Part 7: Chickpeas, the little black dress of the kitchen, adorned for winter

Taking a break from holiday hoopla to offer simple, sane, nourishing chickpea recipes perfect for this dark, cold time of year. Chickpeas are never not the perfect thing to serve and right now when everyone is so rushed, it's a gift to be able to open a can of chickpeas and create a meal in minutes.

Moroccan Chickpea Tagine

Serve with couscous and a green vegetable if you're vegetarian/vegan. Or use this is a very tasty side dish with roasted meats or chicken. Take this heartwarming dish to a potluck with pride.  Most of the ingredients are the tantalizing spices so it's really quite simple to prepare and colorful to serve.
serves 4-6 as a meal, 8 as a side dish

1/4 c olive oil
1 med/lg onion diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp harissa (hot sauce)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1  140z can or box chopped tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2 15 oz cans cooked chickpeas
1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

 Heat the olive oil in a medium casserole. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat 5-7 minutes until it's soft. Stir in the garlic, harissa and spices. Simmer 2 minutes, adding oil if the pot looks dry. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer 20 minutes to get a rich sauce.

While that's cooking, put the chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Lift them up handfuls at a time, shake the bowl, rub the chickpeas between your hands, do whatever to loosen their nearly invisible skins. These will float to the top. Skim them off. Not to worry if you can't do this perfectly or at all. Drain the chickpeas well and stir them into the tomato sauce. Cover the pot again and simmer for 20-25 minutes,  adding 2-3 tbsps of water if the tagine looks dry.

Remove from the stove. Stir in the parsley and cilantro. Taste and adjust the salt, cumin and/or harissa to your taste. Serve with couscous or flatbread.

Newari Kwaati, a nine bean restorative soup from Nepal
This very special, beloved soup/stew from the Kathmandu valley of Nepal is in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. The fat chickpeas stand out among the other beans and small lentils. Taken together, these nine beans are thought to restore and nourish the body after it's been through tough weather, childbirth, surgery, illness and the ravages of aging. The medicinal value is often overshadowed by the addictive taste.

Serves 8-10

¼ cup dried whole mung beans, soaked overnight

¼ cup soybeans, soaked overnight

2 tbsp mustard, corn, sunflower, safflower or olive oil

1 lg onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1” fresh ginger root, peeled and minced or grated

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

2 bay leaves

1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained

1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained

1 15 oz can cannellini or any white beans, drained

1 15 oz can black beans, drained

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp arbol chili powder (or any chili powder that’s mildly hot)

1 tsp salt

1cup water

3 cups vegetable broth (or water)

fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, chopped

1 tsp. caraway seeds, lightly fried in 1 tsp butter/ghee for optional garnish

Drain soybeans and mung beans. Put soybeans in a saucepan, cover well with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 30 minutes. Add mung beans and cook another 20 minutes or until both beans are soft but not mushy. Drain.

In a soup pot or large casserole, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté 4-5 minutes until onion is soft and golden. Stir in fenugreek and add bay leaves.  Cook 30 seconds. Add all beans, spices and salt. Carefully blend.  Add water and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. 

To serve: remove bay leaves.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and, optionally, caraway seeds.  Serve in soup bowls. Optionally, serve over aromatic rice.

Ottoman Chickpea Pilaf

Supposedly, the secret of this palace dish was solid gold balls were strewn among the chickpeas. You may not want to go that far but you could get the effect serving this in a glittery bowl or with the edible gold leaf often sold at Indian markets. 
Serves 4

1 cup drained cook chickpeas
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 med white onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika or ground Aleppo pepper
1 full cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained (Basmati works well here)
2 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Put the chickpeas in a bowl with the cumin and Aleppo pepper and roll them around to coat them.
In a heavy gauge casserole or pan with a lid, over med heat melt the butter and oil, stir in the onion and sauté  5-7 minutes until it's soft. Lower the heat if necessary so you don't burn it.  Add the rice, chickpeas and broth. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to low/simmer, partly cover the pot and simmer 10 minutes or until almost all the water has been absorbed.

Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean dry dish towel and put the lid tightly on top to seal the pan closed. Let the rice steam this way 10 minutes. Remove the lid, towel and fluff up the rice with a fork before serving. To serve you can add pieces of the edible gold leaf.

North African Couscous with Seven Vegetables (one of them is chickpeas)

This is another treasured recipe in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. If you're not vegetarian you can add stewing lamb or beef. This is a great party dish. The saffron makes it special.

