Deliberately vegetarian baked beans

This time, I really was trying. The following is an iteration of the "accidentally vegetarian baked beans" that I made awhile back. I used Arabic-style crispy onions to emulate the effect of bacon.

The recipe is written as executed, which came out very well. A couple of tweaks I would recommend:

• Cook the beans the first time to the doneness you want at the end. Don't cook them to firm because you figure they will get mushy. For whatever reason, they don't soften up much in the slow cooker.

• Vegan worcestershire sauce is, of course, not exactly the same as the kind with anchovies. There are many brands. Choose one, taste it, and adjust the other proportions.

• I didn't have any paprika, so it's not in the recipe, but I still think it should have some.

• Definitely needed more molasses. At least another tablespoon, maybe two.

• I cooked the beans for 8 hours, plus one hour of resting, because that's the time I had. It needs more. I'd say try around 12 hours cooking, plus 1 hour resting.

Based on this recipe for barbecued beans:

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/05/crockpot-bacon-bourbon-baked-beans/

First pass:

http://tofuvavohu.blogspot.com/2012/08/accidentally-vegetarian-baked-beans.html

INGREDIENTS (AS USED, NOT AS RECOMMENDED):

• 1 1/4 lb dry great northern beans
• 1/2 stick kombu
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/8 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 cup bourbon
• 3 tbsp strong brown mustard (I used a homemade batch with only bourbon)
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegan worcersteshire sauce (note to self -- update with brand)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• ~ 1tsp salt

DIRECTIONS (AS USED, NOT AS RECOMMENDED):

1. Pick over and rinse beans. Soak overnight. Drain, cover with water. Add kombu piece. Boil to desired final tenderness, 25-45 minutes depending on a variety of factors. Drain, remove kombu, set aside.
2. Mix the onions and garlic in a bowl. Add about half the salt and mix thoroughly.
3. In a large, heavy pan, over high heat, heat the oil almost until almost the smoke point. Add the onion mixture. Cook until starting to get crispy, turning thoroughly intermittently. When done, set aside.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients (spices, liquids) in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
5. Combine everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shut off heat. Stir. Let stand uncovered for one hour before serving.

Kashk e bademjan (Persian eggplant)

I've been trying to make my own variant of this since December, when a Persian friend opened my eyes to it. I finally nailed it. The trick was the special preparation of garlic. I have no idea if this is authentic (beyond the substitution of lowfat sour cream for kashk), but honestly it's too tasty to care.

Proportions--sorry, I didn't measure anything! But with this sort of thing, it's really a matter of taste.

• 1 large purple eggplant, sliced into 3/4" slices. Don't peel it!
• 1 head of garlic, peeled but not chopped or cut at all! Just remove the skins!
• 2 small onions, chopped
• Handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
• A few leaves of fresh basil
• Between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup lowfat sour cream
• About 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1/4 of a lime

Directions--

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Roast the eggplant for 40 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Allow to cool until near room temperature (20 minutes or so).
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat.
4. Once a single piece of onion will sizzle in the olive oil, add all the garlic and onion. (You did leave your peeled garlic intact, right?) Saute until golden.
5. Put everything in a food processor. Don't make it too smooth; you want some texture.

Garnish with a bit more parsley and olive oil. Delicious with sliced cucumbers!

Pumpkinseed Nutella

My sister told me about sunflower Nutella, but I didn't have any sunflower seeds, so I tried it with pumpkinseeds. I prepared the liquids first (halving the recipe) and then added them in a little at a time. I'm glad I did, because the original called for way too much liquid. I have attempted to reflect my final proportions here.

• 1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (may need to adjust)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp milk

In a wide, heavy pan, toast the pepitas over medium heat, turning constantly with a spatula. They will pop! So make sure you don't lean close to the pot. The will start to smell awesome after a couple of minutes. When a good number of them are golden, take them off the heat and continue turning. Transfer to another vessel and cool in the freezer until they are room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine all of the other ingredients in a measuring cup.

Put the room-temperature pepitas into the food processor. Grind for several minutes, stopping each minute to scrape the sides of the bowl. After going much too long as little granules, they will suddenly and magically turn into an awesome green nut butter the color of pistachio ice cream.

Add everything else and continue to process. You may have to scrape the sides several times.

