Moroccan Lamb Tagine, or How I Forgave the Weather for Being Cold and Wet

Welcome, winter.  Though you mark the end of wonderful things like tomatoes (grrrrr),  you allow me to turn on my oven for two hours and make lamb stew.  Amazing lamb stew.  And thank you, recipe-part-of-the-BBC's-website-which-I-didn't-realize-existed!  I've translated their recipe here, for your non-British enjoyment...  The recipe makes enough for 6-8 people, but did we scale it down? Nooooo.  Instead we have a meal's worth in the freezer, and leftovers for Thursday's dinner!  A word to the wise: you need a very large casserole dish for this.  Or two of them.  Trust us.

Lamb Tagine
spice mix:
1 t. cayenne
2 t. black pepper
1.5 T. paprika
1.5 T. ground ginger
1 T. turmeric
2 t. cinnamon

2 lb lamb stew cubes
2 large onions, grated (really! on a box grater, apparently) or minced
a few T. olive oil
a few T. argan oil (if you happen to have been to Morocco recently, or canola)
3 cloves garlic, crushed/minced/microplaned
2 c. tomato juice*
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (the large can)
4 oz/.67ish c. dried apricots, snipped in half (a large, sticky handful)**
2 oz/.33ish c. dried dates, snipped in half (a small, slightly-less-sticky handful)
2 oz/.33ish c. golden raisins (a small, minimally-sticky handful)
3 oz/.5ish c. almonds-- flaked, chopped or slivered (a large handful)
1 t. saffron stamens
2 c. lamb or beef stock
1 T. honey
1 small bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (for garnish)

Stir together spice mix.  Coat the lamb cubes in half of the mix (reserve the rest), and let marinate in the fridge for 6-12 hours.

Cook lamb cubes in olive/argan oil over med-high heat, transferring to your casserole dish(es) when nicely brown on the outsides.  You will probably have to do this in batches.  Deglaze pan with a splash of tomato juice and add this to the casserole.

The oil turns yellow from the turmeric...yum.

Looks can be deceiving-- partially cooked lamb does not make good eating.  (Yet.)

Start saffron soaking in a small bowl of water.  Preheat oven to 300.

Originally...

...15 minutes later!

In a large saucepan***, saute onions and reserved spice mix over very low heat for about 10 minutes.  Onions should turn translucent but not brown.  BEWARE OF NOXIOUS ONION+CAYENNE+PEPPER+ TURMERIC GASES.  Resist the urge to take a deep breath of the fumes.  Add garlic and continue to cook over low heat and breathe sparingly.

Gas mask suggested.

After 2-3 minutes, add remaining tomato juice and/or stock to deglaze this pan, then add this awesomely-colored concoction to the casserole dish.

This was 3/4 of the stew-- smaller casserole dish, also full, not pictured.

Carefully stir in fruit, almonds, honey, diced tomatoes, saffron+its water, cover, and bake for 2 hours.  To check for doneness, remove from oven and fish out a lamb cube; if it is easy to stab with a fork and has the most amazing texture, it's done.  Otherwise, cook for an additional half hour.

Serve over couscous (Bring 1.5 c. water to a boil, add .5 T. butter, remove from heat, add 1 c. couscous, cover pan, and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.  Feeds 3-4, scale up as needed.) with cilantro garnish.  Enjoy!


*Did you know that it is humanly impossible to buy tomato juice in this quantity??  There's 3.5 cups of tomato juice in our freezer now.
**Use a scale if you have one; it's especially nice if you can re-zero it and then weigh all of these things together.  But you don't have to be exact-- tagine will not be ruined by a few extra apricots.
***Ideally, you'd have a really nice enameled casserole dish (maybe in a color that matches your stand mixer) that can also go on the stovetop, and you would just do all of this in that (having set the lamb aside in a bowl, to add back in when you add everything else).

We didn't have any cilantro, but we forced it down anyways.

P.S. The dates will turn golden, look like olives, and taste like slow-cooked lamb....!!!  Prepare yourself for this culinary alchemy.
P.P.S. Turmeric/saffron stain things yellow.  Such as, countertops (so I hear) and tupperware containers (so I see).

P.P.P.S. I swear I was not drinking when I
took this picture but I thought it was level!

