Wild rice and mushroom pilaf

This recipe is about making marriages happy. You see, I hate mushrooms. My wife hates rice. So obviously, a dish that is made mostly of mushrooms and rice is bound to make nobody happy in our home, right? Well that's what I thought too. So I waited until Thanksgiving to make this so we could pawn the leftovers off onto our friends once the missus and I agreed that it was not our cup of culinary tea. But then something beautiful happened: I found a mushroom dish I love and she agrees that this is the first time she's ever savored a rice dish. The key, obviously, is a lot of butter, bringing out complementary flavors with thyme and sherry, and (possibly) the several cocktails we drank before dinner. But in the end, we kept 100 percent of the leftovers and voraciously wolfed them down over the next few days, while our friends were sent home with mushy potatoes and overly crumbly stuffing. We won.

So you don't actually have to use wild mushrooms--store-bought will do just fine too. Either way, mixing it up with a couple different varieties will definitely add complexity. I also just added 12 ounces because I was afraid of this dish being too mushroom-ee. But even speaking as somebody who normally steers clear of fungi, this could have certainly been increased. And if you love mushrooms, you could probably double the toadstool quotient and be quite happy.

I've read that Wisconsin wild rice is desirable because the growing and harvesting regulations are more controlled (and thus sustainable) there. Some folks even claim the rice tastes better. However, I have so far been unable to track down anything that was explicitly labeled as such here in Boulder. So I go with what's on hand. But certainly grab the real thing if you can.

Prep time: 2 cocktails

6 TBSP butter

1 medium leek, white portion only, rinsed well and chopped

12 ounces mixed fresh mushrooms, such as white button, shiitake, morel and wood ear, brushed clean, sliced

2 cups wild rice, rinsed and drained (use only wild rice, not a blend)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnishing

8 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup pine nuts

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2/3 cup dry cooking sherry, (do not use cream or sweet sherry)

Bring 8 cups water to a boil. Stir in rice, then reduce heat so liquid is just simmering. Cover and cook until rice grains puff up and the inner, lighter part is visible, about 40 minutes. Drain excess liquid from rice and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and are mushrooms are darkening and have mostly cooked all their moisture out and are sticking a little to the pan. Deglaze with sherry and add thyme. And cook the sherry almost completely off.

Now, to the mushroom mixture, add the wild rice, pine nuts, parsley, salt, pepper to taste. Cook for another minute or so.

Stir in thyme and pine nuts and garnish with some additional parsley, and transfer the pilaf to a warmed serving dish and serve immediately.

Vegan Cassoulet (yes, you read that correctly)

Prep time: 3 cocktails

1 pound flagoulet, navy, or other small to medium white beans

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 carrots, finely chopped

2-3 ribs celery, finely chopped

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, pulsed in food processor into 1/8 inch bits (about 8-10 pulses)

12-15 cloves garlic, minced

1 oz dried mushrooms, ground into a slightly coarse/chunky powder

5 cups homemade veggie broth

1.5 cups red wine

3 TBSP soy sauce (fish sauce is also great)

1.5 tsp liquid smoke

6 Bay leaves

4-6 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 whole cloves

Salt and pepper to taste (usually about 2.5 tsp tsp salt)

¼ cup Italian parsley, minced

Breadcrumbs

Soak beans overnight. Rinse well and drain.

In a large, oven-safe dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and add onions, carrot, and celery. Saute until starts to turn translucent to a little golden, about 12 minutes. Add fresh mushroom bits and garlic. Saute until liquid is mostly cooked off and bits are sticking to pan (but not burned), about 15 minutes, while scraping the stuck-on bits occasionally with a metal or wooden spatula. Add dried mushroom powder and cook another 6 or so minutes, while also completely scraping the browning bits on the bottom of the pan every 30 seconds or so using your spatula. Let the mixture cook and brown to the bottom one last minute without scraping.

(Note that these browned--but not burned!--bits that you scrape off the bottom of the pan give the cassoulet the majority of the flavor. So, extend the process of scraping and stirring even longer, if it seems as though you can)

Deglaze (unstick the delicious browned bits at the bottom of the pan) mushroom mixture with wine, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Bring to boil. Now add veggie stock, drained beans, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, rosemary and bring to a boil and cook until beans are soft and excess liquid has cooked off (adding water, if necessary).

Now, preheat oven to broil.

Fish out thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and rosemary.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in Italian parsley. Toss bread crumbs with a little olive oil and sprinkle top of cassoulet. Put it all in the oven and broil until bread crumbs brown (but don’t burn!).

Vegetarian Meatloaf

1 1/2 cups veggie stock, store-bought or homemade
2/3 cup brown lentils
1/2 cup TVP
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, chopped up a bit
4 TBSP butter or a vegan substitute
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup raw cashews
2 cups bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup + more for topping and serving
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (homemade is best) + more for topping and serving
2 eggs (or egg substitutes like ground flax and water)
2 TBSP dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple handfuls of grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Bring the stock to a boil and add lentils. Cook until lentils are soft, adding more stock or water if necessary. Once lentils are fully cooked, simmer off any excess moisture. Remove from heat and mash lentils with potato masher.

While your lentils cook, bring a couple cups of water to a boil in a small pan.Once boiling, add TVP and and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes, then strain TVP and it set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until they are finely minced.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then add mushrooms and cook until they turn a shade darker and release some of their juices, about 4 minutes. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and saute until they become nice and tender, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, saute a couple more minutes then transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

In your food process now process cashews into fine little pieces.

Add lentils, TVP, and cashews to the veggie mix in the mixing bowl, as well as bread crumbs, cumin, cilantro, ketchup, BBQ sauce, eggs/egg substitute, and Dijon. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste (I usually have to add at least a teaspoon of salt and a good amount of pepper).