Makes one 8oz jar.

Red beans and rice (wine base)

New Orleans got me thinking about red beans and rice, and this post in the NY times got me thinking about red wine bases for beans. This involves some juggling--probably not a great recipe for beginners.

1 bottle red wine
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
12 oz Andouille sausage, shredded
4 oz bacon
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
zest of one lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp malt vinegar
1 lb red beans
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 piece kombu -- optional, makes beans more tender
Salt to taste

1. Soak beans overnight.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine rosemary, bay leaves and wine. Let simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.
3. Meanwhile, drain beans and put with the kombu in a medium pot, with enough water to cover + 1". (You can always add a little more and drain some if you're worried.) Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 35 minutes or until tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot, cook the bacon as slowly as you can to get as much fat out as possible. Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.
5. Cook the onions and garlic in the bacon fat until soft. Add the peppers and cook together until very soft, about 15 minutes.
6. Take the kombu out of the bean mixture. DO NOT DRAIN!
7. Strain the wine reduction into the pot with the onions. Combine everything into this pot.
8. Mash the beans a little bit with a masher. This releases starch and causes the stew to thicken.
9. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting with salt and vinegar as necessary.

Serve with white rice.

Selecting a Burr grinder for French Press coffee

After 5+ years of service, my Capresso Infinity grinder is reaching the end of its useful life. I can't complain: it did wonders for a long time, and my 1-2 french press coffees per day comes out to about 3000 uses, or about 3 cents per use.

Given that economical rate, I decided to go up to a better grinder. The two mid-range grinders that people seem to like for French Press are the Breville SmartGrind and the Baratza Virtuoso. It was hard to get a clear head-to-head for French Press specifically, so I did my own virtual comparison. Here is a video of the two models:

At about 8 minutes, you get the comparison of the coarsest grinds. The coarsest setting on the Baratza is far too coarse for French Press. But the one on the Breville is far too fine. See, for example, this excellent chart of the idea grind coarseness.

That means that really only the Baratza is capable of producing optimal French Press coffee. If you're willing to settle for "almost there," the Breville is much easier to use. The other way to look at it, of course, is that using the Baratza means settling for much clunkier controls. And I was pretty happy with "almost there" (via my Capresso) for years and years.

So there you have it. They both have pros and cons. But I am willing to spend more effort for a more excellent cup of coffee, so I went ahead and bought the Baratza. You can look forward to a truly geeky table of experimental results as I try it out.

Mustard, take 3: with bourbon

I had a few drops of bourbon left (just over 2 tbsp) after my third batch of baked beans, so I used it in a half-batch of mustard. This time, I used 6 oz of Element Red Giant ale, of which I'd picked up a growler on my way back from MA to Princeton. 50/50 yellow and brown, 3 minute grind. This time, it came out so good that I considered eating it straight from the food processor instead of putting it in a jar.  I know, disgusting. But it's that good.

Note: the whole time, I've been using 1/2 tsp allspice and no cloves, because it turns out the bag of bulk "cloves" that I had was really bulk allspice. Oh well, apparently 1/2 tsp allspice and no cloves is just fine.

Accidentally vegetarian baked beans

These were supposed to be pork and beans. (Don't tell my rabbi.) Unfortunately, the kielbasa that I bought was spoiled when I opened it. Thanks, Shop Rite!

It didn't matter. Despite the imperfections that I will enumerate below, these were far and away the best baked beans I've ever made or had. The bourbon added a real sophistication of flavor that I would never omit again.

It also corrected two mistakes from my previous attempts at baked beans: first, the onions were completely caramelized, which got rid of sulfuric off notes.

Second, the beans were cooked ahead of time. Who knew this was necessary? It seemed like 10-12 hours of cooking, after already being cooked once, would reduce them to mush. That was not the case at all.

Based on this recipe for barbecued beans:

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/05/crockpot-bacon-bourbon-baked-beans/

I didn't see the need to shell out for "barbecue sauce" (why?) so I adapted this recipe, which consists mostly of things already in the bean recipe:

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/09/homemade-barbecue-sauce-part-1.html

I also prefer large white beans ("great northern" beans) to small white beans ("navy" beans).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb dry great northern beans
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 head garlic, roughly minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/8 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 cup bourbon (I used Elmer T Lee--Jim Beam probably would have been fine)
• 1 3/4 tbsp homemade brown mustard (first batch)
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pick over and rinse beans. "Quick soak" the beans by boiling them for 2 minutes, then removing from heat for 1 hour. Drain, fill with fresh water, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. 
3. Drain beans. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook for 10 hours.
4. Remove beans from heat and let sit for several hours to thicken before eating.

