I recently made a variation of Julia Turshen’s curried lentils , using cooked chickpeas in place of the dried lentils and adding a whole head of cauliflower florets to add a vegetal element.
I made a few other changes to the recipe, too, but the spirit of the dish is the same: sauté aromatics, add cooked legume or uncooked lentil (or quick-cooking grain), simmer everything in a mix of coconut milk and water.
If you have the chickpeas cooked ahead of time or if you use canned, it all comes together very quickly. It’s simple and delicious. Healthy, too.
Description
Notes:
- There are instructions below for cooking chickpeas from scratch, which will leave you with about 6 cups of chickpeas.
- If you want to use canned chickpeas, use 2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed (about 4 cups).
- Cauliflower can be cooked ahead of time (step 2) and refrigerated until ready to use.
- A drizzle of harissa or chili oil at the end is nice here.
- When reheating, add water to reach desired consistency — the chickpeas will soak up the liquid as they sit.
for soaking and cooking the chickpeas:
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound dried chickpeas, see notes above if using canned
- Few sprigs thyme
- 1/2 onion
for the curried chickpeas and cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower, 2 to 2.5 lbs.
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced to yield about 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans ( 15.5 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup raisins, golden are nice
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Naan, for serving, optional
To cook the chickpeas:
- Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of water (your largest mixing bowl, or about 4 quarts water). Add the chickpeas and soak for 8 to 24 hours. Drain, and place in a pot with the onion, thyme, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at the gentlest simmer for about an hour or until the chickpeas are cooked through. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Discard thyme sprigs, and onion. Store chickpeas in their cooking liquid. You need 4 cups of cooked chickpeas for the recipe.
To make the curry:
- Cook the cauliflower: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut out the core of the cauliflower and remove the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into florets about 2-inches in size — they’ll break down further when they cook with the chickpeas. You should have about 6 cups. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt and the cauliflower to the boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy. Lift out the florets with a slotted spoon, and spread on a tray or plate to cool.
- Make the curry: Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and curry powder and cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are softened and the curry is very fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, then fill the empty can with water and add it to the saucepan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, the cooked cauliflower, 4 cups cooked chickpeas (or the drained canned chickpeas) , raisins, and pine nuts, if using. Stir everything together, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let simmer, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced, the cauliflower has broken down a bit, and the chickpeas taste flavorful. Add the cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve with naan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Curry
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
Notes:
- There are instructions below for cooking chickpeas from scratch, which will leave you with about 6 cups of chickpeas.
- If you want to use canned chickpeas, use 2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed (about 4 cups).
- Cauliflower can be cooked ahead of time (step 2) and refrigerated until ready to use.
- A drizzle of harissa or chili oil at the end is nice here.
- When reheating, add water to reach desired consistency — the chickpeas will soak up the liquid as they sit.
for soaking and cooking the chickpeas:
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound dried chickpeas, see notes above if using canned
- Few sprigs thyme
- 1/2 onion
for the curried chickpeas and cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower, 2 to 2.5 lbs.
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced to yield about 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans ( 15.5 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup raisins, golden are nice
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Naan, for serving, optional
To cook the chickpeas:
- Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of water (your largest mixing bowl, or about 4 quarts water). Add the chickpeas and soak for 8 to 24 hours. Drain, and place in a pot with the onion, thyme, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at the gentlest simmer for about an hour or until the chickpeas are cooked through. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Discard thyme sprigs, and onion. Store chickpeas in their cooking liquid. You need 4 cups of cooked chickpeas for the recipe.
To make the curry:
- Cook the cauliflower: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut out the core of the cauliflower and remove the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into florets about 2-inches in size — they’ll break down further when they cook with the chickpeas. You should have about 6 cups. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt and the cauliflower to the boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy. Lift out the florets with a slotted spoon, and spread on a tray or plate to cool.
- Make the curry: Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and curry powder and cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are softened and the curry is very fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, then fill the empty can with water and add it to the saucepan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, the cooked cauliflower, 4 cups cooked chickpeas (or the drained canned chickpeas) , raisins, and pine nuts, if using. Stir everything together, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let simmer, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced, the cauliflower has broken down a bit, and the chickpeas taste flavorful. Add the cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve with naan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Curry
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2016/10/07/curried-chickpeas-cauliflower-coconut-milk/
Yesterday I awoke to a 31ºF morning and three children snuggling beside me. As I wriggled out of bed to make the coffee, I wondered if it was maybe time to turn on the heat, then wondered if I remembered how to turn on the heat, then recalled this favorite Dinner: A Love Story post — I’ll Let You Handle That — and promptly re-read it.
