Jerk seasoning, typical of Jamaica, is characterized by allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. The result is spicy and fragrant but not overwhelming. I serve them with Jamaican rice and peas, the name of which is a bit misleading since the peas in question are actually beans. In Jamaica typically they would be pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan), also sometimes called Congo peas or no-eye peas. The completely unrelated Black-eyed pea would be a good substitute as are the red kidney beans I have used here.
1 Tbsp. allspice berries
½ medium onion
2 Tobago seasoning peppers or 1 scotch bonnet, seeded
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. dark rum, preferably Jamaican
1 Tbsp. oil
2 boneless pork loin chops, about 4 or 5 ounces each
Toast the allspice berries in a dry pan for 8 to 10 minutes. While they are cooling coarsely chop the onion and pepper then finely mince them in a food processor. Grind the allspice in a spice grinder. Add to the food processor jar along with the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, the rum, and the oil. Process to a paste adding a bit of oil if necessary. Coat the pork chops on all side with the jerk mixture and set aside for at least an hour.
Prepare a grill or broiler. When hot, cook the pork chops for about 4 or 5 minutes on a side depending on thickness.
4 ounces dried red kidney beans
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup long-grain rice
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup water or chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk (see note)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 whole Scotch bonnet, habanero, or Tobago seasoning pepper
Note: you can use canned coconut milk or you can make your own as a Sri Lankan room mate once taught me. Put ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut into a cup of boiling water. Boil for a couple minutes then whiz in a food processor or blender. Strain, squeezing out as much milk as possible.
Rinse the kidney beans, put in the pressure cooker, and cover with about 1 inch of water. Cook at 15 psi for 30 minutes after the weight begins to jiggle. Cool and open according to manufacturer’s directions.
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4 or 5 minutes, until they begin to brown on the edges. Add the garlic and rice, cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the grated ginger, salt, water or stock, and coconut milk. Add the kidney beans, the thyme, and the whole pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the pepper before serving. Save it for another use.
Ok, I confess that I served this with grilled Italian sausage but this eggplant parmesan is completely vegetarian and would be great served with pasta and a salad. Incidentally, salting the eggplant is not mandatory but it does reduce the likelihood of its being bitter and, in my opinion, concentrates its flavor.
1 large eggplant
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion
1 bell pepper
4 to 6 mushrooms
2 Tbsp. dry vermouth
2 cups tomato sauce, homemade or from a jar
½ pound mozzarella, sliced
Grated parmesan
Chopped Italian parsley leaves
Trim the eggplant and cut ¼-inch thick slices from the center reserving the short slices from the sides for another use. Lay the slices on a rack over a sheet pan and sprinkle generously on both sides with kosher salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
Peel the onion, halve through the root, and slice into thin semicircle. Cut the top and bottom off the pepper, remove seeds and ribs, then slice into thin strips. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Warm the tomato sauce.
Place a rack 4 inches below the broiler and preheat. Rinse the eggplant slices well to remove the salt then dry on a kitchen towel. Clean and dry the sheet pan and lay the eggplant slices in a single layer. Brush lightly on each side with olive oil and put under the broiler for 4 or 5 minutes on each side or until just starting to color. Remove and set aside to cool.
While the eggplant is roasting add olive oil to a fry pan and sauté the onions and peppers until soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Add a bit more oil and perhaps a bit of butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with a bit of salt to help draw out their moisture and sauté until nicely browned. Stir in the vermouth and let boil down. Set aside.
Turn oven on to 325° (300° for convection). Choose a shallow, oven-proof pan wide enough to accommodate the eggplant slices crosswise. Spread a bit of tomato sauce thinly in the pan and layout the eggplant slices. Cover with a bit more tomato sauce. Spread on the onions and pepper, then the mushrooms, and a more tomato sauce. Arrange the mozzarella slices to cover the dish and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle on the parmesan and the parsley leaves. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Raita is a simple but delightful accompaniment to spicy Indian food. Follow the directions carefully to get a thick creamy result.
1 cucumber
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 cup plain yoghurt, I prefer Stonyfield Farm’s low fat version
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Peel the cucumber and halve lengthwise. Scrap out and discard the seeds. Grate or shred (I use my food processor for this). Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt, stirring to coat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the excess water to be extracted from the cucumber.
Measure the yoghurt into a strainer lined with cheesecloth and set aside to drain for about 30 minutes.
Rinse the cucumber well to remove most of the salt and squeeze out as much water as possible either between your hands or by twisting in a kitchen towel. Empty the yoghurt into a small bowl and stir in the cucumber. Mix in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if need be.
