Category: Vegetarian

May 3, 2015

Salt-Crusted Potatoes with Cilantro Mojo

Husband and I spent several hours yesterday starting to move all the stuff that has been stored in our upstairs bedrooms for the past year, into our new garage. Hallelujah! As we were working, the Fed-Ex man came by and delivered my new cookbook! Double Hallelujah! It took about 3 minutes of flipping through the pages for me to decide on an accompaniment to our BBQ steak dinner… salt-crusted potatoes with a green, garlicky dip???… yes please!

The recipe as printed is actually a finger-food starter, but I used it as a side to our main and instead of dipping each individual potato as we ate, we scooped the delicious mojo over the potatoes at the beginning. I did not make any changes to the ingredients except using kosher salt instead of flaked sea salt and using a bit less oil, but I simplified the process immensely by whizzing the mojo ingredients in a food processor for about a minute rather than pounding everything with a mortar and pestle… easy peasy.

I made the recipe with 1 pound of potatoes for Husband and I, but left all the other ingredient measurements exactly the same including the salt, because the salt is salting the water, not the potatoes. Whatever salt doesn’t dry on the potatoes will just stay in the pan, it won’t make your potatoes more salty if you have fewer potatoes. However if you use a finer salt, you should use less.

My new cookbook is called Genius Recipes by Food 52, and if last night’s potatoes are any indication, I will be cooking a lot from this book. Take a look here https://food52.com/shop/products/1817-genius-recipes-signed-copy.

Salt-Crusted Potatoes

2 1/4 pounds evenly sized waxy new potatoes, such as fingerling, scrubbed but unpeeled
Sea salt flakes or kosher salt

Cilantro Mojo

3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
Leaves from a bunch of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Put the potatoes into a wide, shallow pan in which they fit in a single layer. Add 2 tablespoons salt and approximately 4 cups cold water (just enough to cover), bring to a boil, and leave to boil rapidly until the water has evaporated. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook for a few minutes, gently turning the potatoes over occasionally, until they are dry and the skins are wrinkled and covered in a thin crust of salt.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the cilantro mojo. Put all the mojo ingredients into a food processor and whiz for about 30 seconds (stopping to scrape down the inside of the bowl, if necessary). Taste and add salt if necessary (but don’t over-salt as the potatoes will already have a salty crust). Continue to process for another 20-30 seconds or until you have the consistency you want. Spoon into small bowl.

Pile the hot potatoes onto a plate and serve with the mojo. If you find the potatoes too salty, it is easy to rub off some of the salt before serving.

March 24, 2015

Split Lentil (or Split Pea) Curry

After 2 weeks of basically eating and drinking almost anything I wanted, it’s time to get back to healthy. Vacay is over, and it’s time to put on my big-girl pants. But it’s pouring rain today and I don’t feel like salad. I need a “food hug”. Something warm and comforting, but easy. Curry? Yes, please!

This dish is based on some loosey-goosey verbal instructions given to me by a work colleague a number of years ago, which I’m sure is no longer anything like the original, but it’s perfect for a rainy Vancouver day.

This recipe feeds 4, or 2 people for 2 meals (yay leftovers!).

Lentils:
2 cups split lentils or peas (red, green, yellow, white, etc.)
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 scant tsp turmeric

Curry:
glug of vegetable or canola oil
2 tsp whole coriander, roughly ground with mortar and pestle
2 tsp whole cumin, roughly ground with mortar and pestle
pinch (scant 1/4 teaspoon) asafetida powder (optional)
1 large onion (small dice)
2 TBS finely chopped or grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
sprinkle of hot pepper flakes (to taste)
1 28-oz can good quality tomatoes

Garnish:
Sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, or chopped arugula to finish.

In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to boil with salt and turmeric. Add lentils or peas and simmer, occasionally skimming any foam that gathers on top, until just tender. Do not cover.

As the lentils are boiling, warm oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat. Add coriander, cumin and asafetida powder (if using) and cook until until fragrant (30 seconds).

Add onion and saute, stirring regularly, until light golden brown (about 10 minutes). Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and continue to cook for another minute.

Add tomatoes and adjust heat to let simmer for 10-15 minutes. When lentils are just tender, add to tomato curry. I like my curry a little bit “loose” at this stage (it will continue to thicken) but if you think there is too much water left in the lentils, drain them first. Continue to simmer until the lentils are tender and the curry has thickened to your liking. This usually takes another 5-10 minutes for me. Adjust seasoning; I find I usually have to add a bit more salt and if my tomatoes weren’t very sweet, a sprinkle of sugar.

Garnish with green onion, chopped cilantro, arugula (or just about any green you have in the fridge). Serve with bread or pita.

Husband says to finish the meal with cake.

I am not having cake.

March 3, 2015

Pangrattato (or yummy crispy fried bread crumbs)

My niece and a couple of friends came for dinner on Sunday but instead of a traditional roast chicken dinner, I was craving pasta. Such a difficult decision… so why not do both?!?! I roasted a couple of lovely little free-range chickens which I first stuffed with lemon and parsley. When they were done I removed them from the roasting pan leaving the delicious juices behind to use later in the dish. Once the chickens were cool enough to handle, I pulled the meat and crispy skin into chunks and set the bones and flabbier parts aside to make stock. I tossed a handful of golden raisins, toasted pinenuts, and some chopped rosemary into the pan juices, added the chicken meat and crispy skin back, threw in a pound of hot cooked pasta, and tossed it all up with a handful of chopped parsley. It was a very satisfying non-traditional roast chicken dinner.

