letting go of first impressions

my introduction to lentils was not a good one. it was in middle school cooking class, mrs. coil was our teacher's name. this was a woman who was rumored to have never had sex with her shop teacher husband, and who also thought it appropriate to tell 12 yr olds "if you get your stomach wet while washing the dishes, it means you're going to marry a drunk". what?! perhaps it should not be surprising then, that this woman also thought a group of pre-teens from indiana would like brown lentils. the lentils in and of themselves were probably a bad enough idea, but a lentil soup, devoid of any flavor or spices, with a plain water broth, and a negligible amount of salt- that was a real mistake. how could something so exotic be soooooo boring? this soup was bland enough to turn off even a seasoned lover of lentils.

unfortunately, sometimes first impressions do last, and i spent at least the next ten years avoiding this fine legume, believing i could get more satisfaction from a bowl of water with a few clumps of dirt stirred up in it. i dont remember when i bravely ventured into the lentil world again, but needless to say, it was a much more positive experience. which is fantastic, because not only are lentils versatile and tasty, they come in all different size and color options, and they are quite healthy - high in fiber, protein, B vitamins and iron.

since being reintroduced to lentils, i have enjoyed them on numerous occasions, prepared myriad ways. i am sad to report however, that as far as the standard brown lentils of my 6th grade cooking class go, i still have had only mild to moderate success in preparing them in a way that i find worthy of doing again. ive enjoyed them in dishes others have made, but when i cook them, i still always find them somewhat bland. on the contrary, i have had excellent results with red lentils (which are really more pink). the recipe i typically make with them is one of my favorites when it comes to soup, and ive been making it for years. i dont even recall exactly where the inspiration came from; it may be a loose, dare i say, better, version of a recipe from one the first vegetarian cookbooks i acquired long ago. Anyway, wherever the idea came from, its here to stay.

red lentil coconut curry soup

ingredients

oil (olive, sesame or coconut)
carrot, thinly sliced
onion, diced
red bell pepper, diced or thinly sliced
green bell pepper, diced (about half as much as red)
15 oz can diced tomatoes with their juices
red lentils
stock or water
one can coconut milk
red curry paste
splash of soy sauce
lemon juice
garlic and fresh ginger, minced
salt to taste
cilantro (optional)
minced hot pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

yogurt (for garnish)


in oil briefly saute carrots. add peppers and onion. after another minute or two add garlic, ginger and curry paste (and chilis or pepper flakes if using). add lentils and then tomatoes. add the splash of soy sauce and just enough water or stock to cover lentils. bring to a boil and then simmer until lentils are almost done. add more water/stock if needed to keep them submerged. add coconut milk. add salt, lemon juice and cilantro to taste. simmer on low until lentils are very tender and flavors have melded. Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt.

notes: i never measure my lentils, but i think i usually use about half a cup-ish. please refer to my "ajvar" post in march 2010 for a more thorough explanation of why i dont usually include measurements in my recipes.

if you have leftovers the lentils will continue to soak up the liquids overnight, causing the soup to become quite thick. when you reheat it you can water it back down to soup consistency if you like, or enjoy it as is and scoop it up with some warm pita bread.

back with a punch

i really never intended for this much time to go by without writing, but alas, its been almost two years. i can hardly believe how fast the time goes by. ive thought about writing on several occasions, but just never quite got around to it. if you are reading this, chances are you know while i may not have cooked as much food as id have liked in the last year, or wrote about it when i did, i did bake up an exquisitely delectable little baby who smells sweeter than any treat that has ever come out of my kitchen. and quite naturally, he has garnered nearly all of my attention, both prior to and since his exciting arrival. i certainly have not stopped eating, or talking and obsessing about eating, but i guess this is just how these things sometimes go. we're pretty settled in now, and while i still sometimes feel like i barely even have time to get simple tasks like brushing my teeth done during the day, i feel relatively confident that i will be able to keep up with this project at least semi-regularly now.

so i return with a beverage recipe. i must stress however, this is not just any beverage, but one of the most perfectly delicious things, food or drink, ive consumed in some time. i wish i could take credit for the brilliant idea, but will happily settle for simply sitting there with my lips pursed on the edge of my glass. the drink is milk punch, which apparently is popular in the south, particularly new orleans. leave it to this great city to produce one more spectacular thing. while several recipes are out there, with some amount of slight variation, i settled on the one at smittenkitchen.com, (with my own adaptation) mainly because rather than being over ice, it was slushy. who could resist?

let me start by saying i have never considered myself much of a dairy/alcohol combination kind of girl. milk punch is an exception. when i first came across this recipe i thought of it definitely as a special occasion kind of drink, so i waited...and waited...and finally made it for our christmas eve get-together. after running out of the batch i made much more quickly than i had hoped, i can now deem just about anything a special occasion in order to justify keeping a pitcher of this intoxicating slush in my freezer. what? the diapers need washed again? better get a bottle of whiskey and some heavy cream.

although it is a cold drink, i think of it more as a wintry drink. for starters i dont usually crave milky things on hot summer days. and maybe it is that exact milkiness that gives me the nostalgia of a cold snowy day that i so rarely enjoy here in the northwest. and i suppose there is the fact that the drink is reminiscent of a glass of eggnog, albeit a cleaner, crisper version.

milk punch is a classy drink, a classy drink that inspires decidedly unclassy behavior. remember when you were 8 years old and your mom would let you lick the beaters from the brownies she was making? when i finish my drink, with all the gusto of my 8 year old self licking my gooey brownie-battered beater, i find myself spotlessly cleaning the inside of my glass with my index finger and then promptly putting it in my mouth to lick off the last frothy remains.



milk punch


ingredients

5 cups of a mixture of milk and heavy cream (ratio 3:2ish)
1 1/2 cups bourbon (or brandy)
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbls vanilla
freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

whisk all ingredients together in a pitcher and freeze until slushy (about 4 hrs). remove from freezer, stir, pour into glasses and garnish with nutmeg.

note: the original recipe calls for half-n-half instead of the heavy cream...ill always opt for the heavy cream. also, if you have never used freshly grated nutmeg- do it!

Hungary?

I dont really even know what to say about hungarian mushroom soup. I dont have any good stories about it. Its simple and quite lovely, but i dont see it served at restaurants too often. I dont even remember where or when i first tried it. There is a restaurant here in portland that has made a name on it, but i was less than impressed, and on the whole, have nothing nice at all to say about the place, so i'll move on. I guess one thing i should note is that by no means do i claim to be an expert on this dish. I dont know how it's traditionally made, or for that matter, how popular it even is in hungary. I did do an internet search, admittedly a rather brief one, to see if i could find some interesting history of the soup, some obviously authentic recipe, some piece of information worth sharing, but nothing really stood out. I plan to research this more in depth, as i myself am now curious how the soup may differ were it actually served to me in hungary, but for now i will settle with not knowing. If you are privy to this knowledge, please do share. For the moment i will entertain the mystery, and just tell you how i do it.


hungarian mushroom soup

ingredients

garlic, minced
yellow onion, diced
lots of mushrooms, sliced (white, crimini or a mix)
butter
stock (i use veggie, you could use chicken if you like)
sour cream
flour
salt, pepper, dill, hungarian paprika

Saute garlic and onion in butter. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. Add more butter or some olive oil if the mushrooms seem too dry. Remove from the heat and add a healthy portion of paprika. You are going to want to put more than may be your natural instinct. At least a tbls, maybe more. Return pot to the heat for a few seconds and add stock. Add pepper and dill, and bring to a boil. Salt and lower to a simmer. Remove a little broth and whisk it in a cup with a spoonful or two of flour until smooth. Add to the soup. You may adjust the amount of flour depending on how thick you want your soup; i tend to keep mine relatively brothy. Whisk in half a cup or more of sour cream. (For a slightly richer soup, you may also add some heavy whipping cream). Adjust spices to taste. Simmer until desired thickness. Top with another dollop of sour cream and a fresh sprinkling of dill. Enjoy with a few slices of hearty, crusty bread.

bbq salmon 'n slaw

I dont know if i can think of anyone who doesnt enjoy bbq. And while some people will eat anything that comes off a grill slathered in sauce, others develop a loyalty to their sauce of choice, declaring "I only eat Big Daddy's", or something to that effect. In fact, my mom recently visited, and at the suggestion of going out for bbq, she informed me that she usually doesn't eat it out, as she is so particular about her sauce. Rather than risk not wanting to eat her ribs because of an undesirable dressing, she prefers to enjoy them at home, where there are no surprises. I've been in portland long enough to know the restaurants that will not disappoint, but in general, i tend to lean with the sauce-wary, and not just with bbq. If i am out at a restaurant of questionable quality, which fortunately is not a regular occurrence, i will often order any accompanying sandwich condiments "on the side".

