Broiled lemon-caper chicken

Zesty, lean, and simplicity itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 chicken thighs, skin removed
  
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• Zest and juice of two lemons
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp capers
• Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-8 hours, mixing once.
   
2. Transfer chicken to broiling pan, sprinkling capers remaining in bowl on top.
3. Broil on high for 30 minutes or until juice runs golden when punctured to the center (160 ºF), turning over every 6-8 minutes.

Pasilla Mole

Based on this recipe, but a little more velvety and a couple of important points in the recipe clarified. This is actually a very healthy sauce if eaten in moderation.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 dried pasilla peppers
  
• 1 28-oz can roasted tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted (or raw, see below)
  
• 3 tbsp raisins or black currants
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced cilantro
• several grinds of black pepper
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate (I had 70% cacao)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak the peppers in hot water for 10 minutes, turning once with a fork. Wearing gloves, remove the stems and discard.
2. If pumpkin seeds are raw: put seeds in an untreated pan (not non-stick) and cook for 60-90 seconds, turning constantly, until temperature starts to change. Immediately transfer to plate or food processor; they will continue to cook once removed from the heat.
   
3. Combine all ingredients except chocolate and salt in a blender and process on high for 2 minutes.
4. Transfer blended mixture to a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the chocolate and salt. Chocolate will melt instantly. Adjust salt if necessary. Serve or transfer to jars.

Makes about 5 cups.

Roasted pepper goulash

I've made this incredible stew three times. So far, I've had some "paprika cream" on hand, so the recipe below is a slight adaptation. I am pretty sure it will come out excellent, but I'll be checking it soon to make sure. Based on Cooks Illustrated, December 2008. My major change was to emphasize fresh peppers over paprika.

Note: don't even consider adding sour cream, you'll blow away half the flavor profile. I prefer water to canned broth for this recipe, since the flavors are so delicate and refined. Do not serve with a strongly-flavored side; stick to noodles.

• 2 lbs beef shoulder chuck, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 ripe red bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coarse salt (I use sea salt)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water or broth as needed (see below)
• Olive oil for sauté
• Salt to taste

1. Broil the red peppers on low for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are just beginning to have little flecks of blackened regions. Turn over and broil for another 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325º F.
   
3. Combine the red peppers, paprika, vinegar and tomato paste in a food processor. Set aside.
4. In a non-metallic bowl, combine meat and coarse salt, mixing to coat evenly. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
   
5. In an oven-safe stew pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and carrots for 10 minutes, turning frequently.
6. Increase temperature to high. Add red pepper mixture and cook, turning frequently, for 2 more minutes.
7. Stir in the beef until evenly coated. Cover (with oven-safe lid!) and place in oven.
8. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring twice.
9. Remove from oven and add enough water (or broth) to bring liquid level near the top. Adjust salt to taste.
   
10. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Ginger Miso Dipping Sauce

I tried this recipe in an effort to get that Japanese restaurant salad dressing that I love so much. It didn't work, but I did figure out how to make that tasty dipping sauce they always sample at Whole Foods, but that I'm too cheap to buy. This is actually a lot tastier, with no weird ingredients.

Wasabi takes it in a whole other direction that's also quite nice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tbsp light miso
• 2" chunk of ginger, peeled
  
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• Variation: add 1-2 tbsp prepared wasabi.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine everything but oil in the blender; run blender on low until a thick paste is formed.
2. While blender continues to run, add oil in a very slow stream until a fluffy, creamy aioli is formed.

Serve with crudites. Keeps well in refrigerated.

Tamarind noodles

This stir-fry pasta dish was intensely flavorful and produced a lot of good food for the cost.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 batch sambal
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, sliced into 1/2" strips
  
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 1 package somen (or udon) noodles
• 1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• Oil for sautéing
  
• Tamari to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin to bring water for pasta to a boil.
   
