Tomato Egg Bake

Eggs baked in a tomato cup is an incredibly simple and delicious idea for breakfast or a light lunch, and if you've got a garden full of tomatoes ripening on the vine, it's also a great way to use some of them up. One medium to large tomato is usually a serving for most people, and it only takes about five minutes or less preparation for each tomato.

Cut off the top of each tomato, run a knife carefully down the insides and spoon out the seeds and pith. Sprinkle the insides with grated parmesan cheese (about a small teaspoon for each tomato) and some fresh ground black pepper. Toss the cheese and pepper about to coat the insides.

Crack one egg for each tomato in a bowl. Add one teaspoon of yogurt or milk for each egg, and any sort of spice and herb seasoning you like, and beat lightly.

Pour the egg mixture into each hollowed out tomato. Sprinkle on more parmesan cheese and ground pepper on the top.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the tomato, until the eggs are set and the cheese is brown.

Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Stew)

Harira is the traditional Moroccan and Algerian soup that's used to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan as well as served after special celebrations like weddings. But there's no reason to confine yourself to making harira for special occasions — it's a delicious and hearty dish at any time. Usually served with lamb, or occasionally beef or chicken, harira is considered to a be a meal all by itself, but vegetarians will find it satisfying alongside buttered rice or a few hard-boiled eggs, with some dates or figs on the side.

There are many regional variations on this dish, but I find this version to be particularly nice and spicy, especially with the addition of harissa as a condiment for the soup. For those of you not familiar with this classic and North African hot sauce made from dried hot chili peppers, garlic and roasted cumin seeds, I've given the recipe for harissa here.

Harira

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
dash celery seed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large hot peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2/3 cup green lentils, washed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper
juice from one lemon
harissa for serving

Soak the chickpeas overnight in 4 cups of water and a little bit of yogurt whey or lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover, letting cook for one hour or until the chickpeas are tender but still firm. Drain the chickpeas and reserve 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Add a dash of celery seed to the liquid and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hot peppers, garlic, ginger and spices and stir fry for 2 more minutes, coating the onions with the spices and scraping the bottom of the pan periodically to prevent sticking.

Stir in the chickpeas' cooking liquid and add the lentils, tomato and tomato paste. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover, letting simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Stir in the chickpeas and parsley and let the soup simmer for 5 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in the salt, pepper and lemon juice.

To serve, pour some olive oil into a small bowl and spoon some harissa into another. Ladle the soup into bowls and place the olive oil and harissa on the table for people to serve themselves by adding to the soup.

Serves 4.

Anooshavoor: Turkish Barley and Apricot Porridge

Although whole grain porridges are a staple breakfast food in my kitchen, I'd never considered barley a morning grain until I came across this recipe in my treasured copy of Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café for anooshoavoor, an apparently traditional Turkish barley porridge that's flavoured with apples, apricots, honey and cardamom. It's one of the most delicious and satisfying porridges I've ever had.

Cooked in a risotto style with liquid slowly added to very low heat, the result is a creamy, sweet porridge surrounding the still chewy grains of barley. But although the preparation and instructions are so extraordinarily simple, it takes about two hours to cook so it's not a breakfast for a weekday unless you make it the night before and reheat the next morning.

Mollie's recipe calls for cooking the barley in apple juice, but using apple cider instead gives the porridge an especially full, rich apple taste.

Anooshavoor

½ cup pearl barley
1 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups apple cider, room temperature
6 green cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 or more dried apricots, to taste, sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon honey

Rinse the barley and soak overnight in a small saucepan in the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover. Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 45 minutes while checking the water level (if the porridge dries, add a little more water).

Stir in ½ cup of the apple cider. Put the cardamom pods in a tea ball and add to the saucepan along with the salt. Cover, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes as before.

After 20 and 40 minutes, stir in another ½ cup portion of the apple cider, while continuing to stir every 10 minutes. When the last portion of the apple cider has cooked in the barley for 20 minutes, you should end up with a thick, but not too thick porridge. If it's too thick for your taste, thin it with a little more apple cider. Remove the tea ball and stir in the honey and apricots, letting them settle for a few minutes to that the apricots soften.

Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with milk, cream or yogurt. Serves 2 - 3.

Studio Moving Sale

Okay, so this post is totally unrelated to food, except in so far as food too can be considered an art form. In addition to cooking, I also work with internationally renowned artist Chris Wright. I'm pleased to announce a studio moving art sale. Over the next few months, we will be offering some original Chris Wright paintings on ebay at bargain prices, in addition to the wide range of limited edition prints that we continue to feature. And, for the next two weeks, we will offer you a steady collection of prints, paintings and drawings with a starting bid of only $1.00! I invite you to check out our auctions.

"End-of-Summer" Pasta Sauce

I came across Valli's Summer Spaghetti back in August when the tomatoes were just bursting off the vine and thought it would be a perfect and fresh way to enjoy them in an uncooked pasta sauce. Well, I didn't get around to making it then, but since the tomatoes are still coming up on the vine and the summer is ending in glorious, hot clear weather, it still seemed like a fresh idea… so I'm calling my version "end-of-summer" spaghetti instead.

In addition to fresh tomatoes, there's plenty of peppers ready for harvest too so I've added some hot peppers and a little cayenne too to spice my sauce up. But apart from that, and a few extra olives, the recipe below is pretty much exactly like Valli's original, which you can see here.

"End-of-summer" pasta sauce

1 lb. firm, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 banana pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seed and diced
8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup goat or feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the vegetables, herbs and spices in a medium bowl and toss well. Drizzle the vinegar over mixture and then pour over the oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate covered to marinate the vegetables for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, cook spaghetti or fettucini in a large kettle of salted water going at a roiling boil just until al dente, about 8 - 10 minutes. Drain well.

Immediately toss the hot pasta with the cold marinated tomato sauce and cheese. Serve at once.

I've submitted this recipe to Ruth, who hosts Presto Pasta Night every Friday. If you are looking for pasta recipes, be sure to check out the roundup.

Grape Tomato and Goat Cheese Clafouti

A clafouti [pronounced klah-foo-TEE] is a traditional French baked fruit dessert with a pudding-like custard topping that originated in the northwest central province of Limousin. But in this beautiful savoury version, the custard is infused with fresh basil and coats vegetables instead of fruit. It will make you dream you're sitting on the French Mediterranean coast instead of the chilly northwest, which makes it perfect for those cold autumn days when the vegetables are all still in season. The grape tomatoes burst with fresh sweetness in every bite.

A proper dessert clafouti is baked until it has a pudding-cake consistency, which means that a knife inserted in the centre should come out clean, but if you're serving it right away the basil is best favoured by letting the pudding run like a thick gravy through the vegetables.

Grape tomato and goat cheese clafouti

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 banana pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, or ¾ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 large eggs
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few seconds, then swirl around the pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onion starts to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to soften. Toss in the parsley and season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If you'd like a little added piquancy, add a dash of cayenne pepper as well or, as I did, substitute for the salt fresh ground Spicy Sea Salt from the Spice Depot. Stir in, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove to a lightly buttered casserole dish, at least 2½ quarts in capacity.

Whisk together the eggs and flour in a bowl until smooth. Pour in the milk and add the basil. Season with the rest of the salt as well as more black pepper to taste and whisk again until combined. Gently pour the mixture over the vegetables.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping turns golden and just begins to burn at the edges. If you would like a more solid cake-like clafouti, bake until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack, sprinkle with the goat cheese, and let stand for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt slightly before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Eggs Vindaloo

Just like paneer cheese, eggs are a perfect medium for Indian curry sauces like the shahi egg dish I made back in August. This time the eggs are fried in olive oil after being hard-boiled and then simmered in a fragrant and very spicy vindaloo gravy for a delicious lunch or dinner served on a bed of white basmati rice.

I always have a jar of Patak's vindaloo paste on hand, but if you don't have a vindaloo paste, you can make your own by soaking 6 dried red chillies in warm water until soft. Toast 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and black peppercorns in an unoiled frying pan until the seeds are fragrant. Drain the chillies and grind with the toasted seeds and 1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and sugar in a food processor. Stir in ¼ cup of white vinegar. This paste will keep for a week in the refrigerator, and makes for a wonderful spread on samosas by the way.