Serves 8 -10

4 tbsp butter or ghee

2 onions, peeled and quartered (veg 1)

OPTIONAL: 1 1/2 lb stewing lamb or beef cut into bite sized pieces

2 cinnamon sticks

½ tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp saffron, pulverized

1/4 tsp allspice

2 tsp cracked or freshly ground black pepper

1 chili pepper, seeded and diced (veg 2)

4 tomatoes, blanched and skinned (veg 3)

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup fresh parsley and cilantro leaves mixed, not chopped

1 lb turnips, peeled and sliced into disks (veg 4)

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1½” lengths (veg 5)

1quart vegetable broth

1 lb zucchini, about 4 medium squashes (veg 6)

1 15oz can cooked chickpeas (veg 7)

¼ cup raisins, try not to use golden as they won’t show up well

4 tbsp mashed pumpkin (in case you don't want to count the chili pepper as a veg)

 1 lb couscous, packaged is fine

handful finely diced fresh cilantro leaves

In a large heavy gauge casserole or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions, optional meat, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, black pepper, allspice, chili pepper, tomatoes, salt and parsley. Sauté 10 minutes, shaking the pot a few times so the butter touches everything.  Add turnips, carrots and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer 30 minutes.  Add zucchini, chickpeas and raisins. Cover and continue to simmer another 20-25 minutes. Stir in the mashed pumpkin which will slightly thicken the broth. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes.

Prepare couscous according to package instructions.

Mound couscous on a very large serving platter. Press a well in the center and fill it with the vegetables removed from the pot with a slotted spoon to drain them. Ladle broth over the whole platter and serve.  (Note: if there is too much broth, pour some into a gravy boat to serve on the side.) Top everything with a handful of finely diced fresh cilantro leaves.

Chickpea Ragout with Cauliflower and Apricots
Another treat from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, appropriate and colorful for this time of year. Don't be turned off by the long ingredient list: most of it is spice.

Serves 8-10

3  15 oz cans chick peas, drained and rinsed

3 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth broth

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

5 cardamom pods, cracked

6 whole cloves

12-14 whole black peppercorns

4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1  3” piece ginger, peeled

5 lg garlic cloves, peeled

1 lg red onion, finely chopped

2 Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped (use 1 Habanero or scotch bonnet or tiny Thai chili, seeded and chopped if you can’t find Serranos)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped tomatoes with juice

1 lg cauliflower, cored and cut into florets

8 dried apricot halves

½ lb okra, halved lengthwise

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves or 2 tbsp dried

¼ cup chopped fresh flat or curly leaf parsley leaves

Combine the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns in a piece of cheese cloth, spice bag or perhaps a tea leaf filter bag, and tie it tightly with non plastic string. Put the spice bag in the bottom of a large casserole or medium soup pot. Add the vegetable broth. Cover and simmer on medium 10-12 minutes.

In a mini food processor, or by hand, chop and blend the garlic and ginger into an almost paste. 

 Heat a medium skillet and add the olive oil.  When it is hot, add the garlic/ginger paste, Serrano chilies and diced onion. Brown 5 minutes over medium heat. If necessary, lower heat to avoid burning. Add salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric and nutmeg. Stir fry one minute until mixture is fragrant.

Pour this onion mix into the broth and blend.  Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and apricots. Cook 5 minutes uncovered over medium heat.  Add cauliflower and continue to cook until it is almost tender, 5-8 minutes. Add okra and cook 5 more minutes. 

Discard the spice bag.  Add the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt. Garnish with mint and parsley and serve over couscous, fregola, freekah or quinoa, perhaps with a side of tsatziki or raita.  You could add a platter of roasted lamb.

This tastes even better the next day. Leave the spice bag in overnight.

 Winter Squash Tagine with Chickpea Couscous

Here's an alternative to the couscous with seven vegetables: a squash tagine on top of couscous with harissa and chickpeas in it instead of the tagine. 
Serves 4
 

¾ lb shallots

2 tbsp olive oil

2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chunked

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

2 ½ c vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

1 doz pitted prunes

2 tsp honey

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into large bite sized pieces

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

10 oz couscous

1 tbsp harissa

½ tsp salt

1 can chickpeas, drained

handful toasted blanched slivered almonds

In a large lidded casserole or pan, heat the oil and sauté the shallots 5 min. until they are soft and browning. Add the squash and spices, stirring to blend for 1 min. Pour in the broth, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the prunes and honey. Cover and simmer 8 -10 min.

Add the red peppers and continue cook 8-10 min until they are tender. Stir in the cilantro and mint.

Put the couscous in a bowl and pour ¾ c boiling water over it. Stir in the harissa and ½ tsp salt. Add the chickpeas, cover the bowl and let it sit 5 min. Fluff up with a fork and serve with the tagine, almonds and extra mint.

  

More cooking up holiday gifts

Here's the open secret of holiday eating: we use spices and sweets at this dark time of year to warm the body in the cold. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves--the traditional holiday spices--are all known to raise body temperature. And a bit of sugar heats up the metabolism--a little extra wood on the fire. That's why all the holiday cookies and cakes, spiced cider, spiced eggnog and gingerbread everything. The gift of warmth is the gift of life is the gift of love.  And making these with kids is the gift of enduringly happy memories.

In keeping with no fuss sweets, here's one of the perennial favorites from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking
Date Bars with Walnuts, Sesame and Coconut

makes about 2 doz. 

