Spiced Chickpeas and Summer Vegetable Salad

I know it's been a long time since I've added any recipes.  A usual, its a new cookbook that causes me to start adding recipes.  For Christmas this year, the dog gave me a cookbook again.  Her choice was superb:  Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  I want to be sure next summer when I am scrambling to come up with recipes using eggplant, cucumbers, and the likes, I remember these recipes.

Normally I shy away from cookbooks by restaurant owners or Food Network personalities.  They seem full of themselves and full of ingredients that are either terribly expensive or terribly hard to find.  Not so for Jerusalem.  Although Ottolenghi owns restaurants bearing his name in London, the recipes are easily accessible.  The recipes are mostly kosher and heavy on vegetables.   Many of the summer vegetables use limited stove/oven time as well, which is nice when it's over 100 degrees outside and I really don't want to heat up my oven any more.

This the first recipe to share.  We love it, especially the spiced chickpeas. My margin note?  "The spiced chickpeas are divine!"  I made a few changes.  The original recipe called for a dressing on top of the vegetables.  I left that out.  Additionally, because with five people we are bound to like different things, I did not mix the vegetables together, I left them in separate piles on the serving platter.  I used the vegetables I had (two kinds of sweet peppers), I omitted those I didn't (radishes).

Remember to start the chickpeas the night before you want to eat this meal.

This serves 4.

Spiced Chickpeas and Summer Vegetable Salad
adapted from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi and Tamimi

1/2 c dried chickpeas
1 t baking soda

2 small cucumbers, cut into 2/3" dice (seed and peel if you prefer)
2 large tomatoes, cut into 2/3" dice
8.5 oz radishes, cut into 2/3" dice (optional)
1 -2 sweet peppers, seeded and ribs removed, cut into 2/3" dice
2/3 oz cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 oz parsley, coarsely chopped

1 t ground cardamom
1 1/2 t allspice
1 t cumin
1/4 t salt

Greek yogurt
pita

Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl with plenty of cold water and baking soda.  The next day, drain, place in a large saucepan and cover with water twice the volume of the chickpeas.  Bring to a boil and simmer, skimming off any foam that may gather on top.  Simmer for an hour or until the chickpeas are tender.  Drain and set aside.

Mix the cardamom, allspice, cumin, and salt on a plate.  Roll the cooked chickpeas gently through the spices.  Heat 1 T olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the chickpeas and fry for 2 - 5 minutes.  Gently shake the pan so they cook evenly and don't stick.  Remove from heat and keep warm

To serve, put each vegetable on a serving platter. (Alternately, combine all the vegetables and herbs and place in a low bowl.  Top with warm chickpeas.)  Serve the chickpeas in a small bowl.  Allow everyone to take the vegetables they want and top with chickpeas.  Serve with pita and drizzle Greek yogurt over top if desired.

Arugula, Radish, and Grains Salad

While normally I think of myself as an adventurous eater, there are some things, I still shy away from.  Beef tongue?  Pork trotter?  No problem.  Quinoa?  No, thanks.  Seriously.  I've been a flexitarian for years now (probably between 15 - 20 years of eating meat just a couple times a week, and sometimes less than that.  Of course, sometimes more, too).   I love tofu and have eaten it many different ways.  I love lentils and other beans.  However, I haven't branched out to the grains.  Too hippy, I've always thought (I know, I can hear you laughing at me now).  This recipe inspired me to buy no less than 3 grains I've never, ever bought before.  I will be buying those grains again.  I may even try some other quinoa recipes.

It was the radishes and arugula that inspired me to take the plunge into not typical US mainstream grains.  In our CSA box last week, we got two large bunches of different radishes.  My favorite were included---the red ones that when you slice you see pink rings in the middle.  I am not a radish fan.  I'll eat them in chicken tacos (aahh.....must make those again soon!), but that's about it.

Curtis and I loved this.  I didn't even offer it to our kids.  I figure once it's on the table a few more times, I'll have them taste it.  By then, they'll be used to seeing it and it won't seem so strange.  Plus, if I shared, then I wouldn't have any for lunch for myself today.  I also shared some with my in-laws and they thought it was pretty good.

I made a half recipe which easily served 4 - 6 people as a side.  The amounts included are my half recipe amounts.

