Coriander and Cumin-Rubbed Chickpeas, Charred Corn Relish, Steamed Okra and Fried Onions

Coriander and Cumin-Rubbed Chickpeas, Charred Corn Relish, Steamed Okra and Fried Onions

Corn is, to me, one of the most quintessential summer foods. While it is available year-round, I buy it almost exclusively during the summer when it seems to be at every Greenmarket booth. As I see it, it's a great, simple addition to almost every meal (as you can see from many Make-It-a-Meal suggestions). Normally I just steam it, enjoying the corn fresh with butter. Every so often, however, I get the urge to do something more creative. At those times, I turn to cookbooks -- in this case, Courses: A Culinary Journey. A complicated book (by a chef on a cruise line), I find it's best for inspiration. In there, I found a recipe for Charred Corn Relish. That seemed simple enough, but certainly not enough for a meal. It was served with catfish -- not an option when cooking for the vegetarian, though, if you're so inclined please feel free to try it out! Instead, I opted for chickpeas, one of my favorite legumes. I have to say, these battered and fried chickpeas were one of the best things I've ever made. While they were great with all the accompaniments, they'd also be a wonderful appetizer, served with drinks.

Wanting to include a green vegetable, I decided to go with okra, one of the few green vegetables that the vegetarian is extremely fond of. Being lazy, and knowing how flavorful the rest of the dish would be, I steamed the okra and tossed it with butter (similarly to how I usually cook corn). However, in order to up the flavor quotient of the rest of the dish, I allowed myself to be inspired by Stir-fry Okra, Chillies & Shallots from. So even though my okra was simple, I used lots of spices for the rest of the dish.


This "dish" is actually several different components. Feel free to make only one part, or several -- whatever works for your time constraints and tastebuds. Everything works well together or separately. At the end of the post, under "leftovers", there are some suggestions for how else to use each component. Bon appetit!


Coriander and Cumin-Rubbed Chickpeas, Charred Corn Relish, Steamed Okra and Fried Onions
adapted from Courses: A Culinary Journey and Ahaar


For a non-vegetarian alternative, you could substitute catfish filets for some or all of the chickpeas.

• 2 lbs. chickpeas
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• grapeseed oil, for frying
• kernels from 3 ears fresh corn
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3/4 cup canned black beans
• 1 green jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice from 1 lime
• juice from 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• grapeseed oil, for frying
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground
• 3 cups okra
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground

Drain chickpeas. Pour in a large bowl and squeeze lemon juice on top. Season with mustard, cumin and coriander seeds. Toss well to combine. Make seasoned flour by combining flour, salt, turmeric, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss well until coated. Remove chickpeas, reserving remaining seasoned flour. Heat grapeseed oil in a heavy saute pan and fry chickpeas for 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let drain. (If you were to make this with catfish, now would be the time to cook it -- treated the same way as the chickpeas.)

Charred Corn Relish

Heat a heavy pan (cast-iron if available) until very hot. Add corn kernels to pan and allow to char, cooking undisturbed. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and shallot. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add black beans, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, salt and chile powder. Keep warm.

Separate onion rings and dredge in seasoned flour. Heat grapeseed oil in heavy saute pan (the same one used to fry the chickpeas) and fry onion until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let drain and keep warm.

Clean okra and trim stems. Steam 8-12 minutes, whole. Once cooked, chop into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss with butter, salt and pepper.

Serve chickpeas topped with corn relish and fried onions, okra on the side. Enjoy!

Make it a meal: This dish (or dishes, depending on how you see things) is really a meal in itself! Serve with

Separate dishes

 a rose -- I'd recommend a 2010 Biohof Pratsch. Bon appetit!

Leftovers: Because there are so many components, I'm going to suggest leftovers for each one. Toss leftover okra and fried onions with kasha. Combine corn salsa with chopped kumato tomatoes to freshen it up. Serve with tortilla chips. Finally, combine some cultures (and add extra seasoning to packaged food) by heating leftover chickpeas (or catfish) with creamy polenta with spinach & carrots, courtesy of Trader Joe's.

Links to other fried onion noshes: 

• How to Make French Fried Onions from Gluten Free Mommy
• Onion Strings from The Pioneer Woman
• Oven-Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce from Brown Eyed Baker
• Red Lentils with Cumin and Fried Onions from eCurry
• Peperonata from Simply Recipes

Broiled Edamame with Fennel and Lemon

Edamame with Fennel and Lemon

Last night, the vegetarian and I were able to enjoy a rare mutual night off. Rather than going out, we decided to stay in and cook together! And yesterday was one of those days where you can sense spring trying so very hard to push winter away and fly free. While spring hasn't quite settle down, my cravings for spring produce and lighter, pale green foods certainly have!

Edamame, ready for the oven

This meant, that, after having eaten lots of pastas, composed salads and tea this past (exceptionally busy) week, what I wanted last night was vegetable-based, fresh and easy to make. What I wanted was fava beans. I first encountered fava beans two summers ago when I belonged to a CSA. Never having made them before, I cooked them very simply the first time -- with garlic and oil, if I remember correctly -- and waited patiently, collecting recipes all the while, until I could have them again.


I rediscovered the recipe treasure trove last week and was most 
inspired by two recipes: Grilled Fava Bean Pods on Food & Wine and Potato Salad with Fava Beans and Fennel on Kitchen Konfidence. Of course, I live in an apartment without a grill (although we do have some outside space...) so I devised a way to "grill" using a preheated iron pan and a broiler instead.

But, you're thinking, isn't today's recipe for edamame, Lady A? So why on earth are you going on and on

Fennel et al., awaiting the Edamame

about fava beans? Because, darlings, The best laid schemes of mice and men/go oft awry. Which is to say that, spring having begun only astronomically and not meteorologically, fava beans are certainly not in season. So I defrosted the frozen edamame we received this month from Winter Sun Farms and made them instead.


