I’ve been working with La Crema for a while now, and we recently seem to have found a groove in a series of internationally-themed dinners to pair with their Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noirs. In July we did an al fresco Italian seafood feast, for Labor Day we had a Greek-American cook-out, and now, as the weather turns colder, we’re looking to the other side of the world to find the inspiration for this Korean-inspired dinner. I say Korean-inspired because, well, I’m not Korean, and I’ve never even been to Korea, and I don’t want to call these recipes something they are not. Because they are definitely not traditional, authentically-prepared Korean recipes, the kind of recipe that gets passed down from generation to generation and takes a lifetime to learn. What they are are a collection of delicious recipes that attempt to incorporate some of the influences and flavors of Korean cooking into the way I cook and eat at home.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get to the food! The appetizer here is Vegetarian Lentil and Mushroom Mandu, Korea’s stuffed dumpling. Trevor walked in the door just as I was frying these up. “You’re just in time,” I told him, and he grabbed one (one of the ugly ones that I would let him eat before photos) straight from the frying pan. He bit into one and sort of grunted appreciatively before I said “they’re vegetarian.” At which point he looked at me with a mixture of anger and confusion, so upset because he didn’t even notice they were vegetarian. (Also when we eat vegetarian food without me telling him in advance he feels like I’m tricking him.) Because lentils and mushrooms and cabbage can taste as good as ground pork when wrapped up in a dumpling and fried. Not that I have anything against pork, I just love being able to create vegetarian food that’s as satisfying as meat. You can find the Mandu recipe here on the La Crema blog.

For the main event, we have two dishes – a simple Cabbage and Kimchi Salad with Sesame-Miso Dressing, and an Autumn Bibimbap. The salad is all about the super flavorful and creamy dressing – a mixture of tahini, miso, honey, ginger, and rice vinegar. It’s the kind of dressing that makes eating raw cabbage slightly addictive instead of slightly awful. The addition of kimchi – a funky, tangy, spicy fermented cabbage dish that’s ubiquitous at any Korean meal – brings an unexpected heat and excitement to an otherwise sweet and mild salad. The bibimbap, which is inspired by the book Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and other One-Dish Meals, includes a few seasonal variations on a classic bibimbap: gochujang-roasted brussels sprouts and tamari-roasted portobello mushrooms. Mixed with the more traditional toppings of bulgogi-marinated beef, pickled cucumbers, and a fried egg, it makes a comforting, delicious fall dinner, especially served with a glass of La Crema Monterey Pinot Gris. The bright minerality of the wine is a good counterpoint to the spicy gochujang and rich egg in the bibimbap and the funky heat of the kimchi in the salad. (Find the bibimbap recipe here and the cabbage and kimchi salad recipe here!)

And for dessert, we have Red Bean Paste Filled Sesame Cookies, which are arguably more inspired by our time in Hong Kong and Japan than Korea but the flavors seemed to be loosely aligned with Korean desserts. I knew what I wanted these cookies to taste and look like, but I wasn’t quite sure how to get there. Incessant googling of variations on “crispy sesame cookies stuffed with red bean paste” didn’t reveal anything, so I had to experiment on my own. I started with the vague idea that these cookies should have the texture of shortbread, crumbly and buttery, with a distinct sesame flavor from a generous amount of tahini. And I knew I wanted them to be sizable, big enough that you could fill them amply with sweet red bean paste. I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out – and they were super easy to make. They’re not perfect perfect, but I’ll come back with an updated recipe if I end up tinkering with them any more.

Stay tuned, because I’m really excited about what La Crema and I have cooked up for Thanksgiving! Think chipotle, passionfruit, mole sauce… it’s going to be all kinds of delicious.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by La Crema. All opinions are honest and my own.

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Red Bean Paste Filled Sesame Cookies

A Katie at the Kitchen Door original recipe. Makes 8 large cookies.

• 1 stick salted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 c. tahini paste
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. cake flour
• 1/2 c. sweetened red bean paste, store bought or homemade, chilled
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat room temperature butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the tahini paste until it is evenly combined with the butter. Sift the powdered sugar into the butter-tahini mixture and beat until evenly combined. Stir in the cake flour and beat until a smooth dough is formed. Dough should stick together in a ball when you make one with your hands. If the dough is too difficult to work with, chill for about 30 minutes before continuing.
3. To form the cookies, take ~1 TBS of dough and use a cupped hand to form a half sphere with a hollow center. Fill the center of the cookie with 1 tsp of the chilled red bean paste, then carefully close the tops of the cookie dough over the top of the red bean paste. Roll into a ball and then flatten slightly to make a thick, disc-shaped cookie. Use a fork to gently press hash-marks into the top of the cookie and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat until you have used all of the dough. Bake cookies until golden brown and just beginning to crack, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.

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People ask me all the time what my favorite thing to make is. I think that’s sort of a difficult question – it depends on my mood, on what I feel like eating, on what produce is abundant in my garden. But when someone asks you a question like that, to show interest in your hobby, to learn a little more about you, they don’t want to hear “it depends.” So I tell them, soup. And it’s true. I love to make soup. I love the rhythm of chopping vegetables, I love the way onions browning in butter smell, I love the sound of gentle simmering, the way steam curls over a pot and fills the entire house with the scent of comfort. I love sitting with a warm bowl of soup between my hands, how nourished and relaxed I feel after eating it. Campbell’s got it right all those years ago – soup is good food.

