Lentil Potato Curry Crazy

Curry.  Maybe it is my English roots, or the fact that I have a sick addiction to Indian food… ohhh how I love a lamb vindaloo, but tonight was a big batch of vegetarian curry.  Many people have the wrong idea about Indian food.  Its going to be too spicy.  It is going to be fatty and unhealthy.  Sure I have ventured into some “authentic” Indian eateries and walked out pissed off about a bunch of mushy crap.  But good Indian food, and I mean from people that know what they are doing, can make some fantastic dishes with not 10, not 5, but 0ne or two spices and some great healthy and fresh ingredients.  Indian food to me is an art in blending spices and layering of flavors.  My father, now retired, has all the time in the world to let a good Indian curry simmer and develop.  For myself, time is a little harder to come by which is why I have not experimented too much with this line of food.  But on occasion, I will set into the kitchen with a goal of spice and aroma that leads me to some sort of curry dish.

So in the theme of the month, eating on the cheap, curry is a super way to add tons of flavor to legumes and starches, without breaking the bank.  I poked around at some recipes and stuck my head in the pantry and found some things that worked quite well if I do say so myself.

I sort of went at tonight’s dinner with a blank notepad and a bunch of stuff I had on hand.

1 cup green lentils

4 potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

3 tablespoons of curry powder

2 dried habanero peppers (from last years crop)

32 oz of diced tomatoes

one red onion

4 cloves of garlic

3 cups water

salt and pepper

-Bring the water to a boil in a big stew pot and put in the lentils with one tablespoon of the curry powder to cook for 15-20 min.  Add the potatoes and tomatoes to the lentils and simmer.  Heat up a pan and add oil and the sliced onion and saute till soft, then add the minced garlic till aromatic (maybe a minute or two more).  Add this to the big pot and add the rest of the curry powder and some more water to cover the potatoes.  Crush the dried habanero’s and stir in.  Let simmer as low as possible for 45 minutes.  Taste and season.  Done.  Wait, what was I saying about simmering all day!  I had some long grain rice on hand, so I served the curry over the top.

The whole house smelt amazing.  Curry will do that, and of course I made myself a extra large helping that caught me off guard, but the food region of my brain was doing all the talking.  Lentils, potatoes and rice are very filling.  So I have a good amount left, which will come with me for lunch that I will serve over the veggi cutlet I have left over from two nights ago ( I love leftovers.  Sometimes they are even better than when you make it fresh!)  I do believe that this whole curry set me back about $3.50.  This was dinner for two and at least another 4 or 5 servings.  Man, at this rate I can retire in a few months.  Come to think of it.  How come every high school does not offer a “eating at college on a budget” cooking class?  I mean when it come to push comes to shove (please read: when it comes to food or booze), we all know what a college student chooses… freshman and sophomore year anyway.  Maybe I am onto something.

Mike’s (soon to be) Famous Stuffing

Not to bash American tradition or whatnot, I mean I have lived in the States for the past 26 years, but what is with these bready stuffing that comes to life around the holidays.  If there is any room left after engulfing turkey, potatoes, veggies and all the other sides, what made sense about shoving in heaping mouthfuls of bread.  Growing up with parents that love to cook and did it every night, i have many wonderful memories of great dishes.  Yet one of the few that has always come to the forefront was my fathers super stuffing.  While yes, there is some bread in it, it is mostly onions and pork.  Combine this with sage and garlic and the pearly gates have been opened.  I can not recommend these little flavor bombs enough, and take my advice and double… no triple the recipe as they become even better and more delicious the day after.  Check out the recipe and let me know what you think.  I do have to give ALL the credit to my father, Mike, for passing this one down to me.  Enjoy!

1 package of unseasoned pork sausage (8 links)

4 slices of bread (left out for a day or so to stale)

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

3-4 pinches of dried sage

salt and pepper

1 egg

 

**cooking fat or stock to cook them in is a big plus!!!

Pre heat oven to 350˚F (if cooking other things in the oven adjust the times accordingly)

Dice the onion in a food processor (needs to be finely chopped).  Sauté in a pan with a little oil.  Careful not to burn but just brown.  About half way through browning, add the diced garlic.  Put the stale bread in a food processor to make into fine bread crumbs.  In a bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well.

Make into small patties.  Heat the cooking fat or oil (if making a turkey use some of the drippings/juices for this) add patties.  Cook for 3-5.  Turn and place into the oven for 25 min.

Halloumi Heaven

So who thought that in the middle of Skanor, the southern region of Sweden, I would learn about a fabulous Cypriot cheese.  One of my wife’s good friends from youth, Christel, and her husband Thomas, who is a wonderful chef and is still active in the food world, invited us over for dinner.  The first course was a wonderfully fresh salad of tomatoes and watermelon topped with a grilled, yes grilled, cheese that has a firm texture but a wonderful salty and smoky flavor.  The saltiness of the cheese went so well with the sweetness of the watermelon and the acidity of the tomato that I had to ask what it was.  well I do believe on my third or fourth inquiry I finally remembered the name.  Halloumi, a goat and sheep milk cheese originating on the island of Cyprus.  Due to its higher than normal melting point, it can be grilled or even fried.  So after tasting the super cheese in the last place I would think to find it (thats why people that like food always have something fun to share) I had to search for more recipes.  

What I found was a wonderful and super easy vegetarian recipe that may even fool some of the carnivores out there and is a perfect summer grilling treat.  I paired this recipe with rosemary and garlic chicken and grilled squash… yum.

Whisk together: 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of fresh mint (minced), 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, and one finely chopped garlic clove.  Brush this mixture onto a head of romaine lettuce that has been quartered lengthwise, and onto a red onion that has been cut into 1/3″ rounds.  

on a medium hot grill grill the romaine and onion for a few minutes each side and set aside.  slice the halloumi block into 1/2″ slices and grill for 3 min a side.  Place the onion rings on top of the romaine and place the grilled halloumi slices on top and enjoy… thanks Thomas and Christel, this cheese is here to stay.

A Fish to Save the World

What fish is low on the food chain, able to survive in a wide range of aquatic habitats, is easy to farm and is a major protein source for developing countries?  Tilapia, or Izumidai, if you find yourself posted up at a sushi bar.  Tilapia is not a specific fish, but a large group of fishes in the cichlid family that originated from Africa.  These herbivorous freshwater fishes are perfect candidates for aquaculture as they grow rapidly to a large size on a plant based diet, reproduce easily and can live in dense groups. 

Yet, these very same attributes that make them a great fish for aquaculture also allow them to spread rapidly through ecosystems where they are introduced, often by accident.  In the United States, tilapia are farmed in closed ponds that eliminate the problem of escapement and leakage of pollution into the environment.  But this fish is heavily farmed in Southeast Asia where the regulations are far less strict.  Many of the ponds allow for escapement into the surrounding environment and also for the discharge of their effluent.  So when purchasing tilapia, or any farmed fish, often the region in which it is raised can make or break its level of sustainability.

Aquaculture may prove to be the panacea for our protein addiction, but only when it is performed in a sustainable way.  In many parts of the world, primarily in developing nations, entire coastal ecosystems are being poisoned by poorly run aquaculture that does not feed the local population, but is exported to the herds of westerners from North America and Europe who scarf down the all you can eat seafood buffet.  So next time you order farmed seafood, make sure you know where it is coming from.  To learn more about the specific farmed seafood you are looking to prepare, check out www.seafoodwatch.org and take control of your actions.

Check out the recipe in the pages section to the left.

Golden Beets (I refrained from the silly pun)

Golden beets are one of my favorite things, and how easy can it get.  These ones i get from my local farmers market here in Venice and if you roast them in the oven with some salt and pepper, make a salad to die for.  Actually thats about as tricky as it gets. Cut off the greens (oh save these for step two), give them a wash, put them on a large piece of tinfoil, drizzle with olive oil, and toss in some salt and pepper and roast for 1 hour at 375 degrees.  let them cool a bit and the skins should slide off… if not, a veggie peeler should suffice.  Slice them on to a salad with some goat cheese and drizzle with a light vinaigrette.  Healthy as well.  yum, yum, yum.

