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Easy Thai Curry with Western Veggies

This isn’t authentic, and it probably lacks artistry.  But it’s yummy, a foolproof weeknight staple that’s good for you.  In the winter, I use chopped carrots, and frozen peas and corn.  In summer, why not throw in some snow peas?  Whatever veggies you choose, make sure they’re firm and crunchy with a little vegetabal-y sweetness.    

Ever since the Epicurious website ranked Mekhala the #1 brand for Thai green curry paste, it’s been my go-to.  Doesn’t hurt that it’s organic, either.  But green curry is spicy, and you can absolutely use a milder yellow or red paste.  If anyone in your home is entirely spice-averse (i.e. we have a kindergartener), you can omit the curry paste while cooking.  You finish, ladle out a spices-free portion, then add the curry paste to what’s afterwards.   For her, and even for us, we’ll add splash a Big Tree Farms original coconut aminos: the sweetness from the coconut, partially transformed into a soy sauce-like liquid. It’s salty-savory-sweet, and really adds something. 

feeds 6

2 cans full-fat coconut milk2-3 Tbsp curry paste of your choice
5 cups combined chopped carrot; corn & peas2 crisp red bell peppers, diced
1 lb firm tofu, cubedcoconut aminos and/or fish sauce to taste

Directions

  1. Put the coconut milk in a pot with the 5 cups veggies and the curry paste.  Simmer until veggies are al dente.  You can add a little extra water if you like.
  2. Add the tofu and stir gently till it warms through.
  3. Serve with plenty of chopped bell pepper on top.
  4. I really like using the purple Riceberry rice with this.  It’s a hybrid Thai long-grain sticky rice that works perfectly here.  See here for more. 

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How to Cook and Why to Eat: Riceberry Rice

This is my favorite rice! The Riceberry cultivar was developed in Thailand 20 years ago, as a cross between a purple sticky rice and a long-grain jasmine. No GMOs here, they just crossed the two strains the old fashioned way.

Riceberry is soft, sticky, nutty & fragrant; and like most deep-dark-purple-almost-black foods, it’s packed with health anthocyanin antioxidants. Riceberry even outshines blueberry!

It has all the health advantages of a brown rice — and then some — but cooks (almost) as fast as a white rice. 

Add 1 cup rice to 1½ cold water. Bring to a boil, covered, then simmer 10 minutes. Fluff, let sit another 10 minutes, fluff again. Or don’t fluff, and mold it in a cup or bowl like in the picture above. Eat.

We sell organic Riceberry in the bulk Refillery. Our kitchen will also be making it with our green curry hot meal in March.

Side DishesWhat's Cooking

Purple Sweet Potato Porridge

Purple sweet potatoes are just what they sound like: sweet potatoes, that are purple.  You can bake them, boil them…  For this dish, you cook them in the same pot as the oatmeal.  So it’s no muss, no fuss.  It looks pretty, and now you’re having vegetables for breakfast.   

And the dried fruit…  goji berries taste like raisins, but milder.  An antioxidant powerhouse, they contain the same immune-strengthening compounds found in maitake mushrooms.  Longan berries (not to be confused with lingonberries!) don’t have a lot of health properties.  But they are DELICIOUS.  Like caramel.   

1 C rolled oats or other porridge grains 1/3 C dried goji berries and/or longan fruit 
2 C purple sweet potatoes, chopped into grape-size piecespinch salt 
3 C water, milk, or nut milk Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger etc. to taste** 
  1. Put everything in a pot, simmer covered for about 25 minutes.  Or longer, depending on your porridge grains.  Until everything is soft.   
  1. Top.  Since this porridge is somewhat mild, toppings are important.  I love a drizzle of honey or maple.  And a big spoonful of nut butter.  In the picture, I’m using Pecan Shop wild native pecan butter.  You might enjoy something flavored and creative from Big Spoon Roasters… 

** If you have it handy, try replacing/supplementing your warming spices with Blue Lotus brand Roobois Chai spice mix.  I really like using a spoonful of crunchy, textured nut butter on top as well.  In the picture, it’s Pecan Shop wild-harvested sprouted pecan butter.  Yyou might also try something flavored and creative from Big Spoon Roasters.   

BreakfastWhat's Cooking

Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası

(a traditional Turkish red lentil soup)

When I was 19, I spent seven weeks traveling around Turkey on $10 a day. On that budget, we ate a lot of soup! The ubiquitous red lentil soup was a staple, and I never grew tired of it.

I’m revisiting that memory now, first of all because it’s January. Time for something warm. Time for a dietary reset, after all the excesses (caloric and budgetary) of the holiday season.

Also, the store finally got Turkish urfa chili flakes in the bulk spice section, and they’re a revelation. Sun-dried and aged. Dark purple, verging on black. Malty, umami, like a deep red wine. A pleasant medium heat. We add a little to the pot, but the real flavor comes through in the chili-oil swirl.

1 yellow onion, chopped1 heaping tsp cumin powder
2 medium carrots, chopped½ tsp coriander powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped3 Tbsp urfa chili flakes, divided
1 white potato, cubed1 C red lentils
6 Tbsp EVOO, divided7 C water or broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve

In a Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottom pot, soften the onion, carrots, and garlic in 2 Tbsp olive oil for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste, potato, cumin, coriander, 1 Tbsp urfa flakes, lentils, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until everything is soft, about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and blenderize until it’s smooth but not quite silky. Taste for salt and lemon.

Meanwhile, make the chili oil. In your smallest pot or saucepan, heat the urfa chili flakes in the remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil. Let it bubble around without burning for 2-3 minutes. Spoon over the soup, and give a quick swirl before serving.

Serve with lemon wedges. Some bread, salty white cheese, and olives on the table would also be nice. Cube some cucumbers and dress with olive oil. You have a meal.

EntreesSoupsWhat's Cooking

Debra’s Streamlined Cassoulet

My mother’s cassoulet recipe (originally published in these pages 2017) is a delight, and a revelation.  Lots of beans and meat.   Rich and warming.  Fatty and delicious.  Creamy on the bottom; melt-in-your mouth crispy on top.   The perfect Sunday dinner for family, and a holiday table centerpiece.   

It is also (if you’re a stickler for tradition) a travesty of epic proportions.  There is no one official cassoulet, but authentic recipes are generally elaborate preparations staged over 3 or 4 days, culminating in a 4-hour bake, in an earthenware vessel called a cassole.  And they involve 5 or 6 kinds of meat, including specially prepared duck. 

My mother’s recipe uses canned beans, regular chicken, and isn’t too picky about the sausage.  And while it is far from vegetarian, it uses less meat than most.  It also uses a shallow baking vessel like a lasagna tray.  More surface area = faster reduction = richer flavors and more crust.  

I’ve modified my mother’s by a) doubling it; b) adding some aromatics; c) cutting the tomato. 

Serves 8-12 hungry people!

8 cups (4 15-oz cans) cooked white beans,  
      ideally great northern beans 		½ extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium red onions 2 Tbsp dry thyme 
8 cloves garlic, or less if using garlicky sausage2 pounds good sausage (see below) 
4 stalks celery 1 ½ pounds whole chicken thighs 
2 carrots salt and pepper 
1 28-oz can crushed or chopped tomatoes parsley to garnish, if you’ve got it
  1. Pick some fun sausage, roughly compatible with French cuisine.  I used a mix of merguez, andouille, and a red wine & garlic pork sausage from VT.  Pastured, free range, organic.   
  1. Drain the beans, reserving liquid.  Chop the vegetables into pieces the size of the beans. 
  1. Throw everything except the meats and the garnish together into the biggest shallow pan you’ve got. A lasagna tray works.  So does a paella pan.   Taste for salt.  Depending on the beans and tomatoes you use, you could want a little or a lot.  Add half the bean water.  Mix. 
  1. At this point, your dish should look like soppy beans in ketchup sauce.  Don’t worry, it gets better.  Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables have softened, and most of the moisture is on.  Add a little more bean liquid if it gets too dry.   
  1. Place the chicken thighs on top of the beans, skin side up.  Rub with salt and pepper, and whatever spices you want.  Drizzle with oil.   
  1. Cut the sausage into 2- to 3-inch chunks, and nestle between the chicken.   
  1. Bake another 45 minutes until everything is crusty and perfect. 

EntreesWhat's Cooking

Remembering Autumn Salad

radicchio | citrus | shaved fennel | toasted hazelnuts

I was in Italy early October, on Lake Bolsena, with my father and brothers and sister, and all the children.  They rented a big house.  Every day, we went somewhere, walked around, and ate lunch out.  Every evening, we came home and made a big family dinner with whatever looked fresh at the village greengrocer.  So you buy what’s in season, and then you have to figure out what to do with it… I think this was night #4.  (Along with some lake fish, bean soup, and pasta for the kids).

