Oh hello, my dear blog! Long time no see. Roughly two months ago, I started a new job that involved a commute to a mysterious land called “the Peninsula” (that’s south of San Francisco, for you non-Bay Area folk). I spent 3 1/2 hours commuting on a good day and when there were delays, up to 5 hours a day. I was transferred to the San Francisco office a few weeks ago and I’m finally adjusting back to life as usual and getting into the habit of cooking on a daily basis – and of course, blogging! Much of what I’ve been cooking the last couple months are tried and true old favorites, but I’ve started to wipe the dust from my cookbooks and RSS reader again. I’ve had Turkish cuisine on my mind a lot lately, as Cory and I recently sown the seeds of planning a two-week trip to Turkey next April, and have started to dip my toes into exploring Turkish food. Those recipes will have to wait for another day, though.

Most of the cooking I do now is on Sundays, fresh from shopping for the week, when there is a seemingly endless amount of fresh produce at my disposal. I’ve been experimenting with making mini-feasts with mezzes, or pasta dishes when I don’t feel like cooking for three hours. Although fava beans can be a bit of a pain to prepare, I always look forward to fava bean seasonn. The nuttiness of fava beans lends well with pasta dishes. And it’s hard to go wrong when cooking with bacon and cheese!

Oh, and! Last Sunday was my 26th (!) birthday. I am generally not very big on birthday celebrations, but I am a fan of using my birthday as an excuse to eat whatever I like.

It’s true. Despite my love for Mediterranean food, what do I choose to eat on my birthday? Diner food and ice cream from Fentons Creamery in Oakland. Diner food is kind of my secret shame, but it’s also what I grew up eating. I suppose I won’t have to worry about splurging on diner food until Cory and I make the cross-country trek to the Midwest at the end of the summer. In any case, on with the pasta!

Pasta with Fava Beans, Kale, and Bacon
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4 slices bacon, cooked and cut into 1″ pieces (reserve 1 tablespoon bacon grease)
1 cup fava beans, shelled (that’s roughly 1 pound in the pod)
1 pound pasta of your choice (I used macaroni)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
1/2 cup parmiggiano reggiano
salt & pepper, to taste

Prepare the pasta:
Fill a large pot with water and boil pasta according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.

Prepare the bacon:
In a large stockpot, cook bacon over medium-low heat. Once cooked, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and drain. Once bacon has cooled, cut into 1″ pieces and set aside. Reserve about a tablespoon of bacon grease.

Prepare the fava beans:
Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the beans from their pods. By now, the water should be boiling. Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Peel off and discard the outer shell. Set the fava beans aside.

Bringing it all together:
Heat oil to a large pan (you may want to use a large pot, your pan may get very crowded). Once hot, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the kale and cook until Cook until the cabbage has wilted, about 8-10 minutes. Once wilted, add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the kale and saute for 2-3, or just until the kale is beginning to wilt. Toss in the bacon, bacon grease, pasta, pasta, fava beans, parmiggiano reggiano, salt and pepper. Continue to saute until pasta is heated through. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Try the recipe index for more ideas!

Related posts:

1. spaghetti with fava bean sauce
2. pasta with bacon, red cabbage, toasted walnuts, and rosemary
3. ham and walnut pasta

Cory’s brother Casey moved back to the Midwest a couple weeks ago. On his last night in San Francisco, we invited Casey over dinner. It was a gym night, which meant dinner consisted partly of leftovers, prepared Trader Joe’s food (sweet potato gnocchi!), and a quick salad I made from whatever we had on hand. It had been an exhausting and busy week for the both of Cory and I. I checked out early that night, promptly falling asleep soon after dinner. I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Casey, but he and Cory got to hear me snort in my sleep (the joys of living in a studio apartment!). Casey cleared out his pantry and fridge before coming to our apartment and brought us a bunch of goodies – 18 eggs, 4 pounds of red lentils, vegetable broth, canned olives, canned mushrooms, and more frozen okra than I’ll ever know what to do with.

The first meal I made with Caseyfood was soup, of course. Making a soup from the lentils and vegetable broth was the easiest choice, since I could happily eat lentils everyday. I used a mixture of red and brown lentils, since red lentils tend to get mushy and brown lentils stay firmer so long as they’re not overcooked. I flavored the soup with ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, that means “the grocer’s head” – a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. Ras el hanout blends vary, but generally include cinnamon, dried chili peppers, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and clove. Some mixtures include harder to find ingredients like dried rosebuds, golden green Spanish fly, grains of paradise, and cubebs. I made a mixture myself with what I had on hand, but ras el hanout blends with exotic spices can be found at Middle Eastern and gourmet groceries. And just a small warning: this makes a very large batch of soup!

Lentil Soup with Ras el Hanout
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2 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice
1 onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) or water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 cup brown lentils (I ended up using a little more than 2 cups total, I measured 500ml on accident)
ras el hanout (see recipe below)
salt, to taste
1 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook until translucent, or 5-7 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic and stir for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, broth or water and lentils to the pot. Add salt and ras el hanout and stir. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils become tender. Stir in the cilantro and add more salt to taste, if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Ras el Hanout
(from the epicentre)

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I recommend a half teaspoon, but it really depends on how much heat you like)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon clove

Mix all the spices until combined, add the spice blend to the soup.

Serves 8-10

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. lentil and tomato soup
2. red lentil and sweet potato soup
3. lentil soup with tomatoes and swiss chard

Somewhere, in the deep dark depths of YouTube there is a video of starring yours truly, on a mission to find my one true love – the Egyptian falafel.  Maybe if you poke around a bit, you can find it.  But for vanity reasons, there is no way I’m posting it here (my Arabic was atrocious, I was 10 pounds heavier, and most importantly, what on earth was I wearing?).

You may be familiar with falafels made from chickpeas, but Egyptian falafels are made from fava beans.  Fava beans are a staple of the Egyptian diet.  So much so the Egyptian word for falafel, ta’meyya derives from the word “food”. I love the bitter and nutty taste of fava beans and prefer them over the more well known chickpea based falafel. Then again, I’m biased since I love all things Egyptian.

Although a straight forward process, falafel making is a time consuming task. The only special equipment you need is a food processor or blender, to blend the beans into a paste. There’s no need to use a deep fryer to fry the falafels, a large pot and frying oil will do the trick just as well. My frying oil of choice is peanut oil, but in Egypt sunflower oil or vegetable oil are more commonly used in cooking. As for baking falafels, you can’t see me right now, but I’m frowning. Some of the best things in life are fried, you know.

Just a heads up to anyone out there who is like me, the kind of person who doesn’t read recipes until I’m just about to start cooking – this recipe requires the beans to soak for 24-48 hours and there are a lot of time consuming steps involved. They’re definitely worth the effort, if you’re looking for a taste of Egypt… in fried form.

Ta’meyya
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s New Book of Middle Eastern Food)
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1 pound dried and skinless fava beans (broad beans), soaked for 24-48 hours
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
cayenne pepper or chili pepper (optional, to taste)
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup parsley
1 cup cilantro
2 leeks, white and green parts
6 scallions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)
frying oil (I used peanut oil)

In a large pot, soak the beans in a generous amount of water for 24-48 hours. Change the water a couple times a day. After the beans have finished soaking, pour out the water into the sink and spread out the beans on a large towel on a hard surface. Let the beans dry for about an hour.

After the beans have had time to dry a bit, put them in a food processor and pulse until the beans form a paste. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Add the spices and baking soda and pulse a few more times until the spices have mixed through, or until the paste is smooth. Let the mixture rest for a half hour.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the parsley, cilantro, leeks, scallions, and mince the garlic. Add them all to a very large mixing bowl or stock pot, along with the bean paste and knead with your hands until mixed through. Take small clumps of the mixture and patties that are 2 inches in diameter roughly 1/4 inch thick or into balls the size of golf balls. Optionally, dip the falafels into a bowl full of sesame seeds just before frying.

Heat a large stock pot with at least 2 inches of frying oil. Working in batches, fry the falafels in batches until brown, turning over once. Transfer the falafels to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve hot.

Serving variations:

- With hummus or tahini
- With pickled vegetables
- In a wrap or pita bread with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and tahini sauce or hummus
- In a salad

Serves 6

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. ful mudammas (egyptian fava bean breakfast)
2. puréed fava bean soup
3. spaghetti with fava bean sauce

Usually when I go produce shopping, I make a bee-line for the greens and pick up a bunch of kale whenever it’s available.  Kale is sturdy and hearty, which makes it ideal for soups and stews, but it still tastes excellent raw – for those who can stand its mildly bittersweet flavor.  Since I buy kale so often, it sometimes lingers in the fridge a few days longer than I’d like and I don’t know what to do with it.  When that happens, I usually make kale chips.  But once I found a recipe for kale gratin I knew had a new go-to favorite recipe for kale.  I’ve made this gratin a handful of times in the last couple months and it even made an appearance at our Christmas dinner.  It’s such a comforting and satisfying dish, perfect for chilly winter nights.  And of course, this is also an easy way to incorporate some greens into your diet.  And cheese.  Lots and lots of cheeeeeeeeese.

Kale Gratin
(adapted from Sceptical Cook)
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1 pound kale, washed, stemmed, and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour (I used all purpose)
1 1/5 cups milk (I used whole)
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
a tablespoon of olive oil, for greasing the baking pan

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Wash, stem, and chop up the kale into small pieces. Add a couple tablespoons of water to a large stockpot and add the kale. Cook the kale over medium heat for about 2 or 3 minutes, or just until it’s started to wilt. Drain the kale through a colander and squeeze out a little bit of the liquid. Let the kale continue to drain as you grate the cheddar cheese.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Stir the flour into the butter, then add the milk a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture has formed a thick and smooth sauce. Add salt, pepper, turmeric (if using), and nutmeg. Add in the cheese, stirring constantly until melted.

Grease a baking pan (mine was 8″ x 8″) with olive oil and add the kale. Pour the cheese sauce over the kale and tip the baking pan back and forth to make sure all the kale is covered in cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. If you’d like the gratin to have a nice brown top, add it to the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. kale chips
2. kale salad with honey dressing and pine nuts
3. pasta with fava beans, kale, and bacon

Oh, and Merry Christmas to you all!  Cory and I will be staying warm in our cozy apartment with several pounds of ham… and videogames, of course.

Broccoli, Potato, and Leek Soup
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2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock or water (you may need a cup or so more depending on the size of the broccoli crowns)
1 pound potatoes, cut into quarters (leave the skins on if you like, I did)
4 medium sized crowns of broccoli, chopped into florets
1/4 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup half & half or milk
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
croutons or oyster crackers, for serving (optional)

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add leeks and saute until fragrant and softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the stock or water, along with the potato and bring to a gentle boil. Continue boiling the potatoes for 10 minutes, then add the broccoli florets and boil for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the soup to the stockpot and stir in the cheese and half. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Season to taste and serve with more cheese and croutons, if desired.

Serves 6-8

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. turnip and potato soup with herbs and cheese
2. roasted fennel and leek soup
3. turnip potato soup