I think this simple dish wins for having the most types of spices I’ve ever used in a single recipe. It is really full-flavored, though not too spicy for my relatively low heat tolerance. J. declared it “not totally bland,” which coming from a guy who likes to sweat and have some discomfort from spicy food, is a compliment.
I used canned, diced tomatoes but didn’t love how big the chunks were compared to the smaller chickpeas. Next time I’d use crushed tomatoes if good fresh tomatoes, which I would puree, weren’t available. I served the chana masala with white basmati rice and International Fabulous Flats’ whole-grain naan.
I thought the boys would eat the naan and rice, but they surprised me and refused to eat any of it. I cannot make a side of pasta or challah with every single meal, so they went to bed without dinner and without complaint. I really hate when they don’t eat, even though it clearly doesn’t bother them.
Chana Masala
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
2 tsp. grated ginger (I use bottled)
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder (I used red roasted masala curry powder)
1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2/3 c. water
2 15.5-oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon
Heat canola oil in a large skillet. Add onion and jalapeños and cook over medium heat until softened and the onions start to brown. Add in ginger through curry powder, and continue stirring for a few minutes, until spices are warmed and their scent increases.
Stir in tomatoes with all their liquid, water, and drained chickpeas. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Just before serving, add in salt and the lemon juice. Stir, taste, and adjust for seasoning (particularly for heat — you might want more cayenne). Serve over rice.
February 16, 2010
The according-to-plan week I hoped for last Sunday was derailed by a couple of snow days. Aside from my baking inappropriate amounts of cookies and a batch of sweet-and-spicy nuts while snowed in, we were prepared for the storm and had plenty of real food to enjoy, along with a fire we kept going all day long.
I was especially pleased with the Easy Chicken Chili, Made with Leftovers. I had roasted chicken on Monday night, and chopped up the leftover meat to use in this chili on Tuesday. It was fantastic! I recommend it, even if you need to cook up some chicken just to make it.
On Saturday night, J. and I went out to Sonora in Port Chester for a Valentine’s dinner. Our food was fine, we enjoyed the evening, but neither of us felt any urge to rush back (especially since it’s a half hour away — might as well go into the city). We were crowded in between two tables upstairs, and the servers had trouble negotiating between these three tables (ours in the middle) which backed up to their kitchen/staging area. Also, and this is such a silly complaint: please don’t serve my sangria with a bendy straw! The sangria was actually lovely, with lots of fruit and not too much sweetness. But the plastic straw made me feel like I was anywhere but in a white tablecloth restaurant.
On Sunday J. dug a path through the snow to his smoker, and treated us to smoked beef ribs and burnt ends. It was a Valentine’s Day labor of love, to be sure, topped only by the fact that when I dragged myself into the kitchen that night to clean up from the chaos, I found he had already done it all while I was reading to the boys.
Monday: Chana Masala (chickpea curry), basmati rice, naan (bumped from last week)
Tuesday: Hot & Sour Soup, lo mein noodles, steamed broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Out to dinner
Friday: Chicken Soup (from freezer) with noodles, steamed green beans, challah
Saturday: Bean-less Chili (made with stew meat — I’m making it up as I go along), salad, corn bread
Sunday: Leftovers or order in or eat out
For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.
February 15, 2010
Kalyn posted her sister-in-law’s recipe for white chicken chili (Amy’s Amazing White Chicken Chili) on Twitter recently, and I knew immediately I wanted to make it. I have a backlog of dinners I want to make when my parents are here — Hot & Sour Soup and Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans, to name a couple — but this chili sounded too good to put in the “to try, eventually” folder. I was not disappointed.
I followed Kalyn’s basic recipe, but instead of prepping chicken breasts specifically for the dish, I used leftover roasted chicken from the night before. It was mostly breast meat, with a little dark meat too. I removed all the meat from the bone and roughly chopped it into bite-sized pieces; I wound up with 3 cups worth. Then I picked up her recipe after she explained cooking the chicken. Using leftovers made this chili super-easy, and what a totally different way to make use of a chicken two nights in a row!
Other changes I made: I am apparently out of oregano, so I omitted it. My chiles didn’t say anything about the variety of pepper — I used two 4.5-oz. cans of Old El Paso chopped chiles. Even with this quantity it has a lovely warmth, but is not a gasp-for-beer spicy dish. Next time I would chose fresh jalapeño peppers instead, though I did enjoy the soft texture of the canned chiles. I used 3 cups of homemade chicken stock and did not add the additional flavor base — it didn’t need it. I rinse and drain my beans to cut down the salt content a bit. And I used a lot of cilantro, about a cup, chopped. You can add salt and pepper to taste.
We ate this chili with Bachman MultiGrain Tortilla Chips, the first time I’ve tried this variety. They were excellent and have a better nutritional profile than traditional chips. Me and my parents loved this meal, though not surprisingly the boys wouldn’t try the chili. A. ate a couple of chips, but perhaps because they were brown and somewhat healthy-looking G. could not be convinced to even eat those.
February 10, 2010
A couple of years ago, I used Devil Dogs as decoration for a birthday cake I made for J.’s grandma. Even as I was making that cake, I realized that trying to replicate a Devil Dog with my own cake and frosting would have been a cool alternative. So I had big plans for GG’s birthday cake this year — I was going to follow Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Homemade Devil Dog, Ding Dong, or Hostess Cake and make the cake and frosting from scratch.
However, I really didn’t take a good look at the recipe or directions until the morning of the birthday celebration, and I quickly realized I didn’t have the time to make the cakes from scratch, let alone freeze them before frosting (as Deb and my friend Jen — who has made Deb’s cake before — suggest). I decided I’d use a devil’s food cake mix instead, but still make the Marshmallow Frosting myself.
I divided the batter between ten 5-inch mini loaf pans, filling them each with only about an inch or so of thick batter. They puffed up while baking, but then settled back down to a nice, slightly-rounded top as they cooled. The cake was perfect — moist and deeply chocolaty, and not cloyingly sweet.
I started the frosting just before dinner, following the recipe with what I think wound up being two major changes: I didn’t use a metal bowl (I only had glass), and I used pasteurized egg whites (from a carton, but they are 100% liquid egg whites, not Egg Beaters) rather than separating the yolks out of fresh eggs. I beat the frosting for 6 minutes, then another minute, then another. Nothing. I got a little froth but overall it stayed in liquid form. With only a few minutes to go before I had to put a meal on the table, I threw out that batch and made a super-quick vanilla buttercream instead. With this successful batch, I made sandwiches out of the mini loaves (used whole) and the frosting, making five small Devil Dog-like cakes. A reasonable serving would have been to cut each filled cake into three servings. But you know, I can’t say we were too reasonable.
Overall I was very pleased with the way the Devil Dog Birthday Cake looked, even though it was created quite differently than I’d originally intended. Everyone loved them, especially the birthday girl. If you come to my house today, don’t expect any leftovers — I sent some home with GG and between the rest of us we polished these puppies off within 24 hours of them being baked.
February 9, 2010
To prep a butternut squash, I cut off the neck with a large chef’s knife, and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Then I go back to the bulb part, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and peel the outside as well. Afterward I hack the whole thing into bite-sized pieces.
Today when I stepped away to the garbage can to peel the neck of the squash, moisture (sugar? it was sticky) started seeping out of the other cut piece, leaving dewy droplets all around the edge. I thought it was really beautiful.
February 8, 2010
This week went awry early on, when A. came down with a mild virus and stayed home from school for a couple of days, which threw my schedule (including grocery shopping) off for the whole week. Other than a huge pot of chicken soup, I can’t think of anything I actually cooked. We ate soup, leftovers, ordered in pizza one night, and did just fine. We’re also in the middle of a busy weekend with both Saturday and Sunday dinners out of the house, so my stove must be wondering where we’ve been.
This coming week we’re celebrating a birthday on Monday, and I always like a reason to bake cake!
I realized this week that there’s another variable I need to consider while meal planning — do I have to run out briefly in the afternoon (say, to pick up a boy from a friends’ house nearby), and do I feel comfortable leaving the oven on while I go out for 15 minutes? The answer I came up with was no, I really don’t. Do you? (And yes, this is where the Crock-Pot shines!) I have to either plan to make things with long cooking times earlier in the day (like roasting a whole chicken), or not on days when, although I’m home, I have to run out briefly.
I’m hoping for a healthy week this week, which everything going pretty much according to schedule.
Monday: Roasted chicken, roasted butternut squash, sauteed spinach, challah, Devil Dog Cake
Tuesday: White Chicken Chili, tortilla chips, crudite
Wednesday: Make Your Own Pizza, salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chana Masala (chickpea curry), basmati rice, naan
Saturday: Out to eat
Sunday: J. is going to smoke something… I’m voting for ribs or brisket, Grilled Steak Fries, roasted Brussels sprouts
For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.
February 6, 2010
The other day A. was feeling a little under the weather, so I let him choose dinner and he asked for noodle soup — my homemade chicken soup, strained until clear, with thin egg noodles cooked in the broth. Luckily I had one more container in the freezer, and he (and G.) happily slurped up those noodles as if he knew they’d make him feel better.
That virus is still lingering, so he stayed home from school today in that weird in-between where you’re not quite well enough to go to school, but you certainly don’t feel sick enough to stay in bed (or even nap, dammit). He had plenty of energy to act like a loon with his brother, scarf down three full meals, and still have room for ice cream.
I started a fresh pot of chicken soup at noon today, and let it simmer all afternoon so that he could have noodle soup for dinner again (his request). And now I’m restocked. I keep these containers in the fridge overnight, skim off the fat, and then freeze them. Hopefully I won’t need another noodle soup dinner as medicine anytime soon.
February 2, 2010
My stand-out recipe from last week is the Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Flanken (flanken is a cut of beef short ribs). I absolutely adored this dish, and although I’m the only one who has tried it so far, I promise it’s a great Crock-Pot recipe! It’s very flexible and could be made without meat as well.
I also made a Jack Daniel’s Cake with Buttered Whiskey Glaze for my dad’s birthday, and whoa was it potent! I’d like to make it for a Super Bowl party, but I might be kicked out if I don’t bring the Chocolate Trifle I bring every year.
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Flanken (from the freezer), French bread, garden salad
Wednesday: Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo, rice, Cauliflower Poppers, naan (store-bought)
Thursday: Spaghetti with meatballs (from the freezer), garden salad
Friday: Roasted chicken, steamed broccoli/cauliflower mix, challah
Saturday: Order in
Sunday: At a Super Bowl party
For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.
February 1, 2010
I always like an opportunity to bake a cake, and to celebrate my dad’s birthday last month I decided to try something other than standard chocolate. He likes Jack Daniel’s whiskey, so I thought that would be a good starting point for this adults-only cake. A Google search led me to Jack’s Birthday Cake on a Paula Deen forum, but the same recipe — which seems to originate on the Jack Daniel’s site — has been copied around the Web under different names.
This is a dense, pound-like cake that works well in a Bundt pan. Everyone liked the cake, though J. and I felt the alcohol flavor was a little too pronounced in the glaze — it overpowered the cake, which was very good in its own right. If I made it again, I might try a chocolate glaze, or just sub out some of the whiskey in the glaze for water.
Even though it bakes for almost an hour, keep in mind this cake has a strong, distinct whiskey flavor. As I made it, it contains more than three-quarters of a cup of Jack — about 7 shots — in the whole glazed cake. I would not serve it to kids (mine had Carvel Flying Saucers instead). Remember to eat this cake responsibly!
Jack Daniel’s Cake with Buttered Whiskey Glaze
Slightly adapted from Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter
2 c. firmly-packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
½ c. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. pecans, roughly chopped
6 oz. semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Buttered Whiskey Glaze (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Once it is fully melted, turn off the heat and use the pot as your mixing bowl. Add in the brown sugar, eggs, and whiskey, stirring well after each one. Then add the flour, baking powder, salt, nuts, and chips. Mix until well-combined.
Pour batter into a greased 10-inch Bundt pan (a 9×13-inch pan will also work). Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one side comes out clean, and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. The cake will *not* change color significantly, so don’t go by color alone.
Cool completely on a wire rack, then turn out of the Bundt pan. Drizzle with glaze.
Buttered Whiskey Glaze
Glaze can be made ahead and reheated briefly in a microwave (20 seconds or so) so that it can be drizzled right before serving.
½ stick (¼ c.) butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter in a small saucepan, and then remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients, and mix with a whisk until glaze is completely smooth and no lumps of sugar remain.
February 1, 2010
I saw flanken at my kosher butcher several months ago, and knew back then that I wanted to make it with split pea soup. Flanken are thinly-cut beef short ribs; Beth has a great photo of them on her site. Flanken-cut ribs are sometimes called “Korean style” as well — they’re usually barbecued, while kosher flanken is usually cooked low and slow. Perfect for the Crock-Pot.
I used Stephanie O’Dea’s CrockPot Split Pea Soup Recipe as a starting point, and to get the liquid to solid ratio right for my soup. I had the bag of dried peas in my pantry and the flanken in my freezer, so although I hadn’t shopped for the other ingredients I decided to pull it together from what I had on hand. It was so delicious, I’d probably make it the same way next time!
We wound up not eating this for dinner (J. and the boys had way less enthusiasm for trying this soup than I did), but I have been enjoying it myself one bowl at a time. I did freeze a good portion, and after removing the flanken from the bone, shredded it and put it on top of the soup. I’m going to defrost it and serve it for dinner tomorrow night, when my parents are here — I think they’ll love it too.
If I’d had enough vegetable stock in the house to do so, I would have eliminated the veggie stock cube entirely and just done 5 cups of broth. I might have also added some chopped carrots.
I found the consistency of the soup was smooth enough for me without blending, but you can certainly use an immersion blender to get it more uniformly creamy. Just don’t forget to remove the bay leaf and flanken first!
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Flanken
1 lb. flanken-cut beef ribs (or a little more)
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. bag dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. kosher salt
10 grinds black pepper
1 vegetable stock cube (I use Telma), crushed
1 c. vegetable stock
4 c. water
Add ingredients in the order listed to a 6 qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove bay leaf, discard. Remove flanken and set aside until it is cool enough to handle. Remove meat from the bones, and shred. Serve soup with a small portion of flanken on top, or stir it back into the pot.
February 1, 2010
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 4 and 6, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 