Spicy Pasta Sauce and Tempeh Meatballs

A while back I went over to my friend Holly's place to make some pretty fancy spaghetti and meatballs.  Holly actually made spaghetti squash, as well as a spicy tomato sauce.  I improvised some gluten-free tempeh meatballs (see below), which ended up better than I'd hoped.  All so good!  I recently remade the sauce and the meatballs, so as to have photos to share with you.  The meatball recipe follows the sauce recipe.

It seems as though the magic of the pasta sauce was in the two ingredients I almost never use: red wine and marjoram.  In making the recipe this time, I roasted a pepper and threw it in as well.  I also used a different combination of tomatoes, because I did have fresh ones and I didn't have enough canned ones.  I think as long as the ratio of water to tomatoeyness stays the same, you can be pretty flexible.  This has messed me up in the past, however, when I made Robin Robertson's Chickpea and Green Bean Tagine with crushed tomatoes instead of diced and it got too syrupy.  Finally, I used 2-3 TB fresh basil instead of 3/4 tsp dried, adding it in later in the process.  Holly had decreased the pepper and increased the garlic, and I kept those changes, too.

Spicy Pasta Sauce

(adapted from epicurious)

Ingredients

3 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6+ garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried basil (I used 2-3 TB fresh minced basil instead, and added it later on)
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
2 28-oz cans Italian-style tomatoes + 1 c canned crushed tomatoes with added purée
*instead of the above, I used 28 oz canned diced tomatoes + 2.5 c fresh roma tomatoes, diced + 1/4 c tomato paste + some water*
1 flame-roasted bell pepper, diced (and most burnt parts removed)
1/2 c dry red wine
salt

Instructions

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano, basil, marjoram and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; simmer gently, uncovered, until sauce thickens and measures 8 cups total, breaking up tomatoes with spoon and stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

*

Well, hell if I know what a meatball tastes like, but these were great, in terms of both texture and taste.  And hey! they're gluten free.

I started with this recipe from sparkpeople, but I halved it, and then, going off this recipe from wheatlessandmeatless, I added oregano, onion, parsley, and "egg."  After my recent adventure with raw onions in falafel, I decided to sautee the onion first, and finally, we opted for pan-frying instead of baking.  I thought the balsamic vinegar might be weird, but I guess it does double duty of adding sweetness and acidity; it also mellowed out after the balls were cooked.

Tempeh Meatballs

Ingredients

8 oz tempeh

1/2 of an onion, finely chopped and sauteed in olive oil

1 TB + 2 TB olive oil, divided

1/4 c chickpea flour

scant 1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

3/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 TB oregano

2 TB fresh parsley, chopped (omitted the second time)

1-2 “eggs” (2 TB ground flax + 6 TB water)

Instructions

1. Cut the tempeh into small cubes and steam for 15 minutes.  Then set aside to cool.
2. Saute the onions in 1 TB olive oil until fragrant and lightly browned.
3. In a food processor, blend together everything, including the tempeh and the onions.  Add more liquid or chickpea flour as needed.  Then let the mixture sit for 5+ min.
4. Form the mixture into smallish balls and pan-fry in hot oil for a few minutes on each side.  Serve atop pasta and sauce.  Serves 3-4.

Mango Cornbread

I made this mango cornbread from Holy Cow! to go with the Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan I recently posted about.  Most cornbread recipes are actually part cornmeal and part wheat flour, so I was skeptical but interested when I saw that this recipe was all cornmeal.  Besides the flax seed, I think the reason this recipe stays coherent is the amount of mango puree; it works as a binder, like applesauce does in other recipes.  I was a little disappointed that the mango and coconut flavors were so subtle: I love cardamom, but it really dominated the taste of the cornbread.  Finally, because quick breads don't seem to stay fresh for long, I actually halved this recipe and made it in a loaf pan, cooking it for about five minutes less than the recipe specifies.  But the recipe below makes a more standard amount; you can probably make it in an 8x8 baking dish.

Oh, and original author Vaishali took far better photos than these, so you can just go to her blog and pretend those are the photos you're seeing here...

Mango Cornbread

(from holy cow!)

Ingredients

2 c stone ground cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cardamom (or less)

1/4 tsp salt

*

1/4 c canola oil

3/4 c sugar (I only used 1/2 c)

2 TB ground flax seed

*

1 1/2 c mango pulp (for me, this was a puree of 4 small mangoes)

1/2 c coconut milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Oil a baking dish.
2. Mix dry and wet separately.  Add mango and coconut milk to wet mixture, then add dry mix as well.
3. Pour the batter into pan and bake around 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Fills an 8x8 baking dish.

