Parsi-Style Vegetable Stew

I recently discovered an alarming amount of leftover vegetables in the fridge that needed to be used up.  Instead of throwing them all into the pot and calling it "veggie soup" like I always do, I did a quick google search of recipes that included the ingredients I had on hand and this is what popped up.  I was really happy with how the stew came out.  It had a complex flavor and was satisfying enough to eat as a healthy dinner.  The best thing is that it cooks up in no time and couldn't be simpler to make.  The original recipe didn't have chickpeas in it, but I added them for some extra protein.  If you're making this for a vegan or vegetarian friend, make sure to leave out the Worcestershire sauce. 

Parsi-Style Vegetable Stew


Adapted slightly from Food & Wine Magazine and Sanjeev Kapoor, March 2011



3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 dried red chiles, broken
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 onions, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeños, minced
2 1/2 cups water
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 14.5 ounce can of chickpeas
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt



1) In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the dried chiles, red pepper flakes and cumin seeds and cook over high heat until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring them occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water, red and sweet potatoes, carrot, tomato, cauliflower and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.


2) Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and sugar and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Grandma's Molasses Cookies

These are my all time favorite cookies for a number of reasons. First, the taste can not be beat.  Second, they couldn't be easier to make and the cookies come out perfectly every time I make them. Finally, and most importantly, they remind me of spending time in my Grandmother's kitchen and eating them fresh out of the oven.  This weekend my entire family reunited at the house where my father and his siblings grew up.  My cousin and his wife recently purchased the house and it was so nice to all be together again in a place where so many memories were born.  These cookies have always evoked a certain sense of nostalgia for me, but when they were on the menu yesterday at the home where my Grandmother perfected the recipe, they were doubly special. 

Grandma Jean's Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
1 cup sugar, plus additional 1/2 cup for rolling
1/4 cup molasses

1) Melt shortening and let cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. 


2) In a large bowl, combine egg, sugar, molasses, and shortening and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and beat until it is well incorporated. Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill for 1 hour. 


3) When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Shape tablespoon-sized portions of the dough into balls and roll them in sugar to coat.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. 


Note:  A trick my mom taught me is to place cookies that are still warm on a paper grocery bag that has been cut open and laid out flat on a table.  Somehow this makes the perfect cooling rack for cookies and absorbs some of the grease. 

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a secret to confess.  Sometimes I buy bananas and 'forgot' to eat them so that I have a convenient excuse to bake with the ones that turn scary brown. There's something so comforting about a good loaf of banana bread.  The sweetness of the bananas combined with the pleasant spice from the cinnamon is hard to beat.  Until, you put all of that into a cookie. 

These cookies are incredibly moist and have great flavor from the banana.  If you are anything like me, you'll find yourself buying bananas much more often after trying this recipe. The good news, if someone foils your plans by actually eating most of the bunch, this recipe calls for only one banana. 


Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted only slightly from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle


1 3/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 large ripe (but still firm) banana, diced


1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Mix thoroughly. 
2) Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
3) Add half of the oat mixture and mix with electric mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients have been incorporated.  Add the remaining oat mixture and mix thoroughly.  Gently stir in chocolate chips and diced banana. (Don't worry if the banana pieces get a little mushy.) 
4) Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.  With a wet hand, slightly flatten the tops of each cookie. ( Just a note, you will have to bake these in multiple batches. They didn't brown evenly with more than one cookie tray in the oven)
4) Bake for about 16-18 minutes or until light golden brown. 


Note:  This recipe said to bake the cookies for 11 minutes, but I found that mine needed more like 18 minutes to fully cook. I recommend keeping an eye on the cookies after 10 minutes in the oven and taking them out when they start to turn golden brown. 

Walnut Pesto

We have a pot of herbs and vegetables on our terrace that has looked less then stellar all summer.  My feeble attempt to grow zucchini, oregano, parsley, habanero peppers and chives was really quite pathetic.  However, my basil is so lush and beautiful, I can't come up with enough recipes to use it all up. Seriously, I'm not sure we even watered this plant for the past two weeks and it's still humongous.

