Agave Roasted Almonds

I’ll let these speak for themselves.

Total time: 25 minutes of active time, plus 30 minutes to cool

Ingredients:

3 cups of almonds, baked at 375 for 20 minutes

1/3 cup of agave syrup

1 tsp course sea salt

1/3 cup of course sugar (turbinado or demerera)

Parchment paper

Combine salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Heat agave syrup on medium low until hot. Add almonds and stir until coated. Toss in sweet and salty mixture until covered. Line a baking sheet with parchment and put almonds on top to cool and harden.

Falafel with Lemon Tahini

Crisp yet substantial falafel is a pleasure to make at home, so long as you do not have an aversion to deep frying/don’t mind knowing that falafel is cooked in copious amounts of oil. You can experiment with whether you prefer chickpeas, fava beans or both, more garlic or less. Like many Middle Eastern recipes you can adjust it within limits to suit your preferences. In Egypt you will find mostly fava bean falafel, while in Syria, mostly chickpea/garbanzo bean falafel, however in both of these countries and throughout the Middle East you can find combinations of the two.

Total time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

Falafel:

4 cups of garbanzo and/or fava beans reconstituted with water or canned

1 large onion cut into 4 sections or diced if not using food processor

8 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of parsley trimmed

1 1/2 tbs salt

1/2 -1 cup of flour

6 cups of canola oil (do not use olive oil, this is not healthy as it has a low smoking point)

Heat a large pot like a wok. When hot add oil. Combine onion, garlic, parsley and salt and combine in food processor. Add mixture to beans and combine with hands until smooth. Add enough flour so that firm balls can be formed, not dry so that they crack and not too wet so that they fall apart. When oil is very hot test a small amount of mixture. If oil sizzles, add four balls at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Serve with lemon tahini, fresh cucumber slices, Middle Eastern or Italian pickles and hot pita bread.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

1/4 cup tahini

4 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/2 tbs salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Chanterelle Penne

Chanterelle mushrooms are precious and should be shared with someone you love, which could be yourself, your partner, your mother, your child, a friend. Certainly an exquisite meal for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion.

These are one of the fruitier mushrooms, reminiscent of apricots in summer while retaining their earthy mushroomness.

Time from start to finish: About two hours

Ingredients:

10-20 dried Chanterelle mushrooms (1 normal size package) unless you have fresh ones (if so, proceed as usual but use water in place of soaking liquid)

2 cups of water for soaking (do not throw soaking water away!)

Enough penne for two, about 1/3 of a normal box

1 white onion diced

1 1/2  cups of water or broth (if using broth omit the salt)

3/4 tbs salt or to taste

2 tbs canola oil

1 tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper to garnish

Soak mushrooms for 30 minutes to 1 hour in enough water to cover, about 2 cups. Do not throw water away! We will use this. Drain mushrooms through a fine strainer into a large bowl to catch the precious golden brown liquid. Pat mushrooms dry, gently but thoroughly. Heat a large pot on medium heat and when hot add oil. Then add onion and sautee until soft and golden yellow. Then add mushrooms and continue to sautee for another 2 minutes. Now add the liquid from the mushroom soaking. Turn heat to just above low and simmer without lid for about 45 minutes. At some point add the extra 1 1/2 cups of water or broth, about half way through. If you are using water add the salt, if broth, omit this step. Continue the simmer. Now is a good time to start boiling the water for the penne, just cook al dente, do not overcook, drain, and add 1 tsp of olive oil and cover in pot. When 45 minutes are up, add cornstarch and water and stir until well thickened. Serve chanterelle sauce over penne and garnish with finely chopped parsley and fresh black pepper.

 

Mongolian Wild Rice

Mongolian Beef is a wonderful invention of the Chinese-American kitchen. There is nothing Mongolian about either the original or my version, but this is the moniker it goes by nonetheless. I have made it less Chinese-American by removing the beef, reducing the oil, and using wild rice. The scallion and onion liven up the earthy wild rice which in turn mellows the alliums.

Ingredients:

6 cups of cooked wild rice

1 large white onion thinly sliced

1-2 bunches of scallions chopped into two inch sections (make sure they are dry)

1 tsp canola oil

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs salt

1/2 tbs sugar

5 cloves of minced garlic

2 tbs minced ginger

Heat a wok or large pan. When hot, add oil and then onion, cooking on high for about 3 minutes. Add scallion, garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add salt, sugar and soy sauce and cook for another minute. Add rice and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

Crisp Bok Choy

Quickly cooked to impart the flavors of lightening fast caramelized garlic and ginger while retaining the innate crispness of the vegetables is the idea of this recipe. Bok Choy is winter freshness embodied in plant form.

