Kumy’s Daal

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Of course Kumy is a wonderful cook, if he ever cooks. He has been known to add red pepper flakes, extra black pepper and garlic to just about anything, which guarantees that it will be delicious.

But this is a very traditional Pakistani dish – true everyday food. Daal means lentils and there are dryer versions and soupier versions. This one is soupier and should be served with rice.  If you really want to jazz it up, you can also use a good mango chutney as a condiment.

1 1/2 cans of diced tomatoes
6 whole dry red peppers (the long skinny kind)
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a large saucepan, and add dry red peppers, salt and tomatoes. Cook 10-15 minutes on low heat.

2 cups daal, rinsed and drained
1 tsp turmeric
10 cups of water

Add to pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

2 Tbsp oil
6 dry red peppers
3 smashed garlic cloves
2 tsp whole cumin seeds

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add peppers, garlic and cumin seeds and saute quickly, about 1 or 2 minutes. (This is called a “Bagaar”.)

Pour the oil and spices over the daal and stir to blend it. Check seasonings and serve.

Vanna’s Steak and Onions

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My friend Vanna is my dream cook – everything she makes comes out perfect and delicious whether it’s Pho or fried chicken or a dessert. She comes from a family of wonderful cooks and we look forward to the block party every year, just to see what Vanna’s bringing! I wrote this recipe down very quickly and with cryptic instructions, but it was delicious.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. of steak
2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 chopped onions

Mix sauces, salt, pepper and garlic and marinade steak in it for at least 10 minutes. Heat butter and oil in a big skillet. Add steak and brown for several minutes, turning over half way. Add chopped onions and cook until brown. Add any leftover marinade and cook for a minute or two. If the sauces get too dry, just add a little water.

Oaxacan Rice & Beans

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Made this for the 2009 block party.  It’s a good dish for a picnic or outdoor gathering, because it’s good warm or at room temperature.

1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 4 oz. can diced green chillies
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Saute veggies for 7-8 minutes or until carrots and onions are softened.

1 cup rice, washed and drained
2 1/4 cups chicken broth (use veggie broth for a vegan version)
1 tsp salt
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1″ diagonal slices (frozen is fine, too.)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

Add rice to the veggie mix and cook 3-4 minutes. Add salt and chicken stock, cover and reduce heat. Cook 15 minutes. Add in green beans and black beans, cover and cook another 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and blend gently.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

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I am a huge fan of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but this recipe really benefits from the flavor and fat from the skin – so I just use regular chicken thighs.

1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce (check label for gluten)
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp kosher salt (optional – there’s a lot of soy sauce in there!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 chicken thighs (with skin and bone in)

Mix everything and marinate the chicken thighs in it for at least 20 minutes. It helps if you loosen the skin a bit to let the glaze soak into the meat. Place chicken and glaze on a baking pan, and bake at 425 for 25 minutes. Take a spoon and baste the chicken halfway through with any remaining marinade.

Serve with white rice and Asian Cabbage Slaw.

Corned Beef Hash

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April, 2009

1 large, corned beef brisket, thoroughly cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 bag frozen hashed brown potatoes (or real potatoes – see note below.)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
generous splash or Worcestershire sauce
1 squirt of yellow mustard (maybe 1/2 – 1 tsp?)
3 Tbsp olive oil

Saute onions, pepper and garlic in a little oil, until onions are soft and translucent. Heat olive oil in your largest frying pan. Add veggies and everything else to a large bowl and blend gently.

Scoop the mix into the hot oil in the frying pan. Gently even out the potatoes with a spoon. (You may not be able to get everything in – so if you have to – just do a second batch.)

Let hash cook five minutes without stirring. Then turn and saute another five minutes. If in doubt – cook longer. I just turn it in sections, so don’t worry if it starts to break apart.

Give a final sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve. Yum.

If you want to use real potatoes, you can. Just use 4-5 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2″ thick slices, and boiled in salted water until they are almost all the way cooked through. Drain them well, dice them up and add them to the mix.

Sausage, Bean & Kale Soup

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Lots of stains on this page, and notes scribbled in above and below the recipe, so you know it’s one of our favorite soups!  I probably make this soup more often than any other.

1 1/2 cup dried calico beans (a mix you buy), soaked in 6 cups water
or 2 cans black beans, and one can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained.

3/4 cup chopped turkey or real ham – (can skip if  you don’t have it – just add more sausage)
8 oz. sausage, halved and cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 slices turkey or real bacon, chopped into 3/4″ pieces
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cup chopped leeks
4-5 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp fresh, snipped rosemary or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leave
3 cups kale, rough chopped

Rinse beans and soak over night or simmer them for four hours. (If using canned beans, just rinse and drain them.)

Melt butter in a large pot. Add meats and cook 10 minutes, them remove. Add veggies and cook 10 minutes. Add meat back in, add beans, spices and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Just before serving, add the kale and cook 2 minutes more. Check salt and pepper.

