Murphy's Law, an all knowing being with a heavy dose of an ironic sense of humor*, and probably the weather report, indicated that as soon cooking night was declared swimming Thursday, it would rain. And so it did.

We preserved with the cooking, but not so much with the swimming. I had a bathing suit and towel tucked in my backpack anyway, but it was mostly padding for the utensils, and 4 million ingredients I brought over.

Recipe: Ash-e-joh, aka Persian Barley Soup, aka the most intensive dish I've ever made
Dinner Topics: Public Bathroom Pooping Etiquette

Coincidence that pooping and one dish heavily laden with beans went hand-in-hand? I say it's the ironic Murphy again.

*No offense to my fellow cookers who have no business with all-knowing beings. However, I hope we can agree that an ironic karmic spirit has at least a slim presence in what we do:)


Yeh, so about my recipe...

Ash-e-joh - Persian Barley Soup
The Soup Peddler's Slow & Difficult Soups Recipes & Reveries by David Ansel

Serves 10-12
*Note: Beans take a long time to cook. This recipe should have taken about 1.5 hours. I planned for 2. It took closer to 2.5.

1T Vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced lengthwise into thin crescents
3T turmeric
1C dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
1C pearl barley
1C dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
1C lentils
1/2C uncooked long-grain white rice
2 bunches parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 bunches scallions, finely chopped (I subbed green onions)
1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
2 bunches spinach, finely chopped
salt (don't' be shy with the salt when it's time)
Juice of 2 lemons

Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium-high heat and saute the onions for 5 min. Add the turmeric and saute for 2 min more.

Stir in garbanzo beans and cover with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Bring to a simmer, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, COVERED, for 20 minutes. (
So I missed the cooked covered instruction until the end, which is probably why it took so long, and the red beans weren't soft.)

Stir in the pearl barley and cover with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Return to a simmer, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the kidney beans and cover with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Return to a simmer, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the lentils and rice and cover with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Return to a simmer, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until all the beans and grains are tender.

Stir in the parsley, cilantro, scallions, dill, and spinach, and season with (a lot more than I used) salt. Just barely cover with water, return to simmer, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt. Serve hot.

Seriously guys. I appologized like 10 posts ago, but you may never read that. Just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry if I'm breaking blogging ettiquette by posting all these recipes at once. I am willing to be schooled in the nerdy ways of the blogger; just let me know how this shit works.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH GARLIC, PECANS AND BASIL

Lemon peel also enlivens this terrific dish.

1 1/2 pounds small brussels sprouts, trimmed
3/4 cup whipping cream
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup pecans, toasted
3/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Fresh basil sprigs (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Combine brussels sprouts, cream and garlic in heavy large skillet. Bring to boil over medium-low heat. Cover skillet tightly and cook until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender but still bright green and almost all cream is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely grind pecans with basil leaves and lemon peel in processor. Add pecan mixture to skillet. Toss until brussels sprouts are coated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired, and serve.

Serves 6 to 8.
Bon Appétit
November 1998

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH CILANTRO AND SOY-GLAZED ALMONDS

An easy-to-make salad, perfect for a picnic. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/4 cup whole almonds (about 1-1/2ounces)
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves



Place almonds in small nonstick skillet. Stir over medium heat until almonds are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Increase heat medium-high. Add 3 teaspoons soy sauce and stir until soy sauce evaporates and coats almonds, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate and cool. Chop almonds. Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse beans under cold water. Drain well. (Almonds and beans can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover almonds and store at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate beans; bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in large bowl to blend. Add beans and toss to coat. Sprinkle green onions, cilantro and almonds over salad and serve.

Per serving: calories, 145; total fat, 8 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 0
Serves 4.
Bon Appétit
Cooking For Health
June 1996

CURRIED COUSCOUS AND GARBANZO BEAN SALAD

Serve with: Leaves of romaine lettuce (for wrapping up scoops of salad) and flatbread.

2 tablespoons curry powder
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups small pieces fresh vegetables (such as 2 cups each broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, and thinly sliced carrots)
1 10-ounce box couscous
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/2 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups crumbled feta cheese (about 7 ounces)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Stir curry powder in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until fragrant and toasted, about 1 minute. Mix in 2 1/4 cups water and salt. Add vegetables. Bring to boil; cover and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix in couscous. Cover and let stand until couscous softens, about 5 minutes.
Transfer couscous to large bowl. Mix in garbanzos, oil, vinegar, and ginger. Cool to room temperature. Add feta and green onions; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.
Bon Appétit
June 2004

makes a LOT. i made it with about 5 T of curry powder, and that wasn't too much (could do more). also, did the rice vinegar instead of white wine. i feel like maybe currants would be good in it too?

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARAMELIZED ONION TART


pastry dough
pie weights or raw rice for weighting shell
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil plus about 2 teaspoons for brushing squash
1 small onion
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 whole large egg
1/2 large egg yolk (1/2 tablespoon)
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Italian Fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
1/4 cup crumbled mild soft goat cheese (about 1 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs



On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Freeze shell 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell 10 minutes more, or until bottom is golden. Leave oven on. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

Halve squash and scoop out seeds. Lightly brush each cut side with about 1 teaspoon oil and on a baking sheet roast squash, cut sides down, in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until soft.

While squash is roasting, thinly slice onion and in a heavy skillet cook in 1/2 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Cool squash and scoop out flesh. In a food processor purée squash. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and cream and blend well. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in cheeses, herbs, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour filling into shell, smoothing top.

In a small skillet melt remaining tablespoon butter and stir in bread crumbs until combined well. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over filling. Bake tart in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool tart in pan on rack 10 minutes and carefully remove rim.

Serves 6 to 8.
Gourmet
You Asked For It; Dahlia Lounge, Seattle WA
November 1998

THANKSGIVING
This soup was awesome, I reckoned. I've made it twice. YUM.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CIDER CREAM

Apples and apple cider lend a pleasant sweetness to this beautiful soup.

5 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1/2 cup chopped peeled carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
5 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Chopped fresh chives



Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, leeks, carrot and celery; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, thyme and sage. Add stock and 1 cup cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly.
Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return soup to pan. Boil remaining 1/2 cup cider in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Cool. Place sour cream in small bowl. Whisk in reduced cider. (Soup and cider cream can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Bring soup to simmer. Mix in whipping cream. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cider cream. Top with chives.

Serves 10.

Bangkok Salad With Miso Dressing


1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
20 wonton wrappers, cut into 1/3-inch squares

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces



Purée vinegar, miso, garlic, sugar and ginger in blender. With machine running, gradually pour in 1/2 cup olive oil; blend until mixture is creamy. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add wonton squares to pan and fry until crisp and brown, about 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer wontons to paper towels; drain.

Place lettuce and fried wontons in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat and serve.

Serves 4.
Bon Appétit

You can use those crunchy noodles instead of frying wontons to save time.

Okay, so you probably just remember the (more recent) time that I made this when it turned out gross ("Gummin' it" night)... but try to reach back in your memory to aphrodisiac night, when made properly, this tasted fabulous.

CARROT PUREE WITH GINGER AND ORANGE


3 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
4 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice



Cook carrots and 3 tablespoons sugar in large pot of boiling salted water until carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Return carrots to same pot; stir over medium heat until any excess moisture evaporates.
Meanwhile, bring orange juice to simmer in heavy, small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, ginger and orange peel; whisk until butter melts. Whisk in lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Purée half of carrots and half of juice mixture in processor until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Repeat with remaining carrots and juice mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm carrots in microwave oven on high about 4 minutes or rewarm in saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.)

Serves 8.
Bon Appétit
November 1998

GOAT CHEESE AND ASPARAGUS PIZZA

A lovely start to this spring supper would be mugs of green pea soup sprinkled with chives. Accompany the pizza with an arugula, radicchio and endive salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. Offer gelato for dessert.

6 asparagus spears, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 10-ounce tube refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, drained
1 5.5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper



Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss asparagus with oil in medium bowl to coat. Unroll pizza dough on baking sheet, forming 9x12-inch rectangle. Spoon tomatoes over dough, leaving 3/4-inch plain border. Scatter asparagus with oil over tomatoes. Bake pizza 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Crumble goat cheese over pizza. Sprinkle with marjoram and crushed pepper. Bake until crust is golden around edges, about 9 minutes longer.

Makes 2 servings; can be doubled.
Bon Appétit
30-Minute Main Courses
March 2001


Use a lot more asparagus. Also chopped garlic.

FUSILLI WITH EGGPLANT, PINE NUTS, CURRANTS, AND CAPERS

Don’t skip the first step of salting the eggplant slices; it draws out excess moisture so that the eggplant will absorb less oil and stay firm when cooked.

click photo to enlarge

2 16-ounce eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup drained capers
2 14 1/4-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 pound fusilli pasta
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil



Place eggplant slices on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand over 20 minutes. Turn eggplant slices over. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 20 minutes longer. Rinse eggplant. Drain; pat fry with paper towels. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add eggplant; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, currants, and capers; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juices; bring to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm enough to bite. Drain. Return pasta to pot. Add eggplant mixture, 1/4 cup cheese, and basil. Toss to combine. Transfer to large bowl. Serve, passing remaining cheese separately.

Makes 8 first-course or 6 main-course servings.
Bon Appétit
May 2002

I've got a lot of catching up to do... Sorry this is all out of order. And sorry if there are some blogging ettiquette rules that I am not following; I am a blog-virgin, so please forgive me.

MARINATED EGGPLANT WITH MINT

Serve these eggplant slices on crusty Italian bread spread with a mild, earthy cheese such as a fresh goat cheese.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 8 3/4 hr (includes marinating)

1 1/2 lb small purple Italian or white eggplants (about 3), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a bowl, then let drain 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant, then drain, pressing gently on eggplant to extract any excess liquid. Pat dry.
Whisk together vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic and mint.

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry eggplant, about 8 slices at a time, until cooked through and pale golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer eggplant as fried to paper towels to drain, then transfer to a large shallow dish, overlapping slices slightly. Spoon some of vinegar mint mixture over each batch. Marinate eggplant, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.

Cooks' note:
Eggplant can be marinated up to 24 hours.

Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings.
Gourmet
August 2004

LOOK AT ME; I'M POSTING!!!

SPINACH, FETA,AND PINE-NUT PHYLLO TART

In this recipe we call for a 10 1/2- by 7 1/2- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan. The tart could also be made using a baking sheet or a jelly-roll pan, as the filling is dense enough to hold its shape on its own.

For filling
1/2 cup pine nuts (about 3 ounces)
1 medium onion
1/3 cup olive oil
two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup crumbled feta (about 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs
seven 17- by 12-inch phyllo sheets
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan



Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make filling:
In a shallow baking pan toast pine nuts in middle of oven until golden, about 4 minutes, and cool. Finely chop onion and in a large heavy skillet cook in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible and stir with salt into onion. Cook spinach mixture over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until any liquid is evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes, and cool slightly. In a large bowl whisk eggs until combined and stir in spinach mixture, pine nuts, feta, and bread crumbs until combined well. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring filling to room temperature before proceeding.
Stack phyllo sheets and cover with 2 overlapping sheets plastic wrap and then a dampened kitchen towel. In a small saucepan melt butter and cool slightly. Lightly brush a 10 1/2- by 7 1/2- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim with butter.

On a work surface lightly brush 1 phyllo sheet with butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan evenly over buttered phyllo and repeat layering with 5 more phyllo sheets, butter, and 5 tablespoons Parmesan. Arrange last phyllo sheet on stack and lightly brush with butter. Transfer phyllo to tart pan, letting excess hang over edge, and spoon filling onto phyllo, spreading evenly. Fold edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered , and lightly brush top of phyllo with butter. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over exposed filling and bake tart in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6 as a main course.