Toasted Sesame Cookies

We are late to the cookie banging party, and Sarah Kieffer's new book 100 Cookies, which we had some delay in being able to obtain--I guess with everyone home cooking and baking, cookbooks will go through an uptick of popularity--but now we have it and we are off and running.  These are beautiful and unusual to look at and delicious to eat.

• 1 ³/₄ cups (249 grams) all-purpose flour
  
• ³/₄ teaspoon salt
  
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda
  
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks or 170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  
• ¹/₂ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 1 ¹/₂ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  
• 3 ounces (85 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces (averaging 1/2-inch with some smaller and some larger, optional)
  
• Black and white sesame seeds, for rolling

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line three sheet pans with aluminum foil, dull-side up.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, toasted sesame oil, water, and vanilla, and mix on low speed to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate, if using, and mix until combined.
4. Form the dough into 3-ounce (85-gram) balls (1/4 cup). Roll in the sesame seeds, and place 4 cookies an equal distance apart on each sheet pan. Bake the cookies one pan at a time. Bake until the dough balls have spread flat but are puffed slightly in the center, 9 minutes. Lift one side of the sheet pan up about 4 inches (10 centimeters) and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the center falls back down. After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake for 15 to 16 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days (or refrigerate for up to 3 days).

 

 

Eagle Huntress (2016)

Ethan has a whole long list of movies that he wants to watch, gleaned from various sources, and while some of them are clunkers, this one is really very good.

I have watched one, maybe two movies set in the steppes of Mongolia, and I am again struck by the ability of man to live outdoors in harsh conditions, and not just make it but look comfortable doing so.  There is a hunting scene late in the movie where daughter and father are traveling in cold, snow covered mountainous terrain, not seeing a soul for days on end, and they are calm as they can be.  The rapport they have with their animals, each other, and the terrain is beautiful in and of itself.

The movie revolves around documentary  is propelled by a humbly determined 13-year-old Mongolian girl, Aisholpan,  who is on the brink of breaking through an ancient gender divide.  She is about to enter the world of Mongolian eagle hunters, a world inhabited only by men.  So the movie is a salute to girl power in a culture that has very rigid gender roles, and it is at its best when it soars with a purity of purpose.   By her side are her two faithful companions, a majestic golden eagle chick that she is about transform into a mighty pursuer of prey and her supportive nomadic herder father—Nurgaiv, a two-time champion hunter himself—who proudly oversees his daughter’s own training so she can become the first female to compete in the Golden Eagle Festival.  

 

Bariis

 

We are cooking African food this month and the Somali food is absolutely fabulous.  This is a flavorful Basmati rice.

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1 Medium red onion sliced
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 4 Whole cloves
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground cardamom
• 1 Medium tomato chopped
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1/4 cup Raisins
• 2 tablespoons Xawaash spice
  

Rinse basmati rice in a medium bowl under cold water until the water runs clear. Then cover with cold water and set aside, at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

In a large pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat until it shimmers. Then add sliced red onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon stick and cloves and continue cooking until spices smell fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes, then add ground cardamom and minced garlic and cook 1 additional minute.

Increase heat to high and add chopped tomato with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomato’s water has evaporated and you’re left with a jammy paste. Then drain basmati rice and add to the pot, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Fry rice for 5 minutes.

Stir xawaash into rice along with 4 cups of warm to boiling water, along with raisins and another pinch of salt. Stir well to combine and bring rice to a boil. Then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover pot, and cook until rice has absorbed all liquid, about 20 minutes. S

Green Chili Chicken in an Instant

We were gifted some small and exceptionally tough chickens and found that the best way to prepare them was in an Instant Pot.  Pressure cooking them was the only way to make them less tough, and then to use the meat to make something.

This recipe made a delicious sauce.  We cooked the chicken whole, pulled the meat off the bones, made enchiladas, then used the sauce to pour over them, So that is one variation, but if you are searching for things to cook in your Instant Pot, this is a good option, coming from the Food Lab.