Broiled Edamame with Fennel and Lemon
adapted from Food and Wine's Grilled Fava Bean Pods with Chile and Lemon

• 1 pound edamame pods, defrosted if frozen and spun dry in a salad spinner
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Ozzy, looking longingly up at our dinner

Raise oven rack as high as possible, place an iron pan on rack and preheat oven (with pan inside) to 550F. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss edamame with olive oil. When oven is heated. remove pan and turn on broiler. Add edamame to hot pan and place under broiler. Broil 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.

Meanwhile, in the same bowl, mix together fennel, green onion, red pepper flakes and kosher salt. when edamame is cooked, add to bowl and toss well to combine. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Make it a Meal: As an alternative to your standard grain, try this with some savory oatmeal, prepared like

Edamame, Fennel, Oatmeal and Wine

rice by cooking it in water with olive oil, red pepper flakes and 
kosher salt. Stir in some Bulgarian feta as well, or just have the feta later for dessert. And to drink? I recommend a clean Sauvignon Blanc (ours was from Channing Daughters, of whose Wine CSA we're proud members). Bon appetit!

Links to fennel noshes:

• Roasted Fennel from Simply Recipes
• Carrot and Fennel Soup from 101 Cookbooks
• Braised Fennel from Simply Recipes

EoMEoTE #11: Hotel Fruit and Cookie

(sung to The Eagles' Hotel California)

In an over-heated room, no wind coming in
Cool smell of oranges and strawberries and gin
Suddenly inspration, a fruit salad to chill us
Oranges, strawberries, papaya
Won't even be a big fuss

Fruit all cut and in a bowl; drizzled amaretto
Marinate for an hour in the fridge let the flavors together go
Then I whipped up an egg white, added it to yogurt
Break cookies to make it an entry, and look what you have made:

Welcome to the Hotel Fruit and Cookie
Such a lovely place, such a lovely taste
Plenty to eat at the Hotel Fruit and Cookie
Any time of year you can find it here.

For this month's EoMEoTE, hosted by Dispensing Happiness, the theme is Seventies Song Lyrics, so this is my attempt. Needless to say, I'm no songwriter but Hotel California is a special song to me, so I decided that, if done in love, it was ok to butcher it just a little.

Fruit and Whipped Yogurt

1 Orange, peeled and sectioned
1/2 Papaya, peeled, seeded and diced
15-20 Strawberries, hulled and halved
4 tablespoons Amaretto
1 Egg White
1/4 cup Non-Fat Plain Yogurt
1/4 cup Cottage Cheese
4 Molasses Cookies, broken into quarters

Place Fruit in bowl and drizzle with Amaretto. Combine well. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

Whip Egg White. Beat together (you can use a blender) Yogurt and Cottage Cheese until thoroughly combined and curdles are diminished. Slowly add Egg White, continuing to beat as you do so.

Place Cookies on plate, top with Fruit and add a dollop of Yogurt-Cottage Cheese. Serve.




recipe and EoMEoTE #11 and Salad and Vegetarian and Dairy

Cabillaud aux tomates, rhubarbe et oranges

Cabillaud aux tomates, rhubarbe et oranges, avec pommes de terre nouvelles.

Sorry for the extended silence; my folks came out here for Passover, so most of the eating has been with them, which, while it was fantastic, I didn't end up posting. Also, it's still Passover, which means lots of dietary requirements, so I was having trouble coming up with exciting Kosher for Passover meals.

I also missed the orange-themed IMBB because of my visitors, but I decided to play around anyway. Sadly, this turned out more red than orange, so keep an eye out for more orange-colored food.

The sauce should be sweet-and-sour, a very Jewish flavor combination in my opinion. I like my sweet-and-sour sauces more sour than sweet, so feel free to increase the honey and decrease the lime juice.

Cabillaud aux tomates, rhubarbe et oranges

Sauce

3 Oranges
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 finely chopped Onions
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp + 2 tsp Thyme Honey
Salt and Black Pepper
4 stalks Rhubarb, poisonous leaves cut off as well as white bottom of the stalk, fibrous strings removed with a vegetable peeler
1 cup 100% Orange juice
Cinnamon to taste
1 can peeled plum Tomatoes, quartered and 1/2 cup liquid
Juice of 3/4 Lime

Using a vegetable peeler, take a long strip of zest from one of the Oranges. Place it in a small saucepan covered in cold water and bring to a boil. Drain and pat dry, then mince finely. Peel 2 Oranges, including white surrounding the flesh. Chop, removing all seeds. Set minced zest and chunks of Orange aside.

In a skillet, heat Olive oil over medium heat. Add Onions and cook, stirring every so often, for 5 minutes. Add orange zest, Ginger, 1 tsp Honey, Salt and Pepper. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring, for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the Rhubarb. Cut the stalks into chunks and place them in a pot. Add 1/2 cup of the Orange juice, 2 tsp Honey, Cinnamon and Salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer at medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.

Once the onions are soft and sweet, add remaining 1/2 cup Orange juice and boil for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides to prevent burning. Stir in Tomatoes and juice and turn heat up to medium-high and cook about 10 minutes. Add Rhubarb mixture and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add orange chunks and simmer over low or medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add Lime juice and Salt and Pepper to taste.

Let sauce cool to room temperature, then place in fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 12.

Fish

4 fillets Cod
Water
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Place Cod in glass baking dish and cover with Water. Add Salt and Pepper. Cook about 9 minutes, until fish flakes easily.

Cover Cod in sauce and decorate with wedges of remaining Orange. Serve room temperature or even chilled.