Eggs vindaloo

8 large eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½" fresh ginger, grated
handful of small green chillies to taste, minced
3 tablespoons vindaloo paste
3 tablespoons coconut cream
olive oil for shallow frying
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Boil the eggs in water with the vinegar for 8-9 minutes. Remove to a bowl of cold water and peel when the eggs are cool. Prick the eggs evenly all over with a fork and dry well.

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chili and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the vindaloo paste and cook briefly, coating the vegetables with the paste. Pour in the coconut cream and a couple of tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick. Turn down the heat to low.

Meanwhile, heat 1" of olive oil in another frying pan and shallow-fry the eggs, turning frequently, until they're golden on the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon to the vindaloo sauce. Add the mint and lemon juice and simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes.

Tomato, Olive and Avocado Rice

If you want to convince someone that rice isn't a dull food, try making this attractive and tasty dish with tomatoes, olives and avocado that you can serve with almost any kind of meal. They'll be back for seconds. And once you're done the chopping, peeling and pitting, it's easy and fast to put together.

Tomato, olive and avocado rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 1/8 cups white basmati rice
2 cups water
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped small
2 green onions, both white and green parts, finely sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup kalamata or black olives, pitted
1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir for another minute to coat each grain in the oil. Pour in the water and raise the heat to bring to a boil. As soon as the pan boils, reduce the heat to low, stir the rice once, and cover. Simmer gently for 15 minutes without lifting the lid or disturbing the rice.

While the rice is simmering, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a frying pan. When hot, add the tomato, green onions and parsley. Reduce the temperature to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, avocado and olives.

Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and carefully stir in the tomato, olive and avocado mixture. Serve hot.

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup

If you haven't visited Chef Jules' cyber kitchen before, I highly recommend that you do. Honestly, the man should write a cookbook. In the meantime, his readers are highly appreciative of the recipes he provides free of charge. The majority of his creations are vegetarian, which of course appeals to me, and he experiments with a wide variety of foods and recipes of varying complexity. For those with a sweet tooth, he also offers some truly elegant and tempting desserts. His pictures are gorgeous and even after a meal, I always feel hungry again if I visit his blog. I've been a regular reader for a few months now and my list of recipes to try is growing longer each week. Unbelievably, I've only tried his delicious Baked Blueberry French Toast, until tonight that is.

I was in the mood for a simple, but tasty soup and Chef Jules' Red Lentil and Carrot Soup turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to Grape Tomato and Goat Cheese Clafouti. As the cold weather nears, I highly recommend you keep this recipe on hand. I've made a few variations, but the essential base of the recipe remains the same.

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon of turmeric
1 heaping teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup of red lentil, rinsed well
juice from one small lemon
3 cups of water or vegetable stock
14 ounce can of coconut milk
2 - 3 hot chillies, finely chopped
a few tablespoons of finely chopped parsley for garnishing

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, and stir and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for another minute or so. Next add the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes.

Stir in the carrots, lentils, lemon juice and stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to moderately low and cover and simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and chillies and simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes. Puree about 1/3 of the soup in a blender or use a hand blender.

Yields 4 - 6 servings

Concord Grape Pie

I am guessing that not many of my readers have heard of grape pie before. Well, if you can get Concord grapes in your area, you are in for a real treat. Everyone that I know who has tasted this pie will forever remember it. For this recipe, you will need one unbaked single pie shell. I'm a firm believer in making my own crust, though you can purchase one if you don't have the time or inclination to prepare your own. I'm providing a recipe here for the crust I made, but feel free to use your own favorite pastry shell recipe. Though the pie is delicious warm out of the oven, I would suggest chilling it before serving as it holds together better if you do.

I've submitted this recipe to Real Epicurean, who will be hosting In the Bag, a food blogging event featuring seasonal summer fruit. I am also submitting this to the April 2012 bloghop hosted at Recipe Lion.

