Cardamom-Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Marinated Limes and Black Chickpeas

I love squash season.
It makes me happy.
I also love that you can eat the skin.
I just discovered this.  When it is well roasted, most squashes skin is edible, and even quite enjoyable!
Since this discovery, I've making a squash dish once a week.  Actually, I had already been making weekly squash dishes, but this makes it so much more exciting for me.  No tough peeling!
Lucky for me, there is a whole chapter on Squash in Ottolenghi's Plenty.  This one is mostly his recipe, but I added some sweetly spiced black chickpeas and some quinoa to make it a filling meal.  If those are left out, this can be an appetizer.

Plenty, page 65
Serves 4

Ingredients

Roasted Squash:

1 red kuri or butternut squash, seeded and sliced int 1-1.5 cm thick slices, skin on

2 Tbsp cardamom pods, powdered with a mortar and pestle, pods removed

1 tsp allspice

3 Tbsp olive oil

few pinches fleur de sel

Marinated lime:

2 limes

1 Tbsp olive oil

pinch fleur de sel

Tahini Yogurt Sauce:

1 greek or plain yogurt

1 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp water

Topping:

2 sliced green chiles

handful chopped cilantro

crumbled feta

Black chickpeas (not from Plenty, this is my own thing):

1 cup dry black chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 star anis

2 black cardamom

1 green cardamom

1 bag black tea

2 dried red chiles

1 inch piece cinnamon

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 Tej Petta (Indian bay leaf)

1 tsp salt

6 cups water

Directions

1.  Place all the "Black chickpeas" ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for at least 7 hours.  This is very hands off.  If you don't have a slow cooker, cook in a pressure cooker under pressure for 15 minutes, opening only after cooling.  Otherwise, simmer stovetop for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  This is why I love my crockpot.

2.  Whenever you feel ready, preheat the oven to 210°C 410°F.  In a small dish, mix the powdered cardamom, allspice, olive oil, and salt together.  Brush this mixture onto the squash slices and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cook this for 20 minutes or until tender when poked.  This doesn't need to be served piping hot.  It's actually better warm.

3.  While that is happening, make the marinated lime.  Trim off the tops and tails of the limes, stand them on a cutting board, and cut the skin off following the natural curve of the fruit.  This should remove most of the bitter white part as well.  Then quarter the limes from top to bottom and cut each quarter into 1-2 mm slices.  Place these slices in a small bowl with the olive oil and fleur de sel.  Set aside.

4.  Make the tahini-yogurt sauce.  Whisk together the yogurt, tahini, and lime juice.  The tahini should tense up, but then relax.  Add water as you stir.  If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more water. You should be able to pour it.

To serve, I put some quinoa and some of the drained black chickpeas in the plate, then arrange some of the roasted squash slices over it all, spoon some of the lime slices with their juices, and scatter the garnish of sliced fresh green chiles, cilantro, and feta.

This seems like so much, but really is hands-off except for the sauces and lime.  The oven and crockpot do most of the work.  The stove-top only had quinoa going, and the rest was just lingering cooking time.
I like using the full potential of my equipment.  It makes all the "hard work" looking types of meals like this one so effortless, but so beautiful.  The textures of all the combination of elements is surprising with each bite.  This is hands down state of the art.  I would have dedicated a chapter of my life to squash as well.  As would any brilliant person.
There is something about that orange color....

Senegalese Saladu Ñebbe

Since I've opened pandora's box concerning cold bean salads, everything keeps turning me on.

I mean, everything can be put into a bean salad, and almost any bean can be saladabled.  They can be served cold or warm, they make great leftovers since they don't wilt, they are delicious, and they are giving my go-to pakora making beans a new purpose!

I'm not going to say black-eyed peas are my favorite bean, because I could probably say that about black beans, black chickpeas, yellow pigeon peas, green split peas, and green mung beans as well.  Ok, then, black-eyed peas sit very high on my "favorite bean" list.  They are so distinct and earthy.  They hold their shape, yet have a creamy texture when you bite down on them.  They work well in Indian, Mexican, and American food.  Plus, they have their own band.  

You really can't beat that.

When I stumbled upon this Senegalese recipe calling for black-eyed peas, green chile, and avocado, I didn't even really have a choice.  My hypothalamus made me do it.  

And I'm glad it did... 

Adapted from CookieandKate

Serves many as a side, 5 as a meal

Ingredients

To cook:

1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained

2 bay leaves

2 dried red chiles (I used chile de arboles)

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1 tsp turmeric

6 cups water

To toss:

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small cucumber, chopped

1 green chile (I used Moroccan), minced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 bunch chives, chopped

1 bunch parsley, chopped

juice from 1 lime

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

generous pinches of fleur de sel

lots of freshly cracked black pepper

few drops piri piri or tabasco

To garnish:

sliced avocado

Directions

1.  Place all the "to cook" ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  If you don't have one, the pressure cooker apparently takes 4 minutes under pressure, and normal stovetop takes 2 hours.  I have never tried either of those methods and have a hard time believing the pressure cooker time.. but hey.. maybe it's true!