Spray a medium-sized loaf pan with cooking spray and transfer the mixture into the pan. Mold it into a meatloaf shape and make sure there's a small gap between the edge of the pan and the loaf so that when you add cheese and additional sauce later, it won't all dribble over the edges of the pan and make a mess.

Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes, or until the top starts to get a bit browned and a tad crusty. Now take the pan out of the oven and slather the top with additional BBQ sauce and/or ketchup. Sprinkle the cheese on top of it all and return it to the oven. Increase heat to 375 and cook 12-15 more minutes.

Remove from oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with additional ketchup and BBQ sauce on the side.

Divine Intervention Sapporo Ramen

Last night, we had a religious experience. My wife's eyes rolled back in her head and she started speaking in tongues. I started weeping out of a profound, unexpected joy. Even the dog made odd noises. Of course, we didn't find Jesus; I just made the most amazing ramen ever. The wife's expression happened to be "domo arigato gozimus" and my profound weeping was because I nailed the broth perfectly. And the dog turned out to just be gassy. So even though we didn't find eternal salvation, it turned out to be a pretty remarkable night, nevertheless.

This is a slight revision to Sapporo-style ramen. That ramen uses butter to add a richness to the broth. However, as a not-huge fan of butter, I opted for coconut milk instead. Also, since the broth is traditionally cooked with various animal bits to add umami, I make a few vegetarian-friendly tricks, like incorporating mushrooms, browning the miso, and adding some fermented black beans. The result is a perfect, harmonious balance of savory, rich, satisfying bowl of noodles and vegetables with just a touch of sweetness.

Note that you can get the needed Japanese ingredients at any Asian grocer, including kombu, wakame, hijiki, mirin, bonito flakes, fermented black bean paste, and buckwheat noodles.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

Egg marinade:
2 eggs
2-3 TBSP soy sauce
2-3 TBSP mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1/2 cup water

Broth base:
2-inch square kombu or 3 TBSP wakame or hijiki
5 good-sized shiitake mushrooms
6 cups water
1 cup bonito flakes
1 tsp anchovy paste (optional)

Seasoning mix:
1 TBSP sesame seeds
2 tsp untoasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, grated with microplane or finest side of a box grater
3 scallions, chopped
2 TBSP miso paste
2 TBSP fermented black bean paste
1/4 cup mirin or sake
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 cup coconut milk

Soup elements:
8 ounces dried buckwheat noodles
1/2-1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 bunch spinach, stems removed
1/2-1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 block tofu, chopped into 3/4" cubes (can be firm or silken/soft, depending on preference), optional

Optional garnishes: 
Bonito flakes, chopped scallions, and/or a drizzle of toasted sesame oil

A couple hours before you start the soup, you'll need to make the eggs, since the need to marinate. You want to medium-boil your eggs by gently dropping them in boiling water and reducing heat to a very low boil. Boil them for 7-8 minutes. Remove and place under cool running water and remove shells. Then combine the peeled eggs with the rest or the marinade ingredients in a small Tupperware container or zip-lock bag and put in the refrigerator.

Now make the broth by combining all the broth ingredients in a pressure cooker. With the lid off, bring to a boil but remove the kombu right before you boil or it will become slimy (if using hijiki or wakame, no need to remove). Once boiling, put the lid on it and bring up to normal pressure for your altitude for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and let pressure drop completely. Remove lid and strain out mushrooms and any remaining seaweed.

While your broth is cooking, you can pre-prep the some of your soup elements. Cook the noodles according to the directions on package and cool them under running water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the bean sprouts for 1 minute and strain them out. In the same water, you can then blanch the spinach for 3-4 minutes and strain out. Let cool and then squeeze all the moisture out and chop it up coarsely. Finally, add the corn to the boiling water for a couple minutes, then drain and set aside (you can obviously make all these veggies in separate pots of water, if you would prefer).

Next, start on the seasoning mix. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add sesame seeds and toast for a couple minutes, stirring pretty frequently. When they are lightly toasted, transfer to an electric spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.

Now in a large pot or dutch oven, heat the untoasted sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and scallions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Now add miso and bean paste and stir constantly for a couple minutes. You want some of the paste to get browned stuck to the pan, but don't let anything fully burn. Next, deglaze the paste by adding the mirin/sake and sesame seed powder. Once everything is incorporated and the bits that were stuck to the pan are unstuck, add the soy sauce and coconut milk. Stir everything well and add the broth from the pressure cooker (after removing mushrooms and seaweed). Adjust seasoning if necessary by adding salt or soy sauce to taste. Add tofu cubes and bring to a low boil for a couple minutes. Then it's ready to serve!

In a bowl, combine your noodles, corn, spinach, sprouts, and tofu. Pour the broth over the top and slice your marinated eggs in half lengthwise and add a half an egg. Top with any of the additional garnishes of your choice and serve!

Quick Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

You can make this in just a few minutes. Great as a marinade, stir fry sauce, or topping all kinds of good stuff!

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp ginger, grated with Microplane or the finest setting of a box grater
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP mirin cooking wine
The greens of 2-4 scallions

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 TBSP water until fully incorporated.

Combine all ingredients except the scallions in a small pan on medium-low to medium heat and bring to a boil for about 4 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature, stir in scallions. If it gets too thick, add a bit of water until you get it how you want it.

Goddamn Delicious Sriracha Aioli

This is delightful on fusion sushi, sandwiches, or as a dressing or dip. In fact, I like it so much, I'd even recommend it on cereal, in coffee, or as a facial cleanser. It's that good!

