Archive for the 'beans' Category
I was home for dinner tonight! We taped overnight last night - 10:30 pm until about 11 am - so by dinnertime today a sane person might have considered ordering a pizza. Stephen, the Sound Guy on set, asked the other day if I ever get tired of cooking. I do. But not very often, and not for long. And for some reason the thought of pulling together dinner tonight was not at all daunting; after all, I didn’t need to tag team with Ned, or time everything right for the camera, or think of anything smart and witty to say about whatever it was I was chopping or cooking while trying to stand up straight and suck it in. The thought of pulling together a quick dinner for the three of us at home in my own kitchen in my PJ pants without talking anyone through it was a relief.
I made a sort of chile-spiced pulled pork goulash kind of thing back in January, and while rummaging through my freezer the other night in an attempt to locate something prepared and edible, unearthed a container and pulled it out. I threw it into a pot. Further rummaging revealed the last of the baked beans, which I figured would get along nicely with the pork. That went in too. And to serve it over, Sloppy Joe-style, some warm biscuits. This is my favorite biscuit recipe: made with olive or canola oil and half whole wheat flour, they take on any flavor you like very well. Had I had some in the fridge I might have added some grated cheese. On weekend mornings, I add a couple spoonfuls of sugar and throw in some fresh or frozen (unthawed) berries, or raisins, or chopped dried apricots and ginger. Brushing the top with a little milk will make them brown nicely. If you are making a sweet version, some plain or coarse sugar scattered on top is also a Good Thing.
Whole Wheat & Olive Oil Biscuits
These are made healthier with the addition of olive oil and whole wheat flour, but you can use all white flour if you like. To flavor the dough, add grated lemon or orange zest, ginger, fresh or dried herbs (such as basil or rosemary) or spices (such as cinnamon, star anise or fennel seed), or stir in a handful of grated cheese or fresh, frozen or dried berries.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
Any additions you like (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Put the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor or into a medium mixing bowl and pulse or stir until well blended. Add the butter and oil and pulse or stir with a wire whisk or fork until crumbly. If you’re using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Add the milk and stir gently until the dough begins to come together. Add any additions (cheese, raisins, nuts, fruit etc.) as you stir the dough together.
For wedge-shaped biscuits, pat the dough into a circle that is about 1” thick and 8”-9” in diameter on the cookie sheet. (If they are sweet and you want a brown, crunchy top, brush them with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar.) Cut the circle into 8 wedges with a knife or pastry cutter and separate them on the sheet so that they are at least an inch apart. For round biscuits, pat the dough about 1” thick and cut it into rounds with a biscuit cutter, glass rim or open end of a can, rerolling the scraps only once to get as many biscuits as possible.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden. Serve warm. Wrap well and freeze any you don’t eat the same day. Makes 8 biscuits.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
March 03 2008 | beans and bread and pork and sandwiches | 1 Comment »
Another long day of shooting. I left at 7:30 am, and just arrived home at 11 pm. I know a lot of people work hours this long, but today I spent maybe 20 minutes sitting, and my legs hurt.
Once again I have no idea what the boys ate for dinner, but I suspect it was whole wheat rotini (Mike’s favorite standby) with tomato sauce or pesto. On the set we had pasta for lunch, but we generally don’t break for dinner, so end up grazing on whatever we’re making on the show - every act ends with Ned and I digging in to the finished product - in this case it was sauces: cheese sauce, mushroom-Guinness gravy, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce and custard sauce. Not really enough to make a meal, so I mostly snacked on the leftover baked beans from yesterday. I adore baked beans.
Baked Beans
If you’re lucky enough to have a slow cooker, you can let these simmer all day long while you work or play or sleep.
2 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup (185 mL) ketchup, barbecue sauce, or tomato sauce mixed with 1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) water or beer
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) molasses
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) Dijon, yellow, or grainy mustard or 2 tsp. (10 mL) dry mustard
1 – 19 oz. (540 mL) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 19 oz. (540 mL) can Great Northern, navy or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
A few shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (190°C).
In a medium ovenproof saucepan, sauté the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove it from the pan, crumble and set aside. If you’re not using bacon, heat a drizzle of canola or olive oil in the pan and sauté the onion in the oil or bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, until tender and beginning to turn golden.
