Smart Green Gourmet

Vegetarian Hoppin' John

2011-12-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Amazingly filling and hearty, and simple too. Traditionally made on New Years' in the South to bring good luck, but perfect on any cold winter days. Leftovers freeze well. If you can't find smoked tofu, I imagine this would work well with regular tofu and more liquid smoke, or perhaps regular tofu marinated in liquid smoke. I think this could probably also be done in a crockpot.

This recipe is based on Mark Bittman's "Black-Eyed Peas with Smoked Tofu" from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I use brown rice and liquid smoke to add extra nutrition and flavor. I also find that my version takes much less time, but this may vary based on the age and toughness of your black-eyed peas. Collards are not traditionally used in this dish, but I added them to make this a one-pot meal.

Serves: 6-8
Time: 1-2 hours, largely unattended.

Ingredients:
1.5 c dried black-eyed peas, washed, and soaked if you like to speed cooking time.
2 quarts stock or water
14 oz smoked tofu, cut into cubes
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 T minced garlic
1.5 c short-grain brown rice
1 bunch collards, rinsed thoroughly (soak for 2 minutes and rinse) and coarsely chopped
liquid smoke to taste
salt and pepper to taste
tabasco sauce to taste

1) Put peas, stock, tofu, onions, and garlic in a large pot. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Bittman says this takes 1-2 hours. I found it took 30-45 minutes. So watch carefully.
2) When beans are ready or after 45 minutes, whichever comes first, make sure you have at least 3 c liquid in the pot. If not, add water or stock. Add the rice, salt, pepper, and collards if using. Cover and cook until rice is ready.
3) If any liquid remains, turn the heat up to high for a few minutes to boil it off.
4) Fluff the Hoppin' John with a fork.
5) Season with Liquid Smoke and Tabasco to taste.
6) Replace the lid. Let the dish rest and flavors mingle for 5-15 minutes before serving.

Gingered Sweet Potato Latkes with Wasabi Sour Cream

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

These latkes have become a family tradition. I am not a big fan of standard potato latkes (heresy, I know), so I developed these instead. A food processor really speeds this process along. Crispy, light, and with a kick of ginger, these latkes will spice up your festival of lights.

Serves: 2 as a main course, 4 as a side. Easily doubled, tripled, etc.
Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Latkes:
1 large sweet potato, grated
1 medium onion, grated
5T cornstarch
4T grated ginger to taste
1t salt
1 c cashews, chopped finely
3-4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c olive oil or more for frying (I like the taste of olive oil, but feel free to use a neutral oil like canola or coconut oil for a sweeter taste).

Wasabi Sour Cream:
1 c sour cream
1 t wasabi powder, or to taste

Directions:
1) Toss all ingredients except the eggs into a large bowl.
2) Add eggs. Mixture should be slick and begin to bind together, but should not be soggy.
3) Heat 1/4-1/2 c oil in a skillet over high heat until very hot.
4) Scoop mixture into skillet and flatten into patties. Fry in batches, turning once, until golden-brown on both sides. This should take approximately 2-4 minutes per side.
5) Meanwhile, stir together the wasabi powder and sour cream to taste.

The Smart Green Gourmet is Back . . . To Basics!

2011-03-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Geneva Farmers Market

Dear Readers,

The Smart Green Gourmet is very excited to be back at blogging after a long hiatus!

The past few months have seen many changes at the Smart Green Gourmet. The most notable and exciting by far was the birth of the Smart Green Baby!

The Smart Green Gourmet will now continue in its original format, as a record of favorite recipes of the SGG's friends and family. I'll be placing even more emphasis on healthy meals that can be made quickly on busy weeknights or made ahead. I'll still include occasional reviews from local restaurants discovered on what is now known as Date Night, and occasional thoughts on food-related topics. And an occasional baby food recipe might just pop up on these pages.

I look forward to seeing you back at the Smart Green Gourmet!

Support Taza Chocolate!

2010-07-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

Support Taza Chocolate! Taza, a great local Boston business specializing in sustainable, fair-trade practices and making incredibly delicious chocolate, recently suffered major damage in the same flood that has closed my own offices at HLS for more than a week and counting. You can help Taza in their recovery by buying Taza Chocolate, or buying Taza Dollars, good for purchases at their factory store. For more info, please see http://www.tazachocolate.com/.

Smart Green Gourmet Goes to Europe!

2010-06-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Smart Green Gourmet is spending the summer doing research in Geneva, where I have already discovered the biggest, juiciest figs I have ever tasted at the local farmers' markets. Here is a photo from a hike in the Genevan countryside.

This one is a farm in Sauverny, France, just over the border, where we stopped for lunch.
Blogging at the SGG may be a little spotty this summer, but is sure to be exciting and filed with tales of European adventures. Also, pictured below are a couple of recipes that I made this Spring and look forward to posting when I return!

Lactose-free Souffle

Simple Skillet Tagine

Brown Rice Paella

2010-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

A gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free entree to impress.