Peruvian Chicken and Mexican Corn

How better to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a Latin American dinner? (Okay, so there are probably many ways, but this way was delicious so I don't care.) Peruvian chicken comes from Cooks Illustrated (reproduced here, though it's missing the sugar, see below). The recipe is for a whole roasted chicken, but we had boneless chicken thighs so we used them instead (we halved the marinade for about 1.5 lbs of chicken). Mexican corn is just grilled corn with the addition of mayo (sounds gross but it's not, remember that mayo is just oil and eggs after all), cheese, ancho powder, lime juice and salt. With some brown rice to round it out and a Goose Island Summertime Ale, a good meal was had by all! (All two of us that is.)

Peruvian Chicken Marinade

adapted from Cooks Illustrated

1/4 cup, loosely packed, fresh mint

1 habanero chile (we subbed a jalapeno b/c, guess what, the grocery store was closed)

3 garlic cloves

1 t salt

1 T granulated sugar (sub honey if you like, but don't skip it!)

1/2 tsp of black pepper

1 T ground cumin

1 t pimentón (smoked paprika)

1/2 t dried oregano

2 T olive oil

2 t lime zest

1/4 c lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a small food processor or blender. Marinate chicken (boneless or bone-in chunks, or a whole chicken, or whatever) for 4+ hours. Grill until cooked, outer edges will brown and caramelize and be amazing. Cook time will depend on your chicken choice and grill temperature/temperament. Serve with brown rice or quinoa or potatoes or sweet potatoes or nothing at all.

Mexican Corn

a few ears of corn

mayo

cheese (parm or, ideally, queso añejo)

ancho or other chile powder

lime juice

salt

Prepare corn for grilling: Carefully peel back husks (do not remove!) and pull out all silks. Re-wrap the ear in the husks. Some people like to then soak the ears for 15 minutes in a large bowl of water, but it seems to be totally unnecessary. Either way, grill the corn for 20-30 minutes over moderate heat. Outer husks will char and kernels will be tender (stab with a fork if you're unsure, but it's hard to overcook it.) Once it's barely cool enough to handle, peel back husks and slather in mayonnaise (good stuff please), then sprinkle heavily with cheese, spritz with lime juice, and dust with chile powder and salt. Eat while still warm. Wonder why you haven't moved to Mexico yet.

Autumn Soup

Ack, it seems we missed October! Who's in charge around here anyways? Though to be honest this soup was made in October, it just took me until today to be avoiding work so hardcore that I'm posting something. I didn't actually make this, I just invented it and typed up the "recipe" and Carter made it and then I adjusted it (like I do) and we ate it. And it was awesome. Truly, truly awesome. It could easily be vegetarian if you leave out the sausage (but if you aren't sausage-averse keep it in!!). Here's how it goes:

ingredients:

3 largish potatoes, chopped (peeled if you want)

1 bunch leeks, light parts sliced (dark green parts not needed)

1 celeriac bulb, peeled and chopped

3 or 4 carrots, chopped

8+ cloves garlic

1 qt (or more) stock (chicken/turkey/pork/veggie)

chicken bouillon cube or salt

a few heavy shakes of marjoram

3 bay leaves

much black pepper

1 c. half and half (or less cream)

8in section of kielbasa or andoiulle sausage

do this:

Roast garlic, then peel them and leave whole.

In a large pot, saute leeks until they're starting to brown, then add everything but garlic and saute for a few more minutes.

Add garlic, spices, stock and then 4 or 5 cups of water until the pot is at least about half full. Simmer for 1-2 hours. When it's cooked, rescue the bay leaves and puree about half of the soup in the blender. Add cream, adjust seasonings, remove from heat.

Meanwhile: broil, grill, or otherwise cook your sausage. Cut into bite-size pieces and toss into the soup just before serving. Garnish with parsley and eat with rustic bread.

Thai Pork Chops and Stir Fry Veg

I recently came across this on Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/thai-style-chicken-legs/ and I was determined to try it out. (First I had to get to the Asian grocery store to get hoisin.) I didn't have any chicken legs and while I thought it might be good on turkey drumsticks, I'm saving those for turkey pot pie when it gets cooler. :-) We did have pork chops, and that sounded like an excellent combination. (To preview: it was! I'm practically drooling as I write this, remembering...) I'll repost the Smitten Kitchen instructions here, which we mostly followed, aside from snubbing the oven entirely (particularly at 450 degrees!!) and using a cast iron skillet instead.

for the marinade:

5 garlic cloves

1/4 c cilantro

1/4 c fish sauce

1/4 c canola oil

4 T hoisin sauce

1 1/2 t coriander

1 t salt

1 t black pepper

2 porkchops (we used boneless but bone-in would be fine)

Whirr together everything but the chops in a blender or food processor until it's mostly smooth. Use about 1/2 of the marinade to generously coat the chops and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Reserve the rest of the marinade for veggies, see below.

