JP

Choosing a recipe can sometimes feel like putting together a baseball team.  It is the home chef as general manager.

In each field, the objective is the same — to please the folks at home by offering them a winning dish while remaining within the allotted budget.  The objective is straightforward.  As is the theory behind it:  acquire the best ingredients, assemble, and serve warm.

But this process is never as straight forward as it seems.  Expensive ingredients, like high-priced free agents, may be past their expiration date.  They may collapse under high heat or stiffen up as they approach the plate.  Players bought on the cheap, may be just that – cheap, bland and tasteless versions of a better option.

Poring over ingredients and recipes, just like poring over score sheets and scouting reports, is a hybrid of skill and intuition.  You need to sense that placing oranges in a clafoutis will have the same disastrous effect as placing Milton Bradley in your lineup.  Or that a little lemon zest — one of those versatile, yet overlooked items — can bring a group together like a little-known utility player.

In this case, combining these chickpeas, with some sweet potato and the right combination of herbs and spices, creates a formidable team.  It’s inexpensive – so no luxury tax – and most importantly, bound to please the fans at home with its winning taste.

sweet potato Falafel

DOWN TIME: Overnight soaking required; 60 minutes for cooling
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
YIELD: About 30 sweet potato falafel balls

WHAT TO GRAB:
FALAFEL:
2 cups dried garbanzo beans
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 to 8 tablespoons flour
Meat of 2 sweet potatoes
Sesame seeds

SANDWICH:
Pita bread
Tzatziki sauce (recipe here)
Roma tomatoes, sliced
A cucumber, thinly sliced

HOW YOU DO IT:

THE NIGHT BEFORE

1.  Pour the garbanzo beans in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover the beans by at least three inches.  Let the beans soak at least overnight, and if possible, for a full 24 hours.

2.  Bake the sweet potatoes at 420°F for 1 hour 20 minutes.  Once the sweet potatoes are cool, remove the meat and mash it until a purée.  This can also be done overnight.

READY TO BLEND

3.  Drain the beans.  Place the garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and sweet potato in a food processor, fitted with a steel blade.  Process until well blended, but not puréed.  Add the baking powder and flour, and pulse briefly, stopping once combined.

4.  Turn the mixture into a bowl.  Form the chickpea mixture into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter, and place on a baking sheet.  Once you have formed all the balls, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

BAKING TIME

5.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bake the falafel for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6.  Toast several slices of pita bread.  Stuff the pita with tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, thin slices of cucumbers, and as many warm falafel balls as you can!  Serve warm!

As the Holidays come to an end and the weather turns from cool to downright frigid, a warm bowl of chili becomes all the more inviting.

While I was in Cincinnati, I made a version of that city’s namesake chili.  In that effort, I used ground turkey to thicken the chili and give it that hearty depth.

This year, Caitlin and I have been striving to eat less meat, all the while giving our meals the same strong flavors.  In this case, the tofu works as a perfect substitute for ground beef or turkey, making this vegetarian chili worthy of any meat-lover’s dinner table.

Ladle a few spoonfuls into a large mug or bowl, garnish with strips of toasted whole wheat bread, and cup your hands around the warm, smoky, taste.

VEGETARIAN TOFU CHILI

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes
YIELD: Serves 6

WHAT TO GRAB:
1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 poblano pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 small jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chili
1 to 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

HOW YOU DO IT:

Arrange tofu on a large plate lined with 3 or 4 paper towels and top with more paper towels. Press firmly to release as much water as possible from the tofu. Discard paper towels, crumble tofu and set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add poblano, onion, and jalapeño, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (including the crumbled tofu) and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have melded, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Ladle chili into bowls and serve.  Garnish with strips of toasted bread.

This year, I decided, it was time to stray from the harvest theme.  I was looking through my cookbooks, feeling uninspired, when I resolved to make my own cake.  No recipe.  No guide.  I would just with it.

And that’s when it hit me.  Anything could be a cake.  I didn’t have to find a cake recipe online or in a book.  I wasn’t confined to the traditional notions of what could or could not become a cake.  So that’s when I decided to just grab my idea and run with it.

Two years ago, Caitlin and I had made white chocolate- and chocolate chip-blondies, and loved them, returning to the recipe whenever we were in the need for a quick sweet.  Thinking back to these blondies, I wondered if they couldn’t be made into a cake.  Then, I thought that they could probably be made into a cake.  And, after that, I simply resolved to make them into one fabulous cake, complete with white chocolate icing.

And fabulous it was!

BLONDIE LAYER CAKE WITH WHITE Chocolate ICING

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
ASSEMBLING TIME: 30 minutes
YIELD: Serves 16 to 20

WHAT TO GRAB:
BLONDIE LAYERS
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Chocolate Chips

ICING
12 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups Confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

BLONDIE BAKING

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until well blended.  Add the egg whites and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated.

3.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Working in batches, add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture.  Mix until just incorporated.  Add the white chocolate and chocolate chips, and mix into the batter.

4.  Generously grease three round cake tins.  Divide the batter evenly among the three tins.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow the blondies to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.  Then remove the blondies from the pan and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.

ICING ON THE CAKE

5.  Adding the sugar in batches, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar.  Add the vanilla, salt, and cream, and whip until smooth.  Do not overwhip or you will ruin the icing!  Finally, add the finely chopped white chocolate chips.

6.  Place a small dollop of icing in the middle of the cake platter (this will help prevent the cake from moving too much).  Place one blondie layer on the platter.  Apply icing to the first layer.  Place a second blondie layer, upside down, on top of the first layer (so that there is a flat bottom on top).  Apply icing to the second layer.  Place the third blondie layer on top, right side up.  Apply icing to the sides of the cake.  If there is icing left over — and you are so inclined — apply icing to the top of the cake.

7.  Slice and serve!

As Indiana trekked through the jungles on his elephant, I immediately recognized this movie as the second installment in the series, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  I wasn’t old enough to see the movie in the theaters — I was only four — but I can remember watching the movie as a young teen, perhaps catching the movie on television late one weekend night.

Owing to my young age, there are a few scenes from the film that remain with me all these years.  One of which, is the dinner scene.  Indeed, as soon as the movie flashed across the treadmill screen, I immediately thought of chilled monkey brains and snake surprise.  My thoughts turned immediately towards the seated guests — outfitted in sherwanis and turbans — situated around the prince’s stately table.

As a half-dozen women dance around the table, a giant platter is placed on the table, a single dead snake coiled around a giant pole, for what is “snake surprise.”  The surprise is several live snakes oozing out of the sliced boa’s skin.

After a few more disgusting items make their appearance at the dinner table, the scene is set for dessert.  One by one the guests are served, the camera stopping at each plate setting to reveal a silver bowl, and within it the head of a gorilla.  “Chilled monkey brains,” one of the guests announces, with glee.

The scene is, indeed, cringe-inducing.  And yet, for the longest time, when I thought of Indian food, I immediately thought of that scene from Indiana Jones.  Not because I wanted to, but because that had been my first association between India and food.  No part of me believed that Indian cuisine centered around monkey brains and snakes, but I didn’t know what real Indian food was, yet.  So, that association, unfortunately, stuck with me longer than perhaps it should have.

True Indian food, I would discover, was a thing of great excitement and intrigue, full of curries and cumin and cardamom.  There were exotic rice and lentil dishes, majestic teas, and fried breads and vegetables.  This was true Indian food, with no apologies to Indiana Jones.

ALOO GOBHI MASALA

Recipe adapted from Manju Malhi’s Easy Indian Cookbook.

PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: Serves 4

WHAT TO GRAB:
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds (do not use mustard from a jar)
4 white chef potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green chilies, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Florets from one head of cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
Italian parsley, roughly chopped (for garnish)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.   Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the mustard seeds and stir for 30 seconds, or until the seeds start to splutter.  Watch carefully, as you do not want the seeds to burn.

2.  Add the potatoes, and increase the heat to medium-high.  Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the potatoes cook, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.

3.  Add the ginger, garlic, chilies, and onion, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the turmeric, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.  Add the cauliflower florets.  Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  Pour in the boiling water, reduce the heat to simmer, and steam the vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are the desired crispness.  Stir in the garam masala and sprinkle with the parsley.  Serve warm with garlic and cheese naan!

This meal answers that important, incessant, weekday question.

After braving our respective routes — Caitlin, the Red Line, I, the Beltway — we arrive home around 7:00 p.m., tired from the day’s activities.  After a quick moment of reprieve, we often head down to the apartment gym to get some much-needed exercise.

Once we’re back upstairs, the question rears its head.  The question that creeps into our minds every night, demanding an immediate answer.  The question is bandied about a few times, as each of us tries, in vain, to propose a suitable answer.

