Baharat Spiced Beef Stew (A Wacky Stew)

Baharat Spiced Beef Stew, one whacked out stew! What's so wacky about it you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's mix of Eurasian with a dash of central European, a pinch of Hungarian, and a splash of Indian mish-mash fusion throw it all in kinda stew. (That was a mouthful!) So as you can see this was one of those meals where whatever I had in the refrigerator and spice cabinet went into the pot. I have to admit that I love cooking this way, and most times I end up with great results that lead me to experiment in ways I wouldn't have if I had planned ahead. This experiment mish-mash was a hit! We both really liked the hearty, warming stew that was spiced so well with the dominant flavors coming from a delicious spice called Baharat.

*You can buy it here*

Baharat (Bahārāt) is a spice mixture commonly used in Arab, Persian and Turkish cuisine. *Bahārāt is the Arabic word for 'spices' (the plural form of bahār 'spice'). The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb, fish, chicken, beef, and soups. Additionally, it may be used as a condiment, to add more flavor after a meal has been prepared. On CHOW.com Baharat is explained as usually containing hot spices (such as paprika, chiles, and black pepper), sweet spices (such as allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom), warm spices (such as cumin and coriander), and resinous herbs (such as savory and mint). There are several varieties with different combinations of spices. In North Africa, crushed dried rose petals may appear in the mix. It flavors lamb, beef dishes, and tomato sauce.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
10.5 oz. or 300 grams lean stewing beef, cubed
3 small carrots, sliced diagonally into 4 pieces
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 small leek, thinly sliced and only bottom white section
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 small sweet red pepper, roughly chopped (can substitute with 1 red bell pepper)
8 very small potatoes, halved (I didn't peel them)

1 tbsp. Turkish Bahart spice
1/2 tbsp. sweet Paprika for mild stew and chile (Cayenne) powder for spicier stew
1 tsp. ground Turmeric powder
1 tsp. cumin seed
salt & black pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp. sunflower oil or olive oil
4 cups of beef broth or 1 low sodium (no MSG) beef bouillon cube dissolved in 4 cups water

Optional toppings:
thinly sliced green/spring onions or fresh cilantro

1. Pat dry the beef with paper towels then set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot, brown the beef then remove from pot and set aside. In the same pot fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and leeks and fry for 2 min. Then add the rest of the vegetables and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot and sprinkle all of the spices into the pot. Stir the pot to distribute spices well and throughout the ingredients.
2. Pour the broth into the pot, cover and under medium low heat simmer until the vegetables are soft and the beef is tender. If needed you can add more water depending on how watery or how much broth you prefer the stew to have.

Serve: The stew can be enjoyed on it's own as a filling lunch or a light dinner. It can also be served with crusty bread or steamed rice on the side.

As you can see the Eurasian flavor comes in from the Turkish Baharat that was the foundation of the stew flavor. The Indian comes from the cumin and the turmeric. The central European comes from the leeks and potatoes so commonly used in local cuisine. The Hungarian comes from the paprika that can be used and from the sweet Hungarian red peppers used in the stew. They are called Kapia and are also very common in other Central European countries. The photo below is an orange Kapia,I didn't have any red Kapia lefotver to shoot, but they look the same.

Have any of you ever used Baharat blend? and If so which variety,I'm curious if the Tunisian version with the rose petals taste like flowers? (By the way this was one of the recipes included in the Spicie Foodie 2011 Calendar. You can see it on the sidebar.)

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Food Photography: What Lights To Use When Sunlight Is Not Available

It is said that food is the hardest subject to photograph. Why? Because after a few minutes the food will change colors from oxidation, cool down or warm up and melt, the moisture and water droplets will begin to dry out or run down the subject, etc. Let's face it if you leave food to sit out you know how ugly it can look after a while. So when it comes to food photography it is important to plan ahead.

Before I begin with the inaugural photography tutorial I would like to take a minute. I decided to start sharing some photography tutorials (tips) because of you guys. Some of the most common questions or comments I get are regarding my photography. I am not a professional but rather someone who has a love of all things photography. I started with a basic or point and shoot type camera than gradually worked my way up to a DSLR camera. What I have learned has been by practice and picking up a few tips here and there. I want to make it clear that my tutorials and tips are just that, tips. I am not saying my way is the only or best way of doing things, it's my opinion and my choice. If along the way you guys learn or pickup somethings, than mission accomplished. Thank you and now on to the tutorial.