If you are lucky, you have some bok choy growing in your garden or greenhouse. You can probably also find it at your local farmer’s market or produce store. Look for bright green tops and crisp, white stems.

Ingredients:

3 heads of bok choy washed and dried very thoroughly, chopped into 1″ x 1″ pieces

1 onion sliced very thin

1 tbs peanut oil

2 tbs fresh, minced garlic

1 tbs fresh, minced ginger

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp Mirin

1 tsp sesame oil (for after cooking)

Combine ginger, garlic, sugar, salt, soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl.Heat a wok on high heat until very hot. You can use another large pot but it will be more wet and less crisp. Then add peanut oil and then onion slices. Stir for about 1 minute. Then add bok choy and continue stirring for 1 minute. Add bowl of spices and liquids and continue stiring for 1-2 minutes or until vegetables are cooked but still slightly crisp. Turn off heat and add sesame oil, stirring. Serve over hot rice.

Hummus bil Tahina

This is a special recipe to me because it was my first. During college I would sometimes buy  hummus from the grocery store and was alway sorely disappointed. I soon began adding ingredients, more garlic and some lemon, but it never tasted quite right. Then I saw that it was made with corn oil. This was repugnant to me. Why would you use such a lousy oil in comparison with olive oil? Of course, it is cheap. I then decided to start making my own. I have been working on this for over a decade. I hope you will make this according to your tastes. You may find this much garlic too pungent, or want more or less salt. You may like it thinner or thicker. I have included instructions on how to do this.

Ingredients:

5 cups of fully soaked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 2 large cans

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/4-1/2 cup of warm water

1/4-1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/4-1/2 cup of tahini

5-10 cloves of fresh garlic

1/2-1 1/2 tbs salt

Garnish:

Sumac (a Middle Eastern spice you can find at a Middle Eastern grocery store or online). You can substitute paprika.

1 tbs olive oil

An olive

First, make sure that your chickpeas are fully plumped up after soaking. I use a slow cooker on low, covering dried beans with water and adding more if needed. It takes a few hours. I have found that soaking them overnight leaves them too brittle. If you wish to use the stove, just simmer for a few hours. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Combine all ingredients except those for garnish in a food processor. Blend until creamy and smooth. If it never gets smooth, the chickpeas were not plump with enough water. Now is the important part–use your taste buds to get the right balance of flavors (how you like it). Add more salt, tahini, lemon, water or garlic. Try adjusting proportions next time. When it tastes as you like it, pour into a bowl, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle with sumac or paprika, and top with a green olive. Serve with hot, fresh bread, or vegetable slices.

 

Spicy Leeks with Mushrooms

Finely slicing leeks on a cold winter day, knowing they will soon be tossed into an extremely hot wok shimmering with a little peanut oil is not a bad way to spend an afternoon. The leeks are joined by some baby portobella mushrooms, lemon grass and some red chili flakes. You will need a sharp knife and a little patience in preparing the ingredients but the aroma of lemongrass and fresh greens in your kitchen will soothe any weariness in your hands.

             

Ingredients:

Note: use a separate bowl for leeks and mushrooms when prepping ingredients

3-4 leek stalks finely sliced (julienned if possible)

1 large or 4 small portobella or other mushroom finely sliced

2 stalks of fresh lemongrass (may be omitted or substituted for 1/2 tsp minced)

2 tbs peanut oil or other high temperature oil (not olive or sesame)

Combine in small bowl:

1 tbs garlic minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tbs rice vinegar (may substitute white vinegar)

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 1/2 tsp white sugar

1 1/2 tsp course sea salt

Remove dark green part of leeks and save for a soup or as you like. Remove stem. Cut in half lengthwise and then slice into thin shreds. Rinse and dry very thoroughly, preferably with a salad spinner first, then drying with towels. Place in a bowl that will be only for the leeks. Next, remove mushroom bottoms and slice into 6 pieces. Wash and dry mushrooms thoroughly. There should be as little additional water from rinsing as possible on your vegetables. Slice mushroom tops into round pieces and then each piece into slices. Place in their own bowl. Combine  ginger, garlic, chili flakes, sugar, salt and rice vinegar in a bowl. Heat a wok or other large pan on high heat until very hot. Add oil, then add leeks. Stir for about 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add mushrooms and bowl of other ingredients. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. Remove from heat when vegetables look cooked but still perky. Serve hot, possibly with jasmine rice.