Everyone will love this salad – even people who “don’t love fennel” and “don’t love radicchio.” Like autumn itself, this dish is complex and bittersweet. You can, of course, adjust proportions if you want to play up any one flavor or texture. But really, this one is about balance.

I’ve seen fennel-radicchio salads before, usually with honey-and-vinegar dressings. But I’d rather not go in so heavy-handed. The citrus drips in some nice flavor, almost by accident. Then a drizzle of high-quality olive oil, and plenty of coarse black pepper is all I need. Maybe some flaky salt.

Serves 6-ish

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 head radicchio about the size of a baseball
  • 1 large or two small fennel bulbs
  • 2 sweet oranges
  • 1 pink grapefruit
  • 1 Tbsp very good olive oil
  • ½ C toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • very coarsely ground black pepper to taste
  • Optional: flaky salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Shave the fennel very thin. Slice the radicchio into thick ribbons. Section the citrus.
  2. Toss everything together, except the hazelnuts and salt. Don’t skimp on the black pepper. If your fennel bulb came with fronds green dilly fronds, you can chop and sprinkle a little on top now.
  3.  This salad can keep for days and days in the fridge. When ready to serve, add the hazelnuts and flaky salt, so they don’t lose their crunch.

SaladsWhat's Cooking

S3: Simplest Squash Soup

My wife makes a pot of this probably 3-4 times a month all during the cold seasons. It is simple, dependable, and nourishing. And, if you use frozen or pre-cubed squash, the whole thing is about 5 minutes of prep. We tend to use butternut, but you can use any winter squash, really – including the pumpkin “guts” leftover from carving your jack o’ lantern.

This soup has enough flavor to stand on its own. You can add some texture and protein with a sprinkle of crunchy roast pumpkin seeds, or mix in some cubed tofu or a cup of frozen peas. More flavor? It accommodates warming spices nicely. My wife and I both like Moroccan Berbere powder, but any good yellow/red curry will be fine.  

What else to add? A few stalks of celery? Some parsnip? Sure, why not. Soups are by nature imprecise – and very forgiving. 

Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-large butternut squash, equivalent to:
    • ~3-4 cups already cubed + peeled
    • ~2 pounds already cubed + peeled 
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled + chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
  • ¼ C peanut butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 C water or stock
  • Optional: 1 tsp – 1 Tbsp Berbere spice

Directions

  1. Sautee garlic in the oil until soft and fragrant
  2. Add cubed and peeled squash, and soften slightly over medium heat, stirring so it doesn’t stick.
  3. Add canned beans, optional Berbere, and enough liquid to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the squash is fork-tender.
  4. Add peanut butter, and then blend with an immersion blender or a regular blender.
  5. Test for salt. Serve

featuredSoupsWhat's Cooking

Black Cherry Freezer Tart with a Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

This one is an absolute winner, on every level. It is easy to make. No oven needed: just a blender and a freezer. And it’s DEEEE-licious, at a very high level. Impressive enough for guests, and nourishing enough for breakfast.  100% plant-based, and almost entirely raw. It’s packed with phytonutrients from hazelnuts, raw cacao, orange peel, and dark cherries. No refined starches, and almost no refined sweeteners. 

It’s thin, like a pizza. And like pizza, you can eat a slice with your hands.  

I make sure to use sweet black (not tart red) cherries. I use the Cadia brand of frozen cherries, because they’re always in season, and I don’t have to put them. I also use the Bono brand of organic Italian blood orange marmalade, which adds a deeper flavor than a generic orange-orange.   

