The ultimate vegan Thanksgiving main dish: fall manicotti

I actually dislike making the same dishes every year for Thanksgiving since I like to experiment in the kitchen and because a lot of vegetable-based thanksgiving dishes tend to be pretty boring. However, this dish, along with my stuffing tamales, have become perennial staples because they are both so goddamn good. But beware, this dish does take about a week to fully put together because of the cashew cheese fermentation process. However, the good news is that this also freezes and you can just toss the whole frozen pan(s) into the oven and cook like a lasagna. So you can also make this days or even weeks ahead of time. This recipe make 2 two full 9x13 pans or one 18x13, which will feed about 12 people as your main dish or closer to 20 people if you have other major dishes like turkey or another vegetarian main. 

Some adjustments to the three recipes below that are part of this dish: the soup recipe might be slightly thinner than you want for a manicotti sauce, so feel free to cook down a little until it thickens slightly. Also, it might not be something everybody loves, but the soup makes quite an impression as a sauce if you add a little yellow and maybe a touch of red food coloring to make it overall more orange. Alternatively, you can probably use turmeric. Make FRESH pasta; it is infinitely better than dried. You can use any good egg substitute to make this vegan (I use a combo of Just Egg, ground flax with water, and the baking egg replacement powder sold in the baking aisle). And you'll need a pasta roller--if you use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer attachment like me, you want to roll out on setting #5. Don't skip the pomegranate or sage. They are important both for flavor and--especially--for texture. I like to over ferment my cheese a tad, so I add some extra sauerkraut juice and let it sit on the counter once done an extra half day or so. Finally, when making the cheese, I like to make it ever so slightly thicker than the recipe calls for when I make it for the manicotti, as it makes it easier to handle. So you can add 10-20 percent less rice fermentation water than the recipe calls for, if you want. 

1.5 batches Colorado Craft Cashew Cheese
1.5 batches Roasted Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup
1.5 batches Handmade Pasta

Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate (a handful or two)

A couple handfuls fresh sage leaves

Canola oil for frying

Start preparing the cashew a few days ahead of time (see recipe for details).

When you're ready to make the manicotti, first prepare the soup/sauce. Once it is done, make the pasta. Cut your pasta into manicotti-size sheets, roughly 8" square, but sizing can be just about anything you want, as long as they are large enough to roll up fully.

Preheat oven to 350.

Once you have your cheese, soup/sauce, and pasta all prepped, you can assemble the manicotti. Start by adding a couple ladlefuls of soup to your baking pan(s) and spread into a single thin coating--use only enough to fully coat the bottom (to prevent the manicotti from burning). Now roll each manicotti, stuffed with several heaping spoonfuls of cheese. It's a bet messy, but try your best not to slop cheese everywhere. Pack your manicotti fairly tightly in a single layer until the whole pan(s) are filled.  

Now top the manicotti with half of the remaining soup/sauce and cover pan(s) tightly with aluminum foil. (This is where you can freeze [or refrigerate] the dish if you aren't using it right away, just freeze the leftover soup/sauce in a separate container, as you'll still need it when you cook the dish.)

 Bake until the center manicottis are fully hot (I use a probe thermometer and make sure they are at least 175F in the center). The amount of baking time will vary depending on the size and number of pans and whether you start from frozen, refrigerated, or room temp. It can be anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour. Just peel the foil back and check every once in a while. 

As soon as you put the manicottis in the oven, deep fry your sage. Heat a cup or two of canola oil on medium heat. You want the oil to be at 250-265F, so use a candy thermometer and adjust as necessary. Working in 2-3 batches add the sage to the oil and fry, stirring very frequently, until the sage is basically done bubbling (but not burned). Remove from oil, transfer to a small stack of paper towels, sprinkle both sides generously with salt, and allow to cool completely and become crispy. Finish the other 1-2 rounds of sage in the same way. Don't throw the oil out! You can use the sage-infused oil in salad dressings, marinades, or cooking (especially other Thanksgiving dishes!). 

Once middle manicottis are hot, discard foil and add another layer of soup/sauce. It may not be necessary to add all of it if you don't want. You can always have the rest as a standalone soup! Cook uncovered ~10 more minutes, or until the freshly added soup is also hot and delicious looking but not drying out. 

Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes. Sprinkle crispy sage leaves and pomegranate seeds right before serving. 

Vegetarian bibimbap - the best recipe ever?