Concord Grape Pie

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on September 18, 2007 Sweet Concord grape pie filling — this is a pie you will never forget Print this recipe Filling: 4 1/2 cups Concord grapes (about 2 pounds) 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell (see below) Streusel topping: 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup unsalted butter Instructions: Squeeze the end of each grape opposite the stem to separate the skins from the pulp. Set the skins aside in a medium-sized bowl. Put the pulp in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Press the boiled pulp through a strainer to remove the seeds. Add the seedless pulp to the bowl with the grape skins, along with the sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Stir well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the pastry shell (see below). To make the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the filling. Cover the edges of the crust with foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or so, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

For the crust, I made a flaky butter pie crust. The key to a good pie crust is to ensure that all of the ingredients are cold.

Flaky Butter Pastry Shell

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on September 18, 2007 Simple but perfect buttery and flaky pie crust Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces 3 - 4 tablespoons ice water Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry cutter until the butter is reduced to very small pieces. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the dough and combine with a fork. The dough is ready for rolling once it holds together when you squeeze it. If the dough is too dry, add more of the ice water. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a flat circle shape with a floured rolling pin. Gently fold the rolled dough in half and transfer to the pie plate. Trim the dough and fold to make the crust edge. Crimp the edges.

Black Bean & Corn Bake With Cheese Topping

These Mexican-style baked black beans take very little effort and make a delicious and hearty dinner when served up with brown rice and a green salad, great for the cool weather. I found out after I made it that my neighbours could smell it baking and loved the aroma.

Any sharp, hard cheese can be used for the topping, but I happened to have on hand exactly half of cup each of old cheddar and asiago cheeses. It turned out to be a lovely combination in this recipe.

Black bean & corn bake with cheese topping

1 1/4 cups dried black beans
1/4 cup dried red kidney beans
6 sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup sharp, hard cheese like cheddar, grated

Soak the beans overnight in water with a little yoghurt whey or lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the beans are tender but firm. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, pour hot water over the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and let stand for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain and coarsely chop.

Put a frying pan on medium heat. When hot, pour in the olive oil, let it sit for a moment, then swirl around the pan. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add all ingredients except for the cheese to the beans and combine thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a large casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

Before serving, take the cover off the beans and broil on the top rack for a couple of minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Discard the bay leaf and serve hot.

Serves 6.

Mango Salad Dressing

The folks at the Spice Depot were kind enough to send me a few samples of their herb and spice blends that come sealed in jars with their own grinder caps, a wonderful idea to get the freshness of just ground spices and herbs without the trouble and mess of making your own blend. After trying out their Spicy Sea Salt in a very tasty mushroom omelette, I thought I'd give their Salad Seasoning a shake too. And a fresh ground blend of black pepper, salt, garlic, sugar, mustard seed, onion, rosemary, chive, and basil sounded pretty tasty.

Since I've found out that a few of my friends are mango fanatics, the natural thing to do was try this mango salad dressing that I amended from a recipe suggestion at the Spice Depot. Although the recipe calls for honey, good fresh mango is sweet enough on its own so I left that out. For all those mango fiends out there, this turned out to be a gorgeous, delicious and very mango-y dressing for any kind of green salad.

Mango salad dressing

1 large mango, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons white rice vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Spice Depot Salad Seasoning
1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce

Use 1 cup of the chopped mango and gobble up the rest of the pieces while there's no one else in the kitchen. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.

Serve cold or at room temperature on a green salad. Makes about 2 cups of dressing.

Danny and Maria Celebrate 25 years of Business

Danny's Wine and Beer Making Supplies, located at 127 Hamilton Road here in London, Ontario, has for many years provided me with delicious red wine. Last Saturday, Danny and Maria Cardoso celebrated 25 years of business with their family, friends and dedicated customers. I attended the celebration and wrote about it for foodtv.ca. You can read about the event, complete with a short description of the wine making process, here.

Fried Brown Rice and Vegetables

Even if you're a fan of Chinese restaurant-style fried rice, you'll find it strangely bland and unsatisfying after trying this hearty and colourful fried brown rice recipe at home. Packed with vitamins and minerals, you can add even more vegetables as desired; for example, add some sliced celery or chopped cabbage at the same time as the mushrooms go in.

If you're not using a wok, fry the egg in a small frying pan and the rest of the ingredients in a large stainless steel saucepan.