I was rushing to make this before our guests arrived and forgot to take a photo. And it was gorgeous. So let me describe it instead: A beautiful bed of brown rice, with a perfect crust on the bottom, with roasted orange carrots, green farmshare zucchini, and earthy shiitake mushrooms, dotted throughout with red-ripe farmshare grape tomatoes, topped with golden-brown chicken and spicy chorizo, flecked throughout with smoky Spanish pimenton. All this served to oohs and aahs after 20 minutes of work.

I recently completed Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More than 75 Recipes. In it, Bittman explains his turn to a "sensible way of eating," involving more plants and less meat, in his signature off-the-cuff, humorous, accessible style. Part part screed against the meat industry, part clarion call to eco-consciousness, part diet book, and part weight-loss memoir, Food Matters does all of these things well, although others have already done this. The 75 new recipes in Food Matters, all of which showcase little meat and lots of veggies, are all Bittman's usual top notch. This recipe is inspired by the paella recipe in that book.

As always on the SGG, this recipe is flexible. Use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand, setting them gently to roast on the top. The more colors, the better. Replace the tomatoes and some of their stock with canned diced tomatoes and their juices. Use more meat, or less, or substitute shrimp and seafood. To make it vegetarian, omit the chicken and chorizo, up the pimenton, and add veggies to your heart's content. Try saffron instead of pimenton, or use a combination. Try mushroom stock. Vary the spices to make it less Spanish and more unique. Use traditional arborio rice instead of brown rice and cut the oven time by half. The possibilities are endless, and up to you.

Before braising chicken thighs, I like to loosen the skin when I trim the thighs so that I can season the meat directly. I leave the skin on to keep the meat moist during cooking, and then leave it up to my guests whether they want to remove it or not.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Total Time: 50-60 minutes.
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
~4 cups stock or water, more or less as needed
2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO; if you use a good nonstick pan, you may need even less; if your chicken is not fatty, you may need more)
8 chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

2 zucchini, sliced on the bias into "rounds" 1/4" to 1/2" thick

handful of baby carrots

handful of shiitake or other mushroom caps, sliced into thirds, or not slided

2 leeks, white parts only, sliced into rounds, cleaned by soaking and swooshing for at least 2 minutes in a bowl of water; or 1 (Spanish) onion, chopped or diced

1 T tomato paste

1-2 t pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika), plus more for the chicken

Pinch saffron (optional)

12 oz chorizo or other spicy sausage, sliced into rounds of your desired thickness
3 c short-grain brown rice
coarse sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Warm the stock/water and optional saffron in the microwave or a small saucepan.
2. Place tomatoes in a bowl and the zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots in another. Sprinkle all veggies with salt and pepper, and toss with 1T EVOO. Set aside.
3. Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and ~1T pimenton (eyeball it and sprinkle it from the container).
4. In a 12" ovenproof skillet, warm 1T (or less) EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and brown until just golden ~4 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
5. Examine your pan. You want a nice layer of fat, at least 3 Tablespoons, at the bottom of your pan to ensure a nice crust on the rice. Pour off fat if desired, or add EVOO as necessary and reheat if needed before proceeding. Be careful to avoid spatters.
6. Add the (well-drained) leeks or onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomato paste, pimenton, and chorizo.
7. Add the rice and stir for about 1 minute until well-coated and shiny.
8. Slowly pour in the warmed stock and stir until just combined.
9. Turn off the heat. Stir in the tomatoes. Arrange the chicken on top. Top artfully with the colorful veggies.
10. Bake paella for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the rice. If it is nearly dry and just tender, it's perfect. If it's too dry, add more stock or water. If it's too wet, return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes and check again. Repeat as necessary.
12. When the rice is ready, turn the oven off, and let the paella sit for 5-15 minutes.
13. (Optional) Put the pan over high heat for a few minutes, or cover and put on low heat for up to 30 (while you finish your first course), to develop the bottom crust, otherwise known as the best part.
14. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Flatbread "Pizza" with Apples, Bell Peppers, Goat Cheese, and Thyme

2010-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

A "there's nothing in the house" recipe that turned into a winner. Fresh farmshare leftovers made it so.

Time: 30-35 minutes

Serves: 2 hungry grownups for dinner

1 recipe Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread, through Step 4, using onion, thyme and oregano.

2 apples, sliced thinly

1-2 green bell peppers, sliced thinly

2+ T crumbled goat cheese, to taste

1-2 t dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread, through Step 4, using onion, thyme, and oregano.

2. Meanwhile, toss the apples, bell peppers, goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. Top flatbread with apple mixture. Broil for ~2 minutes, until cheese is melted.

4. Serve pizza with forks to catch the fallen cheezy goodness.

Restaurant Review: Qingdao Garden

2010-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Don't let the decor fool you in this Northern Chinese gem in North Cambridge. The sparse, diner-esque decor with ten tables belies the quality of the food, the family-style food and service, and the overall bang for your buck. I'd call it a hole in the wall, but it's too clean for that. You can easily ignore the decor if you close your eyes and listen to the sounds of locals, families, and die-hard regulars chewing thoughtfully and chatting about Chinese politics or quantum physics in as many languages as there are tables. Eat late and eat with the family and staff, who are more than happy to share friendly pointers on the menu at any time of day.

