Palate Passport by Neha Khullar

Neha Khullar’s Palate Passport has been mentioned here a time or two since December when I first received her book.

The author states that she spent three years and a lifetime writing Palate Passport, traveling the world collecting experiences and food memories like others collect postcards. The photographs here are lovely and plentiful. The recipes each share an experience. For instance, the South Indian tomato chutney tells the tale of hotel breakfast in Mumbai and a French dinner in St. Martin inspired the Cauliflower shooters. We are lucky to experience these memories through Neha’s beautiful narrative, and we can immerse ourselves further by creating these dishes and memories for ourselves in our own kitchens.

I love this collection for its international dishes as I love to travel the globe through cooking, but also because I’ve learned a thing or two while reading it. When I reached the Singapore carrot cake, I wondered if Neha knew she made a mistake. The photo next to the recipe title was not cake or anything resembling cake and not one hint of orange, where were the carrots! This dish is a spicy, savory dish with Chinese daikon, rice flour, and absolutely no carrots or sugar. I love learning about new dishes and Neha’s book is packed with them. Genovese pesto mac and cheese, Australian meat pie rolls, Philly cheesesteak samosa, and Pretzel crusted calamari are other recipes that inspire me.

Today, I made the Soy sauce chicken which I adjusted a bit because I had a whole chicken which I split and it smells incredible. I am looking forward to dinner. Update: We all had a pre-dinner bite and it is marvelous – I can’t wait to make this with chicken thighs again. (No bell pepper we aren’t fans.)

As we are approaching Fat Tuesday, Neha thought it appropriate to share her New Orleans muffaletta recipe with our members today so that if you are so incline you can gather up the ingredients, throw on some Madri Gras beads, and celebrate like you are in NOLA.  Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Neha is offering two copies of her book to our members in the US and EYB is supplying one copy worldwide. Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter. 

 

New Orleans muffaletta
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Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup green olives – pitted and coarsely chopped
  • ⅔ cup Kalamata olives – pitted and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup pimiento peppers – chopped
  • ½ cup hot cherry peppers – coarsely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves – minced
  • 1 anchovy fillet – mashed
  • 2 tablespoons capers – drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup fresh parsley leaves – finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves – finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large round bread loaf (at least 10-12 inches in diameter)
  • ¼ pound salami – thinly sliced
  • ¼ pound capicola – thinly sliced
  • ¼ pound mortadella – thinly sliced
  • ¼ pound provolone – thinly sliced

Method:

1. Place the first 11 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Reserve this olive salad in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. To assemble the sandwich, cut the bread lengthwise and if especially thick, tear out some of the doughy inside. Lay the bread slices face-up on the cutting board.

3. Spoon the olive mixture onto both halves of the bread.

4. Layer the meat and cheese onto the bottom half, then close with the top half.

5. Cut the sandwich into quarters and serve immediately, or for better flavor, wrap in plastic and allow the bread to soak up juices for 1 hour before serving.

A traditional-style Muffaletta sandwich consists of a muffaletta-style loaf (a round loaf somewhat similar to focaccia, except lighter on the inside), mortadella, salami, mozzarella, ham, provolone, and a signature olive spread. It hails from New Orleans yet has Italian origins due to the Italian immigrants that settled in the bayou.

What makes the sandwich particularly unique from place to place is its signature olive spread, along with the quality of meats used. The signature olive spread consists of olives chopped with a slew of other pickled vegetables such as carrots and cauliflower; basically what one would find in a bottle of Italian Giardiniera, with olives added.

Unlike other sandwiches with wet ingredients that encourage you to serve the sandwich right away to avoid sogginess, this sandwich pretty much requires a little resting time for all of the flavors to truly marry.

 

The author is offering two copies of her book to EYB Members in the US and EYB is supplying one copy worldwide.  One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on March 23rd, 2018.