NOTES:

• Way too much brown sugar. I would use half as much next time.
• If you don't use any meat, it needs salt. Probably more than the 1/2 tsp I used.
• As I said, using such a complex (and expensive) bourbon as Elmer T. Lee was a waste. Also, it's a bit bitter, although this was nice.
• If you do use meat, reduce or eliminate the oil. Brown the meat and use the drippings to saute the aromatics.
• One could use substantially more beans and still have plenty of sauce. I was serving it 1:1 with quinoa and there was loads of sauce for the quinoa!

I am going to try using 1 1/4 lbs beans next time. I am also going to try using some uncased German sausage, or other sweet garlic sausage like Andouille. I will also use only 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Mustard, take 2

I made a new batch of mustard, identical to the first except for two things:

• 30% yellow mustard seeds (3 oz yellow, 7 oz brown).
• Coarse grind--only 3 minutes.

The flavor of the new mustard, immediately after grinding, was much milder than the flavor of the old mustard, which is now more than a month old.

That said, there's less than 1 cup of mustard left from the first batch. That means that I went through more than three cups of mustard in a month. Evidently, I liked it just fine... :-)

This batch was extremely well-received by the people to whom I gave each jar. My brother in law said the only thing that makes it less than perfect is that it had too much kick. So I will go for even more yellow next batch.

Lamb Dijon Stew

The mustard from the last post reminded me of a lamb stew my mother had made growing up. She sent me a copy of the recipe (book unknown--I will ask her). She had changed basically every measurement, but the concept is the same. I changed them again according to what I had available.


INGREDIENTS:

• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour, not sifted
• 1 1/4 tsp salt (estimated)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (estimated)
• Olive oil for saute
• 2 lbs butterflied leg of lamb, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled
• 6 tbsp homemade mustard
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (I used bottled)
• 2 tbsp processed chopped garlic (use 1 head fresh if time)
• Most of one package (32 oz) Pacific low sodium beef broth--mixed use (see procedure).

PROCEDURE:

1. Began heating 20 oz broth (recommended quantity) in slow cooker.
2. Mix flour, salt, pepper in a zip-loc bag
3. Add meat to bag and shake to coat. (Did not work--too much meat. Use mixing bowl.)
4. Heat oil in wide steel pot. Brown all meat together over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until browned. (~10 minutes). The oil was absorbed by the first layer of meat to make contact--not sure it actually did anything. Maybe try omitting?
5. At this point, there was a caked-on layer of flour at the bottom of the pan. I deglazed it using ~8 oz more of the beef broth. Might as well use all of it next time. Transfered deglazed mixture into slow cooker.
6. Combined all ingredients in slow cooker.
7. Cooked 4 hours on low.
8. Switched to high 2 more hours.
9. Allowed to cool, partially covered, for 1 hour before transferring to refrigerator.

Served with wide egg noodles.

NOTES:

• Really exceptional
• Recipe must have been written for very high sodium broth--this needed a lot of salt at the end
• Use even more mustard next time
• Recipe originally called for new potatoes, unpeeled; I used peeled russet because I had to minimize texture for a dental procedure.
• Recipe also called for frozen green peas, added 15 minutes before end of cooking; left out for same reason
• Recipe called for 3/4 tsp dried rosemary, which I did not have
• Put both back in next time

Mustard, take 1

I'm trying this recipe:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Spicy-Guinness-Mustard

Method actually used:

1 bottle Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
10 oz brown mustard seeds
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper by eyeball (~ 1/2 tsp)
~1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
~1⁄4 tsp. ground cloves
~1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
~1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice

I did not have a 1/4 tsp. measuring spoon, so I estimated based on a 1/2 tsp. measure. Combined dry ingredients in a 4 cup Pyrex dish. Added vinegar. Added beer very slowly. It foamed vigorously. Waited for foam to settle (approx 3 minutes). Stirred gently for another 30 seconds. At this point, there was a residual foam scum at the top, which I left. Covered with rubberized plastic Pyrex lid at 6:30pm on 7/21. Placed in shaded area with ambient temperature 69-71F.

There was about 1/4" of residual liquid above the seed line after 2 days of brining. The mixture was a deep color of brown. Transferred mixture to food processor at 5:45pm on 7/23. Recommended 3 minutes of grinding left an unpleasantly coarse texture. Ground for substantially longer (perhaps 5-7 minutes total). Color and consistency changed to that of traditional deli mustard.

Overwhelmingly strong in first minutes, but had mellowed substantially after just 15 minutes. Left a small portion for some guests. By 45 minutes after grinding, the flavor of the left-out portion was sublime: sharp but multifaceted, with the blend of spices each coming out in their separate turn.

Update 7/25 AM: Flavor had mellowed enough to be used in beans and greens for breakfast. I changed my mind about the coarseness; I think it looked coarser than it was. I would grind it for less time--perhaps try the three minutes.

I might try making it with Weierbacher Heresy (Russian Imperial Stout), and double the nutmeg and allspice, leaving out the black pepper. Still brown seeds, though.

Chili pibil

I had a craving for a chili with a cocoa base, and this hit the spot. It reminded me of cochinita pibil, although it has little in common with it--hence the name.

1 1/4 lb "German" sausage from Whole Foods (prefer Andouille if available)

1 lb fresh tomatoes

1 ripe red bell pepper

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

1 head garlic, crushed

~10 oz dried small red beans, cooked to medium tenderness

~3/4 cup frozen sweet corn kernels

1 tbsp. cocoa

1 tbsp. paprika

Cinnamon (by eyeball--probably <1 tsp)

Cumin (by eyeball--about 1/2 as much as cinnamon)

Olive oil for saute

What I actually did:

1. Shred tomatoes and pepper using a hand grater or food processor.

2. Heat a heavy iron stew pot to med-high.

3. Uncase sausage into pot, and put casings in. Add spices and cocoa; sear. Remove from pot and set aside.

4. Put in olive oil and let heat briefly. Add onions and garlic. Spices had stuck to bottom, so scraped to deglaze with water that onions were casting off. This was a little dicey.

5. When onions were moderately well-cooked, put in tomatoes, pepper, meat mixture and all remaining ingredients. Brought to a simmer, reduced to low and let cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

I served this with shredded cabbage, quinoa and Louisiana Hot Sauce. It was excellent. I'd probably put the spices when the onions were almost finished, so that they could still dry-cook a little bit but not cake onto the bottom of the pan. The corn looked distracting but the added sweetness was pleasant. Perhaps grated carrots could serve the same purpose. I wish I could have made the whole thing a deeper hue of reddish brown.

Blog --> lab notebook

I've decided to resume this blog--not so much as a blog, but merely as a public cooking notebook. My descriptions will be sparse, and my measurements likely will be even more imprecise than before. But it will be enough for me to figure out what I've done and what I liked, and there's no reason to do that in secret.

Turkey Coq au Vin

This is really the same recipe as my rabbit in red wine sauce, with some proportions adjusted and some other minor tweaks. (I've learned a few things since then.)

The obvious difference is that it's made with turkey, not rabbit. Boneless turkey thigh is good because it sears well and braises well, and this recipe does both.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 boneless turkey thigh (about 2 lbs), cut into 4 oz pieces
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. coarse salt
  
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 1 small head of garlic, crushed
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
• 2 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place flour and the kosher salt into a large bowl or zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of turkey in this mixture and set aside.
   
2. In a heavy skillet, sauté the bacon slices medium-high heat until somewhat crispy. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
3. Increase the heat to high. Brown the turkey pieces in the bacon grease briefly, about 30 seconds per side, and transfer to a large casserole.
   
4. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, adding a little olive oil if needed.
5. Once the onions begin to soften, add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture until golden. Transfer contents to the casserole.
6. Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a spatula.
   
7. Pour the deglazed wine into the casserole and combine with the rest of the wine, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
8. Crumble the bacon into the casserole and mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 275 ºF.
10. Cover casserole and let cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Pressure cooker fish soup

I've been playing around with my pressure cooker lately. This came out pretty well, but I'm still tweaking it. One thing that's nice is that it's absurdly easy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb frozen halibut or other white fish, in thick chunks (do not defrost)
  
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 carton low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 1 12-oz package of sliced mushrooms
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp minced ginger

RECIPE:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Turn the cooker to high, and let cook for 4 minutes once pressure is reached. Use cold-water release method.