Qingdao Garden is perhaps best known for its stellar homemade dumplings, which have been featured in Boston Magazine's Cheap Eats issue. The menu features seven varieties, including three vegetarian types: Spinach, Leek, and String Bean. All dumplings are just $5.75-$5.95 for a dozen or $14.00-$16.00 for fifty frozen dumplings to bring home with you. Your friendly server will encourage you to eat them with the traditional vinegar instead of soy sauce.

But don't ignore the rest of the enormous menu, particularly the pink "traditional" section. We've only begun to explore the endless options, but everything we've tried has been fresh, delicious, and strikingly different than "regular," Americanized Chinese food. The Tofu with Black Bean Sauce we tried tonight featured the softest, lightest tofu we've eaten since we visited Japan, and a fresh egg and black bean sauce that was a surprising and welcome change from the heavy overspiced glop we were expecting. Dishes like the house specialty Szechuan Style Fish with Black Bean Sauce and Lily Root with Celery intrigued, and now we're curious to try the family's take on old favorites. Have you tried them? Post below!

Qingdao Garden is located at 2382 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is easily accessible from the Porter, Davis, and Alewife T stations or by the 77 bus.

Simple Sweet Potato, Kale, Chickpea and Tomato Stew

2010-04-23T00:00:00.001-07:00

Simple, healthy, vegetarian comfort food. Full of fiber, beta-carotene, anti-oxidants, and other good things. Served with a dollop of yogurt and whole-grain bread or rice, it's a warm meal perfect for the end of a cold Winter or the beginning of a rainy Spring.

I always come back from the Middle East with an enormous bag of saffron. If saffron is not in your budget, this stew will work with almost any other spice, such as rosemary or thyme. Saffron needs to be steeped or toasted to release its flavor. Above is the "saffron tea" I made to flavor this dish.

I made a big pot of this stew to take for lunch for the rest of the week. A simple flavored yogurt, peanut sauce, or pesto changed the flavor completely each day.

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1" chunks

2 bunches of kale, washed thoroughly and chopped coarsely

1 onion, diced

1 14.5 or 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

28 oz cooked chickpeas, or 2 14.5 ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 pinch saffron, steeped in 1 T hot water ("saffron tea")

1 T EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

1. Heat the onion and EVOO over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt. Cook until translucent, about 5 mnutes.

2. Add chickpeas. Cook about 5 more minutes until flavor is well-mingled.

3. Add the kale, tomatoes, and saffon tea.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges and a dollop of yogurt.

Restaurant Review: Pescatore and KickAss Cupcakes

2010-04-20T00:00:00.001-07:00

Tonight we decided to do something bold: try a new restaurant, one as of yet unrated by Zagat. Could we rely on the Yelp reviews alone reliable for a neighborhood favorite? We decided to find out.

Pescatore turned out to be a real find. Located in Somerville's up-and-coming Ball Square neighborhood, around the corner from a trendy sommelier and a run-down diner, Pescatore was packed on a Saturday night, full of locals who knew just where to go to find a warm spot in a cold Spring rain. We squeezed into the only remaining table and took in the sights and sounds around us. Families celebrated birthdays as grandparents slurped fresh clams and teenagers inhaled homemade pizza. The first date two tables away appeared to be going well over specialty coffees brimming with fresh whipped cream. We hungrily scanned the menu, vowing to save room for the limoncello, grappa, and other specialty drinks, as our waitress cheerfully served perfectly spiced, fluffy bread and a plate of salt-cured olives.

We started with the Haddock Cakes, a welcome and delicious alternative to crab cakes. The delicate, yet hearty cakes were accompanied by a fresh, tangy, homemade tartar sauce and shoestring onion fries that were so light and crispy that we almost convinced ourselves that they were good for us as we ate every last bite. Then the entrees arrived, a Haddock Piccatta served with a side of homemade fusilli, and a Haddock Paisano in a homemade tomato sauce with roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach. The fish was perfectly flaky and tasted so fresh that it could have been pulled out of the Harbor that morning, and both preparations were served with care and style. Our cheerful waitress told us the restaurant had been there for three and a half years, and that they were thankful Yelp had been so kind. Next year, maybe Zagat would come. You should find it before they do.

The dessert menu taunted us with incredible homemade options: a pear-riccotta torte, a chocolate ganache cake, a tiramisu, an amaretto-soaked almond pastry. But we had a tradition to uphold. We jumped into the car for the three-minute drive down Somerville's windy streets to another neighborhood institution, KickAss Cupcakes, which serves vegan, gluten free, and "regular" cupcakes, all dripping in chocolate. They indeed lived up to their name.

Pescatore is located at 158 Boston Avenue (@ Broadway), Ball Square, Somerville, MA. Reservations Recommended. 617-623-0003. http://www.pescatoreseafood.com. KickAss Cupcakes is located at 378 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA. http://www.kickasscupcakes.com. Open until 10 on Saturday nights to better satisfy your cupcake cravings.