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97 Comments

  • lauriesk  on  February 11, 2018

    The first recipe I would make is Easy Middle Eastern shakshuka

  • heyjude  on  February 11, 2018

    Belizean Chocolate Chicken

  • lean1  on  February 11, 2018

    Briwat with feta cheese

  • laureljean  on  February 11, 2018

    Moti Mahal butter chicken

  • mpdeb98  on  February 11, 2018

    Burrah chicken

  • Kristjudy  on  February 11, 2018

    Chicken tortilla soup

  • jackier333  on  February 11, 2018

    Would love to try the briwat with feta

  • jmay42066  on  February 11, 2018

    Roasted poblano and corn soup

  • AnnaZed  on  February 11, 2018

    South Indian tomato chutney

  • EmilyR  on  February 11, 2018

    Quick Japanese tuna sashimi salad

  • mjes  on  February 12, 2018

    Cucumber pomegranate salad

  • sarahawker  on  February 12, 2018

    Banh xeo

  • abihamm  on  February 12, 2018

    Zucchini feta fritters

  • jezpurr  on  February 12, 2018

    The Thai iced coffee and Soy Chicken!!!^_^

  • janv  on  February 12, 2018

    Pastel de nata

  • Steben  on  February 12, 2018

    Detroit style pizza

  • southerncooker  on  February 12, 2018

    I'd try Cuban egg rolls. They sound delicious.

  • matag  on  February 12, 2018

    Burrah chicken

  • Siegal  on  February 13, 2018

    Fish ball soup sounds Interesting

  • ljsimmons  on  February 14, 2018

    Moti Mahal butter chicken

  • contest718  on  February 14, 2018

    Burrah chicken or Chicken farcha

  • kmn4  on  February 14, 2018

    Jamaican curry goat

  • lpatterson412  on  February 14, 2018

    Yorkshire pudding!

  • lebarron2001  on  February 14, 2018

    Real deal San Francisco crab cakes

  • lapsapchung  on  February 15, 2018

    South African beef trinchado because it's a region whose food I have hardly ever sampled

  • ravensfan  on  February 15, 2018

    Spicy feta dip

  • Scotsman61  on  February 16, 2018

    Belizean Chocolate Chicken

  • wester  on  February 17, 2018

    I want to try Chawla's cream chicken – looks like a very interesting combination of flavors.

  • JenJoLa  on  February 17, 2018

    Turkish breakfast eggs (Menemen)

  • lindaeatsherbooks  on  February 18, 2018

    I would like to try making the Provençal tuna and vegetable salad tartines.

  • Livia  on  February 18, 2018

    It has got to be the South African beef trinchado 🙂

  • FireRunner2379  on  February 18, 2018

    I'd like to try the New Orleans BBQ shrimp and Detroit Style Pizza.

  • sgump  on  February 19, 2018

    What an assortment! I'd try the Turkish pizza (lahmacun)!

  • lgroom  on  February 19, 2018

    Shakshurah.

  • Dannausc  on  February 19, 2018

    Chicken farcha

  • Joyceeong  on  February 20, 2018

    Burrah Chicken

  • hibeez  on  February 20, 2018

    Cucumber pomegranate salad

  • MaryCunningham86  on  February 21, 2018

    Thai boat noodles

  • Betterlife1  on  February 24, 2018

    Spicy feta dip

  • clairew137  on  February 25, 2018

    Spicy feta dip

  • LaurenE  on  February 25, 2018

    Roasted poblano and corn soup

  • PennyG  on  February 25, 2018

    Mmmmmm … Israeli beets with tahina!

  • HermionieG  on  February 25, 2018

    Turkish pizza, but I would probably try making it with ground turkey rather than lamb.

  • rachael_mc  on  February 25, 2018

    Chicken farcha

  • obbigttam  on  February 28, 2018

    South African peri peri sauce – let's play with chillis! 🙂

  • Arinelle  on  February 28, 2018

    The Belizean chocolate chicken is very intriguing!

  • RoseMGenuine  on  February 28, 2018

    Roasted poblano and corn soup. Sounds like something my husband would love!

