Category: Main Course

Polenta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

March 24, 2013

Thank you for all your entries into my ActiFry giveaway!  I’m so glad to hear that so many of you share my intense love of French fries.  The winner, chosen at random, is Michelle who says, “French fries and Ben & Jerry’s Red Velvet Cake Ice cream. Have to have both sweet and salty or the craving for the other would drive me crazy! Acti-Fry come live at my house!”  Congratulations Michelle!

On another note, I apologize that there is only one photo here.  For some reason I am not able to upload photos in the way I have been doing it.

I go through phases in my cooking.  Maybe you all do too.  Sometimes, I am very book focused.  I pay special attention to books I have been neglecting or those that are new to my collection.  I challenge myself with fancy dishes, dinners that take an hour or more to pull together.  Other times, I am wanting to cook from the most current issues of the magazines I receive.  Up the minute perfectly seasonal dinners with on-trend ingredients.  Sometimes I want to shop the farmers’ markets and let the produce I find there inspire me to search out new recipes from books or blogs that I trust and love.  And other times, I just want to be surrounded by things I like and figure it all out as I go.

This last option is how I’ve been cooking lately.  I know that much of the country is still in winter but Northern California is staring down the barrel of spring without really having had winter.  A walk through an East Bay farmers’ market these days will reveal citrus, avocados, strawberries, cauliflower and broccoli, tons and tons of greens, winter squashes, radishes… the list goes on and on.  It is inspiring to say the least.  I just walked through picking up things that I like, handing over a few dollars here and there, and making up dishes as I went along.  It was not precise or especially thought out.

So, with a big kabocha squash, a large head of cauliflower, some spring onions, and a bunch of other things I already had in my refrigerator or my pantry, I made three dinners.  Three meals that were nothing ground breaking, but all three were healthy, tasty, and satisfying.  I didn’t make multiple stops at the grocery store because I had already bought things I liked and just trusted that I would have enough to make good meals.  It is important for me, when I am cooking this way, to have plenty of salad greens and other goodies for the salad bowl so that even if dinner turns out a little thin, we can enjoy a big salad.

First up, I had an eggplant left over from making Eggplant Parmesan.  Eggplants keep surprisingly well and this one still felt firm and had no bruising.  It had been a while since I last made polenta and I keep seeing notes on how best to cook it.  The current thought is that you don’t have to stir it constantly and that the longer it sits, with an occasional stir, the creamier it gets.  Once it has spent about a half hour over direct heat, you can move it to a double boiler and let it stay for an hour or more.  I’ve always given my attention to polenta at the beginning of the cooking process and then more or less left it alone, but had never tried the double boiler method.  I actually found that mine got a little dried out so I will need to tweak the amount of liquid next time I try it.

I love polenta just about any way but I do think it truly shines when paired with a tomato sauce of sorts.  For this one, I made a  basic puttanesca, minus the anchovy, and added small cubes of eggplant to it.  This is the kind of sauce that can be made in big batches and squirreled away in your refrigerator or freezer for the next time you want to just surround yourself with things you like and figure it out.  I kept this dinner pretty simple but it would be divine with the addition of cheese over top (Parmesan, ricotta salata, or feta would be my picks), or even a fried egg.  This recipe will probably make more sauce than you will use for the polenta, unless you like it very saucy, so try the leftover sauce over pasta or with eggs.

Polenta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Dana Treat Original
Serves 3-4

The full teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes this sauce nice and spicy.  If you would like yours a little more mellow, just add less.

1 cup polenta
3-3½ cups water or vegetable broth
Olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, cut in small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 generous tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
Handful fresh basil leaves, sliced

Make the polenta:
Place the water or broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly.  It will look like there is too much liquid at first but it will start to thicken quickly.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep whisking until the mixture is quite thick, about 5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low and just give the polenta an occasional whisk, every few minutes or so.  If you would like to try the double boiler method, after half an hour, transfer the polenta to a heatproof bowl.  Fill the saucepan (no need to wash it) back up with water, then heat the water to a simmer.  Place the bowl with the polenta over the simmer water and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.  It can sit like this for an hour or more with an occasional stir.  If you are going to try this method, I would definitely use the 3½ cups of liquid and maybe even 4.