My notes say: Delish to have on a winter night with hot baguettes, Good to have with Mummy and Pappa. Most tellingly: If using canned beans, only use kidney and black beans. (I think there was an unfortunate incident with garbanzo beans.)

Maya’s Strawberry-Banana Yogurt Smoothi

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Maya wrote this recipe down on February 16th, 2009 when she was just 10 years old.  It was President’s Day, so maybe she was home from school.  She and Samir used to make smoothies very often, and I’d often later find a mysterious colorful liquid in a glass in the refrigerator.  Somehow it’s hard to make just one glass of smoothie!

1 banana
6 ice cubes
3 big frozen strawberries
2 giant spoonfuls of strawberry yogurt
dash milk

Add banana and strawberry and yogurt. Mix. If thick add milk and ice.

(Note from Mom – I think she cut up the bananas, and used a buzzwand to blend. I am pretty sure you add the ice no matter what and only thin it with milk. The underlines are in her original recipe.)

Louisa’s Puerto Rican Chicken & Rice Stew

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My friend Louisa introduced us to this amazing stew at their Winter Solstice Party, and it was love at first bite.

Louisa and her husband Bill have a wonderful tradition:  they host a Winter Solstice Party that’s a potluck dinner, with food that represents the sun: round, hot, yellow or somehow sun-related.  (One year our friend Josh brought home-made sushi, which worked since it was food from the land of the rising sun!)  It’s always fun to think of a dish that reminds us of the sun and to see what everyone else brings.

They ask everyone to come around sunset and to bring a candle for a candle exchange.  Their house is only lit with candles and the light of the fire in the fireplace, and it’s cozy and warm. It’s a really wonderful tradition and a chance to catch up with friends and to reflect that even on the longest night, the sun will rise again.

Anyway, I asked Louisa for her recipe, which she was kind enough to share.  It makes a lot and is one of our family’s favorites.

2 tsp garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp each cumin, salt, black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast sections, cut into bite size pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
4 oz. turkey ham or bacon, or real ham or bacon, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups rice, washed (I use basmati)
6 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1/4 cup green olives, halved
1 Tbsp capers

Mix garlic and spices, and rub into chicken. Heat half the olive oil in a big dutch oven, and brown chicken (about 10 minutes.) Remove from pan.

Add more olive oil, and saute onion and green pepper for 5 minutes. Add ham and tomatoes and cook 5 more minutes. Add chicken back in and simmer 20 minutes.

Add rice and stir, then add stock and stir to combine. Bring stock just to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 17 minutes. Add cheese, peas, olives and capers, and cook 5 more minutes.

It’s meant to be soupy, so you’ll need to serve it in bowls. So good. Thanks, Louisa!

Paprika Chicken, Sausage & Rice

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2 Tbsp olive oil
3 slices turkey or real bacon, chopped up
2 cups onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 pkg kielbasa sausage, halved and sliced into 1/2″ slices
1/8 tsp saffron
Black pepper
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless cut into bite sizes  (Can use half thighs, too.)
1 Tbsp hot paprika
salt to taste
2 cups uncooked rice
5 cups chicken broth

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add bacon, and saute until cooked. Then add onions, pepper and sausage, and cook several minutes until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan, and place in a large, oven-proof casserole. Add black pepper and saffron and stir gently.

Sprinkle chicken with paprika and a little salt. Add to pan, and cook, until chicken pieces are browned. Add to casserole.

Add rice and chicken stock to casserole and stir gently to combine everything. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until the rice is done. My notes don’t say if you needed to cover the casserole, but the ratio of broth to rice is pretty high, so you probably don’t need to.

Makes a nice, large batch.

Orange-Apricot Buttermilk “Pudding”

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We bought fat-free half and half by accident, and had some buttermilk left over and I wondered if there might be a recipe for a buttermilk pudding where I could use both up.  I found one online from Garrett McCord, and tried it as an experiment.

I made the recipe pretty much the same as his, but at the very end, I threw in a large spoonful of Orange-Apricot Marmalade from Sarabeth.  Then it was off to the fridge.

Success!  A light, creamy gelatin-based pudding that’s slightly sweet but with tangy notes of orange, apricot and buttermilk.

2 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp water
1 cup half n half (fat-free works if you’ve accidentally bought some!)
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp orange-apricot marmalade (or apricot jam and orange marmalade)

Mix the gelatin and water in a bowl. Let set. It will thicken but that’s okay.

In a saucepan, heat half n half and sugar, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is starting to bubble just a bit. Remove from heat, and pour about a 1/2 cup into the gelatin mixture. Stir well, then add back to pan.

Add buttermilk, vanilla and marmalade. Stir well and pour into a glass dish. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, until the gelatin is nice and firm. There may be bits of orange zest or apricot in it, but we didn’t mind them at all.

This makes a very nice, light dessert that would even be good for company. You could dress it up by garnishing it with fresh fruit like raspberries, or diced mangoes, and a drizzle of honey.  Would be really good for a summer dinner party in the backyard.

In hindsight, I wish I’d poured the pudding into smaller bowls, which would have been prettier. Also, Garrett uses heavy cream instead of half n half.