Chocolate Chip Crisps

I always think that the worst part about the holidays being over, other than my credit card statement, is that the treats just end.  And there’s no weaning period, either.  You leave work in December slightly overwhelmed by the chocolate and candy on every desk and come back in January and there is nary a goody to be found.  Not even a Lifesaver or a broken candy cane.  After being on a sugar high since Halloween, it’s kind of harsh to give up the sweets so suddenly.  And it adds to the winter blahs, too, no?

I’d planned to whip up another Hawaiian treat for you so you’d forget that the forecast is cold, followed by frigid and rounded out with a little dear-lord-I-think-the-inside-of-my-nose-has-frozen for the next 7 weeks, but I was craving something comforting and chocolate laden and not too terribly bad for me (as hard as it is to imagine, that combination does exist!) to ease me into the new year.  Luckily, one of Santa’s elves delivered these crisps in my stocking and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to eat the whole bag in one sitting.  Twenty minutes later I said to myself, “Self, it is Christmas and you have suffered in overheated stores and ruined new boots in the snow in order to spread holiday cheer to others, so if eating an entire large Ziploc bag of crisps would warm your soul, go for it.” And so I did.  With a glass of milk that may or may not have had a shot of Kahlua in it.  Why do I admit these things to you?! 

Anyhoo, they are as easy as they are delicious and the hint of curry is a nice addition to the standard cookie happiness.  I think I would up the curry a bit more next time, but I like a little spice.  The original recipe called for pistachios, which I obviously avoided, but I think just about any nut would work here.  Get creative! What’s the worst thing that could happen? You have to eat a tray of test crisps all by yourself?  If that’s the low point of winter, I’d say we’re off to a good start…

Chocolate Chip Crisps (adapted from Paul Grimes’ Pistachio Dark-Chocolate Crisps in Gourmet, December 2007)

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 large egg white
• 2 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Nestle semi-sweet chips)
• [1/2 cup of chopped nuts of your choice]

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Blend butter, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, salt, curry powder, and egg white in a food processor until smooth.

Glue parchment down with a dab of batter in each corner, then spread remaining batter evenly into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8-inch-thick) on parchment with spatula. Scatter chocolate and nuts evenly over batter, then bake until firm and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer, still on parchment, to a rack to cool completely. Remove from paper, breaking into pieces.

Lamb Burgers

How many women–with a combined 5 degrees, 4 languages and  having lived on 3 different continents–does it take to turn on a grill?  As I learned last week, it takes 4 women and 2 incredibly amused men.  I’m pretty sure that we could have figured it out on our own, but as soon as we looked the least bit confused these lovely men rushed over to impress us with their cooking over open fire prowess.  So, technically, we never really had a chance to even try to do it ourselves.  We could have! Maybe… Possibly… Moving on.

Anyhoo.  Three friends and I have decided that we need time away from the masses every once in awhile to hang out with each other and catch up on life’s big and small events over copious amounts of food and wine.  It started with a delicious Greek dinner in March, followed by a traditional Spanish dinner in April and then we sort of fell off the bandwagon due to schedules and well, all of those big and small life events.  But last week, the sun was shining, we were all in the same place for once and it was the perfect chance to sit outside, drink Cava and talk while watching the sun go down. 

L (of New Orleans fame) pretends she can’t actually cook, but in the half hour she had between work and our arrival, she made it to Whole Foods where she sweet talked the butcher into grinding up some fresh lamb, put together the tastiest–and most creative–lamb patties, sliced up some challah and created a beautiful summer salad. Any woman who can do that in 30 minutes, plus have sparkling beverages chilling, should call herself a chef extraordinaire.

The surprise of the burgers was that she mixed curry and cumin in, so there was a bit of a kick to the otherwise subtle flavor of the meat.  We topped them with a bit of whole grain mustard and feta crumbles (which kind of cooled things down nicely) and truly–grill ignorance aside–they were perfect: moist, juicy and full of flavor.  Add them to your list of bbq must haves immediately.

So I am up next in the rotation of dinner.  Given our busy lives, it may be October before I get to host. Am taking suggestions… And! if you’re in the Chi, come out for this good food for a good cause event tomorrow (Thursday) night! I’ll be the one double fisting luscious drinks and delectable treats… Taste of the Nation: No Kid Hungry

Lamb Burgers

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons (approx. to taste) curry powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• whole grain mustard
• crumbled feta
• challah buns

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Form into mini burger patties.  Place on hot grill and cook for 3-5 minutes each side.  Top with cheese and mustard and place on buns.  Thank the cute guys for lighting your fire.  Ahem.

 

Black Bean Burritos

It’s been a long week, kids.  I don’t know if it’s the let down after the excitement of having a four day weekend or the *&$^(#%^!@ bell ringers on every corner or the tourists stopping to ooh and ahh over traffic lights and jamming up the sidewalks, but I am seriously considering staying home until January 2.  I am trying to get into the holiday spirit, but since I don’t think it’s appropriate to bring a flask of Maker’s Mark to work, it’s slow going.

Of course, cooking has kind of taken a back seat since all I really want to do is have Frosted Flakes for dinner, but last night I really needed something a little more comforting (especially since snow was in the forecast).  I got home late and opened my refrigerator to discover I had the following: olives, mustard, one tortilla, an onion, milk and potatoes.  A survey of the pantry led me to black beans, saltines and brownie mix.  As tempted as I was to just make the brownies and call it a day, I realized that I could make black bean burritos and I instantly felt better (and thank goodness there is a 7-11 downstairs so I could pay $5 for some Monterrey Jack cheese). 

I haven’t made this in ages, but years ago when I lived with three vegetarians, I ate more black bean burritos than anyone really ever should.  One of my roommates made up the recipe and it supplemented the rice and soy sauce, canned soup and spaghetti with olive oil and Kraft parmesan we ate on a regular basis (no sodium deficiencies for us, obviously!). 

The burritos were incredibly easy and we always had the ingredients in the house, which meant that we’d make them for dinner or as a 4am snack.  We told ourselves that they were totally healthy–fiber! protein! dairy!–and they are until you add half a cup of sour cream and eat 3 of them in one sitting. 

It was the perfect thing to have after a long day, though, because the curry and cumin make it taste as though you really put in a lot of effort, when actually it takes 20 minutes from start to finish. 

And really? There is nothing better than melted cheese and little bit of spice to make you forget that winter hasn’t even technically started and you still have to do holiday shopping.  Someone pass the Maker’s…

Black Bean Burritos

• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot curry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Add the olive oil to a sauce pan set over medium heat and saute the onions, until wilted.  Add the garlic and black beans.  Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Remove from stove, add the corn (still frozen. Told you it was super easy!) and let sit while you grate the cheese (this will let the corn thaw).

Add a layer of the bean/corn mixture to middle of tortilla, top with cheese and fold into burrito.  Place on foil or cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.  Top with salsa and sour cream (if you actually have either of those things in your refrigerator, unlike me).

Southeast Asian Curry, Demystified

I fell in love with Cambodian food on a trip to Southeast Asia a few years ago. After a blistering hot day spent climbing the ruins of Angkor Wat, a spicy coconut curry full of root vegetables and tofu really hit the spot. When I returned home, I looked up recipes for Thai and Cambodian curries, but was completely daunted by the list of ingredients—galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves—the list was endless. And then I discovered the handy little cans of pre-made curry pastes available at most Asian grocery stores. They come in a variety of flavors: red curry, green curry, yellow curry, and massaman curry, but I’ve found the red curry most closely approximates the dish I ate in Cambodia. While any brand will work, I have had the best results with Maesri, a Thai brand which has a picture of an older lady on it. While the instructions on the label say to use the entire can, I find that to be way too spicy for my western palate; I use half the can in my recipe. (You can save the other half in a small Tupperware in your refrigerator; it keeps for weeks if tightly sealed.) The canned curry paste does all the work for you, so no need to assemble all those exotic ingredients before starting.

A note about tofu: If you use tofu straight from the package, you will get a flavorless, spongy mess. I’ve discovered that the best way to prepare tofu is to freeze it in its package, defrost it, remove it from the package, wrap it in paper towels and/or a dish cloth, place a heavy book on top of it, and press it for at least six hours. While this may seem like an elaborate process, it is really quite easy and just requires some forethought. By freezing and defrosting the tofu, the molecular structure of the tofu breaks down and allows more water to escape during the pressing process. By pressing the tofu, all of the flavorless liquid gets discarded, making the tofu ready to absorb whatever delicious flavors it gets cooked in.

If you are a chicken eater, boneless, skinless chicken thighs work just as well in this recipe in place of the tofu. If you are watching your fat intake, reduced fat coconut milk (available at Trader Joe’s) will do the trick just fine. If you have some squash or pumpkin you would like to use, they will work just fine in lieu of the potatoes.

• 1 Tbs. cooking oil (olive or vegetable will do)
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 1 package of extra firm tofu, frozen, defrosted, pressed (see note), and cut into chunks
• ½ can of red curry paste, found at your local Asian grocery store (I use Maesri brand)
• 1 can of coconut milk (reduced fat okay)
• 2 cups broth (veggie or chicken, depending on your preference)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into big-ish chunks
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into big-ish chunks
• ½ cup of peas (optional) (frozen okay)
• 2 glugs of fish sauce (optional)
• Lime juice to taste
• Cilantro to taste

Heat the oil on high in a pot. Add the onions and sauté until brown. Add the tofu, flipping each piece over occasionally until browned on all sides. Add the curry paste, sauté for just a minute, then add the coconut milk and broth. Stir to create a uniform mixture. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peas, adding a little bit of water to cover if necessary. Now would also be a good time to add a glug or two fish sauce if you are using it. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. Sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro and serve piping hot in a bowl accompanied by basmati rice. Enjoy!