February 18, 2015

Anatomy of a Recipe and Mushroom Kale Lasagna 1.0

This was my first try at a white mushroom lasagna, using Sam Sifton’s New York Times recipe as a base. I replaced the bitter note (radicchio) with healthier kale, cut back on the truffle oil significantly (I wanted it to play a bit in the background rather than have it smack you in the face), and fooled around with the cheeses. As well as adding a few touches of my own (love those chilli flakes!).

The flavour was very good, but for me, I want it a little less dense and a bit more… ummm, “full”. I’m thinking about adding a ricotta layer. Perhaps flavoured with something herby to accentuate the mushrooms, like thyme or sage? Or maybe something unexpected and light, like mint? Perhaps something more traditional, like basil? Or even something other than a fresh herb… something crazy, like za’atar, for example? (Yup, that’s me… craaaazy town ;) ).

I didn’t notice the kale at all. I think I could bump that up another 50% without negatively affecting the texture or taste. I’m not sold on the non-cook lasagna noodles, though. If I use them again, I might add an additional cup of milk to the bechamel and then set aside part of it as a coating for the top layer before the final layer of cheese. Or perhaps par-boil those “no-boil” noodles (just until they’re bendy) to give them a bit of a head start.

For finishing, I’m thinking about adding some lemon zest to the final layer of cheese, just to add a clean fresh note.

Anyhooooo, this is how it starts. A decent attempt at a recipe with a few ideas on how to make it great. Stay tuned… (but in the meantime, I encourage you to try my first go below, which was delicious, and then give it your own twist).

February 14, 2015

Baby Eggplant With Raisins, Feta, and Mint

Oh Lordy. The construction of the new garage/studio is going to be the death of me. It has been more than a year since our contractor told us he was ready to start, and 10 months since the plans were approved by the City. “How long will it take?” I asked, naively. “Oh, not more than 6 weeks” he said. “Great”, I said… “It needs to be finished for our annual summer party the third weekend of August”.

“No problem”.

…

January 28, 2015

Hummus – 3 Ways

I am not particularly fond of sweets (I know, right?!?! Weird.) For dessert, I much prefer some lovely French cheese and a few frozen grapes. But don’t think that makes my life any easier. Eating healthy is still an effort. I would love nothing more than to scarf down a huge bag of potato chips every night. But because I can’t (le sigh), I am always searching for a healthier alternative. Enter… hummus. Who knew that blechy, healthy legumes could be whipped into something light and creamy, or earthy and salty, and made to taste altogether indulgent. And even though the carrot sticks I use as a hummus delivery system aren’t quite the same as a potato chip, they do provide a sort of crunch.

I have many more hummus ideas I’d like to try… like one with feta and fresh oregano or basil. Or how about sundried tomatoes and some sort of sausage or bacon?!?! I suspect you’ll be hearing more from me on that front. In the meantime, let’s do this!

January 20, 2015

Pomegranate Arugula Salad

“SALAD AGAIN?!?!” you’re asking? Yes, salad again. Every forking night until I lose these few extra pounds. Luckily, this is another one of my favourite salads and it’s hearty enough that you can add a small piece of protein and enjoy it as a meal (last night it was salmon). One of the main ingredients is pomegranate, which I have loved ever since I can remember. I used to sit on the sofa for hours reading a book and eating each aril (seed) separately, sucking the juice off and throwing out the seed in the centre. Why did I do that? Those seeds are crunchy and delicious, and they are chock-a-block full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. This is a great way to make use of them. This large salad generously feeds 2 as a main, or 4-6 as a side.

January 15, 2015

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

My dishes are usually based on recipes, or a combination of recipes, that are tweaked to my liking. Sometimes, as is with this one, it’s an idea that I attempt to bring to life. A few years ago a friend told me about some crispy brussels sprouts with capers that she had in a restaurant, so I experimented with the idea and bumped it up a notch with preserved lemon. I make my own preserved lemons but you can buy jars in Middle Eastern shops or just use the juice and zest of a fresh lemon. I debated adding apple to this dish (and may try some day) but thought it might be too many components. I think these would also be delicious sprinkled with pumpkin seeds or grated parmesan cheese. Or served with dollop of garlic aioli… Mmmmm.

January 15, 2015

Grilled Panzanella Salad

This is my first blog post! I’m so excited… yay me! Because we have been building a “garage” (bike studio for Husband) in our backyard for the past year (don’t even). And because in the course of building this “garage”, they have dug up my ENTIRE backyard (yup, all of it). And because I have been living with mud and debris for 6 months (I can’t even), I am dreaming of summer when this fiasco will (supposedly) be over. And because I am dreaming of lying on my lounger in my newly landscaped yard, with the sun dappling through the trees, cold beer in hand, I want to share with you one of my absolute favourite summer dinner salads.

I know it’s a bit early in the season but maybe it will get you dreaming of summer as well. Ahhhhh…

I fell in love with the idea of panzanella salad when I started growing my own tomatoes (thank you, dad) but the actual dish never quite lived up to my expectation. I wanted the vegetables to have more depth and sweetness. I wanted it crunchier. And I wanted protein to turn it into a main course that would satisfy both myself and said Husband.