2.  Remove the dried red chiles and set aside, discard the bay leaves, then drain the beans and let cool.  You can rinse them under cold water to cool them down faster.  I tasted the cooking liquid and it was so good I decided to freeze it for a future broth for a soup.  Do as you wish.. but still, think about it.

3.  Toss with all the "to toss" ingredients.  Taste and make sure the salt and pepper ratios are to your liking.  Let it sit for at least an hour, refrigerated.  This salad has more flavor the longer it sits.

Serve topped with sliced avocado and that chile de arbole you saved from the cooking water.

I was actually planning on only having this bean salad for dinner with maybe some shredded cabbage and rice.  This sea bass just jumped on my BBQ out of nowhere and begged me to join my colorful Senegalese party.  It's very hard for me to turn down BBQ sea bass (who in their right mind would??), so I aquiesced. 

Here you see the Saladu Ñebbe alongside some roasted sweet potatoes and BBQ'd sea bass.

It was a perfect match.

Since I have a large quantity of leftovers, my next meal will be with rice as a meal... and it will be just as perfect...

Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Quinoa

They have declared a "heat wave" all over France.

It's true, it's hot.  It's officially a heat wave according to the government.  This means that for at least 3 days in a row, the highs have been over 32°C (90°F) and at night the lows haven't dropped under 20°C (68°F).  I have trouble calling it a heat wave because I grew up in Palm Springs, where these temperatures are relatively mild.  We call it springtime.

But to normal non-desert living people, yes, this is a heat wave.

So, the reason it is so "unbearable" here is that A/C is a rarity.  Some people have it, but most don't.  They don't even have it on public transportation.  The air is stuffy, and for those living in big cities, there is no air.  The buildings and concrete just make it hotter.

Also, not everyone has a pool here and people think drafts will kill you.  The lady sharing my office violently shut the window in the morning because I was letting a refreshing morning draft of 21°C into the office.

Running around in your underwear is not really a thing either.  It really should be though.

Anyway, it may go without saying, but I do not have A/C either, and my average indoor temperature is about 28°C (82°F).  To avoid making that number skyrocket, I've been avoiding the oven and trying to keep my stovetop activity to a minimum.

This is why having a crock pot is a blessing.  It doesn't add one degree to the indoor temp.. plus if it did, I could take it to the garage and run it down there.. which I can't do with my stovetop or my oven.  I also love coming home to a lovely wafting aroma.

This can only mean one thing...

It's bean time.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and rinsed

2 bay leaves

few pinches salt

1 tsp ground cumin

2 dried chile de arboles (or any dried chile)

6 cups water for chickpea cooking

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 fresh chile, sliced into rounds (I used a red Morrocan chile)

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 tsp caraway seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 zucchinis, sliced into rounds and quartered

pinch fleur de sel

few cracks black pepper

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 cup water for quinoa cooking

3 large juicy tomatoes, chopped (or lots of halved cherries)

2 chopped shallots

2 cloves garlic, grated

handful chopped parsley

handful chopped cilantro

juice from 1/2 lime

few pinches fleur de sel

1/4 tsp ground cumin

lots of freshly cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

handful cubed feta (leave out if vegan)

Directions

1.  Cook the chickpeas with the bay leaves, some salt ground cumin, chile de arboles in 6 cups of water.  I used a crockpot.  It's the best hands off method I've found to cook beans.  I left them on low for 6 hours.  You can simmer for 45 minutes in a normal pot but I've never done this.  You want them to still hold their texture, but be creamy on the inside.  Do not cook them to mush.  When done, remove the chile de arboles (to add to your plate), discard the bay leaves, and drain the chickpeas.  Set aside.

2.  Prepare the good stuff.  Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pot (the same one you will be cooking the quinoa in).  Add the fresh chile slices and fry for about 1 minute.  Remove the chile slices and set aside.

3.  In that chile infused oil, add the caraway seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, then add the turmeric and wait for it to fizz.  Add the zucchini slices along with the garlic slices, a pinch of fleur de sel, and some black pepper.  Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.  Remove the zucchini mix and set aside.

4.  If no oil is left after removing the zucchini, add 1 Tbsp more olive oil and the rinsed quinoa.  Toast the quinoa for about 1 minute, making sure not to burn it, then add 1 cup water.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes).  Then remove from heat and set aside.

5.  Now you are ready to assemble your salad.  Toss the drained chickpeas with the tomatoes, shallots, grated garlic, herbs, lime juice, cumin, black pepper, fleur de sel, vinegar, and olive oil.

6.  To serve, put the warm quinoa at the bottom of the plate or dish, then top with the chickpea salad.  Add the cooked zucchini, chile slices, and feta as garnish.

For extra heat and smokey flavor, add those chile de arboles from cooking the chickpeas to your plate.

When you start to interact with your dinner, you will feel several emotions at once.

The cold tomatoes contrasting with the warm chickpeas sets off dizzying hallucinations.  The quinoa cooked in in fused chile oil with caraway reminds you that life is beautiful.  The chile may be mild, may be not.  The uncertainty of each bite makes your heart skip a beat.

And then you remember why you love the way summer "heat waves" make you create.

Hoppin' John

It is sort of a tradition in the US to eat Black-Eyed peas on New Year's day.  Having lived in the US all my life, I had never heard of this tradition until I started getting interested in cooking and blogging.  I don't really remember any specific tradition on New Year's day (besides detoxing from the night before).  This southern tradition adds to the long list of traditions from all over the world symbolizing good fortune.  I am keen to these little bits and pieces of knowledge, especially when sharing a tradition from one country in a totally different country.  It makes for a wonderful intro before starting the meal.
In many cultures, eating beans or lentils is said to bring good fortune because they are round.  All round things represent coins.  Beans and lentils tend to swell while they cook, representing the growing good fortune.  I usually do black-eyed peas around the New Year but I usually do it in the form of pakoras.
In the middle east, India, and Africa, I've read accounts such as this.  It's funny how in the end people from all parts of the world have common acts in the name of tradition.
Couldn't we all just get along?
In the US, collard greens are usually added to the bean tradition because the green represents bills.. and it couldn't hurt to wish a few Benjamins to someone in need for the new year.
Pork is also essential across the globe to bring "good luck" on New Year's day.  From Asia to Africa to Europe, and finally to the Americas.. pork is one of the main highlights of the day.  The reason, apparently, is that they search for food using their snout, always moving forward, which is a good way of moving through life.  Birds, on the other hand, scratch the Earth using a backward motion, so it is better not to eat birds on the first day of the year.
I usually steer clear of pork because it's not very nutritious.. but smoked pork belly is really a treat.. especially if it's only once a year..

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients

30cL (10 floz) dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight 

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Diced

250g (8.8 oz) piece of top quality smoked pork belly with rind, sliced (or bacon)

4 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Diced
5 cups water or broth
1 tsp freshly ground black Pepper

2 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

Serve with:

cooked rice (the best is Carolina Gold if you can find it)

sauteed kale

garnish:

chopped green onions

Directions

1.  Heat the butter in a pan and sweat the onions.

2.  Add the pork belly slices and cook until the aroma is nice and smokey.. then add the garlic and bell pepper.

3.  Swish around for a few minutes, then transfer into a slow cooker with the black-eyed peas, bay leaves, water or broth, and black pepper.  Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

4.  Add the vinegar into the slow cooker.  Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.  Mine needed absolutely no salt.

5.  Remove the bay leaves and pork rind before serving.

I served over some leftover basmati and red thai rice with a hefty serving of sautéed kale, topped with green onions.

I put this on in the morning before going on my first hike of the year and discovering yet again what a beautiful place I live in.  I discovered canyons I can rock climb and waterfalls with wading pools with blue lagoon type of scenery.. right in my back yard.
So as I came home.. deep earthy aroma was a beckoning call to hungry souls.
Everybody licked their plates.. of course!
This will be my New Year's day tradition from now on as well...

Chipotle Barbacoa Beef

As much as I love living and eating in France, there is seriously a lack of Mexicans and Tex-Mex items.  Please, Mexicans.. COME TO FRANCE!!  You will feel exotic and unique here!
I can easily find Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Thai products, but simple things like dried chiles and hominy are literally non existant with an exception once every 5 years.
Yes, you can find fresh chiles, but they are usually the red Thai or the green Moroccan.  No Jalapeños in sight.  When it comes to dried, you can find the spicy oiseau or cayenne ones, and in specialty stores you can find the red Indian ones.. but nowhere in site are chile de arboles, guajillo, moritas, puyas, pasilla, ancho.. or any of the other magnificent Mexican nectar.
For those who know me and travel, my "bring me this" list is always dried chiles and chipotles from a can... (and mango chile lollipops and Tapatio sauce).
Always.
So when I get my hands on some tortillas, I often dream about barbacoa beef.. but I had never really thought it was a possibility here.
Behold my very last can of chipotle chiles (family and friends.. this is a sign).. I have dedicated it to making my ultimate favorite fast/slow food burrito.. the Chipotle Barbacoa Beef burrito.
Just typing those words is making me salivate.
In college, I think I ate one of these at least once a week!
Serves 12 extra large burritos

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lbs) stew beef or chuck roast

1/6 cup apple cider vinegar

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp whole black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

juice from 1 lime

4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from a can)

3/8 cup vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

Directions
1.  Place the garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cloves, salt, and chipotle chiles with sauce in a blender and mix into a smooth puree.
2.  Put the beef in your slow cooker and cover with the puree adding the broth, bay leaves, and lemon juice on top.
3.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I did this overnight.. I had some really hot Chipotle dreams that night.
4.  Using 2 forks, separate the meat into shreds and let it sit for a little while to let let shreds absorb the juice.  I transferred to a baking dish and covered with foil to free my crockpot for black beans.

