Pear-Brandy Cocktail

Pour 1 tablespoon brandy into each of 6 flutes. Put 2 teaspoons bitters in a small bowl. One at a time, add 6 sugar cubes to the bitters, turning to coat; divide among the flutes. Add a few thin pear slices to each glass and top with champagne.

Serves 6.

VERDICT:  These are a wonderful winter drink--well worth having sugar cubes around.  Keep.

Black Bean, Lentil and Eggplant Chili

• 1/2 pound dried black beans, picked through
• 4 dried pasilla chiles or New Mexico chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 large cloves garlic, diced
• 3 dried cascabel or guajillo chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 dried chipotle chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 poblano chile pepper, diced
• 1 small eggplant (1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 15 -ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 15 -ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• Juice of 2 Key limes (or the juice of 1 lime) 

Put the black beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water; set aside to soak overnight, then drain.

Combine the soaked black beans, 2 pasilla chiles, the bay leaves and half of the garlic in a large wide pot and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until soft, about 1 1/2 hours; remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 pasilla chiles and the cascabel and chipotle chiles to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, the chopped dried chiles and the cumin and saute until the chiles are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and the poblano and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 more minutes. Add the eggplant, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, 4 cups water, the bouillon and green lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the prepared black beans and their cooking liquid and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 more minutes. (The longer you let the chili simmer, the thicker it will get.) Season with salt and add the lime juice. Remove the whole pasilla chiles and bay leaves before serving.

Serves 6-8.

VERDICT:  Way too much work and time for the results.  Plus, I hate recipes that use half a can of something--I suspect this recipe got halved for the magazine, but it's irritating.

Black Bean Tostadas with Kiwifruit Salsa

• ½ cup chopped white onion, plus ⅓ cup minced white onion, divided
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and diced
• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped jalapeno chile
• 3 dried New Mexico chiles, seeded and cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 4 tostada shells
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Toss together chopped onion, lime juice, and salt in bowl. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in kiwifruit, cilantro, and jalapeño.

 

Grind dried chiles to fine particles (like sugar) in spice mill or coffee grinder; set aside.
Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add minced onion, cover, and cook 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add beans, ½ cup reserved bean liquid, and 2½ tsp. ground chiles. Mash beans, leaving some whole for texture. Cook 5 minutes, or until mixture is thickened, but moist, stirring often.

Place 1 tostada shell on each plate. Divide bean mixture among tostadas, leaving ½-inch border. Top each with 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup salsa; dust with ground chiles. Serve with remaining salsa.

Serves 4; 241 calories.

VERDICT:  Back to tostadas, to use up some of the leftover tortillas from last time.  These are even better, I would say--the kiwi salsa and the beans are really good together.  Keep! 

Red Lentils with Yogurt

• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 small jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 2 c. red lentils, rinsed
• 6 c. vegetable stock or water
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in juice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• pita bread, naan, or flatbread for serving
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped (optional)
• small handful cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 c. plain or Greek yogurt
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just golden brown, 7-10 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and coriander seeds and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the jalapeño, lentils, stock, tomatoes and their juices, and salt.  Raise the heat to medium-high, cover loosely, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, 18-25 minutes.

Just before serving, lay the pita over a low flame on a gas stove top or toast on a griddle.  Flip and rotate until just lightly browned.

Spoon the lentils into bowls and top with the avocado (if using).  Sprinkle with cilantro, dollop with yogurt, and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice over the top.  Serve warm with the pita bread.

Serves 6.

VERDICT:  I was suspicious of the tomatoes in this dish, but it turned out really well--savory and warm without being too spicy.  It's easy and requires few ingredients.  Keep.

Whole Wheat Pecan-Raisin Bread

• 3 tablespoons honey 
• 1 (0.25-ounce) package active dry yeast  
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or high-oleic sunflower oil  
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 3 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts 
• 1 cup seedless raisins or chopped dates  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading     

In a large mixing bowl, stir together honey and 1/2 cup lukewarm (105° to 115°) water. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups lukewarm (105° to 115°) water, oil and salt. Add whole wheat flour, and stir until well combined. Add pecans and raisins, then stir in all-purpose flour until dough leaves sides of bowl, adding a bit more flour if necessary. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 to 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly oil a large baking sheet; set aside. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Shape dough into a large round loaf and transfer to baking sheet. Cover with damp cloth and let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F. With a paring knife, slash top of loaf. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, or until nicely browned and bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on rack before slicing.

Yield: 1 enormous loaf; 280 calories/slice.

VERDICT:  I used currants and a mix of pecans and walnuts.  I had to add quite a bit more flour than called for to get the dough kneadable, but the end result is good.  I might try a loaf-pan loaf next time and see what happens.  Keep.  

Yam and Black Bean Tostadas with Avocado

• 2 lb garnet yams or sweet potatoes
• 2 c. cooked black beans
• 4 small corn tortillas
• 1 or 2 large eggs
• fine sea salt and pepper
• 2 T. unsalted butter or olive oil
• zest and juice of 1 lime (optional)
• 1 bunch watercress, washed and stemmed
• finishing oil for drizzling
• 1 large, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

Preheat oven to 375.  Prick the yams with a fork and roast until they can easily be pierced with a fork, 35-45 minutes.

Warm the beans with 2-3 T. water--just enough to make them saucy--in a small skillet over low heat.  Keep warm.

Fry an egg or two sunny-side up.  Season the egg with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Remove the yams from the oven, split open, and scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl.  Discard the skins.  Mash in the butter and lime zest and juice (if using) with a fork until smooth.  Season with salt.

Layer the yam mash of plates or a large platter and top with the tortillas.  Drizzle the watercress with finishing oil and season the avocado with pepper.  Layer the beans on the tortillas and top with the fried egg, watercress, and avocado.  Serve warm.

Serves 2-4.

VERDICT:  I've omitted a step from the cookbook here wherein you fried tortillas in oil on the stovetop.  Instead, I sprayed tortillas with oil and cooked them in the oven--a little over ten minutes, flipping a couple of times--then rested them on paper towels until called for.  I think the egg here is optional, but the lime in the yams is not.  Very good--keep.

Creamy Date Smoothie

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup halved pitted dates
• 1/2 cup cup ice

Place the milk and dates in a blender.  Cover and refrigerate until the dates have softened, about 15 minutes.  Add the ice and blend until smooth and frothy.

Serves 1; 270 calories.

VERDICT:  I see now I did this wrong--I didn't blend the dates and milk before I added the ice.  Which probably explains the chunks of date that never, ever blended.  Not good enough to try again, though--toss.
 

Buttermilk Granola Muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• 1 cup prepared granola
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard muffin pan; or line with paper baking cups, and grease the paper cups.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the granola.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, vegetable oil, and buttermilk or whey.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just to combine.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them nearly full. A slightly heaped muffin scoop of batter is the right amount.

Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with additional granola, if desired.

Bake the muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes (or when they're cool enough to handle) transfer them to a rack to cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Store leftovers loosely wrapped at room temperature.

Yield: 12 muffins.

VERDICT:  These were use-it-up muffins--buttermilk, granola, the last little bit of whole wheat flour in the bag.  Not necessarily a keeper, but I consider them a success, nonetheless (even though the granola on top burned up).