A Good Dish

making food simpler

When You Run Out Of Ideas For Cooking Beans, You Can Fall Back On This Tasty Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Curried chickpeas and vegetables in a
soda fired earthenware ramen bowl
by Justin Rothshank

When it gets to this time of late winter, I have made all my favorite bean recipes (baked beans, mushrooms and beans, black beans and rice, red bean and turkey chili) so many times that we are longing for a different flavor. Then I remember curry and our tastebuds are satisfied for a few days. Curried red lentil soup and Jane Brody’s simple curried lentils are two easy recipes I rely on but my winter curry of choice is made with chickpeas and lots of vegetables.

Get all your ingredients prepped and ready
(your mise en place)
and cooking will be both easier and calmer

Right now, when most fresh local veggies are still not available, I use a combination of winter farmers market storage vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes, squash) and grocery store staples (cauliflower, celery, frozen peas, bagged arugula or baby kale and cilantro). Adding cubes of potato and/or winter squash makes this a heartier stew but I don’t always want it so starchy so they are optional. My husband doesn’t like coconut but I can get away with some coconut milk in a curry since the spices are so flavorful that he doesn’t notice. You could use just broth and settle for a thinner consistency or add some cream. And if you do make it thinner and purée a bit (use an immersion blender for 15-30 seconds or take out a cupful and purée in a blender and add back in), you could serve the leftovers as soup. 

Different brands and colors of chili paste
Use the one you like
Add greens in the final minutes of cooking
so they stay green

Which curry seasoning you choose is a bit flexible. I use Madras curry supplemented with Thai red or green chili paste but Jamaican or any other yellow curry powder will work. If you want a milder flavor, leave out the chili paste and cayenne, double the amount of curry powder and perhaps use some lemongrass to enhance the complexity. We love this curry with basmati or Japanese rice (or papadem crackers) but if you add enough vegetables, you won’t even miss the rice. 

Curried chickpeas/vegetables on rice
Earthenware bowl by Justin Rothshank

CURRIED CHICK PEAS

  • 2 TBs neutral oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped 
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped 
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 TBs minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp yellow curry powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder or 2 tsps fresh turmeric, grated
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 4 oz jar or tin of red or green curry paste
  • 1 can coconut milk (regular or light) plus one canful water
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth or chickpea cooking water
  • 5 cups cooked chick peas (or 3 cans)
  • 1 cauliflower, cut in small florets
  • 2-3 carrots, in half moons or chopped
  • 1 parsnip, diced (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cooked sweet potato, diced (optional)
  • A couple of handful of arugula or baby kale
  • 1-2 heaping TBs Major Grey’s chutney (optional but delicious)
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped separately (or parsley)

Heat a stockpot and add the oil. Add and sauté the chopped onion until translucent and then add the celery, jalapeño, garlic, ginger and spices. Sauté another minute or two and then add the liquids. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes until the flavors have blended and stir in the chili paste. Add the cooked chickpeas, cauliflower, carrots and parsnip, if using, and cook 10-12 minutes until just tender. Taste for spiciness and adjust to your preference, adding hot sauce, cayenne or chili flakes as you choose. Add in the peas, greens, if using, chopped cilantro stems and chutney. Cook 1-2 minutes more until greens are wilted and remove from heat. Serve plain or over rice topped with chopped cilantro and lime wedges to squeeze.

Serves approximately 8 and keeps well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

 

JUSTIN ROTHSHANK makes different lines of pottery including collaborations with his family members and other artists, political pottery and soda fired earthenware. He is best known for his poppy decals but uses many others and sometimes, as in the bowl above, leaves off the decals. His pieces are sometime whimsical and sometimes serious but always delightful. He lives in Indiana but is currently teaching at Penland. You can find his work at his web shop.

Salad plates with decals by Justin Rothshank
Photo courtesy of the artist
RBG tribute mug by Justin Rothshank
Photo courtesy of the artist
Earthenware vases by Justin Rothshank
Photo courtesy of the artist

Mushrooms And Beans Together For Dinner – Really? Really!

Mushrooms and beans
Stoneware bowl by Emily Schroeder Willis

You’ve heard me rave many times about Rancho Gordo (the Northern California company that sells heirloom beans). Their beans are fresher, tastier and cook better than most other dry beans I have ever bought (the only others that I’ve found that come close are Eden and local farmers market beans). Rancho Gordo has a bean club, a quarterly delivery of 6 pounds of beans plus recipes and a bonus. Well, after almost 3 years on the waiting list, I got in – woohoo! Now I have the pleasure of paying for and receiving their choice of beans 4 times a year. This means no decision making and trying new beans as well as receiving their newsletter and recipes. Plus it will prompt me to keep cooking beans so they don’t pile up in my cupboard.

My first bean club delivery

Cooking a pot of beans a week is an old trick for always having something to make for dinner. For example, I cooked the pinto beans that came in my first delivery and made this mushroom and bean recipe two nights in a row because they were so good. Once I served them with boiled Yukon Gold potatoes and the other time with rice, but I think they would be good with sweet potatoes or just with toast or greens. Then I used the rest of the beans to bulk up nachos on a cold day and ultimately made a bean dip (just blended salsa, cumin, garlic, cilantro and beans) with the remainder of the pintos. That was 4 generous meals from a pound of beans. Tasty, easy and super budget-conscious.

I used a variety of wild and cremini mushrooms
but any type will work
Minced garlic, shallots, herbs,
salt and pepper
Sauté a variety of mushrooms until they
start to release their liquid content

In my first delivery, along with the beans and bonus Stardust chili powder, was the recipe for mushrooms and beans, something I had never thought of making. I don’t know why but this combination had never occurred to me. It was simple (basically sautéed mushrooms to which you add cooked beans) and surprisingly delicious. I used mostly wild mushrooms, added a big splash of white wine for liquid, plus some minced shallot, additional thyme for more flavor and swapped the amounts of butter and oil. I also added some chopped cilantro just before serving (some green help to break up the brown/beige color) but parsley, pea shoots, frozen peas or arugula would have been fine alternatives. Red wine or balsamic or even cider vinegar could have worked too, for a different flavor. Any beans will work in this recipe. Along with some sautéed broccoli rabe, we are having mushrooms and beans for dinner for the 3rd time in 10 days. Really.

Mushrooms and pinto beans
Stoneware bowl by Emily Schroeder Willis

RANCHO GORDO SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS AND BEANS

  • 1/2 lb wild mushrooms, cut in bite sized pieces
  • 1/4-1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, cut in bite sized pieces
  • 2 TBs olive oil
  • 1 TBs butter
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (a heaping TBs)
  • 1 shallot, minced (a heaping TBs)
  • Splash white wine, white vermouth or sherry
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Pinch cayenne (optional)
  • 2 cups cooked beans with some of the cooking broth (to make the consistency you like)
  • Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, arugula, watercress or pea shoots.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and warm the oil and butter together.

Add mushrooms, garlic, shallot and thyme.

Sauté, stirring often, until mushrooms soften.

Add splash of wine, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using, and taste for seasoning.

Stir in cooked beans to warm plus parsley (or whatever green you are using) and serve, topped with a drizzle of olive oil and more black pepper, as suits you.

Stoneware “ice cream bowl” interior
by Emily Schroeder Willis

EMILY SCHROEDER WILLIS handbuilds pots that contrast sophisticated, minimal graphic imagery, colors and shapes with the overall textured surfaces created by the most basic of techniques – pinching. Her more recent work, like the small bowl here, incorporates more color and whimsy. She is a member of Objective Clay and her work may be found at Clay Akar, Schaller Gallery and Artaxis.

Stoneware mug
Photo courtesy of the artist
Handled Vase
Photo courtesy of the artist
Stoneware Mug
Photo courtesy of the artist
All kinds of Spring blues

When You (Or Others)Are Stressed And In Need Of Clarity and Comfort, Try Cooking

Kitchari, tortilla, cornbread, baked beans (clockwise)
Melissa Weiss, Jen Allen, Wendy Goldsmith, Paul Eshelman

One of the things I love about cooking, beyond the edible results, is the ability the process has to get me out of my head. Like making art or exercise or a good conversation, preparing food takes planning, mental concentration and some physical exertion. So when I am worrying about an ailing parent or ill siblings or a struggling friend, I cook. I look through recipes, make lists, procure ingredients, measure, chop, grate and mix in order to prepare something for my family or friends to eat. The process requires focus to do well, thereby getting me off the worry wheel. 

Curried cabbage with cashews
Porcelain bowl by Jim Makins
Simple roasted potatoes
Bowl by Michael Connelly

Cooking not only relieves mental stress but gives me the satisfaction of a job well done while providing nourishment and, hopefully, pleasure to those I love. Soup is my go-to but sometimes a salad is needed, especially when people have been too busy to cook healthfully for themselves. The bean soup mix I posted a couple of months ago is a good example of a gift for someone with limited time and ability. But if someone is ill or mourning, bringing a prepared pot of soup or a big roast veggie platter or a long lasting salad, like carrot or fennel, is a better gift. When a new baby is born, I love to prepare a complete dinner (rice and beans, a batch of pesto, soup and cornbread, or roast chicken) because who can think about cooking with a newborn?

Miso soup
Lidded Jar by Gay Smith
Black beans and rice
Square bowl by Joe Pintz

Sometimes I make a frittata/tortilla when I feel frazzled and don’t know what else to cook. The chopping of the vegetables is soothing and the resulting meal is satisfying, not too heavy and can provide leftovers. Other comfort food favorites are kitchari, a simple pasta with peas or greens, curried cabbage with cashews, miso soup and lava bread. They are all easy, soothing and tasty, the winning triumvirate of stress cooking. And when even simple cooking is too much, there is always avocado toast!

Avocado toast on lava bread
Plate by Aysha Peltz

A Surprisingly Tasty, Nutritious and Versatile Protein Source – Barbecued (Baked) Tempeh

Baked bbq tempeh sandwich (TLT)
Porcelain plate by Jim Makins

January is a month of good intentions, especially with food. I keep hearing stories on the radio about how more and more people are trying to eat more plant-based foods like beans, tofu and tempeh. Tempeh is one of those “health” foods I thought I was supposed to eat but often had a hard time choking down. I never liked the taste but managed to eat it occasionally fried crispy or disguised in some way just because I thought it was good for me. The only way I could happily consume it was in a burrito made with sweet and sour barbecue sauce at a New York City Californian Mexican place we loved (RIP Burritoville). Fortunately, I found and played with a recipe from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, reducing the oil and sodium and upping the spices so it comes close to that barbecue flavor in my memory; I now actually enjoy eating the tempeh prepared this way. We’ve been making Reuben-style sandwiches with it on dense whole grain rye bread but since the taste reminds me of those delicious saucy tempeh burritos, I also like using it in wraps with salad or leftover greens or sautéed vegetables plus avocado.

Sliced raw tempeh ready for sauce

Tempeh is a block of fermented soybean, traditionally from Indonesia. It is quite nutritious for a soy protein because it contains the whole soybean, unlike tofu, and due to fermentation, is more digestible than most beans. The health value of soy is constantly being debated but even among soy products, tempeh comes out on top because it is both whole and fermented.

Sauced tempeh ready to bake
Baked bbq tempeh
(It might not be pretty but it is delicious)

You can make crunchy little croutons by frying cubes of tempeh that are fun in salad or use fried tofu in nori rolls but marinating tempeh in barbecue sauce is by far the tastiest preparation I know. The leftovers (it keeps up to 5-6 days refrigerated) are a quick meal when served over rice or added to a salad. I try to make it before my husband travels because a bbq tempeh sandwich can stay fresh unrefrigerated for hours and still taste good. This bbq tempeh recipe is  easy but if you have a barbecue sauce you love, use it instead of this one. Just follow my baking instructions. Barbecued tempeh is an economical, nutritious and good tasting vegan protein to spice up your meals.

Bbq tempeh over rice
Porcelain bowl by Jim Makins

BARBECUED TEMPEH

Preheat oven to 350F.

1 lb (2 8oz packages) tempeh (try to buy organic soy products)

Cut each block of tempeh in half and then slice through horizontally so you have 4 thin slabs from each block, total of 8.

Whisk together:

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 TBs date or maple syrup
  • 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsps ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (if you want spicy, omit this and use 2 tsps chipotle chili powder)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Pour half of the marinade in a baking dish or baking sheet just large enough to hold the tempeh in a single layer. Place the slices of tempeh in the dish and pour the rest of the marinade on top. Cover the dish tightly with foil lined with parchment paper (or use a cover if you have one).

Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, until all the marinade is absorbed.

Cool and refrigerate up to one week well wrapped or covered.

Baked bbq tempeh over rice
Porcelain Bowl by Jim Makins

Give This Many Bean Soup Mix Along With The Recipe And It Will Be A Gift Each Time It Is Cooked

Multi-bean soup from a homemade mix
Soda fired porcelain mug
by Gay Smith

Seems impossible it is December already, doesn’t it? Somehow it snuck up and the end of year holidays are upon us. I like to make holiday presents, partly to avoid the craze of shopping and partly because it is fun coming up with ideas and gifting something different and useful. Some years have been better liked than others and the winners have included bath salts, granola, knitted dishcloths, lavender sachets and the “seasoned” fruitcakes I posted last month. One of the most widely appreciated gifts was a quart-sized Mason jar of mixed bean soup mix accompanied with cooking instructions.

Choose different colors and sizes of
beans, lentils and split peas
Bite-sized fresh vegetables
ready to add in

Getting bean soup to taste good without heaps of salt (to raise your blood pressure) can be a real struggle. One workaround is adding in dehydrated vegetables along with herbs and spices. Dried veggies like celery, onions, peppers and mushrooms are great flavor boosters (no chopping involved), keep for ages and boost the nutritional profile. Finding good quality dried vegetables can be challenging but I can recommend several reliable sources: Harmony House Foods, North Bay Trading and Frontier Coop. Another big flavor boost is a good bouillon, either a cube or a generous spoonful, salt-free or regular. You can package the flavorings in a little baggie with the bouillon and salt in their own bag. Curry powder is another option for flavor but everyone doesn’t love curry so if you include it, do so separately. Traditionally, flavor would come from a ham bone or hock, which you add while the beans are cooking, but I skip this as I am trying to avoid adding saturated fat and cholesterol. That said, a handful of chopped cooked ham or smoked turkey could be delicious addition. When I made this soup last week to check amounts, I used a whole cup of barley and it turned out more like a savory vegetable and bean stew. To serve it a second time, I thinned it with stock, added lots of fresh greens and had a different meal. 

This soup is like a stew when thick

You can really adjust the flavor profile of this soup to suit your taste. Almost any firm, non-slimy vegetable (no eggplant or zucchini) will work (think carrots, celery, turnips, celery root, butternut squash). Just wait to add them until the last 20 minutes of cooking so they don’t get mushy. A can of crushed tomatoes can also be added at that point. If you want to add green beans or leafy greens, do it at the very end so they stay bright. Use farro, sorghum or dried corn, if you don’t like or don’t want to use barley. I keep an empty jar handy in my kitchen to which I add small amounts of  uncooked beans and lentils each time I make a recipe that calls for beans. I don’t worry too much about the individuals amounts, just that the total equals 2 cups. This soup doesn’t have to be 8 bean types, it could be 2 or 12 and it will still taste good. For gifting, put the 2 smaller jars or baggies in the larger bean jar, attach a recipe card (or just photocopy the recipe below) and tie a ribbon around the neck. To make it a bigger present, place the jar in a new stockpot or accompany it with a good ladle, a wooden spoon, fresh potholders or a trivet. You can give a pot of soup for one meal or you can teach a friend to make a pot of soup….

A great wintertime gift!

MIXED BEAN SOUP MIX

For the soup mix:

Layer into a large glass jar 1/4 cup each  of 8 types for a total of 2 cups dried beans such as Pinto, Red, Navy Pea, Great Northern, Kidney, Cannellini, Black, Baby Lima,  Green or Yellow Split Peas, Brown, Green or Black Lentils, etc.

In a small jar or baggie:

  • 1 bouillon cube (or a heaping teaspoon bouillon powder)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • In another small jar or baggie:
  • 1 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
  • 1/3 cup barley, pearled or hulled (optional but good balance)
  • 1/3 cup dried veggie flakes
  • 1/4 cup dried onions
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsps chili powder
  • 2 tsps thyme
  • 1 tsp dried dill weed

Fresh ingredients:

  • Up to a quart of mixed chopped carrot, celery, mushroom, winter squash, turnip, celeriac, potato, sweet potato, green beans and/or cauliflower, optional
  • Up to a quart of chopped leafy greens, optional
  • Juice of half a fresh lemon (or a TBs vinegar) for finishing and a big handful of chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or dill for serving

Soup Instructions:

Rinse and pick over beans. Put into a stockpot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and soak 1 hour. Drain. Alternately, soak overnight without boiling and then drain.

Add 10 cups of water or stock to the beans plus all the other ingredients except the salt and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer about 1 – 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until tender and adding more liquid as necessary. 

Uncover, increase heat to medium, add salt and bouillon and chopped vegetables, if using, and simmer, stirring often, until soup thickens, about 20-25 minutes. Discard bay leaves and adjust if you think it needs more salt or pepper. Finish with a squeeze of lemon (or a splash of vinegar) and serve with chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or dill and a flavorful olive oil, hot sauce or cayenne. Grated Parmesan is also a tasty addition. 

Makes 10-12 cups.

A meal in a cup
Soda Fired Porcelain Mug by Gay Smith

 

Gay Smith is a thoughtful, articulate and skillful potter who makes generous, comfortable and sturdy (because they are so well crafted) pots. Her once fired porcelain pieces are full of animation and exuberance. Sometimes they feel like they are dancing. Gay’s work is available on Etsy as well Penland Gallery Shop and many juried shows.

Soda fired porcelain teapot by Gay Smith
Photo courtesy of the artist
Soda fired porcelain canister set by Gay Smith
Photo courtesy of the artist
Assortment of orange soda fired porcelain by Gay Smith
Photo courtesy of the artist

Listen to a recent interview with Gay by Ben Carter on his podcast Tales Of A Red Clay Rambler