Now for the beet greens.  Since I hate wasting things, being able to use the delicious greens are an added bonus.  Cut them into 1″ wide strips and Saute them in a pan with some walnut oil, minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  I like to add a touch of balsamic to give it a tang, so give that a shot if its your thing as well.

The Easy, Juicy, Simple Roast Chicken Recipe

 

So, I guess that I should tell you how to do the chicken I was talking about huh?  Well it could not be more easy so here goes.

1.    Take your 6 lb chicken out of the fridge and remove the giblets.  

2.   Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

3.   Make a paste of 3 tbsp fresh thyme (minced), 2 cloves of garlic (minced) and 3 tbsp of butter.  Mash all of this together and season with a bit of salt and pepper.

4.   Next we need to separate the skin from the bird w/o tearing it.  To do this turn the bird so the large cavity is towards you.  The flap of skin on top can be held up and then carefully take your fingers and push through the membrane so your fingers enter between the skin and the meat.  Once you are through the membrane, then gently move your fingers up the breast to the neck region, separating the skin from the meat, then down into the leg area.  Repeat for the other side of the breast and leg.

5.  Take half of the butter/thyme paste and rub it into the area between skin and meat.  Do this for both sides.  Any extra rub on the skin.  

6.  Sprinkle the bird and cavity with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

7.  Stuff some fresh thyme into the cavity.

8.  Put some root veggies into the base of a baking pan large enough to hold the bird and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

9.   Place the chicken into the pan and roast in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

10. Let it sit for 10 minutes before carving.

To make a nice simple gravy, take all the juices and simmer it with some thyme, salt and pepper.  Then add a bit of butter just before serving.  Strain out the thyme and enjoy!

How easy was that.  Serve with the root veggies that were under the bird, and some fingerling potatoes.  mmmmmmmmmnnnnnnn!

What the Cluck

What the Cluck

I mean really, is there anything better than a simple roast chicken drizzled with its own juices!  I always get annoyed when people tell me that they do not have enough time to cook and eat well.  I am not going to lie, I have a secret affair with a few fast food joints, but I indulge as the exception, not as the rule, and I would go as far to say that you can make a golden, juicy roast chicken in the same (active) time as it takes you to get down to the local drive through and back.  

An added bonus of this roast chicken thing is that you have a few meals taken care of as well.  Sandwiches, soups, whatever you like, there is a fair amount of meat on a 6 lb. roaster, so tomorrows sandwich, done.  Dinner after a long day… done!  So why bother to delude yourself into thinking that making good food is time consuming and difficult.  

A roast chicken is one of those things I grew up eating and remember the leftovers even more.  Today at the farmers market I picked up some of my favorite organic fingerling potatoes and baby carrots from Weiser Family Farms, so I needed a protein to pair them with.  Chicken was the call, and now that I am satiated, a good one.

In the era of overly processed meat “items” that all look identical, a whole chicken is something that probably gets overlooked as you prowl the meat section.  The fear of winding up with a dry and bland bird is very real, unless you follow a few little tips. Ready?

1.   Size of the bird is important.  Too small and the meat is overcooked before the skin is crispy and golden.  I like to find a bird 6 lbs to 6 1/2 lbs, because crispy skin it the best part.  

2.   Butter, yes the stuff that makes everything taste better.  Make a paste of butter, fresh thyme, garlic and salt and pepper and rub it in between the skin and the meat (more on this in the recipe).  This bastes the bird, makes the skin all crispy, and coats the root veggies below the bird in lip smacking magic.

3.   425 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes, let it rest for 10 minutes.

So next time you are deciding on what to make for dinner, make a roast chicken.  It is 30 minutes of active time, and a little over an hour of free time in the middle to do other things that you use as excuses for why you are short on time and have to eat “fast food”.