I told you it was easy.

Tzimmes Kugel

Originally called "Mrs. Feinberg's Vegetable Kugel," from a cookbook by Joan Nathan, this recipe has been an absolute fixture at family events for decades.

I have substituted safflower oil for margarine and reduced the quantity of both oil and sugar by 50%. Butter or margarine could also be used; in these cases, use 1/3 cup.

I am curious as to how this would work with crushed crackers instead of matzo meal. I'll bet water crackers would be quite similar, and graham crackers might be excellent.

We usually triple the recipe and cook it in a bundt pan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup grated raw apple
• 1 cup grated raw sweet potato
• 1 cup grated raw carrots
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1/4 cup safflower oil (or 1/3 cup margarine or butter)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.
3. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add oil to vegetable mixture and combine well. Add in dry ingredients and combine well.
5. Grease a loaf pan or muffin tins and add the mixture to the pan. (You can also triple the recipe and use a bundt pan; see above.)
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes (muffins), 45 minutes (loaf) or 1 hour (bundt pan).
7. Increase heat to 350, remove foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Cabbage stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs green cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head)
• 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
  
• Oil for sauté
• Dried mushrooms (any kind)
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine (if available)
• 4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
  
• 1 lb pork kielbasa, sliced on a bias
• 1-3 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for ten minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid. (You may want to strain it.)
2. In a heavy skillet, brown the kielbasa slices over high heat. Set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté the onions until partially caramelized. Set aside.
4. Add more oil if needed. Add the cabbage to the pan and cover for 30 seconds to wilt; repeat until it has reduced in volume by about 50%. Sauté the cabbage until partially caramelized.
5. Deglaze the pan with the wine, if using, or broth, and transfer to a soup pot.
6. Combine all ingredients in the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with sour cream and black pepper. Pairs well with bitter greens.

Seafood gumbo

This was something I just threw together with what I had in the house, so the ingredient list is rather long. I'm writing it up because my father really liked it. I might have a stab at a simplified version in the future.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 bottle of white wine
  
• 3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 oz dried portabello mushrooms
• 1 dried pasilla chipotle pepper
• 3 medium onions, sliced
• Olive oil for sautee
  
• 28-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
  
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium tamari
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 lb frozen peas
• 1 lb frozen cut okra
  
• 1 lb shellfish (I used Trader Joe's frozen "seafood medley")

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, immerse the mushrooms and chipotle in enough boiling water to cover; let stand covered for ten minutes. Do not drain!
2. Sauté the onions over medium-high heat until golden.
3. Meanwhile, combine broth, tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, okra, peas, tomatoes, and tamari in a soup pot.
4. Transfer the mushrooms and chipotle to the soup mixture. Strain the soaking liquid and add it to the soup.
5. Transfer the onions to the soup. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then transfer this liquid to the soup.
6. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and allow to cook, covered, for 1 hour.
7. Remove a few tablespoons of broth in a cup. Add the cornstarch and stir vigorously until dissolved. Stir back into the soup.
   
8. Add the seafood to the soup. Even if frozen, it will cook very quickly. Do not boil.

Adjust salt to taste. Keeps for several days.

Walnut herb vinaegrette

This is a variation on a salad dressing that my mother used to make us growing up. Squeezing the shallots under running water gets rid of the chemicals that give us bad breath and making us cry, leaving only a sweet, spicy note in its place. You may also opt to include them whole.

One great thing about fresh herbs is that they intensify flavors without salt, meaning that this dressing tastes a lot saltier than it is.

The classic salad with which my mother made this dressing was a bed of Boston and Romaine lettuce with chopped walnuts and aged gruyere cheese. The gruyere must reach room temperature!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar (NOT balsamic!)
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 oz (2 large) shallots, minced
• 3 tbsp walnuts
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, rough chopped
  
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, rough chopped
  
• 1/2 tbsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In cheesecloth, squeeze out the minced shallots under running cold water for about a minute.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender until very smooth.

Store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature if possible.

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.