Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 3/4 c chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c white rice
• 3 c water
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 2 whole serrano chiles
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Saute the garlic until deep brown, then discard. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add rice and stir 5 min. Add hot water, parsley, serrano chilis, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer until all almost all liquid is absorbed (15 min). Stir, cover, and simmer 5 more minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 10 min. Discard parsley and serranos.

Ingredients

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbl tomato paste
• 1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 2 tbl butter, cut in pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• grated parmesan

Preparation

Heat 1 tbl of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 6 min. Remove the onion to a bowl. Add another tbl of oil to the same pan and heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the begin to release their liquid. Add the onion along with the garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 min. Add tomato paste and cook on high for 1 to 2 min. Add broth and reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. Gradually stir in butter. Stir in vinegar and serve over pasta or polenta, garnished with parmesan cheese.

Joy of Cooking calendar

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1/4 whole cabbage
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

Juice lemons. Peel apples.

Julienne the cabbage, the apples, and the peppers.

Add lemon juice, oil, salt, and poppies.

Mix. Chill. Eat!

Richard Kent

Ingredients

• Mediterranean pie dough
• 1 lb spinach
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbl olive oil
• 1 c finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 6 tbl pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbl chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Prepare the dough according to directions.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Stem the spinach, chop coarsely, and wash well to remove traces of sand. Drain well, place in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt. Let stand 1 h. Squeeze all moisture out of the spinach and then chop coarsely.

In a large saute pan over medium heat warm the oil. Add the onion and saute until tender and translucent, 8-10 min. Add the allspice, stir well and cook for 1 min longer. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach wilts, a few minutes. Stir in the pine nuts, lemon juice, mint, pepper, and salt to taste. Remove from heat.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions and roll out each portion into a 6 in round. Spoon about 1/3 c of the spinach mixture into the center of each round. Bring up the three edges of the round to meet in the center and press together to seal. The pastries will be triangular.

Place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush pastries with oil. Bake until golden, 15-20 min. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with olive oil. Serve warm.

Ingredients

• 2 medium dried ancho chiles, wiped clean
• 1 dried chipotle chile, wiped clean
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 pound kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Accompaniments: rice; chopped cilantro; chopped scallions; sour cream

Preparation

Slit chiles lengthwise, then stem and seed. Heat a dry heavy medium skillet over medium heat until hot, then toast chiles, opened flat, turning and pressing with tongs, until pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds. Tear into small pieces.

Pulse cumin seeds and chiles in grinder until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in oregano, cinnamon, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Cook onions in oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add chile mixture and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in zucchini and kale and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Add zest, sugar, chocolate, tomatoes with their juice, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in beans and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Gourmet, November 2007

Ingredients

• 1 lb. kidney beans
• 1 lg. onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 lb. hot cured sausage
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• rice, for serving

Preparation

“Fast-soak” kidney beans. Chop onion, bell pepper, garlic.

Drain beans, and refill pot with hot water to cover beans by 2". Bring to a low boil.

Add 1/3 each of onion, bell pepper and garlic. Also add bay leaves and thyme. Simmer until beans are almost soft, about an hour.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, cook sausage and slice, or slice and cook, depending on what kind of sausage you have.

When beans are tender, add salt (it will take a lot - I add it until the broth tastes slightly too salty, and then often have to add more later), about 1/2 of the a can of tomatoes (with juice), ground pepper, and the remaining veggies.

Simmer until thick, adjusting seasonings and adding more tomato, if desired.

When nearly done, add sausage and cook about 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

You could make this without adding the sausage (and serve it as a garnish for those who might want to add it) and it would be vegan.

Ingredients

• 4 TBSP olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 New Mexico red or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and julienned
• 1 cup pecans, very roughly crushed (may substitute other nuts)
• handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
• salt & pepper
• 20 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

Preparation

Bring water for pasta to a boil. Meanwhile, heat half the oil over low heat in a small sauce pan and add garlic, chiles, and nuts. Stir-fry 3 minutes. And parsley and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining oil. Cook pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, drain and return to pot. Add nuts & pasta water as needed to keep it from sticking together. Season with salt & pepper and stir in basil. Drizzle oil over individual servings. Serves 4 as main course.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas [canned chickpeas work better–JP]
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-6 tablespoons flour
• Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
• Chopped tomato for garnish
• Diced onion for garnish
• Diced green bell pepper for garnish
• Tahina sauce
• Pita bread

Preparation

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and pickled turnips. Drizzle with tahina thinned with water.

Source: Joan Nathan

Ingredients

• 1 c unsalted peanut butter
• 1/4 c rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 2 tbl light soy sauce [plus more if necessary–JP]
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 to 3 serrano or other chili peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbl sugar or honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 c + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbl chili oil [this makes it a bit spicy, reduce to ~2.5 tsp–JP]
• 1/2 c freshly brewed black tea
• 1 lb chinese egg noodles or spaghetti
• 4 c shredded cooked chicken
• thin strips of peeled seeded cucumber
• cilantro leaves
• chopped peanuts

Preparation

Combine peanut butter, vinegar, both soy sauces, garlic, chili peppers, sugar or honey, salt, 1/4 c sesame oil, chili oil and black tea in a food processor or blender and blend throughly. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. Allow to return to room temperature and stir well before using.

Cook the egg noodles in boiling water, drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Toss with 2 tsp sesame oil. Add chicken and sauce and stir together. [Chicken can be omitted to make the dish vegan–JP] Garnish with cucumbers, cilantro, and peanuts.

Joy of Cooking Calendar

Ingredients

For cassoulet:

• 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 parsley sprigs
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 (19-ounce) cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 quart water

For garlic crumbs:

• 4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation

Make cassoulet:

Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.

[To add 8 oz. bacon, slice, then fry until fat has rendered. Then add veggies and proceed with the recipe, omitting the 1/4 c. olive oil.]

Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, then water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.

Make garlic crumbs while cassoulet simmers:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley.

Finish cassoulet:

Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.

Gourmet, March 2008