Drifting East

I've been in the mood for all things Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Persian, and Indian lately. Today my body decided it needed protein, so I made red lentil dal inspired by Mark Bittman, but I made changes. That's what I do.

I like my Indian food with toasty spices, even if it's not the preferred method for cooking a particular dish.

Onion and Spice Mixture

2 tsp butter

1 tbsp whole mustard seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 whole cloves

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large spring onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

8 ounces red lentils

water

fresh cilantro for garnish

chopped tomato for garnish

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in spices. Heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onions and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove half of mixture from pan and reserve.

Add lentils to the saucepan and cover with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, adding more water if dal becomes too thick.

When ready to serve, stir in reserved onion and spice mixture, butter and salt to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro and chopped tomato.

Roasted New Potato Salad with Meyer Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette

So usually I come up with recipes after craving something and viewing 30 recipes online and in print before coming up with something that's a variation on a riff of a combination of elements of anything I saw that mildly interested me.

My small CSA share has included two pounds of new potatoes--red skinned and Yukon gold--every week for the past three weeks and the farmer has informed us shareholders that we should expect to see potatoes just about every week from now until the end of the share distributions in November. Except I only eat potatoes about once a month, if that. I have made a small number of dishes with them so far because I do like potatoes, I just can't eat that many. But since I can expect many, many more, I have started to panic a bit as to how to use them all. These potatoes are delicious and thin-skinned and tiny--each one is just an inch or two in diameter. They're adorable and tempting and they taste incredible. But what could I do with about four pounds of potatoes that I had left after giving some away to a friend?

Luckily this weekend some of my family is getting together at their traditional mountain escape. I feel like I should bring something savory in addition to the sweet cake I made. Hopefully something that uses 4 pounds of potatoes.

I didn't want anything too heavy or anything incorporating mayonnaise or eggs because of the several hour car ride without a cooler.

Also, I can't get enough of the Meyer lemons I bought this week. They're incredible in everything. I even ate one as if it were an orange. Actually, that's a lie: I ate the skin too.

Roasted New Potato Salad with Meyer Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette

Roasted Potatoes

4 pounds mixed new potatoes, 1"-2" diameter, washed, larger ones halved or quartered according to your liking

3 tbsp unfiltered extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 spring onion, finely chopped

3 stalks baby celery, finely diced

Toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt in a roasting pan until coated, place in a 400 degree oven, stirring every 15-20 minutes until potatoes have crispy, golden edges and are tender on the inside. Let cool to room temperature. Toss with onion and celery.

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt

zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon

juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon

(if you're using regular lemons, add about 1/2 tsp sugar)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp prepared dijon mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl.

Pour roasted potato mixture into bowl with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Let stand at least 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in your refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

You'd think this would serve about 12 people, but you'd be wrong--it's much less, because people will actually eat this potato salad and ask for seconds.

Burrito Delight

I've had a craving for burritos for a while. And by a while, I mean I haven't had a burrito since approximately January 2009.

I know that what I have been craving is an Americanized version of a burrito and may not necessarily even be good. But I'm not going to pay $12.00 for something of the same description at a buffet-line style takeout place. Given the choice between eating out and cooking, I choose cooking unless my craving is for something I am unwilling to make at home, e.g., sushi for its difficult and expensive to source graded fish. Besides, I wanted something delicious.

Today's CSA pickup included spring onions, cilantro, and summer squash, among other things.

Lazy American Veggie Burrito

Squash and Onion Saute

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large spring onion, white and green parts, separated and chopped, divided

1 medium yellow summer squash, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces

2 shakes adobo powder (I didn't claim authenticity)

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add white parts of onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and green parts. Cook, stirring infrequently until squash is cooked through and onions are golden brown. The squash and onions should be somewhat caramelized.

"Re fried" Beans

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup chopped green onion, white and green parts

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 can (I know, I know) light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup water (if necessary)

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until edges are golden brown (you want the pan to be a little too hot for this part), about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add corn. Saute for a few minutes more until onions become translucent. Add beans, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and coriander and stir to combine. Heat, stirring occasionally and mashing the beans somewhat with the back of your cooking utensil. The beans will stick to the bottom of the pot, let this happen for a few minutes before stirring and letting it happen again. Continue this way for about 15 minutes, adding water if bean mixture on bottom of pot does not release by stirring contents.

Gringo Salsa

1/4 cup chopped spring onion

1 serrano pepper, stemmed

2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lime

salt to taste

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until desired consistenct is reached.

Optional Garnishes

sour cream (full fat: don't ruin a perfectly delicious meal)

cilantro

green parts of spring onion, thinly sliced

lime juice

Spread sour cream and salsa on a whole wheat 8" flour tortilla that's been heated over a gas flame for about 15 seconds per side. Add sauteed squash and onions and beans. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and lime juice, wrap, and enjoy.

Serves 4.

This recipe is vegetarian if your tortillas are made without lard and vegan if you omit the sour cream.

Summer Slaw with Peanut Dressing

A food processor is worth its weight in dirty dishes for chopping great numbers of things up. Last week it was too hot to cook, and consuming anything warmer than room temperature seemed wholly unappetizing.

