A Good Dish

making food simpler

Granola – A Pretty Healthy, Tasty and Useful Gift from Your Kitchen

Homemade Granola Wood fired Porcelain Mug by Perry Haas
Homemade Granola
Wood fired Porcelain Mug by Perry Haas

I make granola about 3 times a year. Once for the birthday of a dear friend who loves it, perhaps once a year when out-of town friends visit and I need a breakfast to leave out and once at the end of the year for holiday gifts when I don’t feel capable of assembling something more complicated. Granola only takes about an hour to bake, is easy to make and fun to vary.

Oats are the main ingredient but everything may be modified to suit your taste. Use part rolled oats and part rolled barley. If you don’t like almonds or walnuts, use pistachios or hazelnuts. If you prefer pumpkin pie spice or cardamom to cinnamon, go for it. If you want to add dried cherries, goji berries, mulberries or pineapple instead of apricots, dates or raisins, substitute as you please. Even the sweetener is flexible – if you don’t want to use or don’t have maple syrup, use agave, honey or brown sugar. Vanilla is a choice. You could use maple or almond extract or leave it out altogether. You could grate in some lemon or orange zest or add shredded or flaked coconut. The recipe below is the way I prefer it but if you have strong preferences, try them.

Sheet Pan of baked Granola
Sheet Pan of baked Granola

How you package your granola to gift is also up to you. Glass jars are perfect for storing granola so I usually use a Mason jar, with raffia tied around the lid if I am gifting. Cellophane bags wrapped with ribbon work well as would ziploc bags with a pretty label affixed. Including a printed or hand-written recipe is a nice touch and makes it an even more useful present (just punch a hole in the corner of the recipe card and you can tie it on with the ribbon or raffia).

Quart of homemade granola packaged and ready to gift
Quart of homemade granola
packaged and ready to gift

This recipe is lower in oil and sugar than most but it is still not a low calorie food. I enjoy a bowl of granola with milk or yogurt each time I make it but I can’t keep much of it around or I would constantly be snacking on it. Like candied or curried nuts, for me, granola is best made and given away or stored in the freezer for when guests visit. You may have better self-control and in that case, keep a jar in your kitchen for hurried mornings or light dinners on nights you come home too late to cook. At this busy time of year, any lucky recipient will appreciate your healthy and delicious gift.

Granola in a wood fired cup by Perry Haas
Granola in a wood fired cup by Perry Haas

GIFTABLE GRANOLA

  • 6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking, not steel-cut)
  • 1-1 1/2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
  • 1-1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, hulled
  • 2 cups raw nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped (I use almonds and walnuts but pecans, hazelnuts and pistachios all work)
  • 3 TBs flax seeds
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado, coconut or grape seed)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup maple syrup (or honey, agave or brown sugar), depending on how sweet you like it
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, ginger or cardamom), optional
  • 1 tsp salt

Possible add-ins after baking:

  • 1-2 cups of any combination of raisins, currents, chopped dates or apricots, dried cranberries or cherries, chopped dried mango or pineapple, goji berries, mulberries, chopped dried figs, toasted coconut flakes or shredded coconut, chopped dried apples or pears
  • 1-3 TBs chia and/or hemp seeds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix oil, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

Add oats, seeds and nuts and stir until well combined.

Spread the mixture in an even layer on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet (the parchment just makes clean up easier).

Bake, stirring about every 10 minutes, until oats look toasty, about 45 minutes but watch carefully at the end.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with a little salt if you like, and cool completely.

When completely cool, add chopped dried fruit, or whatever you like, and package in jars or bags.

What Can You Do to Battle Winter Colds? Make Fire Cider!

Fire Cider Steeping in Mason Jars
Fire Cider Steeping in Mason Jars

Winter is almost here and that means it is time to bolster your defenses against incoming cold and flu viruses. Of course, wash your hands often, eat healthfully, laugh a lot and get enough sleep. But beyond these commonly known preventive measures, there is something else you can do – make and take fire cider.

Use unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
Use unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

Fire Cider is an herbal concoction (or more correctly – decoction) that may be an old folk recipe for a vinegar tonic made with medicinal herbs. It seems to have been formulated and written down by Rosemary Gladstar, a California herbalist, at the California School of Herbal Studies, in the 1980’s. Since then, people have battled over the rights to the name but you don’t have to buy the offending brand because you can make your own. Why pay a hefty amount for a small bottle (around $15 for 8 oz) when for a small outlay, you can make a yourself a quart with high quality organic ingredients you choose and control? I first bought Fire Cider from someone selling wild crafted bottles of it at a gas station in Vermont but have since seen it sold at lots of healthy food stores.

The basic recipe was given to me by a friend who is an impressive homesteader – she gardens, keeps chickens, grills paella and, now, makes her own fire cider. It calls for horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, garlic, turmeric root, citrus and hot peppers soaked in apple cider vinegar for a month. These are herbs and spices known for their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, mucus-thinning, expectorant and stimulating properties. Possible add-ins are a personal choice and could include parsley, rosemary, cinnamon, lemongrass, thyme, echinacea, astragalus root, cayenne powder or flakes, burdock, rosehips or black peppercorns. (Please try to use organic ingredients if you are able). Some people drink it straight. Many sweeten it with honey. If you are vegan, you could use stevia, agave or maple syrup. You can use it as a tonic, taking a daily shot, or as a medicine, sipping as needed to battle congestion, colds or indigestion.

Pour unpasteurized apple cider vinegar over the chopped and grated ingredients
Pour unpasteurized apple cider vinegar over the chopped and grated ingredients

It isn’t too late in the season to make this immune booster. If you make it this week, your fire cider will be ready right around New Years when you may need it most. Some cooks use it in salad dressing (as the vinegar component), add it to mustard or put a splash in tea or a cocktail. Once strained, it can sit on a counter in a cool room for weeks or be stored in the refrigerator in a glass bottle or jar. If you go into production this week, you could give fire cider (with the recipe) as a thoughtful, homemade gift for the holidays. Who couldn’t use a shot of immune boosting to get through the winter, especially when you’ll feel so virtuous?

Turmeric, ginger and horseradish roots and habanero pepper Pressed and painted earthenware plate by Patrick Loughran
Turmeric, ginger and horseradish roots and habanero pepper
Pressed and painted earthenware plate by Patrick Loughran

FIRE CIDER

  •  1/2 cup fresh horseradish root, chopped or grated
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup garlic, chopped
  • 1/4-1/2 cup ginger root, chopped or grated
  • 1/4-1/2 cup turmeric root, chopped or grated
  • 1 habanero (or Serrano, cayenne or jalapeño) chili pepper, chopped (please use gloves)
  • 1/2 orange, chopped (including peel)
  • 1/2 lemon, chopped (including peel)
  • 3-4 cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is a good brand)

Optional ingredients:

  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken
  • 1/2 cup parsley sprigs
  • 1 TBs fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 TBs black peppercorns
  • 1/4-1/2 cup chopped burdock root
  • 1 TBs fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped echinacea or astragalus root

 Place all chopped ingredients in a clean glass jar (either 1 half gallon or 2 quart jars will work – dividing the herbs evenly) and pour enough vinegar over to cover contents. Put a piece of waxed paper over the top of the jar and then screw on the lid.

 Let the closed jars sit out for 3-4 weeks at room temperature, shaking daily, or when you remember. After about a month, strain the liquid into a clean jar (if you strain through cheesecloth you can squeeze out every drop) and discard the solids. (Gladstar, who devised the formula, suggest making a chutney from the strained herbs). Taste (be prepared for a strong taste!) and add up to 1/4 cup of raw honey, as you want. Your fire cider can sit at room temperature for a few weeks (if your room isn’t warm)or you can store it in the refrigerator. Shake before using.

 Take a prophylactic shot daily, or as needed to feel you are participating in your own good health!