Fried brown rice and vegetables

3/4 cups brown rice
2 large egg
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 bunch green onions, sliced, both white and green parts
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
1/8 cup dry red wine
dash of dry vermouth (optional)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, defrosted

Rinse the brown rice and soak overnight in a small saucepan in 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and refrigerate for at least an hour in a covered bowl.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a large wok over medium heat. Lightly beat the egg and pour into the pan. Cook without stirring until the egg is dry. Remove to a plate and cut into small strips. Set aside.

Wipe down the wok with paper towel and return to the heat. Add the remaining sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and carrots and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, garlic and the white parts of the green onions and continue to stir for about 5 more minutes, or until the mushroom juices are flowing.

Stir in the cooked rice, tamari sauce, wine and vermouth (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 or 20 minutes or until the liquid has boiled away and the rice is sticky.

Toss in the green parts of the green onions, peas and egg and stir to mix. Remove from the heat and serve while hot, with additional tamari sauce if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup

If you are in a hurry, but don't want to sacrifice taste for speed, I highly recommend this simple and spicy mung bean soup. There is very little preparation, most of which can be done while the beans are cooking. This recipe has long been one of my favorites.

Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup

4 cups of water
1 cup of dried whole mung beans
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 cup of water
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of salt

Rinse the beans in water, and soak overnight in 4 cups of water. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

Bring the soaking liquid to a boil in a large pot. Add the mung beans, and bring to a second boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally.

While the beans are simmering, mix together the yogurt and 1 cup of water with a fork or whisk. In a small bowl, or mortar and pestle, mash together the garlic, green chillies and spices.

Once the mung beans are tender, add the yogurt water mixture and the spices, chillies and garlic and salt. Simmer for another 20 - 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens. Add the salt at the end of the cooking time. Serve over brown rice, or ladle into a soup bowl.

Serves 4 - 6 people.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a while since I've done any baking, which has as much to do with the heat wave we were engulfed in for much of the summer as it has to do with finding the time. However, the other day I came across a recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies at Deborah's Culinary Confections that I just couldn't resist trying. I've made a few minor variations, but pretty much followed Deborah's recipe. These cookies are not only easy to make, but they are gluten free too. I didn't miss the flour one bit. Very tasty and highly recommended.

Flourless Peanut Buttter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of coconut
1/4 cup of milk chocolate chips

Grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar and the egg until well combined. Stir in the vanilla, coconut and chocolate chips. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet in heaping tablespoon portions, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 - 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Culinary Disasters

Via blog quebecois, Something Awful [warning - the name is an entirely appropriate description of the site] invites their readers to write about their most disastrous culinary experiences.

I accidentally greased a glass baking dish for ham loaf with Pledge instead of Pam. We all wondered why the ham loaf tasted so odd, and it wasn't until after dinner when I was putting everything away that I realized what I did.

[another account:]

I was home from school sick one day, and was getting hungry, so I started some ramen. I had a headache at the time, and came up with the bright idea of advil ramen. I figured, "I like ramen, and I could use some advil. How can this go wrong?" Needless to say, dissolving advil tablets let off terrible fumes which are not the least bit appetizing. This wasn't one of my brighter moments.

It got me thinking about my kitchen and thankfully, apart from a few instances of dough flying across the room, my culinary failures have been few. That said, I do recall two of my worst moments in the kitchen.

The first episode occurred in my teen years, and is not exactly an example of a culinary disaster, but rather an instance of stupidity. After frying some eggs, I proceeded to place a loaf of bread, housed in a plastic bag, on the still warm element. Melted plastic and bread are not a tasty combination.

The other memory I have of failed food is alas once again a matter of stupidity and distraction. The result: a new soup pot and pizza for dinner instead of charred black beans. I don't use canned beans, and so instead opt to soak the beans the night before and boil them in preparation for the dish I plan to make. On this particular occasion, I prepared to bring the beans to a boil by setting the heat to high. Problem being, I *forgot* to adjust the heat to low before heading off to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for the recipe. On the way to the store, I suddenly instructed my driver to return home immediately. Oh no! I think I forgot to adjust the heat! Upon pulling into the driveway, a burning smell was immediately evident, and the kitchen was indeed filled with smoke. Thankfully, this blunder occurred in the last decade and has not been repeated since.

