Indian food rarely lacks for flavor.  Packed with exotic spices and chutneys, the dishes brim with colors and culinary delights.  This dish is no different.  And better yet, this dish won’t send you scurrying to exotic markets or stores; all of the ingredients are staples of most pantries and refrigerators.

A vegetarian and Indian take on the classic American burger, this Curried Lentil, Rice and Carrot Burger packs a healthy punch.  Sandwich it between two toasted buns and adorn with a little mayonnaise, and this vegetarian burger is bound to please.  Serve alongside roasted sweet potato fries or, for the sake of regional consistency, prepare a side of Aloo Gobhi Masala.

A word of warning: this recipe can be a little time intensive, as it requires cooking both the lentils and the rice in advance.  Of course, there’s no harm in prepping the rice and lentils the day before.  Have those items ready before hand, and this dish comes together before you know it!

Curried Lentil, Rice and Carrot Burgers

Recipe adapted from the New York Times.

PREP TIME: 1 hour
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: 6 burgers

 WHAT TO GRAB:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1 cup finely diced carrots
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced or finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
Pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils, drained
1 egg

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium heat in a heavy ovenproof skillet (I used a cast iron skillet).  Add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about 3 minutes, and add the mushrooms, ginger, turmeric, cumin, curry powder, mustard seeds and cayenne, and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant and the spices aromatic.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the rice to the bowl.

2.  In a separate bowl, purée the lentils.  Add the lentils to the vegetable and rice mixture.  Add the egg.  Stir together, season with salt and pepper, and shape into 6 patties.

3.  Heat the ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and, working in batches if necessary, cook the patties for 2 minutes on one side, or until nicely browned. Carefully turn the patties over.  You may need to re-shape them a little once you have turned them (they are still likely to fall apart a little at this point).  Cook for one minute, and then place the skillet in the oven.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the patties are lightly browned and no longer falling apart.

4.  Remove from the heat and serve, with or without buns, chutney or mayonnaise and the works!

Pizza is the ultimate convenience food.  There is the restaurant pizza, ready in minutes, delivered to your table, warm and sliced.  There is the delivery pizza, delivered to your doorstep with the push of a few buttons.  In the freezer section, there are countless versions of the frozen variety, ready to be brought home and baked or microwaved in a manner of minutes.  There are even pre-made pizza doughs and pizza crusts, leaving the harried home chef with some room for creativity and imagination.

To be sure, we’ve tried each and every one of the above combinations.  But lately, we’ve enjoyed making our own pizza, totally from scratch.

Homemade pizza is not a difficult endeavor.  And after mixing the dough two or three times, making the dough will become second nature.  The trick, at least for me, is making the dough first, the minute you get home.  The dough takes only a few minutes to mix and knead, but will require an hour to rise.  To that end, the first thing to do is to prep the yeast and mix the flour.  Once that is done, you have an hour to kick off your shoes and put up your feet.  Or even go for a run.

After that hour of television or exercise, the dough is nice and fluffed, ready to be rolled.  Rolling out the dough is simple and only takes a minute.  Once the dough is rolled, be sure and put the dough on your cooking instrument — you want to do this before you load up the dough with the toppings.  Otherwise, it will be very hard to transfer the pizza from the rolling surface to your oven.

This recipe makes two, nine-inch (give or take) pizzas, perfect for a his and her variety, as it were!

WHOLE-WHEAT HOMEMADE PIZZA

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
DOWN TIME: 1 hour
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
YIELD: Two, 9-inch Pizzas

WHAT TO GRAB:
FOR THE DOUGH
2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water  (105-115° F)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

FOR THE TOPPINGS
1 cup shredded gouda
1 apple sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 links of andouille sausage, thinly sliced
Roasted squash, cut into chunks
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

HOW YOU DO IT:

PREPARE THE DOUGH

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  (If the mixture doesn’t foam, you’ll have to discard it and start over with new yeast.)  When the yeast is dissolved, add one tablespoon olive oil, the Kosher salt, and the flour.  Mix well.

2.  Remove the dough to a lightly floured board, and knead it by hand for about five minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 50 to 60 minutes.

PREPARE THE PIZZA

3.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 2 equal pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a nine-inch circle (roughly).  Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  With a fork, prick the edge of the dough to create a nice, airy, crust.

4.  Sprinkle the toppings of your choice on each pizza.  For our pizza, we used sliced apples, sliced onions, roasted squash, and andouille sausage.  After that, we added some shredded gouda and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  (Save the arugula for after the pizza has cooked).

5.  Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden brown.

Rugelach was always one of those desserts that I wanted to try to make.  For whatever reason, there seemed to be some mystery to it, some complexity locked within its spiral shape.  At the bakery or deli, I always peered through the glass cases with equal parts wonder and admiration.  How did they get that perfect spiral shape?  How did they get the filling so evenly distributed?

In bakeries with rugelach, I always felt tempted to try one.  What was an ordinary, cookie or brownie, when there was rugelach.  What was a simple circle or square when there was a dough-filled spiral?  Indeed, each bakery seemed to offer a unique twist on the Jewish pastry, adding to its allure and charm.  No two ever seemed alike, either in filling or texture.   There were the soft and fragrant variety, the dough flaky and yielding.  Others were hard and tasteless, the dough rubbery and tasteless.  But each was always unique, in ways that a cookie could never be.  There was always that touch of exotic.

As it turns out, rugelach is neither as complex nor mysterious as I believed.  In the end, I had no reason to doubt my ability to recreate or reformulate it.  In about two hours, I had mixed, rolled, and baked over three dozen rugelach.  For reasons of variety, I used two fillings, one traditional and one untraditional.  I preferred the traditional filling – with raisins, cinnamon, chopped almonds, and a touch of preserves, to the more modern amalgamation of nutella and chocolate chips that I tried on the fly.  There are it seems, good reasons for sticking what is tried and true.

But that is the beauty of this recipe.  The dough is divided into four separate balls, each of which will be rolled out separately and which can welcome its own unique filling.  Experimentation is easy and inviting, which, in the end, still leaves some room for mystery.

ALMOND-RAISIN AND CHOCOLATE-NUTELLA RUGELACH

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s Parties!

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
DOWN TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: 36-48 Pieces

WHAT TO GRAB:
FOR THE RUGELACH
8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

FOR THE FILLING
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
9 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
Nutella (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, finely chopped (optional)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  In a medium bowl, cream the cheese and butter with a mixer over low speed. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.  To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and almonds.

3.  On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle.  Cut the circle into twelve equal wedges so that it resembles a pizza.  To do so, cut the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter in thirds (I think this is easier than cutting the dough after the filling has been spread).  Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons of strawberry preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough.

*For an alternative flavor, use Nutella in place of the preservers for two of the circles.  Add the finely chopped chocolate chips in place of the almond-raisin filling.

4.  Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned (I went with 20 minutes). Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

6.  Enjoy!

I was a little skeptical about this recipe when I first saw it.  Flaked coconut is often a miss for me.  The same is true of canned pineapple.  But the convenience of each is undeniable, particularly in the dead of winter, when the idea of finding a beautiful, ripe Pineapple at the local Giant seems utterly fantastic.  But on the strength of the Cooking Light name, I decided to give this recipe a fair chance.

In the course of cooking and posting recipes on my blog, the Cooking Light Desserts book has offered delight after delight – from apple cinnamon cake to crème caramel to ginger snaps to white-chocolate chip blondies.   Recipe after recipe has proved a success.  A delicious and sweet and guiltless success.  Indeed, flipping through the pages of the cookbook, I get the impression that I have made more recipes from the book than I have not.  And that thought brings a quick smile to my face, as I think back to past successes.