Arugula, Radish and Grains Salad 
adapted slightly from Amanda Hesser on food52.com

1 c mixed grains, like farro, freekah, wheatberries, wild rice, quinoa, and/or pearl barley (I used wild rice, farro, and quinoa)
3/4 - 1 c arugula, torn if on the larger side, long stems trimmed off
1/2 c parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, thinly sliced (cut in a chiffonade)
1/4 lb pecans
2 T hazelnut oil (or walnut oil, hazelnut was just what I had on hand)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 c radishes, cut as thinly as possible (a mandoline makes this easier)
2 T olive oil
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c dried cranberries

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  If using wild rice and wheat berries, add those first and cook for 10 minutes.  Add whatever remaining grains you are using and cook an additional 25 minutes or until just tender.  Drain the grains in a fine colander (if your holes are too big, the quinoa will all escape with the hot water) and set aside until just warm to the touch.  Combine the grains with the rest of the ingredients in a medium-large serving bowl and toss well.  Season with salt to taste (if you heavily salted the water, you probably won't need to add any extra salt).

Bagna Cauda Salad

Raw beets? Raw turnips? Raw radishes? In a salad with anchovies? I wasn't sold but the picture looked so pretty I decided to try it anyway, mostly because I had so many turnips in my fridge.

Turns out, Curtis and I both love it. I've made this twice now. I've rotated some different winter veggies in to the dish as they show up in my CSA box (and then crisper). If you have it on hand, you can also use 1/4 small butternut squash (seed and peel it--the send end is preferable) and 8 trimmed brussels sprouts. Thinly slice the squash and pull all the leaves off the brussels sprouts.

This recipe calls for a lot of thin slicing. If you are not adept with a knife to cut the vegetables paper thin, use a mandoline. Just watch your knuckles---slicing your thumb knuckle on a mandoline because your kids have lost the protective guide. I'm not talking from experience or anything. :) Almost all your prep time is spent cutting and slicing the vegetables. The rest goes quite quickly.

Just a note on the beets. If you don't care if your turnips and cabbage turn pinkish, you can stir in the beets as enthusiastically as you desire. However, if you want your whites white, stir a little dressing into the beets before you add them to the salad. Toss the salad very gently just to incorporate the beets.

Bagna Cauda Salad

adapted from Amanda Hesser's recipe on Food52.com

2 small carrots, trimmed (peeled if store bought, not necessary if just picked)

2 radishes, trimmed

2 small turnips (or 4 very small turnips), trimmed and peeled

2 small beets (or 4 very small beets), trimmed and peeled

2 - 3 leaves of cabbage, sliced thinly

1/4 c parsley, chopped

4 anchovy fillets

2 small (1 medium) garlic clove

salt

2 T lemon juice

5 T good extra virgin olive oil

Prep the veggies: The radishes, turnips, and beets should be sliced as thinly as possible using a mandoline or your wicked knife skills. These veggies should be translucent. Put the radishes and turnips in a small to medium sized serving bowl. Set the beets aside in a small mixing bowl. Cut the carrots into 3" long matchsticks (each matchstick about 1/8" thick or so). Add the carrots, cabbage and parsley to the radishes and turnips in the serving bowl. Mix with your hands to combine vegetables.

The dressing: You have several options. If you have a good mortar and pestle, that is sufficient. I don't. You could also use a mini food processor or blender. I don't have those either. Using a knife (or one of the other methods which involves the equipment I don't have), finely mince the anchovies and garlic. Combine to make with the salt to make a paste. Place in a small glass jar, add the lemon juice and olive oil, and shake vigorously. Season with salt and adjust the amount of lemon juice and oil as needed.

To create salad: Pour half of the dressing over the vegetables (not the beets yet) and blend with your hands, separating the vegetables as necessary. Mix very well. Taste and add more dressing if you would like. Once seasonings are how you like, very, very gently mix in the beets. Let rest for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Chicken and Radish Fajitas

Don't let the radish in the title scare you away.

I hate radishes. It's been awhile since I've started a post being so honest about my food dislikes. I used start every other post, I don't like.....(fill in the blank with a bunch of different vegetables). I've learned to like most of the vegetables since then. Cabbage? Yep. Eggplant? Yep. Beets? Yep. Swiss Chard? Yep. Not raw radishes. I taste them periodically just to check. Their bite (I don't know how else to describe it) still gets me. No one in my family is a big fan. So, the radishes were collecting in my refrigerator. I decided it was time to do something about it.

I found this recipe and was curious. I decided to go for it. It used a bunch of radishes and had other flavors as well. I figured if I didn't like them, I could just pick them out.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I liked it! So did Curtis, and M (I can't remember how well J ate them...). I have found a radish recipe! I find it all very exciting. I didn't use boneless, skinless thighs. I bought regular thighs and took the bone and skin off myself. This will serve 4 adults. Here it is:

Chicken and Radish Fajitas
adapted from Bon Appetit

9 lg boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see my note above...), fat trimmed and chicken cut into 1/2" strips
4 T fresh lime juice
1 t mild chili powder (I like Central Market's Light New Mexico Chili Powder)
6 T olive oil
9 green onions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
1/2 c chicken broth or water (I used water and it was fine)
18 radishes, thinly sliced crosswise
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

12 hot corn tortillas
a little queso fresca or goat cheese

Combine chicken, 1 1/2 T lime juice, and chili powder in a lg bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss to blend. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat 4 t olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and saute 3 minutes. Stir in the green onions and broth/water. Cover and cook 3 more minutes. Uncover and stir until chicken is cooked through and most liquid evaporates. Stir in 1 1/2 T lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and keep warm.

In same skillet, heat 2 t oil over high heat. Add radishes and saute 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 T lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add radishes and cilantro to bowl of chicken and toss to blend.

To serve, place a little chicken and radish mixture in a corn tortilla. Add a little cheese, fold up like a taco, and eat.

In the CSA box this week

Mmm...we had a full box of produce this week. There was nothing new or terribly exciting (like asparagus, strawberries, or peas), but I was pleased to have a full box to make cooking easier this week.

I've included a picture of the three root vegetables we got in our box this week, mainly because a couple of people at the pick up site were asking what things were. I figured I'd include a picture of those three things just in case someone else had questions too.

In the picture, from left to right are kohlrabi, radishes and Hakurei Salad Turnips.

Also in our box:
a head of red leaf lettuce
small head of butter lettuce
spinach
mint
bag of mixed greens
a couple of kohlrabi
a bunch of turnips
a bunch of chard (the white stem kind, not the usual rainbow, multi-colored ones)
a bunch of bok choy
1 grapefruit
a few small green garlic cloves
radishes
a bag of arugula
3 onions (Texas 1015's which are a sweet onion)
a dozen eggs

The corresponding menu---these things are likely to change depending on what I feel like making on what day and if baby comes any time in the next week.

Wednesday: A Somewhat Cobb Salad
Thursday: Breakfast for Supper--Arugula and Bacon Bread Pudding
Friday: Swiss Chard Tart
Saturday: Spinach Manicotti
Sunday: Easter Lunch--Ham, Potatoes, Bok Choy Salad
Monday: Possibly another chef salad type meal
Tuesday: Leftovers or something else...

Sausage Penne Bake and Braised Young Root Vegetables

Braised Young Root Vegetables is quickly becoming my Tuesday night clean-out-the- fridge-in-prep-for-new produce standby. I've experimented each time I've made it with a different combination of vegetables and I've loved it every time. J even ate a little tonight and M at least wanted some on her plate (although she didn't eat any---she didn't eat a lot for supper though). Curtis commented that he never liked turnips until he ate this and I said the same about turnips and radishes. In the picture, the radishes are the vegetables with varying hints of colors (except obviously the carrots). Tonight I made this with carrots, a small kohlrabi, three smallish turnips, and a handful of radishes. Mmm! It was great. I could have just eaten this for supper instead of the main course. Click here for the recipe.

Main course was Sausage Penne Bake which whipped up pretty fast because I opened up a jar of my homemade pizza sauce to use instead of the diced tomatoes the recipe calls for. If you choose to use premade sauce, just stop adding the ingredients once you get to tomato paste through the diced tomatoes. Everyone enjoyed this. M was slightly dismayed to see that the pasta and sausage were mixed together, but she got over that. I didn't use enough sauce when I made this because I didn't read the recipe closely enough. It still tasted great, just not as saucy as it would have been had I done better at following directions.

Sausage Penne Bake
Cook 1 lb penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 1/2 c chopped onion, 3/4 c diced red bell pepper, 12 oz basil and parmesan chicken sausage (0r other Italian seasoned chicken sausage) that has been halved and cut into 1/2" slices, and 2 cloves minced garlic. Saute 5 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add 1 T tomato paste, 1 T balsamic vinegar, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t dried oregano, and 3 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes (undrained). Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. (If you use pre-made pasta sauce, simmer until you are ready to assemble the dish). Combine the pasta and the tomato mixture and spoon into a greased 13 x 9" greased baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 c shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese and 1 c grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Scallion Crepes with Bok Choy, Braised Root Vegetables, and Hazelnut Crisps

Tonight's meal was out of one of my library books---Local Flavors by Deborah Madison. Of the three things I made, the scallion crepes were by far the most work--the other two were simple (the hazelnut crisps are not pictured).