Note that if you want wasabi aioli, you can swap out the Siracha for an equal amount wasabi paste.

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1 egg yolk

1 TBSP Siracha 

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp agave nectar (you can adjust this up or down to taste)

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Roughly 3/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed--NO olive oil 

A small handful of sesame seeds

Combine everything except last 2 ingredients in food processor and puree until well incorporated (scraping the sides down with a rubber spatula once or twice). 

Then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle the oil in. Add until you reach your desired consistency--meaning that it may vary a bit from the recommended 3/4 cup.

Adjust siracha, soy sauce, and/or agave to reach desired taste. 

Once it is all incorporated, transfer to a bowl and stir in sesame seeds and serve!

Handmade pasta

This is my stock pasta recipe--good for any type of noodles or ravioli and tortellini. You can mix it up with herbs, squid ink, or spinach in the pasta. I prefer 00 flour because it is milled finer, which means the final noodles end up more soft and pillowy.

A vegan pasta is also easy to make, just substitute ground flax whisked with water. Use 3-4 TBSP of the flax meal and 3/4 cup of water.

10 ounces 00 flour
1 tsp salt
2 whole eggs
4 additional egg yolks

Mix ingredients well, then knead at least 10 minutes in stand mixer, add a touch of water or flour if the dough consistency isn't right--you want something like slightly firm Play-Doh that is smooth, firm, and elastic. Cover and let rest for 60 minutes, if possible (this will also enhance the texture, but you can skip if you're in a hurry). Divide into 4 equal balls and roll out dough with a rolling pin or pasta roller and cut noodles to desired thickness.

Toss directly into boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes or dust with flour and freeze.

I'm going to upma Indian food game with vermicelli upma

We had a dinner party last night and I wanted to balance a lot of dals with one or two lighter starch dishes. Since it was also the first time we had met some of the guests, I wanted to have something mild, in case any of their sensitive Montana palates couldn't handle some of my more adventurous interpretations of Indian food (and then I'd never invite them back again). So I settled on this noodle dish. Vermicelli upma comes from southern India, where it's a common breakfast dish. But it's great any time of day, especially because it is quick and easy to whip up. And it's so good that everybody got upma grill asking for the recipe. So here it is!

Since I made this dish intentionally a little mild, you can dial up the garam masala or adapt the other seasoning and hot pepper content if you want a bigger flavor.

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail

4 TBSP oil or ghee, divided
8 ounces dried vermicelli noodles, broken or cut into quarter-length sections
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
8-12 fresh curry leaves
1-2 serrano chilies, diced
1-2 handfuls of chopped veggies (cabbage, peas, red bell peppers, cauliflower, etc.)
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped

Heat the half of the ghee or oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. When oil shimmers, add dried noodles. Stirring very frequently, saute the noodles until they become toasted and brown, but not burned. Once noodles are fully toasted pour water over them (be careful, as this will splatter), stir in tumeric, and bring to a boil. Cook until the noodles are al dente, then drain and give a quick rinse of cold water while still in the colander.

As the noodles are cooking, heat the remaining oil or ghee in a large saucepan on medium. Once hot, add the mustard seeds. Cook the seeds in the oil until they begin to pop, then add the garam masala. Stir constantly for 10-15 seconds, then add the curry leaves (be careful, this will also splatter!) and cook for 5-10 more seconds then add all the veggies and a TBSP of water. Stir well, reduce to medium-low, and cover, opening this to stir the veggies every minute or two. Add another TBSP of water if the veggies and spices start to stick.

Once veggies are tender but not mushy, stir in the pasts (you might have to use the Dutch oven you cooked the noodles in, if the saucepan is too small for everything). Stir in lemon juice and salt. Cook for a couple minutes until everything is well heated and mixed together. Adjust lemon and salt to desired taste, stir in cashews, and serve immediately.

Idli: making strangers into friends since... last night

So we joined a supper club last winter. However, since we have been traveling abroad for the last 6 months, we had never actually met our supping amigos until last night. Having not cooked for our 6 strange new companions before, I was a little apprehensive about what to make. Would they have weird food allergies? Would they hate spicy food? What if they weren't into my default Ethiopian or Afghani dishes? My solution: make idli! Our new friends wouldn't be able to complain about something as delicious and mainstream as Indian food. And idli, in particular, is an amazingly versatile dish--little mild, pillowy dumplings that can be loaded with flavorful chutney. As it turns out, our supper club companions were a marvelous batch. And they loved the idli--almost too much! So a note to anybody out there: if you're not good at accepting compliments or you don't want to have new friends pestering you to make amazing Indian food every time you see them in the future, then this recipe isn't for you. But if you are into making a bunch of strangers think you're a marvel in the kitchen and clamoring for seconds, then this is your jam!

This recipe calls for urad dal, a split black lentil, which can be found at many Asian grocers or online. You'll also need to purchase an inexpensive idli steaming stand. The one I use makes 24 idlies with depressions that are roughly 3" across by 2/3" deep. This batch leaves me with just a little bit of batter at the end, so you may want to adjust the quantities based on your idli maker and needs.

However, if you end up with a lot of leftover batter, fear not! Leftover idli batter makes excellent uttapam! Uttapam is basically just like a crepe or pancake. To make these, just take your old idli batter and add any veggies you might like (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, and cabbage are all great) plus some extra salt, onions, and garlic. Ladle this mixture into hot, frying pan that has been sprayed with some cooking spray. I've had best results from cooking these covered and flipping each one halfway through.

Anyhow, back to the idli. You want to have a pretty good blender for this. I use a Vitamix, but anything of reasonably high quality will have the horsepower to break everything down.

