Jackson Heights Jjajangmyun

JH jjajangmyun

Traditional Chinese-Korean jjajangmyun

Jackson Heights cuisine is a fusion style that incorporates Latin, East Asian, South Asian, and European or American flavors and ingredients that I like to think I invented. This dish was inspired by the Chinese-Korean dish called jjajangmyun which usually is fermented black bean sauce with pork and vegetables like zucchini, potatoes, and peas over soft wheat noodles.  

For my version I used left overs from a meal of Mexican tamales and black beans and paired with linguini.

1 can black beans
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic or 1 tbs garlic paste
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 lb cooked linguini

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil and salt until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the canned beans with half a can of water. Simmer for 15 minutes. Mash the beans so most are pureed, but some are still whole. Adjust consistency to sauce-like thickness by adding water or simmering uncovered. Adjust salt. It should be fairly salty. Serve over hot linguini.

Mole de Olla Mexi-rean Style

This is a variation that highlights two of my major culinary influences: the cuisines of Korea and Mexico. Both use a lot of chilis, zucchini, onion, garlic, and herbs.

This particular dish tastes like the Korean dish yookkae jang, but instead of dried ground chili powder (kochu karu) it uses pureed dried chilis. I Korean-ized it by making it spicier and thicker than I've seen it served in Mexican restaurants. It's about the same consistency as a chiggae, a boiled, stew-ish like dish, typical of Korean home cooking with a complex flavor base.

The only versions of mole de olla I've had the opportunity to try have been from restaurants (besides my own homemade one). I'm partial to Coatzingo's on Roosevelt Avenue between 79th & 80th Streets. I would definitely welcome any invitations from 'real' Mexicans out there to sample theirs. hint, hint.)

I started with the recipe from this blog post, but I used some Korean techniques to make it "cleaner". For instance, soaking the blood from the beef ribs first reduces the foam and some of the grease. I also made it easier to eat by trimming the meat from the bone, and the fat from the meat. I traded the cilantro for epazote. (According to some, celery is not authentic, but when I make a stock, it's nearly automatic to use it, so I did.)

4 pounds beef chuck short ribs
1 + 1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, chopped into 1/2 in disks
2 celery stalks
3 plum tomatoes diced into 8 pieces
4 + 4 garlic cloves, 4 crushed, 4 whole
1/4 tsp of ground cloves
Some corn on the cob, each one cut into thirds
2-3 potatoes, diced into small pieces so they will cook as quickly as the other vegetables
1/2 lb string beans, trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
3 zucchini, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
One bunch of epazote

Some dried arbol and guajillo chilis. The arbol adds heat and the guajillo add a deep earthy flavor. The number of each you use depends on how spicy you like it. The chiles are the main flavoring for this soup though, so don’t go light.

salt to taste

For serving: tortillas, rice lime wedges, radishes, chopped onion, cilantro

Soak the ribs in cold water, changing the water several times, to leach the blood out.

Simmer the short ribs in water uncovered with half of the epazote, onion, carrot, and celery for 2 hours.

While the ribs are cooking, make the salsa roja.

Soak the dried guajillos in hot water for a few minutes, to reconstitute them a little. Stem and seed them. Cut the tops off of the arbol chilis and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put in the soaking water with the guajillos. After about 15 minutes, remove from water and place in a blender with the tomatoes, the chopped 1/2 onion, the whole garlic, the rest of the epazote, and cloves. Blend until smooth with the water from the soaking chilis.

Remove the epazote and celery. Discard. Skim grease from the surface of the stock.

Take out the ribs and separate the meat from the bones, slice the meat into large pieces, against the grain. Remove and discard any large chunks of fat. Put the bones and meat back into the pot. (When you serve, do not serve the bones, of course.)

Add the salsa to the simmering stock to taste. Adjust the salt. Cover.

Simmer the salsa with the ribs for 30 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the pot. Gently simmer for another 30 minutes.

Taste the stew, and adjust seasoning. If it’s not spicy enough, add more salsa. If it’s spicy enough but not balanced, add some lime juice; the citric acid will lift the flavors.

To serve, ladle the stew into bowls. Serve the tortillas on side plates with a couple lime wedges, some chopped onion, and radish slices, and maybe some chopped cilantro.

The best way to eat mole is to cut off some short rib meat with a spoon, wrap it in a tortilla with some onion and radish, and dip the whole in the soup to moisten it with the fiery flavor.