5.  Now your meat is ready.  If it has cooled down too much, it can be re-heated in the oven, covered, of course!

You can use this for a bowl, on corn tortillas as tacos, or in burritos.

(There are no real corn tortillas in France)

Here's what went into my big fat Chipotle burritos!

With all the fixings.. sautéed bells and onions, black beans, rice, pico de gallo salsa with corn, sour cream, shredded cabbage, avocado, shredded swiss.. mmmmm!

Then I rolled it and wrapped it up Chipotle style for practical eating purposes...

.. and topped each bite with a lovely squirt of lime..

Just heavenly spicy deliciousness.
These are the kind of cravings that make you orgasmic when you obtain them... especially when you realize you made it 10x better than the original version!

The upside?  I ate this for 3 days in a row.. and I froze half the meat for future cravings.
Oooh!

Chicken Tajine with Preserved Lemon and Artichoke

Sacrilege!  Am I allowed to call this a tajine when I used chickpeas and quinoa?

Well, this type of cooking is not native to me so I have no issues with rule breaking.  There are certain things I would never permit if this was Indian food .  Certain things were made to be the way they need to be made.  I would never serve pasta with daal.. or beef korma.. nor would I ever put bacon in couscous (ok that's not Indian, but still, I wouldn't do it although I've seen people do it!)  I have no problem using paneer instead of tofu or subbing ground turkey for ground pork in Chinese recipes.  I also don't mind using Korean noodles in a Vietnamese dish.  This dish is the same.  I wanted all the little things separately and perfectly within the same dish.  The cooking method just happens to be called "tajine", which is why I permitted myself to name the dish this way.

Traditionally, a tajine is a slow cooked dish of vegetables and mixed spices with very little liquid that is sopped up with some sort of bread or couscous.  It can be made with meat or fish, but they are not submerged in the cooking liquid.  They are rather steamed or roasted atop the vegetables in a circular pyramidal clay cooking vessel also called a tajine.  They usually do not include any beans such as chickpeas.

I wanted chickpeas and I really don't regret it.. sorry purists.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken legs
1 cup cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained)

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp whole black pepper

2 dried red chiles

2 preserved lemons, pulp discarded and rind sliced

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 large onion, sliced into moons

1 green chile, halved (I used a Kabyle chile)

few pinches saffron
1/4 cup water

garnish:

chopped cilantro

lime wedges
Directions
1.  Place the chickpeas at the bottom of the slow cooker along with the cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin, black pepper, dried chiles, and preserved lemon.  Layer on the onion, chicken legs, artichoke hearts, green chile, and saffron.  Pour the water in.  You want the chicken and artichokes to be above the water level so they will "roast" and not soak.
2.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

I served mine with some bulgur and cilantro.
After the hours of cooking, the chicken releases its juices to make a very tasty sauce.  I didn't feel it needed salt, but you might want to add a bit of fleur de sel to your plate.
I put the Kabyle chile on the top so I could easily remove it before serving.  I wanted it to infuse the cooking ambiance but I wanted to have it spice my own plate up and not the entire dish.
I feel I have finally figured out the preserved lemon thing.  You either leave them whole and then remove them after cooking or you'd better remove the pulp.  That pulp is very hard to palate so I was happy to not feel like my dinner was harassing me.
Although.. sometimes I like mealtime harassement...

Lemon and Savory Navy Bean Dip

If you know me at all, you know I love my beans any time of day, any kind of way.  During happy hour, I usually lean towards hummus, which is the most incredible bean dip to ever exist on the face of our beautiful planet.  The photo of this white bean dip looks slightly like hummus, but tastes nothing like it, which is why I'm not even going to try to call this "White Bean and Lemon Hummus" as some unknowingly might.  If it doesn't have chickpeas or tahini, you can't call it hummus.. ok?
Now that that is cleared out of the way, this bean dip is perfectly suitable to be served at my table for it has a number of ingredients that make me spin on my toes.
I was gifted some fresh savory from the garden which I wanted to glorify, but fresh rosemary would have been very nice here as well.  The lemon zest gives it a nice zing paired with the garlic. and topped with some high quality olive oil, this dip will make your insides smile and lick your lips.
I unfortunately was not hosting a dinner party.  My supply of food urges outweighed the fact that I can't have anyone over properly until I finish painting and move my bed back into the bedroom.  No problem, though, this freezes very well (ungarnished) and can be popped out for any impromptu visits!
Yield about 3.5 cups