Make the sauce:
Place a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Drizzle in enough olive oil to coat the pan, then add the onion and a large pinch of salt.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic.  Cook for 1 minute, then add the eggplant, the dried basil, and the red pepper flakes.  Give it a good stir, then allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender and starting to brown in spots, about 10 minutes.  Pour in the tomatoes, add another pinch of salt, and bring the sauce up to a simmer.  Cook off some of the liquid so that the sauce is nice and thick, about another 10-15 minutes of cooking time.  Stir in the Kalamata olives and the capers and cook another 5 minutes just to bring the flavors together.  Stir in the basil right before serving and season to taste with salt and pepper.


Category: Dana Treat Original,Main Course,Vegan
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Eggplant Parmesan

February 1, 2013

Everyone has a story about a food they could not eat after getting the stomach flu.  In second grade, I got a terrible stomach flu and for years afterward, I could not eat baklava.  Yes, baklava.  As a seven year old, I had baklava in my Donny Osmond lunch box.  Perhaps this gives you a window into why I love, work with, and write about food.  My mom cooked and baked all kinds of things and we went out to dinner at nice places.  What she made for dinner was what was for dinner.  If we didn’t like it, we didn’t eat.  She was (and still is) a good cook who had her 20 or so dishes she loved to cook.  We ate things like meatloaf, beef stew, and barbecued chicken, but we also ate mushroom barley soup, pasticcio, and eggplant parmesan.

I was a good eater, tried new things, but just could not embrace eggplant parmesan.  I blame the eggplant.  I’ve mentioned this several times before here but eggplant and I are on acquaintance-ly terms, not friendly terms.  As in, I see you, I know you, I will smile at you, but you are not my friend.  Over the years I have learned how I can be more friendly with it.  Puréed in a baba ghanoush is nice or thinly sliced and grilled until smoky will do just fine.  Rolled around pasta is a good way to disguise it.  But put big chunks in a Thai curry or pasta dish and I will move it over to the other side of the plate.

As a grown up, in spite of my ambivalence to aubergines, I found an eggplant parmesan recipe that I liked.  I made it for years and then one day, I stopped liking it.  The eggplant itself was a little too much in the foreground and it had an annoying tendency to get all soupy in the oven.  Cutting into it became an exercise in frustration.  Recently I found this one, in Jamie Oliver’s delightful book Jamie’s Italy.  There are several layers of genius here.  The first is baking the eggplant rather than frying it.  If you have fried eggplant, then you know it is really just like a vegetal sponge which soaks up oil at an alarming rate.  For that reason, whenever I have made eggplant parmesan, I bake the slices until they are soft and slightly browned.  Just a drizzle or a brush of olive oil is all you need and some time in a 375-400º oven.  I’ve also grilled the slices for a bit more smokiness.  The sauce that Oliver has you make is kind of your typical tomato sauce, except that it has a splash of wine vinegar at the end of cooking that does wonders for waking up the sauce and, in my opinion, the whole dish.  There is a lot of Parmesan cheese and just a bit of mozzarella (which he says is optional, I say is necessary), and the whole thing is topped with bread crumbs that have been tossed with a bit of fresh (I used dried) oregano.  That bit of crunch brings texture to a somewhat mushy dish and makes it a superstar in my humble opinion.

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe and if you have any of Jamie’s books, you know his recipes are written in a delightful voice.  Very conversational and very him.  I feel sort of funny using his unique voice so I’m going to change the recipe instructions to reflect some of the changes I made and to streamline them a bit.  Finally, at this time of year, eggplant can be a bit dodgy, to use a British term.  You want to look for those that are heavy for their size with a nice tight skin, and no soft spots.  Even being careful, you can sometimes end up with one that is bruised beyond using, so I tend to buy an extra eggplant just in case.  If you are making this delicious dish in the late summer/early fall when eggplants are gorgeous, no need to buy an extra.