4 cups pitted dates (about 1 lb)

½ cup ghee

Optional: splash of rose water or orange flower water

1½ cup whole almonds or walnuts

pinch of ground cinnamon

2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1-2 tbsp lightly toasted shredded coconut (depending on how much you like it)

Line an 8” x 8” square pan with parchment or waxed paper, bringing it up the sides so you can grab it easily. Very lightly grease the paper with Crisco, corn oil or canola oil. If you are using coconut, sprinkle 1 tbsp around.

Toast the nuts on a baking sheet at 350º  5 minutes or until you can smell their aroma.  While warm, coarsely chop and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Coarsely chop dates (you can use the pulse button on a food processor).

 Melt ghee in a large heavy gauge pot over medium heat. Lower heat and add chopped dates and optional fragrant water, stirring to blend. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until the dates soften into a thick paste.

Put half the date mixture into the square pan. Run cold water on an icing or other spatula and use the cold, damp instrument to spread the hot dates evenly in the pan. Pour chopped nuts on top. Put the spatula under cold water again and use it to spread them evenly while pushing them down into the dates. Cover the nuts with a layer of the remaining date paste, spreading it evenly with a cold, wet spatula. Push this layer down into the nut layer. Sprinkle sesame seeds and optional remaining coconut on top and lightly press them down into the dates.

Set the pan aside to cool for at least one hour. You can speed things up by putting it in the fridge. Pull the parchment or waxed paper up so the date bars come out of the pan and put them on a flat cutting surface.  Cut into small bars or squares. Keep refrigerated until gifted.

 And here's another healthy nourishing treat from the same book:

Sesame Chews

No wonder Ali Baba said Open Sesame! The sesame seed, tiny though it be, is a huge treasure chest of protein, vitamins, oil and fiber.

 Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups sesame seeds (white or brown)

½ tsp grated lemon zest

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup best quality honey (Greek Attiki recommended)

¼ tsp combined spices: ground nutmeg, cloves and cardamom

½ tsp sesame oil

Coat the bottom and sides of a small cookie sheet, baking tray or square baking dish with the sesame oil.

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, blend well and cook over medium heat until the sesame seeds are toasted, about 15-18 minutes. Pour onto the oiled surface and spread so that the mixture is uniformly just under or about 1/2 inch thick. Smooth the top.  Let cool an hour or more. Refrigerate if you want to be sure it's hardened enough. 

Cut into bite-size squares.  Store in a tightly sealed container.

 Danish Cardamom Coffee Cake
1/2 lb unsalted butter
1 c sugar
1 c dried currants
zest of 1 lemon, grated
zest of 1 orange, grated
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
6 eggs
2 tbsp cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a loaf pan.
Cream butter and sugar. Add the grated zests, currants, cardamom and vanilla. Blend.
Beat in the eggs one by one. Mix flour and baking powder, then slowly add to the dough.
Fill the buttered pan evenly, level the top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool and remove from pan. Wrap in decorative tin foil and tie with ribbon.

Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
These tasty morsels of vital minerals and vitamins jazz up a winter salad, a cream soup, baked winter squash, and anything with avocado. They are a gift to folks pressed for cooking time and tastes as well as the gift of good health and eating habits to children. My favorite spice mix for them is Ethiopian Berbere but you can use plain chili powder or curry powder if you prefer. Just keep them savory, not sweet. I gift these in tea canisters, small pottery bowls or pretty little glass jars. I keep my own in a glass jar in the fridge and use them all winter.

1 lb raw pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp corn oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 c your chosen spice (e.g. curry powder, plain chili powder, mix of cumin/coriander/chili or berbere*)

Preheat oven to 325º. Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat to save clean up. If you don't have either, don't worry. 

Toss the pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the corn oil, sea salt and half the spice mixture. Spread them out on a baking sheet into a single layer.  Roast 20-30 minutes until they are crispy and lightly browned. Put them hot in a bowl with the remaining spice plus an extra pinch of salt if you like snacks salty and toss to coat.  Cool before packing.

*Berbere spice mix (This is a real gift in and of itself because this is the best ever taste for chicken, lentils, baked potatoes, just about everything! It is my gift to you.) You will have plenty left from the pumpkin seeds to use all winter.

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1⁄2 tsp. black peppercorns

1⁄4 tsp. whole allspice

6 white cardamom pods

4 whole cloves

1⁄2 cup dried onion flakes (optional)

5 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded,

and broken into small pieces

3 tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. kosher salt

1⁄2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger

1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a small skillet, combine coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, cardamom pods, and cloves. Toast spices over medium heat, swirling skillet constantly, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Let cool slightly; transfer to a spice grinder along with onion flakes and grind until fine. Add chilies, and grind with the other spices until fine.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in paprika, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Last post coming: cookies!

Cooking up Holiday Gifts

This is the annual DIY holiday gift post because it never gets old. People have enough stuff and sizes are impossible to gauge from afar but everybody has to eat so food always fits. It's especially welcomed if it's not sugary sweet, gluten filled and short-lived. Plus nothing says "I love you" more than hand-made home-cooked nourishment wrapped with a bow. People get it!  A friend actually bought a bread making machine so she'd have really good bread to go with all the "really good" jam I sent.

