Chocolate walnut pancakes

When Aunt Ramona made me pancakes--the way they make 'em in South Carolina, darlin!--I came to understand that the humble pancake need not be so shy: it can puff itself a mile into the air and take its place with any biscuit. In fact, that's exactly what a southern pancake should be: a giant, soft, mildly sweet, griddle-fried biscuit.

Alas, the art of making this happen was lost on me. Finally, today, this recipe showed me that the trick is to use a startling amount of baking powder. I think they might be going a bit overboard with 3 1/2 tsp., but maybe I'm wrong--who knows?

I have decided that I like the earthy flavor of whole wheat flour in pancakes, especially when they're filled with nuts, as I have done below.

UPDATE 4/18/2008: In an effort to use up all my chametz prior to passover, I made a lot of pancakes. I observed the following things:

• No, it isn't crazy to use 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder. Your pancakes are just going to be huge.
• Pancake batter is best if used immediately, but keeps 2-3 days after preparation as long as you have added no significant acid sources, such as fresh berries. After adding berries, use batter immediately.
• Leftover batter does not rise as much.
• It takes awhile for the pan to reach full heat. When in doubt, start with one small pancake.
• The pancakes are ready to flip when the batter is bubbling on the top.
  
• I highly recommend adding vanilla to every batch.
• 
  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 medium egg, beaten
  
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
  
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate (60% cocao recommended)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the milk, egg and butter and mix thoroughly until smooth.
3. Add the walnuts and chocolate and mix until even.
4. Heat a small, non-stick skillet (not much bigger than the pancakes you want) to medium-high heat. Put a plate next to the stove.
5. Using a tablespoon, put 2-3 gobs of batter into the skillet.
6. Cook for about 45 seconds per side, then remove to the plate. Try making a couple small pancakes first to get the heat and the duration right.

Serve immediately.

Dear Abby's Famous Pecan Pie

This is a delicious pecan pie. Everyone loves it. It was in Abigail Van Buren's column a long time ago, and I saved it. It was so hard to find it today, that I am glad to save it in this blog. Milton Borenstein loved this pie.

You will need:

9-inch unbaked pie crust

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted ( I use unsalted, she probably did not...)
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaping cup of pecan halves ( Halves look pretty )

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla; mix well. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust; sprinkle with pecan halves.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is set. ( Toothpick or knife inserted in center will come out clean when pie is done.) Cool.
• If crust or pie appears to be getting brown while cooking, cover that section with foil for the remaining baking time.
• You can top it with a bit of whipped cream, but even plain, nothing tops this!
• Serves 8-10
• TIP:The original recipe stated that the pie should be baked 45-50 minut4es in a preheated 350 degree GAS oven. If an electric oven is used, it may be necessary to add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time. ( Begin testing the pie with a toothpick after 45 minutes.)
  

Tuna Puttanesca

Easy, fast, cheap. Vaguely charming. Far be it from me, of course, to make a joke about puttanesca sauce being aptly named. (I'm too classy for that.) But once you realize how easy this is, you'll feel bad about having paid $18 for it at some fancy place in the North End.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (3 oz.) tomato paste
• 2 oz. anchovy paste (or 1 tin flat anchovy fillets)
• 2 oz. capers
• 6 oz. kalamata olives (without pits if possible)
  
• 3 cans chunk white tuna
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. crushed garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. linguini, cooked al dente
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the anchovy paste or anchovy fillets. If fillets are used, crush them with the back of a wooden spoon as they sauté.
3. Add in the garlic. Let the garlic and anchovies sauté for just a minute (they cook fast).
4. Add in the tomato paste, blending with a spatula. Allow to cook for a minute.
5. Mix in tunafish and red pepper; let cook another minute or two.
6. Add everything else; reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over pasta with grated parmesan.

PAIRINGS: Use a spicy wine with high tannins. A sufficiently ripe Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal. (Caution: unripe Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like the runoff from a Tabasco Sauce factory.)

Braised Rabbit in Wine Sauce

This dish makes me think of Spain: specifically, of Hemingway's elaborate descriptions of Spanish country food in For Whom The Bell Tolls. Maybe that's just me.

Anyways, I started with this hasenpfeffer recipe, sticking to it pretty closely, except with about twice the herbs and aromatics. It was delicious--seven people ate six pounds of rabbit, and no one saved room for dessert--but it was too tough, and I don't think the recipe did enough to tender up the meat.

