This is a Somali spice mix used in a ton of different dishes.
2 TBSP black peppercorns
1/2 cup whole cumin seed
1/2 cup whole corriander seeds
8 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 tsp ground turmeric
Unapologetically Flavorful Food From Around the Globe
This is a Somali spice mix used in a ton of different dishes.
This is an adapted version of Somali beef stew, bariis maraq, but I use chickpeas instead of beef. But if you want something a little more meaty, I recommend using 1 pound of seitan that is chopped into steak-like strips or pieces, sautéed until a tad browned, then added to the stew 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking.
Prep time: 2 cocktails
Heat a dry large medium to large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add onions and dry-saute for 5-8 minutes, until the onion have become a little translucent and soft and might stick just a tiny bit to the bottom of the pan.
Increase heat to medium-high, add oil, stir well and then stir in garlic. Saute garlic 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add spice mixture and stir frequently for 1 more minute.
Add potatoes, tomato paste, celery stalks, garbanzos, carrots/bell pepper (if using), and stock. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are fully cooked, about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once cooked, remove lid, discard celery, and cook until desired consistency is reached (should be a nice thick stew that can be served over rice). If too thick, add a little water or stock. Adjust salt and seasoning. Finish with a few squeezes of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves, as well as fried banana, if eating.
This is a bit of a labor of love that I've been working on for a while now. While I normally avoid vegetarian facsimiles of meaty meals, this is an exception. Even as a vegetarian for decades, I still occasionally miss the smoky goodness of a pulled pork sandwich or the tangy richness of a brisket slow cooked all night then finished with homemade bbq sauce. Developing a good, realistic-tasting BBQ sandwich has been on my to-do list for a long time. So long, in fact, that I 'test kitchened' this recipe extensively the last few months, making literally dozens of different variations, until I landed on this, the ideal vegetarian bbq sandwich. It is smoky, tangy, rich, satisfying.
You can also probably use smoked seitan or smoked jackfruit instead of tofu, though I haven't developed a recipe for either of these yet.
Note that I also use homemade BBQ sauce for this. Just about every store-bought sauce is too sugary and without adequate vinegary bite to make this recipe work. So I don't recommend you use any store-bought BBQ sauce.
Finally, you'll need some way to smoke some of your ingredients. You can obviously use a standalone outdoor smoker. I actually use an indoor smoker: the Nordic Ware kettle smoker. Don't own a smoker? NO PROBLEM! The internet is loaded with different ways to make your own homemade version. Most of these require little more than a Dutch oven with a heavy lid, some aluminum foil, a steamer basket or strainer, and smoker wood chips (available online or at any gourmet store or retailer that sells grilling supplies). It's easy to make either an outdoor version or a stovetop version for smoking inside.
This makes about 6 'brisket' sandwiches.
Prep time: 3 cocktails
Have you ever noticed that Impossible and Beyond imitation ground beef smells like goddamn catfood when you open it? And while both fake meats taste a lot more like burgers compared with the fake meat product of yesteryear, they still aren't marvelous. This is my quick hack to make those products taste (and smell) a lot better!
You can also get creative with this. In addition to what's below, I sometimes add dried mushroom powder or fresh mushroom pieces, very finely minced onion, fresh herbs, or spices. Just try to remember that you're just doctoring the meat, not making meatloaf, so no need to overdo it!
Mix all ingredients well with your hands and then form into patties and cook in your normal manner.
Great for anytime you need a quick dip, sandwich addition, or spread! I like the big, salty flavor of a Kalamata for this if it is for a dip. But a tapenade with more delicate and mild olives is great for topping fish, chicken, or grilled vegetables (where I might add some garlic as well). You can also experiment both the ratios below and with other ingredients as well. This is a great base recipe!
Prep time: 1/4 cocktail
You can lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan if you would like, as this brings out their full flavor. But this is an optional step.
Combine everything EXCEPT capers, shallots, pine nuts, and pepper in food processor. Pulse the mixture until you reach the desired consistency (finely broken down but not all the way into a paste).
Transfer olive mixture to a bowl and stir in capers, shallots, pine nuts, and pepper.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
(Sometimes the ingredients will release liquid and it'll pool a little if the tapenade stands fro a few minutes. You can add a couple pinches of bread crumbs to absorb excess liquid. Just don't add so much bread crumbs that you change the flavor or texture of the final product.)
I recently gave up booze but I still like to imbibe occasionally and reefer has become my new go-to intoxicant. But moving from alcohol to the Devil's Lettuce has meant that I now develop nearly insatiable munchees on occasion. I had been stuffing my gullet with cookies and other processed snacks, but that's a 1-way ticket to hypertension. So I decided to start making spiced nuts for when I inhale a little jazz cabbage. This is a filling--but much healthier--snack. But the problem is that the recipe is too good! I've started eating these nuts at all hours, even when there's no sticky icky in sight. So just be careful. If you eat too much, you too might need to be mindful of your own ballooning waistline. That's just a testament of how good Deez Nutz really are!
The recipes below are two of my favorite spice combos, but you can use anything you want, like ras el hanout or berbere nuts for an African flair, 5-spice for a Chinese twist, or zatar and sumac for a middle eastern flair. I've even used chorizo or schwarma spice combinations that have turned out great!