You'll also want to serve the idli with coconut cilantro chutney or any other chutneys, dals, or other toppings of your choice, as the idlis themselves are fairly mild.

Prep time: 1 cocktail (after a couple days of fermentation)

1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup parboiled rice
Salt to taste
2 pinches baking soda
Optional toppings - including sauteed minced onions, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, or diced chilies

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dal and both types of rice. Cover with a lot of water, as the contents will triple in volume as they absorb the water. Let soak 24 hours.

After soaking, drain the water off, but do it kind of half-assed. I like a little bit of the soaking water to make it into the final batter, as I think it accelerates the fermentation process a bit. In any event, after you have mostly drained the grains, transfer them to a blender. Add some fresh water and blend until the grains have totally been broken down--this can take several minutes. IMPORTANT: you want this batter to have the consistency halfway between crepe batter and pancake batter. So add as much fresh water as you need to in order to achieve this consistency.

Transfer idli batter to a mixing bowl and stir in salt. The amount will vary, but it should taste pretty damn salty. Stir well, cover with a wet towel and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, until the fermentation has expanded the batter and it has a consistency similar to that of lightly whipped cream (the amount of time varies, depending on how warm the batter is--a really warm environment will achieve this in as little as 4 hours).

Now the batter is ready to use (alternatively, it can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with a wet towel, for up to 2 more days). Before cooking, sprinkle baking soda on surface of batter and VERY GENTLY fold it in a little bit with a rubber spatula. You need to be gentle because you want to preserve the foamy structure of the batter.

Now boil an inch or so of water in a pot with a lid that's tall enough to fit your idli steamer. Once water is boiling, spray the idli trays with cooking spray and ladle batter into each mold--filling each one 75-80 percent, allowing enough space for a little expansion. Sprinkle the tops of idli with any of the toppings you're using.

Transfer idli tray to pot, cover, and steam until idlis have steamed fully and are a bit firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. For me, this is 25 minutes, but will vary depending on batter, size of idlis, and snugness of your steamer lid. Remove and serve right away with chutney.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving pizza ideas

I just found our pizza menu from our big Thanksgiving pizza party 2 years ago!! Everything turned out amazing! All pizzas were Neopolitan style!

Pizza 1
No tomato--use olive oil
Fried sage
Ricotta
Roasted butternut squash cubes with fresh grated nutmeg
Home candied walnuts

Pizza 2
No tomato--use olive oil

Flash fried kale (at super high heat)

Carmalized apple

Gorgonzola

Sage (optional)

Pizza 3

(Okay, it's not a Fall pizza, but I need a margherita pizza as a baseline no matter where I am--even at home!)

Preserved farmers' market tomatoes

Mozerella

Fresh basil

Egg (optional--cracked in the middle and cooked until just solid in the whites)

Pizza 4

Parsnip puree as a sauce

Nutmeg

Roasted carrots and potatoes

Pizza 5

Mushroom slices sauteed in butter, salt and a touch of red wine

Thyme, fresh

Garlic confit

Parsley

Fresh arugula after taking it out of oven (optional)

Rajma - A fantastic Indian dish for those who are lentiled-out

While I do love Indian food, I have to admit that I'm not really a huge fan of lentils, which are a pretty essential staple of the cuisine--especially for us vegetarians.  But if you're like me, fear not! This is a fantastic alternative to get your lentil fix in a new and different way. It's a Punjabi dish that some have likened to an Indian version of chili. While I'm not quite sure it's the best analogy, it does give you an idea of what this dish is like: hearty, rich, comfort food!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 pound dried kidney beans
2 bay leaves
4 tomatoes, chopped
6 TBSP ghee, divided
2 1/2 TBSP coriander seeds
1 TBSP cumin seeds
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 TBSP salt
3 TBSP ginger, grated with a microplane or the finest grating of a box grater
Juice of 1 medium lemon
2-3 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Soak beans overnight. Rinse well and combine in large pot with bay leaves, tomatoes, 1 TBSP of the ghee, and four cups or so of water. Boil until beans are soft, adding water as necessary. A pressure cooker will make this go by a lot faster.

Once beans are cooked, remove 3/4 cup or so of beans and mash up in a bowl with a fork or potato masher. Return to the pot of beans.

Next, combine coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and thyme in a spice grinder. Grind into a powder. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and add garam masala, turmeric, salt, ginger, and lemon juice.

Now, in a large Dutch oven, melt the remaining ghee over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the spice paste and simmer for 90 seconds or so. Then add the bean mixture and bring to a boil. then reduce and simmer until excess liquid is cooked off and you've achieved a chili-like consistency. Then stir in fennel seeds and cook 2-3 more minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Holy mole! You'll love this chole!

Chole is a north Indian chickpea dish that is simply amazing! Usually made with Indian staples of dark chickpeas called kala chana dal, mango powder, and a few other tough-to-find ingredients. So I've adapted it to be a little more favorable to ingredients I can get locally. But it's still every bit as good!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 pound dried chickpeas
4-5 tea bags of black tea
Salt
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, juice reserved
1 tsp coriander seeds
8 cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp fenugreek
4 TBSP ghee
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 large onion, minced
1 TBSP ginger grated with microplane or finest grating of a box grater
1-2 serrano peppers, minced
3-4 cloves garlic
2 TBSP tamarind paste (Mileage will vary depending on brand--be careful. I use Tamicon brand.)
2 small pinches hing (aka asafetida) -- careful! Don't overdo it! (optional)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Soak the chickpeas in water with a couple tablespoons baking soda overnight. Before you're ready to cook the chickpeas the following day, brew the teabags into about 4 cups of strong black tea and discard teabags. Then rinse chickpeas very well, place in a pot with 1 tsp salt, tea, and water until chickpeas are covered and bring to boil. Cook until soft, about 2-4 hours (a pressure cooker can do this in just a few minutes), adding water as necessary.

