(aka “boop” – spelled bób)

m proposed that we make one recipe from one of our many fabulous cookbooks once a week. she says we don’t eat enough good food. by “good” she means gourmet. our first recipe comes from paula wolfert’s mediterranean grains and greens (m is going through a mediterranean cuisine phase). i burned the casserole but we still managed to rescue the dish. unfortunately, the nuances of the spices, harissa, and cumin/coriander got lost in translation. next time…

2.5 TBSP olive oil
2 lbs shoulder lamb chops, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4″ pieces
1 medium onion
1 1/2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP harissa
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
pinch of ground curry spices (cumin, coriander)
salt and pepper
3 lbs fresh unshelled fava beans (or about 3 cups shelled)
2 bunches swiss chard, washed and stemmed
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

• In a 4-qt heavy casserole, combine the oil, lamb, and onion, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until meat turns light brown, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and harissa and stir until they glisten and coat the meat, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, curry spices, salt, and pepper and 3/4 cup water, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, shuck the beans and discard the pods. Peel the favas by dropping into boiling water and cooking for half a minute, then drain. Rinse under cool running water and peel off the skins. Cover with plastic wrap and hold up to one hour.
• Cut the swiss chard as thinly as possible, then cut into 1-inch lengths.
• Add the swiss chard to the casserole and continue cooking 20 minutes. Stir in the favas and parsley and cook 10 minutes longer. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and present decorated with cilantro leaves. Serve at once.

the finished product

• 1 cup dry cannellini beans
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse the beans and put into a medium-sized saucepan. Add 4 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans with cold water. Add all ingredients to food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Makes 20 servings.

i made 30 servings. eee gad, that’s a lot of spread.

curly kale, place on parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, turning once

i could eat pounds of kale this way.

no, not that kind of hash. yesterday, at the last minute (@ 730 in the morning), I decided to make picadillo, a cuban pork hash…with ground turkey instead (because ground turkey is what we have in the icebox + is better for you anyway). since I was running around all day + having my prep time interrupted, it came as a nice surprise that the mise en place was simple and the actual cook time only involved one pot. i was hesitant about the addition of red wine vinegar but turned out well. complex dish with a cinnamon emphasis. could’ve used more pepper + garlic.

serves 6-8 / serve with warm corn tortillas and stewed black beans

2 TBSP canola
1 4″ stick cinnamon
1 large yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 TBSP ground cinnamon, halved
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 cloves garlic
2 lbs ground pork
kosher salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup green pimiento-stuffed olives, halved
1 28ox can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, crushed
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 TBSP red wine vinegar

Heat oil in a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon stick, onions, and peppers; cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add half the ground cinnamon, oregano, cloves, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add port and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it browns, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add raisins, olives, and tomatoes. Cook until liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Stir in remainder of ground cinnamon, almonds, and vinegar.

literally. i got the recipe from gourmet. my one requirement was that the recipe had to ask for fish stock and this one did. i personally wanted an all-seafood gumbo. gourmet bills this gumbo as a “heady, fragrant slurry thick with seafood.” they ain’t lyin’. but, then again, what *doesn’t* taste good when you add a 1/2 lb of bacon and then make a roux using 3/4 cup of fat and 3/4 cup of flour?

i did my own mise en place, cleaned up after myself as i went along, and even managed to snap a few photos of my progress. i cannot be modest: this gumbo was hella good.

left to right – row 1: [1] stirring the roux [2] bacon-y goodness [3] the roux 30 mins later (wb is betraying me here. both were shot with the same wb setting, but digicam has trouble with my 2 competing light sources)

left to right – row 2: [1] onions, sweet italian peppers, celery + roux [2] one of many mise on place (L: thyme, salt, cayenne, bay leaf / R: scallions, parsley [3] #1 but 8 minutes later

left to right – row 3: [1] bubbling nicely (see how well my gas stove simmers my wobbly soup pot?) [2] my signature shishito peppers with hot chili oil (they don’t really go with gumbo but they are fresh from the farmers market) [3] the final product

disclaimer: i don’t even like clam chowder. i’ve probably only eaten it 3 times (and i don’t remember the 1st time). my honey made fish stock from scratch yesterday. it permeated the apartment and m was skeptical but it smelled amazing. it was a beautiful combination of leek, shrimp, fish bones, carrots, celery, and lots of cooking love from m. that’s why no one makes stuff that tastes like hers. this morning, i scooped out 1/3 cup, salted it, microwaved it and *devoured* it. it was so rich and didn’t have any congealed fat.

since the broth garnered my approval, m decided to make clam chowder from scratch. we bought the oysters from our neighborhood fish market, gathered the other ingredients from our neighborhood market, bought a crusty baguette from our neighborhood bakery/cafe, and i wiped both of our bowls clean with 3 pieces of bread. mmmm. mmmm. good. see for yourself:

broth

clams

chowder sans clams

final product

again, my blogging is sadly lacking. i have some great photos of palm springs and of steve and amy’s wedding in cancun. but before i forget, here is how i make tandoori chicken (cook’s illustrated recipe jan/feb 09). just made it yesterday. mmmmm, tasty. best. tandoori. chicken. i’ve. ever. made.

2 TBSP oil
6 9-10 medium garlic cloves
2 TBSP (and a little bit more) grated chopped ginger
1 TBSP (plus 1 tsp) garam masala
2 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 3 tsp chili powder
1 c. plain whole-milk yogurt
4 6 TBSP juice from 3 limes
2 2 1/2 tsp table salt
3 lbs bone-in, skin-on drumsticks, skin removed

1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garam masala, cumin, and chili powder; continue to cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds longer. Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl; stir in yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside.

2. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt. Using sharp knife, lightly score skinned side of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts about 1 inch apart and about 1/8 inch deep; transfer to bowl. Using hands, gently massage salt-spice mixture into chicken until all pieces are evenly coated; let stand at room temperate 30 minutes.

3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer. Arrange chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125 degrees for breasts and 130 for legs and thighs, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken from pieces to plate as they reach correct temperature.)

4. After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes. Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 8 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest 5 minutes.