There are two prep options below. The chili lime recipe calls for oil and the curry recipe calls for egg as ways to bind the seasoning to the nuts. Both are great approaches. The oil approach keeps the texture of the nuts about the same, while the egg whites make the nuts incredibly crunchy. But both methods are interchangeable--it just depends on whether you want your nuts regular or extra crunchy (or vegan v/s non-vegan).
Prep time: Almost instant (except the baking and cooling times)
Chili lime nuts
Preheat oven to 275F in convection mode (if you don't have convection, use 300F and be mindful that you'll need to stir the nuts around a little more often and the baking time may be a little different).
In a mixing bowl, combine the nuts and oil. Nuts like walnuts and pecans have a lot of crevices, so you'll want to add more like 2 TBSP oil to fully get into all the nooks and crannies of these. If you use smoother nuts like cashews or almonds, only 1 TBSP of oil is needed. Mix very, very well (but gently) with a rubber spatula, stirring at least 60 seconds.
Now stir in salt and Tajin. Gently stir super well again with a rubber spatula--at least 60 more seconds.
Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet so that nuts aren't touching, and put in the oven to bake for 25-40 minutes, until the nuts have just turned a slightly darker shade and have a nice roasted flavor--but don't burn them! Remove from oven at least once during cooking and stir well and reset the nuts so that they aren't touching before putting in the oven.
Once cooked, let the pan of nuts cool on the countertop for at least 1-2 hours. Then transfer to an airtight container that has a folded paper towel at the bottom to collect any little bits of oil or moisture.
Curried extra crunchy nuts
Preheat oven to 275F in convection mode (if you don't have convection, use 300F and be mindful that you'll need to stir the nuts around a little more often and the baking time may be a little different).
In a smallish mixing bowl, add the egg white. Whisk the egg white pretty agressively until it goes from transparent to whiteish. Once egg white is nicely whipped, mix in nuts and incorporate egg white very well (but gently) with a rubber spatula, stirring at least 60 seconds. The nuts should look pretty much dry after the egg is fully incorporated.
Now stir in salt, curry, and brown sugar (plus any optional spices). Gently stir super well again with a rubber spatula--at least 60 more seconds.
Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet so that nuts aren't touching, and put in the oven to bake for 25-40 minutes, until the nuts have just turned a slightly darker shade and have a nice roasted flavor--but don't burn them! Remove from oven at least once during cooking and stir well and reset the nuts so that they aren't touching before putting in the oven.
Once cooked, let the pan of nuts cool on the countertop for at least 1-2 hours. Then transfer to an airtight container that has a folded paper towel at the bottom to collect any little bits of oil or moisture.
Once in a while I want to make something that calls for some sort of basic creamy sauce, whether it's for vodka cream sauce, a hearty addition to a gnocchi or baked pasta dish, a white-sauce pizza, my Chicken Montego Bay facsimile, or just a plain cream sauce for a vitisting friend's kid, keeping this on hand in the refrigerator or freezer (or making it real quickly on the spot) always cones in handy. You can also make this vegan with fake butter and Parmesan without losing too much of the great flavor.
Prep time: 1 cocktail (but ideally you can let the flavors meld for a few hours or overnight)
On medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter and then add the garlic, sautéing for about 2 minutes.
Once garlic is fragrant and turning slightly golden, add coconut milk, lemon juice, dijon, nutritional yeast, and salt. Use a whisk to incorporate it all and keep using it, stirring nearly constantly, until the sauce reaches a boil. Reduce to a simmer and keep whisking often.
After reducing to a simmer, you can start adding the parmesan. Add it a few pinches at a time; if you dump it all in at once, it'll make a big glob of a cheese mess. Keep whisking as you slowly add all the cheese. Once it's all incorporated and melted, you can add pepper and nutmeg to taste.
If you want a thicker alfredo, now you can add a little tapioca starch and whisk it in well. But I prefer to let it cook down slightly and then cool before a quick reheat to serve. This gives me the right consistency without tapioca starch. Either approach is fine!
As you finish the sauce, adjust lemon, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and nutritional years to taste. Remove from heat and serve or (ideally) let the flavors meld for a few hours before serving.
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.
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.
So I evidently made this two years ago and just found the recipe in my recipe journal (yes, I'm such a dork that I maintain a recipe journal). So why am I including this long-lost recipe that I don't even recall making? Well in my journal, I marked it with a huge asterisk in sloppy (drunken?) handwriting, "VERY GOOD! Put on website!" Since I'm a rule-follower above all else, I'm making good on my drunken request from a couple years ago by finally adding this recipe to this here blog!
Prep time: 2 cocktails (I guess?)
For the dressing:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with an airtight lid and shake until well-mixed.
Cook farro according to directions (or online instructions) with a few pinches of salt. Let cool.
Cut or snap off woody bottoms to the asparagus and blanch is a large pot of boiling water 2-4 minutes, then strain and plunge immediately into a large ice bath. Once cool, rinse and cut the spears in half.
Build the salad in layers on one large serving platter for maximum visual appeal, starting with the bottom, the layers should be: