Beans and Rice

There are surely a gazillion recipes for beans and rice on line, but that won't stop me from posting yet another one. I made this last week with Adzuki beans that I cooked myself using my pressure cooker, and found that the finished product was so much more delicious than making the same recipe with the more classic red kidney beans.

1. About 1 to 1.5 cups cooked adzuki beans, drained (canned is fine, I am sure)
   
2. 2 garlic cloves, minced
3. 1 small onion, minced
4. 1 dried whole red chili, crushed
5. About 1 tbsp each ground cumin and ginger
6. About 1 tsp each ground coriander and tumeric
7. Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
8. 1.5 cups cooked white rice

In a cast iron skillet, sautee the garlic and onion in a generous amount of olive oil over very low heat until translucent. Add the spices and stir until onions and garlic are coated. Add the beans and cook for a while to marry the flavors, adding water a little bit at a time as necessary to keep the beans from sticking to the pan. Add the cooked rice and blend well.

Serve hot garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Enjoy!

Gingered carrot and soba noodle soup

This dish is tasty and nutritious, and simple to make and enjoy on a cold winter's evening. The only thing the average person might not have in her kitchen to make this is the soba noodles. I wouldn't recommend substituting regular pasta in their place, so it's worth a trip to the store to get some.
For two:

4 -5 medium carrots, peeled and julianed (i.e. cut into thin batonettes)
1 medium onion, sliced
Fresh ginger, grated (about 2 tbsp)
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
Vegetable stock (or water)
Soy sauce
2 bunches of soba noodles

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for half the time the package recommends, about 5 minutes.

Heat some oil (olive or almond) in a heavy iron skillet. Sautee the onions over low heat for a few minutes, than add the garlic, carrots and ginger. Stir to coat with the oil and cook for a few minutes. Cover with just enough vegetable stock, bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer until the carrot is just tender, maybe 5 minutes or so. Add the soy sauce and the soba noodles and heat for a few minutes.

Divide the noodles and vegetables evenly into two large bowls, and pour the broth into the bowls. Serve with chop sticks and Chinese spoons.

Cauliflower in rosemary tomato sauce

This is a new twist on an old favorite of my mother's, what she calls "Sauce tomate", essentially her canned tomatoes heated and ladled over her homemade bread, buttered and toasted in a cast-iron skillet. Though my rendition requires a few more ingredients, it is just as simple to make, and if I have to say so myself, so much tastier!

1 leek or small onion, sliced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 head of cauliflower, separated
1 can of tomatoes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, minced
day-old baguette, cut into thin pieces (see below)
creme fraiche (optional)


Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Sautee the leek or onion over low heat until translucent. Add the garlic, stir to coat and cook for a few more minutes. Layer the skillet with the cauliflower and pour the tomatoes over the top, breaking up any big pieces. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top and salt generously. Bring the tomatoes to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat until the cauliflower is as tender as you like it.

When ready to serve, lay out the baguette pieces on a plate like so:


Then ladle the cauliflower and tomato sauce over the bread. Add a dolop of creme fraiche over the top and serve hot. The bread will soak up the sauce and melt in your mouth. Enjoy!

Trout spread 2

Josh and I had some more fresh trout the other night, caught from Porter Pond by our friend, Bill, and his son, Joe. This spread, made from the leftovers, made a nice before-dinner treat. This recipe is based on about 3/4 cup of leftover, roasted trout. Mince the trout and add some minced garlic, salt and minced parlsey. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and about two teaspoons of plain yogurt. Mix well and serve with crackers.

Warm eggplant and tomato salad

This salad, with it's meaty eggplant slices and chick peas, makes a great main dish. Serve with a green salad and bread for a full, healthy meal. For two people:

• Half a medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into thin strips


• Half a yellow pepper, sliced into strips


• 1 small onion, thinly sliced


• 1 large garlic clove, crushed


• 2 medium tomotoes, cut into wedges


• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed


• turmeric, cumin & cayenne pepper


• small handful of fresh parsley, minced

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook on low heat until translucent. Add the spices to taste as well as the eggplant and stir to coat with the oil and spices. Cook on medium heat until the eggplant becomes just soft, then add the yellow pepper and the chick peas and cook for a few minutes (or longer if you don't like your pepper too crunchy). Add the tomato and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Serve warm, garnished with black greek olives if you happen to have some.

Saffran potatoes

I'm not the biggest fan of potatoes, but it's what I've been getting in abundance in my winter CSA, so it's what I've had to work with lately. For this easy, quick and delicious recipe, I used baby potatoes.
Peel, wash and cut the potatoes in half. Boil in salted water until just soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Mince half a small onion, a couple cloves of garlic, and one small sweet red pepper. In a non-stick pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee the onion and garlic over low heat until translucent. Add the pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, a teaspoon or so of American saffran, salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to medium and fry the potatoes for five to ten minutes, or longer if you want more crispy potatoes.

Serve over a bed of green salad dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Meat-eater salad

There's no meat in this salad, but it does have potatoes, every traditional meat-eater's perfect side dish. The lettuce is there for the fun and the color of it, but since it marries so well with the potatoes and the warm oil from their frying, no meat-eater will be able to resist, no matter what his or her take is on the leafy green stuff.

For two servings, peel and boil about 5 or 6 small to medium potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain, allow to cool for a while, then cube. Heat about 4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the potatoes and sautee until the potatoes brown a bit, maybe 5 minutes or so.

Mince a garlic clove and add to a large bowl with salt to taste and mix well. When the potatoes are done, pour the oil from the skillet into the bowl and stir again. Allow to cool for a while and then add the potatoes and a handful of fresh minced parsley. Stir to coat the potatoes with the oil and parsley, the add fresh lettuce and mix again. Serve the salad lukewarm as a side dish. It's delicious!