Add the ketchup, water, vinegar, molasses, mustard, beans, and salt and pepper to taste and bring the mixture to a simmer. Put the saucepan in the oven for an hour, stirring once or twice, until it’s thickened and bubbly. (If you aren’t using an ovenproof saucepan, transfer the mixture to a baking dish.) Stir the bacon back into the beans after about 45 minutes. Add a few shots of Tabasco sauce if you like, and serve the beans hot.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
March 01 2008 | beans | 1 Comment »
Today was the grains show, and the slow cooker show. Another long day.
A couple weeks ago, in a panic over the thought of being away from home for dinnertimes on end, I made a few batches of freezable things to stash away for Mike and W. Not that I didn’t think they could survive happily on eggs and toast.
One of those things (as part of an article I was working on for What’s Up Kids magazine in Toronto) was turkey chili with barley. Barley has more fiber than whole wheat bread, brown rice, or oats. It’s great stuff. And Canada is the second largest producer of it. In Alberta, we produce half the Canadian crop.
The trade-off tonight at 9:30 was so fast that I didn’t get a chance to ask Mike what they ate tonight, but the empty container evidence in the sink suggests it was a turkey chili night. This photo was one I did for the magazine - the piece was on edible bowls. (For kids who like to play with their food, and parents who hate doing dishes.)
Turkey Chili with Barley
Canola or olive oil, for cooking
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 lb. lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (white pepper, if you have it)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 can chicken stock, undiluted
1 28 oz. (798 mL) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup jarred salsa, hot or mild (optional)
2 19 oz. (598 mL) cans white kidney or navy beans, drained
1/2 cup pot or pearl barley
Low fat sour cream and fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, heavy pot set over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, until softened. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook for another minute.
Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, salsa, beans and barley and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes. By then the barley should be cooked through.
If you want to serve it right away, let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Otherwise, let it cool and then refrigerate overnight; reheat on the stovetop over medium heat after a day or two. Add some extra stock or tomatoes if the barley has absorbed too much liquid and it has become too thick.
Serves 8.
Share on Facebook
February 29 2008 | beans and chicken & turkey and grains | No Comments »
So
tired.
We started shooting season 2 of It’s Just Food today, after a late night last night. We managed to get through only one episode - Cakes - instead of the two we planned on. I walked in the door at 9:55, just in time to read W a few stories and kiss him goodnight. Having only been around cakes all day (carrot, chocolate zucchini, white layer, cupcakes and cheesecakes) and having sat down for maybe 5 minutes since the alarm went off, I really needed something steaming hot and full of vegetables, that I could eat curled up in bed.
A few days ago I had mixed up a batch of hummus - possibly one of the easiest things on the planet to make, provided you have a food processor - so I tore into a whole wheat pita and just dipped into it, straight from the fridge, while I heated up a bowl of black bean soup. Remember the day I made quesadillas with leftover chicken and black beans? After ravaging the carcass, I threw the bones into a pot, covered it with water and added a few peppercorns and a couple stalks of celery - the inner ones, with the leaves - and simmered it for a bit. Then I made a batch of black bean soup with the remainder of the can of beans, pouring the stock through a colander directly into the pot. There were some chunks of meat left clinging to the bones, and that went in too.
Black bean soup, like chili, is something that should be made in advance and eaten the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Like Leonardo DiCaprio, it just gets yummier and fuller-bodied with age. Of course there are limits; after a week or two I’d think it would likely take a downward turn.
Ironically, the last comment I got was from The Hummus Guy. Must make good hummus. (My jar of tahini had a suspicious best-before date, so I ditched it and used peanut butter instead. When I do this, I often add a drizzle of sesame oil to make up for the missing tahini, which is otherwise known as sesame paste.)
Hummus
1 big can chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained
1 big clove garlic
lemon juice (a couple tablespoons, or to taste)
a big spoonful of tahini or peanut butter
a drizzle of sesame oil if you have no tahini
a glug or two of olive oil
a big spoonful of plain yogurt (optional; Greek-style if you have it)
a pinch of cumin is good
a big pinch of salt
a roasted red pepper is good too
Whiz all in a food processor until smooth.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
February 23 2008 | appetizers and beans and snacks | 4 Comments »
In honour of the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, I made some Jamaican food for CBC this morning, since the Jamaican bobsled team was one of the most memorable part of our Olympics. Jerk chicken, of course, threaded onto skewers for easy in-studio eating (saved a few for dinner) but I wanted to do something with my new favorite condiment: Pickapeppa sauce. Straight from Jamaica, it’s a blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarind and spices that resembles HP and is delicious with crackers and cream cheese, simmered into red beans and rice, spread on roast chicken or pork, and is a great vegetarian substitute for Worcestershire, which contains anchovies.
Jerk Chicken Skewers
Although the ingredient list is long, these are a snap to put together. If you want to prep them far in advance, freeze the baggie full of chicken and marinate for up to three months; thaw before threading onto skewers and grilling.
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast or pork tenderloin
4 green onions or 1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 -2 jalapeno or small hot red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. orange or lime juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Combine everything but the chicken in the bowl of a food processor or blender and whiz until well blended. Cut the chicken into strips and put them in a bowl or zip lock baggie; pour the marinade over and stir to coat well. Put it in the fridge for at least an hour or leave it overnight.
Thread the chicken onto 12 wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 10 minutes to prevent them from burning. Grill or broil for about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Serve warm. Makes about a dozen skewers.
Per skewer: 62 calories, 1.9 g total fat (0.3 g saturated fat, 0.8 g monounsaturated fat, 0.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 8.9 g protein, 2.3 g carbohydrate, 21.9 mg cholesterol, 0.5 g fiber. 28% calories from fat.
Jamaican Red Beans and Rice
Because it’s one of the healthiest and most inexpensive sources of complete protein, beans and rice is one of the earliest known culinary combinations, one that is found in cuisines all over the world.
A drizzle of canola or olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
2 19 oz. (540 mL) cans red kidney beans, or one of kidney beans and one of black beans, drained
1 14 oz. (398 mL) can of diced or stewed tomatoes
1/2 bottle Pickapeppa sauce
Steamed rice, for serving with
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onion starts to turn golden. Add the beans, tomatoes and Pickapeppa sauce and simmer for about an hour, until nice and thick. (Add a little water, stock or tomato juice if it’s too thick.) If you like, cool the mixture down and refrigerate overnight, then reheat it after a day or two.
Serve hot, over rice. Serves 4-6.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
February 12 2008 | appetizers and beans and chicken & turkey and one dish | 2 Comments »
I’m just about to leave for Toronto, but am leaving dinner behind. It takes the edge off the guilt, a little.
On Friday morning we had a little pre-Super Bowl party in the studio at CBC radio. As Jen Keene so aptly put it, it was the perfect Super Bowl party: tons of food, and we didn’t have to watch football.
I made shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and quickly cooked, then dipped in pesto (my sister and I already have plans to have a Friday night couch dinner of these sometime very soon, so just wait for that one), chocolate panini, quesadillas with leftover roast chicken, black beans, sauteed mushrooms and roasted red peppers, and chicken drumsticks and thighs, skinned and done up like chicken wings.
I love wings, but really, they are mostly skin and fat, very little meat. Chicken little. I do love eating them with my fingers though, particularly when they are sweet and sticky enough to require stacks of napkins, or better - wet wipes. So here’s my tip for the day: any chicken wing recipe can be made with skinless chicken drums or thighs. Just cook them a little longer, since they’re bigger. You’ll never miss the skin.
I made these with equal parts soy sauce and honey or maple syrup (actually, come to think of it, I used Lyle’s Golden syrup - mostly to use it up so that I’d stop wanting to eat it on toast with butter), a squirt of chili sauce, a few cloves of crushed garlic and a spoonful of grated ginger. Mix this all up in a bowl or baggie, and add the chicken pieces to it, tossing to coat. Let them sit for a few hours or overnight, then bake them in a 400F oven for about an hour, turning as you need to until they are cooked and the sauce is darkened and thick. If there’s lots left over, you can reduce it in a small pot on the stovetop for dipping, or add a little cornstarch to slightly thicken it instead.