Once pork is marinating, chop veggies:

1 medium onion, sliced

2 japanese eggplants (no need to peel)

1 bell pepper

a handful of shitakes wouldn't be amiss here either

Mix the veggies together with the remaining marinade and throw in the fridge too.

Start rice (jasmine is excellent with this).

Take a cat nap or otherwise occupy 10 minutes...

Then heat a large skillet over high heat with a heavy splash of oil. When the oil is shimmering add veggies and any marinade that wasn't absorbed. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat and add a few T of water, let cook until eggplant is tender (about 3 more minutes).

There are two chop-cooking options:

Skillet: While the veggies are cooking heat a heavy skillet (cast iron if possible) to med-high head with more oil. Add the pork chops and cook about 3 minutes per side-- they should brown and be barely pink in the center when done. If the marinade starts to carmelize in the pan that's fine (in fact, delicious), but if it's starting to char (carefully) add a T of water. Remove chops from pan and let them stand five minutes, then slice.

Wok: Reserve cooked veggies to a plate and add more oil to wok. Slice chops (only boneless work here) into 1/4 in strips and cook over med-high heat (in batches if needed) until slightly browned and no longer pink. Serve immediately.

If the veggies are done and have cooled, reheat them over high heat in the wok. Serve over rice. And HOLY CRAP, this is good. Go make it now. No excuses, just do it. Trust me on this one. (Have I ever steered you wrong?)

Tortilla española in fotos

Start with a few handfuls of potatoes,

slice into 1/4" slablets,

and fry in olive oil

until brown but not crisp.

Chop a handful of green onions

and fry in leftover oil.

Crack 7 eggs for a 10 inch skillet,

add a fair measure of salt,

and beat into oblivion.

Layer potatoes on top of the onions,

pour in the eggs,

And cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the edges look set. Then broil for 5 minutes (top will become fully set) and let cool for another 5.

(Eat!)

recipe from: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spanish_tortilla/

No cHard Feelings

No pictures today because I'm tired of arguing with my (5 year-old) camera about its flash settings and what to focus on. I was potentially going to buy a super-spiffy and cheap Canon s3is from a friend of mine, but someone else got it first....drat! Meanwhile, I made a super-delicious pasta primvera-esque dinner tonight, complete with rainbow chard from the farm my sister works on! (It's not too hot to grow greens in the summer in NY state!) But it's not actually springtime, so I dub this:

Pasta Verano (Italian/Spanish meld-phrase!)

Pasta:
1/2 lb. pasta (I used fettuccine)
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Veg:
2 T. mixture of canola and olive oils
1/2 onion, sliced
1 summer squash/zucchini, sliced
1 small bunch chard (rainbow or otherwise), ribbed and chopped (reserve greens separately from ribs)
1 handful fresh basil leaves, snipped
1 gorgeous tomato, chopped
2 large gloves garlic, minced
red chili flakes to taste

Saute onions, squash and chard ribs over medium-low heat until almost tender, 5-8 minutes. Add chard greens, basil, tomato, garlic and chili flakes and cover. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until greens are wilted.

CONCURRENTLY:
Make pasta. When it's cooked drain but DO NOT RINSE. Return to pot and crack an egg over it. Stir vigorously for about 75 seconds. The egg will get frothy and then creamy-- it should not turn into little scrambled egg bits. Salt and pepper generously.

Combine veg and pasta and serve hot.

The egg-in-pasta idea came from two sources, one: Make do and make it good and the other: What Geeks Eat.

Rainbow chard in its farm life:

(photo copyright Christina Schubert, 2009)

Goulash

It was chilly (only 75!) and overcast today, which made it perfect for stew. Goulash is Hungarian I think, and is essentially oniony, paprikay beef stew. Yum! It also happens to be very very easy to make, as all good stew should be. This is my parents' recipe (if you can even call it that), and they always make it in the pressure cooker, allowing one to go from raw to stew in about 30 minutes. I have no pressure cooker and didn't think far enough ahead to put this in the CrockPot (though you easily could), so I just made it in a pot on the stove, the old-fashioned way. The amount of this recipe is enough for 2 decently-sized portions-- two dinners or a dinner and leftovers-for-lunch!