So I've incorporated some steps from this coq au vin recipe, which uses the wine to soften the fibers of the meat overnight before braising. I have not yet tried it this way; expect updates.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5-6 lbs rabbit meat, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups flour, divided use
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
  
• 1 lb bacon, diced
• 2 medium Spanish onions (about 1 1/2 cups), finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
• 3 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place 1 cup of flour and the kosher salt into a zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of rabbit in this mixture and set aside.
   
2. In a deep metal skillet, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until evenly browned, stirring often. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
3. Fry the rabbit pieces, browning them on each side, and then remove them to a covered casserole or dutch oven.
   
4. Sauté the onions and garlic over in what's left of the grease, adding a little butter or oil if needed. (It's OK if the pan's pretty gunked up at this point.)
5. Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a plastic or wooden spatula. The cooked-on drippings should yield to your spatula as if by magic. (This is called deglazing the pot.)
   
6. Pour this into a bowl and combine with the rest of the wine, bacon, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
7. Pour liquid over the tabbit, cover and refrigerate overnight.
8. The next day, preheat the oven to 325.
9. Cook the rabbit in the dutch oven for about 2 hours, maintaining a very gentle simmer. You want the lowest heat you can get while still having the liquid bubble slightly.
10. Transfer the rabbit to a serving plate and cover it with foil to keep warm. Meanwhile, transfer the liquid to a saucepan.
11. Remove about a cup of the liquid and combine with 1/2 cup flour. Bring the rest of the liquid to a simmer and whisk in flour mixture gradually to avoid lumps.
    
12. Simmer the gravy for a few minutes, then transfer to a gravy bowl.

Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

PAIRINGS: Rabbit has an intense, almost spicy gaminess, so a robust red wine such as Pinot Noir is the obvious choice.

Fauxlenta

I eat a lot of Cream of Wheat during the winter, but sweet Cream of Wheat gets kind of boring about two weeks after the snow starts to fall. But I don't really feel like making pancakes or hashed potatoes or steak and eggs at 6:30am.

So I took a cue from southern cooking and adapted an old grits trick to my favorite hot cereal. A pie made on Monday should last a good ways into the workweek, and you can heat it in the microwave. Prepare a Latin-American coffee in your French Press and suddenly being awake doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Based on this recipe and on a pie my mom used to make when I was a kid.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Cream of Wheat or grits
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup milk (or substitute both milk and water for chicken broth)
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 bundle of scallions, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
  
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Irish Cheddar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  
• Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking pan with cooking spray or butter it to prevent sticking.
   
2. Bring the water and milk to a boil in a nonstick saucepan. Gradually stir in the cream of wheat and keep stirring until thick.
3. Remove from heat. Gradually add in all remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking pan, using a spatula to get it all out of the pot. (Suggestion: immediately rinse out the pot or it will be impossible to clean later.)
5. Bake the grits for 45 minutes or until set.

Refrigerate. To serve, you have a couple of options: cut 1/2 slices and sauté with an egg or two (thus impersonating polenta), or just heat it up in the microwave for 60 seconds on high.

Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

I am still tweaking this recipe to get it where I want it to be, but it's already pretty good. Feedback is certainly welcome as I attempt to create a zingy, spicy, German-style potato salad. The intense, warm zest of the whole-grain mustard is the dominant flavor, with the brown mustard mainly serving to coat the potato pieces, so that no part of the salad is left untouched by the mustard.

Note that whole-grain mustard (with the mustardseeds intact) requires much more volume for the same amount of flavor and coverage. If you're using anything else, make much less dressing.

If prepared without bacon, this dish can be kosher parve. (For those at my family hannukah party now reading this--don't worry, the version I served was parve!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. bacon --OR-- 3 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 3-4 lbs. red potatoes
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup whole-grain mustard
  
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Goulden's)
• 1 tbsp. ground mustardseed
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
  
• 1 tbsp. freshly grated horseradish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil enough water to cover potatoes. Add potatoes to boiling water and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, if you are using bacon, cook the bacon in a griddle until somewhat crispy. Set aside, reserving the grease.
3. Once the potatoes are done cooking, cut them into 3/4" cubes.
4. Combine mustards, horseradish, vinegar and oil or grease in a bowl and combine well. Do not puree.
   