With that track-record in mind, I set out to make the Pineapple Upside Down Cake on page 60.  The recipe did not disappoint.  The cake was incredibly moist, and the butter-brown sugar topping was delicious.  The only change I made was to reduce the amount of coconut by a half-cup, based on personal preference and because the half-cup already nicely coated the pineapple halves.  A delicious and beautiful dessert in the end.

Pineapple-Coconut-Banana Upside-Down Cake

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Desserts.

PREP TIMES: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
YIELD: Serves 10

WHAT TO GRAB:
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pineapple slices in juice, undrained
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 banana)
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°.  Drain the pineapple slices over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup juice.  Cut all but one of the pineapple rings into halves.

2.  Over low heat, melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, allowing the butter to grease the sides of the pan as well.  Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the brown sugar, so that it coats the bottom evenly.    Drain pineapple slices over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Place the whole pineapple ring in the center of skillet, and arrange the remaining pineapples halves even around the pan.  Sprinkle evenly with coconut.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

3.  Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the reserved pineapple juice, banana, oil, and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add the pineapple juice mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until combined.

4. Pour the combined mixture over the coconut and pineapples.  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and then invert the cake onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caitlin and I have been watching Breaking Bad recently, a show whose plot-lines and premise may be as addicting as the “blue stuff” that plays such a critical role in the show.  Over the last few weeks, we’ve watched episode after episode, pinned to the couch or nestled in bed, watching Jesse and Walter navigate a world of dirty money, secret drops, federal agents, and violent cartels.  As one episode ends, we have increasingly found ourselves reaching for the next, swapping Netflix disks with such speed that we often find it necessary to download an episode or two from iTunes, unable to wait for the return mailer.

While the show has certainly taken over some of our evenings, it is not entirely responsible for the prolonged absence of posts on the blog.  That, of course, is also the fault of long commutes, a new job, and the everyday chores and obligations of life.  That being said, these beef tacos are the perfect recipe after a long day.  Ready in just under thirty minutes, they are warm and comforting, and delicious.

As with most tacos, you can add or subtract at will.  Throw in some sizzling vegetables, add a dollop of guacamole or sour cream.  Dice some tomatoes and onions for some pico de gallo.   Dirty rice and black beans would work as well.

With an eye towards Breaking Bad and the traffic south-of-the-border, there are beef tacos.  They may not match the addictiveness of the blue stuff, but they may yet rival that chicken from Los Pollos Hermanos.

beef tacos

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: Serves 4

WHAT TO GRAB:
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt and pepper
Corn tortillas or Tacos
1 onion, sliced

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.   In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and saute until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large pan or skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef.   Add the barbeque sauce, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, diced jalapeno, and Tabasco sauce.  Mix well and continue cooking until the ground beef is entirely cooked through.

3.  Warm the corn tortillas in the oven and serve with the sauteed onions and ground beef.  Chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and/or sour cream will also make excellent accompaniments.

The idea of making a roulade seemed, at first glance, somewhat intimidating.  There was the rolling, then unrolling, and finally, the re-rolling.  The instructions seemed intricate and the cake seemed delicate.  Visions of a cake suddenly collapsing and crumbling under its own weight flashed before me, wiping away my mixing and baking efforts in a moment.

But then I stopped, and remembered that this was not the first time that I faced what seemed to be an insurmountable cooking hurdle.  There had, after all, been many intimidating cooking projects before this one.  I had made flan, caramelizing sugar.  I had made oat bread, coaxing the yeast.  I had made spanakopita, defeating phyllo dough.   As I looked back on these successful projects, I knew then, that I could make this roulade.

The first time making this recipe, Caitlin and I worked together, with Caitlin gently handling the rolling tasks with aplomb.  The rolling was a success, to say nothing of the dessert.  The candied ginger delivering a sudden kick to balance the sweet and moist sensation of the pumpkin.   The next time, I tried the rolling myself – with equal success, both in the rolling and tasting departments.  Indeed, between the beautiful appearance and the wonderful taste, our friends and family were clamoring for us to make this dessert just one more time.  It really was that good.

