The Food We Eat

Spanish-style Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans

After a long break, I am happy to report that I am back in the kitchen. We returned from a fantastic, low-key, yet highly soul-soothing vacation to India a couple weeks back. I had grand plans of taking just a few days to tackle jet-lag, and then cooking up a storm (you see, I really did miss cooking while I was on vacation. I helped mom, but didn't really cook). But alas! A nasty viral bug chose to adopt my body as its favorite host (my guess is on the plane), and my well-laid plans of culinary rediscovery were thwarted. Unless you count chicken noodle soup from a can (organic, of course) and Ramen noodles as culinary achievements.

So anyway, all is better now. A is off to school (first grade, can you believe it?) and R is back in preschool. I am feeling a heck of a lot better, and I'm sure J is excited to have me back in the kitchen. The poor guy! Went from being presented with a veritable feast every meal for 5 weeks in India to chicken noodle soup with toast! What a nasty shock to the poor taste buds!

Okay - go on say it. I have let you down. I go on and on about coming back to the kitchen, and you are expecting some mind-blowingly complicated recipe, and I present you with a humble vegetarian dish?? Is that the best you can do, you ask? Well, my dear friends, don't dismiss this humble offering quite so fast. It is simple, yes, but that is what makes it so beautiful. The flavors are simply sublime. And what better way to use up a whole bunch of swiss chard from the farm?

So, let me plug in my locavore thing here. Dishes such as this are meant to show off nature's bounty. So the end result is only as good as the quality of the ingredients you put in it. Ever wonder why food in Italy, Spain, France (heck, most of Europe) tastes so damn good? Well, it is in large part due to the fantastic quality of the stuff they put in. So go ahead, please use good, organic, local stuff. I promise you, it is well worth the trouble.

My six year old, A, gobbled it up saying "Mom, could you drizzle some more olive oil on mine? I love my stew with extra oil on top". If you knew this kid when he was 2 and 3, you'd never believe me. A was the pickiest eater you've ever seen. Who woulda thunk it. This kids eats anything now. R reluctantly ate up his portion and then piped in "Yummy, with some fresh organic water". Makes no sense? You're not alone. Welcome to the  world of a 4-year old...

You can serve this dish with rice, couscous, or even a nice crusty loaf of bread. This version is an adaptation of Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for espinacas con garbanzos, a Spanish tapas dish served in tapas bars across Seville. I liked the slight bitterness that the swiss chard lends, and I think it works especially well when you serve this as a main course alongwith rice or couscous. That said, I really like the original recipe using spinach too.

We had some whole-wheat couscous in the pantry, so that is what I served. Couscous is extremely quick and ridiculously simple to prepare. I like to use a 1:1.5 ratio of dry couscous:water, or even better, use chicken broth instead of water. Bring the water or broth to a rolling boil, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Then add the couscous, stir, cover and take off the heat. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes (don't peek). Then take the cover off, and fluff lightly with a fork. That is it! Ta Da! I told you it was ridiculously simple.

To serve, spoon some couscous on a plate. Top with the stew. Drizzle some good quality olive oil on top. Scatter a few marcona almonds on top and Voila! A glass of red wine to accompany (I still have remnants of a cold, so sadly no wine for me) and here's to a good hearty meal.

Spanish-style swiss chard with garbanzo beans

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

2 bunches swiss chard (about 20 leaves)

1 15oz can organic garbanzo beans, washed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tsp freshly ground cumin

1 tsp freshly ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp spanish paprika (Pimenton)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Wash the swiss chard well. Remove the stalks from the leaves. Set aside. Cut the chard leaves into ribbon-like shreds. Finely chop the stalks.

2. Heat the oil and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute till garlic smells fragrant. Add the swiss chard stalks and saute for a few minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Saute a few minutes till spices smell fragrant. Add the swiss chard leaves and saute till the leaves wilt. Add the garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and water. Stir well.

3. Cook on medium heat, uncovered, for approx. 30 minutes. Stir occassionally. Cook until there is just a bit of juice left at the bottom of the pan.

4. Serve hot or warm. I like to drizzle some olive oil on top just before serving. Garnish with marcona almonds for a nice crunch.

Chilled Melon Soup

If you have not had a chilled fruit soup before, please do! How do I describe this? Let me try. It's like a foamy, light, delicious smoothie, but you eat it with a spoon. Nah! That doesn't do it justice - just go ahead and make some. It takes a melon, a blender, and 5 minutes. It is Summer after all....

You can use any sweet melon, but I particularly like Cantaloupe in this soup. The light peachy color is just beautiful! And it makes an extremely refreshing first course for a light lunch or dinner. I served this as the starter for lunch with friends on Sunday, followed by Curried Chicken Salad sandwiches.

One more thing. You need a nice powerful blender to get the nice, light, frothy mixture. If your blender is a bit sluggish, you might want to start with crushed ice. I have a Vita-mix and it can liquefy anything.