Maple-Grapefruit Glaze for Edamame, Beets, and More

2010-04-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

More grapefruit from the farmshare. More creativity required. Mollie Katzen's grapefruit glaze from The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without is a flavor-packed citrus revelation that can be used to brighten a host of not-quite-there-yet winter and spring vegetables. I modify the recipe somewhat, using arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and additional maple syrup to sweeten the bitter grapefruit. Cornstarch produces a shinier coating like you see on the beets below. For food that looks like food and not plastic in the glare of the papparazzi, use arrowroot.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: Enough to cover 3 cups of cooked edamame, 3 pounds beets, or similar amount

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 grapefruit, fresh-squeezed
1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
3-4 T maple syrup, to taste
2 t arrowroot powder, dissolved in 1T cold water

1. Whisk together grapefruit juice, rice vinegar, and maple syrup.
2. Heat mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat until just boiling, whisking frequently.
3. Turn heat down and add dissolved arrowroot powder. Whisk frequently until mixture thickens and becomes glossy, 3-5 minutes. At this point the glaze can be refrigerated and reheated and re-whisked before serving.
4. Drizzle over vegetables of choice and serve immediately.

Farewell to Winter Roasted Vegetables

2010-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Farmshare vegetables, crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, flavor everywhere. This would work with any number of vegetables, and is a great way to use up those odds and ends in the crisper.

Total time: 40 minutes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Serves: 4

1 head cauliflower, stalks removed and separated into florets

2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds

1 bulb fennel, bulb diced, fronds minced and reserved

1 red onion, diced

2 large potatoes, diced

2 T EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

sea salt or kosher salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss all ingredients except reserved fennel fronds in a bowl.

3. Toss with fennel fronds to taste. Roast 25 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Rosemary and Smoked Paprika

2010-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

So addictive, you'll almost feel like you're eating junk food, but a lot less guilty about it. This recipe was inspired by a glut of farmshare sweet potatoes and Martha Rose Shulman's recipe for Oven Fries in the New York Times.

You can also use a mix of sweet potatoes and regular potatoes.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-4, as a side dish

Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, or a mix of sweet potatoes and waxy white potatoes
1 T dried rosemary, or more fresh rosemary
2 t smoked paprika
Coarse salt or kosher salt to taste
3 T EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees,
2. Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with foil, shiny side up and place in the oven during preheaating. This step is important to speed the cooking, and also because sweet potatoes can be really tough to clean up.
3. Cut the potatoes into wedges that are 1/4-1/2" thick.
4. Toss potatoes with EVOO, rosemary, paprika, and salt.
5. Remove the hot pan from the oven and add the potatoes in a single layer. They will sizzle.
6. Return pan to oven, lower heat to 450 degrees, and roast 25 minutes or until tender.
7. If necessary, loosen the potatoes with a spatula and roast for another 5 minutes.
8. Taste (carefully) to adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, or hold in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes before serving.

Roasted Cod with Caramelized Grapefruit and Fennel

2010-04-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a grapefruit convert. I have seen the light -- the Florida sunlight, even in the dark of a Boston Winter. My farmshare has shown me the way. I didn't even like grapefruit until recently, although you wouldn't know it from this blog. But the farmshare kept bringing it, which forced me to get creative. I love the fresh citrus flavor that grapefruit brings when its bitterness is tempered.

While in San Francisco at the end of February, I had an amazing sea bass with grapefruit-fennel slaw at The Firefly, and I've been trying to recreate it ever since. This comes close, and was on the table in less than 20 minutes.

This would work with other fish, with onions instead of fennel, with other herbs, and with oranges, which wouldn't need so much sugar. I'm also experimenting with natural sweeteners, but honey doesn't seem to do the trick. Cod comes in fresh from Gloucester to our local Whole Foods, making it flaky and delicious -- a far cry from that tasteless substance in your average fish and chips.

I love the challenges that come in the box of organic produce each week. Who knows what next week will bring?

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 (easily multiplied)

Ingredients:
2 6 oz cod fillets
1 bulb fennel
2 grapefruits
1/3 c sugar
1 t coriander
1T EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)
salt and pepper to taste
bed of greens, such as baby spinach, arugula, or watercress (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the fennel into 1" pieces, removing the tough core. Reserve and chop the fronds.
3. By now the oven should be heated. Place cod in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 10-12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the EVOO over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, until fennel begins to caramelize.
5. While you're waiting for the fennel to caramelize, section the grapefruits, removing seeds and pith, and place into a bowl. If you're not sure how to do this, check out this video. Toss the grapefruit sections with the sugar.
6. When fennel has begun to caramelize (it will turn translucent, brown a bit, and taste sweet), add the sugared grapefruit to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes until grapefruit begins to caramelize. Be careful not to burn. Add coriander, toss, and turn off the heat.
7. Remove the cod from the oven. Place each filet on a bed of greens (if desired).
8. Top with the grapefruit-fennel mixture, garnish with fennel fronds, and serve.