I've been feeling too delicate to go to the grocery store; I can't lift the weight of a basket with food in it and I am finding it difficult and painful to maneuver the cart with one hand. Whatever, I don't mind trying. The problem is other people in the grocery store. They bump into me and my shoulder and I black out from pain. I still stand after these encounters, but I'd rather avoid them. I've tried going to the store at "off" times of day, but there isn't really an "off" time at my nearest store. (Well located, developers, well located.) Sadly, whatever psychologist the architect and client consulted to maximize customer spending influenced them to choose a very, very awkward layout. So I consulted my refrigerator/pantry for dinner.

Summer Slaw

Slaw

1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded

2 medium carrots, shredded

3 radishes, shredded

1/4 large red onion, shredded

1 atauflo mango, shredded

1/2 serrano pepper, shredded (why not?)

1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Peanut Dressing

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3 drops toasted sesame oil

Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over the shredded mango and vegetables. Toss to distribute and let stand in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Top with chopped peanuts just before serving.

This would probably be even more delicious garnished with cilantro or Thai basil or toasted sesame seeds (or all three).

Those with peanut allergies can substitute cashew butter and cashews.

Serves 2 as an entree, 4 as a side

Cousa Squash and Spring Onion Couscous

1 cup chickpeas, cooked

4 baby carrots, chopped

1 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup couscous

2 tbsp olive oil

1 spring onion, white and green parts, chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

1 medium cousa squash, cubed

1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

charmoula and feta cheese, optional to taste

Place chickpeas, carrots, and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and boil, covered for 15-20 minutes or until carrots are soft. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add spring onion and garlic and cook over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add squash and saute until onions and squash are carmelized and not watery, 15 minutes. Add almonds and cranberries. Remove pot with chickpeas from heat and add couscous. Some water will have evaporated, this is fine. Stir to combine. Once couscous has absorbed all water, add to pan with squash. Heat through and serve.

This was delicious as written, but I added 1 ounce of feta cheese and 1 tbsp of charmoula to my serving.

Serves 2

Cripple Cuisine Does Borscht

After another car accident, my neck is once again constrained by a collar and I only have the energy to make really easy dishes that require almost no labor. Boiling is usually good for that. This borscht requires chopping, which I did by indiscriminately hacking away at the items on the cutting board, or you can shred the stuff (except the potato) in a food processor. I didn't peel any of the vegetables (too time-consuming and vitamin-defeating).

I also didn't have my purse, as it was left in the car following the accident, so I had no money or access to it, as banks were closed for the holiday weekend. I made this entirely out of things I already had, which wasn't much since I wasn't around last week and missed my CSA pickup.

Tip: The longer you saute the onions and tomato paste together, the deeper the flavor of the soup. Thanks to the beets, this soup tastes garden fresh despite its dependence on pantry and staple items that have probably been lying around the kitchen for several weeks.

Borscht

1 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
10 baby carrots, greens removed, chopped (I had these left over from the previous week's CSA)
3 potatoes, cubed
2 medium red beets and 3 small golden beets, cubed (also CSA)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
4 cans water
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped (CSA again)
salt and pepper to taste
optional:
2 tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt per serving
fresh dill for garnish

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add tomato paste and saute about
10 minutes (chop the rest of the vegetables while this happens). Add
tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beets, and garlic and cook 5-10 minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add cabbage, salt, and
pepper. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30
minutes until vegetables are tender. To serve, ladle into bowls and top each with sour cream and dill.

This recipe makes about 8 servings, so you won't have to cook again in the near future.

Carrot Top Tabbouleh

I decapitated the adorable baby carrots from my CSA share, but the greens looked too luscious to throw away. To make up for my cold-blooded murder of their bottom parts, I decided to put them to good use. I had only a few sprigs of parsley left in a glass on my windowsill, so I decided to make some tabbouleh/tabouli/taboule with carrot greens.

1/3 cup boiling water

1/3 cup bulgur wheat

tops from 1/2 bunch of baby carrots, leaves only, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 sprigs parsley, leaves only, chopped

6 mint leaves, chopped

2 scallions, sliced thinly

1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced

1 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

10 grape tomatoes, halved

2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

In a glass bowl, add boiling water to bulgur wheat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Toss together carrot tops, parsley, mint, cucumber, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice. Add bulgur wheat and refrigerate. Just before serving, toss in tomatoes and feta cheese.

Serves 2

I found that the carrot greens weren't as flavorful as the parsley, but they were tasty all the same. I might use more next time. I didn't add salt to this recipe because of the feta cheese, but feel free to add salt to taste.

What do you do with kohlrabi, anyway?

Well, I roasted one.

Another got cut up into matchstick-sized pieces and went into this fabulous soup:

Not Exactly Asian Soup

For the broth:

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp canola oil

2 cups beef broth

1 cup water

1 tsp. tamari soy sauce

In a saucepan, heat canola oil on high heat and add ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds, then add beef broth, water, and soy sauce. Heat to a simmer.

For the contents of the soup:

1/4 bunch mizuna, cut in 2" lengths

3 stalks bok choy, sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces

1 small green onion, white and green parts separated, sliced thinly

1 shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly

1/2 small purple kohlrabi, cut into matchstick-sized pieces

1/2 small asian turnip, cut into matchstick-sized pieces (I wouldn't really call it julienned and shape is approximate since I have shaky hands)

Add mizuna, bok choy and white parts of green onion to simmering broth and heat for about 5 minutes. Divide the mushroom, kohlrabi, turnip, and green parts of the green onion between two dry soup bowls. Pour simmering broth with mizuna and onion over vegetables and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

This recipe is gluten free if your soy sauce does not have any gluten. Make sure to check the label.