The First Supper

There are great positives and great negatives to being unemployed.

The first is that you have many hours to devote to a sculpting a meal, taking your time to make reductions and construct regional flavor profiles... but the cons inevitably are "damn... I spent $70 on groceries today at Whole Foods because of lack of self control in the gluten free aisle and produce section". However, in light of attempting to be a Manhattan Minimalist, I did score some frozen veggies for $1.70 a bag that were a tasty component of the first meal I've cooked as a resident here. The technical first meal, really, was Thanksgiving... which was not a minimalist meal at all, complete with duckfat gravy for the boys, mushroom tahini gravy and Field Roast for me, potatoes, green bean casserole, several bottles of wine.. you get the point.

Tonight was kind of special though. I had been fortunate and gracious to have a few bottles of wine I brought with me from PA, and most of my spices as well. Since I literally threw a bunch of stuff in a pan and tasted as I went along, with a moderate Moroccan/Sri Lankan bassline as my guide... indulge me a moment to write this like I would a menu, it's much easier...

Chenin Blanc Nederburg 2012

Crispy Fried Chickpeas | smoked paprika + coconut oil

Mediterranean vegetables | Marrakesh + almond milk + tomato + Hunan dried chili

Jasmine Risotto | toasted mustard seed + fried onions + cardamom

toast mustard seeds and ground cardamom in coconut oil, proceed per usual for pilaf, finish like risotto

savoryspiceshop.com's free gift from my last shipment

blurred out simmering veg

toast chilis in coconut oil, add almond milk and spices, reduce and add veg

mega chickpeamoneyshot. fry those puppies in coconut oil and smoked paprika to make your boyfriend say "these taste like..." your response, "bacon?" yes. vegan bacon tasting chickpeas.

serve on your classy plastic tote like the heathen you are.

mix everything together as you go, or eat separate!

So total cost of the meal, sans wine... like a few bucks. It was Andy's jasmine rice, maybe a half a cup of chickpeas, half a bag of those vegetables, and spices, coconut oil, and almond milk I already had on hand. Twas one incredibly filling totally vegan, glutard friendly feast. We are currently sipping coffee to take the edge off of the fullness, plus there are leftovers for tomorrow, and leftover plain chickpeas for making hummus.

Thanks Tamasin Noyes, I remember those potato skins she made at Singing Bowl I that had coconut flake bacon bits and recalled the wonderful combination of smoke + coconut = baconish flav. Check out her blog, she makes amazing things.

Cook strong chai wallahs. xoxoxo.

Broke Beans

Beans + Rice + Wine

Highly recommend a cast iron skillet.

For Emily, mah Sistah Bear.

Gather some:
Onion
Garlic
Red bell pepper
Cilantro- finely chopped or chiffonade if you want to be fancy
Lime or Lime juice
Vegetable broth
Olive or canola oil.

Optional additions:
Canned tomato
Tofu cubes
If using dried beans, soak them over night in 3:1 water to bean ratio.

Place drained beans in a pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, simmer for several hours until tender. This is great to do ahead in large batches and then freeze the remaining beans in ziplock bags for future use.

Cook rice in another pot, 2:1 rice to water ratio, or 3:1 if using brown or wild rice. Place rice in pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, julienne onion, mince garlic, as much of each as you like.

Roast bell pepper over a burner with a fork or tongs until blackened and peel off skin (when cooled!). Julienne or dice.

Heat a large pot (2-4 quarts depending how much rice and beans you are making). Add small amount of oil, then add onions, stirring often. Salt the onions well to draw out excess moisture and caramelize them. When they are translucent, add garlic stirring often to prevent burning.

Deglaze pot with some of your red wine (about 1/2-1c). Deglazing is, essentially, using a liquid to remove all the caramelized sugars from the bottom of a pot/pan and incorporate them into a sauce. Scrape all the lovely brown bits from the bottom and stir. Add your bell pepper, drained tomatoes (if using) and simmer roughly 10 minutes to cook off that raw alcohol flavor. Keep an eye on it so as not to over reduce.

Even if you're poor, you can still be punk.

Add your cooked rice and beans, cilantro, and some vegetable stock to this mess. Cook 8-10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed, season with salt and pepper. Pour another (I assume you've had several by now) glass of wine, scoop some mess in a bowl, or coffee mug, and enjoy. Post-punk-poverty cuisine at its finest!

xoxo

I highly recommend, for anyone who is just getting into their cooking-jammies, to find/borrow/purchase/don't steal the book The Tassajara Cookbook. This will really help with knife skills and grain/legume cookery.

Happy rainy Tuesday!