2. Bring the sambal to a boil and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil until quite hot; add the onions and allow to cook until soft.
4. Add the chicken and bamboo shoots; allow to cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Begin to cook the pasta; do not overcook. (This sort of pasta takes about 7-8 minutes.)
   
6. Add the cauliflower, bamboo shoots and sambal to the chicken mixture and allow to cook for several minutes.
7. Drain the pasta and add to the chicken mixture. Combine thoroughly and allow to sit for several minutes in order to combine the flavors.

Makes great leftovers.

Sambal

Sambal is a sweet and intensely sour garlic sauce that originates in southeast Asia. I was first introduced to the sauce in Emilie Hardman's eye-opening "Creative Vegan Cooking" class at Cambridge Center for Adult Education. To turn this sauce back to a vegan item, substitute nori and salt for the fish sauce.

Green jalapeños result in a brilliant burgundy sauce. Red ones produce a color similar to chiles in adobo. 2 jalapeños seems fairly temperate; I'd recommend more (or stronger) peppers for the spice-inclined.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 shallots, peeled
  
• 3 jalapeños, trimmed of stems
  
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 2 tbsp. concentrated tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce (or half a tin of anchovies)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor; process for at least one minute or until smooth.
   
2. Transfer sauce to a deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until simmering.
   

Baba ghannouj

I tried to make baba ghannouj several years ago using a recipe, and concluded that it was a hassle. Today, I decided to try it entirely by feel and concluded that the recipe I'd tried was stupid. Baba is really easy. I wish I'd had this epiphany before.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 eggplant
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
  
• 1/2 jalapeño (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the eggplant the long way into 3/4" slices. (Do not peel.)
2. Arrange the slices on a broiler pan and broil on high for 10 minutes per side.
3. Transfer all the eggplant and all other ingredients to the food processor.
4. Process until desired consistency has been reached. Adjust seasonings if desired.

Serves two; recipe scales easily.

Dill potato salad

This is an update on the spicy mustard potato salad, and I think this time I got it where I want to be. The sauce on these is a lively shade of spring green, so garnish with red onion rings and whole dill.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 lbs red potatoes
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
• 3/4 cup coarsely ground mustard
• 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
• 1 bunch dill, stems removed (divided use)
• 1 shallot, peeled
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil the potatoes, skin-on, until tender but not too soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
   
2. Cut the potatoes into 3/4" cubes and place in a mixing bowl with the onions. Set aside.
   
3. Put the mustards, oil, vinegar, shallot and half the dill into a food processor. Puree until quite smooth.
4. A little at a time, gently mix the dressing into the potatoes, tasting as you go, until the desired intensity is reached.
5. Transfer to a serving dish, garnishing with the remainder of the dill.

Best if served at room temperature.

Blueberry sourdough cake

Simple and refreshing. Based on this coffee cake recipe. Note that the center of this cake will rise, creating a cute little hill at the center of a round pan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups sourdough starter
  
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
   
2. Combine frozen blueberries and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. If still frozen, stir and microwave for another 15 seconds or so.
3. Combine the sourdough starter, blueberries, egg and butter in a bowl; set aside.
   
4. Combine all remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour into an 8" round non-stick cake pan.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until center of the cake is set.
   
7. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Tofu vaVohu

At last, a stew that does justice to the namesake of this site. Dark and profound, this sweet stew has its roots in Korean braised beef and ma po tofu. I am quite pleased with it.

The peppers provide an important flavor dimension, so if you're averse to spice, replace the 6 jalapeños with 3 poblanos. The jalapeño version is surprisingly moderate, however.

Notes: I tried cutting the peppers thin and adding them directly rather than roasting them separately; this turned out poorly. Chopped up steak, particularly cuts that tenderize well in stews, is better than hamburger. Chop in a food processor or slice into small pieces as preferred. You can replace up to 1/4 cup rice vinegar with lemon juice (1 lemon = 1/4 cup vinegar); in this case, add more sugar to offset the additional acidity.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. soft tofu, cut into 3/4" cubes
  
• 3/4 lb eggplant (1 large), cut into 1" cubes
  
• 1/2 lb ground beef
  
• 6 whole jalapeños (or 3 whole poblanos)
• 2 packages (10 oz. each) crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1 cup reduced-sodium tamari
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Broil the peppers on high for 6-8 minutes, turning once.
   