One Year Ago:  Spice Crispies
Two Years Ago:  Simply Sweet Diamants, Pasta with Spicy Broccoli and Cauliflower,
Three Years Ago:  White Bean Dip, Caramel Cake,
Four Years Ago:  Guacamole, Lentils with Capers, Walnuts, and Mint (I still make this all the time)

Eggplant Parmesan
Adapted from Jamie’s Italy
Serves 6

3 large firm eggplants
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 heaping tsp. dried oregano, plus more for the breadcrumbs
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Splash wine vinegar
Large handful of basil leaves
4 large handfuls of Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of dried breadcrumbs (homemade is best here)
1 5-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Remove the stems from the eggplants and slice them into ½-inch thick slices.  Lay the slices out on baking sheets (you may need to do this in batches depending on how many sheets you have).  Either lightly drizzle them with olive oil, or using a pastry brush, brush the slices with olive oil.  If you brush them, you will need to turn the slices over and brush the other side.  You do not need to do this step if you drizzle.  Sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the sheets and, using tongs, flip the pieces over.  Return to the oven and bake for another 7 to 10 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown and dried out.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Leave the oven on.  (The eggplant can be made a day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  They will look shriveled and kind of ugly, but you won’t see their appearance in the final dish.)

Meanwhile, place a large pan over medium heat.  Pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then add the onions and a pinch of salt.  Sauté until starting to soften, then add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.  Continue to cook until the onions and garlic are starting to brown.  Using your hands, break up the tomatoes and add them to the pan along with all the juice in the can.  Give the mixture a good stir, then put the lid on the pan and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.  When the sauce is reduced and sweet, season it carefully with salt, pepper, and a splash of wine vinegar.  Then stir in the basil.  (The sauce can be made a day or two ahead.  Let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.  If you opt to make the sauce ahead, don’t add the basil until just before you are going to use it, or it will turn black.)

Preheat the oven to 375º.  Choose a casserole dish.  I used a ceramic 15×10-ish inch ceramic pan for my dish.  You can certainly use something smaller that will give you more layers and therefore a thicker casserole.  Whatever you choose, put in a small layer of tomato sauce, then a thin scattering of Parmesan, followed by a single layer of eggplant.  Repeat those layers until you’ve used all the ingredients, finishing with the mozzarella, then a little sauce over top, followed by the last of the Parmesan.  Toss the breadcrumbs in enough olive oil to moisten them, and toss them with another teaspoon or so of dried oregano.  Scatter the breadcrumbs over top.  Place the dish in the oven and bake for about half an hour, until golden, crisp, and bubbly.  Allow to set for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.


Category: Main Course
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Cashew Fried Rice

January 8, 2013

“Fried” is kind of a bad word in my family.  We – my brothers, sister-in-law, parents, and husband – are a pretty healthy bunch.  We all like to eat, some of us more than others, but we also like to fit into our clothes and we are all fairly health conscious.  That doesn’t mean that dietarily we are at a spa all the time.  There is plenty of time for Thai food, rich dips, the occasional chocolate cake.  Cookies and ice cream too.  But I think fried food is where most of us draw the line.  That and cream sauces.  I can’t enjoy something if I know it has been dredged in egg, then breadcrumbs, and then fried in cups of oil.  French fries are my very favorite thing on earth but I almost never eat them and if I do, it’s just a few.  Because I rarely eat fried food (or cream sauces), when I do, I almost always end up feeling sick.  So if I see “fried” on a menu, I usually pass it by.

I recently made fried rice and when I told Randy I was doing so, he scrunched up his nose.  I’ve been cooking for 20 years (!) and I think this was the second time in my life that I made fried rice.  I have childhood memories of sitting in our suburban Chinese restaurant digging through the pork fried rice for the succulent bits of pork (yes!  I ate pork!), ignoring the peas, and allowing the cooked egg and slippery grains of rice to slide down my throat.  Pork Fried Rice was a staple on that table.  As soon as I stopped eating meat, I never ordered it again.

I am here to tell you.  Fried rice is not fried.  At least, not the way I make it.  It is sautéed and, unless you are a raw foodist, most things you eat are sautéed.  This is what I told Randy and as soon as I said it, I realized it was completely true and that I had been passing recipes for fried rice by because of that pesky “fried” word.  In other words, I have been seriously missing out.

