Mashed Potatoes with Leek and Dill

About 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 leek, cleaned and diced
1/3 cup light cream or half & half
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried dill weed

Place potatoes and leek in a pot and cover them with cold water.  Place on stove and bring to a boil.  Add about a teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer.  Cook until just tender to a sharp knife.  Drain potatoes.  Add the cream, butter and dill and mash the potatoes to your liking.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Cook's Note:  You can also do the same thing with sweet potatoes for a fantastic, unique dish.

Deconstructed Malaysian Fish Curry

Recently I met an old friend in Singapore who now lives in Malaysia.  He kindly greeted me with a handful of Malaysian curry pastes, which I subsequently reveled in, Stateside.  After a while, I was getting the sense that many of the curries I was making began to look and feel similar.  So on a whim, I decided once to keep everything separate and found the individual flavors and textures of the dish were heightened, even with a generous slathering of the spicy curry paste, prepared as a sauce.
2 large tilapia fillets, cut in half; enough for 4 portions

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup Malaysian fish curry paste
1 cup chicken broth or water

2 cups green beans
1 orange pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1/4 head cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

In a small sauce pan, sauté the onion in a little canola oil, for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and bring the heat up to high.  Cook the veggies for another 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes release their liquid and begin to caramelize.  Add the curry paste and the broth and stir well.  Reduce to a low simmer.

Meanwhile, sauté the green beans, peppers, cabbage, pepper flakes and cumin seeds in a large skillet, in a bit of canola oil (I also ad a pad of butter for flavor). Cook only until just crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes.

While to veggies are cooking, heat a tablespoon each of canola oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add the tilapia and brown the first side for about 3-5 minutes.  Carefully flip the fish and cook the other side through for another 3-5 minutes.

Plate the fish and vegetables, ideally next to a bit of rice.  Spoon some curry sauce on top of the fish. Garnish with lime slices.

Serves 4.

Singapore River

Gratin of Onion and Cabbage

A buttery, bread-crumberly, cheesy baked anything would be good.  As Mark Bittman would say - shoe leather would taste good this way.   I love gratins.

Don't let cabbage fool you - and don't let others fool you about cabbage.  There's a reason it is a vegetable that has lasted the tests of time...  Saute it briefly, to lighten it, but not to expose those nasty sulfurous compounds (sorry - the chemist comes out in me), and you will have a sweet, but toothy-crunchy vegetable full of fiber and nutrition.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 large cabbage, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
dash salt (about 1/4 tsp) and freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg - or equivalent, freshly minced
1 cup grated cheese (mix of Stilton and Canadian Cheddar - or your choice)
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F.  Heat oil and butter in a large skillet, and sauté the cabbage, onion, carrot and garlic over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the veggies soften and begin to sweeten. 

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, half and half, red pepper, salt and nutmeg. Stir in the veggies and then the grated cheese.  Tip veggie mixture into an oiled 1-1/2 quart casserole, and spread out evenly.  In a small bowl, toss together the Parmesan, bread crumbs and oil.  Top the veggies with the crumb mixture.  Bake about 30 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Beef Barley Stew

1/4 lb apple-smoked bacon, diced
2 lb chuck beef stew, cut into 2/1-inch pieces
1/3 cup barely
10 oz fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 lb pkg frozen pearl onions, defrosted
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
2 cups very small baby carrots
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
1 cup red wine

Preheat oven to 375F.  Heat a bit of canola oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the bacon and remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl when cooked.  Brown the beef in the Dutch oven, in at least two batches, so you don't crowd the beef in the pot.  Set the beef aside in the bowl with the bacon after it is browned.  Next, toss the pearl onions into the Dutch oven and allow them to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the parsnips and carrots to the onions and cook another 8-10 minutes, to soften and sweeten a bit. Add the garlic and rosemary and allow to cook another minute or two.

 

While the veggies are cooking, sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet over high heat in a bit of olive oil. Allow them to release their liquid, and to brown a bit, about 10 minutes.

Now add the wines to the veggies and bring to a boil.  Add the meat, mushrooms and barley to the Dutch oven.  Add a bit of water if necessary, to just about cover the beef stew. Season with salt and pepper and return to a boil.  Stir the stew, cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven.  Cook an hour.  Check the stew and add a bit of water if necessary.  Stir the stew, re-cover and cook another hour in the oven.  Check the stew again; the beef should be very soft and split apart with a fork.  If not, cook another 30 minutes or so.

Serves 6.

