Cleaning out the Crisper

It's one of those grey days where I'm too bummed to go out to the shops for food, which means it's time to retreat to the pantry where I have cans upon cans of chickpeas (thank Costco for that).

I've had a squash in my cupboard for the past 6 months. So, that was my challenge - one small squash and some chickpeas. Bonus points for use of the leftover half can of coconut milk in the fridge.

 And voila:

A Softly Spiced Chickpea Squash Simmer

(inspired by a pumpkin recipe from Nigel Slater's Tender I)

Ingredients

1 14oz can chickpeas
1 small delicata squash (but really, any squash or pumpkin will do)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb size knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 lime leaves (use 2 stalks lemongrass, or the zest of one lime if you don't have the lime leaves)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
3 whole cardamon pods, lightly crushed
1 dried whole chili pepper (or two minced fresh, seeded chilies)
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 cup coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
½ tbsp canola oil
½ tbsp mustard seed
palmful chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas, set aside. Peel squash and seed, pulling out tough inner fibres. Chop into bite size chunks.

2. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes, softening without colouring. Add ginger and garlic, cooking, stirring constantly for another minute. Add lime leaves, coriander, turmeric, cardamon pods and dried pepper, cook for about 30 seconds to allow the spices to bloom. Add in chickpeas, squash and stock.

Partially cover and let simmer until squash is just tender, about 20 minutes (this will, of course, depend on the kind of squash you use). You may need to add more liquid if the mixture looks like it's drying out.

3. Once squash has reached the right consistency, stir in the coconut milk and reduce heat to low. Let simmer gently while you complete step 4.

4. Heat remaining oil over medium low heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds and cook just until they begin to pop. Mix oil and mustard seeds into the chickpea-squash mixture. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

The lime leaves are for decorative purposes only! Don't eat them.

When your cooking doesn't look as pretty as the picture...

Sometimes, I wish I was one of those bloggers who had the ability (and the equipment) to take amazing food photographs.

Heck, I'd settle for decent ones.

But, as I do most of my cooking in the evening (and, I'm not about to stop that any time soon), I work under artificial light. And artificial light is not photograph friendly.

And no, I'm not about to build a light box any time soon. That kind of nonsense would just take up too much room in our apartment, but I'll confess to a twinge of jealousy for those people who do have the room and inclination to undertake a blogging project like that.

So, I'm always in awe of what other bloggers can do. So many have the art of food styling down... and, as we all know, we eat with our eyes first.

Most of the time, I tell myself that the photos don't matter, that the food tastes great and that's the most important thing. But, every once and a while, I'll cook something that looks so far removed from its original source that I'm embarrassed to share it.

First off, go check out the lovely blog Indian Simmer here and here.

Don't worry, I'll still be here when you come back.

You done? See how she makes very simple, homey things look amazing?

Alright, here's how those two recipes turned out for me.

Mmm. Brown sludge with a side of mustardy-brown... erm... bits. Nowhere nearly as attractive.

And that's where I get really frustrated, because all three recipes found on this plate were delicious, in spite of the picture. Today, I'm going to share one of the three recipes with you. Stay tuned tomorrow for one other recipe, and please trust me when I ask you to try this out.

Indian Lentil and Bean Simmer

(heavily adapted from Indian Simmer)

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried cranberry beans
2 cups red lentils
2-3 tbsp French lentils (they don't fall apart)
1 tsp tumeric
10 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 inch ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp hot curry powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 tbsp coriander powder
2/3 cup whole fat coconut milk
salt to taste
palmful of cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Soak the cranberry beans over night. You'll watch them grow (like magic!) over that time frame. See?

2. Place beans in a pot of cold water. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until beans are just tender. They don't need to be completely cooked, as you'll be adding them to the lentils in the next step. Drain and set aside. You'll notice that the beans have changed once again! The colour changes drastically.

It's disappointing to lose that pretty colour, isn't it?

3. Rinse lentils and add to a large pot (and I do mean large), add in beans. Cover mixture with water (water level should be about an inch above lentil/bean mixture) - this is between 6-8 cups. Add the tumeric, salt, peppercorns and cloves. Heat over high until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, thick and lentils have fallen apart. This will take about an hour, and you want to make sure the consistency isn't watery!

4. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add bay leaves and onions to oil and sauté until onion is translucent. Stir in garlic and ginger and continue sautéing until everything is golden. Add tomato paste, curry powder and coriander. Stir in coconut milk.

5. Pour onion mixture into lentil mixture, add additional salt to taste. I added close to another teaspoon. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

South Indian Curry

I've really been working through my Fine Cooking magazine this month! I meant to make this for my Thursday night veganfest with Kat, but we opted to do a different recipe instead. So this dish got deferred to Saturday night.

This is one tasty curry. It's mild, but flavourful.

Love the colours! We had it with basmati and paranthas.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. You probably have most of these in your crisper or pantry. Also, if you have any lime leaves, throw them into the coconut milk mixture along with the cinnamon stick for added flavour.

South Indian Curry

(Fine Cooking Oct/Nov 2010)

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (1 Tbs.)

1 Tbs. ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 Tbs. tomato paste

2 cups lower-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small cauliflower, broken into 1-1/2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 1 cup)

One 15-1/2-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

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In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with the cilantro.