As for store bought brands, I have found some bbq sauces that are definitely good, but i am never so overwhelmed that i feel compelled to rush back to the store to buy it again. That, and the fact that i dont eat bbq all that often, have led me to the obvious conclusion that i should make my own bbq sauce any time i have that finger-lickin' urge. My recipe is a somewhat fluid one, meaning that it never is the exact same twice, but always pretty similar. Sometimes it may vary based on a new idea that comes my way, or sometimes because of an ingredient i happen to have, or not have, lying around.

As we all know, pork and chicken are high on the list of bbq-able items, but it just so happens that salmon is a fantastic option as well. This may be especially true for those mostly-vegetarian bbq lovers, the ones who eat sea creatures, but not land ones. I say this without judgement, as i myself was one of these "pescatarians" as they say, though for some reason i have always resisted employing such finicky labels when describing my eating habits. Having gotten that out of the way, i dont think too many people would argue that bbq is no stranger to coleslaw, and in this recipe, they are intimately acquainted. Enjoy.

bbq salmon 'n slaw sandwich

salmon
bbq sauce (see below)

green and/or purple cabbage
grated carrot (optional)
mayonnaise
dijon mustard
rice vinegar
black sesame seeds
salt and pepper
green onion (thinly sliced)

kaiser roll
queso fresco (optional)

Finely shred the cabbage. In a bowl whisk the vinegar with a small dollop of mayo and a little mustard. Toss dressing with the cabbage (and carrots if using) until well coated. Season with salt and pepper and stir in sesame seeds and green onion. Refrigerate until needed, stirring periodically to keep evenly marinated. Generously coat salmon fillet with BBQ sauce and bake or grill until just done. Discard skin and put salmon into a small saucepan. Stir in enough extra BBQ sauce to make it just a little messy to eat. Heat until warmed through. Fill roll with salmon and top with a big spoonful of slaw. Garnish with some cheese crumbles if you desire.

Below is my loose recipe for bbq sauce. I put "optional" next to those ingredients which are most flexible, depending on what you have around, or your tastes. Some people like a really sweet sauce, some a smoky one, others one with a kick. I like a combination of all of these flavors. So get creative! Play around and add or subtract things each time until you find that perfect combination that keeps you coming back for more.

bbq sauce

tomato sauce
garlic (minced)
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
worcestershire sauce (soy sauce also works)
dijon mustard
honey, brown sugar or maple syrup
salt, pepper, chili powder or cayenne, cumin and paprika (smoked if you have it)
chipotle (optional)
tamarind (optional)
whiskey or porter (optional - if you plan to do this, you may need to add some tomato paste in order to keep it from getting too thin)


Lightly saute garlic in oil. Add tomato sauce, stir, and begin adding the rest of the ingredients, one at a time, little by little, tasting frequently and adjusting as suits you. Simmer on low until flavors meld, or until you just cant wait any longer.

the cherry bomb

Here is a little appetizer that is sure to grab the attention of everyone around. Not only because it is round, red and cute, or because it is oozing with creaminess, but because it also delivers a spicy kick that is hard to ignore. While you could really use any hot pepper you like, i prefer the cherry bomb, which only seems to be available in my local grocery during a relatively small window of the growing season. In fact, while writing this it has occurred to me that i should add this fiesty veggie to my what-to-plant-in-my-garden list. Apparently compared to lots of other chilis, the cherry bomb contains a relatively low amount of the heat causing chemical, capsaicin, but nonetheless, i have had some that deliver quite a bite. As with all chilis, the intensity of one to the next always varies, but consider yourself forewarned if you have a tongue that is sensitive to a little bit of heat. Besides the invigorating piquancy of the cherry bomb, i like to use it because its flavor also imparts a nice sweetness that i feel a jalapeno, for example, lacks. The flesh is also really thick, so it lends itself nicely to stuffing. And aesthetically, well, look at it - how could you not want to pop that little jewel into your mouth?

stuffed cherry peppers

Ingredients

Cherry peppers
Feta or chevre
Pine nuts
Fresh basil (dried also works)
Olive oil

Core and seed the peppers, taking care not to break the sides. Brush with olive oil and roast in the oven at about 400. Meanwhile, chiffon the basil, and mix it with the pine nuts into the feta. When the peppers are almost done roasting (you don’t want them too soft or they won’t contain the cheese well), remove from the oven, let cool slightly and stuff with the feta mixture. Return to oven and very briefly broil to slightly brown the top. These are fantastic served warm or cold.