5. Put potatoes in a bowl. Crumble the bacon onto the potatoes, along with half the dill. Add the onions and dressing and gently combine.
6. Garnish with remaining dill.
   

Serve warm.

Sour cranberry applesauce

I think this tart applesauce is absolutely delicious. It's also very easy and you can use old apples for it. I'm planning on serving it with sweet potato latkes and sour cream. A variation I'd like to try is to use fresh rhubarb in addition to, or in place of, the cranberries. If you do that, compensate with extra lemon juice; rhubarb, though tart, is not as sour as cranberries.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 lbs. apples, peeled and cored (firm, crunchy apples like Granny Smith and Golden Delicious are good)
• 12 oz. package fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. whole allspice (or 1/2 tsp. ground)
  
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• Granulated sugar to taste (I used about half a cup)

RECIPE:

1. Cut the apples into quarters. Combine all ingredients except white sugar in a pot.
2. Heat until water is boiling, then reduce heat to a simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.
3. Mash with a potato masher, then begin adding granulated sugar and tasting until you've reached the desired level of sweetness. (Warning: this is going to be REALLY SOUR before you start adding the granulated sugar!)

Potato Latkes ( Recipe by Marlene Sorosky)

For 24 pancakes:

( 1 Vitamin C tablet )
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes ( about 4 large potatoes)
1/2 onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tb flour or matzoh meal

Vegetable Oil

Directions:

• Place vitamin C tablet in a small bowl with 2 Tb water to dissolve. ( this step is optional... Peel the potatoes, and keep in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to shred them. ) Shred potatoes, using shredding blade of food processor, or by hand; place in a bowl. Stir in dissolved vitamin C.
• Shred or finely chop onion. Add to potatoes.
• Add eggs, salt , baking powder, and flour or matzoh meal; mix well.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil over moderately high heat. Using a slotted spoon, place about 2 Tb of batter into hot oil for each pancake. Do not crowd pancakes in pan.
• Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon and fry pancakes until golden on both sides, turning once.
• As you reach the end, squeeze batter lightly to remove excess liquid.
• After frying, remove to paper towels to drain.( Or brown paper bags with a paper towel on top. Pancakes may be kept warm in single layer in a 200 degree oven. May be frozen. Freeze on baking sheets in single layers. When solid, place in container. Bake in single layer on baking sheets at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until crisp and bubbling.

Do not double the recipe, as the last of the raw potato batter gets too starchy and brown when it sits too long.

You can also coarsely grate the potatoes, and let some edges stick up and get more crispy. Or you can grate them, and then if it is too coarse for you, put them into the processor and pulse the blade a few times to more finely process them. It is up to you. Whatever you like!

When you are done, your house will smell like Latkes for a while!!

Love, Mom

RECIPE: JOAN NATHAN

YOU WILL NEED:

10 medium potatoes

2 medium onions

2 large or 3 medium eggs

4 Tb flour, breadcrumbs, or matzoh meal

salt and pepper to taste

veg oil

• Peel the potatoes if the skin is coarse; otherwise, just clean them well. Keep them in cold water until ready to prepare the latkes.
• Starting with the onions, alternately grate some of the onions on the large holes of the grater and some of the potatoes on the smallest holes. This will keep the potato mixture from blackening, probably from the acid in the onions. Press out as much liquid as possible and reserve the starchy sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Return the sediment to the mixture. ( I have done this, and it works well: it is the potato starch, and it has a strange but fun texture. ) Blend potatoes with the eggs, flour, salt, and white pepper.
• Heat 1 " of oil in a frying pan. Drop about 1 Tb of mixture, fry turning once.
• She says the steel blade of a food processor or the grating blade are less painful ways of grating the potatoes and the onions. The blade makes a smooth consistency and the grater a crunchy one.I think if you are doing many, don't grate by hand. Save it for a smaller, special batch. But, you can grate in the food processor, first some potato, and then some onion. It is the same idea.

Mom's Jello Mold

I am only slightly embarrassed to put a Jello mold on this blog. But one of its main functions is to catalog the foods that my family and I care about, so haute cuisine be damned: this Jello mold has been showing up at family functions since my grandmother came up with it long before I was thinking about being born.