 

• 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 3/4 pound tomatillos, quartered, husks discarded (about 4 tomatillos)
• 1 pound poblano peppers, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded (about 3 peppers)
• 6 ounces Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded (about 2 peppers)
• 2 Serrano or jalapeño chilies, roughly chopped, stems discarded
• 10 ounces white onion, roughly chopped (about 1 medium)
• 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Fresh corn tortillas and lime wedges, for serving

1. Combine chicken, tomatillos, poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, Serrano peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and a big pinch of salt in a pressure cooker. Heat over high heat until gently sizzling, then seal pressure cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure.
2. Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces to a bowl and set aside. Add cilantro and fish sauce to remaining contents of pressure cooker. Blend with a hand blender or in a standing blender and season to taste with salt. Return chicken to sauce, discarding skin and bones and shredding if desired. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve immediately with tortillas and lime wedges.

Pandemic Thanksgiving

 We have been very careful during this pandemic, at least to the degree that health care workers can be careful.  We work in a hospital and one of us works directly with sick COVID positive patients, so there is that.  Outside of that, we do very little that has any risk at all.  We mostly go home and see only our bubble.  Over the summer we saw people outdoors at a distance or indoors at a great distance apart.  People like our grandchildren and our closest friends, and not often.

We had hope for a physically distanced but possible Thanksgiving with our children, which consists of three separate bubbles.  We set up small tables ten feet apart in a very large room in order to do so.  But now, because so many people cannot be bothered to wear a mask in public we just cannot do it.  The hospitals are overflowing with COVID patients, so because some people cannot be safe, we all pay the price.  It is both incredibly sad and infuriating.  Literally thousands will die and have died because of this selfish and willful ignorance.  I am thankful today that I have been careful and I hope that we can eventually all agree to protect others because in the end it protects us and those we love.  It is also the first Thanksgiving in 32 years that I have been a parent that I will not be celebrating with all of my children.

Doro Wat

We are deep into cooking from In Bibi's Kitchen, and when one of our kids said he would be passing through town and could we feed him last week, we said sure and made this along with a rice pilaf.  I now know that this is the national dish of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but I had never had it before.  So I have missed the most delicious chicken dish I have had in recent memory.  The heat and the spice and the chicken and the egg all marry well with each other.  I could not stop bringing the serving dish over and spooning just a bit more and then a bit more still of the sauce over the food on my plate.  I served with kachumbari, a fresh salad of tomatoes and avocados with lime squeezed over them.

3 Tbs. butter

2 large onions, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. minced ginger

3 Tbs. Berbere spice

1 tsp. Kosher salt

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 cup water

8 chicken drumsticks

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Ass the garlice, onion, and ginger, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the berbere and salt and cook until aromatic, about a minute.  Ass the tomatoes and cook until they are reduced to almost dry.  Add the water and increase heat to high until it boils.  Lower heat and maintain simmer.  season the chicken and nestle into the pot.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, and cook until chicken tender, about an hour.  Add eggs and heat them through.

Remove chicken and eggs to a serving dish.  Raise the heat and reduce the sauce to the desired consistency.  Spoon over the chicken and eggs, and serve.
 

Leela Punyaratabandhu's Pad Kee Mao (Drunkard's Noodles)

this is from a cookbook that the Food 52 group has featured before, but we were not members at that time.  This is one of my favorite dishes in a Thai restaurant, but since I am not going to those much these days (it is one food that can be okay as take out, so I have had it twice during the pandemic--once great, the other not so great, which is why it took so long to try again).  In any case, just as with almost everything else that I definitely do not make at home, this too is now off that list.

2 fresh bird’s eye chiles, or fewer or more to taste, stemmed
2 large cloves garlic
1 large shallot, about 1 ounce
1 pound fresh wide rice noodles
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow or white onion, cut into 1-inch-wide wedges
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons packed grated palm sugar, or 1 teaspoon packed light or brown sugar
1 fresh large red or green Thai long chile, cut lengthwise on the diagonal into 1⁄4-inch- wide strips
1 Roma tomato, quartered lengthwise, then quarters halved crosswise
1 cup loosely packed fresh holy basil leaves

In a mortar or a mini chopper, combine the bird’s eye chiles, garlic, and shallot and grind to a fine paste. Set aside.

If the noodles are in sheet form, rather than precut, cut them lengthwise into 1-inch- wide strips and separate the layers into singles. Cut the chicken against the grain and on the diagonal into thin, bite-size pieces.

Heat the oil in a wok or a 14-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the prepared paste and stir until fragrant and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Turn up the heat to high, add the onion wedges and let them brown on the underside, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Flip them and brown the second side for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and fish sauce and stir until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the noodles, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, long chile, and tomato and stir to mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles soften and the sauce is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil, and stir just until wilted. Serve immediately.