  • luccio  on  February 28, 2018

    Madeira style fish with bananas

  • GregH  on  February 28, 2018

    New Orleans muffaletta

  • GregH  on  February 28, 2018

    Piccalilli sauce

  • Sfgordon  on  February 28, 2018

    Cig kofte

  • clappc  on  March 1, 2018

    Cauliflower Shooters!

  • Cryambers  on  March 1, 2018

    Turkish stuffed mussels (Midye dolmasi)

  • jd5761  on  March 1, 2018

    Burrah Chicken for me

  • madelainelc  on  March 1, 2018

    Fish ball soup sounds delicious

  • Marcia1206  on  March 1, 2018

    The chicken tortilla soup sounds and cauliflower shooters

  • kennethjohngilmour  on  March 2, 2018

    South Indian tomato chutney

  • choppergirl  on  March 2, 2018

    Tandoori chicken wings

  • ejsimpson  on  March 2, 2018

    Tian de courgettes au riz

  • BMeyer  on  March 2, 2018

    chocolate chicken

  • t.t  on  March 3, 2018

    Ajvar

  • Lem9579  on  March 3, 2018

    Goan mussels

  • RSW  on  March 4, 2018

    Cordoba salmorejo

  • Shelley.b  on  March 4, 2018

    Burrah chicken

  • antpantsii  on  March 5, 2018

    Belizean Chocolate Chiken!

  • kitchenclimbers  on  March 6, 2018

    chocolate chicken

  • cake17uk  on  March 7, 2018

    I'd try Thai boat noodles first

  • Jenamarie  on  March 8, 2018

    Thai boat noodles

  • iza27  on  March 9, 2018

    Moroccan harira soup

  • DesiKim  on  March 9, 2018

    So many exciting recipes. Perhaps I'll try the Real deal San Francisco crab cakes first

  • Coffeebean  on  March 9, 2018

    Spicy feta dip

  • Angryyew  on  March 9, 2018

    Detroit style pizza.

  • sequoia55  on  March 10, 2018

    Belizean Chocolate Chicken

  • tararr  on  March 10, 2018

    Roasted poblano and corn soup

  • camerashy131  on  March 10, 2018

    South Jersey's blueberry pie

  • Joy001  on  March 10, 2018

    Zucchini Feta Fritters sounds delicious!

  • Dmartin997  on  March 10, 2018

    Crab Rangoon dip

  • Julia  on  March 10, 2018

    Burrah chicken

  • TanyaD  on  March 10, 2018

    Piccalilli sauce

  • trudys_person  on  March 11, 2018

    Spicy Feta Dip sounds good – similar to a recipe I already make, but lighter …

  • RickPearson54  on  March 11, 2018

    Ajvar

  • hc_bailey  on  March 11, 2018

    South African peri peri sauce

  • NaomiH  on  March 12, 2018

    Roasted poblano and corn soup

  • LaraM  on  March 12, 2018

    Ajvar

  • Radley  on  March 13, 2018

    Fish Ball Soup

  • Ishtar  on  March 14, 2018

    Pastel de nata

  • TheCookbookCook  on  March 15, 2018

    Cauliflower shooters

  • HomespunHouse  on  March 16, 2018

    Fava bean dip

  • Karla123  on  March 18, 2018

    Jamaican sweet potato pudding…Yum!

  • Singleta417  on  March 18, 2018

    Spicy feta dip

  • sgrigis  on  March 19, 2018

    Sri Lankan deviled butter shrimp… along with half the things in this book!

  • shandrap  on  March 20, 2018

    Chicken tortilla soup

  • MusicCityMissy  on  March 21, 2018

    Too many to name but the BBQ bread pudding with avocado crema really sounds like an interesting twist.

  • orchidlady01  on  March 22, 2018

    Chicken tortilla soup

  • munki  on  March 22, 2018

    Burrah chicken

  • milgwimper  on  March 22, 2018

    lahmacun

  • rosalee  on  March 22, 2018

    Cauliflower shooters!

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