2. Combine rice vinegar, tamari and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
   
3. Combine tofu, beef, eggplant and mushrooms in a stew pot. Bury the peppers in the mixture. Pour vinegar mixture over these ingredients.
   
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for an hour, stirring every ten minutes until liquid covers all the vegetables.
5. Remove several tablespoons of liquid in a cup. Add one tablespoon cold water, then combine with corn starch. Quickly stir this mixture back into the stew.

Garnish with grated carrots or beets. Serve with steamed bok choy and brown ale.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pure as the driven snow; thick, zesty and delicious. And it takes about 15 seconds to prepare.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 shallots, peeled
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
  
• 1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 10 seconds. Serve on any green salad.

Cauliflower Florets in Sambal

Update 6/2/09: As I've been discovering other uses for sambal, I've decided to spin the sauce out to its own post.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large head cauliflower, cored, washed and broken into florets
• 1 batch sambal

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 500º F.
2. Arrange the cauliflower in a casserole or glass dish; bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice.
3. Combine the cauliflower and the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, and cooking for several minutes, stirring frequently to cover.
   

Serve with rice.

Feijoada Completa

I went into a local Portuguese grocery to find carne seca, a spicy Brazilian dried beef product. There was a Brazilian woman talking to the cashier. I asked the cashier if she had it. She looked at me quizzically. The Brazilian woman, however, began to wax poetic.

"Ah, carne seca! Feijoada! com presunto. e cebola. e farofa. e caipirinha...ah, boy."

"I think you need to go to a Brazilian store," said the cashier.

This recipe is the result of a good deal of research, and draws principally on the feijoada completa recipe on this page and this recipe. The salt pork provides all the salt you need.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb black beans, soaked overnight and drained
  
• 1 lb. ham, cut into 3/4" pieces
• 1 lb. linguica (see below)
  
• 1/2 lb flanken or other stew beef (see below)
  
• 2 spanish onions, diced
  
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• 4 oz. salt pork, finely minced (divided use)
  
• 2 oz. carne seca or plain beef jerky, soaked overnight
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
  
• Zest of one orange

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prick the linguica several times with a fork. Simmer in water for about 10 minutes, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
2. Drain and mince the soaked carne seca.
3. Tenderize the stew beef by pounding it with a tenderizer or kitchen mallet, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
4. Heat 3 oz of salt pork in a heavy stew pot over medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Turn heat to high and add the flanken. Sear on all sides for about 30 seconds per side.
   
5. Add the beans, bay leaves, zest and all of the meat to the pot. Add enough water to cover by one to two inches. (You can add or remove some later.)
   
6. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. Add more water if needed.
7. In a nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining salt pork on medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Sauté the onions and garlic with the sugar until they begin to turn golden.
8. To the onion mixture, add 2 cups of beans from the stew. Mash well and allow to cook together for 3-5 minutes.
9. Stir this mixture back into the stew; cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with farofa and fresh orange slices. Pair with a tart cocktail such as caipirinha.

Collard Greens with Garlic

Collard greens are a bit like kale; they have an astringent taste that offsets fatty or fried foods quite elegantly. You often find them overcooked and slightly sweet; if this is your idea of collards, you've been missing out.

Here, I pan-fry them very quickly with salt to draw out some of the vegetal flavor while retaining a good deal of crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 bunches collard greens
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay several leaves of collards on top of each other in alternating directions. Roll tightly; cut the roll into narrow ribbons using a chef's knife.
2. In a glass bowl or other non-reactive container, combine the greens and the salt.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over a medium flame until very hot but not smoking. Add the garlic; it will crisp instantly.
4. Immediately add the greens, covering for 30 seconds. They will wilt substantially.
5. Uncover and continue to cook, turning constantly, for another 1-2 minutes or until softened but still crunchy.
   

