Split Pea Curry

This excellent curry is a fine alternative to a traditional split pea soup (such as the first post on this blog). This one is based on the recipe entitled "Lemon-Split Pea Soup" from The Art of Seasonal Cooking by Perla Meyers (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991), which, despite its name, contained lemon only in the garnish. No matter. It is a fine recipe, and I made only a few small changes to suit my taste.

I would certainly also try this with lentils. I also plan on adding okra and/or potatoes in a future iteration. Stay tuned.

Meyers called for heavy cream, which struck me as profoundly gratuitous. I added light cream instead, and still felt that it was unnecessary if the soup was made with a good stock. I suppose the light cream could do something for the soup if using a commercial broth; for homemade broth, don't bother (or use less).

Since the soup is pureed at the end, it is acceptable to prep the carrots in a food processor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups split green peas, rinsed
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup light cream (optional, see above)
• 2 tsp. minced jalapeño peppers (optional)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a heavy soup pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add onions and peppers. Sauté until onions are soft, stirring frequently, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and continue to sauté for 5-6 more minutes or until carrots begin to soften.
3. Add the cumin and stir well to combine. Add the peas and stir to combine. Allow to cook with the onion mixture for a minute or two.
4. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 45 minutes.
5. If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup to the desired consistency. Otherwise, puree in a conventional blender or food processor in small batches, then return to the pot.
6. Add the cream (if using) and stir to combine. 
7. Salt to taste.

Serve with bread. Makes an excellent leftover.

Ratatouille Channa

This chickpea and eggplant curry started out as a recipe for ratatouille from "Cooking for Engineers." But I don't like sweet peppers, so I decided to substitute finely diced carrots to achieve an alternative sweet crunch. And then I didn't have any zucchinni. And then I decided to add a pound of chickpeas to make it into a meal. So it basically has no resemblance to the original. But it'd delicious!

NOTE: You will be deglazing the pot in this recipe, so do not use a non-stick pot!

If you substitute vegetable broth or white wine for the chicken stock, this recipe is vegan and kosher parve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1/2 cubes
  
• 1 lb. cooked chickpeas (about 8 oz. dry)
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3/4 cup chicken stock or white wine
• 4 carrots, diced into very small (<>
• 10 oz. crimini mushrooms, quartered
  
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 4 sprigs basil, minced
• 5 sprigs parsely, minced
• Olive oil for sauteing
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
2. Add onion and continue to sauté until soft, another 4-6 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and combine, continuing to sauté until the tomato paste begins to darken, 1-2 minutes.
   
4. Deglaze the pot with the broth, scraping the bottom with the wooden spatula to free all the onion and tomato drippings.
5. Once the broth begins to simmer, add the mushrooms eggplant and carrots. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add diced tomatoes, chickpeas and minced herbs. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for a couple more minutes.

Serve with white rice. Makes excellent leftovers.