Monday, April 26, 2010

Chickpea Curry

(from ‘Almost Vegetarian’)

Yup, yet another chickpea curry – can’t get enough! Ever since I went through my ‘I hate beef’ phase last fall, I’ve been pretty much on the vegetarian trail. Though I still loves me my ghetto meat (chorizo sausage, jalapeno cheddar smokies), so I'm a far cry from vegetarian. I really should give beef another try. One of these days. But in the meantime, mo’ chickpeas! The granny smith apple was a total surprise - never thought of adding them to a curry, ditto on the coconut (though I did draw the line at raisins) …

3 inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp madras curry powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne
1 small can chopped tomatoes (organic)
1 granny smith apple, diced
4 cups cooked chickpeas (yes, I soaked them overnight, then cooked them in the slow cooker!)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (plus I had some lime rind in the freezer, so added about 1 tsp of same)
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Heat oil in large pot, sauté ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, and spices over med-low heat, approx 8 mins. Stir in the tomatoes, apple and chickpeas and simmer, covered, for approx 25 mins. Add lemon juice (and rind if using) and coconut and simmer another 5 mins. Turn off the heat, stir in the yogurt, cover and let rest for 10 mins before serving. Add more chopped cilantro to top.

Tandoori Chicken

(from ‘Almost Vegetarian’)

Yes, you could use pressed tofu in lieu of the chicken, but its not really my thing! This was terrific – easy to make, and it sat for 1.5 days in the fridge in a ziplock bag, saturating its green goodness into the chicken, resulting in a moist, flavourful treat!

2 cloves garlic, chopped (no need to mince, will be chucked into food processor!)
2 inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
½ tsp lemon zest
Juice from one lime
¼ cup cilantro
1 tbsp madras curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/8 tsp cayenne
½ tsp salt
2 whole chicken breasts, split (4 pieces)

In a food processor, combine all ingredients (except the meat!), process until smooth. Place chicken in large ziplock bag, pour in marinade, and massage into the chicken. Refrigerate 12 hours or so, turn bag occasionally to ensure even distribution.

Grill or broil chicken breasts to your liking! (I dumped the remaining marinade into a small pot, and heated it to kill any bacteria, then poured it over the chicken and served on top of a mixed brown rice – delish!)

Herbed Asparagus Tart

(from ‘Almost Vegetarian’)

My sis J bought me this cookbook back in the olden times (early 90s?) from Granville Island, and I’ve utilized it quite extensively over the years. I just recently rediscovered it on a shelf (whoo hoo) – have bookmarked several recipes to try over the summer, and am excited to bring some healthful cooking into the mix. This was lovely – light and refreshing, would be perfect for a ‘ladies who lunch’ après spa snack (serve w/ shampers!) It can be made in advance, served at room temperature.

½ tbsp unsalted butter or canola oil (I used buttah!)
1 small red onion, minced
2 scallions, minced
1 tbsp each minced fresh sage and chives
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup grated Regiano Parmesan
1 cup part skim ricotta (I couldn’t find any, but used low fat dry curd cottage cheese)
1 ½ cups asparagus, slivered, then blanched

Preheat oven to 450.

Melt butter or oil, sauté onion, scallions, sage and chives over med-low heat, approx 5 mins. Stir in blanched asparagus.

In mixing bowl, combine eggs, Parm and ricotta or cottage cheese – beat until smooth.

Spray glass pie dish with cooking spray, spread onion mixture onto bottom of dish, add egg mixture on top. I sprinked a little more Parm on top!

Bake approx. 35 mins, should be light brown on top, knife inserted in centre comes out clean.

Bouillabaisse

I wanted to make something festive for Easter (yeah, I know, it was ages ago now!), and I recalled my sis’s amazing Cioppino she made in Calgary like, a LONG time ago, but I needed to use up some fish stock, and her recipe didn’t utilize any, so I ‘made do’ with the Good Times gals recipe below – outstanding! Cioppino, see ya soon …

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups well rinsed coarsely chopped leeks
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1 can tomato purée
1 large can chopped tomatoes (organic)
2 tbsp dried thyme
½ cup chopped Italian parsley (plus more for garnish)
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
4 cups Fish Stock
S & P, to taste
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tsp whole saffron
2 quarts fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
48 Cherrystone clams, scrubbed (unfortunately, I couldn’t find any!)
3 pounds skinless firm white fish steaks, such as bass, snapper, and cod, cut into large cubes
1 lb colossal prawns
4 small lobster tails, shelled and halved crosswise

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onions and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomato puree, tomatoes, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, wine, fish stock, and salt and pepper. Simmer to blend the flavors, 20 mins.

Blend the butter and flour together in a bowl and then whisk the mixture into the tomato mixture.

Add the saffron and the mussels and clams in their shells and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fish, shrimp, and lobster tails and simmer until all the shellfish are opened and the fish is done, another 5 mins. Do not overcook.

Ladle into hot soup plates, discarding any mussels or clams that have not opened. Garnish with a bunch of chopped parsley.