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan

This was fantastic.  And rather like this Hyderabad cauliflower I made a while back, this dish mixes some of the standard elements of Northern Indian cuisine (a masala spice paste that includes cinnamon) with those of Southern Indian cuisine (coconut, tamarind).  This recipe especially interested me because it also calls for peanuts, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds!  The result: deliciousness, albeit deliciousness that didn't photograph extremely well.  The texture of the eggplant was velvety, and the stuffing-paste was really interesting.  The dish actually wasn't very spicy at all; you might add more cayenne with impunity.  Then again, it's really good without the heat, too. 

I omitted the jaggery and the curry leaves because I don't have them.

Stuffed and ready to go

*

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan

(from akshayapaatram)

Ingredients

6-8 small purple Eggplants

1.5 c sliced onion, divided

1/4 c peanuts

1 TB sesame seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

1 TB grated, dried coconut

1 inch piece ginger, grated

4-5 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp tamarind extract

2 TB peanut or vegetable oil, divided

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more)

1/2 tsp jaggery, grated

6-7 curry leaves

salt to taste

Instructions

1. Slice open the eggplants, leaving one of the end parts intact.
2. Dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander and cumin seeds, grated coconut and cinnamon stick one after the other.  Allow to cool.
3. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the sliced onions, about 8-10mins. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over them in the beginning to draw out their moisture.
4. Once all the dry roasted ingredients have cooled down, grind them together to a fine paste along with half the cooked onions, ginger, garlic, tumeric, tamarind extract, jaggery, and a little water to help the blending process. You still need a thick'ish paste that can be stuffed into the eggplants.
5.Stuff about a teaspoon of the paste into the slits, this will need some patience 6. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a deep saucepan, sauté the curry leaves and carefully add the stuffed brinjals to the pan. They tend to splutter a lot, so I cover the pan and let them cook for about 10 mins, until they soften. Rotate them every few minutes so they cook evenly.
7. Reduce the heat a bit, add the rest of the masala paste, the other half of the cooked onions, cayenne pepper, a cup and a half of water and salt to taste.
8. Cook on medium heat until the eggplants are cooked through and the oil starts to separate from the masala and collect around the edges.  Serves 4-6.

Spanish Lentil and Mushroom Warm Salad

What do you think the difference is between a stew and a warm salad?  The amount of liquid?  The amount of mooshiness?  I'm not sure, but I did feel like this was more of a salad than a stew.  Deceptively simple, as original author Janet of taste space notes, the combination of tastes and textures is really good, especially if you can get decent tomatoes and basil--I don't think I mention enough how much I love living in southern California (though unfortunately the tomatoes here did come from Mexico...but then again, many places in Mexico are closer to LA than many places in CA, so it's hard to evaluate how local this is).

I didn't change too much: I used regular brown lentils instead of Puuy, which meant that they took longer to cook and I had to watch to make sure they didn't get too mushy--I wanted a salad, not a dal.  I also used balsamic vinegar rather than sherry vinegar, as I do in this other favorite lentil salad.  I also had to use regular paprika rather than smoked.  Regular paprika is kind of useless; I'm not sure it added anything to the dish.  Finally, I think that this, too, is the kind of recipe where you don't have to measure that carefully.  The divided olive oil and vinegar look complicated, but really, just use a sploosh of each, each time you need it.

Spanish Lentil and Mushroom Warm Salad

(from taste space)

Ingredients

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 TB + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 c lentils, rinsed

water for lentils (according to directions--I think some kinds of lentils require more water than others)

1/2 tsp paprika (smoked if available)

salt

1/2 TB + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered lengthwise

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

6 big leaves of basil, chiffonade

black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, heat 1 tsp of the oil. When hot, saute the onions with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to saute for 1 minute, until the onions and garlic are softened. Add the lentils with 4 cups of water (or however much you need) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender but not falling apart (20+ minutes). When they are done, if there is a lot of water left over, drain it and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a very hot saute pan, fry the mushrooms with 1 TB of the olive oil, turning occasionally. Try to get them to brown well on most sides. Season with salt.
3. When the lentils are cooked, add the paprika, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 TB of vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Toss the cherry tomatoes and basil with 1 tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
5. To serve, divide the lentils into bowls. Top with the mushrooms, and top that with the tomato salad. Give the whole thing a grind of black pepper and another little dusting of smoked paprika, if desired.  Serves 3-4.

Piccata!!

Awkward confession: for all the number of times I have uttered the word "piccata!" in my life, I had never actually eaten it until this past weekend.  This is the kind of thing where if you don't know, you probably don't need to... but certainly, it was partly in honor of Beavis and Butthead's imminent return to television that I decided to finally try making some piccata.

Quite different from a lot of eye-talian food we eat in the US, piccata is made with a sauce of lemon, white wine, and capers (yes, I'm still trying to use that damn bottle of wine).  In this particular recipe from LA's Augusta Vegan Bakery, the puckery tartness of the lemon, capers, and wine are balanced out by chewy-crispy mushrooms and by tofu that has been lightly battered and fried.

Wikipedia informs me that whereas "In the United States it is usually served with a starch, such as pasta, polenta, or rice . . . in Italy this is almost never done as veal piccata is a "secondo" (entree) and would be served after the pasta (or other starch) course."  Oh well.  I also drink cappuccinos after 10 am (and made with soy milk, no less!).

Although it's a bit complicated, what's nice about this recipe is that the "meat" isn't really the main thing; you could totally substitute any number of things in place of tofu: chickpeas, tempeh, seitan (but no thanks), fish, chicken.  What's important is the combination of temperatures, tastes, and textures.

I didn't change too much here.  I thought cornstarch might work better than Ener-G egg replacer, so I did that.  Also, Jon's doesn't carry shiitake mushrooms, and the 4 blocks to the Asian markets seemed particularly far, so I used cremini instead.  Actually, it was a little funny how both of the recipes I made for this dinner (the other of which is a mushroom, lentil, and tomato salad) used cremini mushrooms, but they were cut and cooked in different ways, so it didn't seem too redundant.

If--no, when--I make this again, I'll aim for a less sour sauce.  My dinner guest said she liked it just fine, but I thought that the sauce was too lemony, especially when paired with arugula, which is itself pretty bitter.  The more I cook, the more I realize that every dish or every meal is just about balance between yin and yang textures, flavors, colors, and sometimes temperatures.

But really, this seems like a dish that you should do according to your taste and your whims, not following a recipe, and perhaps sampling generously from the wine as you go along.  Next time.

Tofu Picatta with Mushrooms

(from Augusta Vegan Bakery)

Ingredients

for the tofu:

2 TB canola oil

1 block extra firm tofu, sliced and pressed

1/2 c water with 1/2 TB cornstarch dissolved in it

1/2 c flour

*

for the mushrooms:

2 TB Earth Balance 

3 c shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini out of necessity)

1 TB dry white wine

1 TB lemon juice

pinch salt

*

for the sauce:

1/2 c dry white wine (or more)

1/2 c vegetable broth (or more)

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 c lemon juice (or less)

2 tsp capers

1 TB Earth Balance

1 TB flour

*

several cups pasta, cooked

2-3 c arugula

3 TB parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. You will need two mediumish frying pans, plus a pot for the pasta.  I used a saucier pan for the tofu/sauce instead of a normal fry pan.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.  Dip tofu slabs in cornstarch liquid, then dredge in flour, and then fry for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and put in oven to keep warm.
3. Deglaze the same pan with the wine and stock.  Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.
4. In the second frying pan, melt the earth balance, then fry the mushrooms over medium heat until soft (about 5+ minutes).  Add the wine, lemon juice, and salt, and cook until the liquid is gone.  Then reduce heat to low and continue cooking until mushrooms are chewy and slightly crispy.
5. Meanwhile, finish the sauce.  Add the salt, lemon juice, and capers, then reduce heat to low.  Whisk in the earth balance, then carefully whisk in the flour.  Keep cooking on low until everything is done; thin with water if desired.
6. Adjust seasonings, then serve.  Put things on the plate in this order: greens, pasta, tofu, sauce, mushrooms, parsley.  Serves about 4. 

Shorbat Rumman

I've had shorbat rumman, or Iraqi "pomegranate soup," in my recipe queue for quite a while now, and I finally got around to making it.  It interests me for several reasons: I don't think I'd ever had Iraqi food.  I'd never put pomegranate molasses in a savory soup before (though it did go in these Syrian chickpeas with chard).  The recipe seemed to rely equally on herbs and on spices.  It's practically a complete meal in one dish: protein, starch, greens, beets.  And, googling this dish, I was surprised to see how incredibly consistent the recipe is (at least on the internet).  Almost every recipe was the same, plus or minus some lamb.

This is a really unique dish that combines textures (the diced beets are great!) and tastes (pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, and mint!).  (oh hey, beets and pomegranates are also happy together in this salad I made last month). However, if I make it again, I might change a few things.  First, since it looks like the recipe often has lamb in it, too, I found myself wanting more split peas both to bulk up the soup and cut the intensity of the beets, sugar, and pomegranate molasses.  You might think that two tablespoons of pomegranate molasses for six servings isn't very much, but it's a very strong, concentrated flavor.  Next time I'd skip the sugar altogether and just use the pomegranate molasses.

I think you can choose where on the stew-to-soup spectrum you want this dish.  For stew, see top photo.

