the thin chef

Chickpeas are so versatile, aren’t they? I love their flavor, and especially their texture, which is perfect in soups, tossed over a simple green salad, or even as the base of a salad on their own. I thought I knew just about every way to prepare a chickpea until last week. I was trying to think of something snacky I could put out with cocktails for a little get together we had, and I didn’t want to rely on ordinary (read: boring) salted nuts. I remember seeing a recipe forever ago in a magazine for roasted chickpeas, which renders them golden brown and addictively crunchy.

You can prepare these in many, many different ways…tossing them with dried herbs, garlic, black pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil, or even Old Bay before roasting. I used my favorite smoked paprika, which gave them depth, and a warm, smoky flavor. I think they’d be perfect as part of a tapas spread.

If you look around for similar recipes, you’ll find varying times and temperatures for cooking; this is the method that worked for me. High heat to brown the chickpeas and give them a nutty flavor, and a low heat for drying out the excess moisture.

Smoky Roasted Chickpeas
Makes enough for a party of 10 or so

2 (14.5-ounce) cans chickpeas
2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil (enough to coat)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 425°.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and place them on a few layers of paper towels or a non-terrycloth dishtowel. Rub the beans gently to dry them. If the skins come off, remove and discard them, but don’t worry about getting every single one.

Place the dry chickpeas in a bowl, and toss with the oil, paprika, and salt. Taste one, and adjust the seasonings. Spread the chickpeas out on a sheet pan, shaking pan gently to distribute evenly.

Roast chickpeas for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven, and stir. Lower oven temperature to 225°. Wait a few minutes for the oven to cool, then return pan to oven. Bake for 20 minutes longer, or until chickpeas are golden brown and very crunchy.

Try not to eat them all before your guests arrive. Store any leftovers (if there are any) in a ziploc bag for up to a week.

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This chili, a recipe from Tyler Florence, is unlike any other chili I’ve had before. The spices are pretty typical, for the most part, but the texture is totally different. Instead of using ground beef, this chili uses beef shoulder that braises for 2-plus hours until it’s falling-apart tender. Then you mash it up until the pot is full of tender shreds of beef coated in richly spiced sauce. If it’s possible, this chili is even heartier than the usual ground-beef version.

I made a few adjustments for what I had on hand, which I’ll note in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed Tyler’s words to a T. This was a big hit at our football party yesterday, and is even better the next day. (How do I know, you ask? I ate it for breakfast. No big deal.)

Not Your Average Beef Chili
very loosely adapted from Tyler Florence
serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef shoulder, cut into large cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons good-quality chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon hot paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 small/medium onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Garnish: sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and shredded cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and brown it. As it’s browning, stir in the chili powder; cumin; coriander; regular, hot and smoked paprikas; oregano; and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Lower the temperature to medium. Place the onions, garlic, jalapeno, and tomato paste in a food processor, and puree. Add puree to the pot. Stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes or so, stirring often to keep mixture from scorching.

Add enough water to cover by 1 inch, and add tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the meat is completely tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As it cooks down, add more water to keep the consistency loose but not soupy. Use a potato masher and mash the beef so it comes apart in shreds. Taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos.

*Post Script

Making in a Slow Cooker
My friend Lainie asked in the comments whether this could be done with a slow cooker, and I think it could. I’d probably brown the meat first in a large skillet, for the added flavor. But if you don’t have time, it would still be fine. If you did brown the meat first, add the spices to the skillet to toast them. If not, then add the spices to the food processor with the onion mixture.

Place the meat (browned or not) in the slow cooker, and add the pureed onion mixture, tomatoes, and enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef falls apart when mashed. Uncover for the last 1/2 hour or so to thicken it up just a bit. Mash, and serve!

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This is the second post this week about a favorite, go-to snack that tastes even better when you make it from scratch. Why go through the trouble, you might ask, when you can easily grab a box of crackers at the grocery store and call it a day? Well, for one, these taste better. (And I am a huge fan of the non-homemade kind. I once, regrettably, ate an entire box in one sitting, and was very ill as a result.) Second, you know exactly what’s going in them, and there are only a handful of ingredients, instead of odd-sounding preservatives and trans fats. You can use organic ingredients, if you’d like, and local butter and cheese, if you’re fortunate enough to have access to them.

It takes 30 seconds to throw this dough together in the food processor and about 4 minutes to roll and cut the crackers. They bake for less than 30 minutes, and you can clean the whole kitchen and start a load of laundry in that time, so really, it doesn’t count.

Now tell me that’s not faster than a trip to Publix. That’s what I thought.

