on having an evening at home with beef tartare, artisanal potato chips and champagne for dinner. Ingrid Pankonin, a private chef visiting from Berkeley, California, has been popping up in Paris over the last 5 years. We have enjoyed many beautifully crafted meals together.  From road trips to Piedmont, Italy and city escapes to the french countryside, when Ingrid is in town, so is laughter, grub and champagne.

We spent the afternoon collecting ingredients around my neighborhood, while ducking out of the rain and filling our market bags bit by bit. We hit rue de Bretagne and went to my local market to get organic veggies, Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris. Next to the market, and along the food shops of rue de Bretange, we went to Fromagerie Jouannault, one of my favorite cheese shops, and lastly stopped at the Boucherie du Marais to pick up our beef to hand cut at home for the tartare.

This type of apron on a butcher my quality default check for Parisian butchers, it is the old Les Halles style of wrapping 2 waist aprons with a specific knot used to tie the shoulder stap. This style of apron shows a prideful butcher.

GARLIC MAYONNAISE RECIPE

by Ingrid Pankonin

Equipment you will need:

2-quartish bowl

Whisk 

Optional: A saucepan that will cradle the bowl, plus a towel - line the saucepan with the towel, then cradle the bowl in it for a non-slipping bowl. Also optional: a microplane, or mortar and pestle

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk + 1 extra egg in case the mayo breaks (curdles)
2/3 - 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - this is not the time for a super-green, spicy olive oil. Use a mild extra virgin or even start with 1/4 cup of neutral vegetable oil and finish with EVO.
1 plump clove of garlic - minced, pounded in a mortar and pestle, or *shortcut* microplaned
salt to taste - 1/2 - 1 tsp
lemon juice to taste

First, make sure the egg is at room temperature!  This is my number one mayo breaker.  If you need to make mayo straight from a cold egg, fear not!  Warm the egg up in a bowl of hot tap water for a few minutes, keeping in mind that the warmth needs to make it all the way into the yolk, so it may take a couple of water changes.  I think the egg should feel ever so slightly warm to the touch on the outside.

Now, let's make the mayo!  I'm calling it mayonnaise because some people would argue that aïoli has no acid (and has a TON of garlic!), but I like garlicky mayo to have some lemon in it, and it goes well with the tartare.

Whisk the egg yolk to break it up.  Start by dribbling a few drops of oil in, whisking all the while.  Add a few more drops when the first ones are fully incorporated.  How hard or fast you whisk is much less important than just making sure the olive oil is fully absorbed before adding more.  Continue drizzling and whisking… as the mayonnaise starts to grow in volume, it may become a little too thick - just add a few drops of water or lemon juice.  Now is a good time to add a first pinch of salt, too.  Also, you can start to increase the amount of oil you add each time - moving up to a teaspoon or so for a few additions, then on to a tablespoon or so for the next while.  Again - just make sure it's fully incorporated before adding more!  Taste along the way for seasoning. Keep on like this until you've added all the oil.  Add the garlic, and lemon juice and salt to taste - since the mayo is mostly oil, it'll take a few minutes for the salt to dissolve.  The garlic will also get stronger as it sits, so just taste it again and adjust if necessary.

*If at any time the mayo gets loose and looks curdled, it has "broken".  You have to just start over with a fresh, room temp egg yolk.  Then add the broken mayo in the same manner as the olive oil on the first go-around: a few drops at a time, whisking.  And so on. Store leftover mayo in the fridge for one day.  As mentioned above, cold is the enemy of a stable mayonnaise - so if you want to use it as such, let it warm up a bit.  Or, use it as a base for a little vinaigrette!  Add a little mustard, some more lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and more oil to taste, plus S+P.  Yay!

For the mayo, delicately separate the yolk from your perfect egg and begin the emulsification process.

 

For the tartare, finely chop up some cornichon pickles, shallots and capers and lay them out on each individual plate or on a platter, family style. Other things you can add to the fixins on the tartare table are things like homemade thousand island, ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.  For ours, we seasoned the beef and simply used our freshly made garlic mayo along with the pickles, shallots and capers. It was delicious. You can mix up your own personal fave combo.

L'Etivaz, a french alp cheese...and Paris' only local cheese, Brie de Meaux

Valencay, a goat's milk cheese... and Fleur de Maquis, a sheep's milk cheese from Corsica