With the Fall upon us, and the pumpkins in bloom, I thought back on this delicious roulade.

Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream

Recipe from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics.

DOWN TIME: 1 hour
COOK TIME: 12 minutes
YIELD: Serves 8 to 12

WHAT TO GRAB:
FOR THE PUMPKIN CAKE:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting

FOR THE FILLING:
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar (see note below)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup dried crystallized ginger, finely diced
Pinch kosher salt

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the paper.

2.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and granulated sugar until the eggs are a light yellow and thickened.  Add the pumpkin, then slowly mix in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.  Using a rubber spatula, pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the cake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched.

3.  While the cake is baking, lay out a clean, thin cotton dish towel on a flat surface and sift the entire 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar evenly over it. (This will prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.) As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, loosen it around the edges and invert it squarely onto the prepared towel.  Peel away the parchment paper.  With a light touch – but don’t be overly sensitive or worried – roll the warm cake and the towel together starting at the short end of the cake, so that the towel forms a spiral within the rolled cake. Allow the wrapped cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

4.  Meanwhile, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar*, and cream together for about a minute, until light and fluffy. Stir in the crystallized ginger, and salt.

*The original recipe calls for 1 cup of Confectioners’ sugar.  Start with a ½ cup.  If you feel the filing is not sweet enough, you can always add more.

5. To assemble, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath.  Spread the cake evenly with the filling.  Reroll the cake in a spiral, without the towel.  Trim the ends of the cake to make a neat edge. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve sliced.

I love baking breads.  There is a unique pleasure in stirring the yeast, watching it foam, and then kneading the tough flour in and out of your hands and across the cutting board.  There is a certain magic to leaving the room and, returning an hour later, discovering that the small ball of dough has doubled in size, the yeast breathing life into the round.

One of the additional pleasures of baking bread is in the anticipation, as the smell of baking break slowly fills the kitchen, before settling over the entire apartment, building a sense of eagerness in the room’s occupants.

For better or worse, there is no such anticipation with English Muffins.  There is no painful waiting process, as you wait for the oven to do its work. In this case, this is stove-top yeast bread, which means the baking process is done in minutes rather than an hour or two.

Once the English Muffins have cooked, be sure to use a fork to split the muffins to get the distinctive nooks and crannies.

WHOLE WHEAT ENGLISH MUFFINS

Recipe adapted from Pete Bakes!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Down Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 12 Muffins

WHAT TO GRAB:

1 packet instant yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk (at room temperature)
Cornmeal for sprinkling

HOW YOU TO DO IT:

1.  Proof the yeast.  In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup warm water (105-115° F), the yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  (If the mixture doesn’t foam, you’ll have to discard it and start over with new yeast).

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, remaining sugar, salt and yeast mixture.  Mix in the shortening and 1 cup of the milk.  Add the remaining milk if the dough is too dry.

3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour.  After an hour, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls.  Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray or lightly coat with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.  Move the dough balls to the baking sheet evenly spaced apart (giving them room to rise more).  Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for another hour.

4.  Heat the oven to 350 and heat up a skillet on medium heat on the stovetop.  Brush the skillet with oil and gently transfer the dough balls to the skillet a few at a time.  Allow them to cook on the skillet for 5-8 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned.  Once browned, carefully flip and cook the other side for about 5-8 minutes more.  They should flatten as they cook.

5.  When the muffins look as if they are about to burn, remove them from the skillet and transfer quickly to a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes.  You do not need to wait until all of the muffins have been cooked on the skillet before moving them to the oven – as the first batch is baking, move the second batch of muffins to the skillet.

6.  Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.  Serve with lots of butter and/or jelly.  Store the muffins in a sealed Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.

On a typical Friday night, Caitlin and I will head to Mi Rancho, one of our favorite local spots, where we’ll greet Albino and take our seat in the covered, outdoor patio. If that’s our typical spot, then our order is equally typical – the mixed fajitas.

We love our tex-mex.

For us, tex-mex is just one of those hearty meals, the kind of meal that makes you smile at the end of dinner, satisfied and happy. It’s the type of meal that serves as the perfect bookend to the long work week.

Going out for the meal is certainly fun and convenient, but making the meal at home adds an additional pleasure.  Making these refried beans at home is easy and offers the chance to customize the side to your liking.  These refried beans fell on the milder side.  Were I to make them again, I think I would step up the spice, adding a few dashes of Tabasco sauce, some cayenne pepper, and some red pepper flakes.

This batch makes three cups, which is perfect for a few overstuffed burritos and tacos. Indeed, these refried beans serve as the perfect glue for a meal bursting with border flavors!

refried beans

PREP TIME: Requires overnight soaking
COOK TIME: 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
YIELD: About 3 cups

WHAT TO GRAB:
2 1/2 cups of dry black beans (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
Kosher salt to taste
Cheddar Cheese (optional)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.  Soak the beans overnight in a large pot or bowl.  Make sure there is plenty of water.

2. The next day, put the beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.  Strain the beans from the cooking water and remove to a large mixing bowl.

3. In a separate pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and chili powder, and cook until the onions are translucent.  Add the onion mixture to the beans.

4.  Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash the beans until they are a rough purée. Add a little water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out. Add salt to taste. Add a few slices of grated cheddar cheese if you want.  Serve warm!

This is one of those recipes from the old-country, dating back – literally – over a thousand years.  But that doesn’t make it a relic, some phonograph gathering dust in the attic, that’s brought down once a year so that grandchildren can marvel at the sound-machines of yesteryear.  This recipe is nothing more than last year’s iPod, ready to figure into the regular rotation of modern life.

This recipe has all the attributes of a modern meal.  It’s quick and easy to make.  It has only a few ingredients, most of which you should have on hand.  And finally, it’s light, healthy, and delicious.

Kasha is just another name for buckwheat, which you can find boxed or loose in most grocery stores.  Kasha makes a great breakfast, giving a warm porridge when cooked in milk and nuts.  Its most traditional use, however, is as Kasha Varnishkes, in which the buckwheat is tossed with bowtie pasta.

To get the best flavor from kasha, you should toast or cook the buckwheat over high heat, which helps seal the nutty, crunchy flavor into the kernels, which then creates a wonderful counter-balance to the soft and pliant noodle.  As noodles go, the bow-tie or farfalle is the most traditional, but rigatoni or rotini would provide a modern twist to this classic dish.

KASHA VARNISHKES

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: Serves 4

WHAT TO GRAB:
2 large onions, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup kasha (buckwheat)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pound farfalle
1 cup peas

In many ways, a recipe is like a fingerprint.  While the basic curves and contours are always the same, each has an identity of its own.  From the portions and ingredients down to the size of the dice and the speed of the whisk, there is always some level of inherent uniqueness to any one recipe.  This individuality may not always be apparent at first-glance – a finger-tip is, after all, a finger-tip – but look close enough and you will find it.

Jambalaya, a New Orleans classic, is particularly well-suited to this individuality.  The basic structure of jambalaya centers around the “trinity” — celery, onion, and peppers.  Rice is almost essential,and andouille sausage is also very traditional.  But from those basic starting points, the recipe can be shaped and contoured to your liking.

And when talking about a home-cooked meal with New Orleans roots, it’s bound to be to your liking!

Brown Rice Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage

WHAT TO GRAB:
4 links of andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces. 
Pulled chicken from three roasted chicken breasts
 (see recipe below)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1 large onion, diced (I used Vidalia) 
2 celery stalks, diced 
3 garlic cloves,minced
1 poblano pepper, diced
2 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 to 3 dashes Tabasco Sauce
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 cup uncooked, medium or long grain, brown rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup to 1 cup water