Vegetarian Chili

Turns out I was able to cook tonight, after all! And it's a gray, rainy day here in the northeast, so I decided to brew up a batch of Algerian Chili.

As usual, I took a couple short cuts and made some substitutions, so I could use items already in my pantry. But, no worries - it still tastes incredible!

I used less oil overall and mixed some chipotle oil with extra virgin olive oil for a little more heat. I ran out of fresh herbs, so I substituted dried. I used Goya small white beans instead of dried navy beans, and I opted for a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of a couple large fresh ones.

I ended up with a smoky, spicy chili that makes a hearty vegetarian meal - served over couscous, of course. And, I opted for a spoon. Here's how I made it:

A few Tbsp olive and chipotle oil
1 large onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 cherry peppers, minced
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
4 tsp ground cumin
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 box (32 oz.) vegetable broth
2 cans (15.5 oz each) small white beans
2 bay leaves
1 tsp coriander seed
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions till browned. Add the garlic, peppers, paprika and cumin, and cook for a couple minutes. Next, add the tomato paste and cook for another couple minutes till it thickens. Stir in the tomatoes and about a cup of the broth, and bring to a boil. Then, add the beans, remaining broth, bay, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer with cover ajar for 30 minutes. Check the seasonings, stir in a splash of red wine vinegar and the cilantro, and serve over prepared couscous.

Week #20: Algeria

Photo: lonelyplanet.com

This week, we're traveling to the land of couscous! 

The cuisine of Algeria, on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Africa, typically features hearty meats and stews served over a bed of couscous, a semolina-based, fine-grained pasta introduced by the Berbers, who settled there as far back as 30,000 years ago. Lamb and beef are popular meat choices, although seafood is popular in the coastal region, and many dishes and desserts feature fresh fruit. Dates are consumed frequently, since the trees grow even in the inland Saharan desert regions.

Often, meals are served at low tables, around which folks sit and eat with their hands. Only the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand are used. The left hand is considered unclean, and using more fingers symbolizes overeating.

My first meal will likely be prepared on Tuesday, so stay tuned till then. Cheers!

Kulhi Boakibaa (Umm, sort of...)

So, tonight's meal was a traditional Maldivian recipe. Or, well, it was supposed to be...

I prepared kulhi boakibaa, basically a large fishcake made with tuna, the islanders' favorite fish. The ingredients include many of my favorites: curry, ginger, coconut, lemon, garlic, chili peppers... But, the final preparation was seriously lacking. So, what's that? Blog failure #3? Not a bad record overall, but a big bummer nonetheless.

The cake is bound together with rice, like smaller crab or fish cakes use bread crumbs. I soaked the rice overnight - for 24 hours, in fact - so it ground up nicely and nearly cooked completely while baking. But, it stayed a bit gritty and the flavors didn't blend well.

Well, such is life! I'm hugely disappointed, though, because I'm not able to cook again before the end of the week - the next two nights are booked and I won't be near the kitchen! That means, I've only made one Maldivian recipe and it wasn't even the traditional one... Not a very successful "visit" to this week's country.

My sincere apologies to you all. Hopefully, next week will be better.

Chicken Casserole

I found this recipe on a site devoted to Maldivian cuisine that includes dishes that originated outside the islands but have been "...adapted to suit the Maldivian palate and are now favorites..." There are loads of interesting recipes on this site, both traditional and adopted, so I decided to make one of each.

Tonight's casserole is meant to be cooked for an hour or so, using par-cooked potatoes that will soak up the pan juices. We actually had some boiled, red-skinned potatoes leftover from our picnic last weekend, so I modified the recipe to cook faster.

Luckily, my changes didn't seem to affect the flavor at all. What a wonderful go-to chicken dinner! Extremely simple to prepare and ready in 30 minutes, you definitely should add this recipe to your favorites. If you don't have leftover potatoes, then just steam or boil them while you gather your ingredients and chop your veggies; they'll finish cooking in the oven.

Here's how I made it:

Olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts, halved
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 can (about 15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
 tsp fennel seeds
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. In an oven-safe Dutch oven or casserole, heat a little oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions till golden. Then, add the garlic and mix. Next, sear the chicken so that you get nice coloring on each side. remove from the heat. Layer the bell peppers and tomatoes over the chicken. Season with the oregano, fennel, salt and pepper, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the pot with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil, switch the oven to low broil, and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Technical Difficulties

Sorry I haven't cooked yet, folks! Seems like the sun comes out and the calendar explodes with activity. We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, spending the first half partying with friends and the second half paddling on Cape Cod beaches, getting back late last night.

Unfortunately for this little venture, that means we have yet to hit the grocery store! But have no fear: I'll be getting back on track shortly and my first dish should hit the interwebs tomorrow night. Thanks, all!

Week #19: Maldives



Graphic: en.wikipedia.org

This week, we're headed to the Maldives, a country of 1,190 coral islands - of which about 200 are inhabited - spread across about 35,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.

Maldivian cooking typically uses three primary ingredients: tuna, coconut and starches. But, I'll try to mix in a few other items as well.

So, get your taste buds ready... It's going to be a tropically yummy week!

Gaucho-style Churrasco w/ Chimichurri Sauce

If you've ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse, called a churrascaria, you know that grilled meats are extremely popular in Brazil. Churrasco (pronounced tchu-RAS-ku) roughly translates as "barbeque" in Portuguese, and it's the favored cooking style of southern Brazil's cowboys, called gauchos, who grill their meat on metal skewers. A popular condiment for the meats, often grilled with simple marinades or just a good coating of salt and pepper, is chimichurri - a vinegar sauce with many variations.

For tonight's dish, I decided to base it on a recipe by one of my favorite TV chefs, Tyler Florence, who tends to make his international dishes as authentic as possible. He uses a skirt steak, but we had a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so... He also marinates the meat in olive oil for about a half hour, but I skipped that step to lighten up the calories a little.

Honestly, most times I grill, I only season the meat with Montreal steak seasoning, pressing it onto the surface to help hold it in place. This time, though, I rubbed the tenderloin with a garlic clove and one of the juiced limes before I sprinkled on the seasoning, just to highlight a couple of the flavors in the chimichurri.

At any rate, make your sauce and let the flavors blend while you grill the meat. Serve it with your favorite sides, or pick some Brazilian favorites like - you guessed it - rice and beans. Either way, you're going to have a great meal.

We served ours with some of last night's leftover greens and fresh sweet corn. Here's how we made it:

5 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 bunch fresh oregano, minced
Juice of 2 limes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to your preference. Set the sauce aside at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Season and grill your meat to the desired level of doneness. Spoon the chimichurri over each serving, and dig in!

Feijoada & Couve à Mineira

I mentioned Brazil's "national dish" when I announced the destination on Sunday. Even though feijoada (pronounced fey-zho-AH-dah) is traditionally served as a hearty Saturday afternoon dinner, we've got plans that day so I made it today instead!

Because I used canned beans, I was able to cook it just an hour - far less time than the typical 3 hours it takes if using dried beans. That left a lot of excess liquid in the pot, which certainly wouldn't have been there had we used dried beans but was needed to cook the meat, so keep that in mind. I kept the meats authentic and used pork, beef and chourico. (Also, at least one of the meats apparently should be smoked, but I'd say you can always add a drop or two of Liquid Smoke if you need it.)

With so many flavors of meat, including spicy sausage, this stew doesn't need a lot of additional seasonings - just onions, garlic and bay leaves, and the ever-present salt and pepper, of course.

Like many southern and Latin Americans, it turns out Brazilians also love "beans and greens," because the usual accompaniment for feijoada is couve à mineira, or simmered greens. We skipped the second side dish, which is called farofa (made with toasted manioc flour), since I didn't have time to find it and we honestly just don't need that much food! But, we did serve it with orange slices, as recommended, which are wonderful - along with the slightly acidic greens - at cutting through the richness of the meat.

All in all, this is a wonderful meal. You definitely won't leave the table hungry! Here's how I made it:

Oil
1 lb stew beef
1 lb pork, also cut in cubes
1 lb chourico sausage, cut into chunks
2 onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
Water
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Brown the meats in batches, if necessary, and set it aside. Remove any excess drippings from the pan, leaving just a tablespoon or so. Brown the onions till golden before adding the garlic and satue for another minute. Add the beans, meats and bay leaves to the pan and pour in just enough water to cover it (remember, you don't need extra to cook the beans unless you use dried ones). Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, till the meats are tender.

While the stew is cooking, you can prepare the greens.

Oil
1 small onion, diced
A mix of collard greens and kale (about a pound in total), chopped
1-2 cups stock or water (based on your preference)
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet. Add the greens in batches till wilted. Then, add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about a half hour or so till the greens are cooked.

Serve the stew over rice with the greens and orange slices. Then, go for a nice long walk, because you'll be stuffed!

Moqueca

I've been craving seafood, so my first dish Brazilian is a coastal favorite. This fish and coconut milk stew/soup (pronounced moo-KAY-ka) is from the coastal Bahia state, where African roots feature heavily in the regional cuisine.

We used cod, but any firm white fish will work - even salmon would be delicious. An alternate version of this dish - moqueca de camarão - uses shrimp, but mussels, scallops or another shellfish also would work just as well.

This stew/soup is surprisingly light and fresh tasting, considering the only liquid comes from coconut milk. You could lighten up a full batch even more by substituting a cup of broth or water. I made a half batch, which yielded 3+ servings for us, so if you're feeding more people, be sure to double the measurements I cite here. Here's how I made it:

¾ lb firm-fleshed fish (cut into chunks) or other seafood
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
Oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cherry peppers, seeded and minced
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can (13 oz) light coconut milk

Combine the fish, lime juice and salt in a glass (non-reactive) bowl and let it marinate for a half hour. Meantime, heat a little oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onions and bell peppers till golden and beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cherry peppers and saute for another minute or so. Then, add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, till they begin to soften and break down. Pour in the coconut milk and the fish, with its marinade, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes till the fish is cooked. Serve immediately, over rice if desired.

Week #18: Brazil

Brazilian food isn't entirely like that of its neighbors in South America. Being so large and geographically diverse, locally grown ingredients developed many regional cuisines. Signature dishes for which the country is known have evolved from foods prepared by the country's indigenous population through the arrival and influence of Europeans and the African slaves that came with them.

Staples of the Brazilian diet include black beans, farinha and rice, which are featured in most meals, and other favorites include pine nuts (a primary export), cassava, hearts of palm, okra, açai, peanuts and chourico.

The country's "national dish" is known as feijoada, a meaty bean stew - particularly popular in the urban southeast - that I might just have to try... In the coastal states, seafood takes center stage in many recipes, so I'll try to find something from there, since we've got some fish in the freezer.

Well, I won't give away any more surprises, so you'll just have to wait to learn more. I'll be cooking my first dish tomorrow night! Stay tuned!