Another plus: the recipes here are so simple kids can help you do it, and there's no better bonding or teaching tool than a kitchen. That's where the happiest memories are made. What better gift?

So here are a few simple treats from Sandy Claus you can whip up, wrap up and hand out. Some are new, some repeats from posts past.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Easier than pie this ridiculously rich gluten and almost sugar free chocolate fudge cake you fill anyway you like: with dried figs, dried dates, dried cherries, roasted pecans, pistachios, toasted almonds, toasted coconut... . A tiny taste goes a long way! And this lasts a long time stored in the fridge. Wrap it in tin foil and tie it up with a bright red ribbon and bow.

1/2 lb dark chocolate (more than  70% cacao)
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 large eggs
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 c mixed dried fruits, nuts and/or coconut *
1/4 tsp orange flower or rose water (optional)
1/4 tsp spice (your choice: cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, anise--a mixture?)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
*use dried figs, dried dates, dried cherries or dried cranberries, toasted pecans or almonds, pistachios, toasted coconut, candied ginger....

Preheat the oven to 350º. Heavily butter or line with parchment a 6-7" cake or pie pan. 
In a double boiler or bain marie, over barely simmering water (in the bottom pot) on low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together.  Remove from heat. One by one whisk in the eggs. With a wooden spoon, stir in the salt and your fruit/nut combo and flavoring/spices. Blend so it's all very smooth and shiny. Pour everything into the prepared pan, level the top and smooth it. Bake 15-20 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the cake is solid. Let it cool at least 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and dust the top with the cocoa.  That's it!

Spiced Nuts: Vanilla Walnuts
These are what everybody waits for every year so I get into production mode. Happily they are ridiculously simple to make. Kids can do it.  I usually go to Chinatown to buy festive but cheap tea canisters to put them in, that pretty storage can being the lasting and infinitely useful part of the gift. Some years I've posted a cocoa pecans recipe so you can scroll back to find that if you prefer. Or curried walnuts. But these have always been the killer. Some folks are deadly allergic to walnuts so be careful who you hand them to.

This makes 4 cups, which easily fills 6 standard tea canisters
1 lb walnut halves
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 tbsp corn oil (do not try to use olive, please)
1 tbsp vanilla (be generous not skimpy, this is the key here)
1/2 tsp salt (fine works best)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
(not to worry if you don't have all these spices, just make your own flavor combo)

 Preheat oven to 325º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. (This is just to keep it clean and make it easier, so if you have neither, no worries.)
Combine the corn oil, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Blanch the walnuts in boiling water 60 seconds. Drain well. While they are still hot, blend them with the corn oil mix. Let them sit in it 10 minutes, then spread them on the baking tray (aka cookie sheet) and bake 30-35 minutes until they are brown and crisp. Try to flip them over at least once and also check that none are burning.

While they bake, clean the bowl, dry it carefully and mix the salt and spices in it. As soon as the walnuts come from the oven, stir them into the spice bowl to coat them. Let them cool either in the bowl or spread back out on the cookie sheet (baking tray). Distribute them in airtight containers like tea canisters.

Spanish Dried Fig and Almond Cake (Pan de Higos)

Large slivers of this beloved winter treat are wrapped and sold at gourmet markets for mucho dinero but you can make your own quickly and cheaply with no fuss or time. It's always welcomed, a real winner that's gluten-free, sugar-free, nourishing, tasty and perfect with a quiet cup of tea and/or a piece of cheese. Plus it lasts a long time. I usually wrap mine in the parchment paper it was formed it and tie it up with a bright ribbon and bow. You can also wrap it in shiny foil.

The long slivers you see in gourmet markets come from a very large "cake." I make individual ones to give away in a 5" baking dish. The proportions below are perfect for just that. I don't like to endorse a commercial supplier but the truth is I always use one container of Trader Joe's mission figs for each cake. It just always works out well. I line the dish with parchment paper so the finished cake comes out clean.

Another admission: my Catalan friend remembers making these with her grandmother. Back then they hand cut and flattened each fig, slipping an almond in as they went.  I just toss all the stem-free figs into a food processor and voila! in seconds fig cake! I can't taste any negative difference between these methods.

1 lb dried figs, stems removed
1 tbsp brandy
1/4 tsp anise seed
pinch of ground cloves
1 tbsp honey
10 raw almonds

Put the figs, brandy, anise, clove and honey in a food processor and whir 3-5 seconds to get the figs chopped.  Add the almonds and whir just long enough to get the chopped figs to stick together. You should be able to see the almond pieces. Don't pulverize them if you can help it.