Start with 1/2 lb stew beef (or lamb I suppose). I cut mine into smaller chunks to encourage it to cook more quickly. In two batches, brown it in a combination of canola and olive oils. You only want the meat to brown, don't worry if it's still raw in the middle. Remove from the pan and add two large handfuls of sliced onions. Brown those also, adding more oil as necessary. Deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine, then add the meat back in, along with a beef boullion cube, 3-4 T. of [mild Hungarian] paprika, 1/2 t. cayenne or hot paprika and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender-- about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker, 90 minutes on the stovetop, or 4+ hours in a CrockPot. Keep an eye on it and add more water as needed. When the meat was almost tender I added about an extra half cup of water and when that reached a rolling boil, three handfuls of uncooked egg noodles. 9 minutes later I had a one-pot goulash+noodles dinner! Serve with plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. On a whim I added some fresh basil for garnish and discovered that it complements the paprika and beef flavors excellently! I plan on throwing a few more leaves in with my leftovers.

Cuminy Tofu Stirfry

Tonight's meal is brought to you by both Epicurious and What Geeks Eat. I was wandering around on the internet last night and found What Geeks Eat for the first time, and really enjoyed both the recipes and the quite excellent photos. As soon as I buy more yeast I intend to make her cinnamon rolls and maybe the snickerdoodles too. Yum... Anyways, what inspired me was her marinated, pan-fried tofu recipe. I didn't reference her recipe at all as I was going, but I did remember one very important thing she said, which is to leave the tofu alone. Yes, it's in a pan on medium heat and anything else that size would be burnt to a crisp after 8-10 minutes per side, but just leave it. Don't push it around, and don't peek until at least 8 minutes have gone by. The cumin part of the stir fry is a hold over from when I made "cumin-scented stir-fried beef with celery" a few months ago. I had never considered putting cumin in a stir fry, but it is simply fabulous. Especially if there are mushrooms involved, because they soak up the flavor like nothing else and mmmmmm. I just love the way cumin smells, and tragically the whole house now smells like it! As with all stirfries, use whatever veggies you've got-- I happenned to have green beans, onions, and portabellas. Mushrooms are highly recommended. Anyways, on to my approximate recipe:

Marinade:
1 large splash vinegar (apple cider or white are fine)
1 large splash soy sauce
1/2" ginger knob, microplaned or otherwise liquefied
1/2" t. cumin

Combine ingredients in a shallow dish or ziploc bag. Lay in 1/2 block extra-firm tofu, sliced into 1/2" slabs and patted dry with paper towels. Allow to marinate for about an hour, turning a few times. When you take the tofu out to cook it, reserve the marinade that didn't absorb.

Start water for noodles (I had soba on hand so I had to boil them, not just soak) or rice.

Heat a few generous tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet to medium, then lay in the tofu slabs and leave them be for 8 minutes. Really. They are browning very, very slowly. When they reach a nice deep golden brown, flip them and be patient with the other side too.


Then remove to a plate (perhaps in a warm oven) and cook up:


1 small onion, sliced
1 large handful green beans, snapped
1 large handful sliced portabella mushrooms (about 2 caps)

In the same skillet and remaining oil, cook onions on medium for 2-3 minutes. Add beans and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes longer. Then add:

1-2 t. ground cumin
1/2 T. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/2" ginger knob, microplaned
1-2 cloves garlic, microplaned
1 t. hot pepper flakes
2 T. water
plus the leftover marinade


Allow veggies to simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes or so, or until they are tender. At this point you can thicken any remaining sauce (mix one forkful cornstarch into about 1/4 c. water until smooth, then pour into sauce will stirring) or leave it be. Plate over rice or noodles, with a tofu slab on top.


I have now officially returned from my "I'm too lazy and it's too hot to cook" hiatus!

Summer Soups (for Riley), or How to Not Neglect Your Blender

Riley has a lot of tomatoes. To solve such a delicious predicament, I recommend immediate application of gazpacho. And just for kicks (and because it's peach/cantaloupe season), I recommend further application of Peach-Cantaloupe soup for dessert (though perhaps not in the same day; that's a lot of pureed fruit). I've made each of these a few times, but not yet this season-- I'll post pictures when I do. The gazpacho recipe gets its basics from a recipe my Mom has (of unclear origins), but it's been altered over time and generally proceeds in an "Eh, that looks like enough X" fashion. I've tried to be a bit more useful than that here, but it's a really forgiving recipe so don't stress if you don't have exactly enough of any ingredient. The Peach-Cantaloupe soup comes directly from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest," which is a wonderful cookbook by Mollie Katzen (of Moosewood). She has delicious ways to prepare all sorts of fresh veggies and fruits, as well as a chapter on bread which is both inspiring and easy-to-follow. Onwards and soupwards...