After the show, there were a lot of leftovers - I have a bad habit of making too much food (better to overestimate than under, I always think, being a fan of leftovers) and Michael, the director, brought a crock pot full of his own wings as well. So I took a few legs and thighs home for Mike and W, swimming in all the excess sauce left from the at the bottom of the bowl. I hate to throw food out, so it occurred to me that that sweet, chickeny sauce would make an excellent pot of baked beans. And wait - why be limited to pork with beans? I threw the whole lot in the slow cooker (although a nice sturdy pot, like this bean pot my friend Sue got me years ago, would work as well) with a chopped up onion, a can of red kidney beans and a can of white kidney beans. They may have benefited from a squirt of mustard and chug of Worcestershire sauce, too. They simmered for a few hours and looked great, with the meat pulling itself off the bones.
Too bad I won’t be around to actually taste them.
Share on Facebook
February 03 2008 | beans and chicken & turkey and one dish | No Comments »
Except that I can’t eat any. I’m having a minor test done tomorrow, which means I can only ingest clear fluids for 24 hours. Me! Going without food for 24 hours! Plus however much time I spend at the hospital tomorrow afternoon, which I’m sure will seem far longer on an empty stomach.
So, planning to spend a full Sunday out of the kitchen (very unusual for me), I made a batch of chicken stew with pesto yesterday for Mike and W. If I didn’t work in the food world, and had just a few go-to dinner recipes in my repertoire, this would be one of them. If I was one of those Moms who made meals on rotation - meatloaf Mondays, spaghetti Tuesdays, pork chop Wednesdays, and so on, this would definitely make the cut. Willem loves it (possibly on account of the pesto, which he seems to be in love with), and so do Mike and I. For some reason it turns out creamier tasting than it should, and is far more interesting than the sum of its (veg, legumes and skinless chicken or turkey) parts. Plus, it’s another one of those meals that’s freezable or keeps well in the fridge; ideal for dipping in to all week long. And because it’s all in one pot yet isn’t runny like soup, it makes a perfect portable lunch. If when it cools down you divide it into individual freezable containers, you can pull one out in the morning and by lunch it will be partially thawed - still cold enough to be safe, but with a head start on the reheating process.
I have to stop talking about food and go read a book or something to distract myself. Maybe I’ll open up A Stew or a Story, an assortment of short works by M.F.K. Fisher. If I can’t eat food, I can at least read about it…
Chicken & White Bean Stew with Pesto
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or turkey breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 big cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can white kidney or navy beans, drained
1 can chicken broth
a few drops of Tabasco or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup (or a couple of big spoonfuls) basil or sun-dried tomato pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Cook the onion and chicken pieces for about 5 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown and the chicken is opaque. Add the celery, carrots, and red pepper and cook for a few more minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute.
Add the beans, chicken broth, Tabasco and some salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let cook for about 45 minutes.
Stir in the pesto and serve topped with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4-6, or 2-3 with leftovers. It doubles easily if you want to make a bigger batch.
Share on Facebook
January 27 2008 | beans and chicken & turkey and freezable and one dish and stews & braises | 4 Comments »
We ate the last of the pot of black bean soup today, and I’ll miss it - the soup silently helped meet our daily vegetable quota all week. It was pretty fantastic, actually, despite being completely vegetarian - vegan, even (no offense to meatless meals, but I usually prefer a bit of smoky ham or spicy sausage to flavor my black bean soup). Despite this shortcoming, it was absolutely delicious, due in part to the lone fresh jalapeño, and to the fact that it had had so much time for the flavors to really get to know each other. I am never going to feel the need to add meat to a black bean soup again. Since I had already eaten several bowls of it this week, today I felt experimental, and crumbled a bit of feta overtop.)
We ate it before going to my nephew Ben’s birthday party, as insurance against the plethora of fifth-birthday-party-food that was sure to be there. Not that hunger has a lot to do with it in the presence of cheesies, chicken wings and cupcakes, but being starving upon arrival doesn’t help. Plus, a bowlful of veggies and beans acts as a sort of nutritional ballast against all that yummy junk.