Serve immediately.

Coconut rice

This is easy and nice; it goes well with many warm-weather foods.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse and prepare the rice according to the directions on the package, adding bay leaves before cooking.
2. Meanwhile, put the coconut in a skillet. Roast on medium-low heat, turning constantly, until it begins to turn golden-orange.
   
3. The instant the coconut is golden-orange, remove it from the heat and set aside until the rice is done.
4. Remove the bay leaves from the rice; stir in the coconut. Serve immediately.
   

Farofa

This weekend, I made a full feijoada dinner. This is apparently a big deal kind of thing in Brazil, where it's got all kinds of fixins.

One of those fixins is farofa, or pan-roasted cassava flour. I had this for the first time with a friend at the excellent Muqueca restaurant in Cambridge. At the time, my reaction could basically be summarized as 'wtf'? What are you supposed to do with a pile of roasted flour?

The answer: If you try mix it in with a soupy bean stew, it takes on the consistency of Thanksgiving stuffing, but with all that great savory flavor. Don't miss it.

Note: In all of the following recipes, I make copious use of salt pork. Savegnor's (on Kirkland St, near Dali restaurant) makes their own "lean" salt pork, which is basically salt-cured bacon. Whole Foods sells a Niemann Ranch variety, which is much fattier. If you're interested in cutting down on cholesterol a bit, you could go with equal amounts olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 oz salt pork, minced
• 500g (about 3 cups) cassava flour (also called yucca flour or manioc)
• 1 large Spanish onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. sugar
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a deep skillet, heat the salt pork over a medium flame until it begins to cast off some grease.
2. Add the onion and sugar; sauté with the salt pork, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the parsley and continue to sauté until the onions turn golden.
4. Add the cassava flour a little at a time, turning constantly. Make sure none sticks to the bottom of the pan.
5. Keep turning the mixture in the pan until the cassava begins to turn golden beige. The mixture is extremely hot in the pan; use caution if tasting!
   

Keep dry until serving.

Coconut caramels

This stuff is a workout to make; you really feel it in your arms. Which is great, since a workout is exactly what you'll need after eating a few of these diabolical candies. Based on this recipe.

I was actually trying to figure out how to make these butter macaroons that I had in Costa Rica, and basically wound up with dulce de leche instead. I'm not complaining.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans (14 oz each) of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 oz. unsweetened shredded coconut (1-2 cups depending on shred size)
• 1 cup butter
• 4 graham crackers
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• (optional) 1 cup peanuts or other nuts, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grind the graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor.
2. Combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan.
3. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble.
4. Beat the mixture constantly over medium heat until it begins to get very thick and caramel-colored.
5. Let the mixture cool for several minutes. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, roll into 1" balls.
6. (optional) Roll the balls in the crushed peanuts before placing on a cookie sheet to cool.
   

The candies keep well in an airtight container; separate layers with wax paper to prevent sticking. Reheat in microwave for 15 seconds before serving.

Molasses pancakes

I woke up this morning hankering for some pancakes, but out of eggs. So I googled 'eggless pancakes,' found this, and crunchified it. Note that these cook pretty fast and don't really give visual cues of when to flip them, so be attentive.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  
• 2 tbsp. dark molasses
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
   
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour 2 tbsp. batter onto the skillet for each pancake.
5. Turn over after about 45 seconds; turn again; serve immediately.

Bacalao and Eggplant Stew

I had tried this concept once before, using a Nigerian fish stew recipe as a base. I didn't like the way that turned out, and I despaired of how to pull this off until I took Emilie Hardman's "Creative Vegan Cuisine" class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. There she made an eggplant and tofu stew with a tomato base. I decided to use that as a launching point for this summery meal.