 

Wild Tales (2014)

This is yet again evidence that Pedro Aldomovar is a quirky genius.  If I had seen this when it came out I would have said that these six stories, which are unlinked by anything except that they display the worst of human traits, were things that happened at the edges of life and were not seen in the main of life.  Now that we live in an increasingly openly nationalist, misogynist, and caste oriented world, that opinion no longer holds.

The theme is that people do other people wrong, often quite casually, and that those acts of meanness or pettiness or side stepping ones responsibilities, are not forgotten and they come back to bite one.  In this case with murderous intent.  The stories are grm and the outcomes are deadly, but in classic Aldomovar style, they are all told with beautiful cinematography and a touch of humor, so you find yourself occasionally identifying with the wrong person, and also laughing a bit until you are horrified.  And therein lies the filmmaker's true talent for story telling.
 

Maine Fish Chowder

This is from a restaurant in Portland, Maine that we had a nice time at, and ate good food there as well, with my eldest son and his wife.  We were on a rare tour through New England rather than just going to Vermont (which is our norm) and we really enjoyed Maine.  My family is from there going back to before the Revolutionary War, and while I normally focus on lobster and clam chowder, this was really good.  My brother and his wife had sent us some Alaska Halibut and we subbed that for the cod.  Really good.

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 pound boneless, skinless cod fillet, about 1-inch thick
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound sea scallops (or use more cod, some hake or another firm fish)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 pound all-purpose potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• ¼ pound bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (optional)
• 2 quarts fish stock or dashi (Japanese fish broth, such as Hondashi bonito soup stock)
• 1 to 2 fresh thyme sprigs, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Toasted nori sheets or seaweed snacks, crumbled into very small pieces, or dried seaweed flakes (optional)
• Snipped chives or minced scallion greens, for serving

1. In a small pan over low heat, toast the peppercorns until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Coarsely grind and set aside.
2. Trim cod of any pin bones or bits of skin and cut into 1-inch cubes. Lightly salt the cubes all over and set aside on paper towels to drain. Rinse scallops very lightly under cold water. Cut into half-moons and set aside on paper towels to drain. Keep seafood refrigerated until ready to use.
3. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is just sizzling, add onion and potatoes and cook, stirring, until the onions start to melt and the potatoes are gold at the edges, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, if using bacon, cook the strips in a hot skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
5. Add stock, thyme and toasted peppercorns to pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. The potatoes should not be cooked through.
6. Stir in cream and heat through over low heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
7. Just before serving, with the chowder simmering over low heat, stir in seafood and simmer until potatoes are soft and seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon.
8. Ladle the chowder into bowls. You want each serving to be around 2 parts broth to 1 part chunky goodness. Use your fingers to crush the nori into powdery bits, if using, and sprinkle over the top of each serving. Place about 1 teaspoon chives in the center of each bowl and serve immediately.

 

Zanzibar Pilau

Lightly flavored rice taht is delicious.

• 1 cup long-grained white rice (preferably basmati)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or ghee)
  
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  
• 5 green cardamom pods
  
• One 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
  
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground cloves
  
• ¹/₂ cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
  
• 1 cup boiling water
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse with cold tap water, stirring the rice gently with your hands, until the water runs clear through it, about a minute of rinsing and stirring. Place the rinsed rice into a bowl, cover with cold water, and let it soak for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, and cook, stirring, until the mixture smells very fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk, water, and salt. Drain the rice through the sieve and add it to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, off the heat for at least 10 minutes before fluffing with a spoon or a fork. Remove and discard the cinnamon and cardamom (if you can find them, they tend to hide—if you can’t find them, just warn your guests). Serve the rice immediately while it’s hot. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and warmed in a 300°F oven or over low heat in a skillet.

 

 

 

Gilgamesh, Translated by Stephen Mitchell (2150 BCE)

Through the pandemic, there has been an online version of The Community Reads that has been interesting to mostly observe to date, because as a health care worker in charge of other health care workers I was crazy busy at the front end of all this.  Now I have changed jobs in the hopes of having less stress and I feel like my evenings could be populated more by reading.  That hasn't been wildly successful yet, but it has only been a week, and I did get to truly focus on this book, which was a ten day read, a couple of days before it was over.

Gilgamesh is not just amazing as a story (I will get to that), but also as a window into the Summerian city state of Uruk, which is in the demolished country of Syria, dating back 5000 years.  The story is told in cuneiform, which is the earliest known written language.  It is a dizzying assortment of lines and dots, which are not words but letters and numbers.

