Friday, May 25, 2018

Some Instant Gourmet Gratification

We're in very busy times of transition every which way and the news is not good anywhere you turn, so here are a few tasty quick fixes for those of us who still have to fit some eating into the hectic pace and scary time. Or as I think of it: gourmet gratification as instant and worldly as it gets.

Chicken Choyla
This is one of my favorite Newari dishes from Kathmandu. Over there it's traditionally made with grilled lamb. In the US the Nepalis have taken to bringing pre-roasted chickens home from the market and turning them into choyla. A cold chicken dish perfect for summer.

Get a pre roasted chicken and pull it apart into shreds. Put it in a serving bowl and mix in:
2-3 minced green chilies
1 lg red onion sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced 
1" ginger, peeled, smashed and thinly sliced, 
1 tsp ground timur 
1 tbsp ground cumin  
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to your taste. 
Add 1 tbsp mustard oil (If you don't have this use good quality olive oil or walnut oil) and the juice of a large lemon. Blend everything. Adjust salt and chili to your taste.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Traditionally this  is served with puffed or beaten rice--think Rice Krispies--but you can make plain rice or use tortilla chips.

Cacio e Pepe
Comfort food doesn't get faster, simpler or tastier than this traditional Roman pasta dish you make in the time it takes the spaghetti to cook. So much flavor from hardly any ingredients: pasta, butter. fresh black pepper and cheese. In fact the name means cheese and pepper. You probably have all of the stuff all the time. Just add salad to the table and you've got a real meal deal. (Not my photo but I've been making this at least once a week of late.)

serves 4
about 1 lb bucatini or thick spaghetti or traditionally pici from Siena, a very fat short spaghetti
2/3 c unsalted good quality butter
Sea Salt
3-4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper (depending on your tolerance)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 c Parmesan or (more traditionally) pecorino cheese, very finely grated or sieved

In a large pot, bring enough water to cover the pasta to a boil. Add 2 tbsp salt and the pasta. Cook until the pasta just passes al dente (becomes tender)--10-14 minutes. Remove from the water and save 1/4 c of that water.

As the pasta is near the end of its cooking time, in a med/lg saucepan or skillet over med/low heat, melt the butter with the black pepper. Add the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the pasta water. Turn heat to low/simmer and cook whisking until the sauce emulsifies (holds together).

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Put the Parmesan on the pasta BUT do not stir. Let it sit and melt by itself from the heat below. This should take less than 3 minutes.  Once the cheese has melted, stir the pasta into the sauce below. Season with sea salt to your taste and serve immediately.

Mango Salsa
This is my favorite for fish, fried chicken, roast chicken, pulled pork and just about anything. It's so bright and light. And you can make it in an instant.
Makes about 1 cup

1 yellow mango, ripe, peeled and chopped
1/2 sm red onion, peeled and chopped
1 sm Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime, juice only
pinch of sea salt

Put everything in a food processor and whiz to a chunky salsa.

 Chilled Fresh Pea Soup
You can decide whether you want it to have a mint or a coriander flavor.
serves 4
2 tbsp sunflower, corn or peanut oil
8 scallions, sliced
2 sm boiling potatoes, diced
1 Serrano chili, seeded and diced
2 lg garlic cloves, crushed
1 qt veg broth
1 lb fresh peas out of the pod
1/4 c either chopped fresh cilantro or chopped fresh mint (your preference)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 c yogurt
salt to your taste

In a med/lg saucepan, heat the oil. Add the potato, 7 scallions, chili and garlic. Sauté  5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until potato is very soft, 15 minutes. Add peas and continue cooking 5 minutes only. Put the pot contents in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender. Add the herb, lime and yogurt. Blend until smooth. Season with salt to your taste.  Chill an hour. Chop the last scallion to use as garnish on top of each bowl. 

Espinacas Con Garbanzos (Spanish spinach and chickpeas)
From my chickpea collection, the dish I make every two weeks because it's so easy, tasty and healthy. No gluten, no dairy, no meat or fish, no eggs makes it an easy Yes!

1 lb spinach leaves, stems off, washed and coarsely chopped*
*I've sped the process by buying one pound containers of washed baby spinach leaves
1 can chickpeas, drained but reserve some of the liquid
1/2 c olive oil
18 raw almonds (Marconas are traditional)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 c chopped tomatoes with juice (boxed is fine)
3 tbsp sherry vinegar or 2 tbsp sherry and 1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1/2 tso chili powder
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium/large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the almonds and garlic until they are golden, 2- 3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, leaving the pot untouched but turn off the heat for the moment.  Put the almonds and garlic into a food processor, chopper or mortar. Add the smoked paprika, chili, cumin seed, black pepper and salt. Whiz into a thick paste. Add the vinegar and 1-2 tbsp of the liquid from the chickpea can and whiz to make a paste the consistency of hummus.

Put the tomatoes and chickpeas in the oiled pot, turn the heat to medium. Stir in the paste you made, adding a tbsp of chickpea liquid if you need it to smooth everything. When the pot contents are hot, pack in the spinach, pressing down. You may have to do this in 30 second apart batches. When all spinach is in press down and stir it into the chickpea mix. Cook on simmer 6-8 minutes until the spinach is very soft. Be careful nothing burns below. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve warm.

Apricot Clafouti
I'm a big fan of this easy, tasty Provencal dessert and have been posting my recipe for a blackberry version almost annually since it's in the How to Fix a Leek...book. In Provence it's typically made with fresh cherries. But here is a late spring/early summer version for apricots coming into warmer clime farmers' markets and thus supermarkets. Making this is kids' stuff!

3 extra large eggs, separated
1/3 c sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/4 c whole milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c white flour (self-rising, cake, or all purpose)--sieved or strained to remove lumps
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
6 apricots, pitted and quartered
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Butter a 9 or 10" pie plate or baking dish. Preheat oven to 350º.
Arrange the apricots around the bottom of the pie plate.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale. Whisk in the milk and extracts.
With a spatula fold in the flour, cardamom and a pinch of salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. With the spatula fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the pie plate over and around the apricots. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Bake 25-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean. It should be golden on top and slightly puffy.
Let is rest 5 minutes before serving. You should be able to cut it in wedges like a pie or cake.
It should taste like the cross between a pudding and a cake.

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