Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup short grain brown rice, boiled for about 12 mins

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp anise seeds

1 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped rapini or another green

3/4 cup red wine

200g mushrooms, chopped

2 handfuls of walnuts, chopped

about 1 litre hot water or broth

salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pan and cook the onions until soft. Add the anise seeds and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions begin to brown. Add salt and pepper.

2. Add the parboiled rice, mix in well, and add the red wine.

3. Once the red wine is absorbed, keep adding the hot water/broth, one cup at a time, mixing it in well for about 15 mins.

4. When the rice is nearly cooked, add the chopped rapini and the walnuts until the rice is cooked through and creamy. Add the grated parmesan cheese at the end. Taste and season again if you think it needs it.

I got home from work today and had one salmon steak left in plenty of moqueca broth. I had been talking about risotto with my brother the night before so the idea of a moqueca risotto came to mind. I strained the moqueca broth, separating the cooked fish, caramelized an onion in some butter, added 1-2 tsp paprika, and mixed in the risotto rice*. In order to re-enforce the coconut milk flavour of the original moqueca, I added 3-4 tbsp of unsweetened shredded coconut. I mixed in the moqueca broth and when that was absorbed, I added hot water, a 1/2 cup at a time until the rice was cooked but still a bit al dente. I folded in the shredded leftover salmon, serving the risotto as soon as the whole thing was heated through. It was yummy!

*I use short grain brown rice, following Mark Bittman’s directions of parboiling the rice for 12 minutes before using it in the recipe. It results in nice creemy risotto every time.

Savoury Tomato Crisp
makes 6-8 servings

3 tbsp olive oil (more for greasing the pan)
3 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges (I used plum tomatoes)
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt & black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs (I had a piece of sourdough baguette past its prime, so ground that into breadcrumbs)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese (I used feta)
1 tbsp melted butter

1. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square or round baking dish and preheat oven to 375 F
2. Put the tomato wedges into a large bowl and sprinkle with the cornstarch and some salt and pepper. Toss gently. In another bowl mix the breadcrumbs, oats, walnuts, garlic, cheese, 3 tbsp of olive oil, and butter and stir thoroughly
3. Transfer the tomato mixture to the baking dish. Spread the breadcrumb topping. Bake until the crisp is as dark as you like and the tomato is bubbly (about 55 minutes). Let cool to warm and serve.

But what to make for tonight? Some sort of salad with the corn would be great. The internet is filled with great ideas for salads mixing corn, green beans and tomatoes, of course. I knew I had made a good one a couple of summers ago. A couple of clicks later and voila: a corn, green beans, tomatoes, and feta salad inspired on a recipe by Mark Bittman. Can’t wait to try it when I get home today!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón de la vera)
• 1  28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes,undrained [I used San Marzano tomatoes]
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 8 eggs [there were 7 of us, so I used 7 eggs]
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• bread or polenta for serving

1. Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup short-grain brown rice
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
salt
black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
1 cup cooked or canned red beans, drained
wild leeks
a handful of asparagus

1. heat the oven to 450 F. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Stir in the rice, adjust the heat so that the water bubbles steadily, and cook without stirring, for about 12 mins. Drain. [You can do this step ahead of time; I did it the day before and saved the rice in the fridge]. Use the pot to warm the stock over medium-low heat.

2. Put the oil in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and cook until the vegetable soften, 3-5 mins. Add the wild leeks and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the paprika and cook for another minute. Add the rice and beans and cook, stirring occasionally until everything is coated with oil. another minute or two. Carefully add the warm stock or water and stir until just combined.

3. Put the pan in the oven and roast, undisturbed for 13 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. Add the asparagus on top, and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If the rice looks too dry at this point but still isn’t quite done, add a small amount of stock or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let the paella sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

I’ve been craving a nice feijoada for a while and had planned to make it last weekend for some friends. My plans were thwarted by the insane amount of work all week and into the weekend. There was simply no time to search for the right meets, the right amount of black beans, etc. The fact that half the friends who were invited were vegetarian also meant that I’d have to make a vegetarian version and vegetarian feijoada is good but it isn’t feijoada. So I decided that a black bean stew would be more in order. I browsed two of Mark Bittman’s books and came up with this recipe, a combination of two of Bittman’s suggestions for black bean chili.

• 1 block firm tofu (I used one seasoned with herbs)
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp cumin*
• 1 tsp dried ancho chili powder*
• 1 tbsp Mexican chili*
• salt & pepper
• 250g mushrooms (I used a mix of brown and white button mushrooms; I sliced the bigger ones and left the small ones whole)
• 2 cans whole tomatoes with juice
• 2-3 cups dry black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat a dutch over or large heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil and crumble the tofu in. Once the tofu is browned, add the garlic, ginger & spices and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms, close the lid and let it steam for the few minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked.

2. add tomatoes with their juices, squishing the tomatoes (you can also roughly chop them ahead of time), beans, and at least 700l of water

3. cook until the beans are cooked through, at least one hour. Add more water if necessary and test for seasoning.

4. Serve sprinkled with parsley and accompanied by a nice loaf of bread/cornbread/rice/or barley

* approximately – I basically added as much (or as little) as I liked. Start with these amounts and sample later

In preparation for the week, I decided to cook legumes yesterday (sunday) and boy, did it ever pay off. I got a bag of dry beans from my CSA this past week that included various kinds of beans and I had some chickpeas sitting around that I had been meaning to cook for a while. I soaked both (separately, of course!) on saturday night and cooked them on sunday with just a bay leaf and some kombu. This morning the chickpeas added substance to a quick couscous salad seasoned with lots of parsley, almonds, lemon juice and olive oil, which I took to work for lunch. The other beans became the basis for this wonderful bean soup with spelt noodles and kale. I seasoned it with Indian spices such as garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika… salt & pepper to taste. It was so yummy that I had to have a second bowl and now I can’t move…

When the okra was ready, I placed some Italian canned tomatoes in a baking dish, sprinkled some herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil and set to roast in 375 F oven for about 35 mins. I used one cup of the tomato juice from the can, mixed with two cups of water, to make polenta.

The okra itself? I simply pan fried it in olive oil, making sure not to move it much, until it was slightly brown but still green. The result? This very colourful dish:

Simple lentils

• 1 cup of puy lentils (green lentils will do as well)
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1-2 tsp lemon dill salt (or simply sea salt with some dried herbs)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups of water

Hear two tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan; fry onions and chopped celery and add salt. When onions are soft, add tomato paste and fry for another minute. Add rinsed lentils, mix well to combine and pour in the water. Bring to a boil, turn hear down and simmer until the lentil are cooked, about 20-30 mins depending on the variety of lentils.