Bottled and ready to gift with a copy of the recipe
Bottled and ready to gift with a copy of the recipe

Leftover Turkey? Make Pozole

 

Spicy Mexican Posole made with leftover turkey Thrown and altered tumblers by Chris Gustin
Spicy Mexican Soup made with leftover turkey
Thrown and altered tumblers by Chris Gustin

Leftover turkey might be the best thing about the actual Thanksgiving meal, except, of course, the stuffing and all things pumpkin. You can make turkey tacos, turkey sandwiches (with stuffing and cranberries), turkey salad and turkey chili, among many other dishes. The tastiest way I know to prepare leftover turkey is the same as my answer to almost any meal planning decision between Halloween and April Fool’s – make soup!

When you have a turkey or a chicken carcass, after Thanksgiving or any other time, a flavorful second use is a spicy Mexican soup known as Pozole (after the hominy, called pozole in Spanish, used in it). Although a traditional pozole is made with pork, I think it is much tastier with chicken or turkey. Don’t panic if you’ve never seen or heard of hominy – you can find it canned by Goya in the Latin section of your grocery store. You can now buy an organic version made by Natural Value online at jet.com. If you want to use dried kernels, just soak them overnight in water and cook with a few bay leaves and a mashed clove of garlic, adding water as needed, as you might cook chickpeas.

Organic hominy is now available
Organic hominy is now available

If you are decide to make your own broth, this becomes a 2 part recipe. First, carve off most of the remaining meat to put in the refrigerator to use later. Break the carcass in half or quarters, as you need to in order to fit into your soup pot. Add a couple of cut up carrots and stalks of celery, an onion (you can leave on the skin) and a few smashed cloves of garlic. Because your turkey was (hopefully) seasoned when you cooked it, there is no need to add salt here. If you have extra parsley, you can toss it in. I add a small parsnip, a sliced turmeric root and a dozen peppercorns to the pot, but you may have other preferences.  Add water to cover everything by an inch or so and bring to a boil. Skim any foamy stuff on the surface, turn down heat and simmer for about an hour. Drain the stock through a strainer or colander and discard the solids after picking off any usable bits of turkey. Now you are ready to proceed with part 2 of your soup making.

Canned green chilis/chilies
Canned green chilis/chilies

If you don’t want to make the broth, you can still make the soup with bought stock and the leftover turkey meat – just proceed to the recipe below without stock-making. And you can even use cooked chicken and chicken broth wherever I am using turkey. The amounts are flexible and really up to you. I like a lot of vegetables and hominy and less meat chunks but you may prefer otherwise. Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients or the variable amounts. This is a forgiving recipe and another reason to be thankful.

 

Poole with crushed tortilla chips Tumbler by Chris Gustin
Pozole with crushed tortilla chips
Tumbler by Chris Gustin

Turkey Pozole

  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion, 1 very large or 2 medium onions
  • 1/2 cup minced garlic, 4-8 large cloves
  • 2 TBS tomato paste
  • 2 TBS chili powder (I use 1 TBS regular chili powder and 1 of chipotle chili powder)
  • 1 heaping TBS dried oregano
  • 1 heaping TBS cumin powder
  • 1 – 2 cans (5.75 oz) whole green chilies, diced or 2 cans (4oz) pre-diced – (you could roast and chop a poblano pepper or two or add a chopped poblano to the cooking onions depending on your tastes or what you have available – again – this is a flexible recipe – if you don’t want the flavor of the green chilies or you don’t have any, you could use green pepper or omit it altogether)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery, 2-3 stalks or more
  • 1 cup carrots, 2-3 carrots or more, sliced or diced, depending on how you like the pieces in your soup
  • 8-10 cups of turkey broth (or 2 quart boxes of stock)
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups cooked posole/hominy or 2-3 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups shredded cooked turkey (or chicken)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Pinch of cayenne, if you like spicy
  • chopped cilantro, a lime cut in wedges, finely shredded green or napa cabbage, minced red onion, thinly sliced or julienned radishes, chopped avocado, dried oregano, hot sauce or cayenne and tortilla chips to put on the table and let people add as they please.

Heat the oil in a stock pot, add the onion and cook until turning translucent (3-5 mins) over medium hot heat but not hot enough to burn the onion.

Add the garlic (and fresh poblano, if using) and cook one more minute.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and chilies. (if using raw peppers, add with the garlic and cook an additional minute) and cook 1 more minute.

Add the celery and carrots.

Add the broth and water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Add the hominy and cook 20 minutes.

If you like more body to your soup (a thicker broth), remove 2 cups of the mixture (mostly the solids with a little liquid) and process in a blender until smooth and then add back to the soup. Or use an immersion blender for a few seconds.

Add the shredded turkey and taste for seasoning.

Add salt and/or pepper as desired.

Add lime juice and serve, letting each lucky eater add cilantro, cabbage, onion, radish, avocado, oregano, hot sauce and crumbled tortilla chips as desired.

This soup tastes even better after a day or two in the refrigerator. If you think it lacks enough flavor, add a dash of smoked paprika – it improves many savory soups.

Serves 6-8

1- Invite Friends Over 2- Make a Pot of Soup 3- Plan How to Move Forward

Curried Lentil Soup Porcelain bowl by Andy Brayman
Curried Lentil Soup
Porcelain bowl by Andy Brayman

I meet more or less monthly with a group of women organized by one friend who knew the core group primarily, but not exclusively, from her children’s schools or activities. It is a varied group of teachers, artists, writers, attorneys, non-profit administrators, media producers and art historians – a not atypical cross-section of smart, engaged and progressive city dwellers. We usually meet in a neighborhood bar or restaurant but this week we were meeting at my apartment – coincidentally at a moment when the comfort of a home and of home cooked food meant more than usual.

In the wake of the electoral earthquake to which we woke up last week, we all need soothing of one sort or another. I thought about making a typical comfort food like pasta or grilled cheese. But because so many people are watching their carb and gluten intake, I opted for a vegan soup and salad.

The recipe for the soup I chose is an expansion of a curried lentil recipe from Julia Turshen’s new book, Small Victories: Recipes, Advice and Hundreds of Ideas for Home-Cooking Triumphs. I added some ingredients, changed the amounts of others and morphed a lentil dish into a soup. You can add additional vegetables to the leftover soup or it can be cooked down to serve over rice. The vegetables in the recipe are optional but add a lot of texture and nutrients. This fragrant soup tastes even better if you make it the day before you want to serve it. Just be careful to rewarm it over low heat as it will easily scorch (yes, I know this from experience!) Feel free to fiddle with the amounts, spices and ingredients yourself until you come up with a taste that pleases you. The additional vegetables are optional but add a lot of texture and nutrients. I find this soup quite soothing and fortifying, feelings we can all use a little more of stumbling into the social and political unthinkable that lies ahead.

Curried Lentil Soup with Cilantro Bowl by Andy Brayman
Curried Lentil Soup with Cilantro
Bowl by Andy Brayman

Curried Red Lentil Soup

  • 3 TBs olive, avocado or grape seed oil
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3″ knob of ginger, minced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 red onion, minced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 tsps cumin seeds
  • 2 tsps ground turmeric (or grate fresh if you have it)
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 2 cups split red lentils, washed
  • 1 can(4oz) of chopped green chilies
  • A big handful of cilantro, stems and leaves chopped separately
  • 2 cans(13.5oz) coconut milk (I used one full fat and one reduced fat)
  • 3 cans of water (use the empty coconut milk can)
  • 3 carrots, diced (optional)
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced thinly or diced (optional)
  • 1-2 cup small pieces of cauliflower (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas (optional)

 In a medium stockpot, heat the oil and add the garlic, onion, ginger and spices.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking, until soft, about 5-6 minutes.

Add the chilies, lentils, coconut milt, water, cilantro stems and 1 tsp of salt.

Bring to a bowl and then lower to a simmer, cooking for about 10 minutes.

Add vegetables (except peas) and cook about 10 minutes more. If you want to throw in a handful of a green like arugula or spinach with the frozen peas at the end, do it just a minute before turning off heat.

Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges and crumbled sweet potato chips.

Serves 4-6 as a main course and 6-8 as a starter.

Sunlight contains all colors
Sunlight contains all colors

Sharing the Cooking: An Easy Vegetable Dish to Transport

Broccoli with Garlic, Currants, Chili Flakes and Pine Nuts Flameware Casserole Dish by Robbie Lobell
Broccoli with Garlic, Currants, Chili Flakes and Pine Nuts
Flameware Casserole Dish by Robbie Lobell

We were invited to dinner at a friend’s house last week and when I asked what we could bring, she said she would love a green vegetable. Of course, I thought, there can never be enough vegetables! Sounds simple, right? A vegetable is one of the easiest parts of a meal to cook but one to transport takes a little forethought. You don’t want to arrive with ingredients and be disruptive by starting to cook in the midst of your host’s preparations. You want a dish that is ready to put on the table.

I know lots of people want their food to be served piping hot. Not moi. I don’t care one bit, especially with an unsauced vegetable dish, if it is hot, warm, room temperature or even cold. I think many foods, like cruciferous vegetables, taste even better at room temp than hot. But temperature is a consideration, since you can’t really travel and produce a steaming hot dish on arrival. Planning on bringing a room temperature recipe is most likely to succeed.

If it were springtime, I might make and bring a platter of steamed or roasted asparagus, always well liked and travel hearty. In summer, I like to bring a platter of raw veggies or sautéed summer squash with julienned carrots, if a salad isn’t wanted. In winter, I might offer roasted root vegetables. Now that it is autumn, I thought about broccoli or broccoli rabe, sautéed with garlic and chili flakes or blanched watercress with a sesame vinaigrette and toasted sesame seeds. Since I had 2 heads of broccoli in the fridge from that week’s farm share, I just sautéed them with a few additions. If you like broccoli rabe, you could make it the same way only you would blanch it for a few minutes and drain before adding it to the sauté. Both hold up very well to traveling and taste good at room temperature.

Bunch of Broccoli Rabe
Bunch of Broccoli Rabe

Lastly, I remembered to bring the broccoli in a serving dish so my friend wouldn’t have to scramble to find something appropriate while trying to get her dinner on the table. Ditto for a potluck. If there is sauce or dressing involved in your dish or just to keep everything clean and tidy, bring your contribution in a covered container and then transfer to your serving bowl or platter when you arrive. You have to carry the food anyway, so a plate or bowl and even utensils won’t add much weight. I often use a lidded Pyrex that can double as a serving dish. If you aren’t coming from home, it might be best to offer drinks or dessert. And there are always flowers!

Broccoli Rabe with Garlic, Currants and Chili Flakes Flameware Casserole Dish by Robbie Lobell
Broccoli Rabe with Garlic, Currants and Chili Flakes
Flameware Casserole Dish by Robbie Lobell

BROCCOLI with GARLIC, CURRANTS, CHILI FLAKES and PINE NUTS

  • 1 large head of broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets and stem sliced or 1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned, cut into bite sized pieces, blanched 3-4 minutes and drained
  • 2 TBs olive, avocado or grape seed oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 TBs dried currants (if you don’t have them, you could chop raisins)
  • 1 large pinch dried red chili flakes
  • 1/4 cup raw or lightly toasted pine nuts (or another nut, if you prefer), optional

Heat a large sauté pan and add oil until hot.

Reduce heat and add garlic and stir until starting to soften, about 30 seconds.

Add currants and chili flakes and stir another 30 seconds.

Add broccoli and a big splash (about 1/4 cup) of water or stock and stir until liquid evaporates and broccoli is barely soft enough to pierce with a fork. Err on the side of undercooked as it will continue to cook and there is almost nothing that smells worse than overcooked broccoli.

Remove from heat and from cooking pot in order to stop cooking. If using broccoli rabe, add and cook just to heat through and be well mixed.

Sprinkle nuts on top, if using, and toss.

With the addition of carrots - looks festive!
With the addition of carrots – looks festive!

Note: Robbie Lobell’s work, along with many other fine potters, will be for sale at the Holiday Sale at the Old Church Art School in Demarest, New Jersey the first weekend in December.