Gilgamesh is a flood story, and notable in that it is the earliest known flood story.  He is also a flawed hero, and he does not act alone.  The beauty. of this "translation" is that it really isn't so much of a word for word rendition of the original text, but rather the retelling of a fable.  The introduction tells you all that you need to know.  It introduces the characters, and then the challenges that they face and finally what happens along the way.

I have known about and studied this story on a number of occasions in the past, and this is certainly the most enjoyable version.
 

Suugo Suqaar

The Somali food in the new cookbook In Bibi's Kitchen is so fabulous, and this humble pasta sauce, an African Bolognese Sauce, is no exception.  It shares some things with the Italian version, in that it is ground meat that is cooked with onions and tomatoes for a long time to add flavor and tenderness to the sauce.  It has three full tablespoons of the Somali spice mix Xawaash, which gives the flavor depth and complexity that is worth savoring every bite of this meal.  Add in that a pound of the meat will cover 1.5 pounds of pasta, you also have an economical way to feed a crowd. this is amazing.

3 tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 lb (454 g) ground beef
3 tbsp (45 mL) Xawaash Spice Mix (recipe follows)
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
One 28-oz (825 mL) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
Cooked spaghetti (or whatever shape pasta you like) and coarsely chopped cilantro, for serving

Place the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the beef, Xawaash and salt and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the beef, until the meat is browned, about 15 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes (and their juices). Fill the tomato can halfway with water and add it to the pot. Stir well to combine, being sure to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil, then decrease the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally as the sauce cooks, for 30 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt. Serve hot over cooked spaghetti, with the cilantro sprinkled on top. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days and rewarmed in a heavy pot set over low heat (stir while you heat).

 

Digaag Qumbe

Yet another great recipe from Somalia, and using the spice mix Xawaash.  Coconut milk and yogurt add to the flavor.

3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)

1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, coarsely chopped

2 jalapeños, seeds removed if you want less heat, coarsely chopped

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground turmeric

¼ tsp. ground cardamom

Kosher salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled, cut into ¾" cubes

1 carrot, peeled, cut into ¼"-thick coins

2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces

1 14-oz. can coconut milk

3 Tbsp. ghee (optional)

1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped, plus whole leaves for serving

Steamed rice and/or spinach (for serving)

Step 1

Blend tomatoes, bell pepper, and jalapeños in a blender or food processor until almost smooth; set aside.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, cumin, curry powder, turmeric, and cardamom; season generously with salt. Cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved tomato mixture to pot and stir well to combine. Stir in yogurt and tomato paste, cover pot, and simmer 10 minutes. Add potato and carrot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are nearly tender, 15–18 minutes.

Step 3

Add chicken, coconut milk, ghee (if using), and 1 cup cilantro. Stir to combine, then simmer until chicken is tender and sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Season with salt.

Step 4

Divide rice among bowls. Spoon chicken, vegetables, and sauce over. Top with cilantro leaves.

 

Xawaash Spice

This spice is the backbone of the Somali flavor, which is well worth the effort to make if you are going to delve into Somali cooking (which I recommend happen).  In cooking out of the new cookbook, In Bibi's Kitchen, I have realized that much like my discovery of regional Mexican cooking when I was in my 20's, there is a whole heck of a lot about African cooking that I know absolutely nothing about, and that is to my detriment.

One 2-inch (5-cm) piece cinnamon stick
1/2 cup (125 mL) cumin seeds
1/2 cup (125 mL) coriander seeds
2 tbsp (30 mL) black peppercorns
6 cardamom pods
1 tsp (5 mL) whole cloves
2 tbsp (30 mL) ground turmeric

Place the cinnamon stick in a small zip-top plastic bag, seal it and bang it a couple of times with a rolling pin, skillet or mallet (anything firm and heavy) to break it into small pieces.

Place the cinnamon pieces, cumin, coriander, peppercorns, cardamom and cloves in a small heavy skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the smell is very aromatic and the spices are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Let cool. Transfer the mixture to a clean coffee grinder and grind into a fine powder (or use a mortar and pestle and some elbow grease). Transfer the ground spices to a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and sift. Regrind whatever large pieces remain in the sieve and add them to the bowl with the ground spices. Add the turmeric. Whisk well to combine and transfer the mixture to an airtight jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

Makes: about 1 1/4 cups (300 mL)

 

Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)

 The Hungarians get the tragedy of the human experience.  This is an animated movie that is aimed more at adults than a children's audience, and the animation itself is simply breathtaking.  Gorgeously rendered scenery and fast paced scenes.  The artistry is something to behold.