I regularly slave over meals for whole afternoons. It's not at all uncommon for me to ferment vegetables, nuts, or condiments for weeks in preparation of a particular dinner. My Thanksgiving menu planning starts in mid-June in a typical year. In addition to being a kitchen slut, I'm an over-analytical type-A scientist with OCD and too much spare time.... What I'm trying to say is that I tend to overdo things in the kitchen. So it came as a bit of a pleasant shock today when the love of my life told me no less than 7 times that the dinner I made last night was the best meal I've ever made. And it was a breeze to whip up. So gone are my days of sleuthing through a dozen spice stores to find the freshest ajowan seeds in order to make some obscure Pakistani dish. In the future, I'll just whip up a quick bibimbap and spend the rest of my newfound free time soaking up lavish praise and compliments.

So what the fuck is bibimbap? In addition to a wildly popular 1997 hit song by teenage heartthrob brother band Hansen, it's a wonderfully vibrant, flavorful, and satisfying Korean medley of rice, vegetables, eggs, and hot sauce. Optional are beef, if you're of the carnivorous persuasion or tofu, if you're a fellow Chaco-wearing, leg-shaving vegetarian such as myself. Either way, you simply not go wrong with this meal. Just ask the love of my life!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

Rice:

1 cup forbidden black rice

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:

3 TBSP gochujang (a Korean chili paste available at Asian grocers or in the Asian aisle of many supermarkets)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp agave nectar

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 tsp ginger, minced or very finely grated (optional)

Vegetables:

1/2 cucumber, sliced into the thinnest wheels you can possibly make (a mandolin is helpful if you have one)

2 TBSP rice vinegar

Several TBSP neutral oil with high smoke point (canola or avocado oil are great options), divided

1 large carrot, julienned 

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced into 1/2-inch strips

4 cloves garlic

12 ounces (about one bunch) spinach, stems removed and chopped up a bit

1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP mirin cooking wine (available in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)

4 scallions

4 eggs

4 ounces bean sprouts

1 sheet nori (sushi wrapper) or similar Korean seaweed, chopped up coarsely with a knife or scissors

Several generous pinches sesame seeds

First, get the rice started. Combine all the rice ingredients, along with 1 3/4 cup water in a rice cooker or saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Keep warm.

After the rice gets going, toss the cucumbers with several generous pinches of salt and place them in a colander or strainer to let excess water drip out. After 20-30 minutes, transfer cucumbers to a bowl and toss with the 2 TBSP of rice vinegar.

As the cucumbers are sitting in the colander, prepare the sauce by whisking together all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Now, heat a TBSP or so of your neutral cooking oil on medium heat in a frying pan or wok. Toss in the carrots and saute until they've turned golden are are a bit blistered, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Return your pan or wok to stovetop, reduce heat to medium (or a little less) and heat up a couple more TBSP of the neutral cooking oil. Add mushrooms and cook about 8 minutes, until they turn a bit golden. Add garlic and stir for  about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook until it's well-wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, and scallions and remove from heat and transfer to a covered bowl to keep warm. 

Now use a large frying pan (you can use the same one from the vegetables if it's big enough) and add 1-2 more TBSP of your neutral cooking oil. When pan and oil are totally hot, add eggs and cook sunny-side-up. 

As eggs are finishing, build your bibimbap bowls. Start with a big mound of rice in the bottom. Add a small heap of cucumbers, carrots, mushroom/spinach combo, and bean sprouts. Top with eggs and garnish with pieces of seaweed and sesame seeds. Serve with generous drizzles of the hot sauce. Then drink massive amounts of soju and bask in the compliments of your dinner companions!

Porkless Dandan Mian

Dandan noodles are Schezuanese street noodles that are rich, spicy, and filling. Definitely my latest culinary obsession! The name comes from the stick called a dan dan that vendors walk down the street with carried over the shoulder. From the end of the stick hangs a pair of baskets: one with the noodles and the other with the sauce.  Though there's no stick involved here, there's enough big, amazing, rich Schezuan flavor here to make you think that you've magically been transported to Chengdu if you take a bite and close your eyes. I'm especially proud of the tofu/mushroom pork substitute in this recipe that will literally fool any carnivore you serve this dish to. If anybody bitches to you that they think tofu is gross, feed them this dish and tell them to shut the hell up!

Normally served fiery hot, my recipe is a bit more tame, but you can dial up the heat with chili flakes when you serve it (like I do!). Anything in the ingredient list that you don't already have in the pantry can be acquired at any Asian grocer and most ingredients will even be at a standard supermarket.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

Noodles:
8 ounces dry noodles

Tofu/mushroom "pork":

1 package extra firm tofu
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP fish sauce
2 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 TBSP Sambal Oelek (NOT Siracha--Sambal Oelek is much better!)
2 1/2 TBSP Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar) - available at any Asian grocer
6 TBSP hong you (Szechuan chili oil), recipe here, divided
~12 shiitake or crimini mushrooms, washed
3 scallions, chopped
8 cloves garlic
1 TBSP ginger, grated

Broth:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade
2 TBSP mirin cooking wine
1-2 TBSP oyster sauce
1-2 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Toppings:
2 tsp Schezuan peppercorns
Bean sprouts or steamed bok choi (optional)
Red chili flakes or the red chilies from the bottom of your Hong You (Szechuan chili oil)
3 scallions, chopped

Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Wrap it in a dish towel and place a weighted plate on top to press out excess moisture, at least 30 minutes. This step is critical if you want the right "pork" consistency for your tofu.

As tofu is getting pressed, make the broth by combining all the broth ingredients except the sesame oil in food processor and process until combined. Transfer to a pan on the stovetop, add toasted sesame oil, and keep warm it up to serving temperature and maintain at that temperature until you're ready to serve.

Prep the noodles according to their directions, rinse and set aside.

Place a small, dry frying pan on the stovetop and heat on medium heat. Add the Schezuan peppercorns and toast until they darken a little bit and become s bit smoky and fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder and process into a powder. Set aside.

Now make the tofu/mushroom pork:
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, vinegar, and Sambal Oelek. Set aside. After the tofu has been pressed for at least 30 minutes, crumble it up by hand into fairly small crumbles. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add 3 TBSP hong you. Once the oil shimmers, add the crumbled tofu. Continue to stir and break up the tofu with a metal spatula until it is lightly browned and a bit crisped--but not totally fried! Remove from heat and transfer tofu to a plate. Now, take a food processor and pulse the mushrooms until the pieces are no larger than about 1/4" -- about 8 good pulses. Put the frying pan from the tofu right back on that medium-high burner and add the other 3 TBSP hong you. Then add the mushrooms. Saute until they turn a deeper brown, shrink down to about half of their original volume, and break down into a semi-paste. Then add the 3 TBSP scallions, garlic, and ginger. Saute another 1-2 minutes. Now incorporate the soy and fish sauce combination you made at the beginning of this step, as well as the tofu that you've set aside. Stir just until everything has been incorporated and remove from heat.

Now dish up by laying a bed of noodles in the bottom of the bowl. Add bean sprouts, tofu/mushroom pork, and ladle broth over the top. Garnish with a pinch of Schezuan peppercorn powder and as much red chili flakes or the red chilies from the bottom of your hong you as you can handle!! EAT! 

Cincinnati Chili: The Best Comfort Food You've Never Heard Of

Cincinnati chili may be my single favorite comfort food. It's rich, filling, easy, and is so, so good when it's cold outside. Or I just want to eat myself stupid. Or it's a day that ends in a 'Y'. Whatever. 

So, you may be asking, what the fuck is Cincinnati chili? Well, my pretty, you asked the right Wikipedia user! Invented in 1922, Cincinnati chili is different from Tex-Mex chili because it includes such additions as cinnamon, unsweetened chocolate (or cocoa powder), and allspice. This chili is also typically less spicy, usually topped with tons of cheddar, and is served over spaghetti. This dish was the creation of Macedonian immigrants whose restaurant in Cincinnati was doing poorly because the mostly Germanic population wasn’t particularly excited to eat Greek-style food. So, in an attempt to try something new, the restaurant owner, Tom Kiradjieff,tried to modify a traditional Middle Eastern stew with ingredients more suited to the American palate. His “spaghetti chili” was born and has been wildly popular in Ohio ever since.

Prep time: 2-3 cocktails

2 TBSP olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-ounce cans beans (black, pinto, or red), drained

1 28-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes

1/3 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein--available at any natural grocer)

1 cup water

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP white vinegar

1.5 tsp salt

1 TBSP sugar

1.5 TBSP cocoa powder (unsweetened)

A few dashes cayenne

1 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP ground cumin

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

4 bay leaves

8 ounces dry spaghetti

1 scant cup additional onion, chopped (optional)

Cheddar cheese, grated (as much or little as you want)

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the large onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes a bit transparent—about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients EXCPET the last three (cheese, optional diced onion, and spaghetti). Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for at least 90 minutes, removing the lid periodically and stirring. This dish should have the consistency somewhere between regular chili and marinara sauce, so add more water as you go, if necessary.