Ingredients

30 cL (10 fl.oz) dried navy beans, soaked overnight

2 bay leaves

1 sprig savory, still on the stick

2 dried chiles de arbol

1 tsp sea salt

5 cups water

5 cloves garlic, peeled

Leaves from 2 sprigs savory

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

Many grinds black pepper

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (top quality)

Garnish:

Black salt (or any fancy salt)

Few grinds black pepper

Few drizzles of that olive oil
Directions
1.  Place the beans, water, bay leaves, savory sprig, dried chiles, and sea salt in a slow cooker and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
2.  Remove the bay leaves and savory, then drain reserving about 2 cups cooking liquid.
3.  Using a stick blender, blend the cooked beans with the dried chiles, garlic, savory leaves, 2 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice with zest, black pepper, and a bit of the reserved cooking water.  If it's still hot, it will be a bit lumpy, but as it cools, the texture will become creamy.
4.  Once at room temperature, taste and adjust the seasoning.  You may need to blend in a bit more reserved cooking water to give it a smooth creamy texture as beans tend to stiffen as they cool.  I used about 1 cup.

Serve in dipping bowls topped with an extra drizzle of olive oil, some Hawaiian black salt, and an extra grind of black pepper.
I served mine with carrot sticks and tortilla chips alongside some haddock Ceviche.  Cucumber sticks would have been a nice dipping item as well.

The lemony garlicky savory goodness of this dip provides quite an enjoyable sensation in your mouth.  It made me want to spread it all over my body so I could grasp its tenderness and commune with my bean addiction..

Black and White Chole Masala

Since last experimenting with black cardamom, Chole has been on my mind.  That deep smokey flavor of black cardamom in a cinnamon broth has been stroking my desire button and finally exposed itself last night.

This wonderful recreation developed inside me.. and in my kitchen...

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

5 oz kala (15cL) chana (black chickpeas), rinsed and soaked 12-24 hours

 5 oz (15cL) chole (white chickpeas), rinsed and soaked 12-24 hours

1 stick cinnamon

1 black cardamom

3 cloves

1 black teabag

1 Indian bay leaf

2 dried red chiles

1 tsp coarse sea salt

5 cups water

2 Tbsp oil

3 slit green chiles (I sliced 1 green Moroccan chile

1/4 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds)

1 tsp kala jeera (black cumin) seeds

1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)

1 onion, minced

1/2 inch ginger, grated

5 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 can tomato pulp

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp chile powder

1 tsp amchur mango powder (or pomegranate powder)

salt to taste

plain yogurt for garnish (optional if vegan)

chopped cilantro for garnish

chopped green onions

Directions

1.  Cook the chickpeas.  Make sure to rinse the chickpeas well and change the water 2-3 times during the soaking period.  Place the soaked chickpeas in a slow cooker with the water, the cinnamon stick, black cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, dried red chiles, salt, and tea bag.  Cook on low for at least 8 hours.  You want the chickpeas to be very well cooked with little resistance when pinched between your fingers.. or smashed against the roof of your mouth with your tongue.  When done, remove the whole spices and teabag.

2.  Make the curry.  Heat the oil in a wok and add the ajwain and cumin seeds.  Cook until fragrant.

3.  Add the hing and turmeric until they fizz, then add the sliced chiles and onions.  Cook until translucent.

4.  Add the ginger and garlic.  The raw smell of ginger should come tickle your nostrils, then leave you with a distant memory.

5.  Add the tomato pulp and garam masala.  Stir and keep cooking on high.  Cook until it all comes together as some sort of thick paste, and oil will seep out.

6.  Add the cooked chickpeas and about half the cooking liquid.  Stir well and add the amchur and chile powder.  Bring to a boil, then simmer.  It will thicken.  Add more of the cooking liquid to thin it out.  I used all of the cooking liquid.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat.

7.  Taste and add salt if needed.  Adjust the spice as well.  At this point, it was pure perfection.

I served with a mix of basmati and red rice topped with chopped cilantro, chopped green onions (not pictured), and a dollop of plain yogurt.  I also let it cool down to room temperature before eating because the heat is just unbearable these days and I can't stand to eat anything that's a higher temp than my own body temp.

The broth is so delectable, I was gulping it down by the spoonful while putting away the cooled leftovers.  Something magical happens with the tea, black cardamom, and cinnamon that makes an almost sweet smell while the slow cooking is happening.  I was asked if I was making cookies (which isn't completely off.. I've made cinnamon cardamom chile cookies before..)

The kala chana works well here.  I like it's full nutty flavor and texture that is easy to tell apart from its white brother, which is creamier.

Have I mentioned how insane meals like this get me?

I'm ready to take off...

Black Bean and Chicken Salad with Pico de Gallo

I'm baaaAaaack!