Line a shallow, flat 5" baking dish or straight-sided bowl with enough parchment paper to eventually cover over the top completely.  Dump the contents of the food processor onto the parchment and using a spatula of some sort flatten the mixture into a "cake" that fills the dish. Level the top. Cover it over with the parchment paper. Now, put some heavy weight on top to press this down for 24 hours and set is aside on the counter til then. I use a big can of tomatoes with a smaller can on top or a heavy stone Buddha statue --anything that weighs heavily will work.  After 24 hours, remove the weight, open the parchment and stick your finger on the cake to see if it's solidly congealed. Remove the parchment with the cake in it from the dish, wrap it around the cake tightly and you're done. I store mine in the fridge until I wrap and give them away.

Dilly Beans
Because kids love 'em and everybody can use a little ferment in their lives. You can also do this with asparagus (pictured here) but that veg is very out of season and not so native right now as green beans.
To present as a gift, wrap in tissue paper: place jar in the center of two pieces and raise the sides up. Gather at the top with thin ribbon.

4 1-quart canning jars with new lids

2+ lbs. green beans

8 lg garlic cloves, halved and smashed

2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 tbsp dill seeds

2½ cups white vinegar

2½ cups water

¼ cup kosher salt (not regular salt)

Sterilize jars in boiling water.

Pull the “twiggy” ends off the beans and wash them. Dry carefully. Put one into the jar to measure how long it can be to be slightly shorter than the jar and cut it. Use this to cut all the beans into that same length. Put 4 garlic halves, 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes and 1 tbsp dill seeds in each jar. Fill each jar tightly with the green beans, trying to keep them all standing up in the same direction.

In a large saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and salt. Stir to dissolve salt and bring to a full boil. Ladle the hot liquid into jars, filling to ¼” of the top. Shake jars to remove air bubbles. Seal jars. Put back in boiling water 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Listen for the lids to “pop” so you know the jars are securely sealed

More in the next post and then back to chickpeas, the little black dress of the kitchen, part 7.

super fast easy last minute Thanksgiving gems

A friend told me my recipes as easy and fast as I think they are seem to be too complex and time consuming for her. She wants in and out of the kitchen in minutes. So here is just about the fastest easiest way I know to put an All-American dish on the Thanksgiving table:

And BTW on the corn pudding in the last post, if you don't have fresh corn, use two boxes of frozen or 3 cans. You need between 3-4 cups.

CORN AND BEANS, AKA SUCCOTASH
Serves 4-6 (double for a bigger party)

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp corn oil
2 cans of corn kernels, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 Poblano pepper
1 red pepper, bell or Fresno or similar
1 sm red onion, diced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried oregano
wedge of fresh lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

If you have time to roast the red and green pepper (12-15 min at 425º) go for it. If you can't, no worries.
Dice the raw or roasted pepper into bite-sized pieces.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter into the oil over med heat. Add the diced onion, stir to coat it and cook over med heat 3-5 minutes until it's soft. Throw in everything else, stir to blend and add 1-2 tbsp water so nothing burns. Put a lid on the pot, lower heat to simmer and cook until everything is hot--3-5 minutes. To serve, remove the lime, check for salt and adjust if necessary. You can garnish this is you want with chopped fresh cilantro leaves or sage.

This is one of the simple fancy dishes I am making, from my book Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking:
POTATO RUTABAGA GRATIN
Serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil (you can use butter if you prefer)

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 c heavy cream

½ tsp salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp dried rosemary leaves

1 star anise, crushed (if you don’t have star anise, substitute ½ tsp dried tarragon or 1/8 tsp ground cloves)

1 ¼ lb baking potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin disks

1 large rutabaga (1lb), peeled and sliced into thin disks

1 large leek, sliced into thin disks and washed

½ lb. Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375º and get out a baking dish approximately 11” x 7”. 

Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.  Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Stir in the cream.

Spread the leeks evenly around the bottom of the baking dish. Don’t worry if there are gaps, just be sure they are uniform.  Cover the leeks with a layer of potatoes (half the potatoes). Sprinkle the rosemary over the potatoes, then sprinkle ½ cup of cheese. Add a layer of rutabaga, using half of what you have. Sprinkle the crushed star anise around this layer and then ½ cup cheese too. Repeat a layer of potatoes and cheese, then a layer of rutabaga. Pour the creamy onion mixture over everything as evenly as you can and bake for 30 minutes in convection or 35 minutes in a regular oven.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and continue to bake another 12-15 minutes, or until the rutabaga is tender and the cream seems to be solid.

Remove from the oven and let it cool 5 minutes before serving.  You can sparingly add freshly chopped flat leaf parsley for color if you wish.

More Easy Glam for a Thanksgiving Harvest Celebration

Another typical way to honor corn in the early New England style: pudding! But with southwest flavors!!

Corn Pudding

Serves 8-10

½ c all purpose flour                       

10-12 ears corn, husked

1 Poblano pepper, roasted with seeds removed                

6 lg eggs at room temperature        

2 c half and half                               

1 tbsp light brown sugar                 

1-2 tsp ground chipotle chili powder, depending on how much spice you like

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp ground nutmeg

4 tbsp soft butter, cut in bits

Butter a pie or baking dish 2½” deep and 10” round. Preheat oven to 350º.

