Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini, Green Onions and Sumac

Meatballs don’t need breadcrumbs or eggs. It’s official. I have made two of Ottolenghi’s versions and neither one required breadcrumbs as a filler. His lamb kofta recipe that I wrote up here relies on crushed pine nuts to hold them together. I recently made his turkey meatballs with grated zucchini and green onions and substituted the three eggs for flax seed with no issues. (One tablespoon of ground flaxseed with about 2 tablespoons of water equals one egg).

Breadcrumbs and eggs aside, these flavorful meatballs are awesome. And any recipe that simply says, ‘combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl’ immediately earns points in my book.  Since I wasn’t making the accompanying yogurt sauce (no substitute found for that yet!), I just added the sumac into the turkey mixture so I wouldn’t miss out on that flavor. All that’s left to do after mixing together all the ingredients is to pan sear them and throw them in the oven for 8 minutes.

http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2013/02/les-petits-chefs-cook-the-books-jerusalem/

I doubled the recipe as these little patties travel well and make for great lunches for a few days. They are so packed with flavor that you can serve them with a simple grain and sautéed vegetable to give your taste buds a rest between bites.

Raw Buckwheat, Walnut and Apple Porridge

When I first tried this porridge a few months ago, it tasted like how I imagine health food stores smelled in the 1970s. It just tasted so….healthy! Too healthy.

However, I had made a big batch and I am not one to waste food, so I continued eating it dutifully every morning that week. By the third day, I was hooked. Don’t get me wrong, this does not taste like oatmeal with cream, brown sugar and butter, but it’s quite good when you consider how healthy it is. It’s fresh, filling and packed with magnesium and omega-3. And while buckwheat has a strong, earthy flavor, you can top it with whatever spices, fruit or nuts you like to suit your taste.

http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/raw-buckwheat-walnut-porridge/

This is not for everyone but give it a shot if you are feeling like a hippy!

Two Recipes for Mediocre Street Cart Berries

Around this time of year, I start to crave beautiful fruit. After a long winter of clementines and not much else, I’m more prone to give into the $7 raspberries at Whole Foods. The other day I felt I was feeling particularly clever and frugal when I got two pints of berries at my local street cart for $3. What a bargain! But then I tasted them and…well, nothing. They weren’t bad necessarily but they weren’t good enough to eat on their own or even sprinkle on cereal. There is only one solution for mediocre berries – add lots of butter, eggs, sugar, etc. and bake them!

For Easter I made this gorgeous strawberry cake. It’s very simple and delicious served with some boozy whipped cream (whipped cream plus rum).

http://www.marthastewart.com/336020/strawberry-cake

For breakfast a few days later, I made Smitten Kitchen’s blueberry cornmeal butter cake.

http://bleubirdvintage.typepad.com/blog/2013/01/sun.html

Both recipes were simple and came together with the basic ingredients in your cabinets. I’m looking forward to not making them this summer though. It’s high time for the season of just popping berries in your mouth with a glass of prosecco. Sigh….

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Ryan and I were born two days apart. I’m the older woman. This year my birthday fell on a Saturday and his fell on a Monday. This may seem like a minor detail but it meant that I spent mine drinking a Cuban Mojito off the coast of Mexico and he spent his in snowy NYC. To make up for it, I wanted to make him an indulgent dessert. He is easy to please when it comes to dessert. The only two he doesn’t like are flan and cheesecake. So I made him a cheesecake.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-chocolate-peanut-butter-pie

I won’t even bother trying to explain my logic but let’s just say somebody stole my cake pans, I hate cupcakes and cookies didn’t seem festive enough. Luckily Ryan loved his cake...a fact that is easy enough to believe when you read how much butter, heavy cream, chocolate, sugar and peanut butter I managed to squeeze into one small pie pan.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

 

Chickpea Flatbread with Rosemary and Onions

Argentines eat chickpea flatbread – or as they call it faina - with pizza. It always seemed a bit bizarre to me to combine gooey, doughy pizza with another starchy side-dish, even if it is delicious. Now, however, I can’t eat pizza…so bring on the flatbread!

Last night I gave it a shot with this simple recipe that combines chickpea flour, water, olive oil, rosemary and onion.

http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/farinata-genovese-ligurian-chickpea-pancakeflatbread/

I’m still craving pizza like nothing else but this really did the trick to tide me over. The dough is moist and satisfying and the onion caramelizes in the skillet to give it a touch of sweetness. It would be a great base to serve prosciutto, roasted vegetables or mixed greens. Tonight I’m going to serve it with some roasted lamb. You know what it would be awesome with though? Pizza.

 

Chicken Stew with Dried Limes

Ever since I made Gormeh Sabzi with dried limes a few weeks ago, I have been looking for more ways to incorporate these little flavor-bursts into my cooking. The New York Times did a feature story on them a few years ago called “Dried Limes, a Middle Eastern Secret for Flavoring Soups and Stews.”

 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/dining/02power.html?ref=dining

The author described them accurately with this sentence: “Holding one to your nose is a bit like sniffing freshly grated lime rind while standing in the center of a brewery.” They are very pungent which mean they lend themselves well to lazy cooking. If you throw a couple of these limes in your dish, you won’t need much else for flavor.

I loosely followed the suggested recipe for chicken stew.

1.       Heat 2 tbs of olive oil and brown 6-8 chicken thighs in a large stew pot. Remove and set aside.

2.       Add 2 chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add 2-4 garlic gloves and sauté for one minute more.

3.       Add 6 cups of chicken stock, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and the chicken.

4.       Pierce 4-6 dried limes with a knife. (This is like trying to stab a ping-pong ball so be careful!) Add to the pot.

5.       Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes. Occasionally push limes against the side of the pot so they release their juices as they soften up.

6.       During the last five minutes, add a cup of chickpeas, a giant mound of chopped spinach and whatever other chopped herbs you want (cilantro, chives, parsley, etc.)

7.       Season with salt if necessary and serve with sliced radishes, scallions, chopped mint, walnuts and or a dollop of Greek yogurt.

I like to leave the limes in the stew but don’t eat one. Pungent means pungent!

Spicy Peanut Dressing with Pomegranate Molasses

I should never do anything without a list, especially shop for groceries. Even if I have made a recipe a thousand times, I still manage to forget half the key ingredients unless I write them down. Last night I started to chop up some kale for my favorite Kale Tabbouleh Salad and then realized I was missing the chickpeas and the grains. I had, however, bought the mint which is the most expensive item in the recipe so I was determined to use it. I googled mint and kale and stumbled across a recipe for which I had all the ingredients on-hand. Nothing beats that on a cold winter night!

It was a simple salad with a peanut-based dressing that called for my newly-acquired pomegranate molasses. I was hesitant about the combination at first and tried it before sacrificing my mint to its flavors, but the dressing was fantastic. It hits all the right salty, sweet and spicy notes without being too heavy and overwhelming.

http://food52.com/recipes/18080-lacinato-kale-and-mint-salad-with-spicy-peanut-dressing

I did not use a blender as suggested but just whipped together 3 tbsp of peanut butter, 3 tbsp warm water, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp fresh garlic, minced, 2 tsp fresh minced ginger, 1tsp sesame oil and1 tsp dried red chili flakes. Toss with a one bunch of chopped kale, one cup chopped mint and one cup of chopped nuts of your choice. The dressing is thick so toss for a good few minutes to distribute.