Recipes from The Insect Cookbook

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Hopper Kebabs. (Floris Scheplitz)

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Hopper Kebabs Equipment needed: 8 skewers Ma r i n a d e

1 garlic clove, crushed 1 teaspoon shrimp sambal (shrimp-chili paste) 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons stem ginger syrup 6 tablespoons soy sauce Juice of ½ lime Kebabs

24 grasshoppers, legs and wings removed 4 fresh baby corn cobs, halved ½ zucchini, seeded and cut into chunks 8 button mushrooms, halved 4 tablespoons peanut, safflower, or canola oil 8 cherry tomatoes

• Heat the marinade ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and simmer for 1 minute. Allow to cool, reserving some of the marinade for serving.

• Prepare the kebabs: In a small bowl, toss the grasshoppers with 3 tablespoons of the marinade.

• Cook the baby corn cobs in salted water for 10 minutes, until crisp-tender. Rinse them under running cold water.

• Place the zucchini, mushrooms, and corn cobs in a bowl and drizzle them with 3 tablespoons of the oil.

Heat a grill pan until very hot and grill the vegetables. Transfer them to a platter and allow to cool.

• Heat the rest of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry the insects for 2 minutes.

• Alternate the grilled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and insects as you thread them onto the skewers.

• Place the skewers on a platter and brush with some of the reserved marinade.

Y ield : S erv es 4 ( 2 kebabs per serv ing )

Tips • If using canned baby corn cobs, they do not have to be precooked before grilling.

• If serving the kebabs later, reheat them in a preheated 250°F (120°C) oven or serve them cold.

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Buglava. (Floris Scheplitz)

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Buglava Equipment needed: 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish and pastry brush 8 ounces (250 g) frozen phyllo dough Scant ½ cup (60 g) pecans Scant ½ cup (60 g) blanched almonds 2/ cup (25 g) mealworms 3 2½ ounces (75 g) almond paste 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter S yr up

6 tablespoons honey Juice of ½ lime or lemon ¼ cup (50 ml) orange juice (bottled or fresh-squeezed)

Allow the phyllo dough to defrost in its package in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

• Roast the pecans, almonds, and mealworms in a baking dish in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

• Chop the nuts and mealworms coarsely on a cutting board or in a food processor.

• In a medium bowl, gradually incorporate the egg into the almond paste, then mix in the cinnamon, chopped nuts, and mealworms.

• Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and use a little bit to grease the baking dish.

• Cut the stack of phyllo leaves in half, keeping the dough slightly damp according to the package directions. Leaf by leaf, place one-third of the phyllo in the prepared baking dish and brush every leaf with melted butter.

Distribute half of the mealworm mixture over the first layer of phyllo dough. Repeat this process, placing another third of the phyllo leaves on top, again brushing each leaf with butter, then distributing the rest of the mealworm mixture over it. Cover with the last third of the phyllo leaves, again brushing with butter.

• Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of water over the pastry and, while still in the dish, cut it into squares of equal size.

Bake the buglava in the middle of the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until nice and brown.

• In the meantime, in a small saucepan over low heat, heat the honey with the lime juice, orange juice, and ¼ cup (50 ml) of water to make a syrup. When the buglava comes out of the oven, pour half of this syrup over it and allow it to soak in. After 30 minutes, pour the rest of the syrup over the buglava, then let it sit for 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Y ield : S erv es 8

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