Scraping upwards with a small, sharp knife, cut the corn kernels into a bowl. Using the back of the knife scrap downward to catch remaining kernels and corn milk. Put the corn in a food processor with eggs, half and half, flour, salt, pepper, chili powder and sugar. Process 3-4 seconds to blend. Dice the roasted Poblano pepper and stir it in. Pour mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle top with nutmeg and butter bits.

   Place baking dish in a large baking pan, put into the hot oven and fill the bottom pan with water halfway up the sides of the pudding container. Bake 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Serve hot.

RUTABAGA TIMBALES

Rutabagas may not be all-American but they have become part of the Thanksgiving tradition so here's a glamorous way to serve them. This recipe is from my book How to Fix a Leek and Other Food From the Farmers' Market 

makes 6

1 lb rutabagas, peeled            

2 shallots (cloves), minced      

2 tbsp butter                             

1/8 tsp ground cloves               

¾ c light cream

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1 star anise

¼ tsp salt

4 eggs

¼ c ricotta or soft cream cheese

Dice the rutabaga and cook it with a star anise in boiling water until very tender. Drain well. Remove star anise. Preheat oven to 400º and butter 6 ramekins or Pyrex dishes, 6 oz size. Boil about 2 cups of water. In a small sauté pan, melt butter and sauté shallots 2 minutes until soft. Puree the rutabaga. Add shallots, spices, cream, cheese, salt and lastly eggs and process until smooth. Ladle or pour rutabaga mixture into the buttered dishes, put the dishes into a large baking pan and pour the boiling water into the bottom of that pan; it should come at least 1/3 up the ramekin’s sides. Bake 25 minutes, or until center is puffy and firm. (Check with a cake tester.)  Remove from pan and let cool 10 minutes. Then carefully knock the bottom and sides of each dish to loosen the timbales. Shaking each slightly, invert them onto a serving plate and lift the dish away.

Sunchoke Soufflés

 If you don't put rutabagas into ramekins, you can try these sunchokes, which ARE all-American. They are the root of the sunflower that grows in the eastern United States and were mistakenly named by the early explorers "Jerusalem artichokes."

Makes 8 medium ramekins

½ lb sunchokes, scrubbed clean, cut into a small dice
1 bay leaf (optional)
12 walnuts
1 ¾ c whole cow or goat’s milk
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 c mature cheddar, grated
5 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 tsp wholegrain mustard

In a small lidded saucepan, simmer the sunchokes, bay leaf and four walnuts in the milk and honey 15 minutes, until chokes are tender. Ladle the mixture into a blender or processor and blend into a smooth puree.

In a small saucepan melt butter over a low heat, add the flour and stir to form a paste. Cook gently 2 minutes, stirring continually. Stir in the sunchoke puree, bring back to simmer and cook gently 2 minutes. Stir in the cheddar and mustard, then remove from heat. Let this cool 2 minutes, then stir in the egg yolks one by one.

Grease 8 ramekins with butter, dust the sides and base evenly with the flour, knocking off any excess. Put the prepared ramekins in the fridge until you need them.

Preheat the oven to 400º. Whisk the egg whites in a very dry bowl to form soft peaks. Stir half of the whites into the sunchoke mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest carefully with a large metal spoon. The air you don’t lose will make the soufflé rise!

 When you are ready to eat, fill the prepared ramekins with the mixture almost, but not quite, to the top. Place a walnut on top of each. Place them on baking sheet in the hot oven for about 12 minutes. When they have risen and have a golden top they are cooked. Serve immediately.

The Gluten Free Dessert that Beats All! In other words, everybody's favorite.
MOCHA FUDGE CAKE
This may not have gluten bu

serves up to 16 (it is very rich)

1 cup strong coffee

1 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 c sugar

2 c unsalted butter

8 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 250º

Butter a round 9 x 3 cake pan with removable bottom and line the foil, pushing foil over the sides of the pan. Butter foil.

In large saucepan, combine coffee, chocolate, sugar and butter. While stirring, cook over medium heat until the chocolate is just melted and it is only warm.

Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the eggs.

Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake1 ½ hours. The center might seem uncooked but it will harden up. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

1 ½ cups heavy cream

¼ c powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Before serving, trim the edges to level the cake, and invert it onto a serving platter. Remove foil.

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until heavy peaks form and it is thick enough to spread. Ice the cake.  Garnish with shaved chocolate to serve.

The Annual All American Thanksgiving post

If you're really giving thanks next week, you might want to remember that what we have to be most thankful for are the astounding foods of the American continents that were discovered by Columbus and have ever since sustained the entire world. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to flaunt what we've got, to showcase the foods unique to North America. Just to remind and show you that's hugely impressive, here they are, in alphabetical order--North America only:
Avocados, thank Mexico
Beans: pinto and red (kidney)
Buffalo meat
Chili peppers of every kind and heat
Chocolate, a bean from Mexico
Clams, soft shells from New England
Cod fish, especially salted because that's what caused the discovery of America
Coho salmon, from the Northwest
Corn in every form and every color including popcorn and especially blue corn in the Southwest
Crabs, soft shells from the Chesapeake
Cranberries
Homarus Americanus, aka Maine lobster
Maple Syrup
Molasses, byproduct of sugar refining in the Caribbean and source of rum
Pecans
Pumpkins
Tomatilloes
Tomatoes, thank Mexico

Turkey 
Vanilla, the bean of a rare orchid that grows in southern Mexico
Wild Rice, a gluten-free grain of the Great Lakes
Winter squash, in its many forms

Try to imagine a month of meals without any of those ingredients: it will make you instantly thankful. So it isn't hard to build a celebratory meal out of genuine American food.