Moroccan Winter Fruit Compote with Rosewater

2010-03-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Simple. Delicious. Exotic. More flexible than your yoga instructor. And a great way to perk up those winter fruits you're tiring of as March rains make way for Spring.

I made this compote when a friend recently challenged me to come up with a simple non-dairy dessert for brunch. It packed well into tupperware, and I brought it over to her house still warm. Dazzling. And still sparkling for breakfast the next day when served cold with a dollop of thick yogurt.

If your dried apricots are less than perfectly plump -- no problem. Simply start out by soaking them for about 10 minutes in hot water, wine, in orange juice to plump them up. This process is called maceration, a fancy word that you can throw around and impress your friends. You can add the macerating liquid directly to the compote for extra flavor.

Rosewater is available in Middle Eastern groceries. Use it sparingly -- its scent is divine, but you can have too much of a good thing. You can also macerate the dried fruit in the rosewater, or mix rosewater with water and spices for the macerating liquid, but be careful: rosewater can be overpowering.

Mix and match the fresh and dried fruits according to what you have on hand. Here, I use a mix of apples, Bartlett pears, and dried apricots. A pinch or two of salt will help imperfect, underripe, tired winter fruit shine. Oranges might have been interesting added to the mix, and prunes could add depth and contrasting color. Toasted almonds could change the whole dish. Experiment.

The fruit cooks slowly, leaving you plenty of time to go and do other things, like commenting on this blog post to share your own variation on this recipe. You can even make this recipe a day ahead.

This recipe was inspired by Mollie Katzen's fruit compote recipes in her great ode to breakfast, Sunlight Cafe. And it was also inspired by Morocco, of course -- one of my favorite culinary muses.

Work Time: 10 minutes, after chopping the fruit
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh winter fruit, cut into 1.5 inch chunks, peeled if desired (apples, pears, oranges, bananas, maybe grapefruit, etc.)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 C dried fruit (apricots, prunes, figs, etc.)
1-2 T maple syrup, honey, or agave (to taste; desired amount will vary with sweetness of fruit)
Dash of cinnamon (to taste)
Dash of other sweet spices (cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
Dash of salt (optional)
1 C walnut pieces, toasted if desired, or other nuts (almonds, pecans, etc.)
1-3 teaspoons rosewater, to taste (be careful not to overwhelm with too much of a good thing).

1) Place fruit in a saucepan. Cover and cook slowly over medium heat, stirring about every 5 minutes. (If using Bosc pears, you may need to add a bit of extra water in step 1 to keep them moist).
2) After about 30 minutes, stir in lemon juice, dried fruit, and salt (if using). Cook for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the nuts, if desired.
3) Stir in sweetener, cinnamon and other spices. Turn off the heat.
4) Sprinkle sparingly with rosewater, to taste, and taste to adjust the seasoning, salt, and sweetener.
5) Inhale the heavenly smell.
6) Serve warm, room temperature, or cold, plain, topped with yogurt, creme fraiche, whipped cream, soft cheese, or even ice cream.

Aleppan White Bean and Tomato Crostini

2010-03-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

Simple white beans are simmered to perfection in a thick, richly spiced tomato sauce to make an exotic crostini topping in a beautiful cultural culinary marriage. Taking a page from Mark Bittman over at the Minimalist, I'll call this a "Traditional Aleppan-Italian Dish I Made Up."

This is not a quick recipe, but it involves only a few minutes of work and can easily be made ahead or simmered while you are doing other things. This recipe is inspired by Poopa Dweck's Aromas of Aleppo. My version is quicker, vegetarian, lower in total and saturated fat, freezes well, and is perfect defrosted on toasted bread for weeks as crazy as this one. I imagine this recipe would convert well to the crockpot, and I'll let you know if I try it someday.

Soak the beans according to your favorite method. I prefer the cold soak method common in most of the world, which involves simply soaking the beans for 6-8 hours or overnight in water. But soaking is a surprisingly controversial topic, so I leave it to you to decide what works best!

Tip: Freeze the rest of your can of tomato paste in an ice cube tray. Transfer the frozen cubes to a ziploc freezer bag for easy access for future recipes. No waste!

Taking a page from Mark Bittman over at the Minimalist, I'll call this a "Traditional Aleppan-Italian Dish I Made Up."

Total Time: 1 hour, 1 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2-4, depending on whether side dish or main. Serve with rice, grains, or crusty bread.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 cup dried white beans, such as Great Northern Beans or cannelini beans, soaked according to your favorite method, drained, and rinsed
2 T tomato paste
1 8 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t white pepper
1/4 t kosher salt or sea salt
2 quarts vegetable stock (or meat stock)
Good quality, crusty whole grain bread, sliced and toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Saute garlic and onion in a medium-sized, ovenproof saucepan for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
3. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil.
4. Transfer saucepan to oven and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are tender and sauce has thickened.
5. Adjust salt and cinnamon to taste.
6. Spread on toasts and serve your senses.

Sprouted Legume Soup with Saffron Yogurt

2010-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to work sprouted foods into my diet for quite some time now, but I've been deterred by taste and logistics. Enjoying broccoli sprouts on a sandwich at is one thing. Buying an entire package of them and eating large quantities of them them day after day is quite another. Then one day I spied a package labeled "Crunchy Sprouts" in the produce section at Whole Foods. It seemed non-threatening, and only $1.99, so I brought it home.

They stared at me for a few days with their little squiggly sprouts seeming to wave each time I opened the fridge. I tried to eat them raw and found them bitter, with a strange aftertaste. The one day I realized that I could use them to satisfy my craving for hearty lentil soup that always accompanies the snow. And sprouted lentils offered a huge smart advantage, since sprouted legumes cook in a fraction of the time that regular legumes cook in. And it was delicious.

I started with Heidi Swanson's recipe for Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup, modifying it significantly to match the sprouted legumes and our dietary preferences. You, too, can mix and match, adding grains and greens of choice. If you aren't lucky enough to have a huge bag of Middle Eastern saffron lying around, try mixing cinnamon in with the yogurt. It will still be divine.

Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Soup:
8 oz sprouted legumes
4 c water or stock
1 bunch kale, chard, or other leafy green
28 ounce box or can of tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste.

Saffron (or Cinnamon) Yogurt:
1 large pinch saffron (or cinnamon or cardamom)
1 T boiling water
1/2 cup yogurt or 1/2 c soy yogurt + 1 T cider vinegar
1 large pinch salt

1. Boil water or stock in a large saucepan.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, make the saffron yogurt. Steep the saffron threads in 1T boiling water for a few minutes. Stir into the yogurt with a pinch of salt.
3. Add sprouted legumes to the boiling water. Cook 3 minutes. Adjust heat to a simmer.
4. Stir in tomatoes and kale. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. When kale wilts, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve topped with saffron yogurt.

Smart Green Gourmet Goes to Cairo

2010-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Cairo is a city of contrasts. Ancient pyramids loom over resplendent Nile villas, graying but glorious mosques, devastating shantytowns, and American fast food chains. The desert of Giza sits alongside the fertile farmland of the Nile Delta. In a city of twenty million, somehow everyone knows your name. Each day seems schizophrenic, elating, depressing, and hazy as a smoke-filled argeilah parlour. Even if you don't love Cairo, it's hard not to respect it.

Here are some foodie scenes from my recent journey to this fallen yet rising capital of the Arab world. Related recipes to follow soon.

Fruit seller near the American University of Cairo's Downtown Campus

Labneh with olive oil, a favorite throughout the Middle East.

                        Labneh

Pita for sale on the street near the American University of Cairo.

Oranges hang in bunches in front of a shop. In other stores, raw meat hangs on similar hooks awaiting purchase.

A delivery boy speeds away to deliver Cairene fast food. As in New York and other American cities, Cairo's bikers weave deftly and dangerously through traffic.

Pita for sale amid the ruins.

Shawerma for sale on the street.

A hungry crowd waits to eat the shwarerma and other after-work snacks.

Iraqi Chicken in Spiced Yogurt

2010-02-11T06:00:00.001-08:00

Remember this from my cooking class with Iraqi refugees in Cairo?

The cooking class didn't really give us recipes, instead sending us home with a sheet of general instructions like "add spices to chicken." They certainly didn't give us instructions on how to make the recipes without access to an outdoor grill, and they most certainly didn't give us instructions on how to make them kosher!

Never fear, dear readers. The Smart Green Gourmet did some research and put her nose and palate to the test and figured out how to make an Iraqi-style chicken so delicious that my husband and I used bread to mop up every last bit of the sauce in true Iraqi style. I used soy yogurt here due to aforementioned kashrut concerns, but this recipe should work with regular yogurt, omitting the extra tablespoon of vinegar. I normally can't stand soy yogurt, but in this recipe, it worked beautifully.

I've left this recipe intentionally flexible. The marinade directions below made more than enough for the 3 chicken thighs that I used. If you're using more meat, make more marinade. You may also wish to adjust cooking times and temperatures according to what you're making. If you're using boneless white meat chicken breasts, for example, lower heat would probably be appropriate.

This recipe couldn't be easier: whisk together the marinade, toss it with the chicken, and bake. It can easily be made ahead, or you can marinate the chicken overnight and bake it the next day. It is easily multiplied.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Work time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 3 (or as many as you would like)

Ingredients:

3 bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat.
Tip: It's OK to loosen the skin or skin the thighs completely in this recipe; the yogurt will keep the meat moist during cooking and you can save on saturated fat this way.

Marinade:
1.5 c plain soy yogurt (I used
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T cider vinegar
1 T EVOO
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t tumeric
1/4 t coriander
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together marinade ingredients. Toss marinade with chicken. Let marinate 15 minutes or overnight.
3. Arrange chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Bake ~45 minutes or until meat is done.
4. Serve with bread to mop up the sauce.

Farmshare Day 3: Avocado, Grapefruit, and Spinach Salad with Maple-Sherry Vinaigrette

2010-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

100% Farmshare. 100% Delicious. And a recipe that's 100% foolproof.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2, as an entree salad

For the Salad:
1 avocado, diced
1 grapefruit, sectioned, with pith removed, and juices from discarded sections reserved. Good directions on how to do this can be found here.
1 handful baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry

For the Vinaigrette:
Juice from grapefruit sections
1-2T maple syrup
1-2 T EVOO
1 T sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl.
2. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over salad. Depending on how much grapefruit juice you have, you might not need all of the dressing.
3. Top with some freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Farmshare Day 2: Quick Lentils, Potatoes, and Spinach with Curried Tarka

2010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Richly spiced, hearty lentils and a leafy promise of Spring make a dish that smells as good as it tastes. A tarka is a delectable combination of fat and spices, added to the lentils just before serving. Divine.

I use olive oil in just about anything because it's unequivocally a healthy fat, but you may wish to use vegetable oil or butter or ghee if you don't like the olive oil flavor.

I had no cooked grains around and didn't have time to wait to cook them, so I made this whole wheat/flaxseed flatbread with onion and cumin seeds to accompany our meal. It had a nice onion kulcha effect.

When I perfect the recipe, I'll pass it on. In the meantime, try my Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread.

I'm having so much fun with my Winter farmshare!

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 with rice or flatbread

1 onion, diced
2 T vegetable oil or olive oil or, if you're feeling daring, ghee
2 potatoes, diced
1 c lentils, yellow or brown
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 handful baby spinach
1/2 c milk, cream, coconut milk, soy milk, or soy creamer, or more to taste. Yogurt might work here too.
salt

Tarka:
1 T curry powder
2 T butter, ghee, vegetable oil, olive oil, or "good fat" margarine like benecol or smart balance
zest of one lemon
1 pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onions and a pinch of salt for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop and add the potatoes.
2. Add the lentils and stir. Add the stock or water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer until lentils are just tender. This can take as little as 10 minutes for yellow lentils and 20-30 minutes for brown lentils. Add liquid if necessary.
3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter/ghee/margarine or heat the oil until shimmering. Stir in the lemon zest. When fragrant, add the curry powder and a pinch of salt. Stir, then turn off the heat.
4. Stir the tarka into the lentils. Turn off the heat. Add the spinach and stir in -- it will wilt on contact. Stir in about half of your milk of choice for richness. Spoon into bowls, drizzle with additional "milk," and serve.

Food for Thought: Is it Possible to be a Locavore in a New England Winter?

2010-02-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to be a locavore in a New England winter? The Smart Green Gourmet is determined to find out. After shopping at farmer's markets throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall, I searched for a way to continue buying local, seasonal, organic/sustainable produce in the winter months. Last winter, the only thing I could find at Whole Foods, Shaw's, and Wilson Farm in the winter were turnips. My dedication to local foods crumbled when confronted week after week with their purply-white peels.

So I had initially shied away from joining a winter farmshare for fear that I would eat nothing but turnips all winter long. But this winter I stumbled upon Enterprise Farms, which takes an innovative approach to wintertime Community Supported Agriculture. Enterprise has created a regional "food shed" to supplement local New England organic produce with partner organic/sustainable farms from the East Coast. This way my food still travels a shorter distance and consumes fewer resources than if I had bought it at the grocery store, and I can still support small farmers, but I can eat citrus and parsley as well as turnips. Jordan and Kelley at Enterprise were also very helpful and were willing to tolerate my crazy travel schedule and let us try out a small share from February 1 through May 1. They had many pick-up locations, including one right near me, and they even deliver by bike in a pinch. So we signed on for a small share, which easily fits in a canvas shopping bag. It was great to meet all of my neighbors as everyone lined up to receive their boxes of delicious produce. Many brought their kids along to learn about local food. Perhaps they were taking a cue from Michele Obama, who introduces schoolchildren to her White House garden as part of her crusade against childhood obesity, using fresh veggies to teach kids about healthy food and the Earth from which it grows.

This week, I received:

The produce did not disappoint. Tonight, the fresh arugula brought a breath of Spring to my Winter table in a salad with crisp apples, walnuts, roasted fennel, fennel fronds, and a sweet sherry vinaigrette. And after today's news, I'm especially glad to know where my salad is coming from. Maybe tomorrow I'll tackle the turnips.

Tamarind Meatballs

2010-01-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

When I taste and smell these meatballs, I am whisked back across the Atlantic, where I am eating from gold plates on richly brocaded tables, served with unrivaled hospitality, and presented with endless plates of aromas and flavors that make each meal a sensual experience.

Aleppan cuisine is renowned throughout the Middle East for its rich flavors that result from the blending of Turkish, Armenian, Arab, and Jewish influences. After experiencing it for the first time in restaurants in the Arab world, I devoured all I could and knew that when I came home, replicating it would become a consuming passion. Fortunately, Poopa Dweck made my quest easier with her gorgeous cookbook and coffee-table book, Aromas of Aleppo, from which this recipe is heavily adapted.

