in His footsteps: Vij's at home!

If you missed my posts from our eating odyssey in Vancouver, B.C. last month, then you missed the story of our dinner at the temple of all things Indian and out-of-this-world that is Vij's. There, Vikram Vij, acting in the role of a sub-continental svengali, and his staff produce food that mere mortals such as I thought could only be dreamt of. That is until I opened our copy of the Vij's cookbook. What? You mean the secrets contained within the soothing walls have been let out amongst the rabble. Well, as we in the rabble like to say "Right the fuck on!!" So many wonderments to try, but needing a vegetable dish to go with some curried duck legs (more on that soon, I promise. A wow dish for sure, and NOT from Vij's!), we decided on his Coconut Curried Vegetables. What a fantastic dish, so complex, with a crossfire of flavors coming at you from every direction. Crazy! This would actually make a terrific entrée on its own, and as a side this recipe will easily serve 6-8. Feel free to sub other veggies into it, as well, especially with all the inspiration available at the farmer's markets.
If I can't be at Vij's, at least I can eat like I am....sort of............

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Coconut Curried Vegetables
from Vij's

We had the leftovers for dinner the next night, and if anything it was even better. The flavors came together beautifully, so while not necessary, if you can make this the day before you plan on serving it, it's worth it.- bb
addendum: in response to a comment, I got curry leaves at Fubonn, an Asian market here in PDX. Check one near you and you'll probably find them.-bb


ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil
25 to 30 fresh curry leaves
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 tbsp + 1 tsp chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 12 ounce can coconut milk, stirred
1 lb eggplant, chopped into 1-1/2" pieces
1 lb cauliflower, cut into 1-1/2" florets
2 green or yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1" pieces
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

method:
1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Keeping your head at a distance from the pot, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds and allow them to sizzle for about one minute or until a few seeds pop.
2. Immediately add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes
3. Add tomatoes and remaining spices and sauté for 8 minutes or until oil glistens on top.
4. Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add eggplant. Cover and simmer to five minutes. Add cauliflower and bell peppers, cover and simmer for another five minutes. Stir in cilantro.

Serve over basmati rice.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: a myth busting marinade you need to know about!

Averting Meat Madness

Had enough turkey yet from the Thanksgiving throwdown? Maybe need a little protein break? Yeah, me neither! In fact I was just looking up recipes for this 5# hunk 'o pork shoulder that's calling my name. Like pork products are ever bad! But just in case OD'ing on meat may be your current state, relief is at hand. I have to share this recipe from the NYT's Health writer Martha Rose Shulman. I've found her stuff to be ever reliable (her caponata recipe is spectacular), and a few days ago, for a pre-Thanksgiving, post-standing rib roast dinner feast we had with friends, w was begging for something, anything, that was made from ingredients that weren't walking the earth, waiting their turn in my Le Creuset. I, like every other right minded eater, loves me some good butternut squash soup. It is one of the reasons that cold weather was invented, if I'm not mistaken. This version is awesome, with a nice added richness from the sweet potatoes and a health inducing, head snapping bite from the ginger (I bumped up her recommended dose of ginger by half). Silky textured after a spin in the blender, rich and creamy, you would never guess this has no cream or butter. Plus, this is one of the easiest soups you'll ever make, and it is vegetarian friendly. It coud also be made vegan friendly (Like I care. Vegans...don't you just want to wrestle their emaciated, protein deprived bodies down and stuff bacon into their mouths and watch their eyes do a guilty swoon of pleasure?!) if you use veggie stock.
I opened the newly released 2007 Patricia Green Cellars Sauvignon Blanc from Oregon, whose freshness and bright acidity played very nicely with the richness of the soup. By the way, 2007 was a great vintage for Oregon white wines. The best have beautifully ripe fruit paired perfectly with high acids from the cooler than usual growing season.
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Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup
from the New York Times/Martha Rose Shulman

ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock
Salt to taste

method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 6
Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

picture at top from the New York Times
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one year ago yesterday at E.D.T. : sweet and savory together with Apple-Fennel Soup and a fabulous Pumpkin Mousse!

Cashew Chili: no meat, no matter!

In spite of my undying love for all things porky, in fact virtually all things meat based and edible, I have feelings for the vegans among us. Admittedly mostly they are feelings of derision and pity, to which I should feel badly about, but I don't. Unless they are eating something Asian, where of course the term vegan has no meaning because it is simply eating good food without desperate cries for attention disguised as eating with political labeling. Given that, so many good things are out there that are non-meat and non-dairy based that they deserve pride of place on your tables.

