Greening up

Time again for a few words on the feng shui of food, the common sense science of eating what Mother Nature provides exactly when she provides it in your terrain. In other words Her hint hint for seasonal, local eating. Perhaps you've noticed how abundantly she provides vitamin packed, acidic citrus during the cold germ filed months of winter when she also brings up sinus clearing bitters like arugula, broccoli rabe and bitter melon. It's for the heat of summer when our bodies sweat and need moisture that she offers us water laden foods like cucumbers, tomatoes, berries and melons so where's the imperative to buy all that imported stuff? Put it back on the supermarket shelf.

Right now we're on a cusp. We've passed lunar New Year  (Feb 16) and just tripped over meteorological spring (March 1) as we head toward Spring solstice on March 21. In other words we're moving from the cold sluggishness of winter to the bright thaw of Spring. We need tonic foods to clear that sluggishness from our bodies and fuel them with more energy.  Well, bingo! Mom Nature's ready with handouts. All of her tonics (e.g. dandelion greens, spinach, asparagus, nettles. fiddleheads) are green, the color of sunshine stored in chemicals like chlorophyll. So just in time for that Spring ritual, the wearing of the green, here's a way to ease into the eatin' o' the green--and brighten your winter table.

Andalusian spinach with chickpeas
This vegetarian delight is in my new collection of 88 traditional, beloved chickpea recipes from all over the world and one of my favorites. I'm still trying to reproduce the nonchalant, exquisite version I had in Seville's oldest tavern and will post when I nail it. Meanwhile this version which I made from two differing recipes pleased a pile of people yesterday.
Serves 6 -8

1 lb spinach leaves, stems off, washed and coarsely chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained but reserve the water

1/2 c olive oil

2 slices day old bread, crusts removed and broken into pieces (you can use two small pitas too) or if you want to be gluten free you can try using 18 raw marcona almonds

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin seed

1/3 c chopped tomatoes, juice included

3 tbsp sherry vinegar or 2 tbsp sherry and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

½ tsp chili powder (unless you are using hot Spanish paprika)

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Heat the olive oil in a med pot/saucepan and over medium heat fry the slices of garlic and bread or almonds until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the pot and oil untouched. Put the bread or almonds and garlic in a food processor, chopper or mortar. Add the smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón), the chili pepper, cumin seed, black pepper, and the coarse sea salt. Blitz or pound into paste. Add the vinegar and 2 tbsp chickpea water to thin the paste to the consistency of hummus.Add 1 tsp vinegar if necessary to thin it.

Put the tomatoes and chickpeas into the pot/saucepan with the oil. Stir in the paste, adding another tbsp. chickpea water if necessary. Warm over medium heat. Add the spinach to the pot, lightly pressing it down. Continue cooking until the spinach is totally wilted. Stir the spinach into the chickpeas and sauce and continue cooking on low heat 8-10 minutes so the spinach is very soft. Stir so nothing burns. Taste and add salt or sherry/sherry vinegar and/or Spanish paprika if necessary.  Serve warm with toasts or in bowls.

Lebanese/Syrian Chard Rolls, Mishi Waraq Sila

Also from my new chickpea recipe collection and pulled from several recipes as everyone seems to have their own version of this traditional favorite. Mine is a vegetarian version, mighty tasty! A caveat about the photo: I may have used chard leaves that were way too large because the photos I've seen of these look smaller and daintier, often like cigars. I'm going to have another go with smaller leaves and report back. Or you report to me.

Makes about 12 rolls

2 bunches fresh chard (no torn leaves)

2 c coarse bulgur

1 medium onion, chopped

½ c chopped tomatoes (not juice if you can help it)*

1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas

¼ c chopped fresh mint leaves

3 tbsp olive oil

zest of one lemon

4 cloves garlic, mashed

¼ c lemon juice

salt and black pepper to taste

1 large onion, sliced

*I don't buy tomatoes in winter so I used whole canned tomatoes, drained and chopped

To make the stuffing:

Soak the bulgur well covered in water 30 minutes. Drain carefully in a sieve to get it as dry as possible. Put in a med bowl and add the onion, tomato, chickpeas beans, half the chopped mint, lemon zest, olive oil, pepper and salt. Blend.

Prepare the chard by cutting off the stem at bottom edge of the leaf. (Save those stems.) Bring lightly salted water to a boil. Dip chard leaves for a second and remove immediately so they don’t tear. Drain and cool. Place each on a flat surface, spoon a heaping tablespoon the stuffing at the stem end, and lightly spread it a little bit up the stem. Fold in the sides of the leaves over the stuffing, then from the stem end roll the leaf like a jellyroll or cigar.  

Cover the bottom of heavy cooking pot with those chard stems and top them with slices of a large onion. Arrange the stuffed chard rolls tightly over the onion slice. Repeat if you need to make layers. Place a pot lot of flat china plate over the rolls to hold them down and put some sort of weight on top for good measure. Pour enough water into the pot to cover the top of the plate. Bring the water to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 25 minutes.

While that’s happening, in a food processor or chopper or mortar, mix the mashed garlic with lemon juice, little salt and remaining mint leaves into a sauce.

With potholders, remove the weight and the plate. Using a spatula, carefully remove the chard rolls, place on a large serving platter. Pour the garlic sauce over the cooked rolls. Cover and allow to sit 15 minutes before serving.

Lima Bean Plaki
I'm including this hot or cold vegetarian dish from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking because it has a cup of fresh parsley in it. This seemed a perfect transition for right now because I got to use up hoarded dried beans and clean out the cupboard for spring. I've also changed the recipe from the original.

Serves 6-8 

2 cups dried lima beans or 21/2 cups frozen cooked lima beans (depending on how much time you have)

½ cup olive oil

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped (the food processor can do it)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 med/lgcarrot, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 tsp dried marjoram or thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried sage

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1½ cup chopped tomatoes (from the box or a can is fine)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground or cracked black pepper

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

water

If you are using dried lima beans, put them in a medium size pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and boil three minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand one hour. Drain and rinse. Check beans for tenderness. If they are feel slightly tender, move to the next step. If they still feel hard, put them back in the pot, cover with water, and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until they feel almost tender to a fork.

In a medium large casserole or large covered pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, carrots, celery, marjoram/thyme, oregano, and sage. Sauté 5-6 minutes until vegetables are soft and golden.

 Add 1/2 c parsley, tomatoes, lima beans (either variety), salt and pepper. Add 1cup water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes until the beans are very tender and so are the carrots. Stir in lemon juice. Let sit covered for 3-5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

To serve: garnish with a splash of extra fruity olive oil and the remaining cup of chopped parsley. This can be served hot or cold the next day.  

Arugula and Fennel Salad
And finally, some crunch....This salad does not have salt in the recipe because it calls for fresh slices of parmesan cheese which if it's the real deal is salty. But feel free to add some if you prefer.
serves 6

2 fennel bulbs
2 cups arugula
1 lemon, juiced
2 oz Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Loosely arrange the arugula on the bottom of a shallow salad bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Cut stems and leafy tops off the fennel bulbs, Remove the core, Slice the remaining bulb into thin rounds/strips and spread over the arugula. 

Pour the lemon juice on the salad, then drizzle more olive oil and grind more pepper. Using a peeler, shave strips of Parmesan cheese on top of the salad. Serve