Chilled Melon Soup

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Serves 4

1 medium cantaloupe

2 tsp honey

1 tsp lemon juice

4 large sprigs fresh mint

1 cup ice cubes

1. Seed and peel the cantaloupe. Cut into 2-inch chunks. You should have approx. 6 cups of fruit.

2. Pick the mint leaves off the stems. Use a mortar and pestle (or a rolling pin) to gently pound the mint till it is bruised and aromatic.

3. Place the melon, honey, lemon juice, mint, and ice cubes in a blender and blend until the mixture is liquefied and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Tom Douglas' Aromatic Rice

Do we really need a recipe to make steamed rice 'aromatic'? Well, I wasn't so sure myself, but the reason I paused to consider was because this recipe is from Tom Douglas. If you haven't had the opportunity to eat his food, please please come to Seattle and do so. He owns many restaurants here, but my favorites are Dahlia Lounge and Lola.

Well, all I can say  is that he has done it again. The aroma from this 'aromatic' rice is just unbelievable. It takes steamed white rice to a whole another level. This might just be my favorite recipe for rice to accompany something delicate like fish and maybe chicken poached with Asian flavors. We had this with Miso Glazed Wild King Salmon and a simply stir-fried Gai-Lan.Try this the next time you want to waken up your olfactory senses. And it tastes just sublime.

Aromatic Rice

Serves 4

2 cups japanese short-grain rice

1 stalk lemongrass

2 cups cold water

3 coins of unpeeled fresh ginger, skin-on

3 star anise

zest from one orange, organic please (large, wide strips with a vegetable peeler)

Method:

1. Place raw rice in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse well under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well.

2. Smash the lemongrass stalk with the back of knife to release essence. Slice thinly lengthwise (you can wrap this in a cheesecloth if you like, but I didn't. It was easy enough to pick the stalks out after the rice cooked)

3. In a 3-4 quart saucepan, combine the rice and water. Add ginger, lemongrass, star anise and zest and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes (Please do not open the cover and peek before 20 minutes). Take pot off heat and let sit, covered for 10 more minutes. This gives the grains a chance to set and prevents mushy rice.

4. Remove the lemongrass and other aromatics. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and serve while hot.

Note: Leftover rice is delicious. To reheat, simply place in a microwave-safe glass bowl, cover with paper towel or plastic wrap and heat in microwave. 

Sprouting in Seattle - Fried Rice with Sprouted Mung Beans

You probably know this already - sprouts are nutrient-dense foods. Mung bean sprouts are low in calories and fat, yet provide substantial amounts of Vitamin C, folates, protein, and fiber. Also, for people intolerant to beans, sprouts are a great alternative. The sprouting process converts starch to simple sugars, making sprouts a lot easier to digest. And lest we forget their most important virtue, they are delicious!

I have tried many different ways of making sprouts at home in the past, and honestly, never took to sprouting at home as there was too much baby-ing involved. Yes, I know what those of you who know me well are thinking..c'mon Susmita, given all the other crazy things you do in the kitchen, changing water once a day is too much baby-ing? Well yes, because its BORING work. And no, I do not own one od those home seed sprouter thingies. As I see it, it is yet another uselessgadget that I have no room for (but who knows, I might  get one anyway. hee hee)

Thankfully, my attitude towards sprouting at home changed when one of my good friends (thanks, Bhavna) showed me a super easy and reliable way of making Mung bean sprouts at home. No babysitting required - ok almost no babysitting.....

Mung Bean Sprouts

Makes about 4 cups

Start with a cup of whole mung beans, and soak in plenty of cold water overnight. Next morning, drain the plumped up mung. There will likely be a couple of goners in the bowl - these will still be hard and shriveled. Pick these out and discard. If most of your Mung  beans look this way, it is probably because you have a very old batch of beans. Dump these and get yourself a fresh batch. I usually buy Mung beans at the Indian grocery store alongwith all my other legume purchases, but I have also found an excellent selection at PCC and Central Market in Seattle. In fact, I think I will switch to PCC as they have a great selection of organic beans and legumes.

Line a large plastic or glass container with a damp paper towel. Add the soaked and drained Mung beans to the container and store covered in a draft-free dark place for a few days. When my oven is not in use, I keep the container there. Check on the sprouts daily -- you might need to sprinkle a tablespoon or so of water if the beans look too dry. In about 2-3 days you will see 1/4 to 1/2 inch sprouts on the beans. These small sprouts are what I want. Chinese mung bean sprouts are large (2-3 inch sprouts), but in Indian preparations, the sprouts are kept small (1/4 - 1/2 inch). Personally, I like the small ones better. They are super sweet, nutty, and crunchy. Yum!

There are many ways to use the sprouts. You can toss them in salads, eat them plain, Stir-fry them, make pancakes with them; use your imagination. They will be delicious all the same. One disclaimer. Our family (and many others) have consumed these raw on many an occassion, but the FDA has warnings about raw sprouts and E.Coli. Granted their issue was focussed on commercially sold alfallfa sprouts, but still.... if you are concerned, cook them. I prefer them slightly cooked over raw anyway.