Case in point is this amazing, flavorful vegetarian chili that could be made non-dairy by substituting for the butter (but again, I ask why?) and leaving off the classic sprinkling of grated sharp cheddar (ditto). The recipe is from the Cabbagetown Café Cookbook. w discovered the Ithaca, NY, café as a student at Cornell. She has thrown this steaming bowl of vegetarian deliciousness down twice now and it kills! With the weather cooling and the large stock and braising pots coming off the shelves, I highly suggest making this for those you hold dearest....soon. I swear you won't even miss the meat. Hmm, maybe those vegans are on to something. Hahahaha...just kidding!!

It's a long list of ingredients, but don't be deterred because they are all common and it comes together incredibly easily....
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Cashew Chili
adapted from The Cabbagetown Café Cookbook

ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked pinto or kidney beans, cleaned and rinsed
6 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons light vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 green peppers, chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried or finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dries dill weed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 quart canned tomatoes
3/4 cup cashews
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

method:
1- Put the beans, water, and bay leaves into a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until the beans are tender, about 90 minutes.

2- In a soup pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté about 2 minutes. Add the green peppers and celery and cook until the vegetables are tender but still crisp, 8-10 minutes.

3- Melt in the butter, then add the spices, herbs, pepper and salt. Sauté for 1-2 minutes stirring frequently so nothing burns.

4- Add the tomatoes with their juice to the mixture, and crush the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat until the beans are ready.

5- Toast the cashews in a 350* oven for about 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Be careful not to burn them.

6- Add the cooked beans, liquid and all, to the vegetable mixture. Add the 1/2 cup of the toasted cashews and the vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot, with remaining 1/4 cup of cashews for sprinkling on top with grated sharp cheddar cheese if desired.
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If like me you also find a warm square of cornbread hot out of the oven to be the ultimate starchy accompaniment to your chili, you've gotta be trying the Trader Joe's Cornbread. Sure, homemade cornbread can be really good and gives you that feeling of accomplishment, but I'm telling you this is good as almost any home baked cornbread I've ever had. Very corn-y tasting with actual bits of corn, and with a honeyed sweetness...not too sweet, but exactly right....this is the trifecta of good eating: easy, fast, and delicious!

Hey vegans...I hear ya!!

I always admit to an intolerance of intolerants of any stripe. Contradictory I know, but it's my blog, so what can you do? In my regular Thursday email to my constituents at VINO, where I talk about our weekend wine tastings, I got off a little on vegans (they're such a fun target, sitting there in their hemp fabric outfits, sallow-complected, all weak from lack of meat protein): "I'm not big on extreme, not very well thought out views (in spite of what you might think every week when you read this). Since most, if not all, of my thoughts revolve around food and wine and my next meal, I tend to peruse a ton of food related books, blogs, and magazines. My favorite tidbit this week came out of the new Saveur I was leafing through at home yesterday. They were reviewing vegetarian cookbooks. Now I don't have anything against vegetarian cooking. Some of my favorite dishes, including an awesome cauliflower side we had last night (check out the blog in the next couple of days for the recipe), are meat free delights. It's vegans I don't get. I side more with Anthony Bourdain, who called them "the Hezbollah-like offshoot of vegetarians". Of course I also think that duck fat is one of God's greatest creations. One of the books reviewed by Saveur was a vegan-oriented tome called "Veganomicon". In the intro to the book, the authors express this lament (and I don't think they're kidding): "Why nobody believes us when we mutter things about sacrificing beets under the full moon, we'll never guess." Um, okay. And as good as a tub of margarine sounds, I'll stick to butter, thanks."

As I mentioned, having said all that, I did promise the recipe for this off-the-charts (vegan!!) cauliflower dish we had a couple of nights ago. It was another find from the Wednesday NYT Dining section, and it was so fucking good that I just kept looking at w with this wide-eyed, slack jawed look (that I'm sure was very attractive) and muttered things like "oh fuck" and "holy shit" and all my other erudite food descriptors when I'm having mouth-gasms. In any event, this is kind of like a cauliflower paella, and is an absolute do-over at our house, and something you need to spring on your family and friends. Hm, maybe those whacked out vegans are on to something!
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Cauliflower With Tomatoes and Pimentón
from the New York Times
time: 20 minutes

ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 mild dried chile, optional
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon slivered garlic
2 plum tomatoes, fresh or canned, diced
1 tablespoon sweet or hot pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional.

method:
1. Put cauliflower and 1 tablespoon water in a covered glass bowl and microwave on high power until quite soft (a thin-bladed knife will penetrate with almost no effort), about 7 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Meanwhile, put oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium heat and add chile, if using, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, tomato and about 1/4 cup of water, raise heat a bit, and cook until mixture is saucy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble cauliflower (if it’s still hot, mash it with a potato masher or use a couple of knives to chop it up in the bowl) and stir it into sauce, along with pimentón, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is coated with sauce and hot. Taste and adjust seasoning, then garnish and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 or more servings.