And I'm broadcasting from a new kitchen.  A much bigger, fancier kitchen!  Unfortunately, it is too hot to light up the stove or the oven.  I'm having trouble keeping the indoor temperature under 90°F.. even at night (most likely because I'm not allowed to open the windows at night because a bird or bat might fly in.)

Seriously?  Who cares.. LET THEM IN!  

I'm going to have to go back to my desert days where I would pour a bunch of ice on my bed and lay in it to keep cool at night.

Once I even jumped in the pool in the middle of the night and came back in, laid my towel on the floor of my room, turned the fan on, and went to sleep without drying off.  That was kind of crazy but at least it worked.

So with temperatures as I have described, the only thing I'm comfortable using is my slow cooker.  I think it's great in the summer months because it really doesn't heat up the house like the oven or stove.  You can even take it outside or in the garage during cooking time if really you think the heat will be a problem.

My favorite thing to cook in my slow cooker?  Beans.  Hands down.

Beans are great for summer because if you eat them hot as a soup in the winter, in the summer you can eat them cold, as a dip, or as a salad (or even a cold soup because that broth is just incredible!!)

So after quite some time in a stressful business trip/remodeling/packing/in laws/moving out/unpacking/moving in/finding my computer and setting it up, here is the first meal I initiated my gigantic kitchen with that I am able to share..

Serves 6

Black Beans

10 oz (30 cL) dried black beans, soaked overnight and drained

1 cube chicken bouillon (or salt or veg bouillon)

2 bay leaves

4 dried chile de arboles

4 dried morita chiles

4-5 cups water

Place everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.  Let cool and refrigerate, reserving some of the liquid.  

I did this a day ahead of time without quite knowing what I was going to be doing with the beans, but just knowing I wanted black beans very very much... and ultimately deciding it was too hot to eat them hot.

Pico de Gallo Salsa

(yield about 2 cups)

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

2 jalapeños or serrano chiles, minced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

juice from 1-2 limes

pinch fleur de sel

pinch ground cumin

many grinds black pepper

Stir everything together.

This is a nice refreshing salsa for anything, not just for this salad.

Assembly per plate

handful shredded cabbage (I used savoy)

handful shredded cooked cold chicken (or skip to make this vegan)

generous ladle cooked (cold) black beans with a bit of the juice

heaping tablespoon pico de gallo salsa

extra chiles if you need

I'll be creating many more happy moments like this in due time..

I followed this with Sandia (Watermelon) in tajin.. oooooohhhh!!

Chili Con Carne

For most "normal" people, today would have seemed like judgement day.  Today I was given an ultimatum by facebook into turning my private account into a public page with no privacy control.  If I didn't do this, I would lose everything.. my history, photos, friends, comments, likes.. everything I've basically clicked on since I opened my account.
I wouldn't say I define myself by what I post, but since I've had lovely puppy pictures I wanted to share, Facebook has sort of been a weekly or even daily checkpoint.  It's something I like to scroll through to look at bull terrier pictures or as a feed for any cooking blogs I follow but don't want emails letting me know something is new.  It's also the only place I easily connect with my family long distance and closest friends.  The ones that know me best and judge me the least.  The family that wants to see my photos but doesn't want a backed up inbox.. and I don't want to have to pick and choose who to send which pics depending on who may be interested.  All the advantages of having an account are reduced to nothing once identity conditions become mandatory.  I liked having my surname on there and at least feeling falsely secure that if anyone really googled me, they wouldn't find anything too personal.. the only public face photo of me being on this blog, which I am obviously proud of, but which doesn't mean everybody needs to know where I work or who my friends are and what I look like in a bikini (especially here in France where it's not standard summer attire to even chill in short shorts when it's blazing hot unless you're at the beach).
I chose to give that up... for now.  We'll see how long that lasts.  If I come back, I won't come back as my true name or as my dog's name.. because apparently, they don't appreciate that at Facebook.  The worst part is that is seems like part of a sneaky governmental scheme I read about in a book called "The Circle" which completely gave me the creeps about technology and confidentiality.  I don't even have a personal cell phone by the way.
Anyway, all these WTF emotions were a perfect transition to my mega beef chunk Chili Con Carne.  This time, I made it closer to the Texan style than the Ohio style.. meaning more chiles and meat.
Yes!  By pure translation, Chile con Carne means chiles with meat.. not beans with adornments as I've been naming my chiles as of now.  I'm not saying my other versions aren't the bomb.. I'm just saying that the Tex-Mex Chili resembles that I have portrayed here.  It's the first time I make it this way, but I think this recipe is going to stick.  It has tons of flavor and is sooo meaty with the chunks of beef instead of ground beef.  The flavor is so much fuller and less superficial this way.  I approve!
Serves 7-8
Ingredients
10 oz dried kidney beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
450g (1lb) stew beef, cut into 1 1/2"x1 1/2" cubes
4 dried chiles de arboles
1 dried ancho chile
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt
2 large onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped (I used red for the theme)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp five-spice or allspice
lots of freshly ground pepper
5 cloves garlic, grated
water to cover (4 or more cups)

garnish:
sliced avocado
grated red cabbage
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions (I used shallots)

dollop sour cream (I used plain yogurt)

grated gruyere cheese

Directions

Place everything but the garnish in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Remove the bay leaves and discard.  Remove the ancho chile, chop, and stir back in.  Remove the chiles de arable and reserve for the ones who appreciate the heat.