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
makes about 40 crackers
Adapted from this Country Living recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 (7-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, but recommended)
5 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne in the work bowl of your food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Pulse in water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. (You may not use all the water.)

Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone mats. Set aside.

Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper. (It’s sticky!) Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully flip dough in parchment over, and gently peel off the top layer. Using a pizza cutter, trim dough into a rectangle, then cut into 2-inch squares. Carefully transfer squares onto baking sheets, using a spatula if needed.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until crackers are just slightly turning light brown, and are crisp. Quickly cool and taste one for crispness. If they are not crisp, bake just a few minutes longer. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days (if they last that long!). If crackers are soggy after storing, re-crisp them in a preheated 400º oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

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Peanut butter is a very American snack. I was amused to see it on the “USA” aisle in a French grocery store a few years ago. In fact, in Paris, there is a shop called Thanksgiving, and its shelves are stocked with things like Pringles, McCormick’s gravy mix packets, Oreos, Campbell’s soups, and, yes, peanut butter.

But I really wonder why it hasn’t caught on worldwide as a favorite food item. It’s a favorite in our house, whether spread on soft bread for a PBJ (or PBBH—peanut-butter-banana-honey), warmed in the microwave and drizzled over ice cream, or just eaten out of the jar with a spoon. My friend Amy won’t keep it in her house, because she knows she’ll eat it out of the jar, spoonful by spoonful, until it’s gone.

Amy probably shouldn’t make this homemade version. If you love the store-bought stuff, you’ll find this to be a revelation. (I am being dramatic, but not overly so. This stuff is good.) Easy, cheap, and ever so satisfying, peanut butter is one of those things that’s just better—and, most likely, better for you—when you make it at home.

I used Alton Brown’s recipe, and it worked pretty much perfectly. The peanut butter is on the crumbly side, but spreads easily when warmed for 10 seconds in the microwave, or left at room temperature for a half hour before using. You can always drizzle in a bit more oil for a more spreadable consistency.

You can also customize the flavor…
*Maple: Use 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup instead of the honey
*Cinnamon-Raisin: Process with 1 teaspoon cinnamon; stir in raisins after processing
*Spicy Asian: Process with 2 teaspoons soy sauce instead of salt and 1 teaspoon sriracha
*Honey: Increase honey to 1 tablespoon

Homemade Peanut Butter
Adapted, very slightly, from Alton Brown’s recipe

15 ounces shelled, unsalted roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2  to 2 tablespoons peanut oil (you can sub vegetable oil, as long as it’s flavor is neutral)

Place the peanuts, salt, and honey into the work bowl of your food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while drizzling in the oil; process until the mixture is smooth, adding oil bit by bit until desired texture is reached. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

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Have you ever used smoked paprika? If not, please do yourself a favor and purchase some. You can buy it at most grocery stores now, but it’s even better if it’s pimentón ahumado, from Spain. I absolutely love the deep, complex, smoky flavor it infuses into foods. It’s not aggressive, it’s not overt—it’s warm and rich, and a lovely addition to a lot of classic dishes. I have successfully added it to chili, hamburgers, oven-braised pork butt, soups, chowders, and—a current favorite—chicken salad.

I don’t have a photo of this chicken salad, but I am here to tell you it’s quite pretty. The smoked paprika gives the dressing a rosy pink hue. Sweet purple grapes add another pop of color, and are juicy and crunchy. It’s lighter than regular chicken salad, with the addition of yogurt in the dressing, and just enough of the creamy stuff to keep the mixture moist. Roasting the chicken on the bone ensures that it stays juicy and super flavorful.

I’m thinking this is a perfect Labor Day picnic/cook out bring-along…just be prepared to sing the praises of smoked paprika when everyone wonders what made the chicken salad so tasty.

Smoky Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
Serves 4 to 6

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To me, Hershey’s Syrup is only good for only one thing: making chocolate milk. It’s too sweet and the texture is weird to be used for anything else. I’ve never enjoyed it over ice cream, and I certainly wouldn’t dream of licking it off of a spoon. This chocolate syrup, though, I both enjoyed it drizzled on vanilla ice cream…and I ate it straight out of the container, on several occasions.

I originally set out to make hot fudge as a special dessert for my college-bound little brother. Store-bought hot fudge contains all sorts of unpronounceable  preservatives and weird stabilizers and other things that I figure we’re all better off without having in our bellies, so I decided to make some from scratch instead. I found several recipes that looked great…only they all called for cream, and I didn’t have any. But then I found this recipe from David Lebovitz, which only called for a few ingredients that I already had on hand. Brilliant.

Here’s the thing…I should have known from the recipe title that this is, indeed, chocolate sauce and not hot fudge. I confess that I did not think about or realize the difference between these two confectionary treats. And then I made a few, small adjustments to the original recipe, and the result turned out less like thick fudge sauce, and more like a richer, tastier, more complex Hershey’s syrup. But as such, it’s actually much more versatile—it’s great over ice cream, drizzled atop a brownie, or even stirred into plain yogurt for an afternoon snack. (Yes, I went there…and yes, you should, too.)

Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Adapted from David Lebovitz’s Best Chocolate Sauce
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

The amount of sugar you use can depend on how dark your chocolate is and how sweet you want the resulting syrup to be.

1 cup water
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably the Dutch-process kind)
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Whisk in cocoa powder until mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Once it’s just bubbling, remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate until smooth. Cool for at least 2 hours before using. (You can reheat it before serving, if you like.)

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I remember the first time I had edamame…I was at Fuji Sushi in Winter Park with my best friend Lainie and her mom, Becky. Becky ordered edamame for the table, and I after one bite, I was hooked. The fuzzy little pods covered in flakes of sea salt gave way to smooth, chewy, chartreuse-colored beans, and they seemed so exotic and interesting. These days, I see edamame all over the place, not just in sushi restaurants, but also on menus in upscale bars and cafes.

Nutty-tasting and healthful, edamame is such a versatile vegetable. It’s great tossed into stir fries, cooked into succotash, or just eaten from the pod as a snack. Lately, my favorite way to eat the little green soybeans is in this simple, six-ingredient dip. It’s great with corn chips, pita bread, cucumber slices, or slathered onto a hunk of crusty bread as a sort of East-meets-West bruschetta. It requires no cooking, and comes together in a snap, which is practically a requirement in my kitchen during these steamy August days.

Miso-Edamame Dip
Makes about 2 cups

If you’ve never used miso (fermented soy bean paste) before, it’s a versatile and delicious ingredient to have on hand. I get it at an Asian-foods market, but I’ve seen it at Whole Foods and other health food stores. It keeps for a long time in the fridge, and it adds a subtle salty-nuttiness to everything it touches, which I just love. Cilantro-haters, take note: you can sub mint or parsley. It will change the flavor slightly, but it’ll still be delicious.

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, completely thawed (almost 1 full 16-ounce bag)
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lime juice
2 heaping tablespoons white miso paste
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few pulses. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in oil, processing until the dip is well combined and creamy-looking, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

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One of the best parts of my former job as a magazine editor was working with the wonderful, talented ladies in the company’s test kitchen. All culinary school grads, these women create dishes that not only look beautiful in the magazines, but also taste as good (or sometimes even better) than they look. I worked closely with two of these gals—Loren and Chantel. We spent many long, tiring, but ultimately fun and rewarding days together, and I miss them so much. They became friends and colleagues, which I think is a difficult balance to actually attain.

The food they make is creative and always delicious. I had a really hard time at photo shoots waiting to eat the leftovers. (Sometimes I would sneak a bite, but I think they always knew.) There are many recipes of theirs I have tried, but I want to share this recipe with you, one that Chantel created, because I’ve made it many, many times, and it’s always wonderful. I often make substitutions according to what I have on hand, but the quinoa, dressing, and crumbled pecorino stays the same. There’s something magic in that combination. The recipe below includes my suggestions for substitutions I’ve made.

Chantel and Loren, I miss you girls. But you’re often in my kitchen with me when I cook your recipes, which makes me miss you just a little bit less.

Chantel’s Quinoa Salad
Serves 8 to 10

1/3 cup white quinoa (feel free to use all white, if that’s all you can find)
1/3 cup red quinoa
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and roasted, cut into 1-inch pieces (green beans work here, too)
1 cup cooked yellow split peas (I often use green when I don’t have the yellow on hand)
3/4 cup crumbled pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (walnuts and almonds also work nicely)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (green onions are fine, too)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon roasted garlic puree (sometimes I use a small clove of very finely minced garlic)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Place quinoa and red quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse under cold running water, using your fingers as a rake. Drain well. Cook quinoa, uncovered, in a saucepan of salted boiling water, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in the fine-mesh sieve.
2. Fill the saucepan with 1 inch of water, and bring to a simmer. Set sieve with quinoa over saucepan (sieve shouldn’t touch water). Cover with a folded kitchen towel, then place a lid on top (lid does not need to fit tightly). Steam until quinoa is fluffy, and dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and remove lid. Set aside, still covered with towel, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. Place cooked quinoa and red quinoa in a large bowl. Add asparagus, split peas, pecorino, pecan pieces, and red onion. Stir gently to combine.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, roasted garlic puree, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture, and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately, or keep in fridge for up to 4 days.

*Note: If you’ve never made quinoa before, the cooking method above is my favorite way to make it, no matter how you’re planning on eating it. It ensures fluffy, separate grains. Also, quinoa (if you didn’t know) has a very high protein content, so this could really be a one-dish complete meal.

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I don’t know what summer is like where you live, but here in Central Florida? It’s hot. As in plants-are-wilting, hair-is-sticking-to-your-neck, asphalt-is-melting, feel-like-fainting-after-one-minute-outside hot. It’s all we can do to take the dogs to the park in the morning before the sun gets so oppressive even they don’t want to spend time outdoors. (And who ever heard of a dog who didn’t want to go outside?)

On days (or weeks, or months) when the heat is such that even turning on the stove to boil a kettle of water seems inhumane, the meals we crave tend to be cool, light, and easy to make. Snacks should be the same, and that’s exactly what these popsicles are—cold, refreshing, and so simple. I have always been a popsicle fan…I lived for the tri-color rocket pops that counselors handed out in the afternoons at summer camp. If I spotted a Frozfruit coconut bar in a freezer case, I had to have it. I loved the strawberry popsicles in the Disney World ice cream cart so much that one time, my tongue got stuck to the bar when I couldn’t wait even one second to take my first lick. (The painful incident was eased by the sweet pink treat.)

I digress. Popsicles are lovely, satisfying summertime snacks, and when you make your own, you can experiment with lots of different flavors. Below are two we’ve been enjoying on these endlessly blistering, humid days.

Watermelon Popsicles with Lime and Salt
Makes 8 (1/4-cup-capacity) popsicles

3 cups diced seedless watermelon
1 to 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of your watermelon
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges, for serving
Coarse sea salt, for serving

Combine watermelon and sugar in a blender; puree until very smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour into popsicle molds, and freeze overnight.

Serve popsicles with a lime wedge and a small pile of salt. Squeeze the lime over popsicle, and sprinkle with or dip into salt.

Striped Tropical Popsicles
Makes 8 (1/4-cup-capacity) popsicles

1/2 cup diced seedless watermelon, pureed and strained
1/2 cup guava nectar
1/2 cup passion fruit juice

Pour watermelon puree evenly among popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until frozen solid. Top with guava nectar; freeze for 4 hours, or until solid. Top with passion fruit juice; freeze for 4 hours, or until solid.

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Maybe you’re like me. When someone is hurt, sick, going through a life change (like having a new baby), or otherwise in need, I bring food. I cook because I know that when I’m out of sorts in any way, sometimes dinner (or lunch, or breakfast for that matter) falls to the bottom of my priority list. It’s always a relief to look in the fridge and see a lovingly prepared dish waiting for me.

Oftentimes those dishes are comfort food. Creamy, cheesy pasta casseroles, hearty pot roast, chili, and things like that. Finding comfort in a big bowl of warm, homey food can be perfect. But sometimes—especially when someone is sick or recovering from surgery or from having a baby—lighter, more wholesome foods seem to fit the bill.

Something that can stay in the fridge for up to a week, or—even better still—freezes well, is the only way to go when delivering food to someone. The next few days, I’m going to share some go-to things you can prepare with love and bring to someone who needs a little TLC.

First up is a simple salad that combines whole grain (brown and wild rice), dark leafy greens, bright red peppers, and a sweet-salty dressing to bring it all together. It’s super healthy, mild enough for recovering/sensitive stomachs, and it only gets better as it sits in the fridge. I’d call it just about perfect for a feel-better nosh.

Healing Rice + Vegetable Salad
serves 4 to 6

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups finely chopped kale
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted piquillo peppers (or regular red peppers)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cups cooked brown and wild rice mix (about 1 cup uncooked)

Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add pepper flakes, and cook for 30 seconds. Add kale (be careful! it will splatter if it’s wet) and stir with tongs until it’s coated in the oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring, until kale is bright green, somewhat wilted, and browned in places, about 4 minutes.

Transfer cooked kale to a large bowl. Add chopped peppers, and stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together miso, mirin, and vinegar until combined. Add rice to the bowl with kale and peppers, stirring very well to combine. Pour dressing over everything, and toss again until everything is coated. Taste, and add salt if you think it needs it. (But it likely won’t because miso is salty!)

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving…overnight is even better. Salad keeps, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.

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