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Curried Chickpeas – Serves 4 Roger Mooking

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1 teaspoon vegetable oil

½ onion — finely diced

1 carrot — finely diced

1 clove garlic — finely diced

2 tablespoon curry powder

Splash white wine

4 plum tomatoes — coarsely chopped or 1/2 can Rotel

1 can chickpeas — rinsed and drained  (19-ounce)

1 cup chicken or veggie stock

1 tablespoon sugar

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter — cold

In a saute pan, warm the oil over medium heat, and sweat the onion until just translucent. Add the carrot and garlic, and stir. After the garlic has browned slightly, sprinkle over the curry powder, and stir. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas to the pan, then stir.

Pour in the veggie stock, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Season the chickpeas with the sugar, and salt, to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and finish the chickpeas by stirring in the cold butter.

Linguine with Clams — Lucinda Scala Quinn

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  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, 2 smashed and peeled, and 2 thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 dozen littleneck clams or 4 dozen cockles
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal or flour
  • 1 pound linguine pasta
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  1. Up to 8 hours in advance but as little as 1, place the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large pasta serving bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
  2. To clean the clams, rinse them and place in a large bowl with cold water and the cornmeal or flour. The live clams open to ingest the corneal, thereby releasing any remaining sand. Let soak 10 minutes. Scrub each clam clean under cold running water to remove remaining, softened mud from shell and return to soak in fresh cold water. If necessary, repeat the scrubbing process a couple of times until the clams are completely clean and soaking water is free of sand. Drain and chill until ready to cook.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the boiling water, add the linguine, and cook until tender but still firm. Set the timer for 2 minutes less than the package instructions specify and taste for doneness.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Add the cleaned clams, cover immediately, and steam until the clams are open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.
  5. Place the cooked clams with the shells into the marinated olive oil. Strain the cooked clam liquid into the bowl. Add pasta and parsley and toss. Serve immediately with a drizzle of spicy olive oil on top.

    Note: I used fresh chopped clams but the clam taste did not come through.  Next time I will use fresh clams.

Mum’s Everyday Red Lentils – Aarti Sequeira

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Lentils (Dal):

  • 1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through for stones
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional

Tempering oil (bagaar):

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile, if using, and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.

Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!

In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don’t get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little – that’s the blooming and it’s exactly what you want. Don’t let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.

Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don’t get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Spaghetti Puttanesca – Tina – Serves 4.

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The pasta and sauce cook in just about the same amount of time. If you like the fruitiness of extra-virgin olive oil, toss 1 tablespoon into the sauced pasta before serving.


4 medium cloves garlic , minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (1 packed tbsp)

table salt

1 pound spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons minced anchovies (about 8 fillets)

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved

3 tablespoons capers , rinsed

1/2 cup black olives (such as Gaeta, Alfonso, or Kalamata), pitted and chopped coarse

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Meanwhile, mix garlic with 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; set aside. When water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; stir to separate pasta. Immediately heat oil, garlic mixture, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in large skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 min.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, then return pasta to pot; add 1/4 cup reserved tomato juice and toss to combine. Stir capers, olives, and parsley into sauce. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine, adding more tomato juice to moisten if necessary. Adjust seasonings with salt; serve immediately.


Pastorio’s zucchini cakes

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2.5 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup oyster crackers

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (Might be too much old bay, be careful)

1 Tbsp flour

1 (short) cup finely chopped onion

Oil and butter for frying

Put grated zucchini in a cloth or paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture (I have made this recipe several times and this step is KEY to success). Mix all ingredients except butter and oil together until well blended. Fry on high heat in a mixture of half oil/half butter until golden on each side. I used saltines.

Notes: I added 1 tsp dijon and 1 tbsp mayo, used red onions as well.  My cakes were wet, next time I will add more crackers.  Despite being wet they held together well.

Served them with spicy avocado sauce and lemon wedges

Spicy Italian Faux Sausages

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2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp veggie broth mix
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Braggs
1 tsp flax seeds

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.

Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.

Variation: You can shape the dough into little patties instead of links. If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can wrap the links in damp muslin or tea towel and tie ends with cotton twine

Crisp Crab Cakes – Ellie Krieger via Terry

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1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg — lightly beaten
2 tablespoon nonfat milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice — plus lemon wedges for serving
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
several dashes of hot sauce
1 lbs lump crab or crab claw meat — picked over
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive-oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 scallions — thinly sliced–optional
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper–optional

Mix 1/2 cup panko, the egg and milk in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce; fold in the crab meat, panko mixture, scallion, bell pepper mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Shape into 8 patties and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Optional ingredients — I did not use scallions or peppers but here are the directions if you choose to use them.  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/2 cup panko. Place on baking sheet, put a pat of butter on each cake. Bake at 400 for 15 min. Serve with lemon wedges.

Optional method of preparation –Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Mist the crab cakes with cooking spray and cook, sprayed-side down, 3 to 4 minutes. Spray the tops, flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes.

Yield: 6 crab cakes

Serve with Avocado Sauce

Cream of Tomato Soup With Seafood – Top Washington Post Tomato 2010 winner

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Rosemary Lawler’s winning recipe combines two practical ingredients: the recipe author’s abundant crop of tomatoes, and regional seafood. Because this is 2 recipes in one, we made an exception to the contest’s 10-ingredient rule.

MAKE AHEAD: The stewed tomatoes make a nice, simple accompaniment to grilled chicken and corn on the cob. They can be frozen for up to 1 year. The soup is best assembled on the same day it will be served.

8 servings

For the stewed tomatoes
4 cups peeled and seeded ripe tomatoes (any kind), in large chunks or halves (see NOTE)
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 chopped basil leaves
For the soup
1 ear corn
5 cups stewed tomatoes (see above)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Scant 1/2 cup flour
4 cups light cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 cups raw or cooked seafood, such as crabmeat, lobster chunks or jumbo shrimp (peeled, de-veined and cut in chunks)
Basil leaves, cut in strips, for garnish

For the stewed tomatoes: Combine the tomatoes, onion, celery, celery seed, bay leaf, cloves, salt, pepper and basil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Discard the cloves and bay leaf. The yield will be about 5 cups.

For the soup: Strip the kernels from the ear of corn and reserve.

Cut the cob in chunks; submerge them in the stewed tomatoes. Cook (over medium-low heat) for 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Discard the cob pieces.

Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the stewed tomatoes, or puree in batches in a blender (making sure to remove the center knob in the lid so steam can escape; place a dish towel over the opening).

Melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until well incorporated, to form a roux; cook for a few minutes, whisking, until the roux begins to darken slightly.

Slowly whisk in the cream or half-and-half to form a smooth, thick soup base.

Add the pureed tomatoes and Parmesan cheese; stir until well blended.

Add the reserved corn kernels and seafood to taste; cook (over medium heat) ,stirring almost constantly until the seafood is heated or cooked through, depending on which seafood you chose.

Divide among individual bowls; serve immediately, garnished with the basil.

NOTE: To peel tomatoes, use a sharp knife to score a shallow “X” on the bottom of each one. Place in very hot or boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, discard the loosened skins.

Rosemary Lawler of Leesburg.

Asparagus Frittata

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2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Heat olive oil into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

Sprinkle cheese over eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Serves 4.