When the chili is about 15 minutes from completion, prepare the spaghetti.

To serve, put the spaghetti on a plate, top with a generous amount of chili, then a big pinch from the additional scant cup of onions (if using), and finish with cheddar cheese. In Cincinnati, they top it with prodigious amounts of cheese—as much as the plate will hold. That might be excessive for some (myself included), so a medium-sized handful may be preferable. 

The Most Amazing Tempeh Ruben Ever. Really.

We need to have a talk. Just you and me. You know how foodies and snobs with blogs like this are always telling you to spend a half a paycheck on the best, freshest ingredients or else your meals will be crap? You know how you always ignore us because you've got more pressing priorities than to hand over 20 bucks to Whole Foods for a jar of artisanal mustard? Well, this is the one time I have to be firm. If you take the cheap way out, your sandwiches will suck. Trust me. They'll be like the soggy, tasteless lump that passes for a tempeh Ruben at the dive sandwich shop over by the university in your town. But if you spring the extra 10 bucks for top-quality bread, cheese, and sauerkraut and take the extra 3 minutes to make your Russian dressing from scratch, these will be the best vegetarian sandwiches you've ever had. Really.

So what should you buy? First, with the bread, don't buy the pre-packaged, 2-week-old rye sandwich bread at the supermarket. Instead go to your local bakery and get a loaf of real, fresh, amazing rye bread (I prefer the sauerkraut rye that our local Whole Foods makes). Now with the cheese: no crappy tasteless 'Swiss.' Find a cheesemonger or at least a store with a good selection and grab a hunk of high-quality Jarlsberg or Emmentaler. No off-brand shit or pre-sliced garbage allowed. I know it's an extra three bucks. You'll thank me later. Finally, the sauerkraut. No canned stuff. Ideally you have homemade in your refrigerator (recipe here). If not, don't get anything from a can or jar at the store that's unrefrigerated. Sauerkraut is a living food, and processing it to stay 'good' on a store shelf kills a lot of the nutrients and much of the flavor. Instead, head to the refrigerated section to find a jar or package of sauerkraut that hasn't been heat processed. I know it's also a bit more expensive, but it's infinitely better.

The other critical key is that we're actually cooking the tempeh in a corning brine. So it really does a great job of providing the corned beef flavor that you expect in a Ruben but it's a step that most restaurants that sell tempeh Rubens don't bother with. Believe me, it's well worth the (small) additional effort!

There. I just saved you from miserable Rubens. Aren't you glad we had this little chat?

Prep time: 2 cocktails

Brine:
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
2 tsp ground allspice
5 juniper berries
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP brown sugar
2 bay leaves

Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise (store-bought or homemade)
2 TBSP ketchup
2 TBSP sweet pickle relish
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp prepared horseradish (not some dumpy 'horseradish sauce'; it should have few other ingredients besides salt and vinegar)
1 tsp Worcestershire
Several (or more) grinds black pepper
A few dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

The rest:
4 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
2 8-ounce packages tempeh
Sauerkraut, high-quality (refrigerated section) store-bought or homemade
Emmentaler or Jarlsberg cheese, sliced
Rye bread, fresh from local bakery--no tasteless prepackaged rye sandwich bread!
Butter, melted

Slice the tempeh in half lengthwise. Now place it on it's side and gently slice each slab into 1/2 the original thickness. A very sharp knife helps. (In general, you have to treat the tempeh gently in this recipe gently to avoid breaking it. Though if you do end up with a couple broken pieces, it's not the end of the world.)

Whisk together all the brine ingredients in very large frying pan (12 inches). Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Gently lay the tempeh slabs in the brine and simmer until 1/2 the liquid is absorbed. Gently flip tempeh and cook until remainder of liquid is cooked off.  Immediately transfer tempeh to a plate to cool.

While tempeh cools, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk well. Put sauce in refrigerator or freezer to get a bit colder and thicken up.

Clean and dry the pan you cooked the tempeh in. Add oil and heat pan over medium to medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Gently lay the tempeh in the pan and saute a few minutes until bottoms are a bit browned. Flip, repeat, and transfer to a plate.

Now take a new clean frying pan or clean and dry the one you've been using and heat it over medium-low heat. Build the sandwiches by brushing butter on one side of each slice of your bread. Then with the buttered sides facing out, layer the cheese, sauerkraut, and tempeh. Transfer to the frying pan and cook until the bread is toasted on both sides and the cheese is melted--just like you're making a grilled cheese.  Remove from pan, open up and add sauce. Now enjoy the best damn meatless Ruben on earth!

Vegetarian Hong You Chao Shou! Boom!

These spicy Szechuan tempeh wontons are amazing. Full stop. Ordinarily, these are made of pork, but this tempeh version is just as good (seriously). The origin of these dumplings (according to the interwebs) is that the Sichuanese traditionally wore wear large robes in cold weather under which they put their hands in the opposite sleeves to keep warm. This gesture--chao shou translates to 'folded hands'--resembles the shape of the dumpling with opposite corners of the wrapper pinched together. In fact, you can go into a restaurant in Sichuan to this day and wordlessly cross your arms and they'll bring you this dish, knowing exactly what you've just asked for by gesture alone. However, if you make it at home, you'll likely associate a massive fist pump and a dance around the dining room with this dish because that's what you'll do after tasting the first bite. It's that good.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

Wontons:
4 TBSP peanut oil
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
2" piece of ginger grated with Microplane or finest side of cheese grater
5 cloves garlic, minced
White parts of 4-5 scallions, chopped
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP rice wine
1 egg, beaten
Store-bought wonton wrappers (you can use small for pot-stickers or big for egg rolls)

Sauce:
1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 TBSP Hong You (Szechuan chili oil), recipe here
2 TBSP soy sauce
2-3 TBSP Zhenjiang (or Chinkiang) black vinegar (available at any Asian grocer)

Garnish:
A small drizzle of toasted sesame oil
Green parts of 4-5 scallions, sliced into small wheels
Sesame seeds (optional)

Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in frying pan or wok. When hot, add tempeh and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion whites. Continue to stir fry until tempeh begins to turn golden brown, about 3-5 more minutes. Stir in white pepper, soy sauce, and rice wine and cook for a few more seconds. Remove from heat and stir for a few more seconds.

Start the sauce by combining all sauce ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally. Also, put medium to large pot with water on the stove to boil--this pot will be for boiling the wontons.

Now fold your mixture into wontons. If you're using big egg roll wontons, you'll use about 1/4 cup of tempeh mixture; if you're using small pot-sticker-size wontons, it'll be more like a TBSP of mixture. Place the mixture in the middle of each wonton sheet, then brush the edges of the dough with egg using a pastry brush. Now fold the wonton over to make a triangle and use your fingers to firmly seal the edges. Traditionally, you'll also fold the two points of the longest section of triangle back together and connect these tips to make a "cap" shape, but this step is optional.

Now gently lower the wontons into your pot of boiling water. Boil until they have had time to cook through--about 3 minutes for small wontons or 5-6 minutes for large wontons. Remove with slotted spoon. Serve with generous portion of sauce and add garnishes.

Silk Road Spaghetti

Much like the Silk Road itself, this is a dish of East meets West. This recipe combines a Mediterranean-inspired tomato sauce with zingy Afghan spices, Indian yogurt and ghee, a Persian raisin/almond combination, and fiery Chinese-style chilies. If the Mongol hordes had just had this dish at home, it's unlikely they would have ever bothered with all that unfortunate pillaging and looting.

Prep time: 2 cocktails

10-12 ounces of dry whole wheat spaghetti 

1 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes, stems removed and quartered

3 ounces tomato paste

3 TBSP olive oil or ghee

3 cinnamon sticks

4 large bay leaves

1 large red onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2-5 fresh cayenne pappers or spicy Chinese chilies, chopped

1¼  tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 TBSP Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped finely

1/4 cup chopped raisins

1/2  cup plain yogurt, use full-fat ONLY

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBSP coarsely chopped or slivered almonds, optional

Cook pasta as you prepare all the other ingredients. When it’s done, toss with a bit of olive oil and set it aside in covered container.

Combine the tomatoes and tomato paste in food processor and puree into a totally smooth sauce. Set aside.

In large frying pan or wok, heat the oil or ghee on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Allow them to fry in the oil for 10 second before adding onions, and chilies. Sauté until onions become lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and sauté one more minute. Next, stir in tomato puree, salt, oregano, parsley, and raisins.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium. Cook sauce 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool at least 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in yogurt and almonds (if using). Adjust salt to taste.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta and the sauce well. If the pasta and sauce have cooled too much, return it all to the stovetop and heat it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it’s warm enough.

Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. 

Shiro Tagabino!!!

Living in Ethiopia, this became my favorite meal. Filling, easy, delicious, and fast. Total comfort food.

Real tagabino is only found in the north. Elsewhere in Ethiopia, when you order tagabino, you get flavorless, watery glop that basically amounts to an 8-birr plate of disappointment.  But the true northern-style tagabino is pretty damn amazing. It's great as a standalone dish or served alongside any other Ethiopian dishes--such as mesir wot, quanta firfir, doro wot, gomen, or whatever else you like.

You can get stuff like shiro powder and teff for your injera online or at any big-city Ethiopian grocer. Note that shiro--a spiced chickpea powder--can vary in the amount of berbere that's added to it when it's produced. It can vary in color from white (no spice added) to deep orange (already very spicy). So you'll want to adjust your berbere and salt as you go. 

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail

2 onions, chopped

1/2 cup shiro powder
1/2 cup neutral oil like canola or avacado
1 cup water
1-2 tomatoes, finely chopped (optional)

1 tsp berbere (optional, depending on how seasoned your shiro powder already is)

Salt to taste (shiro powders vary in the amount of added salt, I find I usually have to add about 1.5 tsp to most)

Thinly sliced raw garlic slivers and jalepenos as a topping (optional)

Injera 

Put onions in a food processor and pulse until they are a really finely chopped and just beginning to release some water--but not a total slurry. This is probably about 15 pulses. Make sure you scrape down the edges with a rubber spatula every few pulses.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat and transfer the onion to the dry, heated pan. Dry cook the onions until all the excess moisture has cooked off and they're slightly golden-brown, about 10-20 minutes, stiffing frequently. Add oil, shiro, water, tomatoes and stir it all in together. Then add berbere and salt to taste.

Remove from heat and serve with garlic and jalepeno slivers on top of injera!

Walnut-Gorgonzola Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomato Sage Pesto

We had my special ladyfriend's relatives over for dinner a few nights ago and made this little gem. They liked it so much, I thought they were going to move in. I share this recipe so that you too can get on the good side with your in-laws. Served with a Cesar salad, good bread, and excessive volumes of red wine, there's no way you can end the night not a hero.

While you don't need any special equipment, an inexpensive crank-powered pasta roller is a big help. Well worth the investment. A $5 ravioli cutter is also a great investment, but a pizza slicer or even a sharp knife will substitute just fine--you just won't have the fun crimped edges.

Note that this pesto is also really great on pasta in place of traditional basil pesto if you’re looking for something new. And the cheese filling goes really well in lasagna recipes.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

Pesto:

2 cups rehydrated, drained sun dried tomatoes

¾ cup walnuts

1 cup fresh sage leaves, lightly packed

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

1 tsp pepper

½ cup water

½ cup grated high-quality Parmesan Reggiano

Filling:

¾ cup ricotta (part skim is fine)

½ cup grated mozzarella        

2/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola

½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano 

2 eggs

1 cup walnuts

3/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP fresh basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced (optional)

1 TBSP shallot, finely minced (optional)

Dough:

2 large eggs

1 TBSP Water (a bit more if you're at altitude, like me)

Pinch salt

1 3/4 cup white flour

Additional flour for rolling

Combine all pesto ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Add additional salt to adjust flavor and additional water if the consistency to too thick. Transfer to another container and set in refrigerator.

Wash and dry food processor. Add all the filling ingredients, except for basil or parsley and shallot and process until it makes a totally smooth cheesy filling. Stir in the herbs and shallot and set aside.

In large mixing bowl, mix all dough ingredients except flour. Then, as you continue to mix, gradually add flour. You want a cohesive ball that isn't sticky. If you're not there, add water or flour as needed. Remove dough from bowl and roll as thinly as possible on a floured surface without making holes with rolling pin or pasta roller. Thickness of 1/8 inch or less is ideal. If you don’t have a lot of counter space you’ll probably have to break the dough into a few smaller batches for rolling.

Now you’re ready to assemble the raviolis. Cut rolled dough into 4-by-3-inch rectangles (a pizza slicer works great for this, if you’ve got one handy). Brush edges with a little bit of water. Place a heaping tablespoon (or so) of filling in middle. Fold the ravioli over long-ways and tightly pinch it shut with your fingers. The raviolis should close well unless there’s too much filling—adjust ravioli size or filling amount, if necessary. As you set aside the prepared raviolis, note that they’re pretty sticky, so it’s a good idea to set them on a floured surface and, if you stack them, to separate layers with wax paper.