Pollan-Moss Chick Pea Soup with Chorizo and Fresh Tomato

I recently read an article in the New York Times by food authorities  Michael Pollan and Michael Moss, who shopped in NYC and then cooked lunch together.  Pollan's dish was a simple chick pea soup, which inspired me for a quick weeknight meal.  I jazzed it up with chorizo and fresh tomato and thyme, but kept the essence of fresh lemon juice before serving, as per the original dish.  He served it with Moss' pizza, but we just served it with crusty bread, for a wholesome meal. I will serve this to our daughter who loves chick peas, upon her return from Spain, as she will miss the wonderful spiced sausages for sure.

1 medium onion, or 2 shallots, sliced

1 cup chopped carrots
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
 2 Tbsp chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dried
2 cans chick peas, drained
2 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
6 oz. chorizo (meat or veggie), crumbled
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 large ripe tomato, diced

Heat a tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot and sauté the carrots, onion, chive and jalapeño pepper. Let veggies caramelize over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.  Add the thyme and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and the broth and bring to a boil.  Stir, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes, until the chick peas are nice and tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet and brown the chorizo slowly over medium heat.  Set aside when browned. When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice into the soup and remove from the heat.

 

Now assemble the soup.  Ladle some of the chickpea mixture into four wide shallow bowls.  Sprinkle the chorizo about the bowls of soup, to taste.  Top the soup with the fresh tomato and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: A major success factor of this soup is the broth you use.  There are lots of great broths these days you can buy, both meat based and vegetable based. But I still try to keep homemade stocks frozen for soups like this, and here I used my own chicken broth that I had frozen.  So you see I am an omnivore like Pollan, but you could also use a mushroom or vegetable broth as well.

I'm always searching for good vegetarian protein, so I love tofu (fresh, smoked, pressed) and I try all kinds of veggie burgers, sausages, etc.  Here, I used vegetarian chorizo (Trader Joe's), which we find delicious.  I'm not claiming its the same as fresh chorizo sausage, but is a nice vegetarian alternative. I say that because many 'fake meats' in my opinion really are not great - you have to be careful and search out good ones. It may take some experimentation.  I think Michael Pollen would weigh in that if it does not look like food, don't eat it.  But does real chorizo look any more like food than vegetarian chorizo?! Both are processed, but which is better?  You choose.

To honor Michael Pollen's simplicity, and thank him for the inspiration, I left the chorizo out in the serving below, which was absolutely light and delicious.

Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas

It's Cinco de Mayo, so enjoy Mexican fare.  Enchiladas Suizas are enchiladas with a creamy, cheesy sauce.  Apparently derived from Swiss emigrants to Mexico, who produced dairy, Enchiladas Suizas are commonly filled with chicken.  But fish and seafood are increasingly popular in tacos and enchiladas, so I used shrimp here.

4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 lb large shrimp, peeled
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Spanish Pimenton, smoked paprika
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, inched
1/2 lb pepper jack cheese, grated
Palmful cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime quartered

Enchilada Suizas sauce:
1 cup salsa verde
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup light cream or half and half
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet.  Toss in the red and yellow peppers and the onion.  sate over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes.  Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce my mixing the salsa, broth and cream in a small saucepan.  Bring just to a boil, whisking from time to time.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and whisk into the boiling liquid.  Cook until thickened.  Remove from heat and cover.

Dry the shrimp by patting with a pepper towel.  Toss the shrimp with the chili powder and paprika in a bowl.  Heat a bit of canola oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Toss in the shrimp and shake gently to distribute the shrimp.  Allow shrimp to sizzle for about a minute, until the first side is browned.  Using tongs, flip shrimp and cook for another minute or two on the other side.  The total cooking time should be about 3-4 minutes for the shrimp.

Now heat your broiler.  Assemble your enchiladas by dividing the veggie mixture and shrimp evenly, one one half of each of the four tortillas.  Roll the enchiladas and place in a 13x9 casserole.  Spread cheese on top of enchiladas and broil for about 2-3 minutes, to melt the cheese.  Take care to let the cheese bubble and slightly brown but not to burn.  Top with the enchilada sauce and plate each enchilada.  Top enchiladas with chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Serves four.

 Cook's Note:  While corn tortillas are common for enchiladas, I really like soft flour tortillas, especially flavored with peppers.  So here I used Trader Joe's Habanero-Lime flour torillas.  But you can certainly use corn tortillas.  You can also enrich the creaminess of the sauce by adding a few tablespoons of sour cream if you like.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant

Roast some red peppers; they are sweet and delicious. Go ahead and char 'em, burn 'em, sear 'em.  Its fun with flames - what guy wouldn't love it? You can use a gas stove (my favorite) or a gas grill (my second favorite) or an oven and broiler (last ditch effort if gas not available). I used red and yellow peppers here. I wouldn't use green, as they have a decidedly different taste than red, yellow and orange peppers.

