Warm pasta salad with rainbow chard, pomegranate and pistachio sauce

I don't like pasta. There. I said it. I basically overdosed on it while I was playing ultimate, and the last straw was when I lived in Bologna--please don't tell the Bolognese about this. As it turns out, one can live without pasta, and I've found that I actually live much better without it. My problem is, the Slovak loves it, and not only did he learn how to cook it while in Bologna, that's still almost the only thing he can cook (we are working on correcting this). There are days I end up so tired I can't even lift a wooden spoon, so he'll offer to cook, and I just have to hang my head and resign myself because I know what's coming.

On the other hand, I'm passionate about legumes. It's in my genes, to me they are as essential as brushing my teeth. All sizes and shapes and colours, there a sure value for the money and prepared properly (soaked overnight with wine vinegar, cooked with garlic and herbs and a piece of kombu), they are delicious, nutritious and reliable. I'll put the pressure cooker on at least twice a week with those little pearls. The Slovak, however, does not share my enthusiasm for beans; sometimes he'll even-gasp!-boycott them altogether.

Tonight we weren't our usual tired, and we'd had a big lunch (it's goose and young wine season here in Slovakia), so we had some time and energy to get into a not-too-big dinner, but something special nevertheless. I was in the mood to be conciliatory. I offered the Slovak to meet halfway, and to prepare a dish that would include beans and pasta. He agreed with a silent nod, not lifting his eyes off his Blackberry.

I went to my usual source of inspiration, 101 Cookbooks, and just plugged into the search bar 'pasta'. I'd tried none of the recipes that came up, of course. But this one caught my attention, because it had kale (a vegetable impossible to find in Bratislava--kale, if you read this, come by for a visit) and pomegranate. Yesterday I had indulged and bought one at the market, right after I'd bought some rainbow chard. See where I'm going with this?

I was all set to follow the recipe, substituting rainbow chard for kale, but halfway through decided to throw in some tahini which I hadn't used in a while, and the adzuki beans I'd cooked in the afternoon (adzuki beans tend to have barely any flavour, so they're a good 'background' bean to have, you can add them to almost any dish and they're bonus without altering the flavour). In the end this is what happened:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 2/3 cup pistachios, chopped coarsely by a Slovak if one is available
• about 2-3 cups rainbow chard, with stems, choped into half-inch strips, not dried from the rinse
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp tahini (organic and dark, that's all I had)
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 large garlic clove, smashed and chopped
• 2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• About a cup of cooked adzuki beans
• fine sea salt to taste

Procedure

• Toast the pistachios, about 3-4 min.
• In a food processor, puree the pistachios, tahini, and garlic as much as you can/like (I still had pieces of pistachio). Slowly add the lemon juice and puree some more. Place into the serving bowl, and mix with the beans. It's okay if the beans still have some water, it'll make the pistachio-tahini sauce less like a chunky paste and more like a sauce.
• Put the pasta to cook, as per packaging instructions. Place the Swiss chard still dripping with water in a non-stick pan, and cook it for about 5 minutes, preferably covered, stirring often so it cooks evenly. Strain in a mesh colander to get some of the juice out, and mix in with the beans and sauce.
• When the pasta is done, strain in the same mesh colander, and rinse out with cold water to cool it down. Add to the bowl and mix so the sauce is evenly covering the other ingredients. Taste to adjust the salt.
• Add the pomegranate seeds, mix without crushing the seeds and you're ready.

Verdict

Really good warm salad with appealing colours. It was our luck that the garlic clove we chose was very pungent, and so much so, it made the dish spicy. (I'll have to think of an ingredient that will step up to the plate when the garlic doesn't...). The pomegranate seeds were tangy and not sweet at all, but I think the dish could be fine with either--I certainly wouldn't skip those, they are too beautiful, tasty, and crunchy to be left out. The pistachios weren't too present, but that's probably because those I used were not the freshest. I think what did it for me is that I buried the pasta under that web of flavours (tahini, pistachios, garlic, pomegranate), and got my full meal out of that one dish. It was a bit of work with quite a few steps (prying out the pomegranate seeds, toasting the pistachios, timing the Swiss chard and the pasta cooking times), but nothing too horrible, just perfect for a Sunday dinner after a day of running around trying to optimize the hours of unexpected excellent sunny weather...

Smokeout Menu - 3 September 2011

Long time no blog!

In commemoration of tomorrow's smoke-out, I'll actually be making an effort to document what gets made. Some old favorites, some new jacks – should be a grand old time.

No-Knead Rolls

Tired of spending $3 a pack on rolls, and with enough experience and confidence in my bread making, I decided to actually make the rolls this time. I'd just started a batch of the Sullivan Street no-knead bread and found a roll recipe almost the same, so tripled the ingredients and set up two bowls to rise over the next 18 hours. Via Fabulous and Delicious:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C. warm water
• 1/4 Tsp. dry active yeast
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tsp. sugar
• 3 C. flour
• cornmeal for the baking pans

Procedure

 

• Add all ingredients (except the cornmeal) to a bowl and mix with a spoon until the ingredients are decently mixed. The dough is going to be very sticky. 
• Once mixed, cover the bowl with a towel or saran wrap and let the dough sit for 12 hours. (I've done as little as 8 hours with success.) After the dough has sat for at least 8 hours (ideally 12), it will be bubbly and at least doubled in size. 
• 
• Place a generous amount of cornmeal on a baking sheet to keep from sticking while baking.
• To prepare the rolls, place a 1/4-1/2 cup of flour on a plate or counter top. 
• Separate the dough into 8 pieces; take each piece of the dough and roll/dust the outside with the flour, then mold the piece of dough into a round shape and place it on the baking sheet.
• Once all the rolls are made and placed on the baking sheet, let them sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so they may rise some more.
• Place broiler plan in the oven and heat to 425 degrees. 
• Bake the rolls on the middle/top rack for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden on the outside and sound hollow when tapped on top. 
• Remove from the oven, and let them cool on rack

Verdict

Delicious!

Pulled Pork

Via Alton Brown, my stand-by recipe.

Ingredients

Brine:
    •    8 oz. molasses
    •    12 oz. pickling salt
    •    2 quarts water
    •    6-8 lb. Boston butt

Rub:
    •    1 Tsp. whole cumin seed
    •    1 Tsp. whole fennel seed
    •    1 Tsp. whole coriander
    •    1 Tbsp. chili powder
    •    1 Tbsp. onion powder
    •    1 Tbsp. paprika

Procedure

1. Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in large pot
2. Add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.
3. Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder and grind fine. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika.
4. Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres.
5. Place butt in smoker and cook for 12 hours
6. Remove from smoker and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour; pull meat apart with 2 forks

Verdict

Just amazing.

Vegan-But-Great Refried Beans

Ingredients

• 2 c. pinto or black beans
• 6 c. veggie stock
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 poblano (or large jalapeño and small spicy) pepper
• 1 Tsp. ginger powder
• 2 Tsp. tumeric powder
• 1 Tsp. chili powder
• 2 Tsp. salt
• oil

Procedure

1. Heat generous amount of oil to medium-high in deep, heavy pan or pot - cast iron is the best, or non-stick
2. Add garlic, fry until fragrant and then add onions, and fry until translucent
3. Add pepper and combine, stirring until pepper begins to soften
4. Add spices and mix together well
5. Add beans, mix all together
6. Add stock, stir, and raise heat to high; bring to boil
7. Keep pot at a low boil for quite a while (at least an hour), adding more water when necessary
8. When beans have softened, use a potato masher to pound them to a paste; add more water and oil if necessary to cohere, and lower heat to medium-low
9. Continue cooking, stirring, and adding water – having a bit stick to the bottom isn't bad if you can scrape it up and avoid burning
10. When it reaches your desired level of consistency, remove from heat and serve with soft corn tortillas
11. Enjoy!

Verdict

Delicioso!

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

Basically I like green beans, full stop. Hard to beat fresh out of the garden in the summer - hard to beat dilly beans - and a simple stir-fry with garlic is always fantastic. Following on my friend Manfred's  technique when I visited over the summer, I made the following simple and super-satisfying preparation.

Ingredients

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 large or 2 small shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat oil to medium
Add shallots, garlic, pepper and salt
Stir into oil and cook 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and shallots begin to soften
Add beans, and cook, stirring to cover entirely in oil and frequently enough to redistribute, for 10-15 minutes or until desired level of softening
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Fantastic - spicy, garlicky, beany. The oil is great for putting over rice, mopping up with bread, whatever.

MKD Foodstravaganza: Recipes

Of course MKD's visit is marked by incessant consumption of foodstuffs and beerstuffs. Recipes follow, and beer reviews below.

Mexican (?) Chicken a la MKD

Ingredients:

• 2 split chicken breasts
• juice of 1-2 limes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 of 1 medium white onion (sliced)
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• chili powder
• cayenne or other spicy pepper powder
• (all spices to taste, don't over-do it)

Procedure:

1. Place chicken in an oven-safe pan, cover with liquid and dry ingredients, toss to coat
2. Dust top of chicken with a touch more pepper and/or salt
3. Cover pan tightly with foil
4. Place in oven preheated to 375F for about 25 minutes
5. Remove foil, toss chicken in remaining liquid, and continue to cook uncovered until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reads 165-170 (another ~20 minutes)
6. Let the chicken cool for at least 10 minutes, then using a fork, pull it into shreds.

Verdict:

Delicious, tender, tasty.


Mushrooms with Roasted Poblano Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 4 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned
• olive oil
• kosher salt

Procedure:

1. Roast poblano peppers. Place in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and slice in 1/2" strips
2. Wash and, if mushrooms are not already sliced, slice them
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in sauteé pan
4. Add mushrooms, sprinkle salt over them, and continue adding olive oil until mushrooms are well coated
5. Cook mushrooms until they begin to soften, and add peppers
6. Mix peppers and mushrooms and cook for several more minutes until thoroughly combined
7. Serve and enjoy!

Verdict:

Super-good and, obviously, very very easy.


Ancho-Roasted Jalapeño-Roasted Red Fresno Salsa

• 4 dried ancho chili peppers
• 4 large jalapeño peppers, roasted
• 2 red fresno peppers, roasted
• white vinegar

Procedure:

1. Rehydrate anchos by setting in a bowl and pouring near-boiling water over them; let sit until they swell, and then chop roughly
2. Roast jalapeño and red fresno peppers. Place in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and chop finely
3. Combine all peppers in a small blender and blend on low, adding small amounts of white vinegar to desired consistency (should be a usable paste)

Verdict:

A real winner – smoky, spicy-but-not-too, and compliments a wide range of other foods. Very highly recommended.


Refried Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pinto beans (either from a can, or rehydrated)
• 1 head garlic
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  
• salt
• water
• vegetable oil
  

Procedure:

1. Skin garlic, and either chop very finely or combine in blender with jalapeño and onion
2. Heat oil to medium in large cast-iron skillet with high sides
3. Add garlic, pepper and onion and fry in oil for 1-2 minutes
4. Add pinto beans, salt and cumin. Mix all thoroughly.
5. Add water covering beans thoroughly; raise heat to medium-high
6. Allow beans to cook down, adding water periodically, for 30-45 minutes
7. When beans soften, begin mashing (potato masher works well), adding more water and some more oil as necessary
8. Beans will begin to stick to the pan – this is good, just make sure they don't burn too much
9. When it looks like refried beans, you're done

Verdict:

An old stand-by, this never does me wrong. Also works quite well with black beans, subbing in a section of fresh ginger root for the cumin powder.


Roast Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. tomatillos, de-husked and washed
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 large white onion
• 2 roast poblano peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 limes, juiced
• white vinegar
• salt

Procedure:

1. Roast tomatillos and poblano peppers in separate pans (make sure the tomatillos are in a deep baking pan)
2. Place poblanos in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and set aside
3. When tomatillos are blackened on top and beginning to fall apart, remove from oven and set aside to cool
4. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, poblano and lime juice to blender and blend until fine
5. Add tomatillos and their juices to blender; blend until all is combined
6. Add several liberal dashes salt, and liberal pour of vinegar; blend all again, adding vinegar until reaching desired consistency (anywhere from very viscous to more liquidy)
7. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Been making this one a while and there was a little too much lime juice in this iteration, but adding the poblanos (which I did late) saved it. Very much a favorite, there's always some of this in the fridge.