Makes ~150 square inches of tart (That’s one 14-inch round, 2 10-inch rounds, or 8 2½-inch tartlets).  

for the CRUST 

  • 2 C hazelnut meal 
  • ½ C raw nut butter. I used Brazil nut. 
  • ½ C maple syrup 
  •  ¾ C raw cacao powder 
  • fat pinch salt 

for the FILLING 

  • 10 oz pitted cherries (frozen is fine) 
  • ¾ C coconut manna 
  • ½ C orange marmalade 
  • ½ Tbsp vanilla extract 
  • optional pomegranate molasses 
  1. In a bowl, combine crust ingredients with your hands. Using your fingers and palms, press crust into your dish(es), with outer ridges about a quarter-inch high. (You can line your dishes with parchment paper, to remove the tart intact. Or just struggle, like I do).   
  2. Blenderize the filling. The filling is thick, so you want a strong blender. And you want your ingredients close to room temp, so they don’t thicken up too much. If you want more tartness and oomph, add pomegranate molasses to taste. Spread filling into crust with a spatula.   
  3. Freeze. Serve frozen, or very slightly thawed.   
  4. You can garnish with very thinly sliced stone fruit, crystallized ginger, chopped nuts, cacao nibs, edible flowers… or nothing at all. In the pic, I used sliced fresh cherries & chopped red walnuts 

DessertUncategorizedWhat's Cooking

Za’atar Grilled Summer Squash

You don’t need to toil away in the kitchen: if you throw beautiful things on a beautiful plate, you have a beautiful meal. Even if none of it requires skill, dexterity, or any meaningful effort!

(See alternate Japanese-ish version here citrusy-seaweedy-spicy Shichimi Togarishi).

Easy, breezy, backyard casual!  All it takes is 3 minutes to prep, another 8 on the grill. Your squash comes off flavorful and tender. It has grill marks. It’s vegan. Everyone is happy.

And you can do so much with it! Plate your squash with other Mediterranean goodies, like in the photo (feta, olives, chopped salad, hummus), or alongside grilled merguez sausage. Or chop it up, and toss onto a salad. Or stuff it in a pita bread with some tahini sauce and pickles. Or make a sandwich, with Bulgarian ajvar spread, and melted cheddar.  

What’s Za’atar? Za’atar is a Middle Eastern seasoning blend, ubiquitous across Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt. Not all za’atar is the same, but a good one will be tangy and herbaceous, redolent of herbs, sumac berries and toasted sesame. Some za’atar is salted. I’ll recommend you get one that isn’t — or that’s salted only very lightly. (I’ll also add that the za’atar we sill in our bulk bins in the refillery is excellent, and very fresh). 

Traditionally you sprinkle za’atar on hummus (with a generous drizzle of olive oil), or thick yogurt-like labneh cheese (with a generous drizzle of olive oil). Or just mix it with straight-up olive oil, and dip bread. It’s also excellent on eggs, and chopped tomatoes. A sprinkle makes avocado toast sublime. 

 Ingredients 

6 medium summer squash¼ – ½  C nice olive oil
 ¼ cup Za’atar2-3 cloves garlic (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut the squash lengthwise into planks, roughly as thick as a pencil.
  2. Press or very finely mince the garlic into the oil with the Za’atar
  3. Coat the squash with the oil-za’atar mix. You can either toss and mix it in a big bowl, or brush it on with a pastry brush. I prefer the pastry brush, as it’s hard not to break the squash otherwise. Add salt as desired. 
  4. Grill about four minutes per side, on medium flame, on a preheated grill. (Flip with tongs). 

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Shichimi Togarishi Grilled Squash

Our original August 2022 recipe was for Za’atar Grilled Summer Squash. We wrote “Easy, breezy, backyard casual! All it takes is 3 minutes to prep, another 8 on the grill. Your squash comes off flavorful and tender. It has grill marks. It’s vegan. Everyone is happy.”

The same can be said about this version. Thing is, once you start grilling squash, it’s easy to grill even more, and to use different spices.

Here we use Shichimi Togarishi, a Japanese 7-spice blend of chilis, citrus, seaweed and sesame. If you haven’t tried it… try it! Lovely on plain boiled rice, and just like za’atar, it makes a phenomenal avocado toast.

Ingredients

6 medium summer squashmayonnaise
shichimi togarishilime or yuzu

You’ll notice I don’t list amounts. That’s because it’s pretty variable. Sorry for being so vague!

Directions

  1. Slice the summer squash lengthwise into planks, roughly as thick as a pencil
  2. Brush both sides of each plank with mayonnaise. You don’t want to use a lot — just a very thin coat — just enough so the spices will stick
  3. sprinkle the shichimi togarishi on both sides. You may want to taste it first, to get a sense of the heat level.
  4. Preheat grill to medium-high, and grill roughly 4 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip.
  5. Serve with a squirt of citrus, and as much salt as you want.

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