A couple of weeks ago at the Binghamton farmers’ market I discovered some delightful small red peppers. The farmer told me they were Tobago peppers. After a bit of research I learned that they were, in fact, Tobago Seasoning Peppers or Trinidad Seasoning Peppers depend upon who you asked. What makes these peppers so special is that because they are same species as habanero peppers (capsicum chinense) they all the flavor but without the heat. So, what does that have to do with spinach and potatoes? Well, it happens that nearly half of the population of Trinidad and Tobago is descended from immigrants from India so their cuisine has strong Indian elements. So I adapted this Indian recipe by adding Caribbean peppers and spices. I serve it over spiced brown basmati rice accompanied with raita, cucumbers in yoghurt.
½ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch dice
¼ cup oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. grated ginger
2 medium Tobago Seasoning Peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch by ⅛-inch strips
2 cups, about 6 ounces, fresh or frozen spinach
Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until brown on all sides and tender. Remove and salt lightly.
Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil from the pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and peppers. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden brown. Turn the heat down if they start to blacken. Put the spinach in the pan, turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook until spinach is done.
Stir in the potatoes and raise heat to warm through. Serve over brown basmati rice accompanied by raita.
Sunday dinner this week was a rerun, pork back ribs, so I am posting the recipe from brunch instead.
A frittata makes a great Sunday brunch. The fillings can be just about anything you want—an ex-brother-in-law was fond of using left-over Chinese take out in his. This one is similar to a quiche Lorraine but without the crust. I used Stilton on top for a novel twist but you might prefer a more traditional cheese like gruyere or cheddar. Sometimes I replace some or all of the whole eggs with a non-fat product like Egg Beaters.
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced, halved first if large
4 or more large eggs
Stilton or other cheese to top
Place the bacon in a broiler-proof, preferably non-stick, skillet and cook for a couple minutes until there is some fat in the pan. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, tossing or stirring regularly, until the bacon is crispy and the mushrooms have given up their liquid.
Set a rack 4 inches below the broiler and preheat on high. Beat the eggs well—a stick blender does a splendid job—and pour over the filling. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes or until the egg begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Finish under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Test for doneness with a toothpick. If still a bit runny, put the skillet on a lower rack of the oven for a couple of minutes with the broiler off to finish cooking through.
Chiles rellenos are simply stuffed peppers. Most common in the US are Anaheim peppers filled with cheese and deep fried. My version uses long, small chiles filled with mashed beans with a bit of cheese mixed in making for a leaner, more nutritious product. I serve them simply over Mexican-style white rice topped with a bit of chipotle-tomatillo salsa.
4 ounces, about ½ cup, dried pinto beans
1 slice bacon, chopped (optional), or 1 Tbsp. oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 or 4 cups water
½ cup finely grated Monterey jack or cheddar cheese
4 ancho, pasilla or Anaheim chiles
¼ cup masa harina
2 eggs, separated
2 cups tomatillo sauce or canned tomatillos
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 chipotle en adobo
1 cup canola or other neutral oil
Note: I use a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking of the beans. If you do not have one just extend the cooking time for the beans until they are soft, about 1½ hours.
Put the bacon or oil in a pressure cooker over medium high heat. When hot add the onion and cook, stirring regularly until the bacon is crisp and the onion is well brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beans, oregano, and water scrapping up any burned bits on the bottom of the pan. The water should cover the beans by about ½ inch for pressure cooking or 1 inch for conventional cooking. Cook at 15 psi for 30 minutes after the weight begins to jiggle (in Binghamton, at an elevation of 1000’, I add a couple minutes to the cooking time). Cool and open the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Mash the beans to a smooth paste adding reserved cooking liquid as needed. Mix in the cheese until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the chiles. Char the skin under a broiler or, as I do, using a plumber’s propane torch. When well charred wrap in a kitchen towel to cool. When cool, carefully rub the skins off. With a small sharp knife cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper then make a T cut just below the stem. Open the pepper and remove the seeds and ribs. Set aside.
For the salsa, put the unpeeled garlic in a dry cast iron skillet and roast, turning from time to time, until soft and slightly charred. Peel and put into a food processor with the chipotle and tomatillos. Process until smooth but still a bit chunky. Scoop into a small saucepan and warm.
Put ½ inch of oil into the cast iron skillet and heat until nearly smoking.
Separate the eggs and beat whites until stiff peaks have formed. Mix 1 Tbsp. of masa harina into the yolks and fold into the whites. Stuff the peppers with the bean mixture, roll in the masa harina and dip into the batter. Fry in the oil, seam side down first, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
To serve, spoon a serving of rice onto a plate, put two chiles rellenos on top, and nap with the salsa.
Serves 2.
Traditionally these are bay or sea scallops and mushrooms sautéed in butter and served gratinée with gruyère and cream on scallop shells, sometimes rimmed with pureed potatoes. My version is a bit lighter because I omit the heavy cream and adds a Québécois twist with substitution of sharp Canadian cheddar for the gruyère.
1 pound potatoes
2 slices bacon
½ pound bay scallops
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. minced shallot or onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned then halved or quartered to roughly the size of the scallops
1 Tbsp. flour, I use rice flour to make the dish gluten-free
½ cup dry white wine, dry hard cider or apple wine would also be nice
2 ounces finely shredded extra sharp Canadian-style cheddar, about ¾ cups
Dice the potatoes and place in salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Drain reserving about ½ cup of the cook water and mash until smooth. Set aside.
Note: this recipe works best if you use a plain aluminum or stainless steel skillet rather than non-stick.
Cook the bacon in a 10-inch fry pan over medium high heat until it is crispy and the fat has rendered out, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down a bit toward the end so that the bacon cooks thoroughly but does not burn. Remove the bacon to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. When cool chop finely.
Turn the heat up a bit and when the bacon just begins to smoke add the scallops and sauté until done, about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same pan you cooked the scallops in add the butter. When melted put in the shallots and garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, turn the heat to medium, and sauté, stirring regularly until the mushrooms are done and start to give up their liquid. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir for a minute or two. Add the white wine and stir, deglazing the pan, until thickened. Put in the scallops and stir to combine.
Set a rack about 6 inches below your broiler and preheat. Put half of the mashed potatoes on each of two broiler-proof plates. Form into a neat mound then make a well in the center of it. Spoon the scallop and mushroom mixture into the wells. Top with cheese then chopped bacon. Place under the broiler for about 10 minutes, rotating the two plates half way through to make sure they are done evenly.
When I don’t want to go a lot of trouble for dinner I make stew. This recipe, that I adapted from one on the sausage manufacturer’s website, www.gasparssausage.com, features spicy pork chourico and fresh ingredients from the farmers’ market. Incidentally, while Gasper’s sausages (that’s all they make) are widely available in the Northeast you may not be able to find them in your local supermarket. You could substitute any spicy smoked sausage, but Gasper’s are so good I recommend ordering some online.
1 Gasper’s chourico sausage, ½ pound
Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small hot chile, seeded and minced
2 cups tomato sauce, I use homemade but canned would work (see my post of September 13)
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 tsp. pimentón or paprika
8 ounces green beans, halved
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Film the bottom with olive oil and sauté the chourico for a few minutes until the fat is rendered out. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, and chile. Continue to cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and potatoes. Season with pimentón. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in green beans, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve alone or with a green salad.
It seems as though just about every culture has a version of stuffed peppers. Here I combine Indian and Persian approaches to the dish for a hearty, and healthy, vegetarian meal. In some recipes the rice is only partially cooked before stuffing then finished with the peppers. I prefer to err on the side of tender rice by cooking it thoroughly first.
2 large bell peppers, red or green
½ cup brown basmati or long grain rice
¼ cup green lentils
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. finely chopped carrot (a brunoise would be perfect)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. garam masala
1½ cups water, stock, or a combination of the two
¼ cup golden raisins
Plain yoghurt, to serve
Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and rib. If need be, shave a bit off the bottom of the peppers so that they stand upright.
Rinse the rice and soak in cold water for about 30 minutes (you can skip this step to save time). Rinse the lentils and pick over for any small stones.
Heat the oil in saucepan over medium and sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the drained rice into the pan and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the lentils, water or stock, turmeric, and garam masala. Stir and bring to a boil then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the rice is nearly done. Mix in the raisins and continue to simmer over very low heat until the liquid is absorbed. Allow to cool a bit.
Fill the peppers with the rice mixture. Add 2 Tbsp. water to each one. I like to top them with a garnish, say a bit of chili relish, but that is optional. Bake in a 350° oven (325° for convection) for about 30 minutes. Serve with a bit of plain yoghurt.
The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), like the tomato it resembles, is a member of the nightshade family that also includes potatoes, eggplant, and tobacco. It is most common in Mexican cooking where it is used in green, citrusy salsas. Note that I call this recipe “Tomatillo Sauce” not “Salsa” because is it a base not a finished product. Frozen this sauce is a good way to preserve the goodness of fresh tomatillos for use over the winter.
2 pounds or more of tomatillos
Place a rack about 4 inches below broiler and preheat broil on high. Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Place them stem side down in a broiling pan or on a sheet pan with a rim to collect the juices. Broil until the skins are blistered and blacked, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn over and continue broiling until the tops are also blistered and blackened. Remove from the broiler and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, place the tomatillos and the juices from the pan into a food processor and reduce to a coarse puree, working in batches if need be. Allow the puree to cool in a large bowl in the refrigerator. When cool, pack into 2-cup screw top freezer jars and freeze for up to several months.
To use the sauce, simply thaw it and add to whatever ingredients are called for in your salsa recipe.