*Shot with indirect sunlight.*

Us food bloggers want to shot nice photos of our food and want them to represent the plate of food we are about to eat in the best light possible. I think we can all agree that it's disappointing and even frustrating after cooking and plating our food and not being able to snap a decent photo. I'll admit to those horrible shots (and have the proof on the blog archives) But, hey we only learn from our mistakes right? The cliche saying practice makes perfect, well it's said for a reason. Even the great masters Ansel Adams, Richard Avendon, Herb Ritts David LaChapelle, Dorethea Lange, Annie Leibovitz, Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson and any of your favorite photographers-they all started from the beginning and by practicing. That being said the first lesson or tutorial I am going to share with you is a bit of a strange place to start because it's jumping a step. While I had my first basic tutorial ready, I felt it would be best to address the common problem and most asked question I am seeing and getting about photography right now. Lighting. When shooting food or really any type of photographs natural/sun light is the best option. The light is nice and even, soft and makes for a prettier more natural photo. In the northern hemisphere we have just started our winter, this means shorter days and the sun has set by 4 or earlier. So obviously natural light is out of the question. A (unrealistic) way to fix this issues is if you can get all the cooking and photos shot before the sunsets.

These are the lighting options when sunlight is not available and can apply to any type of photography.

1. First before you go any further turn off or disable your camera's flash. (Now please don't be insulted if you use the on camera flash.) The on camera flash will not help in shooting appetizing photos of food. It creates harsh lighting which flattens the food and there is no dimension in the photo. Learning to use your camera without the on camera flash is a great thing that will help improve all types of photography. You can see the difference in samples below.

Artificial light options .

*Click image for more Flash Gun options*

2A- Flash Guns: Some cameras have the option of attaching a flash gun. I personally didn't like it, it turned me off and I gave up on learning to use it properly. Sorry no tips on flash guns from me. If anyone has any tips let me know and I can host your tutorial. Below is a sample of how to use a flash gun.

2B-You could use the light from the lamps or ceiling light fixtures in your kitchen or house.The bad side to those is that the light output can be low.

A way around this it to use multiple lamps to provide enough light or use fluorescent bulbs which have a higher light output. You may also need to steady the camera with a tripod or by setting it down to prevent blurry images, and/or shoot at a higher ISO - which can result in lower quality images. Another important thing is that you will need to learn about white balance, learn how to change the white balance accordingly. White balance is what helps your images have the correct tone/color when shot with different light sources. (In the future I will be doing a tutorial on white balance to further explain.By the way most cameras have the option to change the white balance.)

This photo above was shot using a regular house lamp with a 45w bulb, at ISO 1600, Aperture F3.5 at 1/125 sec. You can see that there is a decent amount of light shot as is, but still a bit too dark. The image is out of the camera without any editing.

With a small adjustment I can brighten it up a bit more. But what you won't see on a small size photo like this is the digital/image noise that appears when shooting with a small amount of light at ISO 1600, and brightening it up using photo editing software. So this is not the best choice, but if you can get enough small lamps to shoot and lower the ISO you could improve the image quality.


2C- The following option I will be taking about is the option I use when sunlight is not available. I use a fluorescent light clamped to a light stand and diffused with a white umbrella. Very similar to the image below.

* To see other light kits like this click here.*

This is an inexpensive setup that is easy to disassemble and set aside when not in use. (**UPDATE: The same kit I use like in the photo above, can be purchased at Amazon for $29.99. This price includes the stand, umbrella and lightbulb- a great price!**) Again I need to recommend that you learn how to change the white balance on your camera otherwise you will end up with images that have the wrong color cast. (You could also adjust the white balance in photo editing software but that adds another step and more work for you.) The image below is how I set up this shot, In another tutorial I will go into further details on the exact setup of how I shoot a photo for Spice Foodie.

The photo below is straight out of the camera, shot with a fluorescent clamp light diffused through a white umbrella and a small reflector to the side. At ISO 200, Aperture F5 at 1/200 sec.

This is the same photo after a slight contrast adjustment, simple and clean.

There are other types of studio lights available that are more expensive and have more controls, like flash, but I think this set up/kit is a great way to start, learn and see immediate results.

2D- There is one other option I have heard about, the Lowel EGO lights. These lights are tabletop lamps that are easy to move. I've never used them but I first heard about them on Steamy Kitchen and Jaden gives them a good review. Chef Dennis also recently spoke about them and gave a few links for more information. You can purchase them from Amazon for about $90 each. Do any of you use these and do you like them?

Now I have some questions for you. What type of light source do you use when sunlight is not available? Of the options I listed above which would you be most likely to use? And last question what tutorial do you want to see next, cameras explained, my light set up when I shot a photo for my blog or do you have something else you'd like to see?

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