Indian Lentil Stew

Good for a cold, fall rainy day.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (can find on a grocery store, or google for a recipe online)

1 cup chopped plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon minces peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium eggplant (1 #), peeled and chopped

1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed

2 cups chicken or veggie broth

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 bay leaves

2 cups chopped fresh portabello mushroom caps

salt and pepper to taste

Over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Saute onion until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, broth, water, salt, and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Results:

Pretty darn good, but I added more garam masala for an extra kick. This is the recipe I used: http://www.ochef.com/r75.htm It was a nice, light but hearty soup to prepare oneself for the Thanksgiving onslaught. I could also conceive some leftover turkey making its way into the leftover stew....

For lunch yesterday I had sauteed onions, leftover roasted butternut squash, and salty sundried tomatoes tossed with penne pasta and a little of the pasta water (to pull it all together--you put the water and the cooked pasta into the pan that you're sauteeing the onions in. Also add the squash and tomatoes then to warm through, and toss until the water is mostly absorbed. I saw that on Emeril.). I topped that with some pungent blue cheese and slivered almonds. Really really good.

Tentative Thanksgiving Menu

In case you're curious, here's the tentative Thanksgiving menu. It's going to be Chris, Duane, and me, so we don't need a big turkey. I had initially decided to protest turkeys altogether, but as the time draws near it's getting harder to resist. Lots of words that start with P in there, I wonder if that means anything.

• Roast Turkey Breast with Paprika
• Parsnip and potato rosti (from How to Cook Everything)
• Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash (with bacon) (from Epicurious)
• Popovers (from How to Cook Everything)
• Cranberry relish with orange and ginger (from How to Cook Everything)
• Dessert ?? something simple.

Simplest Roast Chicken

I roasted a chicken! I know, amazing. And it turned out fabulously. It was juicy, but cooked all the way through, and the meat was practically falling off the bone. Here's a helpful tip: A roaster chicken is about twice as big as a fryer chicken, which is the size that this recipe calls for. Confusing, but true. This recipe is from How to Cook Everything, and it's actually part of recipe with more variations. I'm just going to tell you what I did, and if you want the other variations, tell me, and I'll know what to get you for Christmas.

Makes 4 servings
Time: About 1 hour

We justifiably associate roast chicken with elegance, but it can also be super weeknight food, cooked in just about an hour. This method works because the high heat provided by the heated skillet cooks the thighs faster than the breasts, which are exposed only to the heat of the oven. It gives you nice browning without drying out the breast meat, and it's easily varied. If at any point during the cooking the pan juices begin to smoke, just add a little water or wine (white or red, your choice) to the pan. This will reduce browning, however, so don't do it unless you must. I suggest serving the pan juices with the chicken (you can call it sauce naturel if you like).

• 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon good smoked or sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A few sprigs fresh tarragon, rosemary, or thyme (optional)
• 5 or 6 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
• Chopped fresh herbs for garnish

[this is Katie here: before starting this process, I decided I wanted to brine the chicken. Bittman doesn't actually recommend brining smaller poultry, so a few hours before I rubbed it down pretty well with a combo of coarse salt (it has to be coarse), minced garlic, and some herb or another, I can't remember. Tarragon maybe. Then I put it back in the fridge on a plate. When I was ready to cook, I rinsed the chicken off really well and patted it dry. Now this is important: if you do this, do not salt the chicken when you put it in the oven. Wait until you cut it up to serve it and see if it needs salt then, or just put some salt on the table. I didn't think it needed any more salt.]

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Five minutes after turning on the oven, put a cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet on a rack set low in the oven. Rub the chicken with the olive oil mixed with the paprika, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and put the herb sprigs on it if you're using them. [KV: I didn't]

2. When both oven and pan are hot, 10 or 15 minutes later, carefully put the chicken, breast side up, in the hot skillet; if you're using garlic, scatter it around the bird. Roast, undisturbed, for 40 to 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh registers 155–165°F. 3. Tip the pan to let the juices from the bird's cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook for another 5 minutes). Transfer the bird to a platter and let it rest; if you like, pour the pan juices into a clear measuring cup, then pour or spoon off some of the fat. Reheat the juices if necessary, quarter the bird, garnish, and serve with the pan juices.

Results: 
The only problem, it turns out, is that neither of us like drumsticks. Well, actually, I thought they were delicious right out of the oven, but dark meat leftovers are pretty meh, at best. So I don't know how often I'll roast a chicken, unless it's for a crowd of more than two people, and some of those people are happy to pass on white meat in favor of dark.

Cannellini and Kale Ragout

From Epicurious:
The oversize croutons add a nice crunch to this warming dish, which is a cross between a soup and a stew. Serve with: Romaine salad with sliced oranges, black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 1 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian bread, crusts removed, each slice quartered
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
5 cups (packed) thinly sliced kale (about 1 large bunch)
1 14 1/2-ounce can vegetable broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion in juice
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) or Great Northerns, drained

Preparation:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread and 1 teaspoon thyme; cook until bread is golden on both sides, turning with tongs, about 2 minutes total. Transfer croutons to bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add remaining 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper to same pot; sauté over medium heat 30 seconds. Add kale and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle ragout into shallow bowls. Top with croutons and serve.

Results:
So easy and great for our first snowy weekend. I had to simmer it for a while without the cover because it was a little too soupy for my taste. I think it would also be good with other herbs than thyme, like oregano. So, I had this ragout with the crouton for lunch today, and I plan on mixing it with some pasta to take to work for lunch sometime this week. If you want to turn it into a soup, I would say your could just add more broth.

This was a really interesting article about how foods can (and cannot) affect your mood. I don't necessarily believe what they say about chocolate....

Flour measurements

I found this handy way to convert flour measurements in cookbooks from volume to weight. Food people are always blah blah blahing about how it's more accurate to measure flour by weight than by volume, and it's not a real cookbook unless it does flour by weight. Whatever. It's just easier for me since I got a scale.

• 5.5 ounces per cup for bread flour
• 5 ounces per cup for all purpose flour
• 4 ounces per cup for cake flour