              

Channa Gobi Masala

Indian food has a special place in my home, as in, our favorite thing to eat. My graduate studies were in Hinduism and Islam (yes, I also have a great hummus recipe), but I now primarily use what I learned as a student while in the kitchens of my international friends and their parents. I have been debating whether to post Indian and Middle Eastern recipes–couldn’t one find an Indian or Middle Eastern recipe website with better recipes? I have, however, learned from authentic sources and cooked some of these recipes for over a decade. I have also had trouble with some online recipes and have experimented quite a bit with ingredients, especially amounts. So here it goes, my rendition of Channa Masala, with Gobi which means “cauliflower.” I should add, this is me playing with ingredients, if you want a strict Channa or Channa Gobi Masala, go to an Indian cookbook, with the caveat that this one is the best I have ever had.

Ingredients:

6 cups of fully soaked chickpeas (use a slow cooker on low, drain water when plumped up completely and rinse)

6 Campari tomatoes quartered

1 head of cauliflower cut into mouth ready pieces

1 onion finely chopped

1 1/2 tbs fresh minced garlic

1 tbs fresh minced ginger (if you are really lazy/busy you can buy a garlic/ginger paste at an Indian grocery store but fresh is much better.)

1/4 cup of Canola oil

3 tsp course sea salt

2 tsp white sugar

4 tbs amchoor powder which is dried mango (easy to buy online from Amazon or elsewhere or from an Indian grocery if you are so lucky, I am already jealous).

1 tsp paprika

1 tbs Kashmiri Red Chili powder (this will make it rather hot, use less or none if you want it mild, which is how it is usually served at an Indian restaurant, you can use another red chili powder too but this one is so much fun if you like your food hot and bright)

1 tbs cumin powder

1/2 tbs coriander powder

1/4 cup of water

1 tbs garam masala

Get your ingredients ready first (spices in a bowl). Heat a large pot on medium. When hot add onion cook until golden and soft. Do not burn. Add garlic and ginger, stirring quickly for about a minute, then add spices stir for about 30 seconds, then add water, chickpeas, tomatoes, and cauliflower. Cook until cauliflower is tender but not too soft.

Peasant Food for Royalty–Oricchette with Lentils

Lentils with pasta. Sound strange? It did to me, so much so that when I was in Egypt I avoided trying koshari, which is one of their signature dishes, albeit a slightly more working class dish, yet ironically “vegan”–a developing/developed country irony. In Italy, pasta with lentils is a dish for all, but of course, especially in Tuscany. While Italians are great lovers according to an old stereotype, Tuscans are foremost known for their longtime affair with beans. In fact, it isn’t an affair but a marriage, and one that is indestructible. If the Italians can shun some of the world’s best breads, cheeses, sauces, vegetable, seafood and meat dishes for lentils, don’t you think you are missing out on something? If you’ve only had lentils in soup, like most people, it is time to eat them in their solid state where they really shine.

I am strongly partial to oricchette in this recipe because it makes little cups that hold some of the lentils. Spaghetti will not do this, a piece of penne might accidentally have a few hiding in a tunnel, but oricchette will be like tiny cups a cherub is holding for you, full of firm yet delicate little legumes.

 

Heat 2 tbs of butter in a medium pot. Add 1/2 cup of lentils, stirring, then 4 cloves of crushed garlic and then add 2 cups of chicken broth. Once simmering, cover and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile boil water for oricchette and cook according to directions. When finished, drain and toss with a little olive oil. Add lentils when finished cooking and serve with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper, or as is. This is a family and small child friendly recipe, while being satisfying for adults too.

Dandelion Greens–Unseduced

Dandelion greens are vividly colored and purportedly brimming with health. I enjoy most other greens, but the dandelion is well defended against my appetite due to an acerbic nature that makes chewing them feel slightly like penance for spending too much on groceries. Despite many attempts these have yet to seduce my palate. I am not guilty of trying to make them too “healthy.” I use butter to cook them. The recipe below includes boucheron de chèvre. My husband ate two bunches worth of these greens. I think they should be delicious to me, but alas, they are too bitter, despite being extremely interesting in flavor. They remind me of very strong, black espresso and of gin. And I don’t like either of those things–alas I prefer my espresso with steamed milk and  even the smell of gin makes my stomach turn. Yet the recipe below is very good if you like dandelion greens. If you have any suggestions on this subject, please leave a comment below.

Recipe:

Heat 2 tbs butter until brown. Wash two bunches of dandelion greens thoroughly, there will be plenty of dirt most likely. Dry green thoroughly and quickly sautee in butter. Add 1 tsp sea salt. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Add boucheron de chèvre (double cream goat cheese).