I made this pesto for the first time last week and feel that I may be making 10 more batches to freeze before the first frost comes.  I used a little magic bullet type blender and it worked perfectly.  I served this batch with some homemade linguine, I'll post that recipe soon!

Walnut Pesto

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Juice and zest of one lemon

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/12 cups of basil leaves

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1) Place the garlic in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. 

2) Add the walnuts and process until finely ground. (Be careful not to over-process the nuts or you will have garlicky walnut butter!) Add the lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper, basil and Parmesan cheese and pulse until well-blended

3) Add the olive oil and process until smooth and bright green.  Taste the pesto, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Greek Salad Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

I was lucky enough to spend three weeks working in Nantucket this summer.
The fresh produce and seafood was amazing to work with and this recipe showcases the delicious local tomatoes from Bartlett's Ocean View Farm.


These adorable stuffed tomatoes are super simple and make a beautiful first course for a dinner party.

Greek Salad Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves 5


5 large heirloom tomatoes
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, halved, seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, cubed
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Simple Vinaigrette (recipe follows)


1) Cut a 1/4 inch off one end of the heirloom tomatoes. Core the cut side of the tomato and scoop out the inner flesh and seeds and discard ( or eat, the inside of the tomatoes is delicious with a little salt!).
2) Toss the romaine, cucumber, onion and olives to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Fill the heirloom tomatoes with the romaine mixture and top with the cherry tomatoes and feta cheese.
4) Drizzle the filled tomatoes with the simple vinaigrette and serve.


Note: These can be made ahead through step 3 and refrigerated until you are ready to serve.


Simple Vinaigrette


1 garlic glove, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley


1) Combine the garlic, vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Continue to whisk until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Football is Back! Time for Chili

This weekend marked the return to football. Thank God. Honestly, what would we have done with our lives if they didn't play? This recipe is the perfect thing to make to feed a crowd that's over to watch the game.  We spent about $35 on all of the ingredients and fed ( I mean stuffed)  8 people, with a couple bowls leftover. 

Although this recipe may not fly with chili purists, I like adding all of the vegetables and beans.  They add heaps of flavor and I guess nutrients, although I can't say I find myself too concerned with nutrient intake on football Sundays. 

If you don't have a crock pot, it's fine to cook this on the stove top. Just be sure to keep and eye on it and stir it every so often to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan. 

Sunday Chili

Serves 8

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small(or one large) onions, diced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large carrots, diced

5 celery stalks, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large poblano pepper, diced

2 serrano chiles, minced (You can use jalapenos instead. Stem and seed the chiles if you don't like things too spicy)

2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 cup dark beer (Sam Adams Boston Lager is perfect)

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, roughly chopped, plus two tablespoons of adobo sauce

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes

2 14.5 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 14.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Sour Cream, Grated Cheddar Cheese, Chopped Cilantro for serving

Directions

1)  Heat olive oil over medium-high in a large heavy bottomed  stock pot.  Add onions and garlic and cook about 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper.   Continue to cook onions and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add carrots, celery, peppers and serrano chiles and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the vegetables become soft but retain their shape, about 10 minutes. 

2) Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add beef and break up with a fork.  Add 1/4 cup of the vegetables to the beef to add flavor while cooking.  Season beef with salt and pepper. Cook until beef is nicely browned, about 5-7 minutes.  With a slotted spoon add the beef to the large pot of vegetables, discard the excess fat.

3)  Mix in the chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant and the vegetables and beef are coated in seasoning. Add beer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add chipotle, adobo sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the beans and transfer the chili to the crock pot. Simmer on low for 4-5 hours.   Serve chili with sour cream, cheese and cilantro.

A few notes:  My crock pot is 6-quarts and this entire recipe did fit, but it was tight. If you have a smaller crock pot, I would suggest cutting the recipe in half or cooking it on the stove top. Also, I always serve this with my secret guilty pleasure: Jiffy cornbread. Take two boxes of the cornbread mix and prepare it according to the package directions.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese and two pickled jalapenos, minced. Bake in a lined muffin tin . Yum.