Take-out?  Maybe, but where?  Pizza?  Boring.

Do you want to grill?  Too tired.

An omelet?  We did that two nights ago.

And then, it dawns on us.  There’s a squash on the counter…and fresh vegetables in the veggie drawer.  There’s pasta in the cabinet…and fresh thyme growing outside  And there’s the answer.  The perfect answer, ready in minutes, with fresh vegetables, whole grains, and the taste of Fall.  It’s the perfect weekday meal.

WEEKNIGHT SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes
YIELD: Serves 4

WHAT TO GRAB:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 pound spaghetti (we use barilla plus)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup feta
Olive oil
Kosher salt and Pepper

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.  Toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Flip the squash pieces and roast for another 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a bit of olive oil and salt.  Add the spaghetti and cook according to the box’s directions.

3.  Drain the pasta.  Return the pasta to the pot.  Over low heat, add the spinach, grape tomatoes, and thyme.  Cook only until the spinach has softened and everything has come together.  Add the butternut squash and feta.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm!

In preparing for my move, I worked on paring down what I needed and what I did not.   I went through my closet to determine what clothes I was wearing and what clothes I was not.  I looked around my bathroom, and decided what items had outlived their utility.  And naturally, I went around my kitchen, searching for redundancies, coordinating with Caitlin to ensure that we did not arrive with two or three of every useful kitchen device.

Beyond these steps, I also worked to use up my food.  There was no need to stack my car with bags of flour and sugar.  By the same token, there was no sense in throwing away perfectly good butter or eggs.  The last few weeks saw a veritable flood of baking and cooking.

Among these items, a two-pound bag of dried posole was calling out to be cooked.  Buried deep in the pantry, behind the cans of beans and whole tomatoes, the large plastic bag rested on top of a plastic shoebox that held some of my reserve spices, those spices whose infrequent use pushed them off the countertop spice rack.

Unlike my first try at posole, which was delicious, this recipe looked and tasted more like those dishes that Caitlin and I encountered during our trip to Santa Fe.

new mexican Posole

Recipe adapted from an online source.

DOWN TIME: Overnight soaking required
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 3 hours 30 minutes
YIELD: Serves 8

WHAT TO GRAB:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef round, cut into large pieces
1 large onion, medium chop
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder (I used chile molido)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
6 to 8 cups of broth or stock (depending on desired thickness)
1 cup water
2 pounds of dried posole corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Mace (for garnish)
Sour cream (for garnish)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Soak the posole overnight.

2.  In a large stock-pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped beef and cook until browned.  Add the onions, and sauté until golden.  Add the garlic, and cook for another minute.

3.  Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the chili powders, oregano, and cumin, and sauté for about 4 minutes.  Add the parsley and tomato paste, and cook for 4 minutes to allow everything to come together.  Add the chopped and whole tomatoes, then the stock and water plus the stock.  Finally, add the posole.

4.  Bring to a boil and reduce flame to low.  Softly simmer for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is falling apart tender and all is thick and rich.  You can add water, as necessary, depending on the desired consistency.  Add salt, pepper, and any spices to taste.

5.  Serve warm with fried tortilla strips, sliced avocado, and/or lime wedges.  You can also garnish with goat cheese or sour cream, and a touch of mace on top.

Once again, I’m preparing to move:  this time from Cincinnati, Ohio to Silver Spring, Maryland.  This past week has been devoted to finishing up my projects at work and cleaning and packing up my apartment.  But in between those two activities, I have been doing my best to take advantage of my last few days in Cincinnati.

Last Tuesday night, I drove to Mt. Adams, the neighborhood overlooking downtown Cincinnati from its eastern perch.  I got lost navigating the winding one-way streets, as always, but eventually found a narrow street sandwiched between two apartment buildings and leading up to the edge of the Mount.

I unpacked my camera, set up my tripod, and took in the lights emanating from downtown, capturing what I could of the place where I’d walked and worked for the last year.  On my drive back, I stopped by the Yagoot in Rookwood Commons, where Caitlin and I had often stopped after a long day of oral arguments.

That night, I went to bed – but only for a short time.

That morning I set my alarm clock for 5:30 a.m.  Morning doughnuts seemed to be a bit of a routine in our office.  A large box of Dunkin Donuts would often find its way into the break room, a franchise conveniently located just across the street in Fountain Square.  Given our office’s penchant for doughnuts, I decided that I would bring in homemade doughnuts for my last week of work.

