Happy Pepper

UPDATE:  I’m in!  My pepper is now spreading joy to other crabby people.

I’ll admit I was pretty cranky last weekend.  But while prepping peppers for the freezer, I received a cheery greeting.  Now how can that not make you smile! 

I’ve got my fingers crossed for acceptance in the Museum of Food Anomalies.  Although it really can’t compete with my friend Cathy’s Angelina Jolie/Kirk Douglas lovechild pepper.

BTW, my pepper was grown at Harmony Valley Farm, proving that happy growing conditions makes for happy produce.

Ames Farm Honey

Ames Farm raw honey is the single-malt scotch of honeys.  What makes this honey so special is that each jar is from a specific time and place.  And when I say specific, I mean specific, but I certainly can’t say it any better than they do on their Web site:

. . . a floral portrait taken by a single hive of honeybees in a specific location during a short time period.

It almost makes honey sound romantic, doesn’t it?

Each jar is dated and sourced.  The web site contains specific information about each beeyard and hive.  Pictured above are the labels on my jars of melon and sweet clover honeys.  Doesn’t the thought of melon honey just want to make you get the spoon out?

It’s pretty easy to find locally and, as honey goes, not too pricey.  So go ahead and treat yourself.  It’s spectacularly good honey.

Channa Masala

Mmmm, channa masala.  It’s one of my son’s favorite dishes.  Actually it’s a family favorite.   It’s one of the things we served at his graduation open house a couple of years ago.

When I make it I usually use canned chickpeas, which sometimes causes a twinge because  one of the reasons I bought a pressure cooker was to make beans. However, my attempts at legumes in the pressure cooker have been hit or miss, so I don’t have a lot of confidence.

I have a new friend at work from India and she’s been encouraging me and telling me how easy it is to make the chickpeas under pressure.

When I woke up this morning I suddenly decided that today was the day!  I remembered to starting soaking the beans before I left for work.  Remembering to make the time to soak is a MAJOR stumbling block for me.  When I got home I changed the water, brought them up to pressure for 15 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then quick released the rest of the pressure. They were done! It was amazing.  So much better than from the can.  Much creamier.

I don’t have a favorite channa masala recipe plus I’m running behind on my CSA produce consumption. I wanted to stick to the basics but I also decided to wing it.  So here goes:

Channa Masala

1 lb. dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked or 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. ghee or oil
3 cloves garlic pureed with about a a tablespoon of water*
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 red onion, diced
1-3 small jalapeno peppers, sliced (depending on how spicy you like it)
3-4 cups sliced cabbage (green or Savoy)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne (if you’re not sure about this, start with 1/2 tsp.  You can always add more)
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. mango powder** (amchoor) or lime juice
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
salt

*I used my spice grinder or you could use a mortar and pestle.  It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.
**Amchoor powder is available in Indian grocery stores.  It adds tartness to a dish.

Heat the ghee in a large nonstick frying pan.  Add the whole cumin seeds and fry over medium-high heat until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn them.  Add the garlic puree, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.

Stir in the onion, peppers and cabbage and walk away for a couple of minutes to let it brown.  Then I like to turn down the heat to medium, cover the pan and let everything cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want the vegetagbles to develop some nice browning.

Throw in the ground cumin, cayenne, turmeric, mango powder and cherry tomatoes along with 1 cup of water.  Cook over medium-high heat until most of the water evaporates, leaving a pastelike sauce.

Add the chickpeas with 2 cups of water and stir everything to gether.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.  Salt to taste.

Serve with some naan and yogurt on the side.  Can be served as a main dish or as part of a larger meal.

Liberty Custard Caramel Sea Salt Shake

Even though it’s not on the regular menu, a friend of mine was able to order a caramel sea salt shake at Liberty Custard last night.  The women on duty were nice enough to search high and low for the essential ingredient and make one for her. I don’t know if they’ll do it for everybody . . . but I’m just saying . . . you won’t know unless you ask.  Hopefully it will become a permanent addition to their menu soon.

Grand Szechuan Update

My husband and I went to Grand Szechuan for dinner last Saturday night and I am extremely happy to report that it was hopping. It was exciting to see a lot of large groups eating.

We had tomato and fried egg soup, milky crispy shrimp, and double-cooked pork. It was all wonderful. The soup was a wonderful surprise: Rich stock with sweet Napa cabbabe, fresh tomato slices, and fried egg omlette. The textures and flavors were delicious and I have a new comfort food to add to my list.  The crispy milky shrimp were addictive. Their sweetness was a great foil for the more spicy pork belly slices of the double-cooked pork.

I’m falling in love with so many dishes here it’s going to get harder and harder to make up my mind with each visit. You can decide what you would choose from the menu.