coconut red lentil soup
March 28, 2010
I guess technically this is a soup but we served it last night in wide bowls over a pile of quinoa and it’s as soupy as some of our stews. Or is it as stewy as some of our soups? Whatever its label it’s really good. Complex flavours. Gorgeous colour. The raisins (I used currants) give you a hit of sweetness. This soup, while heavy and warm, gets “uplifted” by the light, refreshing addition of green onions. It’s from a blog I like, 101 cookbooks. This soup will help brighten any cold night with its colour – “the color I see when I close my eyes and turn my face toward the sun” as Heidi notes – and pungent warming taste. Yum.
1 cup / 7 oz / 200g yellow split peas
1 cup 7 oz / 200g red split lentils (masoor dal)
7 cups / 1.6 liters water
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 45g golden raisins (I used currants)
1/3 / 80 ml cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped
cooked brown rice, farro, or quinoa for serving (optional)
Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse – until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.
In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don’t want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.
Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency.
Sprinkle each bowl generously with cilantro and the remaining green onions.
butternut squash and pear puree
March 20, 2010
This recipe is from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal. The other day I posted 2 sauces from refresh that I love – Tamari and Tahini – and mentioned that I wanted to try the Butternut Squash and Pear soup. Well I tried it. Kind of. We had friends over for dinner last night and I needed a yummy side dish. So instead of making a soup, I turned the recipe into a puree. It was so good.
Not only was it totally delicious last night, but today for lunch I took the left-over puree, added a little veggie stock, turned it into a soup, and then sprinkled it with picada. Totally satisfying except now it’s gone which is sad. I wish I had made more. Try it out. And one day I will make the soup the way Ruth Tal suggests and let you know how it goes. In the meantime, this is a great improv version.
1 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1 cinnamon stick
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped (I used shallots which I adore)
1/3 cup white wine
2 pears, cored and chopped (to enhance the wonderful pear flavour in the soup, leave the pear peel on.)
sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Put the ginger, cinnamon stick , squash, and sweet potato in a large pot. Cover with the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
2. While the vegetables are simmering in the pot, heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Add white wine and chopped pear to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until wine is reduced; then add to the squash and sweet potato mixture.
4. When everything is cooked through, about 30 minutes, pour off most of the stock and reserve for another use (or for your reconstituted soup the next day!). Remove the cinnamon stick. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
photo credit: Kristina, Lovely Morning
smoky spicy split peas
February 14, 2010
This is a new recipe I discovered from Tom Philpott in Grist Magazine. It is thick, and smokey, and really good when you’ve got a chill in the bone and need something that will stick to the ribs. If you eat it with rice (or another grain) you’ve got a complete protein in combination with the split peas. I never liked split peas but with this new discovery I’m quite a fan. Buy some really good smoked Spanish paprika and the recipe will hum. The first thing you need to do is get your mise en place – a french cooking term that essentially means, “get your shit together.” My friend Emily thinks it’s a great term and I now hear her regularly say “I’ve got to go and get my mise en place!”
1 1/2 cups split peas, rinsed and picked through for rocks
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups water or homemade stock
some decent extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of Spanish smoked paprika
a wedge of lemon or some wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper
flat-leaf parsley or arugula, chopped
a little crushed red chile pepper, optional but really nice
Cover bottom of a medium heavy-bottom pot with your everyday olive oil. Turn heat to a gentle medium. After a minute, add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring often, for ten or so minutes, until veggies are soft but not browned. If they threaten to turn brown, turn heat down a little.
Add the garlic and the paprika. Cook, stirring, until garlic perfumes the air, a minute or so. Add the peas, stir to mix with the veggies. Add the water or stock; bring to boil; cover; turn heat to low; let simmer.
As the peas cook, check them every few minutes. If they seem on the verge of drying out, add some hot water or stock. While they’re cooking, chop about half a bunch of parsley or several arugula leaves for garnish. The peas should be done in about an hour, maybe a little less. They are ready when they are very soft.
When they are done, add a vigorous twist or three of black pepper, and taste. Stir in a teaspoon of salt. Now add a small amount of acid—a teaspoon or so lemon juice or vinegar. You don’t want it to taste lemony or vinegary; you just want the acid to balance the flavors. Taste again and adjust for salt, pepper, and acid. More smoked paprika could be added at this stage if you want.
To serve, ladle into warm bowls over brown rice or toasted crusty bread. Drizzle with the best olive oil you have—this dish will showcase its flavor—add a dash of crushed chile flakes, and a good sprinkle of chopped greens.
coconut curried vegetables
February 2, 2010
This is a mainstay in our family. LOVE this recipe. It’s from the amazing Vij in Vancouver and goes with almost anything. Make double or triple as it keeps well (and even freezes well).