At 5:30, I rumbled over to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face, and set out to roll some dough.  If I was going to bring doughnuts to work, I wanted them to be delicious and fresh.  Next-day doughnuts would not do.  Doughnuts, it turns out, do not require very many or very fancy ingredients.  Everything I needed was still in my cupboards.  I had, however, packed my metal rounds, but my measuring cup and the vegetable oil cap filled that role adequately.

By 6:15, the dough was all cut and the doughnuts were ready to rise for another hour.  In that interim, I started heating up the vegetable oil and cleaning up the kitchen where I could.  By 7:15, the oil was hot and the first batches of doughnuts were frying.  At a minute a side, the process was quick, if a little messy.  My slotted spoon was already packed; two leftover forks were all I could muster up.

By 7:45, I had finished the frying and the doughnuts were ready for their glaze.  A few minutes later, the doughnuts were glazed and packaged, and I was preparing my lunch for the day.  Once that was done, I was off to wash up and get dressed.  Just before 9:00, I walked into the office, two dozen homemade doughnuts in tow:  a perfect treat for the last week of work.

Homemade Yeast Doughnuts

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
DOWN TIME: Several hours
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
YIELD: 24 doughnuts and 36 doughnuts holes

WHAT TO GRAB:
DOUGHNUTS
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115° F)
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup 1% milk at room temperature
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
GLAZE
2 cups Confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 ounces of low-fat milk or water

HOW YOU DO IT:

PREPARING THE DOUGH

1.  In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar, and water.  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.  Add 1/4 cup sugar, milk, eggs, butter, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in about 4 cups of flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough (the dough should be just a little sticky).

3.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl, turning once so that the dough is also greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  The dough should double in size.

CUTTING THE ROUNDS

4.  The next morning, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of about 1/3 or 1/4-inch.  Using a 3-inch round, cut as many rounds as you can from the dough.  Bunch the leftover dough and roll it out again.  Cut as many rounds as you can from this dough.  Repeat one more time, only this time, use a 1.5-inch round and cut only doughnut holes from this last batch of dough.  Discard any remaining dough.

5.  Use the 1.5-inch round to cut holes out of the middle of each 3-inch round.  Set all the rounds and holes on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Cover with towels and let the dough rise for at least one hour.

FRYING THE DOUGH

6.  In a medium-size pot, heat plenty of vegetable oil, over medium heat, until it registers between 370 and 375 degrees.  Use a candy thermometer to maintain this temperature.

7.  Fry the 3-inch doughnuts a few at a time, until golden, about one minute a side.  Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on paper towels.  Repeat this process until all the doughnuts have been fried.

8.  Fry the holes several at a time, until golden.  This should only take about thirty seconds a side.  Remove with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on paper towels.

GLAZING

9.  Mix the Confectioners’ sugar and milk (start with two ounces) in a large bowl until smooth.  Dip each side of the doughnuts and the holes in the glaze.  Give the doughnuts a few minutes to soak up the glaze, then serve!!

Cornbread is a so-called quick bread, because it doesn’t contain yeast and doesn’t require any rising or kneading.  All of which makes it ready to bake in a flash!

Another great thing about cornbread is that no two recipes need be alike.  You can mix and match ingredients as you see fit.  Play with the type of cornmeal (coarse or medium), the flour (whole wheat or not), the cheese (cheddar or monterey) and the acid (buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt).  Add corn or jalapeno slices . . . or both . . . or neither.

I made this particular recipe twice, once with buttermilk and canned corn, and once with yogurt but no canned corn.  The yogurt gave the cornbread a nice lift when it baked, so that each piece was very airy.  I also liked the addition of the canned corn.  In the future, I will definitely stick with yogurt-canned corn combination.

Down the road, I might also experiment with the addition of fresh herbs and possibly shallots or garlic.  I’ve even see people add pecans and walnuts, so that could be something worth trying.  No matter what you add, though, there’s no going wrong with cornbread!

jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 35 minutes
YIELD: Serves 8

WHAT TO GRAB:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground, medium-grind cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted, canned corn
1/2 cup jalapenos,  seeded and diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, sift together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, egg, sugar, and baking soda.  Working in batches, add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined.  Fold in the corn, diced jalapeno, and shredded cheese.

2.  Grease a nine-inch baking dish.  Fill the dish with the batter, and smooth with a rubber spatula.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve!