A Note on the Mortar and Pestle: Garlic Paste

I am gutted that Gourmet Magazine has closed its doors (despite a million person membership) -- for shame, Conde Nast! At least the recipes are available on its website and epicurious, but still, it was a lovely surprise in the mail once a month, and the articles were well-written and informative. (A few weeks ago I had a Gourmet Magazine tribute dinner to celebrate its years of providing us with unbelievable food).

Last night I was reading the Gourmet Today cookbook, a fantastic collection of 1000 recipes -- I think it is our consolation prize to make up for the loss of the magazine. Several times in the book, the writers recommend creating garlic paste "using side of a large heavy knife." Honestly, that is the last possible way I would consider creating a garlic paste. If you want a true garlic paste for garlic yogurt or various dressings, a mortar and pestle is the only way to proceed. Adding a bit of salt helps to create friction with the garlic and then a good 5-6 minute pounding is required to create the correct consistency. This is also an excellent way to work out your aggressions -- your cheating ex gave you the clap, childhood home burned down to the ground, best friend married your soul mate -- the mortar and pestle can take it all.

A mortar and pestle is also useful for grinding spices (although I prefer an electric coffee grinder that I have devoted to that purpose). I recommend a marble mortar and pestle, available from several on-line sources. No need to spend more than $20, and you will use it forever. I don't recommend the fancy porcelain mortar and pestle and I bought my parents from Williams-Sonoma. It makes a horrid racket and isn't worth the heavy price tag.

A Note on Aleppo Pepper and Other Peppers

I am obsessed with Aleppo pepper. I put it on everything -- yogurt, soup, pizza, pasta, almost anything that comes out of my kitchen. Its dark, earthy tones make it a fantastic addition to almost any dish -- it adds a bit of kick and complexity to Turkish cuisine.

Of course, Aleppo pepper is from Aleppo, Syria, not from Turkey. I spent a month in Syria this summer and finally made it to Aleppo -- I wandered around the various souks staring at the pepper collections. It was a historic occasion in my cooking career -- I finally got up the nerve to approach one of the vendors and asked him in my halting Arabic which one of his 17 peppers was a traditional Aleppo pepper -- the man looked at me puzzled and replied, "Aleppo pepper? This is Aleppo. It's all Aleppo pepper." Right. I bought half a kilo laughing at my inanity. If you want to use a traditional Turkish pepper instead, try Maraş Pepper. It has about the same taste and complexity. Or if you want something smokier, Urfa pepper is an excellent alternative and is a deep purple (see the photo on the right). If you can't find any of the above, you can substitute 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper for about 1 tbsp. of Aleppo pepper. It won't have the same smoky quality but will at least give you a bit of kick. One website recommends four parts paprika to one part cayenne as a good substitute. Crushed red pepper flakes are a substitute of last resort.