Appetites: A celebration of the Mediterranean

The rich flavors and traditions of the Mediterranean are celebrated in a new cookbook by Minneapolis restaurateur Sameh Wadi, who is best known for Saffron Restaurant and World Street Kitchen.

He joined MPR News' Tom Crann to talk about his book "The New Mediterranean Table: Modern and Rustic Recipes Inspired by Traditions Spanning Three Continents." He also shares a recipe for grilled beef lettuce wraps with tabbouleh.

What do the different cuisines of the Mediterranean have in common?

The people who live around the Mediterranean were nomadic. They took their cooking techniques as they traveled and adopted new ingredients and flavor profiles. Big, bold flavors are woven together with different spices and ingredients. For example, a lamb skewer in the Middle East might be flavored with cumin and dark spices, in North Africa it would be saffron and smoked paprika, and in Greece it's fresh herbs and garlic.

Where can I find ingredients like fresh chickpeas?

One easy source is to look it up on the Internet. You'll find a lot of these ingredients in Middle Eastern grocery stores, African groceries, even Asian or Mexican specialty stores. Fresh chickpeas are worth the effort to find. They are dynamite when in season. They are less starchy than edamame — very green — and the texture is "absolutely sexy."

What are what you call "dark spices" in hummus?

We call them seven spices. They include: cloves, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and black pepper.

Recipe: Grilled beef lettuce wraps with tabbouleh

In the Middle East, everyone has strong opinions about what version of a dish is most authentic or better. I feel that tabbouleh is one of those that evokes very different ideas. The one thing that most will agree upon is that tabbouleh is a parsley salad with a little bulgur. I won't even attempt to try to talk about the recipes that include cucumbers, as I fear for my life.

4 servings as an appetizer or 2 as a light meal

For the Steak
• 2 (12 oz [340 g]) pieces of beef strip loin or rib eye
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

For the Tabbouleh
2 tbsp (19 g) fine bulgur wheat
2 cups (135 g) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup (45 g) finely chopped fresh tomato
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp (4.8 g) fresh mint, torn
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

To Serve 1 head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
3 small radishes, thinly sliced

Preheat the gas, charcoal grill or grill pan to moderate-high heat.

Bring the steaks to room temperature. Brush with canola oil and season liberally with sea salt and black pepper. Grill the steaks until firm and charred on the outside, about 2-5 minutes per side, depending on their thickness and how you like the meat done. Place the steaks on a cutting board; rest the meat for 5 minutes. Slice the steaks crosswise into half inch-thick slices.

Place the bulgur in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse under running water and rub with your fingertips until the water starts to run clear. Drain the water and place in a medium mixing bowl and let stand for 10-15 minutes. With a fork, fluff and break up the bulgur; it should have softened by this time. If it doesn't, add a few drops of water or tomato juice from cutting the tomatoes. Mix the remaining ingredients with the bulgur, then season with salt and a liberal dose of black pepper. The final product should be a little spicy from the black pepper with a balanced acidity.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or individual plates. Spoon tabbouleh in the center of the lettuce, top with the beef and sliced radishes and serve immediately.

Chef's Tip: As you will notice here, the bulgur is not cooked. In my opinion, fine bulgur doesn't need to be cooked; it absorbs enough liquid by being rinsed or soaked for a few minutes. To impart more flavor, you can soak it in lemon juice or some of the tomato juice drippings from cutting the tomatoes.

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