1 jalapeño is quite mild. 2 is right around medium. Adjust to taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. bacalao, soaked overnight in three changes of ice water
• 2 zucchinis, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 lb. eggplant, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 large red onion, diced
  
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and finely minced
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/3 cup water
  
• 2 tbsp. minced ginger
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeño and ginger. Sauté another 3-4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the eggplant and zucchini and sauté until the eggplant begins to soften.
4. Add all ingredients except for fish. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, dry the bacalao thoroughly with paper towels. Broil on high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until just done.
6. Add the bacalao to the stew. Turn heat to low and allow to cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately with rice or quinoa.

Buffalo chicken thighs

Buffalo sauce. Crude, salty, highly processed, low brow. Also: unspeakably delicious.

I love buffalo chicken.

With bleu cheese.

I love it to a shameful degree. I more than love it: I lurve it; I luff it with two F's. But why is it always wings--the most impractical, messy, meatless part of the chicken? And what's with all the frying? Is that really necessary?

Well, here's my take on things. Note: David Squires, this is for you.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups crushed-up corn flakes
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups Frank's Red Hot Wings sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450º.
2. Combine half the bread crumbs and half the corn flakes in a large bowl. Put the eggs in a separate bowl. Prepare a broiling pan.
3. Coat the chicken thighs on both sides with egg, then coat in the bread crumb mixture, and then place on the broiler. When the breadcrumbs become soggy (after 2-3 thighs), start over with the second half of the mixture.
   
4. Broil the chicken for 12 minutes on each side or until the juice is golden when the chicken is pricked with a fork.
5. Immediately before serving, put the hot sauce in a shallow bowl or casserole. Coat each thigh on both sides; serve immediately.

Serve with a dollop of roquefort mustard and several sprigs of celery or parsely.

Roquefort Mustard

I love buffalo chicken with bleu cheese sauce, but I always feel like that sauce is needlessly heavy and insipid. Then, in early 2007, I was at the Stonewall Kitchen store in Maine, and I discovered their Blue Cheese Herb Mustard. This is an excellent product, but--you know me and processed food--I wanted to make it myself.

I experimented with gorgonzola, which was way too sharp and not creamy enough. Then I turned to roquefort, and it provided a beautiful smoothness whose pungency played right off that of the mustard. It screamed out for tarragon, and that was that. Try this on your buffalo wings; I promise you won't be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz dijon mustard
• 2 oz. roquefort cheese
• 2 tsp. dried tarragon

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or mini-prep.

Sourdough pita

This is trivially easy and, if you have a sourdough starter, pretty close to free. Adapted from this thread on "The Fresh Loaf," which got it from Randy's Vegetarian Cookbook. Use a 475° oven for pocketless pitas. Roll thinner and raise oven to maximum temp for pitas with pockets.

Makes 3-4 pitas. Double or triple as needed.

Variation: this recipe produces a deep, moist pita, more like what is found in Greek restaurants. For a rustic, "desert" pita, leave out the water and add substantially less flour at the end. Roll into much thinner pitas--say, 1/8" thick--and bake for no more than 3m 30s. Note that kneading such a dough is much more physically demanding.

Notes: if making several batches at once, do not roll out each loaf until immediately before you put it in the oven. Also, cover unrolled balls with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour (divided use)

RECIPE:

1. In a large bowl, mix sourdough starter, water, sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Add salt.
2. Knead in another 1/2 cup flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough forms a springy, cohesive ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
3. Knead in more flour until you have a firm, but still pliable dough.
   
4. Cut into 3-4 equal pieces. Roll into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 500°. While the oven is heating, roll the balls into 1/4" sheets. (Do not roll any thinner than 1/4".)
   
6. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the pitas suddenly puff up. (They will collapse again once you remove them from heat.)
   

If eating that day, let cool for a moment then serve immediately. Otherwise, allow to reach room temperature, then freeze in an airtight container or bag.

