Chili sin Carne

Chili has been a staple of the American diet for hundreds of years, first documented by Spanish conquistadors in writings about their findings in Mexico, which included the dish chili con carne in 1519. Most commonly in Mexico, the dish consisted of meat endlessly stewed with spices, but the ingredients would vary when it reached the American west depending upon availability. Chili became especially popular in Texas, where they saw both the chili queens, who would cook chili in the plaza over open fires in the evening, and chili parlors, small dining establishments devoted to the dish. Currently, many current versions of chili seems a far cry from the stewed meat and spices, especially because beans and tomatoes are both questioned as to whether they truly belong in the dish. All conventions aside, chili, even without the key ingredient of meat, can be a great dish using surplus ingredients, which can be made ahead and either eaten immediately or frozen for later. Homemade tortillas are especially delicious with chili sin carne.

1 c black beans, cooked

2 c tomatoes, diced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 summer squash, finely diced

1 c mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely pressed or chopped

¼ c cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

salt

water

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the chili powder and cumin and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic, stir and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot and mushrooms, stir to combine and continue sautéing until the vegetables are tender, stirring continually to prevent burning.

2. Next, add the red bell pepper and summer squash and sauté until tender. Fold in the beans and tomatoes, and add ¼-½ c water, so the liquid is not quite even with the vegetables, cover and simmer over medium-low, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Once the liquid has been reduced and the vegetables are soft, remove from heat, stir in half the cilantro and season to taste with salt.

3. Serve the chili warm or room temperature with fresh cilantro and additional toppings as desired.

Serves 3-4

Fresh Massaman Curry

Curries are one of the staples of Thai cooking and though prepared curry pastes are readily available, fresh curry paste is especially delicious. Massaman curry paste is of Muslim origin, from southern Thailand and Massaman tends to be one of the more mild curries found in Thailand. It is believed the term Massaman is a colloquial word for Muslim. Massaman curry paste includes peanuts, potatoes and spices such as cumin, clove and nutmeg, which were brought to Thailand from Indonesia by traders. Because tofu is used in place of meat, fried tofu and potatoes and used along with more vegetables are added to give the resulting curry a full and rounded flavor. Fresh Thai spring rolls and cucumber watermelon slaw are both delicious with Massaman curry.

Meat may be sautéed on its own and in place of fried tofu.

For Kenneth, who loves curry.

For the Paste:

¼ c peanuts

1 shallot, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, trimmed

1 small chili pepper, trimmed

1 tbsp ginger or galangal, peeled

1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and cut into large pieces

2 tbsp fish sauce or tamari

1 tsp brown or palm sugar

1 tsp coriander

½ tbsp cumin

1/8 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp clove

¼ tsp cardamom

1. If using whole spices, grind them into a fine powder. Combine ingredients in a food processor and process into a smooth paste.

2. Makes about ½ c curry paste. Curry paste can be frozen for 2-3 months.

For the Curry:

1 c tofu, cubed and fried

4 new potatoes, sliced and fried

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

½ red pepper, trimmed diced

¼ lb green beans, trimmed

1 ear of corn, kernels removed from cob

1 onion, trimmed and finely diced

1 can coconut milk

2 scallions, trimmed and finely sliced

¼ c cilantro leaves

¼ c Thai basil

1 tbsp vegetable oil plus more for frying

salt and pepper

1. Place a large heavy pot, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion and 2-3 tbsp massaman curry paste; stir continually until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and continue sautéing for until carrot is slightly tender, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Next, add coconut milk to the pot and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add fried tofu, fried potatoes, red pepper, and green beans, combine and simmer until vegetables are brilliant in color, about 1 minute. Stir in corn, scallions, cilantro and basil and remove curry from heat.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve curry over jasmine rice.

Serves 3-4

German Potato Salad

Potato salad is classic dish in American cuisine brought by European immigrants; however, similar to coleslaw, it is often served with a thick and creamy dressing that creates a heavy side dish. German immigrants introduced a warm potato salad with a bacon, onion, mustard and vinegar dressing to the States in the late 19th century, which was referred to as hot German potato salad. German potato salad is a great alternative to the traditional American potato salad because it offers a similar style dish with different looks and flavors.

1 lb new potatoes

4 strips of bacon, thinly sliced

½ red onion, trimmed and diced

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

1. Steam potatoes until tender, 15-20 minutes. Once tender, remove from heat and set aside. Once potatoes have cooled slightly, quarter and place in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Place bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring continually to cook evenly and prevent sticking. Remove browned with a slotted spoon, add to potatoes and set aside.

3. Add onions to remaining bacon drippings over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add mustard seeds and vinegar. Bring vinegar to a simmer, remove from heat and stir in scallions and parsley.

4. Pour mixture over potatoes and bacon in mixing bowl and thoroughly combine potatoes with other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4

Warm Red Lentil and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Lentil salads, such as warm red lentil salad, are the perfect way to continue eating lentils during spring and summer. Lentils, a member of the legume family, were one of the first crops domesticated by humans in the Near East. Due to their high protein content, lentils remain an important part of the diet around the world, especially in South Asia and the Middle East. In the States, it seems lentils are frequently cooked in lentil soup and while delicious, is certainly not the only way to cook lentils. Warm spiced red lentils with caramelized shallots over sautéed spinach and fresh tomatoes topped with crumbled goat cheese are reminiscent of similar dishes served in Persian cuisine and are delicious with tangerine beets and roasted potatoes.

Any variety of lentils may be used, though cooking times and water quantities may vary. Feta could be used in place of goat cheese. Yellow or red onions may be used instead of shallots. Omit the goat cheese to make the dish vegan.

For the Samimi-Aazamis, my Persian dears, in celebration of their anniversary.

1 c red lentils

2 c water

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped

2 medium shallots, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 lb fresh spinach, trimmed

1 medium tomato, finely diced

1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven or similarly heavy pot over medium heat. Add lentils and cumin, sauté until lentils become slightly translucent, 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add ginger and garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer lentils until water is almost completely reduced and lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add shallots. Sauté shallots, stirring often until shallots are golden brown and caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Once caramelized, remove from heat and combine with cooked lentils, mint and cilantro. Season lentils to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Using the same medium skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach and sauté until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes. Season spinach to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve lentils over sautéed spinach and tomatoes and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Serves 3-4

Butternut Squash Purée with Nutmeg

Butternut squash is still one of my favorite squashes because it maintains its rich orange color after cooking and has a sweet creamy flavor. Nutmeg pairs well with squash, especially creamy squash such as butternut, due to the mild background squash provides for the strong flavor of nutmeg. Nutmeg comes from the Myristica fragrans, an evergreen nutmeg tree from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, which provides both nutmeg, the seed and mace, the seed's aril or covering. Though I think of fall and winter too, butternut squash purée reminds me of spring because it is bright in color and light in taste. I like to pair this purée with orange pecan kale, wheat berry salad or blue potatoes and use it as a pizza topping with goat cheese and caramelized onions.

Milk may be used in place of cream. A larger or smaller squash may be used with slight quantity adjustments to the other ingredients.

1 1.5-2 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½" cubes

2 tbsp butter

¼ c cream

¼ tsp nutmeg, grated

salt and pepper

1. Place cubed squash in a steamer basket over a pot with water up to the basket. Cover and steam until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove squash from heat and place steamed squash in food processor.

2. Add cream, butter and nutmeg to squash and purée until smooth, adding more cream as necessary to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Serve squash purée warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4

Matar Saag Paneer : Indian Cheese with Spinach and Peas

Saag and matar are two of my favorite Indian dishes, spinach and peas respectively cooked in a fragrant tomato sauce. I especially like them combined and served with fried paneer, which is a form of Indian cheese. For recipes and ideas, such as this curry, I generally turn to Julie Sahni's book Classic Indian Cooking. A few weeks ago, I decided to make homemade paneer, which was surprisingly easy and satisfying and became the inspiration for and main ingredient in this dish, based on recipes in Classic Indian Cooking.

Paneer may be found at specialty grocery stores or paneer from scratch. Meat such as chicken or lamb may be used instead of paneer.

2 c paneer, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 c cooked spinach

1 c peas, fresh or frozen

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1 c tomatoes, fresh or canned, finely chopped

1 ½ c hot water

6 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp flour

1 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

salt

1. Spread paneer on a clean dish towel and allow cubes to dry slightly, about 30 minutes. Dust paneer in flour. Heat 3 tbsp ghee or oil in a medium over medium heat. Working in small batches, add paneer to skillet and fry, turning evenly until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large heavy pan or Dutch oven, heat ghee or oil used for frying and remaining ghee or oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until slightly brown, stirring constantly. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add coriander, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, sauté for about 10 seconds and add tomatoes. Cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

3. Add 1 ¼ c water and spinach and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and cool slightly before puréeing sauce with an immersion blender or other food processor.

4. Return sauce to the large pan over medium heat and add peas, fried paneer and ¼ c water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until peas are cooked. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt, cover and allow dish to rest at least 1 hour before serving.

5. Reheat, adding garam masala and cilantro and gently combine before serving. Serve over basmati rice or with Indian bread.

Serves 3-4

Southwestern Stewed Pork and Beans

I first came across Christmas lima beans while shopping at a farmer's market in Tucson, Arizona. The Native Seeds Search was selling them along with many other beans and grains. I was drawn to their red and white color immediately and decided to bring them home to New York to cook with them. Christmas lima beans were popular in the South during the mid-19th century and have only recently resurfaced with the help of heirloom bean growers around the country. They have subsequently become one of my favorite beans. Though they can be difficult to find, I have been able to order them online and find them at specialty markets. Beet salad or marinated brassicas or beets and tangerines would make a nice starter or side to this stew.

Any variety of bean will work for this stew, such as a kidney, pinto or other lima bean.

½ lb pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 c Christmas lima beans, cooked

1 medium yellow onion, trimmed and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced

1 large red pepper, trimmed and diced

1 small waxy potato, peeled and diced

½ c corn, fresh or frozen

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ c beer

2 c stock

water

salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven, or similarly heavy pan, over medium heat. Add pork, brown each side, remove pork from pan and set aside.

2. Keeping pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the potato and fry until golden brown. Next, add onion, carrot, pepper and celery, sautéing until translucent. Add cumin, chili and garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add beer to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Return the browned pork to the Dutch oven, add cooked beans and return ingredients to a simmer. Once simmering, add stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 20 minutes. Add additional water if necessary to maintain cooking liquid.

4. Once pork is tender, remove stew from heat, add corn and water if necessary. Cover and set for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve warm with sour cream and cilantro or toppings of choice.

Serves 3-4

Mulled Wine with Orange

Mulled wine is a perfect cold weather beverage. Thanks to my Swedish roots, I grew up drinking a variation of mulled wine called glögg, which was stronger due to the addition of hard alcohol. Both versions are very good, though mulled wine without hard alcohol seems a more versatile beverage. I have been making it for various social gatherings as a more festive alternative to straight wine. Not only does it taste warm and delicious, it makes the house smell like orange and spices, especially fitting for winter. White wine sangria is a perfect counterpart to mulled wine.

Most any inexpensive variety of red wine will work. Spices may be increased or decreased according to preference.

1 bottle red wine

1 c water

½ c sugar

1 orange, thinly sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

¼ tsp black peppercorns

4 cloves

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, simmering until sugar has been dissolved. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and allow to rest at least 4 hours. Reheat wine over low heat as necessary.

2. Serve mulled wine hot.

Makes about 4 cups