Pipían or Mole Verde (Pumpkin Seed Sauce) for Chicken

I based on the recipe on the one by Rick Bayles, modified the technique a little to make it less labor intensive, and added more of most of the flavoring ingredients. This is definitely not a a quick meal, but it requires less time and ingredients than many other moles.

1 large white onion, sliced 10 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut in half
1 1/2 tsp salt 1 chicken (3-4 lbs), separate into 10 pieces: 2 boneless breast halves, drumsticks, wings, thighs, back, and ribs, plus giblets
4 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram 2 green onions, chopped into quarters
1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
a handful of large sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped
4 large romaine leaves, roughly chopped
about 10 large radish leaves, roughly chopped spicy green chilies to taste (roughly 6 serranos or 4 small jalapeños), stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

Chicken and broth
In a large (6-quart) pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil with half of the onion, 5 cloves of garlic, carrot, marjoram, thyme, bay, and 1 teaspoon of the salt and the chicken ribs, back, neck, heart and giblets. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the dark meat quarters and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add the breast halves, cover and simmer for 13 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool for a few minutes in the broth.
Remove the breasts, drumsticks, thighs, and wings, from the broth and set aside.
Use a spider to strain the onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaves, giblets, ribs, and back from the broth and discard. Spoon off any fat that rises to the top.

Pumpkin Seeds, while the chicken is cooking
In a large (10-to 12-inch), heavy skillet set over medium heat, spread out the pumpkin seeds and toast, stirring regularly, until all have popped (from flat to rounded) and turned golden (no darker); once they start popping, the whole process shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes. At 3.5 minutes turn off the heat but keep stirring until the popping stops and you're sure that the pan has cooled enough so they won't burn.

Sauce
In a blender, combine the cooled pumpkin seeds with the remaining half of the onion and garlic, the cilantro, romaine, radish leaves, green onions and green chiles. Add enough of the chicken broth to blend to a smooth puree.

Pour the puree into a large pot or pan and stir constantly until very thick, about 10 minutes. Add more broth if it gets too thick, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes. (The sauce will look grainy at this point.)

Scrape the sauce into a blender, cover and blend to a smooth puree; if necessary add a little extra broth to give the sauce a medium consistency.

Rinse your saucepan, return the blended sauce to it, taste and season with salt, usually a 1/2 teaspoon.

Add the chicken and warm (but don’t bring to a simmer) over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter, then ladle the sauce over and around it.

The dish can be prepared a couple of days ahead: store poached chicken and sauce separately, covered and refrigerated. Heat the chicken and sauce together on the stove top just before serving.

Notes: The sauce can be made separately and used for very rich and delicious enchiladas.

The chicken broth is also good to add to some beans if you're making them to accompany your meal. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Serves 4, with about 5 cups sauce (so you’ll have leftovers for another round of chicken or for enchiladas or vegetables)

Lemon Pepper Tilapia Pasta Primavera

This spring dish is light and refreshing. It's bowl food, a kind of hot pasta salad main dish. Fresh ingredients are key here. No frozen short cuts this time!

It can be made using a skillet and one pot of boiling, salted water if you're strategic with your order of operations, minimizing dishes to wash and time to prepare. Use penne rigate to hold the light sauce and flat baby spinach that won't clump up like curly spinach.

1 lb tilapia fillet
1/2 lb asparagus, cut on the bias to match the length of the penne pasta
1/2 lb baby spinach
1/2 lb penne rigate pasta
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 lemons
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt, plus more to add to boiling water
2 tsp fresh, coarsely ground black pepper

4 servings

In a large mixing bowl, juice the lemons and whisk in half of the cilantro, half of the onion, all of the garlic paste, all of the olive oil, salt, pepper.

Marinate the fish 30 minutes to 1 hour while washing and preparing the other ingredients. (You can cut it into chunks to make it fit into the bowl more easily.) Take the fish out of the marinade and put it in a cold, non-reactive 12-inch skillet.

Meanwh9ile, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for until tender. Remove with a spider (see picture) from the boiling water. Shock in cold water, then drain it, (the spider is good for this, too) and marinate while cooking the fish, adding the remaining onion. Blanch the spinach in the same way for 2 minutes and shock. (Don't marinate the spinach.)