Once chickpeas are soft, cook off most of the remaining liquid.

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and tomato sauce a few times until broken down into chunks but not a smooth puree. Set aside.

Now, combine coriander, cloves, cardamom, and fenugreek in a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.

Heat the ghee in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 10-20 seconds. Add all the spices from the grinder, as well as the whole cumin seeds. Simmer for another 10-20 seconds, until it all becomes aromatic. Add onions and saute 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add ginger and pepper. Saute 1 more minute. Add garlic and simmer an additional minute. Now, add tomatoes, chickpeas and any remaining cooking liquid, 1 tsp salt, and tamarind. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for at least 20 minutes, until all the excess liquid has cooked off and tomatoes have broken down fairly well. Adjust salt, spices, and tamarind, as needed. Add hing, if using.

Serve with cilantro as a garnish.

Coconut cilantro chutney

This is a chutney traditionally served with idli. For the coconut, use a fresh coconut or frozen flesh that is sometimes available at supermarkets or Asian grocers--don't use dried or the sweetened stuff for baking. There are tons of really easy to follow instructions online on how to get the coconut flesh, if you're unfamiliar. You can also get the hing (asafoetida), curry leaves, urad dal, and chana dal online or at an Indian grocer.

Prep time: 1 cocktail

1/2 cup chana dal
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut meat (about 1 small coconut)
3/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2-inch ginger piece
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 serrano chili, chopped
1 cup water or coconut water if you use a fresh coconut
3/4 tsp salt
Agave nectar or sugar (optional)
2 TBSP neutral oil, like canola
1/2 tsp urad dal
8 fresh, whole curry leaves
A pinch of hing (aka asafoetida)

Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add chana dal and toast until it's lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, transfer to a spice grinder or electric coffee grinder and process into a powder.

Combine chana dal, shredded coconut, cilantro, ginger, lime, chili, water/coconut water, and salt in food processor. Puree into a smooth paste. Adjust lime and salt to taste, add some agave or sugar, if desired.

Pour into the container you want to serve the chutney in. Then in a small, clean frying pan, heat the oil over medium to medium-low heat. When oil shimmers, add mustard seeds. Simmer the seeds until they just start to pop. Add urad dal and simmer until the dal is browned but not burned, stirring constantly. Add curry leaves and hing cook 3-5 more seconds. Remove from heat and immediately pour on top of chutney and serve--no need to incorporate or stir in oil and spices.  

Major Grey-style fruit chutney

This is a mango chutney, but you can use any fruit that cooks down well.

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail, plus additional simmering time

2 TBSP neutral oil, like canola
1-2 dried red chilies
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 TBSP coriander seeds
1/2 tsp dark mustard seeds
8 cloves, ground with mortar and pestle
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 20-ounce can mango pieces or pineapple pieces, retain juices
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
Agave nectar (optional)

Heat oil over medium-low heat. While it warms up, combine next 6 ingredients in a small bowl. When oil shimmers, add spices and simmer for a minute or so, until they turn a shade darker. Add fruit (juice and all). Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and if the fruit hasn't broken down, mash it up with a potato masher until it's thick and chunky. Increase heat to medium, add raisins, vinegar, and salt. Cook down until you have a thick, jam-like consistency. Adjust salt and vinegar, if necessary and add agave if you want it sweeter. Let cool and serve.

No-knead sourdough bread

This is my version of sourdough bread that's easy to make and really only involves a few minutes of active work. The rest of the prep time, you are just relying on natural yeasts and other microorganisms in the bread do all the work. No kneading, no yeast, and no sugars added!

You will need a sourdough starter for this. Find a friend who has one going in their refrigerator already or buy one online or at a gourmet shop. I maintain a 16-ounce mason jar of pure whole wheat starter in the refrigerator. I've also left it totally alone for as long as 8 months and it comes back to life in just a few hours! Amazing! You'll also need a pizza stone for this recipe. If you don't have one, a large cast-iron pan will also work.

~8-12 ounces sourdough starter
2 teaspoons salt
~2-3 cups whole wheat flour, divided
~1 1/8 cups all purpose white or bread flour

First, triple the volume of your sourdough starter by combining your existing starter with whole wheat flour and water until you have tripled the volume (you'll want at least 3 cups of starter). You want to add water and flour to the existing starter trying to achieve the consistency of waffle batter. Mix well with a rubber spatula in a mixing bowl an once incorporated, let stand at room temperature, covered with a damp towel, until the top gets bubbly, like a pancake that's ready to flip. This can take anywhere from 3-24 hours, depending on how old your starter is and the temperature of the room. But in general, a slow activation is nothing to worry about.

Now, split the starter up. Return about 1/3 of the volume to a jar in the refrigerator to maintain the colony (basically the volume you started with). And take your remaining starter and add salt. Stir well with a rubber spatula. Now add 1 cup warm water and 1 1/8 cups each whole wheat and white flour. Incorporate well with the spatula--not your hands or an electric mixer. You want the dough to be about the stickiness of pizza dough. In my climate, I find that I actually need about 1 1/4 cup of each flour, but this will vary based on your flour and humidity.

Once everything is well incorporated, transfer to a large mixing bowl that you've sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with olive oil. Cover with a damp towel and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about 6-18 hours.

After it has doubled in size, transfer dough to refrigerator. Let sit for at least 3 hours (though letting it sit 24-48 hours will enhance the flavor). Regardless of how long you let it sit in the refrigerator, take it out and let it sit at room temperature 4 hours before baking begins.