(Note that if you use a pasta roller and have pretty uniform-shaped pasta sheets, it's faster to just take 1 full pasta sheet, put dollops of filling a few inches apart, brush the spaces in between with water, then put another sheet on top, seal each with your fingertips, and cut.)

To cook, boil the raviolis for 5-7 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Note that after cooking, leftover  raviolis will stick together in the fridge, so only cook as many as you need. Any uncooked raviolis will be just fine in the refrigerator for several days (separated with wax paper) until you cook them.

Serve topped with pesto and additional fresh-grated Parmesan! Eat!

Best Damn Garlic Dill Pickles on Earth

Not to brag... but I get loooooots of comments when I share my pickle with other people. They typically wax on about how firm it is. They comment me on how delicious is is. Then they always ask if they can have more. Finally, they tell all their friends about how amazing the experience was.

And now that it's September, it's the perfect time, for you dear reader, to get involved in the love for pickle.

This is actually a preparation I prefer to home canning cucumbers, as it doesn't require any canning equipment, the cukes stay more crisp, and I think the flavor is better. Instead of canning, these pickles are brined at room temperature. While the brine acts to preserve cucumbers, they still must be refrigerated after a few days out and will only stay good for about 7 months in the fridge (after that, they don't go bad, but they start to get a little overly briny).

Also, I recommend you buy a case of 1-quart mason jars with lids (usually about $12). Spare salsa or pasta sauce jars you have sitting around the house will not work.

Finally, I recommend you only use cucumbers fresh from the farmers’ market or out of your own garden. The fresher the cucumbers, the crisper the pickles will be. Pickling cucumbers sold at the stores are usually several days old and will make inferior pickles.

Prep time: 1 cocktail

For each jar of pickles you’ll need:

5 heads fresh dill (not the springs you buy in the little packages in the herb section, but real, nice big heads, found at some gourmet grocers, health food stores and farmer’s markets in late summer)

Fresh pickling cucumbers, available at any farmer’s market or most health food stores

2 cloves garlic, quartered

2-4 hot peppers, halved

20 whole peppercorns 

20 whole mustard seeds 

Brine liquid (enough for 6 jars’ worth or so):

1 1/2 cup white vinegar (only use white vinegar)

1/4 cup salt

3 quarts water

In a large mixing bowl or other container, put the cucumbers in an ice bath. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours. Do not let the ice melt; replenish the ice if it is almost melted. This is an optional step but the ice bath makes the pickles nice and crisp.

To make the brine, combine vinegar, salt and water in a pot. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Once it boils, remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 5-10 minutes but you can also let it cool all the way to room temperature.

In bottom of jar, place 2 dill heads, peppers garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds. Take cucumbers out of fridge. Put as many in each jar as you can without forcing. It’s okay if they’re a bit snug. Any really big cucumbers need to be cut in half lengthwise to allow the brine to penetrate completely. Top with remaining dill head(s). Fill the jar completely up with brining liquid.

Seal and let sit out at room temperature for three days. Gently shake the jars once or twice a day to allow flavors to mingle. You can invert the jars and let them set upside-down for a day or two.

After three days, put pickles in fridge. You can open and begin eating in another week. Stays good in fridge at least three months.

Caribbean Tortellini with Garlic, White Wine, and Fruit

One of my favorite summer dishes! This recipe isn’t recommended with other pastas, like ravioli. And be sure to use just use plain old cheese tortellini… Fancy tortellini with stuff like spinach pasta or sun dried tomato filling will make this dish very weird. 

Prep time: 1 cocktail

1 pound frozen or fresh plain cheese tortellini

1TBSP soy sauce

1 big pinch dried basil and oregano

dash of black pepper and red chili flakes

1/3 cup canola oil

8 cloves garlic

¼ cup white wine

1 big banana, sliced into ½ inch-thick wheels

6 canned pineapple rings, cut into eighths (tiny pizza-shaped wedges), RETAIN JUICE

1 big handful grapes, each grape sliced in half

4-5 green onions, chopped

Prepare tortellini and drain. Set aside.

In small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of the canned pineapple juice, soy sauce, basil, oregano, pepper, red chili flakes. Set aside.

