Recently, I've been trying to jazz up some old standbys. It's a lot of fun, if sometimes unsuccessful, trying to figure out how to make something already good into something great. So far I've been fairly successful and the process has created some new incarnations of classic recipes that are sure to become new standbys.
Today's menu is the perfect example of some new old dishes:
Rockin' Moroccan Meatloaf
Moroccan Carrot Cake with Lemon Labne Frosting
A few weeks ago, I was at a potluck that inspired today's dishes. You see, someone brought a carrot cake.
I love carrot cake. I love cream cheese frosting. I hate that I can't eat it all the time.
The day after the potluck, I was putzing around on the internet and found an interesting recipe for a moroccan carrot sandwich. This got me thinking...
Why not develop a savory carrot cake--not a bread--that could be used as a side dish?!? Then I could eat carrot cake all the time!
So, I started developing a recipe for a Moroccan Carrot Cake. One of the greatest challenges of the recipe actually came when I thought about the icing--how could I replace the cream cheese frosting to make a cake for dinner?
As I pondered the problem, I focused on Middle Eastern flavors and came up with the answer: a labne frosting!!
What is labne, you ask?
Labne [or labanah, labneh, lebna]: It's yogurt cheese! Also known as strained yogurt, it's similar to cream cheese but tends to be a bit tarter. It's best when the tangier Middle Eastern/Greek/Indian yogurt is used, but it's great with any plain yogurt. The flavor and consistency goes well with both sweets and savories--on a bagel, on a sandwich, with herbs mixed in and eaten with crackers, with tea and scones...the list goes on. It's an incredibly versatile food and so easy to make! Here's a quick primer on How To Make Labne:
[note: there is a lot of water in yogurt, so be sure to use at least 1.5 times as much starter yogurt than you want to have as finished labne]
step 1
place a sieve in a bowl, making sure the bottom of it doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. line with a thin towel, cheese cloth, or some paper towels. dollop in yogurt, wrap the cloth over, put a weight on top, and leave in the fridge.
step 2
let sit at least 8 hours [overnight is best]. the towel will be soaked and there may be some liquid at the bottom of the bowl, which can be tossed. transfer the residual substance to an airtight container and eat immediately or keep it in the fridge.
Unfortunately, carrot cake doesn't make a [healthy, well-rounded] meal in and of itself. So, I had to think of something to go with it...
It took awhile, but eventually I decided to create a Moroccan Meatloaf [jazzing up the classics]. Meatloaf is totally under-appreciated. People associated it with bad cafeteria food, but it can be a fantastic comfort food meal. I don't know why people think it's so gross--it's basically just a big hamburger!!
To make my rendition, I focused on spices: cumin, sweet paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, onion. I kept the egg-and-breadcrumb combination that is usually used to keep a meatloaf together. However, still following the Moroccan idea, I added some labne to give a bit of creaminess and some chopped olives for texture and salt.
I cooked both the meatloaf and the cake in mini loaf pans at the same time. The cake finished before the loaf, but the timing worked well and the mini loaf pans made the perfect sized meal for two or three people [or two and a leftover lunch].
Both experiments turned out wonderfully. I was concerned about the cake--would it be a bread? would you taste the spice? would the frosting work?
In the end, it was just what I wanted. Added bonus: it can be made into a sweet cake, too--just add more sugar!
Rockin' Moroccan Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 c green olives with pimentos, rinsed and chopped [note: any olives will work]
1/2 small-medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 c labne
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 egg
directions:
1. in a medium bowl, mix everything together.
2. put in a loaf pan or shape into a loaf in the center of a glass baking dish
3. cook at 350F approximately 1 hour
Moroccan Carrot Cake with Lemon Labne Frosting
[note: to make this a sweet cake, increase the sugar in the cake to 3/4 c and add 1/2 c powdered sugar to the frosting. this recipe was adapted from the one found in Bon Appetit, March 2001]
for the cake:
2 c marinated grated carrots [see recipe below]
1 c flour
2 eggs
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c pine nuts
1/4 c golden raisins, currants, or chopped apricots
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp baking soda
for the frosting:
1/4 c labne
juice of 1 lemon
directions:
1. make the cake
[note: you can do this with a whisk or a wooden spoon, no need to pull out the mixer]
a. in a medium bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and oil together.
b. add flour, baking soda, and spices. beat until blended.
c. fold in carrots, pine nuts, and raisins.
d. bake at 350F until a tester comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes. let cool before frosting.
2. make the frosting
a. in a small bowl, mix together the labne and lemon juice. if the labne remains too thick to spread, add more lemon juice.
Moroccan Carrots
[note: you can do this 4 hours in advance but I suggest you make these the night before to let the flavor really soak in--it makes a big difference. this recipe is adapted from the one found in Gourmet, August 2002]
2 c grated carrots
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2-1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1-1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 c + 1 tsp olive oil
directions:
1. put everything but the carrots in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. add carrots and stir to coat. cover and put in the fridge to marinate overnight
mmmoroccan loaves!
Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.
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