In our house, it’s an all-year food, too – I eat soup almost as much in the summer as I do in the winter. But it’s particularly gratifying to make and eat in the fall, on a rainy and blustery day, when the leaves are wet and slippery under your feet and houses, windows lit up against the blue-gray sky, begin to look incredibly inviting. I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself here – it’s currently 75° and partly sunny here, and while we did get some much needed rain this week, it was more of a tropical, humid rain than a cold, fall-ish rain. But I still found myself thinking about simmering pots of fragrant broth and chunky vegetable stews. So I thought it was finally time to share this lentil, mushroom, and pancetta soup that I made on a rainy day back in May. It’s a fairly straightforward French-style soup – shallots, carrots, celery, potatoes, and lentils – that gets three little upgrades. First, a bit of pancetta or bacon cooked with the mirepoix; second, crisp and earthy sauteed mushrooms on top; and third, a dollop of thyme-laced whipped cream that melts into the top of each bowl. It’s a soup that makes the simple and earthy just a little bit elegant, but still while being easy enough to whip up on a weeknight with ingredients you probably have in your fridge already.

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Lentil and Mushroom Soup with Thyme Cream

Adapted from Revolutionary French Cooking. Serves 4.

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 3 oz. pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 sprigs thyme, divided
• 1 c. Puy lentils, rinsed
• 5 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2/3 c. heavy cream, divided
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 1/2 cups thickly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown all over. Add the sliced shallot, carrot and celery and saute, stirring frequently, until vegetables are slightly soft and beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes longer. Add the 2 of the thyme sprigs, the lentils, and the stock. Bring to a simmer then add the cubed potatoes. Simmer the soup until the potatoes and lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. When the potatoes are tender, use a slotted spoon to fish out the thyme sprigs and discard the stems. Add 1/2 cup of the cream to the soup. Transfer two thirds of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy, then return to the saucepan and mix with the remaining lentil and vegetable pieces. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the soup warm over very low heat.
3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan in a single layer, and season with sea salt and pepper. Let the mushrooms cook for two minutes without disturbing them, then flip them over using a spatula and cook two minutes on the other side. Mushrooms should be golden brown. If not, continue sauteing, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Pour the remaining heavy cream into a medium bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Remove the leaves from the remaining two sprigs of thyme and whip into the cream. Season the cream lightly with black pepper.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with sauteed mushrooms and a generous spoonful of the thyme cream. Serve immediately.

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I’m still organizing my thoughts, feelings, pictures, recipe notes, etc. from Hong Kong and Japan, trying to find the right way to share 6 weeks of travel with you all. One thing I have accomplished, is stocking up on Asian cookbooks (Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese are all fair game) and groceries. Last night we made an excursion to HMart, the giant Korean grocery store in Cambridge, and we were like kids in a candy store. I came home with 5 different varieties of frozen fresh egg noodles: there is a lot of ramen in my future. While I process everything and experiment with recipes, I can at least share this delicious curried fish chowder with you – especially because if I wait much longer, we will be decidedly out of chowder season.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve only really been eating fish for the past year and a half. As a kid, I found fish absolutely revolting, and have terrible memories of sitting at the dinner table crying over the piece of now-cold baked cod that I couldn’t bring myself to eat. And now, after a lifelong hatred of all things seafood, here I am, posting two seafood recipes in a row. Smoked fish was my gateway drug. I started eating it on airplanes when it was the only choice (really, it’s amazing how frequently airplanes serve smoked salmon, at least in my experience). Although there are still things that I can barely get down (squid sashimi, for example), I will now readily eat smoked fish, ceviche, most sushi, grilled fish, fried fish, and shrimp. This may not sound like much of an accomplishment to you, but I really didn’t expect my tastes to change so drastically in such a short period of time.

This soup, adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Change of Appetite, is the sort of thing that can help convert non-fish lovers into fish lovers. It has a lot of intense flavors – caramelized onions, curry and cayenne, savory lentils, smoked fish, and even smokier pancetta. It is not your average fish chowder. I love it – it’s something I make every few months (an anomaly in a house where we are pretty much constantly trying new recipes). One word of caution – this makes a giant batch. If you’re just feeding one or two people, cut this one in half.

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Curried Smoked Whitefish Chowder

A hearty winter smoked fish chowder with two delicious twists – the addition of traditional curry spices like turmeric and cardamom, and a base of  lentils.

Adapted from A Change of Appetite. 

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. Puy or green lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large onions
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• 1 TBS butter
• 2 oz. diced pancetta or bacon
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 lb. smoked white fish, deboned and flaked into chunks
• 1 lb. fresh cod, deboned and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/3 c. heavy cream, plus more for serving

Instructions

1. First, prepare the lentils. Place the lentils and bay leaf in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until just tender but not falling apart. This will vary slightly with each batch of lentils but should take between 15-30 minutes. Test your lentils at various cooking times to see if they are done. When they are tender, drain the lentils, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Peel one of the onions and cut into thin slices. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat and add the sliced onion. Cook until golden brown, stirring frequently, then add the brown sugar and caramelize until onions are dark brown and sweet. Set to the side for serving.
3. To prepare the chowder, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook until crisped, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Peel the remaining onion and chop into small pieces, then saute with the butter and pancetta until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. When potatoes are cooked, add the smoked fish and the cod to the chowder and cook until cod is opaque throughout and beginning to flake into smaller pieces, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently stir the cream into the chowder.
5. Divide the lentils between bowls and ladle the chowder over the lentils to serve. Top with the caramelized onions.