Combine oil and garlic in food processor or blender. Puree well.

Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add garlic oil mixture. Sauté 30-60 seconds, but DON’T let the garlic turn brown. Add wine. Continue to cook for 20 more seconds.

Add soy sauce/spice/juice mixture.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Now add all the fruit and tortellini. Stir everything frequently until the whole thing comes back up to a boil (about 60-90 seconds). Don’t overcook or else fruit will disintegrate. Stir in onions, remove from heat and serve.

Goat Cheese, Corn, and Sweet Potato-Stuffed Crepes (with Homemade Mole)

After living in Africa for two years, I can objectively say that this recipe kicks more ass than an abusive Ethiopian donkey owner. And I should know. Eat this now and eat it often.

For this recipe, you’ll need a quarter to a half batch of my (or your own) homemade mole recipe.

Prep time: 2 cocktails.

Batter:

3 large eggs
1.5 cup whole milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 c white flour
1/2 cup masa harina
3 TBSP melted butter

Combine all in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk very well by hand or with mixer.

Filling:

¼ cup corn or canola oil, divided

1 Anaheim pepper or 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fairly small

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen corn (don’t even think of using canned!)

6 ounces goat cheese (chevre), crumbled

Topping:

Homemade mole, served warm

Bake the sweet potato in the oven or microwave until it's just soft when poked deeply with a fork (everybody loves a good deep poking, right?). Be very careful not to overcook it. When it cools a bit, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat 2 TBSP of the oil in a small frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and sauté until the edges become just a bit crisp, about 4 minutes. Add pepper and continue to sauté until peppers become just a tad softened, about 5-6 more minute. Add corn and remove from heat.

Once mixture has cooled enough so it won’t melt the goat cheese, stir it in as well.

To prepare the crepes, heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon or two of oil and ladle about ¼ cup of batter into the pan in a spiral motion. Now lift the pan and rotate it in the air to further spread out the batter. Remember crepes should be quite thin. Next, place about 3 TBSP of filling in one half of the crepe and once the bottom has just barely begun to cook to firmness, fold the unstuffed half over the filling to create a calzone-shaped crepe. If your timing is correct, the bottom of the crepe should be cooked almost to perfection, but the top will still be moist and will fuse to completely enclose the filling. Continue cooking another minute or so, then gently flip and cook a few more seconds until each side has just a kiss of golden color, but is still moist.

Remove from heat and place on a plate. If you’re making more than a few, I recommend turning your oven up to 150 and placing prepared crepes in there to keep them warm. Add another teaspoon or two of oil before preparing each additional crepe.

Once all your crepes are done, ladle some of the warm mole over the top. Delicious!

Faux Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

This sandwich is great hot or cold, in summer or winter and whether you’re looking to eat light or if you have the appetite of a linebacker. For a less exotic (but still pretty delicious) recipe, you can omit the fruit altogether and substitute a couple slices of jack cheese and use blue cheese dressing instead of lime-poppy seed dressing. 

Recipe makes 6-8 sandwiches

Prep time: 1 cocktail

6 TBSP olive or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings or half rings

1-2 bell peppers, sliced into thin strips (color doesn’t matter)

2 8-ounce packages seitan, unflavored/traditional, rinsed and patted dry

10 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup jerk paste (or to taste) (click here for recipe)

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp cayenne (or more to taste), optional

¼ cup plain, full-fat yogurt

Hoagie or Kaiser bread

2 mango, peeled and cut into silver-dollar-sized hunks or strips (or chunks of pineapple)

A batch of ime-poppy seed dressing (click here for recipe)

Add half the oil to pan on medium high heat. As the oil warms up, break the seitan into bite-size chunks, if necessary. Toss in the seitan in the hot pan and saute until the outside gets a bit browned and crispy on the edges, about 6 minutes. Then, transfer to some paper towels and pat excess oil off. Let cool. 

While seitan cooks (or while it cools), heat the remaining oil in another frying pan. Add onion and bell pepper. Sauté until onion becomes translucent and pepper softens, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 3 minutes. Add jerk, soy sauce, and cayenne. Sauté another couple minutes. Stir in yogurt and simmer another minute. Remove from heat and stir in seitan.

Salt seitan/veggie mixture to taste. If you’re having the sandwich hot, lightly toast the bun or bread. Make sandwiches with a heap of the veggie/seitan mixture, a few pieces of mango, and a healthy drizzle of lime poppy seed sauce.