Fried Rice with Sprouted Mung Beans

Serves 4

My hankering for spicy food was still strong, and I was craving rice...fried rice! I adapted my usual fried rice condiments to this recipe.

2 cups sprouted mung beans

2 cups cooked brown rice (preferably day old)

4 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp garlic, chopped

2 tbsp ginger, chopped

6 scallions, white and green parts

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced

6 baby red radishes, cut in fourths

3 tbsp chili-garlic sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan or wok. Add ginger, garlic and peppers and stir fry 1-2 minutes. Add Sprouts and radishes, stir fry 2-3 minutes till sprouts barely soften (you might need 1 tbsp of water to cook the sprouts). Add brown rice. Stir to combine.

Add chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir well so sprouts and rice grains are well coated. Stir fry a few more minutes so flavors blend. Taste and add salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Note: I use Sunluck brand chili-garlic sauce. You can use sambal olek or sriracha sauce if you prefer. I like this chili-garlic sauce because of the acidity and the extra garlic oomph.

Also, This rice was quite spicy; the way I like it. If you want it less spicy, omit the pepper or use less chili sauce. If you use less chili sauce, however, you might want to add a tsp of rice vinegar, so you get the acid balance.

I love the flavor of sesame oil in stir fry. If you don't, feel free to use peanut or vegetable oil instead. Or use half-half.

Variations: Add any veggies - snow peas, broccoli, carrots would be nice. You can also add some tofu or cashews for more protein.

 

Dinner tonight - Blackeyed Peas Curry (and Mushroom with Peas for the kiddos)

Hope you are all having a great Memorial day weekend. Ours has been busy, but in a fun, relaxing way. Today was catch-up on chores day. Hubby (god bless) is laundry man, and that my friends, is no ordinary feat, given the ridiculous amount of laundry this family of four creates. I have no idea why and how we manage to have this many soiled clothes in one week. Anyway, I just had to get around to our friendly neighborhood Home Depot to get some fix-it up stuff, some more paraphernalia for our garden, etc. Older kiddo decided to accompany me while dad and little one stayed home and bonded.

Anyway, all day went by, and then before you know it, dinner time coming up. J wanted Indian food, I didn't seem to have a preference, so Indian it was. No carnivorous Memorial day shindig this time -- instead, a humble vegetarian meal and a quiet night with a movie (God Bless you, Netflix).

I love blackeyed peas for many reasons, but the reason they got picked tonight was because these do not require an overnight soak, so are perfect for a spur-of-the-moment bean fix. How so, you ask? The key is my trusted Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker. I have no fear of these devices, in fact, no true Indian does. I grew up with the first generation pressure cookers. Yes, the jiggle top, ear-piercingly loud, burst and kill you ones. But pressure cooker technology has come a long way from grandma's times, and the ones now are slick. I could sing the virtues of these miraculous devices all day long, but seriously, if you're looking to add to your kitchen collection, give these a try! Money well spent.

The Mushroom with Peas curry is a kid-friendly take on the classic Indian Mattar (peas) -Mushroom curry. As with all East Indian curries, you can make it as easy or complex as you want. The complexity comes with the masala. As you can see below, I have kept  it very simple. The kids still haven't developed a palate for very strong masala flavors. Me, I just get extra heat from some spicy homemade pickle, or some serrano peppers on the side.

Blackeyed Peas curry

(Makes a generous amount with plenty of leftovers. This curry is even better the next day...and the day after)

2 cups blackeyed peas

6 cups water

1 large yellow onion, chopped coarse

6 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger, chopped coarse

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped coarse

2 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 black cardamon pods (bada elaichi)

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

10 cloves

1 roma tomato, chopped fine

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp salt (suit to taste)

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp cumin powder (home ground, preferable)

2 tbsp coriander powder (home ground, preferable)

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp Amchur (ground sour mango powder, optional)

Method:

1. Coarsely grind the onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno pepper together.

2. Add oil + ghee to pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, and cloves. Add onion mixture and brown well. Add turmeric, stir well. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook few more minutes.

3. Add washed, drained blackeyed peas and water. Add cumin + coriander powder, amchur (if using), salt and sugar.

4. Bring to boil, and pressure cook on high pressure level (15 psi) for approx. 15 minutes. If you are partient, wait for pressure to release naturally. If you're like me, release pressure. Check seasonings, add cilantro, and serve.

Mushrooms with Peas curry

1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, chopped very fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup frozen green peas

2 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Method:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions and garlic. Brown well. Add mushrooms and cook till brown and mushrooms release all water and dry out.

2. Add cumin powder, turmeric, tomato paste. Stir well. Cook for a few minutes.

3. Add green peas. Add just enough water to make a thick curry (2 - 4 tbsp should do it). Cover and cook 10 - 15 minutes.

4. Turn heat to low. Add heavy cream. Just heat through. Turn off heat, add cilantro and serve.