See also Lileks Gallery of Regrettable Food.

Leave your own culinary misadventures in comments. Regular programming will commence tomorrow.

Red Fruit Salad

As the heat starts to fade away, this red fruit salad is a sweet, beautiful and refreshing reminder of summer and a wonderful opportunity to use fresh local watermelon before it disappears from the market. I've submitted this recipe to Lucullian Delights, who will be hosting the next round of The Heart of the Matter, featuring fruits and berries.

Red fruit salad

1 large pink grapefruit
8 oz. seedless watermelon
6 oz. raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Grate 1 teaspoon of the grapefruit rind and set aside. Over a large bowl to catch the juice, peel the grapefruit and carefully peel off the membranes surrounding each segment. Put each peeled segment in the bowl. Gather the separated membranes and squeeze the juice out of them in your hands over the grapefruit.

Cut the watermelon into 1 inch cubes, enough to make 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Add the watermelon and raspberries to the grapefruit. Sprinkle the sugar and mint over the fruit and toss very gently. Set aside for 15 minutes to let the sugar and other flavours mingle. If you're making the salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate.

Sprinkle the grated grapefruit rind over the salad before serving and garnish with whole mint leaves. Serves 4.

Mung Beans with Cottage Cheese

I have a weakness when it comes to cookbooks. Not only do I own a bookshelf worth of cookbooks, I am continually taking note of interesting recipes I find on the internet and I often borrow cookbooks from the library. Recently, I borrowed a copy of From Bengal to Punjab, by Smita Chandra. Though the book is not restricted to vegetarian recipes, it does contain some interesting and unique vegetarian friendly recipes, such as Mung Beans with Cottage Cheese (Moong Dal Paneerwali). As usual, I've adapted the recipe somewhat to suit my tastes. In particular, I added the onions earlier, rather than browning them at the end to use as a garnish, and I included some jalapeno peppers. Feel free to use paneer cheese in place of the cottage cheese. I served this dish with Mushroom Methi Curry and Basmati Onion Rice, but it could just as easily be served with any grain dish, along with a vegetable dish of your choice. The author of the cookbook suggests mashing the beans along with some cooked potatoes and frying the mixture into croquettes, or use as a stuffing for tomatoes.

Mung Beans with Cottage Cheese

1 cup of whole mung beans
4 cups of water
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a combination of butter and oil
1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida powder
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 small piece of cinnamon
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 hot chillies or jalapenos, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 - 1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese, crumbled
3/4 cups of coconut
3/4 teaspoon of garam masala
juice from one small lemon
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Wash the beans well and soak overnight in 4 cups of water. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, and cinnamon. Stir and immediately add the ginger, onion and hot chillies. Stir and fry until the onions begin to brown. Add the cayenne, turmeric, mung beans and about 1 cup of the soaking water. Stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are soft. More soaking water can be added if necessary. No liquid should remain at the end of the cooking time. If liquid remains, uncover the pot and boil it away.

In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese and coconut. Stir in the garam masala, lemon juice and salt. Transfer this mixture to the cooked beans and gently stir to combine.

If you want to garnish with browned onions, don't add them during the beginning of the cooking time. Instead, fry the thinly sliced onion in a tablespoon or so of oil over medium heat until well browned (about 10 - 12 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Top the completed dish with the browned onions.

Orange and Beet Soup

I don't often cook with beets, which is an oversight I hope to correct, especially considering beets are packed full of nutrition. Both the leaves and root can be eaten. The roots are an excellent source of vitamin C, while the leaves are rich in vitamin A. Beets are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium and contain anti-oxidant properties. Beets are celebrated for their medicinal properties and widely believed to be an excellent choice for purifying the blood and liver. If the leaves are green and healthy, take care to save them, even if the dish you are making only calls for the root. They make an excellent salad green.

I've adapted this recipe from Small Bites, an unusual little cookbook I found at the library recently. It's not the most vegetarian friendly cookbook, but it does contain some tasty and sophisticated recipes that I plan to make in the near future as I am intrigued by the unique blend of flavours presented throughout. If this beet soup is any indication of the quality of recipes, I'm in for a treat! The book also includes some lovely photographs of each dish.