Anyways, I think it's pretty and I like it better than cranberry sauce to have with my turkey. It's dark red, it's tangy, it's got texture. It's very 1950s. You can imagine some people getting back from the Catskills and trying to decide what to serve their neighbors for dinner:

"What do you think of liver and onions, Candice?"
"Well, Fred, we served it to the Horowitzes the last time they were here. How about some nice kishkas?"
"Kishkas! But I..."
"'But I' what? Nu? Solomon, you hear your father? Complaining about Kishkas? Tell him--"
"Alright, Candice, Alright. But only if you make that Jello mold with the plums."

So...anyways:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 6oz. packages berry (cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc.) Jello
• 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups seedless tangerines or oranges, cut into pieces
• 2 large golden delicious apples, sliced and diced
• 1 grated orange peel
• 2 (15 oz.) cans whole cranberry sauce
• 1 can purple plums, pitted and chopped
• Non-stick cooking spray

RECIPE:

1. Boil 2 cups of water and put in a large bowl.
2. Dissolve Jello in the water, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
3. Add 2 cups of cold water and grated orange rind.
4. Refrigerate until "jiggly": 30-60 minutes.
5. Break up the cranberry sauce and add the fruit and nuts to the Jello.
   
6. Spray an 8-10 cup mold with cooking spray and pour in the Jello mixture.
7. Refrigerate until the Jello is set.

Solomon, Candice, Fred and the Horowitzes will all be pleased, I'm sure.

Slow-cooked barbecue pot roast

The sauce for this was based on a barbecue sauce recipe from the back of a Grandma's Molasses bottle. While this sauce would be totally inadequate for that purpose, it does taste a lot like some of the zestier Ashkenazi recipes for flanken (boneless short ribs). Coca-Cola (or ginger ale) is the secret ingredient to many of these recipes.

In college, I discovered that a well-marbled shoulder chuck, when slow-cooked, developed the consistency of flanken. So for when you make that banana ketchup, here is an exotic variation on a well-rehearsed Yiddishe soul-food.

(If you don't have any banana ketchup, you can substitute 12 oz. (2 cans) tomato paste, 3/4 cup molasses, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice, some garlic, and a bit of ginger for that part.)

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce--

• 2 cups banana ketchup (see below) or the substitution described above
  
• 3/4 cup Coca-Cola
  
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup coke or ginger ale
  

Pot roast--

• 3-4 lb. shoulder chuck pot roast
• 2 large onions

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients for sauce and set aside.
2. Slice the onions and place at the bottom of a slow cooker.
3. Brown pot roast on all sides and place in slow cooker.
4. Pour sauce over pot roast. Set slow cooker to low and allow to cook overnight (8-10 hours).

Serve with barley.

Banana Ketchup

Real ketchup has very little in common with the highly-processed red stuff you get in the plastic bottle. It also doesn't have to contain any tomatoes at all, although this recipe happens to have a little. Use this banana ketchup anywhere you would have used ordinary ketchup--on meat, eggs, fries, whatever. The banana flavor provides a smooth, gentle balance to the zesty sweetness of the vinegar and spices.

One note: this recipe produces a lot of ketchup. If you double it, you had better be planning on giving some away. (Although you should always give away jars of homemade sauces, preserves and jams: people will think of you whenever they eat it!)

My recipe is based on this one, with some significant modifications. In particular, I thought theirs was far too acerbic, not thick enough, and I strongly disagree that the ketchup should be strained: the good stuff is what was left in the strainer!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large, ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. (=1/2 tbsp.) salt
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• Hot pepper to taste
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop onions in a food processor with the metal blade.
2. To the onions, add bananas, raisins, garlic, tomato paste and vinegar to the chopped onions. Puree until smooth.
3. Transfer the puree to a nonstick saucepan. (Nonstick or you'll be sorry!)
4. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and hot pepper; stir thoroughly.
   
5. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 60 minutes, occasionally stirring and removing the scum from the top.
6. Add the molasses and the spices; let cook for another 30 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
7. Let stand for 10 minutes.
8. Pour into glass jars, and/or set some aside to make barbecue sauce.

Refrigerate. Keeps for 1 month.

Pasta with sweet beef sauce and yogurt sauce

The inspiration for using a cumin-based sweet beef sauce with a yogurt sauce came from the Afghani pumpkin dish, 'kaddo.' (Eventually, I'm going to get around to making that.) The beef sauce is sweet and spicy, while the yogurt sauce is sour and rich, and the interplay is unique and enjoyable. I'm not sure if this dish is for everyone; I'd be interested to get feedback on it before I serve it to a group.

