Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

Last weekend, for the life of me, I could not figure out why the Food Network airwaves were dominated by recipes for wings, blue cheese, chili and other similar fare. It didn't even occur to me that the Superbowl was taking place this weekend- and, embarrassingly, I couldn't have even told you who is playing in this year's game.

What I was keenly aware of, however, was the impending enormous snow storm that was predicted to - and has in fact- blanketed the Washington area with 2 feet of snow.

And so if you are going to be hibernating from the snow for a few days - and take note, DC, because I hear that another storm is in the works for this week- you better start to do your food planning asap, taking into account the insanely long pre-storm supermarket lines that you will most definitely want to avoid.

This chili is certainly the sum that is greater than its parts. On their own, these ingredients are simple canned staples that when combined together, form the perfect chili texture, consistency and taste. This was just what we needed for a night indoors with a movie, or a blizzard or when the store shelves are empty....or all of the above.

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 15 ounce can of vegetarian refried beans
1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 ounce can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 ounce can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 dried chipotle pepper, reconstituted in hot water, diced
(I was also considering throwing in 1 can of diced green chilis- either will do, just use one or the other and not both)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
Sliced green onions and grated cheddar cheese, for garnish

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, water, and seasonings. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with green onions and cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

Key Lime Pie

I love a good snow storm now and then but I've all but had it with this winter. After the flu, bronchitis and a near spill yesterday in my icy driveway, I'm counting down the days until we start to thaw out. The bad news is that P. Phil saw his shadow today meaning that we're in for another 6 weeks of this snowy, icy, messy cold that makes me want to hibernate under the four blankets on my bed and just stay there all day.

Since my boss might take issue with this, there was nothing to do but attempt to brighten up these gray days with a killer citrus dessert. But after a weekend of constant cooking including numerous loaves of challah, vegetable barley soup, chocolate cake, and red velvet cupcakes, I had no time (or energy for that matter) for a lemon curd tart with olive oil or something of the sort.

And so it was really happenstance that the last dessert I made this weekend happened to also be the easiest and the best. I could rave to you about the crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust or the luscious tart and tangy filling- or about how it took only 30 minutes total to pull together- but that wouldn't be very nice of me seeing as how we've got 6 more weeks of winter minimum and this Key Lime Pie is about as close to Key West- or anywhere else above freezing- as we're going to get. I hope this pie will bring a little sunshine to your home as well.

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

*Emeril's pie called for a strange sour cream layer to be spread over the pie once it's chilled. I can't imagine why you'd want to ruin a perfect pie with a layer of sour cream, but if you'd like a topping, I suggest a dollop of whipped cream with lime zest.

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
2 whole eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Cut pie using a sharp knife. Serves 8.

Ribollita

Somehow it slipped my mind. Somehow, I forgot to tell you about this amazing soup that I’ve already made three times this winter. How could that be since I’m absolutely head over heels, crazy in love with this soup? Let’s just chalk it up to moving, a two week vacation, and too many late nights at work. But then Heidi wrote about it and it jogged my memory.

I first encountered Ribollita a few months ago when Ina Garten made it one Sunday afternoon. I had no idea what Ribollita was but was immediately drawn in when Ina reached for her big white soup pot. She spent the next few minutes filling the pot with beans, cabbage, tomatoes, bread….she didn’t stop until the pot was literally filled to the top with vegetable goodness.

Ribollita literally means “reboiled” and is made in the same tradition as other Tuscan food – classic ingredients and simple preparation.

I can’t rave enough about this soup. It is so hearty and filling — a great choice for lunch alongside a salad or for dinner on a chilly night. (Hence its constant presence in my kitchen this winter). On top of that, it’s incredibly easy to make and leaves you with plenty of leftovers! (Great if you’ve been having weeks like I have lately and just don’t feel like cooking too often) You can easily freeze half of it and keep the other half in the fridge for meals throughout the week. And this soup can stand up to substitutions so feel free to sub in Italian parsley for basil (as I did this time), or double the cabbage and omit the kale.

You start with an enormous pot of vegetables.
That will slowly simmer down and thicken. Then add the bread.
And you get this:
Not bad for peasant food.

Ribollita
Adapted from Ina Garten

The original recipe calls for bacon and chicken stock. To make this soup vegetarian, swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and omit the bacon.

1/2 pound dried white beans or 1 can of white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
Kosher salt
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
3 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded savoy cabbage
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade
4 cups sourdough bread cubes, crusts removed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

If using dried beans: In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator. Proceed with directions below.

If using canned beans: Rinse and drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce

No matter how many pancakes or muffins or other sweet brunch items I cook up, I am never quite satisfied. I am either left a little hungry, or on the opposite extreme, in a sugar induced food coma. You know the feeling, one of extreme fullness that induces a special kind of Sunday laziness, leaving you lying on the couch for half the day watching movie re-runs on the cable networks. (Ok, now you know my food coma antidote).
This Sunday, my parents were in town lending a hand as NAK and I continued to unpack and set up our new house. There was no time for a fancy brunch (or a food coma at that) so I spent last week scouring the Internet and food magazines for a quick, high protein, healthy brunch that would keep us going throughout the day. I looked at every egg strata, casserole, omelet, soufflé, quiche and every other possible use of eggs in a brunch dish but nothing caught my eye. Then I stumbled on this Food & Wine recipe. I’m new to Food & Wine, I only subscribed at the end of last year after picking up a copy to read at JFK during our overnight delay on the way to Argentina. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s really fabulous- chock full of easy but tasty recipes and this dish was no exception. I was astounded that 15 minutes at the stove and a few more in the oven could produce eggs cooked perfectly nestled in a spicy tomato sauce. And who knew that this deliciousness could be accomplished with all ingredients I had on hand in the pantry using just one pan. Brunch for four, made in a snap and on the cheap – and no food coma. What more could you ask for on a Sunday?

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Food & Wine

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a cast iron pan over medium heat, toss the garlic with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes until the flavors meld. Add herbs.

Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using a spoon, create a hole in the tomato sauce and pour the eggs into the hole being careful that the whites don’t run. Repeat three more times until all the eggs are added to the tomato sauce. Sprinkle cheese over the eggs and bake for about 10 minutes until the whites are set. Leave in longer to cook the yolks more. Serve hot.

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine

I had a secret New Year's resolution...and it's not what you think. It wasn't to go to the gym more or try to rein in the bag and shoe habit, but rather to consider becoming a vegetarian. I didn't tell anyone about this resolution other than NAK, who gave that cute, crooked smile he usually flashes when he thinks I'm kidding.

I wasn't. I was seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian. Not for health reasons or animal rights, just more so that I seemed to have lost the taste for meat. I can't remember the last time I cooked meat and it just stopped appealing to me.

But then we spent the last two weeks of December in glorious Argentina where becoming a vegetarian would be viewed as virtually unpatriotic. Meat is such a part of the culture there and we were more than happy (myself included) to partake in the oversized (and by that I mean gigantic!) steaks served at every meal. And with that, out went my vegetarian hope for 2010.
When we arrived home in these frigid temps, we had many a food magazine waiting to greet us. But I delved into Bon Appetit after catching a glimpse of the best meatball recipes of the year that were pictured on the cover. I picked this recipe, Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine, and was thrilled with the results. Who knows, maybe we've found our next food - I mean vacation - destination.
This recipe looks fairly long and complex. There are several steps to it but if you can prepare the vegetables in advance, you will cut down on the prep time.

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine
Adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2010

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/3 cup coarsely grated onion
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large egg, beaten to blend
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled – I skipped the saffron
2 cups beef broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup golden raisins – I skipped the raisins
2 cups 1/2-inch-thick carrot slices (cut on diagonal)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnish
1 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves
Couscous with Fresh Cilantro and Lemon Juice (recipe below)
Lemon wedges (for garnish)

Couscous with Fresh Cilantro and Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 2/3 cups water
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Meatballs - Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.

Stew - Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté about 15 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and saffron; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring stew to simmer. Stir in carrots. Carefully add meatballs to stew; gently press into liquid to submerge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over. Cover pot; place in oven. Bake until meatballs are cooked through and carrots are tender, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle spinach over stew. Cover and bake until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes longer. Gently stir to mix in spinach, being careful not to break meatballs. Remove cinnamon sticks. Season tagine with salt and pepper.

Couscous - Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and turmeric; stir 1 minute. Add 1 2/3 cups water, lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; bring to boil. Remove pan from heat. Stir in couscous. Cover; let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork; mix in cilantro and lemon juice. Season with pepper and additional coarse salt, if desired.

Spoon couscous into bowls; top with tagine. Garnish with cilantro and lemons.

Homemade Applesauce and Blueberry Ginger Jam

Well hello there. It's been a little while, almost 4 weeks to be exact. I've missed you and I've missed cooking. The last few weeks have been...well...just awful. I survived a 5 day flu, only to suffer through a 2 1/2 week long bout of bronchitis that made just being awake miserable. In the midst of all this, NAK and I moved. Only four blocks away, but with 100+ boxes, no move is an easy move. For the sake of NAK's health and my sanity, I've stayed away from the kitchen, but now I'm back in the game!

We're in our new place though and loving it but it'll be a while before we're fully dug out from mounds of packing paper and bubble wrap.

In the meantime, Chanukah came along to distract me from the depths of moving - and unpacking - hell. And really, there is no better excuse to play in the kitchen than the promise of hot potato latkes and tasty toppings. And so, I focused my time and energy on applesauce and blueberry jam, not a bad way to distract yourself from the never-ending pile of boxes in my living room. But for now, my break time is over, and it’s back to work for me. Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 large navel orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 -4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
3-4 sweet red apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel, and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled pot (I used a porcelain casserole dish). Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover the pot. Bake for 1 hour, or until all the apples are soft. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mix with a whisk until smooth, and serve warm or at room temperature. Yields about 6 side-dish size servings.

Blueberry Ginger Jam
Adapted from Todd Gray via The New York Times

**I don’t typically do restaurant reviews here on Sassy, but if you haven’t yet been to Equinox, Todd Gray’s restaurant right by the White House, you are missing out. NAK and I dine there on occasion and it’s just fabulous.

4 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon port wine

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until thick and shiny, about 30 minutes. May be served warm as a sauce, or allowed to cool completely (it will thicken more upon cooling) and served as a spreadable jam. Yields 2 cups.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

As if I wasn't sugared up enough from the baked goods of the past few weeks (yup, plenty of cake, cookies and muffins to go around), here I go with another cookie recipe. But these weren't made out of the blue, they were a special request from my dad. My dad was gracious enough to visit last weekend and help us to take down curtains, fill holes in the walls and just generally disassemble our place since we're moving in 11 days (by hey, who's counting??).

My dad is a pretty mild mannered guy. He doesn't have too many food preferences except for a strong distate for olives and strong liking of stuffed cabbage (ew!). So when he asks, I bake and I'm happy to.

This recipe is the classic Quaker recipe that always stares me in the face when I pop the top off of the oatmeal can when making my daily breakfast. I have to say, it's an excellent recipe requiring little if any adjustments. (The only substitution I made was using all brown sugar instead of both brown and white sugars). The cookie edges are crispy while the middle soft and chewy. These were so good, they could replace my boring bowl of oatmeal any morning of the week.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Adapted from Quaker

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons, softened

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oats

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and mix. Add slowly to the batter and mix. Add oats and raisins, mix well.

Using a tablespoon, scoop dough and roll in wet hands until a ball is formed. Place about an inch and a half apart from each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake about 10 minutes lightly golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 30 cookies.