Cook the penne until just short of al dente in the same water (approx. 10 minutes). After dropping the pasta in the water, cook the fish in a skillet until it flakes apart, about 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. Cook the large pieces until opaque and flaky. Separate into big flakes. Stir in the butter and pasta to the skillet. Add lemon marinade and asparagus. Bring to a boil then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the spinach. The sauce will be thin but flavorful.

I think the leftovers will be good cold, too.

Pernil

My first try at making pernil was a success! I brined it and it came out moist, succulent, crispy and not greasy at all.

1 5-6 lb fresh pork shoulder
1 c. kosher salt
5 dried bay leaves

2 tbls prepared garlic paste
1 tbls black pepper corns
3 tbls dried oregano
3 tbls dried thyme
4 c. water
ice

4 tbls olive oil
1 heavy pinch kosher salt

Boil salt, bay, garlic, pepper, oregano, and thyme in water until salt is dissolved and fragrant. Place pork shoulder in a pot large enough to submerge it. Add enough cold water to the pot so it's about 3/4 full. Add some ice to the boiled mixture to cool it. Add the entire mixture to the large pot. Brine in the refrigerator over night or few days.

On the day of cooking, dry the meat with paper towels and let it come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 for 30 minutes. Brush skin with olive oil. Place in roasting pan, fat side up, using a baking rack or coiled up aluminum foil to keep the bottom of the roast out of the grease. Sprinkle skin with kosher salt. Bake at for one hour. Lower heat to 300 and cook until the temperature reaches 150 according to a meat thermometer. Raise the temperature back to 400 and finish roasting for 45 minutes.

Ceviche

A marinated seafood dish that was inspired by Anzuelo Fino's version.

I made a spicy version and a mild version by dividing between two bowls, and adding the habanero to one bowl. It should be VERY finely diced. This is an extremely hot chili. I seeded and chopped using gloves.

Allow at least 3 hours for the seafood to "cook". You can serve room temperature or chilled.

$8.00 1 lb 16-20 raw frozen easy peel shrimp, peeled and thawed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
$3.00 1/2 lb light sea fish fillets such as whiting, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
$2.00 2 c. frozen mote*
$1.50 10 limes
$0.50 2 lemons
$0.50 1 bunch green onion, chopped
$0.50 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
$0.10 1 habanero chili, seeded (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp salt + more to taste
water

ketchup, Valentina hot sauce for servings to be individually garnished according to taste

Boil mote in enough salted water to cover, about 10 minutes, or until tender. While the corn is boiling, finely chop the cilantro and green onion. Drain the mote and let it cool while juicing the fruit. Mix the garlic, herbs, and mote together in a large bowl. In as small a bowl as will accommodate the shrimp, fish, and juice, fold the fish and shrimp together. Pour the citrus juice over the seafood and mix thoroughly. Mix the mote and seafood/citrus mixtures together. There should be enough juice to cover the whole salad.

After one hour of marinating, taste and adjust salt if necessary. Serve with optional ketchup and hot sauce.

*A kind of large kernel corn, used in South American cuisine. Don't mistake it for maize choclo nor substitute "American" sweet corn. This link shows "white corn" desgranado which is what I used. It's available in regular supermarkets in Jackson Heights. Specialty Latin American supermarkets may be the only source outside the neighborhood.

Sweet Pea Hummus

I served this with herb-grilled lamb chops, cucumber yogurt sauce, stuffed grape leaves, cucumber -vidalia onion-grape tomato- basil salad, and pitas yesterday for Easter. Today leftover hummus with sardines in vinaigrette along with the grape leaves and grape tomatoes makes a nice lunch.

The recipe originally appeared on the Serious Eats blog.

1 lb frozen green peas, thawed
1 lemon juice
10 mint leaves
1/4 olive oil
1 tsp garlic paste
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse all the ingredients together until you get a hummus consistency. Add water if necessary.

Delicious, fast, cheap, easy, and healthy!

Sweet Challah Toast

This isn't healthy but it is healthier than donuts, which it will satisfy a craving for. Faster, easier, and just as yummy as French toast, too. For a brunch it will provide a bread product that isn't too filling and can be served with the honey on the side to be customized by each person to be either sweet or savory.

1/4 loaf challah bread
4 tbls unsalted butter, softened
pinch kosher salt
1 tbls honey

Cut challah into 3/4-inch slices. Butter on both sides with unsalted, softened butter. Cut in half. Toast in a hot skillet on both sides. Add a modest pinch of kosher salt and a drizzle of honey on one side. Serve with hot coffee. Serves 2

Ratatouille breakfast/Provençal cheese steak lunch

I made ratatouille for breakfast this morning and then used the leftovers for a cheese steak sandwich later, with a French twist.

Provençal Cheese Steak Sandwich

2 slices rustic, crusty bread

Brie cheese, sliced

1/4 lb thin sliced steak labeled "for pepper steak"

1/4 c. leftover ratatouille (see ravioli-avec-ratatouille)

Grill seasoning

olive oil

Cut the meat into modest bite-size pieces and sprinkle generously with the grill seasoning. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet on high heat. Brown to desired doneness. Re-heat the ratatouille in the same pan. Place the brie slices on hot toasted bread and top with meat and ratatouille.

Margarita Chicken and Succotash Tostadas

This healthy-ish meal has a lot of fiber, complex carbs, and protein. I made the succotash and chicken to serve together, but also happened to have some leftover tostadas and sour cream. (Does the last two components cancel out the healthful aspects of the first two?) Anyhow, combined together, they made a great summer dinner.

I'm currently in an American food craze, using a lot of indigenous American ingredients and combining succotash with a fried tortilla, aka tostada, which incorporates black beans and pumpkin seeds fits into this phase. I also served the tostadas with new purple potatoes, boiled in heavily salted water, sprinkled with olive oil and dill. Succotash is native to the northeast U.S., tostadas come from Mexico, and potatoes originated in Peru.

The succotash uses butter beans instead of lima beans, which I don't like, but also edamame can be used. I used Goya* products because I think their frozen vegetables taste freshest and their beans the best. The tostadas were from a small pack of 10 I found. I don't know the brand. The oil and butter can be left out and fat-free sour cream used to make this nearly perfectly healthy (besides the tostada.) You'll have a lot of succotash left over but the chicken makes 4-5 tostadas.

Succotash
1 bag frozen *corn, thawed
1/2 bag frozen *peas, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted shelled pumpkin seeds
1 tbls melted butter
1 tbls olive oil
1 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper to taste

Margarita Chicken
1 lb chicken breast tenders

marinade
l/2 c. lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbls *adobo seasoning
2 shots tequila
pepper

Tostadas
sour cream

Combine the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the chicken for at least 90 minutes while making the succotash.

Combine all the vegetables and pumpkin seeds for the succotash. Melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the dill, salt, and pepper. Fold into the veggies being careful not to mush up the beans too much. Adjust the seasonings and herbs to taste.

Grill the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Top the tostadas with a thin layer of sour cream, a generous scoop of succotash, and dot with the chicken, in that order.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

i'm not even a big fan of oatmeal cookies but these tasted incredible! i used less chocolate chips than the recipe calls for since it tends to get really rich.



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs best-quality vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup best-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups quick-cook oats, or rolled oats zizzed in a food processor for a few seconds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter and brown and granulated sugars until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, mixing until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients, working until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and oats by hand, using a wooden spoon. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour. Use a table knife to scoop and press dough into ¼-cup measuring scoops, and plunk the mounds onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be three inches apart.

3. Bake cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove and Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes.

4 formagi bolognese lasagna

I made lasagna yesterday that has so far fed 13 people and there are still left overs. The total bill was $109 for 4 pans of lasagne. I bought too much tomato, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, too so the total is less than $100. This party recipe is enough to easily feed 15 people for less than $7 per person. The prices below are per unit.

I chopped everything that needed to be chopped in the food processor, in this order: garlic, onions, and Parmesan and Romano cheeses, so that I didn't have to wash out the processor bowl. Jarred chopped garlic tastes funny and has extra oil, shredded or grated cheeses are more expensive than block and also I'm suspicious of the taste of the stuff in the green can.