Serve neatly with the garnish and then quickly unmake the bed..

If you keep all the chiles de arboles for yourself.. don't be bashful when the heat starts to resonate from within you.. to be seen by all who will never understand the Innuendos...

This chili is the non-superficial, true to self version.

It is even better the next day.  I should know.. today is the next day, and I've never felt so tasteful as to proudly announce I'm quitting the worldly social drug of the 21st century... 

Be free.. be free...

Traditional Boeuf Bourguignon

I've been eating Boeuf Bourguignon for as long as I can remember.  My mother would make it as well as Coq au Vin (which is basically the same recipe, just swap the meat) as often as I wanted, even if I requested it all the time.  I never really thought of it as a French recipe growing up.  It was just normal food for me that I would make regularly myself in college and happily impress my guests (or passers by.. I didn't really have any criteria for having people eat at my table back then.)  Since I've been living in France, I haven't made it or even eaten it once.  I don't do i on purpose.  It's just that I feel I can have it whenever I want, so I don't go out of my way to make it.. and I end up never making it.
I also have a thing about serving French food to French guests in France.
The fact that it's been so long since I've made it makes me even forget that I have it in my repertoire.
A few weeks ago, I bought some wine that I didn't particularly like and was about to throw it away.  It makes me cringe to throw food away, especially if there's no real problem with it.  While trying to figure out who I could give it to instead of throwing it away, the Boeuf Bourguignon recipe came back to me... which made me wonder why I've been waiting so long to do this!
This dish is comforting to me in a reminiscent way.  The fact that I got the taste exactly how I was imagining it is even more of a treat.
The use of wine in this dish tenderizes the beef as it cooks, just as vinegar would, but without the crazy sour taste.  As it cooks, the alcohol evaporates so it is perfectly safe for children as well.  I should know, I've been eating it my entire life and I'm relatively sane as an adult.
So here, for once, I present a typically French dish (made famous by the American Julia Child).  I'm not cooking for guests, but it's probably one of the rare French dishes I wouldn't mind serving.
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

900g (2 lbs) stew beef, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

350g (12.3oz) cured or smoked pork belly, rind removed and sliced into lardons (sub bacon)

1 Tbsp olive oil (if needed)

2 medium onions, sliced into moons

2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
few pinches sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped

250g (8.8oz) mushrooms, washed and chopped coarsley

5 small or 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped coarsley

2 bay leaves

2 cups beef broth

1 bottle red wine (I used Corbières, but you should use Burgundy)

1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 handfuls flat leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
1.  In a wok or heavy based pan, render your sliced lardons.  If you bought good quality, there shouldn't be much fat.  You want to get them nice and crispy.  Set aside and keep 1 Tbsp of the renderings in the wok.  If nothing rendered, add the olive oil.
2.  Add the onions and let them sweat, then add the beef, salt, and thyme.  You want each piece to color on all sides.  This can take about 10 minutes.
3.  When the beef is colored, add the lardons back in along with the flour.  Stir well to coat, then remove from heat.
4.  Transfer all but 1 of the handfuls of parsley into a slow cooker.  The liquid should be almost level.  This is the important part.  It must be simmered for a long period of time.  Some people do it stove-top, which takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Some people put it in the oven on low temp, and others go the quick route and do it in a pressure cooker, under pressure for about 30 minutes.  I like the slow cooker route because you don't have to watch it like a hawk and you can go about your day, leaving the house if you need to without worrying.  Plus, the flavors are better when it simmers for a long time, even if a pressure cooker is quite handy.
Cook on low for at least 7 hours.

Serve garnished with the freshly chopped parsley over either pasta noodles, rice, or potatoes... and of course, with a glass of red.  I went the noodle route this time.
The broth is amazing in this.  You can get fancy and reduce some of the broth down to a thick sauce, but that's just not the way I'm used to eating it.

Don't worry, I'll be going back to spicy vegetarian very soon.. as soon as I finish all these lip smacking leftovers..

Pollock Fish Fajitas with Navy Beans

Oh California.. I miss you so..
Fajita plates are my transition into outdoor cooking weather.  They make me feel like I'm at a picnic because I could have used my plancha to do the last minute veg cooking, but didn't because it was too cold outside.

