falafel!

hands down, my favorite food! We had probably 6+ cups of okara (soy bean pulp) leftover from last week's soy milk, which was about to be thrown out, but the ever resourceful husband had the genius idea to make falafel. Every other recipe I found which used okara was not very appealing - too veganey or gluten free-ey, i.e. seemed too healthy. So, naturally, we deep fried some falafel balls instead.

okara falafel
makes 35-40 falafels

2 cups of okara (leftover squeezed soybean pulp from homemade soy milk) or mashed chick peas
1 egg
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 cup of flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a small or medium pot to 350 degrees F.

Scoop the mixture with an ice cream or tablespoon and drop them into the oil (you may need to do a few batches, but you can still use the same oil).

Fry them for 4 to 7 minutes.

homemade soy milk

I have been craving everything Chinese as of late, and this was one of them. Nothing beats homemade do jiang!

homemade soy milk
makes 6 quarts (24 cups)
 
1 1/2 lbs  soybeans
7 quarts (6 1/2 liter) water
Sugar, to taste

Rinse the soybeans thoroughly with water and soak them overnight with water. The next day, discard the water and rinse the soybeans a few times. If you want, remove the soybean skins as much as you can (I roll them through my hands and pick out any skins that are already or starting to come off). Drain and set aside.

In a blender, add the soy beans (in batches). Add some water to the soybeans and blend well. Transfer the blended soybeans and water into a big 8-quart stock pot. Repeat the same until all soybeans are blended.

Bring the soybean mixture to boil on medium height. Stir occasionally to avoid the soybeans from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As soon as it boils, lower the heat to medium-low and skim the foam off the top of the liquid. Continue to simmer for about 30 – 45 minutes or until the soy milk reduces to your desired consistency.

Turn off the heat once the soy milk is done. Use a cheese cloth or paper or cloth coffee filter to filter out the soybean residue. Squeeze the residue and make sure that all soy milk is fully extracted. Discard the residue. Add sugar to taste before serving the soy milk (I used about 1/2 - 3/4 cup).

P.S. the leftover soy bean pulp can be used to make soy flour (if you have loads of time), which is also gluten free.

mostly vegetarian irish stew

Vegetarian Guinness Stew

serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 celery stalks
3 small onions
1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned
3 pounds russett potatoes, peeled
3 large carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon flour
One 11.2-ounce bottle of Guinness*
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon concentrated broth base (I used some leftover chicken drippings we had in the freezer)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

*I just used a regular beer instead, but next time if I had the energy or foresight, would opt to use some real Guinness. I ended up adding some sherry at the end, just to put more flavor/depth to it. 

Finely chop celery, 2 of the onions and 4 mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add chopped vegetables. Cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion, potatoes, mushrooms and carrots into large chunks. Set aside.

Add flour to the softened mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in Guinness and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 mins. Stir in mushrooms and continue to simmer until all vegetables are fork-tender, another 25 minutes. Add any extra salt and pepper to taste. 

spatchcocked chicken

After having done it once, I will never cook a whole chicken any other way. If I had a big enough roasting pan/oven, I would cook every Thanksgiving turkey this way too. There really is no better way to cook a whole bird - every inch of skin gets golden brown and crispy, the breast is always moist; every part of the bird is tasty and succulent. And, it takes less time than roasting an entire bird, on top of creating less of a mess. 

spatchcocked chicken
makes 4 servings

1 whole chicken (3 1/2 - 4 lbs)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Combine salt, curry powder, paprika and olive oil into a paste. 

Turn the bird breast side down. Using the shears or scissors, cut on either side of the backbone to remove it (see pic). If you've never spatchcocked a chicken before, I recommend watching this video tutorial first. You can freeze the backbone for use in a stock later on.

Pull the bird open wider and note the white section of sternum bone/cartilage in the center of the breast. With a sharp knife cut a deep notch in the top of it--you'll feel the soft spot--then press on the breast to flatten it.

Working in a rimmed sheet pan, smear half of the paste all over the flesh side of the chicken, then flip the bird over so that the skin side is up, and arrange the legs so that they look knock-kneed (see the cooked photo at the top). Smear the rest of the paste all over the skin.

Roast the chicken in the middle of a preheated 450°F oven until it registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh and the breast, which takes about 35 to 40 minutes.

Let the roast rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving it. The resting time is crucial to let the juices seep from the surface back into the interior of the meat.

jerusalem pasta

I came across this recipe on Orangette, and was drawn in by its inclusion of so many wonderful things -- pine nuts, feta, Greek yogurt, basil! I didn't know it at the time, but it's from the Jerusalem cookbook, which apparently is taking the world over by storm. I read an article about how groundbreaking this book is - people are actually cooking through every recipe in this book, something which hasn't really been done since Julia Child's Mastering the art of French Cooking, which came out like... 50!? years ago! And, after having made this recipe, I must say I believe all the hype. This was amazingly delicious, a friend commented that they had never tasted anything so flavorful, and each component really popped. And, this is one of those dishes which happens to also be vegetarian, yet non-vegetarians people won't even notice/mind.

jerusalem pasta
makes 6 servings

2 ½ cups (500 g) whole-milk Greek yogurt
2/3 cup (150 ml) olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed or pressed
1 pound (500 g) fresh or thawed frozen peas
Kosher salt
1 pound (500 g) pasta shapes of your liking
Scant ½ cup (60 g) pine nuts
2 teaspoons Turkish or Syrian chile flakes, or red pepper flakes
1 2/3 cups (40 g) basil leaves, coarsely torn
8 ounces (240 g) feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the yogurt, 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the olive oil, the garlic, and 2/3 cup (100 g) of the peas. Process to a uniform pale green sauce, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it until tastes like pleasantly salty seawater. Add the pasta, and cook until it is al dente. While the pasta cooks, warm the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and chile flakes, and cook for 4 minutes, or until the pine nuts are golden and the oil is deep red. Also, warm the remaining peas in some boiling water (you could scoop out a bit of the pasta water for this); then drain.

Drain the cooked pasta into a colander, and shake it well to get rid of excess water that may have settled into the pasta’s crevices. Add the pasta gradually to the yogurt sauce; adding it all at once may cause the yogurt to separate. Add the warm peas, the basil, feta, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss gently. Serve immediately, with pine nuts and chile oil spooned over each serving.

moroccan carrot salad

A very unique and different dish for when you're bored and want something out of the ordinary. 

moroccan carrot salad

makes 5-6 servings

1 lb carrots, coarsely grated or sliced 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp harissa (NW African chili paste) or cayenne -- optional

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to allow the flavors to meld and permeate the carrots. Served chilled or at room temperature.

homemade ginger ale

refreshing and delicious. perfect for a summer party.

homemade ginger ale
makes 1.5 cups syrup (enough for 4-6 drinks)

1.5 cups chopped, peeled ginger (7 oz)
2 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 quart chilled seltzer
3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Make syrup: 
Cook ginger in water in a small saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.

Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on ginger and then discarding. Return liquid to saucepan and add sugar and a pinch of salt, then heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.

Assemble drinks:
Mix ginger syrup with seltzer and lime juice (start with 1/4 cup syrup and 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice per 3/4 cup seltzer, then adjust to taste).