Wheat Berry Bowl with Merguez and Pomegranate

This dinner wasn't planned in advance, but as it happened we had almost everything we needed on hand, even the sausages in the freezer -- the one exception was mint, which we swapped out for cilantro.

While it does need a lot of lead time, since the wheat berries take a long time to cook, it's not particularly difficult; you have ample time to put everything else together while the wheat berries cook. And the end result is delicious!

While the original recipe calls for topping some things with others, we ended up basically mixing everything together and then just serving the yoghurt sauce on the side.

Wheat Berry Bowl with Sausage and Pomegranate

From Epicurious

Ingredients

• 2 C wheat berries
• 2 C mushroom stock
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided (1+1+2)
• 1 lb sausage, peeled
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ C plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, divided (1+1)
• 2 tsp za'atar, plus extra for serving
• salt and pepper
• ½ C pomegranate seeds
• ¼ C coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cucumber, quartered lengthwise and then sliced thinly

Directions

1. Add the wheat berries and mushroom stock to a large pot, then add more water until wheat berries are fully submerged with room to spare.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the berries are tender and just starting to split, ~1h.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
4. Add sausages and cook, breaking up, until browned, ~10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Mix garlic, yoghurt, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and za'atar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. When the wheat berries are done, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, and return to the pot.
7. Add the pomegranate, cilantro, green onions, cucumber, sausage, and remaining 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tbsp of oil to the pot.
8. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve with yoghurt sauce and additional za'atar.
   
   

I'd never really thought of trying to pickle grapes before. The flavours used sounded really interested. And I had a bunch of nice locally grown grapes that the Kidlet decided she didn't like, so this seemed like a good use for them.

Pickled Grapes

From Baking Sense

Ingredients

• 1/2 (3") cinnamon stick
• 1" piece of vanilla bean¹
• 5 white or green cardamom pods, lightly bruised or cracked
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns
• scant 1/8 tsp. red chile flakes
• 227g seedless grapes
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/2 c. (vanilla) sugar
• scant 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Place cinnamon, vanilla bean, cardamom, peppercorns, and chile flakes in the bottom of a 500mL canning jar.
2. Add the grapes into the jar on top of the spices.
3. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil.
4. Cook until sugar is fully dissolved.
5. Pour the hot brine over the grapes and seal the jar.
6. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
7. Once cooled, place in the fridge. Allow to sit for 1-2 days before using.

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¹ Rather than using one small piece of a fresh vanilla bean, I decided to try using a few large pieces of spent/empty pods. I also used vanilla sugar rather than plain granulated sugar to add some extra vanilla flavour to the mixture. I think this worked quite well and it made for a great way to get a second use out of spent vanilla pods! ^Back

I needed a protein-rich side dish to go with my vegetarian Jamaican patties. I thought this recipe seemed thematically appropriate. It was pretty good, but not amazing. That said, I messed up the prep a little bit, so perhaps with more experience I could do a better job of it. I'll plonk the recipe here for now in case I want to come back and revisit it later.

Caribbean-Style Stewed Pigeon Peas

From Olive and Mango

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 c. canned (or fresh) pigeon peas
• 1-2 tsp. molasses (optional)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 pimento peppers, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 c. peeled and chopped pumpkin
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 leaves chadon beni¹, chopped
• handful fresh chives, chopped
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 125-250mL water
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add sugar and allow to cook until bubbling and caramelized but not burnt.
3. Stir in pigeon peas, cover, and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
4. If you would like the peas to be a little darker, stir in a tsp. or two of molasses.
5. Uncover and cook until liquid has evaporated (~1 minute).
6. Add onion, garlic, pimento, tomato, pumpkin, thyme, chadon beni, and chives and cook for a minute or two.
7. Add coconut milk and 125mL of water.
8. If you would like a little heat, add the whole scotch bonnet pepper at this point. Do not break the skin!
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until pumpkin is tender (20-30 minutes), adding extra water as needed.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with extra chadon beni.

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¹ Chadon beni is an herb common in Caribbean cooking. My understanding is that it's a bit like cilantro, but much stronger. I didn't have any, so I just used a bunch of cilantro instead. ^Back

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake (Sourdough)

I've been craving dessert for the last few days but I never quite get around to baking anything. Today I finially managed to throw something together with the help of the Kidlet. The batter seemed a bit more glutinous than I'd normally want for a chemically leavened cake, but it smelled divine! Next time I might try swapping in cake flour for the all-purpose (the recipe didn't specify) to see if that helps any.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

Adapted from Cultures for Health

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1-2 eggs¹
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. strong black coffee
• 1/2 c. fresh/fed sourdough starter
• 120g soft (cake/plain/standard) flour
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder (non-alkalized)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3/4 c. hazelnuts, chopped
• 1/4 c. chocolate-hazelnut spread (eg. Nutella)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Mix in egg(s), vanilla, coffee, and starter.
4. Sift in flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix until just combined.
5. Stir in hazelnuts.
6. Pour into greased and floured 8" round cake tin.
7. Drizzle chocolate spread on top and swirl it through the batter.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-50 minutes.