$1.50 3 boxes of oven-ready Barilla lasagne

Tomato sauce
$1.59 3 500 g. boxes strained tomatoes
$2.00 1 750 g. box of chopped tomatoes
$0.69 1 small can of tomato paste
$0.20 1 1/2 heads garlic, chopped
$0.10 3 medium onions, chopped
3 tbls veg oil
Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
parsley flakes

Cheese filling
$4.99 16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or chopped
$2.89 5 oz. Stella Parmesan cheese, chopped
$2.69 5 oz. Stella Romano cheese, chopped
$8.59 3 LARGE containers of ricotta cheese
$0.25 4 extra-large eggs
pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, to taste

Other fillings
$1.00 4 lbs ground beef
$0.99 6 pkgs frozen chopped spinach
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 heads garlic, chopped
Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flake, parsley flakes

Topping
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, chopped

Make the sauce first, so that it can simmer while preparing the filling. Put the oil in a large, heavy pot. Sweat the onion, garlic, and herbs with the salt & pepper. When the onions are transparent and just starting to brown, add the strained and chopped tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste. Let it simmer until you are prepared to layer the lasagna.

Chop the Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Process them in a food processor after cutting into 2-inch cubes. After each one is done, add to a large mixing bowl. Add the herbs and spices to the cheese mixture along with the ricotta cheese and eggs.

Brown the ground beef with seasonings and salt. Drain.

Thaw the spinach. Using your hands and a colander, squeeze out as much water as possible.

Put one cup of sauce in the bottom of four medium foil lasagna pans. Place 3 sheets of lasagna pasta. Spread spinach over the layer. Spread a fairly thin layer of the cheese filling over the spinach. Pour another cup of sauce and spread it to cover the cheese. Place 3 more sheets of lasagna pasta. Spread the beef over the pasta. Add another layer of cheese mixture. Another cup of sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese to top the lasagna.

Bake at 375 degrees, uncovered for 45 minutes.

New England Chili con Carne

This recipe doesn't use chili powder because the seasoning comes from the adobo and chipotle chilis. It's spicy and meaty but also lean and mostly vegetables. I served with whole-grain wild rice to be even more nutritious. I started the rice before cooking the chili and both were done at the same time. Apparently beans in chilli like this are more of a New England thing because in other regions the meat is the emphasis. This is a great recipe for keeping on the stove to serve as people arrive at various times and for big groups, especially on cold days.

$4.99 3 1/2 lbs ground turkey
$1.79 1/4 to 1/3 to taste of small can of chipotle chilis in adobo, pureed
$0.69 1 small can Cento tomato paste
$4.58 2 boxes of Pomi strained tomatoes
$1.00 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
$1.00 1 can sweet corn, drained
$0.50 2 green bell peppers
$0.10 1 medium onion, diced
$0.10 5 cloves roasted garlic, minced
$0.05 2 tbls oil
salt to taste

For garnish:
$1.50 per bunch chopped cilantro
$1.50 8 oz. sour cream
$3.50 shredded cheddar cheese

$22.00 Total cost
$3.66 Per serving. (Served with rice, pasta, tortillas, or bread this makes enough for about 6 meal-size bowls.)

In a large, heavy pot with a tight lid, sweat the onions and garlic in the oil until slightly browned and soft. Add tomato paste and cook until slightly darker in color. Add the turkey and brown. Add the tomatoes, chipotle puree and peppers. Simmer at least 20 minutes or until everything is hot but a longer cooking time will give better results. 20 minutes before serving, add the beans and corn. Garnish and serve with rice, pasta, tortillas, or bread.

Better, Cheaper, Faster

OK, Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee of the Food Network are horrible, horrible cooks who are doing bad things to American cuisine. But the premise of good, cheap, quick food is laudable. The recipes here are already reasonably easy and fast (although no ridiculous absolute limit, like 30 minutes or less) but from now on, I will also include the estimated price of the groceries and amount of servings. The idea is to prove that home-cooked food compared "convenience" foods is easier and cheaper than frozen, canned, or packaged food.

Shopping
The advice to shop the perimeter of the supermarket is one I try to follow. The produce, diary, meat, and breads are generally on the outside walls. The canned shit and Hamburger Helper are in the middle. In the frozen food aisle, I generally only buy frozen vegetables, ice cream, and ravioli.

I don't go to gourmet or trendy supermarkets like Citronella or Whole Foods. The closest ones are smallish local chains (Bravo and Food Village) that cater to the Latino community here in Sunset Park. These are not mega-marts. They have food, a few household products, and a deli. As a result, the produce is hit-or-miss and the selection is limited. Still, even in the 'hood, you can make good, fast, cheap, nutritious food.

Read labels. Not just nutrition facts but also the net weights which can let you compare prices. Sometimes bigger is not cheaper.

Ravioli avec ratatouille

This recipe took about 15-20 minutes, start to finish. It cost about $8 for 4-6 servings because Celli marinara is a little expensive but uses about 1/3 of the jar. (I like this sauce because it tastes good and has no high fructose corn syrup or sugar.) You can use Pomi diced or stewed tomatoes which are cheaper, and add more seasonings, but it's quicker and easier to use marinara sauce. This can be eaten hot, cold, or room temperature.

$3.99 1 13 oz. pkg of Celentano large cheese ravioli
$1.00 1 large zucchini, about 2 inches in diameter
$1.00 1 medium Italian eggplant, about the same size as the zucchini
$0.20 1 medium onion
$4.89 1 1/2 c. Celli marinara sauce
$0.02 2 tsp garlic, crushed

salt & pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
garlic croûtons for garish

Set a large pot of water to boil for the ravioli.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Julienne the onion and toss into the skillet. Add the garlic. Slice the two halves of the zucchini into half-inch slices and toss them in. Increase the heat to medium-high. Peel and halve the eggplant and slice into half-inch slices, too. Toss into the pan. Add salt, pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the marinara sauce. Add the ravioli to the boiling water. Cover the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes, which is the same amount of time that it takes for the ravioli to cook. When the ravioli are done, use a slotted spoon to add them to the vegetables. Serve garnished with croûtons.

Greek Ceasar salad

A fusion between two great salads.

Salad
1 small heart of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 small onion sliced very thin
1 can of anchovy fillets, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced thin (bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover for 15 minutes)
1/2 cucumber peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 lb feta cheese crumbled
2-3 tbls grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic croûtons
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Dressing & garnish
Olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
Pickled hot cherry peppers

Combine all the salad ingredients. Top with the dressing. No salt is needed because of the salty cheeses.

Caldo Verde "Green Soup"

This is a Portuguese soup that is easy to make with or without the meat because the base of the soup is olive oil, garlic, and onion. A quick alternative is below.

1 bunch of kale, shredded paper-thin
(some kids call this soup "grass soup", so that should give you an idea about the look of the kale. To shred, tightly roll 3-4 leaves and chiffanade. You should cut out any large tough stems.)

8 c. water
3 potatoes, peeled and diced as for mashed potatoes
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbls. olive oil
salt & pepper

Optional:
1/4 lb choriço (dried Portuguese sausage), halved and sliced thin
Acceptable substitutes: Goya chorizo, keilbasa- basically a spicy drier sausage. (Obviously for vegetarian/vegan, halal/kosher version, don't add the pork.)

In a large soup pot, sweat the onion and garlic with about a teaspoon of salt in the olive oil. When they are soft and translucent, add the water and bring to a boil with the potatoes. When the potatoes are cooked (about 20 minutes) break them up in the pot to make the base of the soup. Add the kale and simmer uncovered on medium low heat until the kale is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the optional choriço while the soup is cooking or add to keep it meat-free until plated.

Quicker version:
If you don't want to chop and peel so much you can use 1 box of chopped frozen kale and 1 1/2 cups of instant mashed potato flakes or 1 envelope of instant mashed potato powder.

Split Pea Soup

4 cups green split peas, sorted and rinsed
1 lb smoked ham hocks or pork neck bones
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
1 large carrot, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch peeled piece of ginger root
2 bay leaves
fresh ground pepper
8 c. water

Place the hamhocks in cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off the fat and add the peas. Lower the heat to medium, and add the onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and bay leaves. Simmer until the peas disintegrate and the soup looks green. Add pepper to taste, salt shouldn't be necessary. Goes well with roti instead of daal.

cheating

These three recipes that I've just posted aren't actually mine. I got them through a chain mail that a friend started.
Zoe

Casamiento: red beans with rice

INGREDIENTS: for 2 people

-1 cup of rice

-1 cup of red beans (whole)

-1/4 onion

-1garlic

-red chile

-margarine

-salt

PROCEDURE:

-In a pan fry lightly onion and garlic until they are transparent.

-Add the red beans to the pan with onion and garlic and leave them fry for 20 minutes or until they are soft.

-In a separate pan prepare the rice according to the package instructions.

-Add the red beans to the rice and mix them together.

-Decorate with bits of red and green chile.