Gazpacho for Riley
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion or a handful of green onions, diced
3 c. tomato juice*
2 large tomatoes, peeled** and chopped
1 bell pepper or 2 poblanos, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (or a dash of hot sauce)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
two splashes vinegar (apple cider is good, or whatever you've got)
two heavy drizzles of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


*If you're feeling particularly inundated with tomatoes, make juice out of them yourself instead of buying canned. Peel (see below), halve or quarter, scoop seeds out, and blend.

**To peel tomatoes (easily): bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and simmer for 60 seconds. Dunk in ice water. The skins should slip right off; if not then boil them for a few more seconds. (This also works for peaches/plums!)















Blend half of cucumber, half of onion, half of bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, tomato juice, and oil/vinegar (in batches as necessary). Add to remaining ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours. Slurp up. Really good with rosemary sourdough bread and fresh mozzarella or more olive oil. It looks pinkish when you first make it (see photo) because the tomatoes get frothy, but regains a rich red color after chilling.


Peach Cantaloupe Soup (credit: Mollie Katzen, with minimal alterations)
6 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (see above for peeling tip)
1/4 c. dry white wine
6 T. lemon juice (from one juicy lemon)
1 T. honey
1/4 t. cinnamon (MORE!)
dash of nutmeg (make it two)
1 medium-sized ripe cantaloupe (5" diameter or so), seeded and diced
1 c. OJ

Place all but cantaloupe and OJ in a heavy saucepan. Heat to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree peach mixture with 3/4 of the cantaloupe and OJ until smooth. Pour into serving bowl. Add remaining cantaloupe chunks and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with fresh blueberries and mint. And whipped cream if you're feeling adventurous.

Laura's jambalaya!

My friend Laura is amazing, and lives in Atlanta, and I think she's a bit bored recently. She emailed me her jambalaya recipe and, well, it looks delicious! Here it is...

Laura's Jambalaya (word-for-word from her email)

Ingredients:

• 1 large pepper (any kind, green makes it look prettier)
• 1 small onion
• Okra (optional/seasonal)
• 14 oz. can tomatoes (don’t drain) or equivalent amount of fresh
  
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups rice
• 2 cups water
• Meat (see discussion below)
• 2 - 3 T oil
• Garlic (at least 2 cloves)
• Crushed red pepper
• Tabasco sauce (optional)
  
• 1 bay leaf
• Basil, oregano, rosemary as the spirit moves you
• Salt and pepper to taste (if using canned broth, no salt is necessary)

Directions:

In large pot, sauté pepper, onion and garlic until cooked a bit in oil (whatever kind you want).

Add rice, stirring until it is coated in oil (this will prevent sticking – more oil may be necessary but if you use a greasy meat it isn’t).

Add tomatoes, broth, water, PRE-cooked meat and spices.

Raise to a boil then simmer (covered) for about 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Be sure not to eat the bay leaf!

Meat:

I usually use ½ a ring of Polish kielbasa and a chicken breast or two. You can use Italian sausage or shrimp as well. Kielbasa is pre-cooked and therefore easy to add. For shrimp, it would be advisable to add it towards the end though you may want to look up proper instructions. Shrimp is too classy for me. (My note: Add shrimp when the water is all-but absorbed; they need to steam/cook for about 4 minutes. And yes, I had to look it up too.)

Crispy Mango Tofu

After an extravagant excursion of excellent excitement nothing quite hits the spot like crisp, fried tofu in a mango sweet and sour sauce. This surprisingly simple recipe was quick and oh so wonderful....but enough doting, lets get down to business so you can make this little piece of wonderful for yourself.

What you'll need:
* extra-firm tofu
* 1/4 cup corn starch
* 4 Tbsp canola oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 Tbsp minced ginger
* 1 large green bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
* 2 large mangoes diced



For the sauce:
The sauce used in this is a sweet and sour sauce that could be used for a variety of things from tofu to sweet and sour chicken.

*Combine the following in a bowl and set aside for use at the very end
* 1/4 cup water
* 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
* 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce(tabasco works too)
* 2 Tbsp ketchup
* 2 Tbsp soy sauce
* 1 Tbsp brown sugar
* 2 tsp corn starch


What to do:
*Cut tofu into whatever size bits you desire.
*Roll tofu bits in cornstarch, hehe, they look like fondant cubes.
*Fry tofu in some canola oil until crispy, it takes longer than you think but it's worth it, this really will be the most crisp tofu you've ever tried!

