The Kitchen of Procrastination

North African Food.  Well, really all of the Mediterranean that isn’t Italy… so Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Greek.  It’s so bad I was genuinely considering buying a tagine for over $100.   Instead I just made pita sandwiches with homemade hummus and a salad dressed with the lemony and sharp dressing used on fattoush.  The dressing recipe came (slightly modified of course) from my new cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison.  Probably a book I should have bought years ago, because it is fabulous.  If you need a single cookbook, this could easily be it.

Enough of that though.  Back to North Africa.  I fell asleep last night dreaming of preserved lemons and dates and warm olives.  I’m in love with zataar, a spice mix made of of sesame seeds, thyme, and sumac, even though the first time I smelled a jar of pure sumac at the Penzey’s Spice store I thought I had burned all my nose hairs off it was so astringent.  So here I give you an easy entry into the myriad flavors I’m fantasizing: hummus. This recipe is so easy, so yummy, you’ll be hard-pressed to ever buy a package of hummus from Trader Joe’s again.

Basic Hummus
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
2-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 big handful cilantro
1 big handful parsley
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs tahini
1/4 olive oil (I like about 1/2 really good extra virgin, 1/2 generic olive oil)
salt and pepper

Optional additions: 1/4- 1 tsp red chili flakes, 2-4 coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes (either dry or packed in oil), 2 big handfuls of basil, a handful of coarsely chopped kalmata olives, 1-2 chipotles in adobo

Put the garlic and herbs (and any of the optional additions) in the food processor with a generous dash of salt. Pulse for about 30-45 sec, wipe down the sides, and pulse again.
Add the chickpeas, tahini, and lemon. Pulse again until the chickpeas are coarsely ground and the herbs are starting to incorporate into the mix.
Wipe down the sides. With the processor going, slowly stream in the olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Continue to run the processor until the hummus is at the desired consistency.
[If you prefer a thinner hummus, more akin to the store-bought kind, add more olive oil and a little water to desired thickness while blending.]

Option 2: Eliminate the tahini and cilantro, add 1/4-1 tsp fresh thyme, and use canned cannelini beans instead of chickpeas. This makes an amazing Italian-style white bean dip.

Serving Suggestions:
- Hummus and carrots is my absolute favorite.
- Cut up store-bought, split pitas into 6ths. Brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and zataar. Bake at 425 till crispy.
- Use instead of mayonaisse or mustard on sandwiches. Especially big, fat veggie sandwiches with avocado, sharp white cheddar, sprouts, roasted red peppers, and all the fixins you can fit.

But NO!  Here is another recipe!

The sad thing is that this recipe has been sitting in my email box, already typed out for the most part for over a month.  I’ve just been in a guilty spiral about not posting, so I haven’t posted.  Makes so much sense, yeah, I know.

Anyway, this here is my favorite summer/early fall soup.  It can easily be served either hot, warm, or chilled.  It can be a complete meal in a pot, and goes great with snacks you probably already have around the house like tortilla chips and salsa.  It is gluten-free, and can be vegan if you leave out the cheese on top.

“Creme” of Broccoli and Lime Soup
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes (or more to taste)
1 small onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, diced (or more to taste)
1 cup diced fresh pepper (such as poblano, anaheim, bell, etc)
2 stalks broccoli, chopped, with stalk and florets separated
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (may omit if not available)
1 box soft silken tofu
1 bunch cilantro leaves
juice and zest of one lime (or more to taste)
3-5 cups water or vegetable broth

Heat the oil on medium heat, in a heavy-bottomed, large soup pan with the cumin and
dried chili flakes. Add onions and saute until just translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add peppers, toss to coat, then add garlic. Continue to saute on medium heat for approximately 5 more
minutes.
Add broccoli ends, mix into aromatics. Add approximately 1 tablespoon lime juice and saute until broccoli is cooked, but still crunchy (will appear a slightly darker green). Add broccoli florets and mix in thoroughly. Turn up to medium-high heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with lime juice, salt, pepper, and Mexican oregano.
Add approximately 3 cups of water or broth, or enough to barely cover the vegetables. Using a
hand-blender, puree the vegetables to a bloodless pulp (my husband’s words). As you are blending, crumble in the tofu and a big handful of cilantro. Adjust the amount of water to your tastes — more for a thin summer soup, less for a thick and creamy version. Turn down to low temperature and add the rest of the lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Finished Product

Toppings Options: diced avocado, hot sauce such as Cholula or Valentina, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, coarsely chopped cilantro

Serve with: corn tortilla chips, roasted corn on the cob, barbeque

Ever had Chinese long beans?  They are super delicious!  Like regular green beans, but without the bitter starchiness; which means they lend themselves perfectly to quick-fry methods like this.

Pan-Fried and Delicious

Of course, if you can’t find long beans, you can easily substitute regular green beans and just cook a tiny bit longer before you add the sugar and cashews.  Adding the cashews gives you a bit more substance to a delicious appetizer, or serve on top of long-grain brown rice with some baked tofu and call it dinner.  In fact, the only reason I hesitated to add tofu to the dish itself is because the heavy stirring at high temperatures is likely to break apart the tofu into little pieces of nothing, and prevent the proper formation of the crispy coating on the beans and cashews.

Ideally, this dish should be pretty spicy, with a touch of salty and sweet.  But, as always, I encourage you to adjust the seasonings to your tastes.

Long Beans with Cashews

2 bunches long beans, or about 3 lbs green beans
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs toasted sesame oil
1 tsp (give or take) red chili flakes
3-5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/3-1/2 cup cashews
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oils on med heat in a high-sided, non-stick pan with the chili flakes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir with a wooden for 1-2 min. Add the beans. Turn the heat up to high and cook for several minutes, add the soy sauce and vinegar and place the lid on the pan. Shake the pan to stir frequently, and cook for a further 1-5 min. When beans are at desired consistency (should be still crunchy, but not raw tasting), add the cashews and brown sugar. Continue stirring and make sure everything is well coated with sugar. Once sugar has caramelized (about 2 min) remove from heat. Season with salt and black pepper (or crushed Szechuan pepper!) and serve hot.

**Next post will be about the politics of food, but I’m still thinking about what, exactly, I want to focus on, since nothing has outraged me lately