Sourdough pancakes

I briefly considered calling these "one pancake to rule them all." Seriously, I have only had pancakes this nice from one place before this: Johnny's Luncheonette in Newton, MA. (Their pancakes have become more variable in quality since the early 2000s.)

These delicate, crepe-like pancakes are out of this world. Thin, soft, just a hint of sourness to balance the sweet, with the caramel notes of the seared exterior--incredible.

This is basically this recipe, halved, with a couple of minor modifications. (I mean, olive oil? Seriously?) Also, I took my sourdough starter directly out of the fridge and it was fine. Finally, I used baking powder instead of soda and I think it was better.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp warm water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine baking powder and warm water. Set aside.
2. Gently mix all other ingredients in a small mixing bowl
3. Add the baking powder mixture and gently combine.
4. Allow mixture to stand while heating a skillet to medium-high.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook for 60-90 seconds per side. (The pancake is ready to flip the first time when a number of small holes have appeared on the top.)

Serve immediately. Discard leftover batter.

New England Feijoada

This is my take on the succulent Portuguese bean stew of the same name. Being a New Englander, I could not resist making it slightly sweet, but the spirit of the authentic thing shines through. I would have loved to use some tawny port instead of sherry, but that was all I had.

Initially, I made the stew in a slow cooker; but this dried out the linguica. I have not yet tried it out on range-top, but I have a very good idea of how it should come out. All in all, I am quite pleased with this excellent winter stew.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. dry black beans, soaked overnight
  
• 2 lbs oxtail, trimmed
  
• 1 lb. linguica, cut on a bias into 1/3" rounds
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes
• 1/4 cup tawny port or sherry
  
• 7 cups water
• Olive oil for sauté

DIRECTIONS

1. In a heavy pot, brown the oxtail over medium-high heat until seared on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
   
2. Reduce heat to medium-low; add olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until caramelized, about 10 minutes, turning frequently.
   
3. Add the port and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula. (If using a nonstick pot, be sure to use a plastic spatula.) This should free up all browned bits from the oxtail and the onions.
   
4. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, and simmer on medium-low for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Serve with white rice.

Sweet potato latkes revisited

I wish I had written down what I did for my sweet potato latkes, as they were a smashing success this year. Alas, I failed to do it at the time, so the best I can do is try to remember a few points about what worked.

• Use olive oil. It tasted immeasurably better than the canola stuff you usually get. Light olive oil is available in big jugs on the cheap (I got a 38 oz monster for $10.99) and that's more than enough to get you through a lot of latkes. Note that olive oil has a lower smoke point than canola oil, so watch the heat or you'll be scrubbing.
• Use one egg and at least three tbsp. flour for every pound of sweet potatoes. You may need even more flour than that. I found that with this much egg and flour kicking around, I didn't have nearly as much trouble getting them to hold together.
• Sweet potatoes don't cast off nearly as much water as regular potatoes do, but they are also less starchy and therefore don't want to stick together.
• Lots of onion. Maybe one medium onion for every 1.5-2 sweet potatoes.I was hesitant to use a lot of onion at first--they're sweet potatoes, after all!--but they really added a fantastic dimension that played right off the olive oil in spectacular fashion. With less onion, the taste was a bit sweet and insipid.
• Careful with the salt. I used the guidelines for normal latkes (about 1/2 tsp. per pound) and it seemed like a lot.

I can't remember if I used any baking soda in the sweets. Too bad; otherwise I'd write up a guestimate of the recipe.

I'm very interested in shredding one beet and tossing that in with the sweet potatoes next year. It would add a lot of pizazz.

Apple cranberry sauce

Adjust the proportions here according to taste; they can vary pretty widely. Mine comes out quite tart and not too sweet.

Note that applesauce requires almost no water; you just add enough to allow the apples to steam themselves into a sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lbs granny smith or other sour apple, peeled, cored and quartered
  
• 1 lb. fresh cranberries, rinsed
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 4 cloves, whole
  
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix thoroughly and turn heat to low. Let cook for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. Mash before serving. Refrigerate unused portion.