Chickpea Butternut Korma

A super simple vegetarian dish, powerfully delicious and nutritious. You could substitute other beans or tofu for the chickpeas, and other greens like spinach for the kale. Don't be put off by the complexity of the spice mix - you could just use your favorite curry powder.

Lots of Indian dishes are enriched with ground cashews. Using cashew (or other nut) butter is so much easier.

1 onion, diced

2 Tbsp ghee or butter

1 red Fresno chili (or jalapeño), diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp Panchpuran Bengali 5-seed mix (see note)

Curry masala mix (see note):

1/2 tsp powdered turmeric

1/2 tsp powdered fenugreek

1/2 tsp powdered coriander

1/2 tsp powdered cardamom

1 tsp red mild Kashmiri chili powder

1 can coconut cream (I used Trader Joe’s)

2 Tbsp cashew (or almond) butter

1 can chickpeas, lightly drained

2 cups butternut squash, cubed about 1/2-inch

2 cups fresh kale, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Sauté the onion in a medium pot in the ghee or butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili pepper, garlic, ginger and panchpuran and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the curry masala and stir for about another minute.

Add the coconut cream and the cashew butter and stir to mix and heat. Add the chick peas, butternut squash and kale. Season with salt. Bring to a gentle boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring often, to meld flavors.

Serve over rice, with limes if desired.

Serves 4.

Cook’s note: Panchpuran is a mix of 5 seeds often used in Indian cooking. You can find it at Indian grocers. If you do not have any, you could get by with cumin seeds, but you should probably cut the amount in half. Though it won’t be as deeply flavored, it will still be wonderful.

If you do not have all the powdered spices for the curry masala, you can substitute a tablespoon (or to taste) of your favorite curry powder.

Comments

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Rosemary Chimichurri

I am making this fresh aromatic condiment more and more often. It can be used as a topping for grilled meats, fish, and for many other flavoring opportunities. I now keep some in the refrigerator almost at all times. 4 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves large palmful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon), and the zest if you like 1/4 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Pulse the rosemary, cilantro and garlic in a small food processor (You could also use a mortar and pestle.) Tip into a small bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook’s Note: If you haven’t noticed, I love chimichurri sauce. It’s zesty, and full of aromatics. It goes on so many dishes and is a great ingredient for so many things. Make some and keep it in the fridge for inspiration. I use fresh rosemary and cilantro as my green herbs, but you could use oregano and parsley, which is also popular. Many peo...

Haddock Roasted with Aioli and Tomatoes

This is a simple yet suculent way to roast fish. Here I use haddock, but you could use most any fish including cod or tilapia, or as I did on the west coast, wild-caught Rockfish (delicious). The tomatoes offer a fresh flavor complement to the fish slathered with a rich aioli topping. This is a quick, easy way to prepare fish on a busy weeknight. 1-1/2 lb haddock fillet (Captain’s cut preferred - thicker), patted dry Aioli: 1/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 pint grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp dried dill weed Fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a medium baking dish (about 7x10-inch). Lay haddock fillet in dish. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, cover the fillet evenly with the aioli sauce. Toss the tomatoes with a dash of olive oil and scatter them over the fish. Season with dill and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake fish for about 20 mi...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog