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.

Channa Masala

In case you're wondering, Megan does exist, she's just been busy. So have I, but I seem to end up making dinner more often because I don't have afternoon class... Anyways, onto today's dinner!

This is actually an adaptation of a delicious chicken tikka masala recipe I got from Cook’s Illustrated. Without the chicken and with chickpeas instead it becomes more like channa masala, so that’s what I’m calling it. I almost completely re-wrote the chicken tikka masala recipe after I made it the first time, quadrupling the garam masala, using tomato paste instead of tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, adjusting the cream, adding more cayenne, etc. (That’s why I have no qualms about re-posting a recipe that you’d have to pay for online—trust me, this version bears relatively little resemblance to the original.) It’s fairly quick and easy, aside from cooking the brown rice, which takes about 45 minutes. If you have chicken legs/thighs (or lamb!) on hand, marinate it in some yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger, then bake it until cooked through and throw it in instead of the chickpeas. (Then it’s chicken tikka masala again…) Either way, this is scrumptious. Makes the house smell amazing too!

2 T. canola oil

1 small onion

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped finely

3-4 T. garam masala

2 t. grated fresh ginger

1 t. cayenne (omit for the faint of heart)

1 t. dried cilantro

3 T. tomato paste

1 1/2 c. water or low salt chicken broth and omit salt

1 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 can chickpeas, drained

2 c. cooked rice

fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat canola oil, then add onion and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add garam masala, ginger, cayenne, cilantro and tomato paste, and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cooking for 2 minutes. Add water, sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in heavy cream and return to a simmer, then add chickpeas. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve over rice (long grain brown or basmati). The longer the chickpeas are in the sauce the better they'll be, and the leftovers are excellent the next day.

For a nicer presentation, omit the dried cilantro and send the sauce through a blender before adding the chickpeas. Garnish each plate with fresh cilantro and decorate with a sprinkling of cayenne.