The story focuses on trauma and how it ripples out across one's life and the lives of others.  Ruben runs an art therapy institute and is widely renowned for his gift in treating the artistic soul. But this physician is sick as well. Every night he is bombarded by violent dreams, fantasies and nightmares that are based in scenes from famous paintings.  So his art thief patients and he band together to get the paintings of his dreams into his possession in the hopes of quelling his torment.  There are many layers of meaning woven into the dense fabric of this film, but the suggestion that theft (or collecting) is the only way to manage obsession.  The movie can certainly be watched by children, and it is well worth the time.

Garlic GInger Chicken

Priay Krishna clearly grew up in a largely vegetarian home, because in her cookbook Indian-ish, she includes just one chicken recipe and says that i t is all that you will need.  That is clearly untrue, but this is a very flavorful way to have cold chicken, sliced into a salad or in a sandwich.  One thing that I learned from the book is that Indians embrace a good sandwich, and this could be part of one.

• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 Tbsp. ground coriander (freshly ground is best)
• 1 tsp. amchur (dry mango powder)
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. red chili powder
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (½–¾ lb. each)

• Mix garlic, lemon juice, ginger, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. cilantro, and 1 Tbsp. mint in a medium bowl to form a paste.

• Mix coriander, amchur, turmeric, salt, and chili powder in a small bowl. Add spice mixture to garlic-ginger paste and stir well to combine. Transfer marinade to a large resealable bag.

• Place chicken breasts in marinade and seal bag tightly. Using your hands, gently massage marinade onto chicken, making sure to evenly coat each breast. Chill 2 hours.

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Once pan is quite hot, add remaining 1 tsp. oil, swirling pan to coat the entire surface. Reduce heat to medium. Remove chicken from marinade and cook, undisturbed, until lightly golden on one side, 1–2 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until golden brown on the other side, 1–2 more minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook (without peeking!) 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken sit, covered, 10–15 minutes, depending on thickness of the breasts. Don’t uncover, or you’ll release the hot steam that cooks the chicken.

• Check to make sure the breasts are cooked through—there shouldn't be any pink in the middle, and if you have an instant-read thermometer, the chicken should register 165°. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into strips. Transfer to a platter. Garnish with cilantro and mint.

 

Pad Kee Mama

We have been having reasonably bad luck with take out food during the pandemic.  One reason is definitely that the food at home has been exceptionally good, but another is that food is often much better if you eat it immediately, and by it's very nature take out food is not served at that ideal moment.  We have tried adjusting, both what we order and what we hope to get, but it has been relatively disappointing.  The one exception was a recent Thai food order, from a branch of a restaurant we do not usually frequent because it is farther from where we live, but my son wanted to try it, and we were stunned by how good it was.  So of course we had to try making some of it at home.  This was relatively successful.

• 2 ramen noodles (ideally without the flavor pack)
• 1/2 Cup Thinly sliced meat
• 1 - 2 Baby corns, sliced length wise
  
• 2 -3 small pieces Carrot
  
• 2 - 3 thin slivers Thai mild chili pepper
• 10 thin slivers fresh ginger
  
• 3 - 4 spicy Thai chiles
  
• 1/2 sliced Onion
  
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic minced
  
• 1 Cup sweet basil
  
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sweet soy sauce

1) Boil the instant noodles for about a minute or two, should be al dente. Drain well.

2) Crush chilies and garlic. Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan until it gets really hot. Add the garlic, chili, and onion, and stir and cook for about 10 seconds.

3) Add the sliced chicken, and cook for about 30 seconds or so, until it is cooked about halfway.

4) Add baby corn, sweet chili, carrot, finger root, and green peppercorn bunch. Stir it all well, letting it cook for 30 seconds.

5) Add the light soy sauce and oyster sauce. Keep stirring and let it get hot again, then add the sugar and fry until the sugar is all melted in.

6) Add the cooked instant noodles and stir them into the sauces and vegetables.

7) Next, add the dark sweet soy sauce to the noodles and stir up well. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil. Stir well and serve.

 

Those Were The Days My Friend

In truth, I knew from the moment that college began that it would end.  No question about it at all.  In the moment though, that did not give me pause.  At that point in life four years was an eternity, and I did not look ahead more than a few months at a time.  It was a time of change and growth and firsts.

I love this picture, taken in the summer of 1981 when a group of housemates more or less impulsively drove to see the Grateful Dead in St. Paul, Minnesota and Alpine Meadows, Michigan, a venue outside Detroit.  We are pictured here outside the home of another housemate of ours who did not make the journey, where his parents put us up for the night.  Now, as a parent of children who are all older than we were here, I wonder what they made of the whole thing. I had the shortest, least curly hair in the bunch, and our mission had been just to drive and see music and drive home, where the travel time far exceeded the time we would be doing anything else.  I still have a little bit of that left in me, although with COVID that instinct has been completely walled off.  Happy Josiah Carberry Day!!
 

Caldo Verde

I found this in my search for soup recipes that use chickpeas.  In looking further into it, I think the traditional version of this soup is not pureed, or at least not to the extent this is, and it is also less greens dense.  Since it is now well into the fall, the season when greens still abound because they are frost tolerant, but we know the season's end nears, this seems like a perfect option.  The other thing about this is that I have stewed and frozen quite a few greens this summer, and I can still manage to crank it out well into February while we wait for the tender Asian greens of the spring to arrive.  This recipe is vegetarian, but I think sausage can be added.

1. • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
   • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
   • 1 cup small-diced onions
   • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
   • 8 cups mixed leafy greens (kale, collards, and mustard)
   • 1 cup no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
   • 1 quart stock
   • Salt
   • Freshly ground black pepper

Pour the olive oil into a large pot, and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and paprika; lower the heat to medium; and cook, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Put the greens into a blender and blend until pureed (you may use a little water to help, or use the wand tool that comes with some blenders to force the greens to blend without water). Pour this mixture into the pot, increase the heat to high, and cook until the water has evaporated from the greens.

Pour two-thirds of the chickpeas into the blender with 1 cup of the stock and blend until smooth. Add the pureed chickpeas to the pot with the remaining chicken stock and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Cook covered until the greens are tender and the soup has thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into four bowls and serve.

 

Channel Firing by Thomas Hardy

Today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at 11:11 AM in 1918 the War To End All Wars itself ended.  Today we remember that event, and while it was over 100 years ago, and we still have quite a bit to learn about the human costs of war.

Here is Thomas Hardy's poem to remind us and make us think and feel.

That night your great guns, unawares,

Shook all our coffins as we lay,

And broke the chancel window-squares,

We thought it was the Judgment-day

And sat upright. While drearisome

Arose the howl of wakened hounds:

The mouse let fall the altar-crumb,

The worms drew back into the mounds,

The glebe cow drooled. Till God called, “No;

It’s gunnery practice out at sea

Just as before you went below;

The world is as it used to be:

“All nations striving strong to make

Red war yet redder. Mad as hatters

They do no more for Christés sake

Than you who are helpless in such matters.

“That this is not the judgment-hour

For some of them’s a blessed thing,

For if it were they’d have to scour

Hell’s floor for so much threatening....

“Ha, ha. It will be warmer when

I blow the trumpet (if indeed

I ever do; for you are men,

And rest eternal sorely need).”

So down we lay again. “I wonder,

Will the world ever saner be,”

Said one, “than when He sent us under

In our indifferent century!”

And many a skeleton shook his head.

“Instead of preaching forty year,”

My neighbour Parson Thirdly said,

“I wish I had stuck to pipes and beer.”

Again the guns disturbed the hour,

Roaring their readiness to avenge,

As far inland as Stourton Tower,

And Camelot, and starlit Stonehenge.

 

Beef Suqaar

This month's Food 52 cookbook is In Bibi's Kitchen, and  this comes from the chapter on Somalia.  I am so unfamiliar with African food that is not Mediterranean in origin as to be embarrassed by it.  Ethiopian food with injera is about all I know.  That and peanut soup.  So we are about to dive in and hope for the very best that we learn and enjoy.  This was an excellent start.

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Large handful of cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Warm oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion, and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned in spots and onion is beginning to become tender, about 10 minutes.

• Step 2

  Add carrots and sprinkle cumin and turmeric over everything, along with another large pinch of salt. Stir in 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook until carrots are beginning to get tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, cover again, and cook until carrots and pepper are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.

• Step 3

  Turn off heat, stir in lime juice, and season to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container and rewarmed in a skillet set over low heat.

Tomato Coconut Chickpea Soup

I have slipped from my goal of cooking at least one legume from scratch each week of the pandemic--it was definitely related to having eye surgery, which threw me off my game for a month, but I am working on getting back to it.  And I have so many dried beans to work with that it really does make sense to do so.

I made quite a few chickpeas and was looking for a new way to have them, and turned up this soup from Love and Lemons.  They have a new vegan cookbook published this fall, and if this recipe is any indication, it could be a good one.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 big garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar, more to taste
• 1 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
• a few pinches of sugar, optional
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cup coconut milk, full fat or light
• red pepper flakes, optional for garnish
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a medium pot. Add the onion, garlic a few pinches of salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so). Add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Add the tomatoes, sugar and thyme leaves. Stir, then add the chickpeas, coconut milk and water. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.
2. Transfer to a blender and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding parmesan cheese, if desired. If the soup is thick add a little water to thin to your desired consistency.
3. Scoop into bowls and top with remaining chickpeas, red chile flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

 

Indian-ish Aloo Gobhi

I was attracted to this method of making Aloo Gopbhi, where you roast the potatoes and cauliflower and then toss them together with the spices and fat.  Two things I would do next time--I would do the cauliflower and the potatoes separate because I thought they did not cook in parallel, and I would up the mix in volume at the end.  This is easy peasy, as are many of the recipes from this cookbook. 

• 2 medium russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch-long sticks
  
• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
  
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  
• 1 pinch asafetida (optional, but really great)
  
• 1 pinch red chile powder
  
• 1 tablespoon julienned fresh ginger (see Tip below)
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from about half a lime), plus more if needed
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
  
• ¹/₂ cup chopped fresh cilantro (stems and leaves), for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Spread the potatoes and cauliflower over the prepared baking sheet and toss them with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Spread them in an even layer and roast for 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower and potatoes have browned and slightly crisped, tossing them once halfway through the cooking time. Set the vegetables aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn a medium shade of brown, about 1 minute max. Reduce the heat to medium and swirl in the turmeric. Add the onion and saute, stirring, for 4 to 6 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Add the asafetida (if using), red chile powder, and ginger and cook for another minute.
4. Stir in the roasted potatoes and cauliflower, including any charred bits from the foil, and gently mix everything together (don’t overmix, or the cauliflower will fall apart). Add the salt and cook for 5 to 6 minutes more, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender (but not soggy!). Remove from the heat and add the lime juice. Taste and adjust the lime juice and salt, if needed. Garnish with the cilantro before serving.

 

 

Bombay Toast

I had some Aloo Gobhi, made in the style of Indian-ish, left over and that is a possible ingredient in her version of Bombay toast, as well as a fresh loaf of bread from our bread CSA, which is a fantastic sourdough bread we get every other week and is just so good you should drop all your other dining plans and eat.  So a match made in heaven, in other words.  I made this straight on the griddle, and then I fished out the panini griddle and made one that way.  For my taste, the variation on a grilled cheese is the best way.  Another thing that I discovered is that some people actually make this as French Toast, and kind of multi-culture mash-up taken one step further that I might try.
 

• ¹/₂ cup leftover potato-based sabzi (Roasted Aloo Gobhi is the author's personal favorite)
  
• 2 slices multigrain bread
  
• ¹/₄ cup grated cheddar cheese (1 ounce; optional)
  
• Olive oil or butter, for cooking
  
• Ketchup, for serving
  

1. Mash the sabzi lightly with a fork to make it easy to spread.
2. Spread the sabzi evenly over one slice of bread, sprinkle with the cheese (if using), and top with the other slice. (Note that if you’re making the sandwich in a pan, not on a panini press, it’s worth including the cheddar cheese to help bind the sandwich together.)
3. If you have a panini press, heat it on medium, swipe a little oil or butter over the plates, and press the sandwich until the bread turns golden brown with crispy edges.
4. if you don’t have a panini press, heat a skillet over medium heat, swipe the surface with a little oil or butter, and put the sandwich in the pan. Set a heavy plate on top to weigh it down and cook for a minute on each side.