1/2 cup olive oil
25 to 30 fresh curry leaves
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 tbsp + 1 tsp chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 12 ounce can coconut milk, stirred
1 lb zucchini, chopped into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 lb cauliflower, cut into 1-1/2 inch florets
2 red and yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Keeping your head at a distance from the pot, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds and allow them to sizzle for about one minute or until a few seeds pop.
Immediately add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes
Add tomatoes and remaining spices and sauté for 8 minutes or until oil glistens on top.
Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add zucchini. Cover and simmer to five minutes. Add cauliflower and bell peppers, cover and simmer for another five minutes. Stir in cilantro.
Serve over basmati rice.
winter portobello stew
January 31, 2010
This is incredibly delicious. It’s so hearty it’s almost like a beef stew. We love this on a cold, snowy, wintry night in January.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 pound portobella mushrooms, sliced 3/8-inch thick
1 pound large white mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsps tomato paste
1 1/2 cups quick mushroom stock or water
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or tarragon
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and remove to a bowl. Return pan to medium heat and add half remaining oil. When pan is hot, add portobella mushrooms and saute until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add them to bowl with onions, and repeat with remaining oil and white mushrooms. Return everything to pan and add garlic, tomato paste, stock and vinegar. Simmer gently 12 to 15 minutes. Add parsley and taste for salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.
– Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
potato chickpea stew with picada and romesco sauce
January 22, 2010
This is a great recipe from Spain – Potato and Chickpea Stew with Picada and Romesco Sauce. The Picada and Romesco Sauce share many of the same ingredients but they are two distinct toppings with very different textures and tastes. It looks involved but it’s not hard. There are a number of steps but it’s all pretty easy and straightforward. Enjoy. Make double. Chin Chin. It’s from Deborah Madison‘s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. (Oh, and I keep the extra Romesco Sauce around for sandwiches and dips! It’s really good on the VLT.)
Potato and Chickpea Stew
1 lb waxy-fleshed potatoes
3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 generous pinches saffron
2 large red bell peppers, diced
1 large yellow or red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 heaping tsp sweet paprika
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
2 cups crushed tomatoes with juice
2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or two 15-oz cans, rinsed)
3 cups chickpea broth, stock, or water
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley for garnish
If using fingerling potatoes, halve them lengthwise. Large round potatoes can be cut into thick rounds or quartered.
Warm the oil in a wide pot with the onion, garlic, saffron, peppers, and potatoes. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently every now and then, until the potatoes are tender-firm, about 25 min. Add the paprika, parsley, and red pepper flakes, and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until the juices are thick and syrupy, about 12 min.
Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and broth, stock or water to cover. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper, then cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes are completely tender, about 20 min. If the stew is soupy and you plan to serve it right away, stir in 1/4 cup picada (or more if necessary) to thicken it. If you don’t plan to serve the stew for 1 hour or more, it may not need the bread crumbs since it will thicken as it stands. Serve in soup plates with any additional picada sprinkled over the top along with the extra parsley. Add a spoonful of the Romesco sauce to each bowl and pass the rest.
Romesco Sauce
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
1/4 cup almonds, roasted
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
1 slice country-style white bread
olive oil for frying
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground red chile or red pepper flakes
4 small plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
This Catalan sauce is utterly delicious served with chickpeas, roasted potatoes, or grilled vegetables.
To roast the peppers, place them under a broiler or over a gas flame until the skins are charred. Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate, and set aside for 15 min. Peel and seed the peppers.
Roast the nuts in a 350°F oven for 7 to 10 min., or until they smell toasty. Let them cool slightly, and then rub the hazelnuts between the folds of a towel to remove loose skins. (The almonds don’t need peeling.)
Fry the bread in a little olive oil until golden and crisp. When the bread is cool, grind it with the nuts and garlic in a food processor or a mortar until fairly fine. Add everything else but the vinegar and oil and process or work with the pestle until smooth. With the machine running, or your arm working if you’re using a mortar and pestle, gradually pour in the vinegar, then the oil. Taste to make sure the sauce has enough salt and plenty of piquancy.
Picada
A lively seasoning of fried bread and garlic, picada is used in Spanish dishes as a thickener and flavouring. Picada is also a good addition to pasta and plain vegetables. To make 1/2 cup picada, toast 1/4 cup peeled almonds in a 350°F oven until they’re pale gold, 8 – 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, slowly fry one slice of white country-style bread in 2 tbsps olive oil until golden on both sides. Grind the bread, almonds, and 2 large garlic cloves and pinch of salt in a food processor to make a crumbly paste.
v:gourmet 