Like so many of the stories shared in Jenny Rosenstrach’s Dinner: A Love Story (the cookbook) and in her Bon Appetit column, this funny, insightful post resonated so well. I’ve been reading Jenny’s latest, How to Celebrate Everything , a book about the importance of rituals—about celebrating not just big holidays (though those are included, too), but day-to-day events, too—the birthdays, a lunch with dad, the homework hour, a sleepover breakfast.
I loved this passage from the introduction:
On a daily basis, rituals help me answer the questions that are central to my life as a parent: How do we help our children recognize the things that matter ? How do we teach them to be grateful for everything they have—not the latest Nike Free Runs, but friends and family and community? How do we make days feel special? How do we hold on to moments that are so easily lost in the jam-packed calendar, that disappear behind us like a jet rail?”
On Sunday, I came to the recipe for grilled cheddar, apple and mustard sandwiches, then whisked the kids in the car—the window for a favorite fall ritual, I realized, had nearly closed. We headed to Riverview Orchards, a fairyland of apples, cider, farm animals, clown fish, candy, and bees, that also happens to make some of the best apple cider donuts around.
After saying hello to the chickens, pigs, and sheep, we made our way to the orchard. We passed a group of children celebrating a birthday on an idyllic knoll, a pyramid of cider donuts towering on a nearby picnic table, the Mohawk River in view snaking through banks of orange-, red-, and yellow-leaved maples. Wagon in tow, bags in hand, I was feeling blissful—virtuous!—and we had yet to pick a single apple.
As we walked on, however, we noticed we had the orchard nearly all to ourselves. Ben waved down the tractor pulling the hayride to ask if we should head to a particular spot, and then we received the news: There were virtually no apples left. The man pointed us to a promising row, our best shot to not leave empty-handed. We found, I am certain, the 6 remaining apples still hanging from the limbs not half-eaten by animals.
Alas. We returned home with a bushel of (purchased) apples, a gallon of cider, and a dozen hot-off-the-fryer donuts, the best treat in the entire world. As I heated the cider, I assembled un-grilled apple, cheddar, and yellow mustard sandwiches for the children, and griddled apple, cheddar, and grainy mustard sandwiches for Ben and me. Dinner took all of about ten minutes to throw together and disappeared about as quickly—something, at last, to celebrate.
PS: DALS Slow-cooker Beans with Tomato and Pancetta .
Recipe for this Grilled Apple, Cheddar, and Mustard Sandwich is below.
Some snaps from our orchard adventure:
Warning: Upon seeing the cover of How to Celebrate Everything …
any nearby children might decide to sneak a peak …
and then proceed to make some requests. You won’t be sorry they did.
The un-grilled apple, cheddar, and yellow mustard sandwiches for the children:
Description
Adapted from Jenny Rosenstrach’s new book How to Celebrate Everything , every sentence of which I am relishing — seriously, I don’t want it to end. In addition to this delicious sandwich, which I’ve been making almost every night, I’ve also made the German potato salad and the crispy chickpeas, both of which were also delicious. Note: So, you know the trick of spreading mayonnaise on bread destined for the griddle or grill pan, right? Mayonnaise doesn’t burn as quickly as butter, so the bread bronzes at a nice rate, right in sync with the melting of the cheese. The trouble, I find, is that mayonnaise doesn’t give you that butter flavor. But if you use a mix of butter and mayonnaise, you get the best of both worlds. You, of course, can use all butter (or mayonnaise) if you prefer.
- 2 slices hearty white bread
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, optional, see notes above
- grainy mustard or Dijon mustard, to taste
- 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- slices of peeled Fuji or Granny Smith apples
- Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan to medium. If you are using the mayonnaise, stir it together with the butter in a small bowl. Spread one side of each piece of bread with this mixture. On the other side of one slice, spread mustard, then one slice of the cheese, apples, then another slice of cheese. Top with the second buttered slice.
- Fry on both sides until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted and golden, 2 to 4 minutes a side. I like to weigh down the sandwich with another pan (like a heavy saucepan) on the first side only. Once the sandwich is flipped, I don’t weight it down.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
