Cream of Chickpeas with Chicken and Red Cabbage

08Nov09

This is one of those hit or miss recipes. It could have gone either way, and to be honest, until I took my first bite, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. I like chickpeas, typically. I love hummus with crispy pita chips, especially. So when La Cucina Italiana did an entire spread on new and inventive ways to use chickpeas, I thought I should at least attempt one of the recipes. And in the end, I’m really glad I did.

I’m not sure I’ll be reaching for this recipe year after year, but the flavors were surprising (like the radicchio was with this squash), and, if anything else, it’s broken up the very orange-colored posts that have been dominating this blog for the past couple of weeks. We’ll be back to pumpkin and squash recipes in no time, but for now, this is a nice diversion.

Cream of Chickpeas with Chicken and Red Cabbage

Adapted from La Cucina Italiana

September/October 2009

This dish is perfect for a cold winter night. Dried beans would be worth soaking and cooking if you have them, otherwise, use canned.

Ingredients

3 cans garbanzo beans, drained

olive oil

2 chicken breasts

sea salt

pepper

½ head of red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

¾ cup dry red wine (or you can add smaller quantities of balsamic and red wine vinegars)

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

Rinse and drain chickpeas, reserving ¼ cup in a separate bowl. Puree in a food processor for 2 minutes, until smooth, gradually adding broth until combined. Season with salt and transfer to a medium saucepan. Keep warm over low heat and stir in a few thyme leaves.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cook, turning once, 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then chop into 1-inch chunks.

Return pan to heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, cabbage and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add either ¾ cup red wine and 2 tablespoons water, or approximately ¼ cup of vinegars. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and cabbage is tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Divide puree among bowls. Top with cabbage, chicken and reserved chickpeas. Garnish with thyme leaves and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve warm.

Filed under: Beans and Legumes, Vegetables   |  Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

02Nov09

Now that daylight savings time has kicked in and I have to start using my headlights on the drive home, it seems that the weather has finally turned. Hello, fall. Welcome to my kitchen. And let me introduce you to a cookie that captures the essence of the season. Everything I love about pumpkin and pecan pies is fused into a portable little morsel that’s made just that much better by mixing brown butter into the icing. Essentially, it’s pumpkin pie to-go.

A. and his colleagues have been working so hard lately that I wanted to send them a little holiday cheer. The feedback included phrases such as: “When I take over the world, I’ve decided you and your wife can live,” “This is freaking* (since is a family show, you can use your imagination) good,” and “When you told me your wife was bringing cookies it felt like Christmas morning.” So, I think they went over well.

The texture of these cookies is similar to a muffin top, making me think they would be ideal for mini cupcakes (in case any of you are interested in trying variations). They’re soft, so don’t expect a chocolate chip cookie-like texture when you bite in. The original recipe called it a day with the frosting, but I added pecans because I think the added crunchy texture is the perfect finishing touch.

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Pasta with Sweet Potato Sauce

31Oct09

Remember when I told you we weren’t even close to being done with the sage posts? Well, here’s another one, and it being Halloween today, something orange seems very festive. But if you’re concerned about your butter intake these days, not to worry. This time, sage is featured by itself, with no butter in sight.

Aside from the obvious preparations of a mash or puree with marshmallows (no, thanks!), I wanted to get creative with my sweet potatoes this year. And since I had an entire bowl of them on the counter, some creativity was absolutely in order.

I wanted pasta. I used cubed butternut squash successfully last year, but I also tend to be partial to pureed ingredients. Years ago, one of my first squash recipes involved a similar puree that I tossed on pasta, but it was so dry that the dish was hardly edible. It never occurred to me to thin it with the starchy pasta water, and what a sad evening it was.

Of course, my skills have developed since the mishap, and I hardly think of it except for the fact that I found myself craving the very dish that didn’t live up to its potential the first time around. It was time to give it another shot. I used sweet potatoes, thinned the sauce with milk, and added nutmeg. The finished product looks much like a certain boxed, cheesy pasta that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, so I imagine it might be a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables.

Pasta with Sweet Potato Sauce

The dish is very…orange. It’s just unavoidable, and on top of golden pasta (whole wheat might look more balanced, and add to the good-for-you factor), the dish is one note in terms of color. Enter, sage. Baked with the potato until crisp, this herb (plus a generous dusting of Parmesan) gives the finishing touch to a seasonal dish.

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces

2 garlic gloves, smashed

10 sage leaves

Pinch of nutmeg

½ to 1 cup whole milk

Olive oil

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, toss sweet potato, garlic and sage leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes begin to caramelize and sage is crisp.

Reserve the sage on a paper towel. Add vegetables to the food processor and puree until smooth. Add milk several tablespoons at a time until the mixture is the consistency of pesto, or slightly thicker (the mixture should be thin enough that it pours easily, but not runny.)

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Pour enough of the puree to coat the pasta and toss to coat (you may have leftover puree), gradually adding more if you need it. To serve, spoon pasta into bowls, top with grated Parmesan and crumbled sage leaves. Serve hot.

Filed under: Pasta, Vegetables   |  Leave a Comment

Scallops with White Bean Puree and Sage Butter

30Oct09

Ok, I know you’ve probably had it with the sage. But since I can’t let such a good herb go to waste, prepare yourself for the months to come, where sage will certainly be a featured ingredient in several more dishes.

I love scallops pan-fried, seared to a golden brown and tender on the inside, so I threw together a white bean puree, heated up my cast-iron pan, and melted some butter. It made me smile just taking a bite.

A few tips for cooking scallops:

1. A golden brown sear can only be achieved if the scallops are dry. Really dry. Pat them down, then do it again.

2. Sear them for 1-2 minutes per side in a hot, cast-iron pan until golden but still tender on the inside. Serve on top of white bean puree with a drizzle of sage butter.

To make the puree, you can use canned white beans or dried. Add them to a food processor, along with salt, pepper, a clove or two of garlic, and some olive oil. Blend until mixture is smooth. If using dried beans, reserve the cooking liquid and gradually add it to the puree until your desired consistency is reached. If using canned beans, add some water.

Sage butter novices, look here.

Filed under: Beans and Legumes, Seafood   |  1 Comment

Wine Resolution #12

30Oct09

Wine Resolution #12: Find a new wine store

I’ve had my eye on this resolution for a while. Months ago, I found Wally’s Wine & Spirits online and intended to go as soon as possible. As far as Los Angeles wine stores go, it’s been highly rated and even boasts two (that’s right, two!) parking lots. I like places that don’t make me fumble around for quarters.

Our wine rack was dwindling and replacements were needed — pronto. It took us longer to visit than I anticipated, but we’re still well within our completion date. We were on a mission, picking up some Santa Barbara wines we’ve already tried, but next time we’ll spend some more time looking around.

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