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Although I personally am not going back to school this year (and I don’t have any little ones to account for either), I still am very much feeling the back-to-school vibe these past few weeks. Perhaps it’s just part of living in an area with such a high concentration of universities, or maybe it’s due to the fact that I have so many friends who are in grad school that are just coming back to the area after summers away. Or, it could simply be because when I’m on my morning runs the neon-vested crossing guards are back in place at every crosswalk and I usually jog by at least 2 or 3 elementary school kids, walking to school with backpacks and sneakers that still look conspicuously new.

Despite the fact that I’m not a student, teacher, or parent of a student, I still love the back-to-school feeling that September brings. It reminds me of cracking open brand new notebooks, family dinners around the kitchen table (after a summer of casual outdoor eating at dusk), and wearing maroon sweaters when it’s still way to hot to wear sweaters, because you just can’t resist. This September, I’ve teamed up with Old El Paso and Shaws to help create an easy, nutritious recipe perfect for those busy evenings when you’re just picking the fall routine back up. These Enchilada-Style Stuffed Peppers are a great solution for after-school weeknight dinners – they do take a little bit of planning ahead to account for overall cooking time, but require very minimal active time. They’re completely vegetarian (great for Meatless Mondays!), using lentils and brown rice flavored with Old El Paso taco seasoning mix as the filling in place of the more traditional ground beef. Once the filling is prepared and the peppers are stuffed, all you need to complete the dish are a can of enchilada sauce, some shredded cheese, and a quick bake in the oven. These have plenty of protein and limited fat, and they are just as satisfying (if not more so!) as a meaty version.

And don’t forget to clip the Box Tops from your Old El Paso products! Man, I used to get really excited about Box Tops. Now that I’m no longer a 5th grader they aren’t quite as exciting for me personally, but if you do have kids, it’s kind of a fun way to help generate money for schools. At my current life stage, my closest connection to schools is probably all of my teacher friends, and I know they appreciate every dime they can get towards improving their classrooms.

Enchilada-Style Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4-6.

• 5 large red or yellow bell peppers
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 packet Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 c. brown rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 c. black French lentils, rinsed and drained
• 2 c. water
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 c. chopped fresh tomatoes
• One 10-oz. can Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce
• 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stem and seed the peppers, then cut peppers in half lengthwise. Blanch the peppers in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, cut-side up, in a casserole dish.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the Old El Paso taco seasoning mix to the oil and stir to thoroughly coat the onions with the seasoning. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the rice and lentils to the onions and stir to coat with the seasoning. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the water and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then stir in the tomatoes, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the mixture, covered, until rice and lentils have absorbed all of the liquid, about 30-40 minutes. Taste to be sure they are tender then remove from the heat.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the rice and lentil mixture into the peppers in the casserole dish. Pour the enchilada sauce over and around the peppers, then sprinkle the cheese on top of each pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is golden brown on top. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Only Box Tops For Education registered schools can redeem Box Tops. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents to redeeming school. Limit $20,000 per school, per school year for Box Tops redeemed through the Clip Program. See www.boxtops4education.com for program details. 

Old El Paso products, found at your local Shaws store, are an easy weeknight meal solution.
Shoppers can clip the Box Tops found on the Old El Paso packaging, and on other General Mills products, to earn 10 cents each for their schools through the Box Tops for Education program. 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Safeway / Shaws and Old El Paso . The opinions and text are all mine.

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This post was supposed to be a cocktail. Something springlike and sparkling because we just bought a house. And, well, it’s worth celebrating. The problem is it’s 45° and raining, I’m leaving on another 10-day trip to Latin America in 36 hours, and the idea of packing and moving and fixing all of the things in the house that need fixing has my brain in overdrive. Don’t get me wrong – I’m excited and I know this is a huge milestone – it’s just all a little overwhelming right now. So a cocktail, however springlike and celebratory, is not what I needed today. What I needed was something comforting, energizing, nourishing, and whole. Something to warm me up and keep me focused. Like this soup.

This soup, which is lightly adapted from Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon, is healthy soul food  (because another thing I need right now is to be especially careful about what I put in my body). It’s based on a mixture of gently spiced sweet potatoes and coconut milk, served with a few spoonfuls of crisped black lentils to give it more staying power. I followed the original recipe fairly closely, only adding the step of roasting the sweet potatoes for a bit more sweetness and depth, and serving the whole thing over a bowl of brown rice for extra body. The flavors in this are balanced just right – I often find vegetable purees too spicy or too one-dimensional, but this uses a good amount of fresh ginger, and just a touch of turmeric and curry powder. You can taste the coconut but it doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors, and the soup has a good body. It’s a keeper. And despite the fact that it’s the first day of June and Sweet Potato Soup sounds like something you should make in October, it’s exactly what I want to eat right now.

I promise I’ll tell you all about the house soon. In fact, you might even get tired of hearing about it, given that we’re planning on remodeling practically everything, and I’m sure I’ll be coming here to share our victories and challenges. And maybe later this summer – once we have some furniture and a place to enjoy a cocktail – we’ll get to that festive, sparkling drink.

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More nourishing soups…

Spicy Chorizo Soup with Italian Couscous

Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup with Saffron

Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano

Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk with Brown Rice and Lentils

Slightly adapted from Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon. Serves 6.