You can start with salt cod fritters or brandade (French salt cod with potatoes) or lobster bisque or stew or clam chowder, and/or guacamole with tortilla chips. You can continue with turkey, wild rice, cranberry, corn in any form including succotash which is corn and beans, maple syrup baked or roasted squashes
You can end with pecan pie or pralines and/or something lusciously chocolate as well as good old pumpkin pie or mousse and of course Indian pudding, which is cornmeal with molasses.

Here are a few glamorous yet easy ways to be all-American this year. Most of these recipes are reprised because they're perennial and can't be bested.

BRANDADE

This is the French version of salt cod and it's a please make it again favorite in my house.

Serves 8-10 as a first course

1 lb skinless, boneless salt cod

1c milk

1 thyme sprig or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

5-6 peppercorns

1/2 tsp ground allspice or 2 allspice berries

2 whole cloves

1 lb boiling potatoes, cut in 1” cubes

6 lg garlic cloves, peeled

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3-1/2 c olive oil

Pinch cayenne or red pepper flakes (1/4 tsp if you like this tangy)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 c crème fraiche plus another 3 tbsp

3 tbsp butter

1/2 c bread crumbs (coarse is preferred but fine works)

Rinse salt cod carefully, rubbing off any noticeable salt. Soak in a large bowl of water at least 8 hours, changing the water every four hours or leaving it overnight.  Drain and rinse again when ready to use.

In a medium/lg saucepan, heat milk with 1 c water. Add salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice and cloves. As soon as the pot wants to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the fish falls apart and flakes, about 15-20 minutes. Remove fish from the pot.

While the cod is cooking, put cut potatoes in another pot with a good pinch of salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves.  As soon as the potatoes are soft enough to mash, remove from heat and drain. Keep both the garlic and cooking liquid; you’ll need them.

Put the garlic in a small saucepan and crush or smash it lightly. Add the olive oil and over medium heat, warm the garlic. Don’t fry, just warm it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked potatoes and flaked salt cod. Use a potato masher to blend them. Drizzle in the warm garlic and oil and keep mashing toward the look of mashed potatoes. Add the cayenne, nutmeg and lemon zest, thoroughly blending. Stir in 1/2 c crème fraiche and mash to blend.

Now using an immersion blender or hand mixer or your masher, add about 1/2 cup potato cooking liquid to thin the brandade into a soft mash. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. 

Grease a shallow 1 qt baking dish or pie plate with 1 tbsp butter. Fill the dish with the brandade, leveling it with a spatula. At this point, you can refrigerate the mix overnight if you need to.

Heat oven to 400º. Bring the brandade to room temperature if you refrigerated it. Paint the top with those 3 tbsp crème fraiche and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Dot the surface with bits of the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Bake until golden on top and bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately with toast. 

Pumpkin Pancakes (also made with winter squash)

This recipe is in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, and even though it's Turkish, it showcases American pumpkin.
Serves 15 as hors d’oeuvres

4 c peeled, seeded and grated sugar pumpkin or butternut squash

1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced*

2 eggs

1 c soft Ricotta or a similar spreadable cheese

1 c chickpea flour (or regular white or fine grain whole wheat)

½ -2/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped*

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground Cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 c corn oil for frying

*You can mince these two together in a food processor bowl, no problem

Combine all ingredients but the corn oil in a large bowl-- eggs last, and blend well to incorporate. Be sure the mix is reasonably dry, and add a tsp of flour if it seems too drippy to mold into a pancake. 

Cover the bottom of a large frying pan or skillet with oil, a little more than 1/8” deep—not too skimpy and definitely not deeper than ¼”.  Heat the oil over medium high heat.

To make small bite-sized cocktail fritters, take enough mixture to make a golf ball sized ball, then flatten it with your hand into a small pancake.  To make a meal-sized fritter take twice that amount and flatten it into a pancake with a diameter of about 2 ½ inches.

Fry the fritters in the hot oil in batches so they do not touch each other in the pan and you have room to flip them over with a flat spatula. Add oil as you need it. Fry about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown with crisp crust. Fry for a shorter time if they are starting to get burned. Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.

Herbed Popcorn

serves 8

1 c popcorn kernels  or One large bag plain popped corn already popped

2 oz Parmesan, finely grated (1/2 cup)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

Melt better with olive oil in a sauté pan. Add spices and cook 1 minute until they are fragrant.