*After sampling (try not to swoon) put on a paper towel covered plate to drain of excess oil
*While you're waiting for you're rice to finish cooking...did I mention the need for rice? Well you need rice and chances are, because tofu fries rather quickly, it won't be done yet. Anyways, since you already have a pan of hot oil sitting on your stove you might as well make Popcorn...at least, that's what we did.

The great Popcorn interlude, brought to you by hungry, that pesky brat that just keeps coming back:

Really? You need Popcorn? Really?

*What are you? Jiminy Cricket? Yes really we need popcorn. (In her defense, she was only trying to help...)

*Now, because we know you need some too, throw some raw corn kernels into your oil, put a lid on and shake the pan around until the popping stops. Salt and nom till your heart's content!


Getting back to the dinner at hand...
*In the little bit of oil you have left in the pan put your chopped green peppers
*Then put your ginger and garlic, we grated ours to avoid more chopping
*Put your tofu back in and then dump your sauce on top
*Let this simmer until it gets thick and then add your mango
*Stir it all around so your mango gets warmed up and you're done! (go eat now)

Lilly and Lentils

It's about time we introduce Ms. Sour Puss to you, aka Lilly. I found her like this on my bed one morning last week. A prize goes to anyone who can find her face.
On a tastier note, I made easily-vegan Curried Lentil Soup last night. I followed the voices in my head when I made it, but here's approximately what I did:

Dice 1 small onion, and saute in olive oil for a few minutes, until soft but not brown. Add 2 large cloves garlic, sliced, and 3 carrots, sliced, and turn up the heat slightly to brown the onions/garlic and start to cook the carrot. Throw in 1.3 cups lentils (I measured out a cup, but then decided it needed another handful, hence the .3 c.) and another splash of olive oil. Add two handfuls of garam masala powder (5 T. maybe??) and stir around for a minute or two. Next add 1 small can or about half of a large can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted works well) and about 7 cups of stock (chicken, beef, turkey, mushroom, or some combination) or equivalent water and some broth powder. Simmer for about an hour, or transfer everything to a Crock Pot and leave it all day. Check periodically to make sure that you're getting curried lentil SOUP instead of just curried lentils. (Or reduce the liquid to about 3 cups and forget about making it into soup.)

Other good additions would be: mushrooms in with the onions (and some butter, of course) or leeks or celery or potatoes or any other soup vegetables you've got on hand. If you want plain lentil soup, leave out the curry and instead add 2 bay leaves, 2 pinches of thyme, and some black pepper. Easier than pie!

Not a bad pairing with a glass of merlot (somehow), and the notes from my senior honors thesis defense make a great placemat!

Also, today was the first Wednesday of the Carrboro Farmers' Market, and I got a free squash seedling. Sorry about the picture quality today, by the way.

Naan

As a late addition to the channa masala meal, I decided to make naan. With the help of the food blog search Firefox addon, I found two promising recipes: http://www.andreasrecipes.com/2007/01/11/naan-fluffy-style/ from a nice lady named Andrea, and this one http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/05/naan-recipe-if-you-can-make-pancakes.html from a nice lady named Stef. In the end I used Andrea's ingredients (halved) and Stef's cooking method. It worked, I suppose. It's super tasty, to be sure, but I'm not sure if it tastes of naan. Unfortunately the channa masala leftovers had already been put away, so I didn't taste the two together, but I'll report back after lunch tomorrow.

ingredients:
about 1 1/2 cups AP flour (start with 1 1/4 c. and increase as needed)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. sugar
1 t. yeast
1 small egg
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. milk (Andrea's recipe called for skim milk, but all we had was 2%, it seemed to work fine)
1-2 t. canola oil

doings:
Stir together dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and wet ingredients in a small bowl (or measuring cup). Add wet to dry, stirring to combine. Add more flour as needed until you reach dough. Knead for a few minutes-- it's not a lot of dough so you can just do it in the bowl or your floured hands, no board required. Lightly oil the bowl, plop the dough into it, swirl it around and flip it to cover it with oil on all sides. Cover with a damp towel, and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled. (In this cold and rainy weather I put it in the oven with just the light on.) When risen, lightly knead/punch down. Heat a lightly oiled cast iron skillet to medium. Pull off golfball-sized lumps of dough and flatten/stretch it between your hands as thin as you can get it-- it'll shrink and plump up as soon as you let go, like pizza dough. Plop (that word is so perfect for this dough!) the stretched bits into the skillet. Let them fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until they reach desired brown-ness. Eat.