Exactly the same as my last fajitas, except for the fish instead of turkey meat... Or just like my fish burritos but with different beans and plating style.

Pollock Fish Fajitas

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Pollock filets (colin), cubed

1 garlic clove, grated

few pinches fleur de sel

squeeze from 1/2 lime

few grinds black pepper

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp chile powder (optional if serving with spicy beans)

1+1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced into moons

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 green chile, sliced (optional if serving with spicy beans)

Directions

1.  Rub the grated garlic onto the fish cubes and sprinkle on some fleur de sel, black pepper, cumin,  coriander, chile powder, and paprika.  Add the lime juice, rub in to make sure everything is evenly distributed.  Set aside and let marinate for at least 10 minutes (while you chop everything else.)

2.  Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil on high in a wok or heavy based pan.  Add the onion slices and stir fry until just translucent, then add the bell pepper and green chile slices with a pinch of fleur de sel.  Cook on high, stirring for about 3-5 minutes.  Reserve.

3.  Heat the other Tbsp olive oil into the same wok.  Add the marinated turkey slices and cook until nicely colored.

4.  Add the vegetables to the meat and heat through.  You want the bell peppers to be crisp, so don't over-cook them into mush.

Smokey Navy Beans

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried white navy beans, soaked overnight and drained

1/4 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained

2 bay leaves

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 chicken or veg bouillon cube

1 tsp coarse sea salt

5 chipotle ancho chiles with their sauce

4-5 cups water

1 small can corn

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

Directions

1.  Place everything up to the water in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for at least 6 hours.

2.  Add the corn, pepper, and cumin.  Stir to heat through, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

3.  Remove the bay leaves and whole chiles before serving.  If the chiles burst, the beans will be way too spicy.  By removing them, you can decide which plate you would like to add the chile to.. (by the way, it's always my plate that wins).

Fajita Plate Garnish

cooked rice (I used a trio of Basmati, Brown, and Thai Red rice)

shredded cabbage

shredded swiss or gruyère

dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream

chopped cilantro

chopped green onions

tortillas (unfortunately, not pictured, but necessary to call this a "fajita plate")

I love the way changing one ingredient can transform a regular "classic" dish into a completely different work of art.  For the fajitas, I switched out the meat which is usually either flank steak or chicken for fish.  The fish works so well in these types of dishes.  Be sure to use a white firmed flesh fish and use filets to avoid any bones.

For the beans, I switched out the usual black or pinto beans for white navy beans, or "haricot lingot" which I lightly sprouted before cooking.  That part is optional and the sprouts were so tiny that it didn't make any difference in cooking time.

Now I need to find some masa harina (that doesn't cost 12€/kg) and a tortilla press to finish this job...

Cantonese Braised Beef and Daikon Stew

Awkwardly, as I was about to prepare a Boeuf Bourgignon, my heart quickly switched to hoisin and garlic.  I suppose the beef and carrots and the "stew" part are the same, but my flavor yearning was for spice, umami, and daikon.  It's funny but I only just recently learned that my favorite "long white turnip" that I use regularly in various recipes from various cultures is called "daikon" in English.  I've always preferred it to it's stubby purple-beige counterpart in taste, and when it's available, I have a hard time resisting placing it into my basket.  I use it sautéed in duck fat when making magret, or in couscous, cooked in that magical ras el hanout meat and vegetable broth.  I've had it in miso soup with seaweed, too, which was a pleasant surprise.  My yearning directed me to a Chinese dish, but this time, a Cantonese recipe.

Adapted from Yi Reservation.
Ingredients
600g stew beef
500g daikon turnip (1 large), peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp oil
2 star anis
1 dried red chile (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 dried orange peel
5 cloves garlic, 3 sliced and 2 grated
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 Tbsp chu hou sauce (I subbed hoisin + the 2 grated garlic cloves)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tsp doubanjiang (optional)
2 Tbsp shao xing wine
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp freshly ground green pepper
Scallions and cilantro for garnish
Directions
1.  Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes.  Blanch in some boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse.
2.  Heat the oil in a wok.  Add the star anis, dried chile, bay leaf, and orange peel and fry for 30 seconds until the aroma is released.
3.  Add the ginger and garlic slices and cook another 30 seconds.
4.  Add the blanched beef and stir to coat, cooking for about 1 minute.
5.  Deglaze with the shao xing wine, then add the chu hou, hoisin, oyster, and doubanjiang sauce.  Stir well to coat the meat and cook for another 3 minutes.
6.  Transfer everything but the dark soy, green pepper, and garnish into a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
7.  Before serving, stir in the dark soy and green pepper.  Taste and add salt or light soy sauce if needed.  I didn't think it needed anything extra.

Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with cilantro and scallions.
I served mine with some Stir-Fried Cabbage as well, which was a pleasant enhancement.

Do not skip the orange peel.
It's amazing...