Fire-Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic & Lemon Hoummous

Hoummous is a quick, easy, healthy and inexpensive snack, spread or dip. Though it's pretty easy to find in any well-stocked market, it's one of those things that I have almost always found tastes better when freshly-made and customized with your favorite ingredients. Just get out your blender or food processor and start creating, as hoummous requires little planning and only one "special" ingredient that you may not find everywhere: tahini*, or sesame paste.

Though Middle Eastern hoummous is traditionally made with the bases of chickpeas and tahini, Mediterranean hoummous often contains, in addition to those ingredients, olive oil and lemon juice. Though tahini gives hoummous sufficient creaminess, I find that the addition of olive oil adds an element of richness and that the acidity of lemon juice balances nicely against the chickpea base, which can, if not properly combined with other ingredients, taste mealy. Rest assured that this will not be a concern if you follow this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained.

1/2-cup tahini

1 fire-roasted red pepper

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful cilantro

Olive oil, to taste. Here, I use a couple of tablespoons.

Salt, a few pinches

Cumin, a few pinches

Procedure:

(1) If you have a gas stove, set the burner to medium and place the red pepper directly over the flame. Turn every minute or two with a pair of tongs to char the skin on all sides. Once charred, rub off the charred skin with a paper towel and slice the pepper. If you don't have a gas stove, you can use the broiler to achieve the charring effect, or, if you wish to skip this step entirely, just substitute half of a small can of roasted red peppers.

(2) Rinse and drain chickpeas.

(3) Place chickpeas, tahini, roasted red pepper, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt and cumin in blender or food processor and blend/process until desired consistency is achieved.

(4) Garnish with paprika, cumin, lemon zest or whole chickpeas and serve alongside pita bread for an instant snack.

*Tahini can be found in all Middle Eastern markets and also in most Greek, Indian and Italian markets. Many supermarkets carry it, as well.

Picadillo Empanadas

Empanadas are savory "turnovers" that are common as streetfood in Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. Common fillings include flaked fish, potato, fried and mashed banana, pork, shredded chicken, and, most commonly found in Cuba and Miami - picadillo. Picadillo is a ground beef hash that contains browned onions, garlic, red pepper, green olives, tomato sauce or paste, citrus juice (sour orange and lime, particularly), oregano, and, depending on the cook, some sweet elements. The first memorable picadillo I ate as a child contained cinnamon, so I add that, as well as chopped dates or raisins. Don't let the cinnamon and dates/raisins throw you off; picadillo is a decidedly savory dish. A little bit of sweetness will keep your guests asking what the secret ingredient to the dish is.

PICADILLO

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red peppers, chopped
20 green olives, halved (the bottled Manzanilla variety is perfect)
1 sour orange
2 limes
10 dates, chopped
6 ounces tomato paste (or, alternatively, 10 ounces tomato sauce)
Oregano, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:
(1) Brown onions in a large, deep pan with a bit of olive oil.
(2) Add minced garlic and peppers, and sautee for a few more minutes.
(3) Add ground beef, combine well with other ingredients, and cook until brown.
(4) Season with ground black pepper, cinnamon, and oregano.
(5) Add tomato paste or sauce and stir well to combine.
(6) Add olives to the pan, along with a splash or two of the brine in which the olives are bottled. If doing this, there is no need to add salt; the olives and brine are salty enough.
(7) Juice limes and sour orange over the pan; stir well to combine.
(8) Add chopped dates or raisins. At this point, you will notice that there is a bit of extra liquid and fat in the pan. Do not drain this; allow the meat the simmer on low for about 15 more minutes so that all of the excess liquid is absorbed into the hash.

EMPANADAS

Ingredients:
Empanada discs (usually sold in the frozen foods aisle by Goya or another Latin American brand) Oil for frying

Procedure:
(1) Make sure that empanada discs are thawed before you begin to assemble the actual empanadas. They thaw quickly; just remove them from the freezer as you start the filling for the empanadas and they should be ready once the filling is done.
(2) Heat approximately one inch of oil in a large pan. It is unnecessary to deep fry empanadas; shallow-frying and turning them over once is just as effective. Fry on one side until golden brown and then turn with tongs to achieve the same result on the other side. I usually fry 5-6 empanadas per batch. Keep in mind that once the oil is well-heated, empanadas will take only about a minute or less to fry on each side.
(3) Once done, remove from oil and place onto a plate covered with double-folded paper towls. Blot excess oil to ensure crispiness when serving.

Thai Curry-Coconut Soup with Shrimp

Though I tend to favor thick, pureed vegetable-based soups as accompaniments to main dishes, there are a few soups I have had that struck me as perfect as meals on their own. This Thai-inspired curry-coconut soup is one of them. This soup's broth is fantastic - vegetable, chicken, or shrimp stock simmered with coconut milk, red curry paste, ginger, garlic and onions, with a splash each of lime juice and fish sauce, respectively. The soup gets its heartiness from a few generous handfuls of kale and oyster mushrooms as well as succulent shrimp poached in the soup before serving. Garnish with cilantro, lime slices or wedges, and serve in large bowls for a satisfying meal that needs little else on the side, save for perhaps a mango or papaya salad.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 bird chiles, seeded and chopped
1 piece lemongrass
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1/2-pound oyster mushrooms
1/2-pound shrimp
1 can coconut milk
4 cups vegetable, chicken, or shrimp stock
Juice of 2-3 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 handfuls kale, torn into bite-sized pieces

Procedure:
(1) Sautee onions, garlic, and ginger in a pot over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes.
(2) Add curry paste and combine with other contents of the pot.
(3) Add coconut milk and stock.
(4) Cut several incisions in the piece of lemongrass and add it to the pot.
(5) Add lime juice, fish sauce, and chopped chiles.
(6) Allow contents to just barely reach a simmer, then add mushrooms and shrimp. Stir for a few minutes until shrimp have turned orange - this means they are cooked.
(7) Add kale and cook for about 2 more minutes.
(8) Remove lemongrass from the pot.
(9) Serve soup in large bowls, garnished with cilantro and lime slices or wedges.

Pizza Redux

I usually make two small pizzas every week or so. Over the last two weeks, I have made the following, from top to bottom.

(1) Applewood-smoked bacon, arugula, and chili oil;
(2) Caramelized onions, Moroccan olives, blue cheese, and thyme;
(3) Soppressata, serrano rings, and shaved garlic; and
(4) Applewood-smoked bacon, asiago, and rosemary.

All pizzas were cooked in a cast iron skillet using the method I detail here, with standard mozzarella cheese and a simple tomato sauce as a base. Sometime in the near future, I'm planning on making a pissaladiere as well as a cherry tomato tart, so be on the lookout for those updates!