And they're good for you - full of carotenoids and antioxidants.  Too bad most of the vitamin C is probably degraded with roasting.  Oh well, such a rich flavor roasting imparts...  Fresh thyme is really a great pairing for roasted red peppers - seek it out if not in your garden - its worth it.

1/2 lb large pasta such as Rigatoni

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 large jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup roasted pepper sauce (see Cook's Note)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 tsp dried
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Heat a gas grill.  Place the red, yellow and jalapeño peppers on the grill.  The plan is to blacken their skins. So allow them to roast, turning them every 3-4 minutes or so, until they blacken evenly.  Meanwhile spray or brush the eggplants with a bit of olive oil. Place eggplant slices on another section of the grill and allow them to brown slightly, about 3-5 minutes.  Turn them 90-degrees to get criss-cross grill marks.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Flip the eggplants and cook them on the other side in the same fashion, until the slices are nicely browned and cooked through.  Remove eggplant to a platter.  The pepper should require at least twice as long to blacken.

When the peppers are well roasted, place them in a paper bag and fold it closed, or in a bowl sealed with plastic wrap.  Allow the peppers to steam for about 5 minutes, and then remove them when they are cool enough to handle, and gently pull the blackened skin off of them.  Seed and slice the peppers.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.  Cook the pasta until al dente.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and return into pot.  Add the pepper sauce, stir together, and then add 3/4 of the peppers and the eggplant.  Gently fold the veggies and pasta together.  Tip pasta into a serving dish.  Top pasta with remaining pepper and eggplant, and then the thyme and the grated cheese. Serve with extra virgin olive oil on the side, and some crusty bread.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: Fast Weeknight dish - to save a whole lot of time, you can use a 12-oz jar or fire roasted red and yellow peppers, instead of roasting your own peppers.  Add a dash of red pepper flakes, or some jarred jalapeño to add the heat. There are a lot of sauces which would work well here, the idea being to emphasize the peppers with a pepper-based sauce like Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic, or Romesco Sauce (9-26-12), or Yellow Pepper Pistachio Pesto (1-29-13).  But any nice pesto would work.

Falafel

1 cup dried Toor Dahl (split chick peas)
1 leek, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño or Seranno pepper, cubed
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda

About 2 cups canola oil

Soak the beans in water for t least 4-6 hours.  Drain.  Place the beans, leek and carrot into a large food processor.  Pulse several times to start grinding the ingredients and mix together.  Add the jalapeño, garlic and cilantro and continue pulsing until you just achieve an even, but coarse and a bit crumbly meal, something like a couscous or a tabouleh salad.  Don't over process to form a paste.  Turn out to a mixing bowl and stir in the flour and baking soda.  Add a bit more flour if you need, to make a dough that will stick together when pressed in your hand.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Form about 16 small patties about 1/2-inch thick.  Heat oil in a deep skillet or shallow, wide pot (at least 6-inches in diameter).  test oil temperature with a tiny bit of falafel, which should dance and sizzle actively.  This should be about 350F.  Fry 3-4 falafel patties at a time - don't crowd or the oil temperature will plummet too much and make the falafel oily instead of very crispy.  Flip after about 2-3 minutes, and cook about another 2-2 minutes on the second side.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.

Serve on top of a tabouleh salad, or inside halved pita breads, with diced cucumber, red onion and petite cournichon pickles.  Serve with a tahini sauce - or my favorite - a Moroccan chili yogurt sauce.

Makes 16 falafel, enough to serve 4-5.

Marrakesh Express Dilly Chili Sauce

1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Harissa, Moroccan red chili paste
1/2 tsp Ras el Hanout, Moroccan curry powder
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced (or 1 tsp dried)

Whisk all ingredients together.  Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld together.  Makes about 1/2 cup sauce.

Confetti Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

1/3 cup bulgur
1/4 cup white quinoa
1/4 red quinoa
1 cup water
1 fresh ripe tomato
1 cup parsley leaves, minced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/4 red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1-2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar, as necessary
Zest of 1 lemon

Soak the bulgur in a bowl of water, completely covering the bulgur.   Rinse the quinoa and drain well in a fine mesh strainer.  Add to the water in a small pot and bring to a boil.  Add a dash of salt, stir, reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.  When the quinoa is cooked, gently fluff with a fork and turn into a wide bowl to cool off.  Drain the bulgur thoroughly and stir into the quinoa.

Finely dice the tomato, and drain the seeds away a bit.  Add the tomato and all remaining ingredients except the zest, into the bowl with the quinoa.  Fold gently to mix thoroughly.  Top with the lemon zest.

Makes a large bowl, about 4 cups.