Shorbat Rumman

(from vegetarian recipes and cooking via vegan treats and eats)

Ingredients

olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 c split peas (or more)

4 c vegetable stock

*

1-2 red beets, peeled and diced, tops reserved and chopped

1/4 cup rice (or more)

*

1/2 c scallions, sliced

1 TB sugar (omit this?)

1 1/2 TB lime juice

1 TB pomegranate molasses

1/4 c parsley, chopped

*

1 c spinach, chopped

*

2 TB cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste

1/2 TB dried mint, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp black pepper mixed for garnish

Instructions

1. Saute onions in a large sauce pan.  Add split peas, stir, then add stock and simmer one hour.
2. Add beets and rice, cook 30 minutes more.
3. Add scallions, sugar, lime juice, pomolasses, a pinch of salt, and parsley.  Simmer 15 more minutes.
4. Bring to a boil and add spinach and beet greens.  Reduce heat, simmer a few more minutes.  Stir in cilantro, adjust seasonings to taste, then serve, garnishing with the dried mint mixture.  Serves 3-4.

Mamool (Middle Eastern Butter Cookies)

For those who have been wondering, my brother Colin finally left Egypt this past Wednesday and is now back in the US.  I know he's bummed about having to leave his program, but given the way the last few days have unfolded it seems as though he picked a very good time to go.  It's also amazing how being in the right (wrong? no, I think right) place at the right time has resulted in a network news appearance (on ABC, in D.C.), a letter to the Atlantic, a mention on NPR, and a quote in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  He has also written a new post on his blog (seriously, check it out) about his experiences living five minutes' walk from Tahrir Square, from which he has allowed me to quote:

"while walking through Tahrir on Tuesday, a Muslim Brotherhood guy gave me a cookie. I tried to politely refuse, but when he insisted, I qualified, even though I'm American? He smiled and replied, especially because you're an American. Ad infinitum, this is the anecdote I will tell about the Brotherhood."

I use this anecdote in an admittedly rather tenuous connection to the rest of this blog post, as mamool is apparently more Lebanese than anything.  We can nevertheless celebrate the power of cookies--to welcome people into one's home, to seduce their hearts and souls, and perhaps to further international understanding.  In any case, it's a pretty great story.

I think I found this recipe a while ago when I was looking for new ways to use mazaher (orange blossom water).  And Oh. My. Goodness.  These are good cookies.  Buttery and flaky but not overly sweet, they're like a shortbread cookie with a decadent and aromatic filling.  The flavor of the orange blossom water is strong without being overwhelming, and I added some almond extract to the outside dough as a counterpoint to that flavor.  I wouldn't change anything about the recipe, but I definitely could improve on my method.  For one, a google image search has informed me that mamool are usually way prettier, thanks to the help of an elegant cookie-mold-thing.  Since that was out of the question, I experimented with different methods and shapes (samosa? turnover?) before realizing that the easiest and best looking way to do it was to flatten out small portions of the dough as much as possible (see below), then put a small amount of filling in the middle of the circle, pull up the sides of the circle around the filling, pinch it closed, and then roll it as if there were nothing inside at all.

A little bit fussy, but once I got the hang of it, it was alright.  The dough was too dry, however, and I had to add a few tablespoons more liquid (soymilk and/or water) in order to get a dough that could handle all this manipulation.  I'm guessing that the tradeoff was a slightly tougher cookie, but I'm not complaining.

No eggs were called for, but I did add some cornstarch, not only as a binder, but also because the original recipe called for farina, which appears to be a more processed wheat flour product.  And again, I also added almond extract, which is one of my favorite things in the world (exhibit b: amazing almond cookies).

I also discovered a new method for melting larger amounts of butter: less fussy and more energy-efficient than using a double boiler or the toaster oven, I put the butter in a metal bowl on a cookie sheet into the oven that was preheating anyway (see photo at right)!  I guess if you have a microwave this is less of a revelation, but I don't.

 

Mamool (Middle Eastern Butter Cookies)
(from cooks.com)

Ingredients
dough:

4 c white all-purpose flour

1 c sugar
1 TB orange blossom water (the original recipe suggests using rose water as a variation; I'd like to try this too)
1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 c melted butter (I used Earth Balance)

1 TB soymilk, plus more as needed
*

filling:

2 c ground walnuts
1/4 c sugar
1 TB orange blossom water
2 TB butter, melted

Instructions

1. Combine filling ingredients and set aside.
2. To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, and butter; add milk and flavoring. Knead well. Form into small patties, flatten in palm of hand; fill with 1 teaspoon filling and close tightly (see above notes for more information about how I did this).  Poke each one with a fork (is this necessary?  I'm not sure, but I thought better safe than sorry).
3. Bake in 350* oven until lightly browned on the bottom (about 10 min), then broil until tops are lightly browned.  Watch them very closely under the broiler!  I burnt about six of them because I stepped away for a minute.  If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool.  Makes 2-3 dozen.