A little overview about how I jigsawed prep for this meal together. The hazelnut crisps (cookies) need to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, so I mixed those up first. Then I prepared the crepe batter and let it sit for awhile. As the crepe batter sat, I got the braised root vegetables started. While they cooked (they have a 15 minute cook time at one point), I cooked the crepes and the crepe filling. Yep. My kitchen was crazy busy. It was a disaster area when I finished, but it mostly fell together. I think if you make a single recipe (I doubled the recipe because we were having friends over), the timing would be just right. Also, if you son decided to nap when he should instead of 4:15, supper also probably would be ready on time. Since I have 3 recipes, I will write them out in more typical recipe form (and let me know if you would prefer that in the future or if the narrative is preferable) to make things a little clearer. At the end, as usual, I will include reflections on the meal.

Hazelnut Crisps
1 c hazelnuts
1 T sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 c flour

Toast the hazelnuts: in a preheated 350 oven, roast the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and put them in the center of a clean dishtowel. Wrap up in the dish towel and roll them around to help loosen skins. Remove as many skins as possible, but if you don't get them all, that's ok. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor with 1 T sugar until fine, but leave a few chunks scattered throughout. In a mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat. Stir in the hazelnuts and flour. Roughly shape the dough into a log and wrap in wax paper. Run the dough through your fingers to lengthen and create a log about 1 1/2" in diameter. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut the log into 1/4 - 1/3 inch thick slices and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 until lightly browned on top (about 15 minutes). For something that reminds you of a nutella cookie, melt some chocolate chips in the microwave and partially dip the cookies in the chocolate.

Scallion Crepes
3 large eggs
1 T sesame oil
1 T canola oil
1 c water
3/4 c milk
1/2 t salt
1 c flour
1 bunch scallions, sliced very thin on the diagonal
14 c toasted sesame seeds

Filling
6 (or more) baby bok choy leaves, cut lengthwise into quarters
1 c snow peas, slivered diagonally
sea salt
canola oil

Combine eggs, sesame oil, vegetable oil, water, milk and salt in a blender of food processor on high speed. Add the flour and blend again for 10 seconds, scrape down sides and blend again briefly. Pour into a bowl and set aside to rest. Heat a 9-inch nonstick pan (about 7 1/2 inches at the base. Size does matter. If you use a smaller or larger pan, use less or more batter for each crepe) with vegetable oil. When the pan is the hot, add 1/3 c batter and swirl around the pan. Scatter some scallions and sesame seeds over top and cook until golden on the bottom, about one minute. Loosen the crepe, flip it over and cook the other side until it's dry, then slide onto a plate. Repeat process until all batter is used, stacking them on top of each other. Wrap the crepes in foil and keep warm in a preheated 250 oven until the vegetables are ready. For the vegetables, bring a wide nonstick skillet of water to a simmer. Add the salt and the bok choy. Simmer for 2 minutes, and then drain. Return the skillet to the stove and heat to high. Add the canola oil and then the bok choy and snow peas. Stir-fry until crisp-tender and bright green. Season with salt. To serve, roll up some vegetables in a crepe. Add a little soy sauce if desired.

Young Root Vegetable Braise
1 bunch scallions (or 4 slender leeks), sliced
2 full grown carrots (or 6 small young ones), julieneed
12 little turnips (if larger, peel), halved (and quartered if larger)
1 bunch radishes, halved (and quartered if larger)
sea salt
2 T unsalted butter
2 T finely chopped parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice

Bring 6 c of water to boil with 1 1/2 t salt. Blanch the carrots, turnips, and radishes for 7 minutes, then scoop out and set aside, saving the cooking water Melt 1 T butter in a saute pan. Add the scallions (or leeks) and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 c of the vegetable cooking water, the blanched vegetables, half of the herbs, and 1/2 t salt. Simmer until the vegetables are fully tender, 10 - 15 minutes,a dding water in 1/3 c increments to prevent sticking. There should be a little sauce. Add the remaining butter and lemon juice. Raise the heat and swirl the pan back and forth until the butter has melted into the juice. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the herbs. Serve.

Reflections
This meal was very tasty! I have learned from the crepe master (Curtis) that I make the crepes too thick. His were much thinner, but he said the batter was perfect. I need to take lessons from him (he's made just a few crepes in his life---it's one of his hidden talents). Next time I will double or triple the amount of veggies or else make different fillings to go in the crepes--we ran out of filling before we ran out of crepes. The root vegetables were incredible. I now know what I am going to do with all the radishes and occasional turnips we've been getting in our box. In a couple of months when we are also getting carrots and leeks, this meal will be even more locally made than it was tonight. The cookies were great as well, especially dipped in chocolate. M and J liked the crepes (I left the scallions and sesame seeds out for them). M ate the greens, J did not. Neither ate the root vegetables, but we didn't really push it much because we had company (who incidently brought mashed potatoes so M was more than happy to eat those). The crepes were the only time consuming portion, but I think if I plan better next time, it won't feel quite as hectic and stressful.