Note: if you are not using vegetable stock, increase the amount of salt and add a teaspoon or two of celery seed.

Orange and Beet Soup

1 pound of small beets, trimmed and scrubbed
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped (or a few teaspoons of dried thyme)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of grated orange zest
juice from one small orange
4 cups of vegetable stock
3 tablespoons of yogurt
small handful of beet greens, finely chopped
small bunch of chives, chopped
1 cup of yogurt

Put the washed beets in a pot of water and boil for 45 - 1 hour or until the beets are soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Cool, remove the skins and roughly chop the cooked beets. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and fry for about 10 minutes, then add the beets, vinegar, orange zest and juice and stock. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped beet greens and transfer 3/4 of the soup to a blender or food processor and process until pureed. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir.

Stir in a few tablespoons of the yogurt and half of the chives and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve in small bowls, adding a dollop of yogurt to each bowl and a sprinkle of the remaining chives. This soup yields 6 - 8 large bowls.

As an alternative to adding a dollop of yogurt at the end, the original recipe suggests combining the cup of yogurt with half of the chives and freezing the mixture in an ice-cube tray. Instead of adding a dollop of yogurt to each bowl, simply drop in a frozen iced yogurt cube.

A Visit to a Local Indian Grocery Store

Earlier in the week, I visited India Spice Centre, located at 611 Wonderland Road North here in London, Ontario. I wrote about my trip for Food For Thought, the official blog for foodtv.ca.

Spaghetti with lime and rocket (arugula). And vacation!

Yes, I’m officially on vacation, yay!

My plane leaves next Sunday, Sep 9, and you won’t be seeing me for a while. I’ll miss your wonderful visits and comments, not to mention visiting your fantastic blogs.



Before I go, I’d like to submit this pasta dish to this Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Katie, of Thyme for Cooking, the Blog.

See you guys in three weeks!

Spaghetti with

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with Goat's Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes

The jalapeno pepper plants I have growing in my backyard have been offering up an abundant harvest this summer, and though regular readers know I use a lot of peppers in my cooking, I have so many that I decided to make stuffed jalapeno peppers. On the rare occasion I dine out at a restaurant offering stuffed poppers, I virtually never fail to order them. But not until now have I attempted to make my own version with some of my favorite flavors. Expect to spend some time in the kitchen if you make these, but they are totally worth the fuss. This batch was baked in the oven, but you can also broil the stuffed peppers or deep-fry them. I served them with the Simple Salsa I made yesterday. I would suggest pureeing the salsa because it works better as a dipping sauce for the poppers.

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with Goat's Cheese

10 - 12 jalapeno peppers
150 grams of goat's cheese (roughly 1/2 cup)
4 - 5 sun-dried tomatoes
a dash of sea salt
a dash of cayenne pepper
2 - 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of paprika

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the peppers. Make a lengthwise slit in each pepper, leaving the stem on. Carefully remove the seeds with a knife or small spoon.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, squeezing out any excess moisture. Finely chop the tomatoes, and in a small bowl, combine with the goat's cheese, cayenne, salt and parsley.

Using a small spoon or a piping bag (or a homemade piping bag pictured here), fill each pepper with the filling. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Combine the cornmeal, flour and paprika in another small bowl. Roll each stuffed pepper in the egg, then roll the peppers in the cornmeal / flour mixture to coat. Again dip the pepper in the egg, and again roll in the cornmeal mixture.

Transfer the finished peppers to a greased baking dish or sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Simple Salsa

This is an especially easy no cook salsa that can be served with tortilla chips, nachos, Quesadilla, or various types of Mexican fare. Corn kernels can be added if desired. I made it to serve with the Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers I plan to make tomorrow. Served chilled or at room temperature.

Simple Salsa Sauce

1 large tomato, finely diced
2 small shallots, finely chopped
2 - 3 chillies, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

Put the chopped tomato in a small bowl along with the other ingredients. Mix well.