In your oven, you want a to arrange the racks so that you have one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the bottom of the oven. Put the pizza stone on the middle rack.

Now after the dough has rested at room temperature for 3 hours, preheat the oven with a pizza stone for at 60 minutes at 450F, so pizza stone gets fully up to temperature. Once you're about ready to bake, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pour this into a large baking dish and put it on the bottom rack.

Now flour the top of the dough and a pizza peel and gently flip the dough onto the peel, trying to preserve the round loaf shape. Next, use the peel to put the dough on the pizza stone, being careful to preserve the shape that it has formed in the bowl. Close oven and reduce temperature to 425F. DON'T USE CONVECTION SETTINGS!

Bake until the outside gets golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. BE CAREFUL when you open the oven--the steam can cause burns when it rushes out.

Let cool on a baking rack after rmoving from the oven for a few minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Simple, spicy pickled eggs

So even though I went to college and hold down a reasonable job, I've still not totally forgotten my roots that trace back to a long line of simple folk in a small, godawful town in the middle of the country. Only being a few steps removed from my kinfolk who wear wifebeaters and watch daytime TV, I often have a hankering to visit dank, dingy watering holes after a long day. And the ultimate litmus test for me is that if it is a TRUE dive bar, there are pickled things in jars for sale. Doesn't matter what is in said jars--pigs feet, dill pickles, eggs--just as long as there's a decade-old, vinegar-embalmed offering at hand, I feel like I'm home. So much so, in fact, that I have a need to keep a jar of pickled eggs in my refrigerator at home as well. Though it represents a true strain on my marriage to have these orbs floating in a Mason jar living behind the orange juice, I can't say I'll ever be able to give up the habit of nibbling on a spicy, tangy egg after cracking a can of Schlitz on a hot summer afternoon.

For this, I use a half gallon Mason jar, so you'll want to scale your recipe depending on the size of your container.

4 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
4 TBSP salt
18 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/4 onion, cut into thin half moons
1-3 jalapenos, sliced into wheels
10-20 whole peppercorns

Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and let cool, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes.

In Mason jar put onions, jalapenos, and peppercorns in the bottom. Add the eggs. Pour the brine over the top, seal with a tight lid. Let sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes before placing in the refrigerator. Allow eggs to sit in the refrigerator for at least a week before eating.

Burmese coconut noodles from Shan state

We just got home last week after 6 months of travel! It feels amazing to sleep in our own bed again!  We spent time in some remarkable spots in the western US, southern Mexico and Thailand. But the most memorable adventure we took was the 2+ weeks we spent in Myanmar. 

Myanmar (aka Burma) isn't as well known as some of its neighbors for food. Indeed, it kind of gets a bad reputation for greasy, bland noodles and little else. While we found this to often be the case in the south, the northeastern state of Shan had some of the most outstanding cuisine I've had anywhere. Shan is at a culinary crossroads with heavy influences from neighboring China and Southeast Asia, plus some uniquely local twists. The Shan food was so good, we each packed on a couple extra pounds during our travels. And it was worth every extra mile I now have to run to burn it all off!

This recipe is my attempt to capture the essence of Shan cuisine--a balance of fishiness, spice, and tang all served over a heap of noodles with a ton of simple garnishes. If you're looking for something unique, satisfying, and straightforward to make, this is your dish. 

Note that strict vegetarians or vegans won't want to forego the fish sauce altogether, as it is essential to achieve the right flavor and balance. You can find a lot of recipes for vegan fish sauce online, mostly involving a combination of soy sauce, dried seaweed, and dehydrated mushrooms. I suggest going with one of those.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

Noodles:

2 cups chopped shallots

2 stalks lemongrass

1/4 cup peanut oil, divided

1 block of extra firm tofu, chopped into 3/4 - 1" cubes

1/4 cup chickpea flour (sometimes called besan--it is sold in bulk at natural grocers and in Indian markets)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1" piece of ginger, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

2 TBSP fish sauce

1-2 tsp fermented soybean paste (available at any Asian grocer)

1 TBSP tamarind concentrate

1 tsp sugar

8 ounces dried noodles

Salt to taste (I usually need about 1/2 tsp)

Garnishes:

Minced cilantro

Lime wedges

Roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced into thin wheels

Shredded red or Napa cabbage

Red chili flakes

Start by prepping your shallots. Once you've got the 2 cups chopped, you want to get them very finely minced. You can do this by hand, but it's faster to toss it all in the food processor and pulse until it is a fine mince, but not so well processed that it starts to become a slurry. Set aside.

Now, peel outer layer from each lemongrass stalk. Then, using a sharp serrated knife, remove the tough 1-2 bottom inches and the top third of the stalks. Then chop your usable remaining lemongrass into 1/2-inch segments. Transfer to a mortar and grind it until you just have lemongrass fibers. Set aside.

In a large, heavy frying pan, heat 2 TBSP of the peanut oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes and saute until they become a nice dark golden-brown. This takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on the moisture content of the tofu. You'll need to stir almost constantly to prevent the tofu from sticking and you will also need to be careful not to break the tofu. Add a bit of extra oil if it all cooks off and tofu is sticking. Once fully cooked, transfer the tofu to a plate and set aside.

While you're working on the tofu, you can also toast the chickpea flour. Put it in a dry frying over medium-low to medium heat. Stirring almost constantly, dry-fry the flour until it turns a light brown. Then remove from heat, whisk in 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Once your tofu and chickpea flour are done, you can start to prepare your noodles.