 

In Bibi's Kitchen by Hawa Hassan

I love the cover of this cookbook.  Something that is hard to come by in the pandemic is a communal activity, even one that is so inherently communal as food preparation.  My husband and I have often parallel cooked, where we are both in the kitchen at the same time, but not making a common dish.  For many years we rarely crossed over into the realm of the other.  I make soup and vegetable sides and pasta, and he makes meat main courses and rice and bread.  I made the dessert more often than not.  Now we change it up ever so little, with he making dessert more often than I these days and I occasionally venturing into the realm of incorporating meat into a dish, but other than things that we fill, like dumplings and egg rolls and tamales, we rarely make things together.  Still, I like this idea of shared preparation, where many hands doing a tedious task makes it go faster.

This cookbook covers the food of the eight African countries that touch the Indian Ocean which are Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, and South Africa.  So far I have been reading the stories that accompany each section and have been largely stuck in Somalia recipe-wise, but it is a beautiful cookbook that will likely broaden your palate as well as what you know.
 

Kenji's Italian-American Meatballs

Kenji Alt-Lopez has made a career around making things the best that they can be.  We have becomes big fans during the pandemic, where we really have not enjoyed either dine-in or take out options.  We did a dine-in option and it was so uncomfortable as to be unpleasant, and while we have tried to get far better at ordering things to take out that will hold up to the trip home, nothing has been as good as if we had eaten it at the restaurant.  So instead, we are making things that we would normally only eat out.  Which is where Kenji steps in.  These are really good, but I think I prefer the Rao's fried version.  But the moisture and texture of these is divine.

• 1 packet unflavored gelatin (optional, see note)
• 1/2 cup stock
• 4 ounces fresh white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 unpacked cups)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 8 cloves minced garlic
• 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus more for serving.
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, minced
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt (14 grams; see note)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces fatty pancetta, finely minced (see note)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 1 pound ground beef (at least 25% fat)
• 1 pound ground pork (at least 25% fat)
• 5 cups tomato sauce

1. In a heatproof measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin all over surface of stock and let stand for 5 minutes (if not using stock and gelatin, proceed to Step 2). Microwave stock, stirring once or twice, until gelatin completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Pour stock into a wide heatproof bowl and refrigerate until fully set, about 30 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine bread with buttermilk, tossing to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, until bread is completely moist, about 10 minutes. Squeeze bread between your fingers or mash with a spoon to make sure there are no dry spots; if there are dry spots that refuse to moisten, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until bread is moist throughout.
3. Add onion, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt, pepper, pancetta, egg yolks, oregano, and fennel to bread/buttermilk mixture. Finely mince gelled stock, if using, and add.
4. Set mixer bowl in stand mixer and attach paddle. Starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, beat bread mixture until thoroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Add 1/3 each of the beef and pork and beat at medium-high speed until thoroughly blended with bread mixture.
5. Remove bowl from stand mixer and add remaining beef and pork. Using a clean hand, gently mix meatball mixture, teasing apart ground meat with your fingers, just until ground beef and pork are thoroughly distributed throughout; avoid mixing any more than is necessary for even distribution.
6. Preheat broiler and set oven rack in upper position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form meatball mixture into handball-sized balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet; you should be able to make about 10. Broil meatballs until browned on top, about 7 minutes (browning times can vary dramatically, depending on oven broiler strength).
7. Heat tomato sauce in a medium pot until simmering and add meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are just cooked through and register about 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.
8. Serve meatballs, spooning sauce all over and grating more cheese on top.

 

Tomato and Green Chile Pickle

This is a tomato recipe that can be made all year round because it uses cherry tomatoes, which you can get even in the dead of winter, and it is so simple and yet delicious that it elevates whatever you add it to.  This is also the recipe that bottomed out my seeds on hand and I had to reorder almost everything if I am going to make more Indian food as the winter unfolds.  This takes minutes to make, and you will be so happy you did.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon fennel seeds
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon nigella seeds
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon asafetida (optional, but really great)
  
• 4 long Indian green chiles or serrano chiles, halved lengthwise (no need to remove the stems)
  
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• ³/₄ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (from about half a lime)

1. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, toss in the fennel seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the spices look slightly browned and start to sputter (watch the cumin—that’s the best indicator), about 1 minute max. Stir the asafetida (if using) and then add the chiles. Cook for 2 minutes, until the chiles brown and crisp on the sides.
2. Turn off the heat, mix in the tomatoes, and immediately transfer to a serving bowl so that the tomatoes stop cooking. Gently mix in the salt and lime juice. Serve warm or at room temperature. This will keep, covered in the fridge, for a few days, but it’s best polished off day-of.