• 2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 TBS olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 3 TBS coconut oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 TBS curry powder
• 2 TBS freshly grated ginger (from a 1 inch piece of ginger)
• 4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
• 3/4 c. orange juice
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 large shallots, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 c. cooked black lentils
• 3 c. cooked brown rice
• yogurt, for serving
• fresh minced cilantro, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Melt 2 TBS of the coconut oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the turmeric, curry powder, and ginger and saute until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Add the roasted sweet potato and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2o minutes, then remove from heat and carefully transfer to a blender. Add the orange juice and coconut milk and blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set soup aside.
3. In a small frying pan, melt the remaining 1 TBS of coconut oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and saute until crispy, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Scoop a 1/2 cup of brown rice into each bowl. Pour soup over the rice, then top with lentils, yogurt, and cilantro.

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As promised, I’m balancing indulgence with healthfulness this month – since my last recipe was for a sausage-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich, this one will be much more restrained. It’s a simple lentil soup, bulked up by oven-roasted tomatoes and given warmth and depth with harissa, cumin, ginger, and saffron. A swirl of cool Greek yogurt balances out the subtle spiciness. It’s a very good recipe for these very cold days – satisfying and nourishing at the same time.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite healthy cookbooks, A Change of Appetite, by Diana Henry. It was only released last summer, but it’s already become one of 4 or 5 books that I turn to when I need inspiration for whole eating. It’s also the only cookbook I purchased as a gift for someone this year, which I think says a lot. Anyways, if you’re looking for sources of inspiration for healthy cooking, I’d highly recommend it – and if you’re curious but not sold, read more about it in my full review from a few months ago.

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Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup with Saffron

Recipe adapted slightly from A Change of Appetite. Serves 4-6.

• 6 plum tomatoes, halved
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp dried harissa powder
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 red thai chile, stem removed, finely diced
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• good pinch of saffron stems
• 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 c. red lentils
• plain Greek yogurt, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk together the olive oil, harissa, and salt and pepper, and pour over the tomatoes. Use a spatula to flip the tomatoes and coat in the oil, ending with the tomatoes cut side up. Roast the tomatoes for 40-50 minutes, stirring once, until slightly shrunken and charred in places. Set aside the 4-6 nicest looking tomato halves for garnish.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, thai chile, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and saffron and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the stock, the lentils, and the roasted tomatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils have softened into a puree and the tomatoes have mostly dissolved into the soup. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and one of the reserved tomato halves.

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The Book: While for the most part I was pretty active on my Maine vacation (swimming, hiking, kayaking, a six-mile road race), I definitely overindulged. It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by good beer, red wine, hearty family dinners, grilled burgers, ice cream sundaes and the like. But, for now at least, vacation is over, and it’s time to get back to a more virtuous eating routine. To help me accomplish that, I’m glad that I have a copy of Diana Henry’s newest book, A Change of Appetite. I love Diana’s books, and while this one, which is focused on healthy but still flavorful and balanced eating, is a radical departure from the likes of Roast Figs Sugar Snow (a book populated mainly by cream and cheese filled winter dishes – you can read my review here), it still has all the characteristics of her cooking that first attracted me to it: internationally inspired, seasonally focused, and full of intense flavors.

Reading Diana’s intro, I identified with many of the questions and concerns that she has struggled with as she has tried to find more balance in the food she prepares and eats. I’m glad she ended up where she did, since this book has loads of flavor-forward recipes in it that she has developed along her journey to healthy eating – you could cook healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from this book for a year without getting bored.  The recipes pull heavily from Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Scandanivian traditions, and are very seasonally driven. Many recipes are what I describe as “bowl food” – a mix of seasonal foods tied together by a similar spicing or flavor profile, and when combined, make a complete and wholesome meal. I already cook this way quite a bit, so it’s not a book where I find page after page of fresh inspiration, but there’s still plenty here to get my creative juices flowing. Diana’s narrative voice is strong, and she stops frequently to share thoughts on hot-button health issues, like fad diets, the importance of breakfast, and the restorative power of homemade broth. Last but not least, the book and photos have a light, clean feeling, complimenting the overall idea nicely. The pictures are all about the food, and have an uncluttered style that I really enjoy (and lots of jealousy-inducing stoneware).

The Food: Although there are plenty of enticing recipes in the summer section of A Change of Appettite, I couldn’t resist making the lentil, roasted tomato, and dukka-crumbed egg recipe in the fall section. While I’m actually not a huge fun of eating fresh tomatoes raw, I love roasted tomatoes, especially in high tomato season. And these roasted tomatoes, drizzled in a spicy harissa olive oil and cooked until sweet and caramelized, are some of the best I’ve ever had. In addition to the tomatoes, there are three other separate parts to this recipe: soft-boiled eggs, sauteed lentils, and dukka, a spiced seed and nut mixture. Although that might seem like a lot of different things to prepare for one meal, all four are the sort of thing that are great to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge, mixing and matching with your meals throughout the week for a flavor and nutrient boost. After you’ve tried the combination here, leftover roasted tomatoes can be tossed with pasta, sauteed lentils can be mixed with rice for an easy dinner, soft-boiled eggs can be added to your lunchtime salad, and a sprinkle of dukka is good on everything from scrambled eggs to a snack of hummus and pita. Having this kind of food on hand is exactly how eating healthy can become both easy and delicious.

Recipe Shortlist: Salmon Tartare with Pickled Cucumbers and Rye Crackers; Chilled Tomato Soup with Cumin and Avocado; Goat Cheese and Cherry Salad with Basil Gremolata; Cavolo Nero and Bulgar Pilaf with Glazed Figs; Warm Duck Salad with Plum-Ginger Dressing; Date, Apricot, and Walnut Loaf Cake

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of A Change of Appetite from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Lentils, Roasted Tomatoes, and Dukka-Crumbed Eggs

Recipe from A Change of Appetite. Serves 6.

For the dukka:

• 1/2 c. hazelnuts (skin on)
• 1/3 c. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (black cumin)
• 1 TBS sunflower seeds
• 3 TBS whole coriander
• 1 TBS whole white peppercorns
• 1 1/2 TBS whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

1. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. One at a time, toast each of the first 7 ingredients (hazelnuts through cumin) until fragrant, usually about 1-2 minutes, then add to the bowl of a food processor. Once you have toasted all the seeds and spices, pulse in the food processor until coarsely ground. Stir in the paprika and sea salt flakes, then store in an airtight container. You will have more than you need for this recipe.

For the tomatoes:

• 12 large plum tomatoes, such as Roma, quartered
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Stir together the olive oil and harissa, then toss with the tomatoes. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, and sprinkle evenly with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until caramelized in parts and slightly shriveled.

For the lentils and assembly:

• 5 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/3 c. Puy or green lentils
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 TBS sherry vinegar
• 2 TBS chopped cilantro leaves
• 6 eggs

1. Heat 1 TBS of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the lentils, thyme, and bay leaf and stir to coat with the oil, then add 3 cups of water. Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer, uncovered for 15-25 minutes, until lentils are tender but not mushy. If any water remains, drain the lentils. Stir in the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, and remaining 4 TBS of olive oil. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
2. While the lentils are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs and boil for 6 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and set aside.
3. To serve, place a few large spoonfuls of lentils on a plate. Add several tomato slices. Roll an egg in the dukka mixture, and add to the plate. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.

The post Book Club: A Change of Appetite // Lentils, Roasted Tomatoes, and Dukka-Crumbed Eggs appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

For my second Greatist post, I bring  you veggie burgers.  Don’t groan.  Veggie burgers have a reputation for being dry, flavorless, and generally awful, but homemade veggie burgers can be really delicious, and quite easy to boot.  These patties are very moist and very tasty, with kalamata olives (salty), sauteed mushrooms (earthy), lentils (meaty), and ricotta cheese (sweet) all adding their unique flavor to the mix.

If you missed my first post for Greatist, click on over here to check out what we’re doing.  The gist of it is this – every other Friday I’ll post a fast (3o minutes or less of active time), simple (8 or fewer ingredients), and healthy (they are a health and fitness site after all!) recipe over there, and write about it here.  I’m totally into this collaboration, in part because it challenges me to come up with easy, accessible recipes – something that I know a lot of people out there are looking for.  Since I’ll be continuing this collaboration for a while, definitely let me know of any suggestions or requests on recipes to remake as quick and healthy, and I’ll do my best to fit them into the parameters!  In the meantime, click here for the recipe.  And sorry for the short post today!  I’ll be back with more soon, and I just purchased a waffle iron this week so …. waffles.  Just saying.

P.s. See that oozy melted cheese on top?  That’s our edam.  We made it.  And it melts like real cheese.  We also made the feta (it was as mild and creamy as ricotta) that I used in the burger itself.  NBD.

The post Greatist Collaboration: Mushroom and Olive Veggie Burgers appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Today marks the first week of my new collaboration with Greatist, a fun, relatively new to the scene website focusing on all things health and fitness.  A few weeks ago a classmate of mine from  Andover (who is now the health editor at Greatist) contacted me with the idea of doing a regular guest feature over there – obviously, I was more than willing to sign on!  Every other week I’ll be posting a healthy, easy, and simple recipe over there, and sharing photos and stories with you here, so I hope you’ll continue to come by and check out what we’re doing/cooking/eating!

Since Greatist is geared towards health-focused, active, and busy people, not just food-lovers (i.e., not necessarily the kind of people who might dedicate an entire weekend to making cheese or keep a fully stocked cabinet of Indian spices), all of the recipes I post for them will take less than 30 minutes of active cooking time and have fewer than 8 ingredients (olive oil, salt, and pepper don’t count!).  This actually lines up really well with one of the areas I want my blog to focus on more – accessible cooking.  A few weeks back, some girlfriends of mine requested that I put together a section on this blog for recipes that they might  actually cook – recipes that took a reasonable amount of time, used simple techniques, and involved ingredients that they might already have lying around.  Personally, I find cooking and baking to be therapeutic, and I’m more than happy to spend a few hours a day mincing and stirring and whipping, but I know that a lot of people, especially in my generation, think of cooking solely as a process to get to the end result – nourishment.  And although I will always enjoy the process of cooking, the idea of fast and healthy cooking resonates with me more and more as my work schedule ramps up.  In light of that, keep your eye out for a new “fast and healthy” section on here soon.

The 8 ingredient cap for this recipe did prove to be a bit of a challenge for me.  Given that I have a very well stocked (sometimes I think it might be overstocked) kitchen, I had to totally switch mindsets to think about using a few simple, readily accessible ingredients to provide maximum flavor and nutritional value.  In the end, I went with what I knew – pulse-heavy vegetarian cooking, with a flavorful twist.  I’m very pleased with the recipe I ended up choosing – the feta and lentil tabbouleh pictured here.  In terms of health benefits, it packs a serious punch.  The combination of the lentils and bulghur provides a complete source of protein and a ton of fiber.  The parsley and tomatoes contribute many vitamins and minerals (mainly Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A, as well as lycopene), while the cinnamon, lemon juice, and feta, provide a big dose of warm, Middle-Eastern flavor.  Want the numbers?  One serving of this tabbouleh provides around 350 calories, is filling enough to be a full meal, and provides around 11g of protein (20% of your daily need for a 150 pound person) and 7g of fiber (25% of the daily need of a 20 year-old woman).  Need even more convincing to try this?  The only dishes you’ll dirty are one pot and your cutting board, and it will be ready to eat 45 minutes after you put the water on to boil.

Head on over to Greatist for the full recipe!  And thanks to everyone arriving from Greatist for coming by to check out this space – come back soon!

Note:  All caloric and nutritional data is from Spark People and The World’s Healthiest Foods.

The post Greatist Collaboration: Feta and Lentil Tabbouleh appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

In the spirit of daydreaming about farming and all things homemade, Trevor and I have been dabbling in cheesemaking recently.  I’d love to say that it’s as simple as following a recipe and that we were pretty much ready to run out and buy a cow, but making cheese is hard.  It’s more science than cooking.  Very precise science.  Like, whip out your digital thermometer and pH-meter precise science.  Still, despite a few less-than-delicious final products, it’s been really cool to watch a pot of milk turn into something very closely resembling cheese, and hopefully we’ll only get better at it.

The first time we attempted to make cheese was actually almost two years ago, while living in Durham.  We’d seen a bunch of recipes for “easy” mozzarella – no cultures, just junket tablets and lemon juice.  We grabbed a thermometer from Kroger and gave it a shot.  The result was not mozzarella cheese.  It was sort of a crumbly, lemony, curdy mass resembling cottage cheese.  It did not stretch.  It did not melt.  It did not look, taste, or smell like mozzarella cheese.  Apparently, there are plenty of people around the internet that managed to get this recipe to work, but we were not those people.  In hindsight, the recipe used so many shortcuts that it surprises me it even changed from it’s original milky state to anything else.

These days we’re a little bit more high tech, but still not quite ready to turn into full time fromagiers.  We now work from recipes in a book called Artisan Cheese Making at Home, which is a fantastic book.  It’s the perfect balance of technical and descriptive – with charts of cultures, troubleshooting tips, and mold types, and detailed instructions for all the cheeses you find regularly (cheddars, chevre, jack, parmesan, mozzarella) and a few more exotic cheeses (crescenza, brie, o’banon, and many more).  There are also tips and sidebars for variations on cheeses, like a cocoa-rubbed jack cheese and a brew-curds cheddar.  The instructions are long, and we typically have to read each recipe several times both before and during the process to get it all down.  Thankfully, whenever we come up with a question part way through a recipe – like: how do we actually wax a cheese?  What exactly is annatto and why does it say optional? How does one prepare a grape leaf so that it’s suitable for cheese-wrapping? – there’s always a section devoted to answering that specific question.  Of minimal importance when it comes to cheesemaking (but a nice bonus), the book is beautifully presented, with great photographs and clear prose.  I highly recommend it if you’re looking to getting into the whole cheesemaking thing.

So far, we’ve made 5 cheeses from the book.  Our first cheese was a soft cheese called a crescenza.  Neither of us have ever had crescenza from a store, so we didn’t have a lot to compare it too, but ours was a quick, soft cheese, with a spongy texture similar to a feta.  I thought it was a little bit too salty, but we ate it and considered it a decent success.  Next up came an aged gouda, a bit of a risk considering we wouldn’t be able to taste it until 3 months after making it.  The gouda has actually been our most successful cheese so far – after taking the first bite of it and finding it smooth, a little bit creamy, and definitively cheesy tasting, we jumped up and down a little bit we were so excited.  So it didn’t taste exactly like your typical gouda – but it tasted and acted like cheese!  And it was good!  Third, we tried mozzarella again.  Maybe mozzarella just isn’t our thing, because we can’t seem to get it to stretch right.  It’s tricky.  Dilled havarti was our fourth cheese, which ended up being kind of a waste, because, well… I forgot to take care of it.  And therefore it grew an immense amount of mold and we had to toss it.  Sorry, Trev.  We didn’t really have high hopes for it anyway, given that our pre-aging taste test of it revealed something unpleasantly sour.  Last, we have two boules of edam sitting in the basement for another month or so – and so far they seem pretty promising.  All in all, a mixed bag, with failures outweighing success… but the successes were sweet enough that we’re not giving up yet.

Interested in trying one of these out?  We definitely think you should.  The processes for making these cheeses are really too detailed to share in blog form (without many links and culture tables and resources) but maybe in the future after we’ve really got it down we’ll pick one or two to highlight.  What we can leave you with are some tips we’ve come up with through experience, and some of the resources we’ve found the most helpful:

• Start your cheese early.  Unless you want to practice parenthood and wake up four times a night to flip and rinse your cheeses, getting them to their final resting state before bedtime is highly recommended.  Many of the recipes take 5-8 hours total (about a third of that is active time), so read the recipe carefully before hand and mark out a timeline, and plan to make a day of it.
• Get a big pot (or two!).  We typically use a gallon of milk per recipe and it almost fills my Cuisinart stock pot (I think it’s 5 qts…. that would be the logical size at least).  This works, but it would be great to have more room to work with.
• Sources for cultures and other additives: ordering cultures from either New England Cheesemaking Supply or The Beverage People is fast and relatively inexpensive.  Those in major cities should also be able to find basic cultures at local cheesemaking or brewmaking stores.

And if you don’t think you’ll ever have any desire to make your own cheese but do like to eat cheese, I can leave you with something as well – this recipe for mushroom and lentil pot pies with a buttermilk-biscuit and gouda crust.  Delicious.  It’s hearty, as satisfying as the more classic chicken version, and really healthy (well, aside from the gouda crust…) to boot.  I halved the crust recipe and froze the second half of the filling to make just enough for two servings now, and two servings later.  Enjoy!  And look forward to more cheesy successes soon.

Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pies

Recipe adapted from Pink Parsley.  Serves 4.

For the filling:

• 1/2 c. lentils
• salt
• 1/3 c. dried wild mushrooms (I used Oyster mushrooms)
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 8 oz. fresh button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBS flour
• 2 small yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 2 TBS tomato paste

For the crust:

• 1 c. flour
• 6 TBS cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 TBS chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 3/4 c. shredded gouda cheese

1. Cover lentils with water and add a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat, and simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes, until lentils are soft.
2. Pour 3 cups of boiling water over the dried mushrooms, and let steep for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat, and saute mushrooms in butter until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Add olive oil, onion, carrot, sage, and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add flour, and stir to coat vegetables, cooking for about 1 minute.   Add potatoes, soy sauce, tomato paste, and the warm soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms – reserve the rehydrated mushrooms, chop them into small pieces, and then add to the mushroom-potato mixture.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are firm-tender.  (They will soften more in the oven).  When you cover the potatoes, begin preheating your oven to 400°F.
4. Make the crust: whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.  Mix in cold butter pieces with a fork or pastry cutter, mashing the butter pieces into the flour mixture, until the dough has a coarse, crumbly texture.  Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together.  Knead dough briefly, about 1 minute, then stretch into a piece large enough to cover your baking dish.
5. Add the lentils to the cooked potato-mushroom mixture and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and spoon into baking dish.   Cover lentil-mushroom-potato mixture with prepared dough, stretching to cover edges of dish, then top with shredded gouda.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are fully tender and crust is golden brown.  You may want to place a baking sheet under your baking dish to catch any of the mixture that bubbles over the edges of the pan.  Serve hot.  Reheats well!

The post Adventures in Cheesemaking appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I knew it was dangerous for me to name a post Cookbook of the Month, implying that I really, truly would be able to review at least 1 cookbook every single month.  It didn’t seem that hard – what’s one post a month? – but I guess I should have considered my initial hesitation more thoroughly before going ahead and making false implied promises.  In July there was a glorious debut, and then in August, even though I had a book planned and the post written, I left you hanging.  So sorry!  At least I’ve only missed 1 month so far!  (I’m feeling glass is half full tonight, so please, be kind, and don’t point out that missing 1 month is also missing 50% of what was planned).  And I’m here now!  With this delicious, delicious, completely different from anything else I’ve had before dish from September’s cookbook, “Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law,” by Simon Daley.

This book was one of the ones that caught my eye early in my cookbook-devouring days.  Actually, I think it was the first or second cookbook that I picked up in the library and literally read like a novel.  After seeing that the opening pages contain tricks to the fundamentals of Indian cooking – such as how to mix fresh spice blends, quick fry onions, and tell when a masala is ready by watching the oil – I was hooked.  Then, as I flipped through the recipes and saw that they included spices I’d never heard of before, like asafoetida and curry leaves, I was even more intrigued.  I love Indian food and I like to try and make it at home, but I’m usually disappointed by the lack of complexity in my dishes – I want that restaurant quality layer of flavor.  My theory being that perhaps there’s only so much you can expect from using just curry powder and turmeric, I went ahead and picked up the mysterious spices from Wholefoods and began trying the recipes out.  The first one I tried, chickpea flour dumplings with yogurt, is still one of my favorite recipes, especially when I want to impress friends at the last minute, as it’s quick to throw together and I almost always have the ingredients on hand.  I also tried a meatball curry which wasn’t as impressive in its originality (at least, its originality to me!) and flavor, but was still satisfying.

The recipe featured here, for rice with moong dal and spiced buttermilk, beats both the curry and the chickpea dumplings in terms of flavor, although it takes a little bit more time and effort to prepare.  The flavor of this is so unique and wonderful – its warm, savory, comforting, just a little spicy, and satisfying on every level.  Making the spiced buttermilk was like an experiment in chemistry, as you start with just yogurt, water, a minimal amount of spices, and some curry leaves, and you end with a spicy, yellow, thickened milk that you could use in a number of ways.  Paired with the complex yet gently spiced rice and lentils, its a completely satisfying eating experience, at least in my book.  I encourage you to check this book out, especially if you’re looking for recipes that will give your attempts at this complex cuisine that extra punch of authenticity.  Need further convincing?  Just give this rice a try, and then make your decision.

