Sweet and Spicy Grilled Summer Squash

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

4 servings

The crosshatch pattern isn’t just for show (even though it does look cool)! It allows for the salt to fully penetrate the squash and also draws out some of the excess water so that the sweet, tangy glaze can be fully absorbed.


INGREDIENTS

  • 4 medium summer squash or zucchini (about 1½ lb. total)
  • Kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable or sunflower oil, divided
  • 1 lime, halved
  • ½ small shallot, thinly sliced into rounds
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves with tender stems
  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

    1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Cut each squash in half lengthwise, then score cut sides in a ¼" crosshatch pattern with the tip of your knife. Toss squash and 1 tsp. salt in a colander; set over a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.

    2. Meanwhile, combine honey, vinegar, soy sauce, and chili paste in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and slightly thickened (just shy of syrupy), 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 Tbsp. oil.

    3. Toss squash with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large baking dish or plate. Turn squash cut side up, then brush with glaze.

    4. Grill squash cut side down until just beginning to char around the edges, about 3 minutes. Continue to grill, turning every minute or so and brushing squash with glaze on cut sides, until just tender and cut sides are lightly charred and shiny from the glaze, 6–8 minutes total. (Reserve any leftover glaze.) Transfer squash to a platter.

    5. Squeeze juice from 1 lime half into a medium bowl and add shallot and cilantro; season with salt and toss to combine.
    6. Drizzle squash with any leftover glaze. Top with herb salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with remaining lime half alongside.

Herb Jam

This versatile condiment takes a page from Paula Wolfert’s original version in her book, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, in which a surplus of greens gets cooked down to a deeply savory jammy consistency. We simplified Wolfert’s steam-then-cook method and added toast and cheese for good measure. It’s the best way to use up a variety of herbs and greens that you might have in your crisper drawer. 


INGREDIENTS

  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 lb. mixed hardy greens (such as Swiss chard, mature spinach or arugula, and/or broccoli rabe)
  • 3 cups tender herbs (such as parsley, mint, cilantro, fennel fronds, and/or tarragon)
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 red or green chile, thinly sliced
  • 1 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • Whole-milk ricotta, farmer’s cheese, or feta (for serving)
  • 4 ½"-thick slices country-style bread, toasted
  • ½ lemon

RECIPE PREPARATION

  1. Place garlic in a large pot. Layer greens and herbs over. Pour 1 cup water over. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam until greens and herbs are wilted and garlic is very soft, 20–30 minutes
  2. Using tongs, transfer greens and herbs to a medium bowl. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Pick out garlic and transfer to a small bowl; using a fork, smash to a paste.
  3. Squeeze any excess water out of greens and herbs. Transfer to a cutting board, finely chop, and set aside.
  4. Wipe out skillet. Heat ½ cup oil over medium-low. Add chile and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and chile has softened, about 1 minute. Add chopped greens and herbs and cook, stirring often, until most of the moisture is cooked out of the greens, 10–15 minutes. Add garlic and coriander. Using a wooden spoon, mash garlic into greens mixture and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until well combined and flavors have melded, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Season with salt and stir in lemon juice and remaining ¼ cup oil.
  5. Spoon ricotta on toast and top with herb jam. Finely zest lemon over.

  • Do Ahead: Herb jam can be made 5 days ahead. Wrap in plastic, pressing directly onto surface, and chill. Let jam come to room temperature before using.

Spaghetti with No-Cook Puttanesca




4 servings

Tomato seeds and membranes can be a bit bitter, which is why we remove them from this uncooked preparation—it also prevents the sauce from being watery.




INGREDIENTS

  • 2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 lb.), halved crosswise, seeds removed
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
  • 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, crushed, pits removed
  • 2 Tbsp. drained capers
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 12 oz. spaghetti
  • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
     
    RECIPE PREPARATION 
  1. Pulse beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. salt in a food processor until smooth; transfer sauce to a large bowl and mix in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, and ¼ cup oil.
  2. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid.
  3. Add pasta, parsley, and butter to sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding a splash of pasta cooking liquid or more as needed to create an emulsified sauce that coats pasta. Divide among bowls and drizzle with more oil.

E.L.T. (Egg Lettuce Tomato Sandwich)

Think of this like a BLT minus the splattering bacon grease. With each bite you get that ideal combo of ingredients—sweet tomato, rich egg, crisp iceberg lettuce. You just need to get every element right. A nine-minute egg (so its center is just a touch tender), the ripest heirloom or beefsteak, basic iceberg, plenty of mayo, and the squishiest white bread you can find (griddled for extra credit). Oh, and don't forget plenty of salt and pepper on the egg and the tomato.


INGREDIENTS

  • 2 slices white sandwich bread
  • ¼ cup Hellmann’s or Best Foods mayonnaise, divided
  • 2 thick ripe beefsteak tomato slices
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, sliced crosswise
  • 3 leaves iceberg lettuce

    RECIPE PREPARATION

    • Spread both sides of bread slices all the way to the edges with the thinnest layer of mayonnaise possible. Heat a dry large skillet over medium-low; cook bread until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; let cool. Spread remaining mayonnaise over both slices of bread. Top a slice with tomatoes; season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange eggs over tomatoes; season. Top with lettuce, close sandwich, and cut in half.

Green Beans with Tomatoes -Italian Style

This simple and very flavorful vegan recipe for these Italian Style Green Beans with Tomatoes will provide you with the perfect side dish throughout the year.


This simple and very flavorful vegan recipe for these Italian Style Green Beans with Tomatoes will provide you with the perfect side dish throughout the year.

The completed dish of Italian Green Beans in tomato sauce is plated on a white serving dish.

How to Make Green Beans with Tomatoes:

  • We need to bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While waiting, let’s prepare the vegetables.
  • Rinse and trim the green beans (1 pound) and set aside.  Finely chop one medium onion and 1-2 garlic cloves. 
  • For the tomatoes, you can use canned or fresh.
  • If using canned tomatoes (14 ounces) simply crush them with your fingers, a potato masher or the back of a spoon (like we did for this Classic Marinara Sauce). If using fresh tomatoes (about 1 pound, usually 4-5) they need to be blanched and chopped.
  • It’s now time to put everything together in order to make green beans in the tomato sauce!

Onions being sauteed in preparation for the green beans recipe.

  • In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm the oil (2 tablespoons).
  • Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until they become translucent. Stir occasionally. 
  • Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using) and the minced garlic and sauté for another minute or so.

Tomatoes being cooked in a shallow pan.

  • It’s now time to add the chopped tomatoes. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to obtain a good vigorous simmer. You need to simmer for about ten minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
  • By this time, that large pot of heavily salted water should be boiling. Cook the string beans for about five minutes; they should still be crisp.

Stewed tomatoes and beans combined in the pan.

  • Drain the water and add them to the stewed tomatoes.
  • Simmer, uncovered, until beans become tender but are still firm. Taste to make sure you get the right texture. Be mindful not to overcook as we do not want them to become mushy.
  • If the stewed tomatoes mixture appears dry, add a little water. Finally, add the chopped fresh basil (1-2 sprigs) and parsley (1-2 sprigs) during the last few minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Now, wasn’t that easy?

Tips

How to Trim Green Beans: Simply line up all the beans, so that the part that was attached to the plant are placed together. With a sharp knife, simply cut. Note that the bottom of the string bean is a lot more tender and does not need to be removed.

Can I use frozen or canned beans? Yes, cooking times will need to be adjusted. Always rinse the canned beans before using due to high sodium content.

What are the best fresh tomatoes to use? Garden fresh Roma or San Marzano tomatoes will usually produce the best results.



Kwanti Mixed Dal - Nepali Style

Thursday, July 23, 2020

  • The spices (masale)
  • a pinch Asafoetida (hing)
  • 5 - 8 Cloves (laung),
  • 5 - 6 Green cardamom (choti elaichi)
  • 1 Cinnamon (dalchini), 1 inch stick 1 tsp Turmeric (haldi) powder
  • 1 tbsp Coriander (dhaniya) powder
  • 2 tsp Cumin (jeera) powder
  • 1 tsp Black pepper (kali mirch) powder
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 Tbsp oil +1 tsp Ghee
  • Tempering ( Tadka)
  • 1 tbsp Mustard (sarson) oil
  • 1 tsp Carom (ajwain) seeds 3 - 4 Dry red chillies (sookhi lal mirch), halved
  • Garnish :
  • Chopped cilantro (hara dhaniya)

Ras El Hanout

Wednesday, July 15, 2020


Literally translated as “head of shop,” the Arabic phrase ras el hanout really means “top shelf.” Legend has it this Moroccan spice blend was created by North African spice dealers who would mix together the best of what they had on offer, thus creating a heady, aromatic signature blend—sometimes 50 individual spices deep. Here the vibrant, earthy mix is pared down to just eight spices (plus salt), including cinnamon, cumin, coriander, allspice, black pepper, and ginger. It’s essential to the savory turkey pie known as b'stilla, but makes an excellent addition to lamb burgers and roasted chicken as well


YIELD
Makes about 3 tablespoons

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

PREPARATION

    1. In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients until combined well. Spice blend keeps in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 month.
    2. Add turmeric and paprika to the spice mix if the tagine recipe does not have it. 

Royal Couscous

Ingredients for 10 people

  • 1kg lamb neck
  • 300g lamb shoulder
  • 800g beef brisket
  • 200g beef loin
  • 10 merguez sausages
  • 300g onions
  • 60g garlic cloves
  • 500g tomatoes
  • 600g zucchinis
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 700g turnips
  • 600g carrots
  • 200g Moroccan hot peppers (optional)
  • 200g celery stalks
  • 250g chickpeas
  • 600g couscous granules
  • 25g butter
  • 3 tbsp ras-el-hanout
  • 3 tbsp coriander powder
  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp sweet pepper powder
  • 1 tbsp fennel powder
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 7 tbsp olive oil

Cut all the vegetables into large chunks
Zucchini is almost into 3 pieces
Crush the Garlic into big chunks

Step 1: 

  • Brown the meat- mutton or lamb
  • Then add water to cover the meat,
  • Add all the spices
  • Mix 
  • Pressure cook for 30 minutes


Step 2:  Add to the simmered meat stew the following: 


  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Tomatoes 
  • Carrots
  • Simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 3: 


  • Now add turnips, celery and Shimla mirch, optional hot peppers.  
  • Simmer until the vegetables are tender


Step 4: 

  • Finally add the chickpeas, the zucchini and meatballs if using
  • Simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.

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