Now you can make fried rice lots of different ways and it is great for those little bits and bobs of produce that you have left over in your refrigerator after a week of cooking.  I’m giving you this recipe because a) it is what got me back on the road to fried rice, b) it is delightfully satisfying and yet healthy, and c) it features an intriguing sauce that makes an already nice dish extra tasty, and which you will want to put on just about anything.

One Year Ago:  Roasted Banana Muffins, Spinach, Cheddar, and Egg Casserole
Two Years Ago:  Linzer Tart, Yeasted Coffee Cake
Three Years Ago:  Bruce and Dana’s Pasta Sauce
Four Years Ago:  Curried Red Lentil Stew with Vegetables

Cashew Fried Rice
Adapted from Vegetarian
Serves about 4

The amounts I have listed here are a little loose.  The book has metric measurements and rather than explicitly translate them, I just kind of winged it.  And then I didn’t write down what I did.  If you have a little more or a little less rice, or a little more or a little less vegetables, all will work out fine.  You can really use whatever vegetables you like or have in your crisper drawer.  The main thing is that you want to use cold rice.  Warm rice, or even room temperature, will make your dish a big ball of mush.  Just make a bunch extra the next time you serve rice.

½ cup raw unsalted cashews
1 handful green beans, tipped and tailed, cut into 1″ pieces
1 handful snap peas, de-stringed, cut in half
¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
Canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece of peeled ginger, minced
About 4 cups cooked cold rice (I used basmati)
1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Green sprouts of any kind, for garnish (optional)
Chile Tomato Jam (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Place the cashews on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are fragrant and just a shade darker, about 5 minutes.  I always do this in my toaster oven and you can also do it on the stove in a dry pan if you don’t want to heat up the oven.  Just watch them very carefully!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Have a bowl of ice water nearby.  Drop in the string beans and snap peas and cook for 2 minutes.  Immediately scoop them into the ice water.  Once they are cool, drain and pat dry.

Heat a large skillet or a wok over medium heat.  Drizzle in just enough canola oil to coat the bottom.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, then add the cold rice and the vegetables.  Stir fry for a good 2 minutes to heat through.  Push everything to the side of the pan and tip in the egg and sesame oil, stirring occasionally to form a sort of omelet.  Break the omelet into pieces with a spatula and mix it into the rice, then add the toasted cashews.  Season with soy sauce and serve topped with sprouts, if desired, and the chile tomato jam on the side.

Chile Tomato Jam

10 mild fresh red chiles, seeds and membranes removed
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2-inch piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, touch outer stalks removed, roughly chopped
½ pound cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
4 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Place the chiles in a food processor with the shallots, ginger, and lemongrass.  Pulse, scraping down the sides every few seconds, until finely chopped.  Scrape into a saucepan with the tomatoes and sugar, and cook over a medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.  Stir often until the liquid evaporates and the sugar caramelizes.  Add the vinegar and soy sauce and simmer until the liquid evaporates.  Season with salt to taste.  Allow to cool completely.  Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or more.


Category: Grains,Main Course
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What is Your Comfort Food?

October 17, 2012

Comfort food.  What does that mean to you?  For some it means food from their childhood.  For others it means food that is homey and simple.  Others would say it means the most decadent unhealthy thing you can eat.  As with most things food-related, there is no absolute definition of comfort food – it is different things to different people.

For me, comfort food is something I dearly love that I don’t eat all that often.  And when I do eat it, it makes me very happy.  It feels warm and nourishing but it is not something that I will regret eating the next day.  French fries would fit the bill except for that last part.  I would probably include the things that my mom used to make (flank steak, bbq chicken, meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, fried sole) but I don’t eat those things anymore.

