Pumpkin Parathas with Tomato Sabji

Pumpkin Parathas with Tomato Sabji

I always get inspired at the Hope Farmers’ Market, and back in the spring I bought a terrific meal at the Royal Indian Prepared Foods stall (also known as Lamba Royal Indian). After Gurpreet had plied me with as many samples as my belly could hold, I decided to buy his frozen pumpkin parathas with a side container of tomato sabji to use as a dipping sauce.

As he handed over (but didn’t relinquish) what I hoped would be my supper, Gurpreet turned serious over the parathas.

“Now, you must not microwave these. You must lightly oil them and brown them on a hot skillet, first one side, then the other.”

I said, “Okay.”

He looked at me and repeated, “No microwave”.

Trying to look more sincere, and rather solemn, I said, “Okay”.

The way he held my gaze, I had the feeling that if I hadn’t agreed, he might have snatched my goodies back--No parathas for you! But in the end he let me have them, and I walked away impressed by how much he clearly cares about his products.

When it came time to reheat the parathas, I dutifully cooked them on my cast iron tortilla griddle until I’d achieved some nicely browned patches of which I think Gurpreet would have approved. 

Then I heated up some of his sabji, which contains a great amount of oregano, strangely, but is very good.

Once we were ready to eat, I think I got about two bites out of the whole meal as Shane inhaled the rest. It was then that I decided to make the stuff myself.

I used this recipe from Rak’s Kitchen for the chapati, including the use of ghee as the added fat. But I didn’t even bother making “fleets” as Rak calls them. I just rolled the dough out quite a bit larger than I would a tortilla and grilled it until cooked through.

The ghee, which I got from Tom’s Tabooley here in Austin, really gives the chapati a wonderful flavor both within the dough and brushed on top.

For the pumpkin filling, I dug some of my homemade pumpkin puree out of the freezer and cooked it down until it was thick and fragrant.

Next I sauteed half an onion in ghee until tender and brown and added the onion to the pumpkin puree.

Then I added about two heaping tablespoons of prepared yellow curry paste to the pumpkin mix and stirred, tasting, and adding a bit more until I was happy with it.

To assemble the pumpkin parathas: 

• Take a cooked chapati and spread a thin layer of the curried pumpkin puree all over one side.
• Fold the chapati in half, brush with ghee, and grill until browned and slightly crispy.
• Remove from grill, cut in half to create two triangles (a pizza cutter or kitchen shears work well for this), and transfer to a serving plate while you move on to the next paratha.
• Serve with sabji, yogurt, sour cream, or any other kind of dipping sauce you want.

Chapati recipe

Tomato Sabji

I used this recipe for the tomato/onion sabji, and it came out quite differently from Gurpreet’s, but it was still very good.

Can’t find asafoetida? The Savory Spice Shop carries it. Or substitute garlic or onion powder or a mix of both. I also used Savory Spice Shop’s Tikka Masala blend in place of the “Masala Mix”.

Note: You can make all manner of parathas, from spinach to potato, even sweet potato. I can't wait to come up with new ideas.

Also, this would make a great party food, something a little unusual, easy to eat by hand, and really, really tasty.

Enjoy!

Good Neighbors

This butternut squash, which is my favorite, will taste even better because it came from my neighbor's garden.

Look what our beautiful neighbor and fellow gardener left on our doorstep before heading for the East Coast for the summer. We're lucky to have so many kind and interesting neighbors, and we try to be good neighbors in return. With neighbors, especially ones living in close quarters like we do, the little things really do mean a lot, a friendly smile, an offer of help, letting their dog lick you without complaining (I actually love that part), and just being respectful. Right now, we have the most grown-up and respectful group of neighbors that we've ever had while living here. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. :)

Hummus

Hummus with vegetables and pita bread

I've spent a lot of time at the Alamo Drafthouse recently, watching summer movies. I love everything about the Drafthouse, but I'm not all that crazy about the food. Maybe it's just my personal taste, but nothing on the menu really works for me. And there aren't enough light options, in my opinion. And by light, I mean something that's both healthy and small-portioned.

They do have a red pepper hummus with pita bread and vegetables, though, and that inspired me to make hummus at home again. Hummus isn't exactly a low-calorie food. If you use tahini, which I love, your hummus will have plenty of fat in it. But it's a real treat in moderation. Or you can skip the tahini and add extra garlic for big flavor. I like a lot of garlic in my hummus.

I used this recipe from Simply Recipes, with the exceptions that I added extra garlic, and, instead of water, I thinned the hummus using the liquid I saved from the cans of chickpeas.

(And speaking of chickpeas, I should point out that I was also inspired to make this thanks to this post for Tuscan White Bean Dip by The Chickpea Chickadee.)

Now, in order to turn this into something that Shane would consider an actual meal, I brushed several pita pockets from Phoenicia Bakery with olive oil, browned them in a skillet, and cut them into triangles.

Hummus is a great food for summer, for a picnic, or to take to a potluck. And it's so versatile. You could do lots of things to spice it up and make it your own.

Enjoy!

P.S. While I'm poking fun at The Drafthouse, which I truly adore and recommend to everyone, I have to make a note about their attitude toward mineral water. In the past, they carried San Pellegrino, but when you ordered it, you found yourself confronted with a preposterously HUGE bottle. So, when I saw that they had switched to Topo Chico, I was pleased, but I didn't pay attention to the noted size, or get sufficiently alarmed when my server asked: How many glasses do you need? And, once again, I received a massive bottle of mineral water. But at least the Topo Chico had a screw top, so I could take it home with me, and everyone got a good chuckle at my expense. :)

Where's my ridiculously large bottle of mineral water? Oh wait, here it is.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Salmon, Black Bean & Corn Salad, Mashed Avocado

You know how I love a quick and versatile recipe, and this salad is one of my favorites. I throw it together with whatever herbs and vegetables I have on hand, and then I eat it all week as a snack, a side, or even just as a meal by itself. And it's so full of flavor, I don't even feel like I'm eating something healthy. You've got to love a recipe that's cheap, simple, and outrageously good.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup (or more) fresh or frozen corn

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Chopped onion, to taste. I usually use red onions or scallions, but I only had a white onion this time, and it turned out great.

Chopped herbs, at least a generous handful. I use cilantro, but parsley would work great. Or oregano, if you're going for a Mediterranean taste.

The juice from 2 limes, or lemons.

salt to taste

You might notice that I don't put oil in this salad. I don't think it needs it, but a dash of olive oil wouldn't hurt.

Here are some other ideas for jazzing it up, if you like:

• Add a pressed garlic clove.
• Use chopped tomatoes.
• A dash of cumin works great in this recipe.
• So does a bit of Sriracha, salsa, or cayenne.
• If you want an Asian flavor, add sesame oil.
• Don't like black beans? Try pintos or cannellinis.
• Cut and fry or bake some corn torilla chips & use them to spoon the salad. So yummy.

Enjoy!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Homemade Tomato Sauce made from Johnson's Backyard Garden's San Marzanos

I got 5 quarts of tomato sauce out of 20 pounds of tomatoes. I'd read that I should expect to get about one quart per 5 pounds, so I was only expecting 4 jars and was pleasantly surprised. But, I tell you, these 5 quarts did not come without effort. After pushing 20 pounds of tomatoes through a fine sieve, I'm definitely investing in a food mill before tackling such a project again. Of course, I knew I would reach that conclusion, but I have a sick streak in my nature that enjoys doing something the hard way first just to prove that I'm capable of it.

I had a difficult time finding just a basic tomato sauce recipe online. Everyone assumes that you're using canned tomato sauce and looking to make herbed pasta sauce, so I went with the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving with great results. It was exactly what I was looking for, just a pared down recipe using only tomatoes and lemon juice. I didn't add any salt or herbs, and frankly the sauce didn't need it. I can't express the delightful, bright, and perfect tomato flavor of Johnson's Backyard Garden's San Marzanos. I'm sold on them forever.

As an added joy, this happened: After gathering up the leftover skins and seeds, I scattered them on top of my compost pile and went away to let them dry out in the sun. But when I came back to turn the pile, I found my compost covered in butterflies! They were enjoying the tomato scraps so much that I just left them to it, after watching them for a while, of course.

So, I'm pleased with the outcome of my first time making homemade tomato sauce. I was expecting it to turn out well, but I didn't know it would taste so much better than canned tomato sauce. And now I get the fun of thinking up ways to use it. Suggestions welcome!

Pepper & Onion Skewers

Grilled Peppers & Onions

This is one of my favorite ways to cooks vegetables. I especially love peppers and onions skewered together. I like to cook a bunch of them at once and then freeze them to use later in frittatas, tacos, enchiladas, curries, or even just as they are, served over rice and drizzled with soy sauce, or as a side for steak or salmon. They'd be awesome mixed with mashed potatoes.

As they grill, I baste the skewers in garlic-infused olive oil, then I add salt to taste when they're done. When fully cooked, they get all sweet and mild and garlicky, and it's hard not to just stand there eating them with your fingers like candy. Try it. :)

Pepper & Onions Skewers

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard

I love how, at a casual glance, this cooked chard looks something like a bouquet of flowers.

Chard Stems

 And I love how the neon colors and patterns of these chard stems remind me of old-fashioned hard ribbon candy.

Why I Eat Meat

Henrietta, a guineafowl

After a recent trip to the HOPE Farmers' Market, I brought home a guineafowl with its head still on, and I was fascinated to see how this experience jolted me out of my comfort zone. Of course I immediately did the one thing that you're never supposed to do, I gave my supper a name.

Hey, Henrietta, I said, examining her still open eyes and bizarre, hairy ear holes. I ran my finger over the slit across her neck, a surprisingly shallow incision in her delicate skin that led to her bleeding out.

It sounds macabre, I know, or maybe just weirdly voyeuristic, but I needed to let myself feel sorrow for the creature before I lopped her head off with the massive meat cleaver that I never get to use, because someone else always cuts the heads off my poultry. So, I set Henrietta aside in a clean corner within my view where she became, for a little while, the goddess of my kitchen, watching over me as I prepped the vegetables that would eventually roast alongside her.

This experience naturally started me thinking again about why I choose to eat meat, and though I could write a short pamphlet on the subject, I'll try to be concise.

• Humans evolved to eat meat. It's a natural part of our diet.
• There is no such thing as doing no harm. Even as I tilled my garden this spring, I accidentally killed or uprooted countless ants, grubs, beetles, and other living things that went back into the soil to nourish my fruit-bearing plants. Flesh feeds the earth that feeds our plants, so in that sense there is also no such thing as true vegetarianism.
• Our planet is a system, and the life cycle of animals, especially the cycle of killing to survive, is an integral part of that. We are separated from other animals, because we can feel sorrow over this necessity, but I believe that we further separate ourselves from Nature when we refuse to take part in the cycle. I genuinely believe that our willing acceptance of the mechanics of Nature, its horrors as well as its delights, is a fundamental part of what makes us humans. When we deny that, including our responsibility for it, I think we start to become something else. Or, as my hero Joseph Campbell put it more succinctly: Vegetarianism is the first turning away from life, because life lives on lives.

But even having said that, I admit that I don't know what's truly right. Only a fool pretends to have the answers. The best that I can do is to go through life trying to follow my conscience, and continuing to question everything over and over again, which is why meeting Henrietta face to face stirred up the whole debate for me once more.

I do believe that I'm a hypocrite for not killing the animals that I eat. I know that we would all eat less meat if we had to kill our supper for ourselves. And I know that we as a species are doing terrible, terrible things to animals and to the environment every day. So, if we do choose to eat meat, I think we have an obligation to make sure that the animals we buy are treated humanely. There's a reason that the word humane means showing compassion and inflicting the minimum amount of pain, because that very intention points toward the best of what we can be as humans. But what Big Food does to animals is cruel and distinctly inhumane, and when we support that system, we too are not living up to our best selves as individuals or as a species.

In the end, I took Henrietta down from her throne and let her be a part of the life cycle. I cut off her head, feeling her sinews under my blade, but I couldn't bear to throw her in the garbage, so I walked into the nearby field and left her head there as a present for the bugs and carrion birds. I roasted her flesh, made grease from her fat and skin, and boiled her bones for stock. I used as much of her as I could, with tremendous respect, and I appreciated her every step of the way.

Homemade Kimchi with Lemongrass Tofu

Homemade Kimchi with Lemongrass Tofu

 Just for fun, I thought I'd give making kimchi a whirl, and I'm glad I did. This salty, sweet, and pungent (from the fish sauce) Korean condiment is so unique and exciting, but it's also an acquired taste, so I wouldn't recommend putting the money, time, or energy into making it unless you know already that you love kimchi.

Since it's so delightfully powerful, I like it paired with bland foods like tofu or rice. In fact, kimchi fried rice is a pretty common Korean dish. I did add a bit of flavor to the tofu by marinating it in oil and lemongrass. I liked the lemongrass so much, I might just throw some in the next time I make kimchi. It might not be authentic, but it rounds out the flavor really well alongside the ginger.

I worked from this CHOW recipe for Basic Napa Cabbage Kimchi. The recipe calls for Korean crushed red pepper, but I wanted to try Korean Chile Threads, so I went to the Savory Spice Shop, where the owner, Karen, fixed me up with a bag. These threads aren't too hot, and they have a great, smoky scent that would also be terrific in stir-fries.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Korean Red Chile Threads

Kale chips

Kale chips

Thanks to my CSA box from Johnson's Backyard Garden, I had a lovely big bunch of kale on my hands, and that naturally meant kale chips. They're simple to make, absolutely addictive, and one of the most pleasant ways to eat your greens. 

Mary's kale chips:

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash and spin dry one bunch of kale.

Remove stems and cut or tear leaves into chip-sized pieces (they will shrink while baking).

Place leaves in a big bowl and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Next, drizzle on 1 to 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, depending on your taste, but be careful not to use too much, or your kale chips will end up very salty.

If using full sodium soy sauce, you won't need to add any more salt, but if you omit the soy sauce, which you can, then add a healthy pinch of kosher or sea salt.

Mix the leaves until they're coated. I just use my hands.

Put parchment on two baking sheets and spread the kale leaves out in a single layer.

Bake for 8 minutes, then remove and shuffle leaves so that each has room to bake, turning over leaves that seem particularly wet.

Return to the oven for another 8 minutes or until your kale chips are crispy but not burnt.

Finally, eat the entire bunch in one sitting. I mean, you don't have to, but you will.

There are so many possible additions to kale chips, a few popular ones are:

parmesan

miso

honey

garlic

lemon

tamari

yeast

agave nectar

cumin

cayenne

and many types of vinegar

What are your favorite kale chip flavors?