recipes
for glacier grist Issue #26
recipes
red lentil & cauliflower curry with golden raisins
A beautiful yellow soup-stew, I adapted this from a recipe in Veganomicon. The combination of the golden raisins and lime juice really sparkles this dish up—like chutney! Find garam masala at Summit Spice & Tea Co., 1120 E Huffman Road, #4. As with all lentil soups, it’s even better the next day.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
sea salt or kosher salt
3 large carrots, peeled if the skins are tough, and sliced thinly
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalepeno pepper, halved, seeded with a spoon, and diced, OR 1 small can diced green chiles
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant in a small skillet
1 ½ cups red lentils
4-6 cups water
1 ½ to 2 pounds cauliflower (a medium-sized head), trimmed and cut into small florets
½ cup golden raisins
generous sprinkles of garam masala [optional]
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1. Chop and measure out all the ingredients. (In other words, do your mise en place.)
2. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes, and then add the carrots. Sauté for another 4 or 5 minutes until the onion is getting golden-brown.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and green chile, and sauté for a minute or so. Add the spices and stir-fry for 3o seconds or a minute, and before things start to burn, add 4 cups of water and the lentils.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, give it a stir, and cover the pot and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the lentils blow up. They will probably take up most of the water. Add more water at this point to your taste. I like it soupy, so I would add 2 more cups, but perhaps you’d prefer a thicker dish and wouldn’t add so much.
5. Add the cauliflower florets and the golden raisins, stirring to coat with the lentils. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. The soupier you’ve made the lentils, the quicker this will be. It will probably take from 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Remove the dish from the heat and stir in lime juice and plenty of salt to taste. Add the lime juice carefully—you don’t want to make the soup sour, but you want it to sparkle!
collards with red beans, cilantro & (optional) feta
This recipe is similar to one in Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors. I make this big batch because it freezes SO WELL. Cook it ahead if you can, then serve it up the following day. Even if you don’t happen to have cilantro, this dish is still great.
the beans
3 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked for 4 hours or overnight
1 onion, quartered
4 to 6 peeled garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, fresh or dried
the greens
1 onion, finely diced
1-2 large bunches collard greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped cilantro
3 to 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
1. Drain the beans, cover them with cold water to cover by at least an inch, and add the quartered onion, whole garlic cloves, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tender—maybe 1 hour or 1 ½ hours. When they are done, just turn off the heat and let them sit in their cooking water—all afternoon if you like—the beans will soak the oniony and garlicky flavors from the broth and get even yummier and plumper. Whatever you do, do NOT drain the beans. This broth is gold! If you don’t use it all in this dish, use it in anything else that calls for vegetable stock or broth. When you’re ready to use the beans, remove and discard the quartered onion, garlic cloves and bay leaves.
2. Slice the collard leaves from their stems, chop coarsely into 1- or 2-inch pieces and rinse well. Bring a few quarts of water to a boil, add salt and collards. Simmer until tender, at least 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop into a colander to drain.
3. Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the diced onion, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 cup of the cilantro. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion has softened and is starting to brown, about 10 minutes, then add the collards and the beans with enough of the cooking liquid so that there’s plenty of sauce. I like it pretty saucy. Simmer together for at least 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then serve garnished with the optional crumbled feta cheese and the remaining cilantro.
4. Serve this with a side of garlic-rubbed toast, or pile the beans and greens on top of the toast.
southwest caesar salad
This fantastic and spicy dressing is based on a recipe in rebar modern food. It makes a fantastic meal on its own if you add the salmon, or you can omit the fish for a lighter salad.
Because this recipe uses roasted garlic, it takes a little planning ahead. You can roast the garlic up to a few days ahead of time, whenever you’ve got the oven turned on for something else. Just keep the garlic refrigerated until you’re ready to use it for the dressing. The dressing keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or so, so you can eat this for a couple of meals, if you like. Look for the cans of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.
the dressing
1 bulb Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, chopped coarsely
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
1 whole chipotle chile, from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (see note, above)
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½ cup olive oil
Squeeze out the contents from the roasted garlic bulb and combine with the other ingredients, except the oil, in the bowl of a blender. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until thick and creamy. Correct seasonings to taste.
the salad
1 large head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted in a skillet until puffed and golden
1 avocado
1 cup kippered salmon, flaked or canned salmon, flaked [optional]
1. Peel and dice the avocado.
2. Toast slices of golden maize sourdough bread.
3. Toss lettuce with dressing to your taste, add avocado and flaked salmon (if using). Toss again.
4. Sprinkle with toasted pepitas, and serve the salad with toast on the side.
roasted garlic
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees (or whatever is convenient). Slice the top off the garlic bulb, just enough to expose the tops of the garlic flesh. Center the bulb on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the bulb securely and pop it into the oven.
2. After 45 minutes or so (longer if it’s at a lower temperature), you should start to smell the roasting garlic, but depending on the size of your bulb, it may need a bit more time. Test by unwrapping it and slipping the sharp point of a paring knife into one of the cloves. If it slides in effortlessly, or the cloves are starting to poke out of their skins, then the garlic is ready.