So I offer up polenta.  Very cozy, somewhat nourishing, kind of special without being fussy.  For me, it’s a joy to eat.  Especially when there is fresh corn in the mix.  Polenta made with just cornmeal can get a little oatmeal-y on me.  Let me explain.  I like my oatmeal salty not sweet.  Brown sugar, raisins, maple syrup – none of those things are welcome in my bowl of oatmeal.  Salt only.  There is exactly one other person I know of on earth who eats oatmeal this way and he is my father and he taught me that oatmeal should be salty.  So, when I tuck into a big bowl of oatmeal, it tastes so very good at first.  I rejoice in the first few bites.  And then I get bored.  The texture is a bit gloppy and the flavor is very one note – salty.  Kind of like polenta.  I serve myself a big bowl and I am so happy for a few moments and then it starts to feel gloppy and salty – like oatmeal.

Not, however, if you add the kernels from two ears of corn and a dollop of ricotta cheese.  It becomes something much more complex.  The corn adds sweetness and crunch and the cheese adds richness but not so much that you regret eating it the next day.  Really, I would have been very happy eating it all by its lonesome but I saw a recipe for a bowl of polenta with tomato fennel broth that was topped with wild mushrooms and greens, and it was one of those where I basically stopped all my cooking plans so I could make it.  Except that I couldn’t get fennel at my small local grocery store and I’m not all that into the wild mushrooms I can find here (I miss my chanterelles!), and greens felt like they would mute my dish, so I went in another direction.  I used the corn cobs and lots herbs to make a flavorful broth, which I cooked long enough to reduce down and concentrate flavors.  I bought cremini and shiitake mushrooms, both of which keep their shape nicely and bring earthiness without weirdness to the bowl.  Yes, you will dirty three pots making this dish.  Sorry about that.  You won’t notice after the first bite.

One Year Ago:  Arugula Salad with Asian Pear and Roasted Onions
Two Years Ago:  Cranberry Soup with Farro, Graham Cracker Pound Cake, Roasted Pear Salad with Chèvre and Fig Vinaigrette
Three Years Ago:  Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, Holly B’s Cappuccino Bars
Four Years Ago:  White Beans with Tomatoes and Sage

Fresh Corn Polenta with Tomato Corn Broth and Mushrooms
Dana Treat Original
Serves 4

For the broth:
2 corn cobs
½ onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 parsley sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
4 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 cups water

For the polenta:
4 cups water
1½ cups polenta or medium cornmeal
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
¼ cup ricotta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

To finish:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed, slice in half
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, slice in half
1 tbsp. thyme leaves
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (or more) basil, cut in thin ribbons, for garnish
½ (or more) cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Make the broth:
If you haven’t already, cut the kernels off the two ears of corn.  Set the kernels aside in a bowl.  Place the cobs, onion half, garlic cloves, parsley and thyme spigs, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and tomatoes in a soup pot.  Pour in the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to a lively simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to about 1½ cups, about 45 minutes.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a smaller pot.  Press on the solids in the strainer to extract the juices.  Cover the broth and set aside.  (This can be made earlier in the day.  Reheat it when you are ready to use it.  You will want it nice and hot.)

Make the polenta:
Pour the water or broth into a pot that has nice high sides.  Bring to a boil.  Slowly drizzle in the polenta, whisking constantly.  It will seem like too much liquid for the amount of polenta, but the liquid absorbs pretty rapidly.  Turn the heat to low.  Continue whisking until the mixture is very thick, just about 5 minutes.  Make sure the heat is on low and allow to cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.  It will bubble thickly and may mess up your stove, the higher the sides on our pot the better for reducing mess.  After 10 minutes, stir in the fresh corn kernels.  Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in the ricotta cheese and allow it to cook for another few minutes so that the flavors can meld.  Season to taste with pepper and salt.  Cover and it should keep warm for about 30 minutes or so.  If you need to reheat it, you can do so gently over very low heat.  Be sure to stir it well so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Finish the dish:
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Melt the butter, add the olive oil, and add the mushrooms.  Allow them to cook without disturbing them for a few minutes so they can get a bit of a sear.  Then stir occasionally as they cook for another 5-10 minutes.  About halfway through the cooking time, add the fresh thyme leaves and a good pinch of salt.  Once the mushrooms are nicely browned, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon a healthy portion of polenta into 4 shallow bowls.  Top with the mushrooms, fresh basil, and a shower of Parmesan cheese.  Carefully ladle the broth around the very edge of the bowl, so it moistens the polenta without making the mushrooms soggy.