One hallmark of Aleppan cuisine is its use of the tamarind, a pod-vegetable which is treated as a fruit, and which is also common in Indian cuisine. Tamarind is used as a digestive aid throughout the Middle East and South Asia, perhaps because 1 tablespoon of tamarind concentrate contains approximately 3 grams of dietary fiber. Tamarind is also rich in anti-oxidants. Many other health claims have been made about tamarind. Look for tamarind concentrate in Middle Eastern or Indian groceries. Tamarind is rich and naturally tart; add sugar or agave as you like to sweeten it.

Another distinct feature is Aleppo pepper, a mild pepper which grows exclusively in the Levant and Turkey. I find Aleppo pepper at the Armenian groceries in Watertown, MA such as Arax.

I used beef to make these meatballs because that was what I had in the freezer, but bison or a half-beef, half-turkey combination would have worked nicely and would have been a healthier choice. Turkey meatballs would also have worked with the addition of a minced onion to prevent the meat from drying out.

Total Time: 60 minutes
Work Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4, with rice to soak up the exquisite sauce

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef (or substitutions, per above)
3 eggs, or 1 egg and 3-4 egg whites, beaten
3 T fresh bread crumbs
1 t Aleppo pepper or 1/2 t crushed red pepper
1.5 T kosher salt or coarse sea salt
2 T pine nuts or walnuts, minced
2 handfuls parsley, minced
(tip: whir the last 3 ingredients in a food processor together to prepare)

Sauce:
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 T tamarind paste (also called tamarind concentrate)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 t kosher salt or coarse sea salt
1/2 t sugar or 1/4 t agave, possibly more to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all meatball ingredients. Shape into walnut-sized balls and place on a lightly-oiled baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.
4. Transfer meatballs to a saucepan and cover with the sauce. Simmer 15-30 minutes, until sauce thickens, flavors blend, and aromas entice you.

Tamarind

Images of tamarind pods used with permission under the Creative Commons license by Clemens PFEIFFER, 1190 Wien. Image of Aleppo pepper used with permission pursuant to the Creative Commons license. All other photos copyright 2010, Smart Green Gourmet.

Cooking Class with Iraqi Refugees in Cairo!

2010-01-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I attended an Iraqi cooking class here in Cairo. The event was a fundraiser for legal assistance for the refugee community in Egypt. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has registered over 9,000 Iraqi refugees in Egypt, and countless other Iraqis are also here. The Iraqi population in Egypt is highly educated, and many of these doctors, lawyers, and teachers can no longer work in their chosen professions. Refugee legal aid helps provide refugees with legal protections in Egypt and helps Iraqis prepare their cases for resettlement elsewhere. While Iraqis do not have permission to work or form self-help associations in Egypt, many Iraqis volunteer or through NGOs to help their community. Their spirit is impressive.

It was lovely to spend a gorgeous January day taking a break from research and enjoying a the wonderful aromas of fresh herbs, the warmth of an outdoor barbeque, and endless cups of mint tea. I'm looking forward to getting back to Boston to share the techniques and recipes that I learned. Meanwhile, here are some photos to make you hungry!

After firing up the crackling grill (did I mention it's January?), we carefully removed the meat from the skewers using fresh pita bread, which we then used to cover the meat and keep it warm. The juice-soaked bread was delicious to eat with our fingers later on.

Shish Tawouk, or Grilled Spiced Meat, and Char-grilled Veggies.

Preparing the rice by sauteeing it in oil with onions, then adding the fresh fava beans.

Rice with Dill and Fresh Fava Beans.

Lamb and spices simmering in broth

Lamb stew served traditionally on a bed of fresh pita bread.

Plating the food

Chicken in Spiced Yogurt with Vegetables and Lemon

Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Scallions, and Mint

After the meat was removed from the grill, the tea kettle was filled with water and tea leaves and placed directly on the coals. At the end of our meal, we poured this "tea kushari" over fresh spearmint leaves and savored the beautiful day.

Arugula Salad with Chicken and Honey-Harissa Dressing

2009-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Exotically delicious. I always have some little pieces of chicken left over on the bones after I carve a roast, which are perfect for a salad the next day. Harissa is a North African chili-garlic hot sauce. You can buy it at Middle Eastern supermarkets, at Whole Foods, or make your own.

Try adding sectioned oranges to the salad, and/or maybe a shpritz of lemon or orange juice to the dressing. I give you permission to play with your food.

Salad:
8-10 ounces of arugula, rinsed, spun, and dried
Shredded chicken (leftover from a roasted chicken, or 1-2 shredded legs or breasts)
1 c walnut pieces, toasted
12 dried apricots, chopped

Dressing:
1 T harissa
1 T honey
4 T EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Toss arugula and chicken in a large salad bowl.
2) Whisk together dressing ingredients. Toss with chicken and arugula.
3) Toss in walnuts and apricots. Serve.