As the noodles do their thing, you can assemble the sauce. Start by heating the remaining 2 TBSP peanut oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Once hot, add the turmeric and saute a few seconds. Then add the shallots and saute until they soften and become translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. now, add coconut milk, fish sauce, soybean paste, tamarind concentrate, sugar, tofu, pulverized lemongrass, and chickpea paste. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered about 5 minutes or until you have reached the consistency of a thick cream sauce or gravy. Adjust salt and other flavorings as needed until you have a perfect balance.

Serve over noodles with all the garnishes!

Tetela! An amazing Mixtec stuffed taco!

Living in Oaxaca has it's perks. We recently took a cooking class from a local Mixtec woman. The Mixteca are one of many indigenous groups who call our state home. In addition to teaching my wife and I our first Mixtec word ("nuni", which is corn), she taught us a few recipes. This is by far my favorite. It's tetala--basically a stuffed bean pocket with cheese and salsa on top. They're great finger food when you want something a little different!

Note that you'll need a cheap tortilla press for this recipe. If you don't already have one, you can grab one at a Mexican market or online for a few bucks.

Prep time: 2 cocktails
1 batch tortilla dough - NOTE: just make the dough in this recipe, don't form or cook into tortillas
1 batch sexy Oaxacan black beans
1 batch Oaxacan salsa (or another favorite salsa)
Crumbled queso fresco or crumbled queso blanco (optional)

You start by lining your tortilla press with plastic wrap on the bottom. Then roll a ball of tortilla dough about the size of a golf ball. Place it in the center of the tortilla press and put another sheet of plastic on top. Press until you get a 6-8 inch ball that's twice the thickness of a normal tortilla (you might have to adjust the amount of dough up or down a bit from golf ball size).

Remove the top plastic sheet and put a heaping 1 TBSP dollup of beans in the center and spread it out a little bit. Now, fold the tortilla in thirds so it's totally enclosing the beans. Photos are below demonstrating this.

Now, heat a dry frying pan over medium-low to medium heat. Transfer your tetela to the pan and cook until the bottom is a tad browned, just as if you were cooking tortillas. Flip and repeat. Top with cheese and salsa and eat with your hands or with a fork! Amazing!

Note: I searched the internet high and low for photos of this process since I've so far failed to take photos every time I've made this recipe. I found these pics on a blog called Mexico In My Kitchen. After subsequently spending way too much time on this blog, I can honestly say that I'm in love with the creator's recipes. She has some truly great stuff. If you're into Mexican cooking, it's a great resource for fresh ideas! A new favorite!!

Cheese-less chile rellenos

I love chile rellenos. But what I don’t love is feeling like a bloated old beached whale after I consume what is essentially a pound of deep fried cheese. Luckily, when I was visiting a rural village in Oaxaca, Mexico, I came across this version. It swaps out the cheese for a savory vegan stuffing that’s every bit as good as it’s cheesy cousin… but it won’t make you feel like a manatee who just ate a tub of lard for dinner. Note that this can be prepared vegan by substituting garbanzo bean water (called aquafaba)--it’s a brilliant old vegan life hack that’s good for meringues and other whipped egg white applications!

While ingredients like capers, raisins, olives, parsley, and olive oil might seem out of place in Mexican cooking, I’ve found many of these are actually really common during my time living south of the border. So don’t think this is some gringo-ification of an otherwise great recipe. This is exactly as I was taught to make the rellenos.

Prep time: 4 cocktails

To make the filling:

1/3 pound fresh oyster mushrooms

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, whole

2 tsp salt

2 allspice berries

3 cups water

2 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, chopped finely

2 additional cloves garlic, minced

1 pound tomatoes, chopped

2 sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley

2 allspice berries

2 cloves

½ cinnamon stick

1 more sprig thyme

¼ cup raisins, chopped coarsely

1 TBSP capers

10 green olives, chopped + 1 TBSP of the olive brine

16 whole, raw, unsalted almonds

Combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until mushrooms have softened but aren’t mushy, 10-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove mushrooms and shred with a fork like shredded chicken. Discard the rest of the other ingredients in the saucepan.

Next, in a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Now add the shredded mushrooms, tomatoes, parsley, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Now add the second sprig of thyme, raisins, capers, and olives with brine to the mushroom/tomato mixture. Sauté until all excess water has cooked off, about 20 minutes. Salt to taste about halfway through.

While your mushroom and tomato mixture simmers, bring a cup or two of water to a boil. Add the almonds and remove from heat. Let it soak for 10 minutes. Then remove the almonds from the water and peel them by squeezing each almond between your thumb and forefinger. You can chop the almonds up a tad if you like as well, but that’s optional.

Toss the almonds into the simmering mixture once all the liquid in the mixture has fully cooked off and remove the parsley, thyme, and dry spices if you can find them. Set mixture aside.

To make the chilies:

You can make this recipe with fresh and/or dried chilies.

12 chilies, fresh or dried

6 eggs (or about 3/4 cup garbanzo bean water), whites and yolks separated

1 Tbsp white flour

Oil for frying

Your favorite Mexican sauces or salsas for serving

Beans or other Mexican sides are a great addition too

For fresh chilies:

Use poblano or some other good sized chili for stuffing. First, cut a slit in each peppers and the grill or oven broil, turning every couple minutes until pretty well-charred or blistered. Transfer to a Tupperware with lid or a paper bag and close the top. Let sit for 10 minutes then remove and peel skin under cold running water. Also, remove innards through the slit you cut. The chilies will be delicate and it is possible to mutilate them. Do your best to keep them in tact, or else they’ll spill their contents when you fry them.

For dried chilies:

You will want to use an ancho or some other large, fairly mild chili for this. Cut a small slit in each chili. Boil a couple quarts of water and add the chilies. Remove immediately from heat and let soak until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove chilies from water, pat with towel until fully dry and remove innards through slit you cut. Like the fresh chilies, these are delicate, so try not to mutilate them.

For all chilies:

After you’ve prepared the chilies as described above, stuff them by gently spooning in the filling.

Next, combine the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, mix until they are totally stiff, which can take up to 15 minutes. Now gently fold in the yolks and flour to your whipped whites.

Heat a frying pan with a neutral-flavored frying oil, like canola over medium heat. You want it to be between a half inch and an inch in depth.

Now, using a big spoon, very gently lower a chile into the egg batter (you might have to spoon a little over the top to fully cover them). After you’ve battered a chili, gently lower it into the oil—this is easiest if you pinch the stem and slowly slide it off your dipping spoon. Fry 1-2 chilies at a time. Flip over once the bottom is golden brown. If the chilies are too delicate to flip, just spoon hot oil over the top until the batter has solidified enough to flip without the contents falling out.

After each chile is nicely golden brown on all sides, remove from oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined platter and blot additional oil off the tops.

Southern Mexican black beans: Giving a sexy makeover to a humble legume

After living part-time in Oaxaca for the last few years, I still can’t get enough of the black beans here. They’re sublime. Finally, after asking around, I learned they key is avocado leaves! They make your boring run-of-the mill black beans into something amazing. It’s like those daytime shows when they give some frumpy dude in sweats a makeover and you realize with some new clothes and a decent haircut, he’s a real ladykiller. That’s the same with these beans. Just a few simple changes to your old, boring beans will make an amazing, delicious, complex black bean wonder. If only the makeover guy knew this recipe, he could have just picked up all the ladies without even having to ditch his sweats and dumpy haircut. Oh well.

Note that you can get epazote and dried avocado leaves at most Mexican grocers and maybe some specialty grocers. You can also order them on Amazon.

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail (after the beans are cooked)

Bean base:

2 pounds of black beans

1 small bunch fresh epazote or a scant handful of dried

1 onion, chopped

1 head of garlic, unpeeled and whole

Salt

For each batch batch of sexy makeover beans:

3 dried chilies (I like Pasilla or Guajillo)

7 dried avocado leaves

1-2 cups of the beans from the bean base
1 TBSP neutral cooking oil, like canola

Soak the beans overnight. Then rinse well and put in a Dutch oven with at least a couple quarts of water and bring to boil. Stir occasionally and add more water, as needed. Cook until soft, usually a few hours. But when they’re about 40 minutes from that point, stir in epazote onion, and garlic. Salt to taste. When beans are finished, fish out and discard the garlic head and epazote (if you used fresh).

Once your beans are done, toast the chilies and avocado leaves in a dry frying pan over medium high heat for a few minutes until they become highly aromatic and maybe a tad charred.

Transfer 1-2 cups of the beans plus the toasted chilies and avocado leaves to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

Now take a small frying pan and heat the oil.  Transfer the contents of the the blender to the pan and sautee the pureed beans until they become “dry” to the point they clump together a little bit and are no longer runny (like in the photo above).

You will have a fair amount of leftover bean base. You can make additional batches of sexy makeover beans by repeating the process with the peppers and avocado leaves or use the beans for other purposes.

Salsa Oaxaqueño

So this is a great all purpose, quick salsa that's good with anything from chips to smothering enchiladas. The only thing unique about it, other than it being really amazing, is that the woman who taught me the recipe--a native Oaxacan--said that it's a traditional salsa from the area because it doesn't use lime. Instead, it relies on a hefty dose of charred tomatoes and peppers to produce the acidic bite that limes usually provide. And to be sure, she was right. It's big, fresh, and bright.

One word of note, however, is that you really don't want to try to save 90 seconds by using a food processor. This salsa--like many in mexico--is meant to be ground by hand in a molcajete, though any mortar and pestle will work. However, a food processor or blender totally rips the ingredients to shreds, which imparts some funky flavors. Channel your inner abuela and prepare this the traditional way. Your tastebuds will thank you!

One ingredient note is that here in Oaxaca, the recipe calls for chiles de agua. They're a local heirloom that isn't commercially cultivated outside our little valley. So instead, I recommend a couple Anaheim chilies and a jalapeno as a totally suitable replacement. That said, you should totally use 2-4 fresh chiles de agua if you happen to see them at your local Mexican market.

Prep time: 1/2 mezcal-based cocktail

6 Roma tomatoes
2 Anaheim chilies
1-2 jalepenos
4 cloves garlic, coarsely minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2-4 sprigs cilantro, leaves plucked off and stems discarded
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to broil or fire up your outdoor grill. Once hot, place tomatoes and peppers on the grill (or the top rack of your oven, with a foil-lined pan underneath to catch drippings) and char everything until well blistered/charred and the skin of the tomatoes falls away, rotating every few minutes so all sides are equally roasted. Don't overthink this, as it's impossible to overcook these, and a long as things are well-blistered, they're not undercooked. It will take your peppers about 10 minutes and your tomatoes about 15, but mileage will vary. Your tomato skins will probably fall off and stick to the rack. Don't worry about it.

Transfer peppers to a paper bag or sealed tupperware and place tomatoes in a bowl to cool. Do something fun for about 15 minutes or until everything has cooled enough to handle.

After you return, in your molcajete or mortar and pestle, first grind your garlic and onion into a paste. Then peel, stem, and seed peppers (doing this under a stream of cold water is easiest). Put your pepper flesh into the onion/garlic mixture and pulverize well. Now peel and quarter each tomato lengthwise and transfer all the tomatoes to the onion/garlic/pepper mixture. Grind until you've reached the desired level of chunkiness for your salsa.

Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in cilantro (don't grind it like you did the other ingredients!) and salt.