Category: Dana Treat Original,Main Course
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Black Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa

October 3, 2012

To say we have been eating a lot of Mexican food in our new city would be an understatement.  We ate a lot of Mexican food in Seattle but most of it was coming out of my kitchen.  All four of us love it and it is a very veg friendly cuisine.  We knew a move to Northern California would greatly improve our Mexican dining choices and we have not been disappointed.  Mostly we have stuck to kid friendly and quick places, not the fancier ones, but every place we’ve tried has been terrific.

This bounty has not stopped me from continuing to make Mexican food at home.  Actually, I’m not sure this soup can really be called Mexican food because it comes from a British cookbook.  But there are beans and there is a salsa you put on top.  Close enough, right?

There is a time and a place for canned beans which, in my kitchen, is much of the time.  This is not one of those times.  If you wake up on the morning you plan to make this soup and realized you forgot to soak the dried beans overnight, do not despair!  Dried beans benefit from a soak of any length, even if it is just a few hours.  I have never needed to cook any bean more than an hour maybealittlemore, despite what packaging and recipes will tell you.  I will say that buying good beans from a reputable place means that they will be fresher and will take less time to cook.   I will also say be sure to taste your beans to make sure they are cooked through because no one likes a chalky bean.  I will also say (it’s public service announcement day – did you know?) that “don’t salt your beans until they are cooked through otherwise they turn out tough” is an old wives’ tale.  Like most things, beans need salt.

Oh, but how about that soup?  Warm, nourishing, a bit spicy, super good for you.  That is all well and good.  The salsa and garnishes make it into a meal so make sure you have something to put on top.  If you don’t want to take the extra step to make the salsa, just serve it with store-bought salsa, chopped avocados, and plenty of lime and cilantro.  Cheese is nice too.

One Year Ago:  Mexican Chocolate Cake, Pizza with Corn, Chantarelles, and Cilantro
Two Years Ago:  Braised Purple Cabbage with Apples, Pecan Molasses Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze
Three Years Ago:  Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon, Buckwheat Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms, Holly B’s Peanut Butter Brownies
Four Years Ago:  Dimply Plum Cake

Black Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Plenty (not Ottolenghi’s book)
Serves 4-6

The cilantro stems is not a misprint.  Cilantro stems have a lot of flavor and are sturdy enough to stand up to a long cook.  You will be blending the soup, so they will disappear.  Save the leaves and use them to garnish the soup.

1½ cups dried black beans
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
Stems from ½ a bunch of cilantro
1 small red or green chile, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (you can use water)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lime, plus additional slices for serving

Cover the beans with cold water and leave to soak overnight (or for as long as you can).  Drain and rinse.

Place a soup pot over medium heat.  Pour in just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot, then add the onion, carrot, celery, cilantro stems, and chile.  Also sprinkle in a pinch of salt.  Sauté until the onions browns a bit and the other vegetables are softening, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the cumin, and the garlic and cook for another two minutes.  Stir in the beans, then pour in the stock or water.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.  Taste one to make sure.  Add lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully purée the soup either using an immersion blender or a regular one.  You can also use a food processor.  The soup should still have a lot of texture but make sure the cilantro stems are puréed.  Serve garnished with the avocado salsa, crumbles of cheese (Cotija is nice), cilantro leaves, and limes slices on the side.  Sour cream too, if you roll that way.

Avocado Salsa

1 garlic clove
½ tsp. kosher salt
8 ounces fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 avocados, diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 scallions, sliced
1 fresh chile, minced
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
Tabasco to taste

Place the garlic clove on a cutting board and chop it coarsely.  Sprinkle with the kosher salt.  Using the flat side of a knife, grind the salt into the garlic, using back and forth motions, until you have a paste.  Scrape this paste off the board and put in a bowl.  Add the rest of the salsa ingredients and stir to combine.  Allow to sit for at least half an hour so the flavors can meld.

 


Category: Main Course,Mexican,Soup,Super Healthy
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