Rice with Moong Dal and Spiced Buttermilk

Adapted slightly from Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law by Simon Daley.  Serves 4 as a side.

For the rice:

• 1 c. basmati rice
• 1/2 c. moong dal (tiny green pulses, split)
• 2 1/2 c. hot water
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 in. cinnamon stick
• seeds from 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 small green chiles (Indian), sliced
• 10 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp salt

1. Rinse rice and dal, then soak in warm water for 20 minutes.  Melt butter over low heat.  When it foams, add all whole spices and cook for 1-2 mintues, stirring, until spices are fragrant, but not beginning to burn.  Add the onion, garlic, chiles, and curry leaves, and cook until onion has softened.  Add turmeric, cook for 30 seconds, then add 2 1/2 c. hot water, salt, rice, and dal.  Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, until rice has absorbed all water.  Set aside, removing any whole cloves you can see .

For the spiced buttermilk:

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 green chili, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, divided
• 6 oz. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp chickpea flour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 branch curry leaves (about 15-20 leaves)
• 1 TBS canola or peanut oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch fenugreek
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• cilantro (optional)

1. Crush garlic, ginger, chiles, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle.  Blend yogurt with 1 1/2 c. water on high speed.  Pour off 1/2 of the yogurt mixture, and add the chickpea flour to the remaining yogurt.  Blend, then add the reserved yogurt back in, along with the turmeric, brown sugar, and chili-garlic paste.  Blend until smooth.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over low heat.  Add mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, fenugreek, and cloves, and cook for 1 minutes.  Add asafoetida and cook for 30 seconds more.  Add yogurt mixture, cilantro and curry leaf branch, then cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.  Serve in a pitcher to be poured over rice and moong dal.

The post Cookbook of the Month: Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

• I have eaten an entire box of mini strawberry cream cheese strudels.  They were in the manager’s markdown bin right by the checkout at Kroger.  I did not get them, they got me.
• The highlight of my day so far was cleaning the fridge.
• I wore sweatpants to school.  And a sweatshirt.  This does not count as fashion.
• I spent 6 hours in a row doing math, pencil to paper.  I know that in the real world this is called a “work day” but I’m not there yet.
• I turned in my stats quiz with no answers.
• The rain has been falling at exactly the same rate for the entire day.  I know because I stood in it a lot and my umbrella, while trendy, is quite petite.

This is why I needed daal.  Hot, spicy, lentily daal, served on crispy toast (because one more pot to wash, i.e., for the rice, might have put me over the edge) with a cucumber-dill raita.  The Refectory, one of the on-campus eateries at Duke, makes a daal that I live for.  I asked for the recipe a year ago and they said that they were compiling a cookbook and I should wait until it came out, but I don’t think it ever came out.  Liars.  And they’re part of the Divinity School.  Jeez.  So anyway I shall resort to trying all the daal recipes I can find until I can recreate that one.  This is attempt #1.

An aside: I love all things that come out of India – best flavors in the world.  And also colors.  And also dance moves.  I went to my first ever Bhangra class on Wednesday night, and very much enjoyed it.  I have little to no coordination when it comes to dancing, but I love to move!  And I’m slowly mastering that little hand flick thing.  I left class with a new appreciation for how much calf strength it takes to jump up and down for an entire hour.  Oh yeah, and a blood blister the size of my big toe.  But that’s healing, so we won’t talk about it.

Back to the food – this daal was created as a sort-of mash-up of several daal recipes I found on the web.  Everyday yellow daal on smitten kitchen was a source of inspiration, as was Route79.  Really though I know so little about Indian cooking and there are so many types of daal out there that I was sort of winging it.  To be honest, my daal didn’t even come out yellow.  And it tastes exactly nothing like the daal at The Refectory – it’s much meatier, for lack of a better descriptor.  But it’s still delicious and warming and comforting and the highlight of my day is no longer cleaning the refrigerator because I am on my second plate of dinner, drinking my first glass of wine in a month, and watching a sappy old person love movie.* So here’s the deets:

Basic Yellow Split Pea Daal

• 1 c. yellow split peas
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 T cumin
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 c. diced tomatoes (approx. 1/4 28 oz. can)
• 2 carrots, grated or finely chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp kosher salt

1. Soak the split peas in cold water for half an hour.  Drain, and rinse 2 or 3 times until water is fairly clear.
2. Cover the split peas with water and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, sautee onion with cumin in olive oil in medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add onion, tomatoes, carrots and spices to split peas.  Simmer on medium heat, half-covered, for a full hour and a half, stirring occasionally.  Add water as needed to keep covered.
5. When split peas are soft and begin to break down, add butter, cilantro, and salt.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve on basmati rice or hot toast with a cucumber-dill raita glopped on top.**

*Old people love movies are movies where people that I consider old have a surprising amount of sex.  The prime example of this genre is Something’s Gotta Give.

** Cucumber raita: Take a spoon, a tub of yogurt, half a cucumber (diced), lemon juice, black pepper, kosher salt, cilantro and dill.  Mix ingredients, tasting after each addition, until you like it.  Personally, I use vanilla yogurt because I like the extra flavor and greek yogurt kind of freaks me out, but most people recommend plain greek yogurt.  Also, I used dill in a tube – yeah, I was skeptical too, but there wasn’t any dill in the grocery store and this stuff tastes great!  And you don’t have to chop anything!  So I approve of that too.

The post I love India. appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.