Makes approximately 2 cups

Cottage Cheese Blintzes and Peach-Plum Compote

Blintzes are essentially the same thing as crêpes but traditionally stuffed with a cream or cottage cheese filling, so it seems appropriate to call these thin stuffed breakfast or dessert pancakes by their old Yiddish name.

The peach-plum compote is very sweet and slightly spicy, and it's easiest to make well ahead of time and reheat gently before making the blintzes. As with crêpes, the batter should be left to sit for a while before frying, so if you're going to be serving them for breakfast it's a good idea to prepare the batter the night before.

I've submitted this tasty recipe to Sweetnicks, who will be hosting ARF (Antioxidant Rich Food) Tuesday night.

Cottage cheese blintzes and peach-plum compote

Peach-plum compote:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
juice of 1 orange
rind from 1/2 lemon
1 stick cinnamon
4 cloves
4 peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
3 large plums, pitted and chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Blintzes:

3 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons warm butter
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 6 oz. package dry-pressed whole-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Compote: Make the compote first, or the day before, by combining the sugar, water, orange juice, lemon rind, cinnamon stick and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until syrupy.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the peaches. Cover and boil slowly until the peaches are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes, and remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the plums and cook the same way as the peaches, again about 5 to 10 minutes. The skin from the plums should only be starting to peel away from the fruit. Remove the plums with a slotted spoon and set aside separately from the peaches to cool a few moments before gently pulling off the skins by hand. Add to the peaches and toss.

Meanwhile, continue to slowly boil the compote syrup, by now thinned with the peach and plum juices, until it thickens again. Remove the lemon rind, cinnamon stick and cloves. Stir in the lemon juice to the syrup. Pour in the fruit and let simmer over the lowest heat.

If you're making the compote the day, store covered in the refrigerator and reheat the fruit in the syrup gently over low heat while cooking the blintzes.

Blintzes: To make the blintzes, put all blintz ingredients except the flour into a blender and blend well. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the blended mixture into the flour and whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour. If you are going to store the batter overnight, cover tightly before putting in the refrigerator.

Butter an 8-inch frying pan and place over medium heat. When the frying pan is hot, scoop 1/3 of a cup of the blintz batter and pour it into the pan. Wait a few seconds, then swirl the batter around the pan just enough to cover the bottom and let the batter climb just a little bit up the sides.

Cook until the top surface is dry and the edges release easily from the sides, just a minute or so. Loosen the edges of the blintz with a spatula and remove from the pan onto a plate. Cover with a sheet of wax paper before adding the next blintz.

Cook the rest of the batter the same way, stirring the bowl briefly before measuring each 1/3 of a cup.

To make the filling, cream together the cottage cheese, sugar and vanilla. To serve the blintzes, spread one out on a large plate and spoon two tablespoonfuls of the filling in the center of the blintz. Roll or fold up the blintz on each side over the filling and fold in one end. Traditionally, blintzes are lightly re-fried again or baked after filling, but if you're serving them right away this isn't necessary. Transfer the filled and folded blintz carefully with a spatula to a serving plate and ladle some warm peach-plum compote with its syrup over top.

Makes about a dozen blintzes.

Melting moments (or how I can’t pipe to save my life)

Before I tell you guys about the cookies above, I’d like to answer one question made by a lovely friend of mine (too bad her blog is in Portuguese, she writes beautifully) – she asked me which are my all time favorite songs. I have been thinking of it for almost a week now and came up with the following list - which I think I’ll regret the moment I hit the “publish post” button:

- Reel around

Black Bean Mango Salad

With the southwestern Ontario summer ending in yet another heat wave, mango with lime and cilantro seemed like the perfect combination to cool and refresh in this fast and simple no-fuss black bean salad. And it's as good as it looks.

Black bean mango salad

Salad:

3/4 cups dried black beans
1 firm but ripe green mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into short narrow strips
1/2 red bell pepper, as above
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Garnish:

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
slices of lime

Soak the beans overnight covered in water and with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and cover, letting simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender but firm. Drain and set aside to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

When the beans have cooled, rinse well under cold running water and drain. Add the beans and other salad ingredients to medium salad bowl and toss gently.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the salad and toss. Garnish with fresh cilantro and slices of lime.

Serves 4.