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¹ Depending on the size of your eggs. Use 1 extra-large or jumbo egg. Use 2 medium or large eggs. If you have small eggs, you may even want to use 3. ^Back

Cabbage-Lentil Minestrone with Cheese Tortellini

After a couple days we were down to half a pot of soup again, so I decided to make a few more modifications to turn it into yet another new soup. This time I wanted to take it in more of a minestrone direction. More veggies, some extra tomato paste, and a package of cheese tortellini did the trick quite nicely. I really like this version! And I've really enjoyed seeing how many times I can keep building on and adding to the original lentil-cabbage soup as well.

Cabbage-Lentil Minestrone

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe of Smoky Chickpea, Cabbage, and Lentil Soup
• 1-2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 c. cooked kidney or cannellini beans
• Parmesan rind
• 1 (400g) package cheese tortellini
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 2-3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. water (optional)
• 1-2 small zucchinis (courgettes), chopped
• 450g green beans, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• salt and pepper to taste¹

Directions

1. Add broth, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, kidney/cannellini beans, and Parmesan rind to soup, cover, and bring to a simmer.
2. In a separate pot, cook tortellini until al dente, drain, and rinse/shock with cold water.
3. Add tortellini to soup.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
5. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add carrot and celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.
8. Add zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes.
9. If necessary, deglaze pan with water.
10. Add green beans, cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
11. Add vegetable mixture to soup.
12. Add chile flakes, salt, and pepper and mix well.
13. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

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¹ I was using home-made broth with almost no salt in it, so I added ~1/2 tsp. of coarse sea salt to my soup. You may need more or less depending on your taste and the broth you use. ^Back

We ate about half the lentil-cabbage soup for dinner the night I made it. I decided to try to turn the leftovers into a new soup. After dinner, I added a few more ingredients to turn it into this smoky chickpea, cabbage, and lentil soup.

The recipe below follows what I actually did. If you don't want to build this soup from a pre-existing soup, you can follow the link to the recipe I used for direction/inspiration to make this soup directly.

Smoky Chickpea, Cabbage, and Lentil Soup

Adapted from The First Mess

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe Cabbage-Lentil Soup
• 1/4 tsp. hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 c. chopped kale
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 3-4 drops liquid smoke
• bones from beef rib roast¹ (optional)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to soup and mix well.
2. Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
3. Serve with salad and garlic toast.

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¹ A few months ago I disassembled a rib roast for a recipe. I used the meat, but didn't need the bones so I tossed them in the freezer in the hopes of finding a use for them later. I don't think this soup particularly needed the meat added to it, but I had it available and it needed to be used up. It certainly didn't hurt, I just don't think it necessarily added much. If you've got some bones or scraps of meat that seem like they'd go well in soup, toss them in², but don't sweat it if you don't. ^Back
2 If the bones have already been cooked (leftover after cooking a roast or similar), just toss them straight in. If the bones are raw (as mine were), slather them with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for an hour or so before adding them to the soup. ^Back

There's been a lot going on lately and I haven't been very motivated to do recipe write-ups. I'm way, way behind. I've had a pot of soup on the go for a few days now though and I want to write it up before I forget.

I was suddenly hit by an intense craving for some sort of lentil soup. Something with a nice light broth, cabbage, and either brown or French lentils. After searching through a couple of cookbooks and browsing the internet for a while, I hit upon a recipe I liked. I found the inclusion of apple cider vinegar and white miso very appealing. And the finished soup really hit the spot. It was just what I was looking for!

Cabbage-Lentil Soup

Slightly adapted from Eating Bird Food

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, divided
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 6 c. vegetable broth
• 1 (828mL) can diced tomatoes
• 4 c. (~1/2 head) green or savoy cabbage, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes (or more to taste)
• 1/2 c. uncooked brown or French (puy) lentils
• Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1 tsp. white miso paste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. (Sauté setting on InstantPot.)
2. Add onion and cook until softened (3-4 minutes).
3. Add carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
4. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.
5. Deglaze pan with 1 Tbsp. of cider vinegar.
6. Add basil, bay leaf, pepper, broth, tomatoes, cabbage, chile flakes, and lentils.
7. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours. (Slow cook on high setting for InstantPot.)
8. Stir in miso paste and remaining vinegar.
9. Serve with bread or garlic toast and salad.