The yogurt sauce is also great on its own with macaroni or tortellini.

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta and beef sauce:

• 1 lb. ground beef or lamb
  
• 1 lb. frozen or fresh okra, cut or whole
• 1 large can (about 1.5 lbs) chick peas, drained and washed
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 lb. penne pasta
  
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
  
• 1 tsp. ground mustard seed
• 2 tbsp. molasses
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Yogurt sauce:

• 1 lb (1/2 carton) non-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup ground Parmesan
  
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 head fresh dill, finely chopped
  
• Lots of fresh black pepper

RECIPE:

1. Cook the pasta and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine all ingredients for yogurt sauce in a bowl and set aside.
   
3. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add onions once very hot; sauté until golden.
4. Add the garlic, beef and spices; sauté the mixture over high heat until meat is browned.
5. Add the okra, garbanzos, vinegar and molasses; sauté another couple of minutes.
6. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
7. Stir in pasta.

Serve the pasta with the yogurt sauce. I usually serve the hot pasta with the cold yogurt sauce, but you may prefer to gently warm the yogurt sauce in a small saucepan. I wouldn't get it too hot, though.

PAIRINGS:

Use a full-bodied red, but make sure that it isn't too acidic. Acidity tends to play poorly off of cumin dishes, especially when they are spicy.

Red Bean and Walnut Salad

Don't be fooled: the only similarity this has with the recipe below is the basic ingredients. Aside from that, it has much more in common with hummus: the flavor, the heartiness, the incredible ease of making it. The walnuts play a similar role to tahini, but of course have a very different flavor. With much more texture than hummus, this is also more of a salad than a dip. Served with an eggplant course, it would also make a good vegan or vegetarian dinner.

(This recipe is based on a similar recipe called "Red Beans with Walnut Sauce" from the Russian cookbook Please to the Table.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dry red beans
• 8 oz. walnuts, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse and cook the beans. You can either do this the conventional way (soak overnight, boil for 2 hours, let sit for an hour) or the lazy way: throw them in a slow cooker with 3 quarts of water and let it cook on low for 8-12 hours. Drain the beans and put in a bowl.
2. Mash the beans slightly, then mix in all other ingredients.

Russian Red Bean and Walnut Soup

This recipe came to me by way of an ex-girlfriend, who (while we were dating) found it in her grandmother's scrapbook and gave it to me. Years went by and I thought I had lost this delicious winter soup, but it surfaced while I was moving into my condo. Thank goodness for that, because it's hearty, well-balanced and great for a cold evening.

If you use vegetable broth, this can be vegetarian and kosher dairy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dried kidney beans
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 quarts broth (I use chicken broth)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
  
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh parsely, minced
• Sour cream or yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse beans thoroughly in cold water, checking for grit or foreign particles.
2. Combine the beans and broth in a soup pot; bring to a boil.
3. Add bay leaf and garlic and simmer, covered, for two hours or until beans are soft.
4. Heat the butter in a skillet. Sauté the onions until soft (but not brown).
5. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture browns.
6. Add some liquid from the soup to the onion mixture and cook for another minute.
7. Pour the onion mixture into the soup.
8. Stir in walnuts, red pepper, parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Simmer uncovered for another 25 minutes, stirring often.
10. Remove bay leaf.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

PAIRINGS:

I suppose this would pair well with a brown ale, but I usually just drink water. That said, I once made a similar stew that played beautifully off Dogfish Head's "Raison D'Être" mahogany ale. Something about the yeasty, sweet ale with the nuts and the red beans...

Chicken Marbella

This is simply my favorite main course to make in the whole world. Period. It is very loosely based on a recipe by the same name from The Silver Palate Cookbook, although I haven't seen the original recipe in three years, so it's probably nothing like it.

Anyways, this is the most delicious thing ever. And it's really easy to make. And it's wonderful left over.

INGREDIENTS

To marinate the chicken (24 hours in advance):

• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 10 oz. dried fruit (prunes and apricots are good)
  
• 8 oz. (1/2 jar) green olives, with juice
• 2 oz. capers, with a little bit of juice (not all of it)
• Garlic, minced (I use about 8 cloves worth)
• 3 tbsp. za'atar or oregano
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 bay leaves
• Dash of lemon juice
• Plenty of fresh black pepper
  

For cooking:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Toasted almond slices (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all the ingredients from the "marinating" section above (that is, everything but the brown sugar, white wine and almonds) in a big container and mix it all up. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Lay out the chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish. Spread the marinade (with the olives, fruit, etc.) evenly over the chicken.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar and almond slices over the chicken.
5. Sprinkle the white wine over the chicken, so it moistens the brown sugar.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes, basting occasionally. You can tell it's done when you poke one of the chicken thighs and the juice that comes out is golden colored.

Serve with white rice. Makes a great leftover.

PAIRINGS:

A more skillful sommelier would probably disagree with me, but I think that this can be done with either a bright, fruity red or a crisp white. The main thing is that you want a wine that's a bit tart, to play off the herbs and the sweetness of the dish. I've also done this with a hefeweizen, but I really think wine is the better choice.

Linguica hash

This zesty hash is about the most welcome sight imaginable on a cold Sunday morning. Plan to have this the day after the beet salad, since the hash is made almost entirely from leftover ingredients for that.

INGREDIENTS:

• (Leftover) boiled potatoes, cubed
  
• Red onion, minced
  
• Cooked linguica, minced
• Just a pinch of flour (to hold it together)
  
• Worcestershire sauce
• Hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot)
  
• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the linguica if it's not already cooked. Cutting it in half and pan-frying it for a few minutes is the easiest way.
   
2. Combine the potatoes, onion, linguica, flour, a bit of oil and the two sauces in a bowl.
3. Pre-heat a skillet until it is SCORCHING hot. Spray with cooking spray or a bit of oil to prevent sticking if necessary.
   
4. Spread out your hash in an even layer across the skillet and let it crisp on the bottom.
   
5. Flip over the pancake and brown the other side briefly.

Obviously, you'll want to eat this with some eggs and good, strong coffee. After that, you should sit around in your pyjamas and read "The Economist" for about five hours.

Beet salad with lentils

There's one thing you can say about the combination of beets and lentils: When you feel the beet, you can't stop the pulse! Pulse, get it? Yeah, didn't think so.

Anyways: this is a very refreshing and filling vegetarian (and vegan!) dish which can happily serve as a main course. The lentils give it a nutty texture and provide a great deal of protein and fiber, and the potatoes provide enough body to make it into a meal. Since potatoes cook faster than beets, you could experiment with cutting up the beets before cooking. (I happen to like the difference.)

My first try at this used dried green peas and new potatoes. I found that both of these lacked sufficient firmness when cooked to make a satisfying salad. So the version I'm putting below contains the substitutions I plan to make for the next time I do it. As always, feedback is welcome.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. loose red beets (about six large beets)
• 1 lb. russet potatoes
• 1 lb. dried green lentils (green holds its shape the best)
• Fresh dill, finely chopped
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your beets and potatoes by peeling them and, if you wish, cutting the beets in half so that they'll be softer by the time the potatoes are done.
   
2. Rinse and drain the lentils, then put into a pot with about 3 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft but not falling apart. Drain excess water and set aside.
   
3. Simultaneously boil the root vegetables, uncovered, in a separate pot; they will take a little less time than the lentils (maybe 25-30 minutes). You'll want to keep these at a rolling boil.
   
4. When the beets and potatoes are soft, cut them into 3/4" cubes.
5. Combine all vegetables with the dill, plenty of balsamic vinegar (more than you'd think--it soaks it right up), some lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, and a bit of salt.

Serve with chopped red onion, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, whatever you like. Or just eat it plain. That's what I did, accompanied by a glass of giovane that I happened to have around. The sweet, floral tones of the immature red really played nicely with the earthy sweetness of the beets and the dry starchiness of the lentils. Lovely!

Chocolate Coconut Pecan pie

This pie is unreasonably delicious, and extremely easy to make. Leave the pie crust frozen until you are ready to use it.

My mother got it from some cookbook and I inherited a xerox of a xerox. Whoever the original author is, my apologies for failing to provide an attribution. (Also, the original author will note that I've changed a couple of things, which of course means they must be improvements.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 medium eggs
• 3/4 cup raw shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whole pecans
• 9" frozen deep-dish pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 350 F. The baking sheet is important! Without it, the inside of your pie won't cook properly.
   
2. Mix sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. You will get a big, sugary blob, which is cool.
   
3. Beat eggs and mix them into the aforementioned blob of sugar.
4. Add coconut, pecans and chocolate.
5. Pour all of this into the frozen pie crust.
   
6. Shove the whole thing in the oven and leave it there for 50 minutes or until the top is brown and the inside is more or less set. (The recipe originally said 40 minutes, but I've found that it takes significantly longer than that.)
7. Remove from oven, cover in foil, let cool slightly. The inside will firm up a bit as the chocolate solidifies.
   
8. Serve warm.
   

Greek lemon-chicken soup (κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονο)

This incredibly delicious, beautiful soup requires a bit of practice to make right. The trick is to put in the eggs when the broth is at a high enough temperature to custardize them, but not so high that they would congeal into little bits of egg in the soup. This recipe is not authentic; "real" avgolemono uses boiled chicken instead of sautéed, much less onion, no mushrooms, and is generally much lighter. I like the additional body that the vegetables provide, making this into a dinner éntree proper.

Serve with a salad of bitter greens and vinaigrette.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 cups chicken broth (preferably fresh)
  
• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
• Olive oil for sautéing
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 yellow onions
• 12 oz. sliced mushrooms
• lemon juice (how much? a lot, in my opinion)
• garlic (ditto)
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt to taste
  
• cooked rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown, but do not cook, the chicken in a bit of olive oil. (i.e., sauté it until the outside turns brown, and then stop.) Set the chicken aside.
2. In your soup pot, begin sautéing the mushrooms over high heat until they soften.
3. Add in the onions and sauté until the onions begin to soften.
4. Add in the garlic and continue to sauté until onion and garlic is golden.
   
5. Add in the chicken and broth; bring to a boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender.
7. While you're waiting, beat the eggs thoroughly with the lemon juice.
8. Once the chicken is cooked, turn down the heat to extremely low. You want the soup to be hot enough to custardize an egg, but not hot enough to fully congeal it.
9. Take a small amount of the broth and slowly add it into the egg mixture, beating vigorously with a whisk. (This helps to equalize the temperatures.)
10. Here's the scary part: beating as fast as you can, slowly add the egg mixture to the soup. (It may be easier to remove the chicken first.) The egg will begin to custardize instantly due to the heat of the soup.
    
11. Stir in black pepper and salt to taste. Serve with the rice immediately.
    

PAIRINGS: Enjoy with an deeply chilled shot of ouzo or sambuca and a cup of hot mint tea.

Split yellow pea soup with okra

I love pea soup. And pea soup loves you, too. Because peas, like lentils, have a ridiculous amount of fiber and protein, and they have a fairly distinctive taste. This is especially nice on cold days. Serve with a dollop of thick yogurt and some spongy bread (like sourdough) and you will be a happy camper. Also delicious over a small grain like quinoa or couscous.

3/22/2008: This recipe also comes out great if you add several carrots, cut into 1" pieces. I also added a tablespoon of molasses. Prepared with broth, the result is an even heartier stew that stands up on its own very impressively for a primarily vegetable-based food.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dry split yellow peas, rinsed
  
• 6 oz. dry-smoked bacon, chopped
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 lb frozen cut okra
  
• 6 cups chicken broth or water
• a dash of lemon juice or cider vinegar
  
• chopped garlic to taste
  
• a dash of applesauce, apple cider or chopped apple (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium-sized soup pot, cook the bacon over high heat until the fat begins to melt, stirring with a spatula to prevent burning.
   
2. Add the chopped onion and sautee with the bacon until it begins to soften.
3. Add the okra and the garlic and them to soften as well, stirring often.
   
4. Add in your peas and mix in with the vegetable-bacon mixture, allowing them to cook together dry for a minute or two while stirring vigorously with a spatula to prevent burning.
5. Add the broth and all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook covered for 30-40 minutes or until peas are soft.
7. (Optional) use an immersion blender to pulverize a little bit of the soup. (Don't overdo this: most of the contents should still be intact.)

This soup is great as a leftover; just heat it up and you're good to go.

PAIRINGS:

Serve with full-bodied red wine, brown ale or cider (hard or soft).