Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt

I left work today feeling like a head cold was just around the corner... And so I thought what better way to nip this cold in the bud than with a plate full of veggies!  Still on my Plenty kick, I decided this would be a great night to prepare Ottolenghi's Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt.  On my way home I stopped at the farmers market, conveniently located on the same block as my office.  It was a beautiful fall day here in NY and it seems nearly everybody was out looking for a few good veggies.  Luckily, I arrived just in time to get the last bunch of carrots!

The recipe was easy to prepare and seems to be very forgiving -- adding a little more or less of any ingredient won't change things drastically.  My only disappointment is that the dish was just shy of the level of flavor and complexity I have now come to expect from Ottolenghi's recipes.  Still, it was good, quite good, just a bit more subtle.  The recipe combines Swiss chard, carrots, and garbanzo beans.  The carrots brown nicely and add a note of sweetness.  Mint and cilantro expand the flavor profile; I couldn't determine which I liked better and in the end I decided that I would add more of each next time.  The vegetables and beans get topped with a blend of Greek yogurt and olive oil, to which I added a little lemon juice for zing.  This dish is best served at room temperature, so be patient, it's worth it.  

Ingredients:
    
      (Note: all amounts are estimates, add more or less of an ingredient as you like)

• 1/2 lb Swiss chard (best if stalks are thin)
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
• 250g cooked chickpeas 
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped (add more if you like)
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (add more if you like)
• Salt and pepper
• 100g Greek yogurt (I like FAGE Total)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Wash the chard.  If stalks are thick, separate the stalks from the leaves, blanch the stalks for five minutes and the leaves for two.  Chop the leaves and stalks.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan, add the carrots and caraway seeds, and sauté for five minutes.  Add the chard and chickpeas, sauté for six minutes.  Carrots should be nicely browned.  Add the garlic; cook in oil to brown.  Stir in lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper, remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.
3. To serve, mix the yogurt, tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt.  When the vegetables are warmish or even room temperature, pile them on plates and top with a teaspoon of the yogurt mix.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper (optional) and some more oil.

This is a fantastic way to enjoy a bit of fall produce.  Now, with a little luck (and some rest) I hope to feel much better in the morning!

P.S.  The leftovers, if you have any, make a wonderful bag lunch the next day.

Birds of a Feather...

A quick note (aka shout-out) about a fantastic blogger who is actively cooking and blogging her way through Yotam Ottolenghi’s entire cookbook, Plenty (a book I'm only slightly obsessed with these days, but luckily I'm not alone on this).  It looks like she's tried quite a number of recipes within these past 9 months and is still going strong.  Sounds like a labor of love to me!

Saffron Tagliatelle with Spiced Butter

My plan to cook a few recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi's book, Plenty, continues.  Tonight's dish was Saffron Pappardelle with Spiced Butter and it was absolutely delicious.  Seriously, I couldn't get enough.  The sauce melds cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cayenne, and a few other spices in a very unexpected but brilliant way.  It seems that this is what Ottolenghi excels at -- blending ingredients and flavors in a way that is new and slightly unforgettable.  The recipes also tolerate modifications really well, allowing you to have fun and experiment a bit.

I have a few tips if you want to make this dish.  First, unless you have lots of time, don't bother making the pasta yourself (this goes without saying); just add a little saffron to the cooking water as suggested.  Second, the recipe as written has way too much butter; using just 1/2 of what's called for would be fine (but even this amount will still merit a disapproving look from your cardiologist).  This pasta is quite lovely with a little Parmesan cheese -- sprinkle generously.  Serve the dish slightly cooled, which allows all of the spices to really show themselves.  Lastly, make sure you bring your appetite.  You're going to want seconds.  Bon appétite!

Fried Lima Beans with Feta, Sorrel, and Sumac

I was recently introduced to a wonderful cookbook called "Plenty" written by Yotam Ottolenghi that has apparently received some rave reviews.  And, of course, I found a few recipes in the book that I absolutely had to try.  I made the first tonight, based on the recipe published at theguardian.com.  It was pretty good and I recommend it if you are looking for something hearty enough for fall, but with a bit of summer freshness. 

This recipe introduced me to sorrel, which I had never cooked with before.  It's a leafy green that has a lemony flavor, and it's worth seeking out since its flavor blends well with the feta.  I was hoping to find it at the farmers markets, but no such luck.  It was, however, at my local supermarket, sold in a small package as an herb (i.e., this stuff's not cheap); substitute as needed with spinach.  As for the beans, I recommend using Great Northern beans.  Their creamy texture can't be beat.  Last note, the recipe calls for sumac, but I used smoked paprika instead (since there were already 3 sour-ish ingredients: sorrel, lemon juice, feta).  The smokiness added an interesting dimension to this dish.

All in all, the richness of the beans, the earthiness of the smoked paprika, and the brightness of the sorrel made for a perfect flavor combination on the first day of fall. 

Morningside Lights Annual Lantern Parade

After having a lovely dinner with a few friends this past weekend we walked outside to find a wonderful event, Morningside Lights, going on in the park. This illuminated parade of handmade papier-mâché lanterns was the culmination of a week-long collaboration between community members and artists from the Processional Arts Workshop.  The program included several seminars where attendees learned how to make luminescent lanterns as well as home-made instruments, both of which were beautifully featured in the night parade. Pretty fantastic if you ask me.

New Beginnings

Starting anew is both exciting and daunting.  I'm familiar with this notion, having just moved to the big city (NYC) for an amazing new job.  But after taking a little time to settle in and enjoy some of the best that this city has to offer (in gastronomy and culture), I'm getting back to basics!  And for me this means cooking and enjoying the city's more humble treasures.  My plan for this blog will be to post some of my food-related experiences, along with some sights and sounds of the city.  I'm looking forward to all of the full bellies and shutter-shots to come!

View of NYC from Weehawken, New Jersey