Black Bean Soup
This soup improves in flavor and spiciness after a day or two in the fridge. To make a meal of black bean soup a little more substantial, put a scoop of rice into each bowl and ladle the soup over it. A crumbled spicy Italian sausage or bit of diced ham is also delicious - sauté either along with the onion at the beginning - this will of course cook the sausage, but adding either at the beginning will allow it to flavor the entire pot of soup, something that wouldn’t happen if it was thrown in at the end.
A drizzle of olive or canola oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped, including the leafy parts
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced, or 1 Tbsp. chopped canned chipotle chilies
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can black beans, drained
1 can sweet corn niblets (optional)
1 14 oz. (398 mL) or 28 oz. (798 mL) can diced or stewed tomatoes
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and/or crumbled feta cheese (optional
Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Finely chop the jalapeño, removing the seeds first if you don’t want your soup to be too hot – the seeds contain the most heat. Add them to the pot along with the garlic, red pepper, and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the beans and tomatoes, without draining either of them, and the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the carrot is tender.
If you like, you could use a blender, food processor, or hand-held immersion blender to process about half of the soup until smooth, then return it to the pot. Process as much or as little of the soup as you want to make the consistency as chunky or smooth as you like, or leave it all chunky, which is what I did. Turn the heat down and simmer the soup uncovered for half an hour or so to allow it to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You could eat it right away, but I like to cool it down and then stash the whole pot in the fridge for a day or two to allow the flavors to improve. Reheat in individual bowls as you need it, or pull the pot out of the fridge, set it back on the stovetop, and heat it through.
Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro, green onions and/or feta cheese on top to add a cool and creamy relief to the spicy soup.
Share on Facebook
January 25 2008 | beans and soup and vegetarian | 4 Comments »
Not the best start to my year, is it? But this is what happens in real life.. some days you get to ditch your husband and 2 year old and go play grown up at JAROblue for a couple hours while your friend is in town from St. Louis.
Fortunately I already made that curried yam & red lentil soup, which Mike and Willem are devouring now with some chewy, crusty bread I baked this morning. The no-knead stuff, naturally, which I will post again someday when this site is properly up and running.
As I mentioned yesterday, Nigel Slater intended this soup to be made with a fresh pumpkin, flavored with chilies and turmeric, and topped with onions sauteed with a few more chilies. His photo is astronomically more appealing than mine, but this is what I’ve got. For the next few months, the fact that it’s pitch-dark at dinnertime is not going to bode well with my need to photograph food.
Curried Yam & Red Lentil Soup
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1 onion, chopped
a few cloves of garlic, smushed
a good grating of fresh ginger
2 handfuls of dried red lentils
1 medium yam, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small spoonful of curry paste - powder would work too
salt
a few glugs of half & half
In a medium pot, saute the onion, garlic and ginger in a drizzle of oil for a few minutes, until the onion softens. Add the lentils, yam, curry paste, salt to taste and about 1 1/2 litres of water (that’s 6 cups), or chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for half an hour or so, until the yam chunks are very tender.
Add as much half & half (or 2%, or evaporated milk, or even heavy cream) as you like, and use a hand-held immersion blender right in the pot to puree it. Taste and adjust seasonings if it needs it. Serve right away, or keep it in the fridge (or the barbeque) for up to a week to reheat when you want it.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
January 03 2008 | beans and freezable and soup and vegetarian | 3 Comments »
I’m determined to not miss this boat, and actually get my first post in on the first of the year. I can’t start slacking off before I even begin. So I have three hours and 2 minutes, or in Willem time, the second half of Ratatouille.
About a year and a half ago - I “threw my hat over the fence” (a phrase my Grandad liked to use - the idea being that if you throw your hat over the fence, you are then forced to climb over the fence to pick it up) by saying I was going to launch a new website called Julie Does Dinner, that would be a sort of reality cookbook for those looking for meal ideas, recipes, product info and the like. I was going to launch it two Labour Day weekends ago, then on my birthday, then last Labour Day weekend. It has turned into one of those “I’ll start next week” plans, one I became particularly good at putting off because I knew once I started, I’d have to keep it up. Plus, I spent hours trying to customize a WordPress blog with limited success. Back to the present - I decided a few days ago, while trying to sort out what projects and ideas to pursue and which to jettison in the coming year, that I would just Do It. And January 1st, of course, would be the ideal launch date. So I actually bought Blogging for Dummies, and today sat down at the computer to configure the website, make my first entry and get going on the design (I figure it can be a work in progress for the first week, as I post) and discover that my domain - http://www.juliedoesdinner.com/ - expired in late November, when I was out of town, and is now owned by WhoIs.com.
So it’s starting here, until I find a better address to point it to. Here’s the concept: people keep asking me for a “dinners” or “real meals” cookbook, which, frankly, is a pretty vast topic, and besides - who cooks from a cookbook every day of the week? I thought a real documentation of what I actually cook from day to day might be much more useful, and realistic for other home cooks. After all, most nights it’s a matter of pulling something from the fridge before it wilts/expires/gets smelly, or doctoring up leftovers, or trying to find something easy and prepackaged that isn’t crap.
Day 1: On New Year’s Day, I almost always have a food hangover from a month of Christmas parties and turkey dinners, topped off by a New Year’s Eve potluck. In addition, it’s my brother in law and nephew’s birthdays, so we typically go for a birthday dinner at my sister’s house. No dinner to make today - but we will need lunch. I decided on soup, from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries, a book I discovered early in the year that follows a similar format. So as a tribute to his similar thought process and fantastic book, I thought I’d make the same Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup he made on New Year’s Day, the first day of his book as well. I started with high hopes, anticipating a new use for the canned pumpkin puree I always stock up on between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when it’s on sale, which is usually destined to be turned into pumpkin muffins or a loaf. (Nigel instructs us to peel, scoop the fiber out of, chop and boil a fresh pumpkin, but really, who has time for that? Besides, they are hard to find past October, unless I want to chip the frozen one off my sister’s front step, and canned pumpkin contains 10 times the beta-carotene of fresh, because it is condensed, much like tomato paste vs. fresh tomatoes.)
I started sauteeing my onion, garlic and ginger, then got distracted by W’s sudden interest in peeling garlic, which I needed to document at the exact time my camera ran out of batteries. So they browned a little more than I meant them to. Next came the discouraging discovery that I in fact used my stash of canned pumpkin, so instead I peeled and chopped a smallish yam (I had a hard time choosing between that and squash, but we’ve had enough squash over the holidays), threw it into the pot with a spoonful of Patak’s curry paste, and left it at that. Sorry, Nigel.
Then, realizing that a) we were hungrier than we thought, and 2) this sort of soup always tastes better the next day, I decided to thaw out the pot of lentil soup we had stashed outside in the barbeque due to lack of fridge space, and we ate that instead. Which come to think of it is the perfect first post – if someone made me choose my one go-to meal, the one I always fall back on and have ingredients for or a batch of in the freezer, this would be it. It’s my favorite use for a single Italian or chorizo sausage from Spolumbos. Other than that, all you need are some lentils (canned or dry), celery, garlic and water. I used some turkey stock from the massive pot I cooked up on Boxing Day, and that was even better.
Sausage & Lentil Soup
This is ridiculously easy to make, keeps for a week in the fridge, and you don’t even need stock. Think about it: stock is just water in which meat, veg and seasonings are simmered. So sausage, celery, garlic and lentils really do transform water into a perfect soup. Chicken or veg stock will intensify the flavor, and leftover bits of ham works well instead of the sausage. This is what I make when I know things are going to get busy and I want to be sure there’s something healthy in the fridge to grab for lunch or dinner that counts as a meal all in itself.
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1 mild or hot Italian sausage, or Chorizo
4 celery ribs, chopped, including the leaves
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can lentils, drained
1 L water, chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & pepper
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, squeezing it out of its casing into the pan. Cook, breaking up the chunks, until it’s browned. (You don’t have to worry about cooking it through.) Add the celery and cook for a few minutes, until the edges start to brown. Add the lentils, water or stock, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for half an hour or so, adding extra liquid if it looks like it needs it. If you’d like it thicker, remove the lid and simmer until it’s the consistency you like.
Serve with fresh bread. Feeds about 6.
Print Post
Share on Facebook
January 02 2008 | beans and soup | 5 Comments »
« Prev