Pour over the popcorn. Add Parmesan cheese and salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

That’s it!

Tomatillo/Avocado Sauce for your turkey
This Mexican green sauce is addictive but not to worry: it goes on just about everything worth eating. It will definitely embolden turkey, especially the next day.
 serves 6

4 tomatilloes, husked and quartered
1/2 med/lg avocado, out of the skin
1 garlic clove, smashed
1-2 sm Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped, depending on how much spice you like
salt to your taste
 2 tbsp onion, diced
juice of a lg lime
1/4 c cilantro leaves (a handful)
enough olive oil to attain the consistency you want

Put everything but the olive oil in a blender, food processor or bowl you can use with an immersion blender. Combine everything into a thick puree/soft paste. With a spatula or spoon stir in a bit of olive oil and keep going until you get the thickness/thinness you want. If it isn't spicy enough, you can toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Wild Rice with Mandarins, Cranberry and Pecans

serves 6

4 cups cooked wild rice hot from the pot

1 cup toasted pecan halves (can be warm or room temperature)

2 seedless mandarins or clementines, peeled and segmented

½ cup fresh cranberries OR 2 tbsp. dried cranberries

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (about 6 sprigs)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. orange juice or 1/8 tsp. orange flower water

1 tsp. raspberry vinegar or Spanish sherry vinegar

¼ cup fruity olive oil or walnut oil

Combine the wild rice, toasted pecans, citrus segments and cranberries in a serving bowl.

 Combine in a small bowl the orange juice or flower water, vinegar, oil and salt. Whip to blend.

 Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and carefully blend.  Garnish with the chopped parsley to serve.

Cranberry Pecan Chutney

This will make enough to preserve, maybe 4 pints worth. It's one of the easiest recipes and very tasty without being cloying.

1 lb cranberries, cleaned          

1½ c granulated sugar

1 tbsp orange peel

1 c water                                   

1 c dark raisins or currants

1/3 c orange juice

1 c toasted pecan pieces         

¼ tsp ground cloves

 ¼ tsp ground allspice

Combine cranberries and water in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst. Add sugar, raisins, spices, orange peel and juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until mixture is as thick as jam, about 10 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Remove from heat. If serving soon, refrigerate covered in a serving bowl. If saving, ladle into hot sterilized jam jars, seal and put in a water bath for 10-15 minutes depending on size of the jar. 

Grits Souffle 
A Southern recipe I put in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. 
You can slip it into the oven just as the turkey comes out because the turkey needs to rest before it is carved.

Serves 8

1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 c grits (raw or quick cooking but not instant)

4 c milk (can be no fat)

½ tsp ground chili powder

1 c (2 oz.) grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in 6-8 pieces

4 extra large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375º. Butter a two-quart soufflé dish and sprinkle the grated Parmesan around the bottom and sides.

Put the milk in a large saucepan and over medium heat bring to a slow boil. Just as it starts to boil, stir in the grits, salt and chili powder. Continue stirring until the grits thicken into porridge. Remove from heat.

 Stir in butter, cheese and cayenne.  Carefully stir in the egg yolks, not stopping the stir until they are incorporated.  Let the mixture cool.

Beat the egg whites into very stiff peaks. When the grits are warm but not hot, carefully fold in the egg whites.

 Pour the contents of the pot into the soufflé dish, being sure the top is level.

 Bake in the center of the oven at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. This will not rise as high as other soufflés so don’t worry.

Granny Smith Indian Pudding

This is about as fancy as simple Indian Pudding can get and people just love it because it presents like a cake. You serve it iced in whipped cream or thick yogurt. The recipe is in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking.

Serves 12 (cut in half for 6) T

5 cups milk

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 extra large or jumbo eggs

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar (use ¼ if you half the recipe)

½ cup molasses

3 tbsp real maple syrup

pinch of salt

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins (dark ones show up easier)

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Optional: fresh whipped cream or thick honey yogurt

Preheat over to 325º. Butter a 3 quart soufflé dish or Charlotte mold or other deep ovenproof baking dish. (Use a 1½ quart if you half the recipe.)

In a very large saucepan or medium casserole, scald milk. (This means bring it to a boil fast over high heat so a skin forms and bubbles appear.) Whisk in cornmeal and over medium or medium high (depending on the strength of your stove) heat, continue to whisk until the mixture thickens (90 seconds-3 minutes).

Remove from heat.  Whisk in butter, then carefully eggs.  Whisk in brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. Whisk in salt and spices.  Stir in raisins and apples, distributing evenly.

Pour mixture into baking dish, shake and level.  Bake at 325º in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the center of the pudding is firm when you shake the pan.  Remove from oven and cool.

To serve: invert the pan onto a cake stand or serving platter and “ice” with whipped cream or thick yogurt. Sprinkle with cinnamon or freshly grated ginger to serve.

Other thoughts: corn pudding, maple syrup glazed baked winter squash with your favorite spice mix on it (chermoula, berbere, garam masala), clam chowder, succotash, pumpkin mousse for the gluten-free.