Mussels with wine and Tarragon (serves 4 – appetizer)

The Perfect Bite..

To continue logging what was prepared at last night’s Rustic Pizza Dinner (type in search box for recipe) at our friend’s house I have to tell you about our mussel appetizer! The key to this turning out so delicious was the freshness of the mussels. Smell them before buying, they should give off a faint briny sea aroma, but just a bare whiff. They were so perfectly mild and scented with the perfume of salty ocean…..we wished there were more. Everyone eating out of the same bowl gave a festive air to the whole gathering – a great way to start a meal….

You will needs: 2 lbs fresh mussels, 2 or 3 scallions, 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon, 1/3 bottle white wine, 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil.

Big pot o' mussels..

Wash and scrub mussels. Slice scallions (including green parts), pluck leaves off of tarragon (keep stems). Put a big pot (large enough to hold the mussels and liquid comfortably) and turn heat to medium/high. When pot is hot add the oil and let it get warm (30 seconds or so). Add scallions and saute for 2 minutes.

add wine..

Add tarragon (including stems) and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Turn pan up to high and add mussels and white wine (we used a Sauvignon Blanc). Let pot come to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover pot and cook until mussel shells have completely opened (discard the ones that don’t). This will

pour mussels and broth into serving bowl or, in our case, a pot!

take about 5 minutes but check after 4 minutes. Pour entire contents of pot into large bowl (or individual soup bowls) and eat with hands, scooping up some broth in the shell with each bite. You can make this more of a meal by adding bread for sopping. It could be a main course if you increase mussels to about 1 lb per person (increase wine to 1/2 bottle) and adding some greens to each bowl (spinach) before adding the broth and mussels to dish.

here you go - mussels in white wine broth and tarragon!

Rustic pizza (makes absolutely lots!)

Time to get excited about Pizza!

I was invited to a  friend’s house and he was going to be making pizza. I asked if he would let me document the evening and he very graciously  agreed (even though it would mean cleaning up his house!). I am now back home and sitting here wondering where to start? When you go to dinner and you casually take for granted the food, the preparation, the time it takes to shop and clean, you forget

All neatly prepped..

the sheer amount of work that goes into making such a thing a success. You waltz in and open some wine and sit around while your host runs themselves ragged making you happy and you leave feeling like no night before or in the future could surpass this particular night’s experience?  However, when you go with a camera and a notebook (or in my case, a bunch of unused postcards) the evening goes a whole lot differently. I am the person who in general is the entertainer but when I am invited to have dinner I completely forget about the work that is involved and very much enjoy being the beneficiary of someone else’s hospitality. That was not the case tonight. I felt like I was part host and part guest. As I walked into the kitchen I immediately noticed all the work that was underway. It was Rustic Pizza Night and the toppings were all neatly lined on the kitchen counter, the dough was rising in a bowl, the oven was hot and wine was chosen and ready to be poured into waiting glasses. Already I wanted to say “thank you!”  The night unfolded…appetizers were made, nibbles were nibbled on and LOTS

Chef Panza!

of pizza was made by everyone. It was all set up in such a way that each person got their turn at the counter to pinch off a wad of dough from the bowl, stretch it out in their own (peculiar ) way, add toppings of their chose (over a dozen to choose from) and with a little help, slide it onto the awaiting pizza stone, AND, the best part – eat it! If you want to invite all sorts of people to you house…old, young, nice, not so nice, and you want everyone to enjoy it? – make pizza like this! It is work, but when you take it on the way our lovely friend did tonight you will hopefully go to bed feeling like you made life long memories for your guests. My daughter told me on the way home that it was the most fun she has ever had . There were no other kids to play with, she just hung out in the kitchen making pizza and listening to us adults droning on. As corny as it sounds, this is yet another example of why everyone should make the effort to cook together. Here is the recipe for great pizza  – what are you waiting for – call your friends! (We also made a shrimp and a mussel appetizer and a dessert – these recipes will be the next post)

ready to eat..

You will need for dough: 3 tbs dry active yeast, 2 to 2 1/4  cups warm water, 1 cup dark rye flour, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup ground flax seeds, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbs black strap molasses, 2 3/4 cups pastry flour.

Pizza Toppings: Grated fresh mozzarella cheese (2 cups). 2 cups marinara sauce (tonight’s sauce was a really good purchased jar of pizza sauce – most supermarkets have good enough sauce to use on pizza – feel free to make your own  – I will post a marinara sauce that would work well in the near future). Slice or chop all or some of the following: red peppers, green peppers, anchovies, mushrooms (we had shiitake tonight), jalapeno pepper, black olives, brocoli rabe, sage leaves, cilantro, asian parsley, red onion, meats (cooked bacon, pepperoni, sausage…), or anything else you fancy.

Just had to show you a little of Chef Panza's crazy mountain of books!

Mix the yeast with 1 cup of warm water. Let it dissolve. In a large bowl combine the rye flour with 1/2 cup pastry flour. add 1/4 cup of milk to the yeast and water and pour into the flour. mix together with a wooden spoon and let it sit to “bubble” for 1 hour. Cover with a plate. After this time add to bowl, 1 cup flax ground flax-seed, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbs molasses, 1 cup warm water and 2 1/4 cups pastry flour. Mix together in the bowl and then turn out onto a board or counter top and knead for five minutes. Oil the bowl and return kneaded dough

Punch down..

to bowl. Cover with plate and put in refrigerator overnight. About 6 hours before you want to make your pizzas take dough out of fridge. “Punch” dough down about twice during the day and cover with plate (example: if you want to start making pizza at 6pm…punch down at 3pm and then right before you start making pizza)

Preheat oven to 500* with pizza stone on middle shelf about 1 hour before you start baking pizzas.

For an individual pizza pinch off a wad of dough (hard to give a size…maybe a duck egg? After the first one you will be able to gauge

stretch from edges

the size you need) Put some flax seeds on your pizza paddle and onto your dough ball and pat dough into a round shape with your palm. Stretch the dough gently pulling around the edges and patting the

Add toppings..

dough with your palm. It does not have to be even close to perfect (forget all the movies you have seen of people tossing pizza majestically into the air!). Stretch it to about 6 to 7 ” and place it on your pizza paddle. From there it is up to you….add a smear of sauce, a sprinkle of cheese, and some toppings of your choice (look at

Place onto pizza stone and bake..

pictures of what we made tonight) and slide your pizza onto the stone. Check your pizza after about 6 minutes. Lift edge and if you like the color slide it out of the oven and onto a plate. (I like mine a little crispy on the bottom so I think was in between 6 to 8 minutes?) Sprinkle with more cheese, pepper flake or fresh herbs  if you like. Keep making pizza as long as you are hungry!

Note about the pizza paddle used: Chef Panza has invented a fool-proof pizza paddle for awkward people like myself who

pizza paddle

invariably make a mess of the pizza when putting the raw dough with its toppings into the oven. I will be posting a piece about this great invention in my PANTRY section this week – stay tuned! Safe to say that if you are afraid to make pizza because of this problem, fear no more!

love pizza

Pear and Blueberry Crisp (serves 6)

Dessert!

My friend and I cooked dinner last night and there were so many components I am still trying to get them all posted. This one is no less important than the preceding recipes.  It was the  Piece-de- Resistence! (search Sausage with Onion Gravy). Not only did she make the main course, she also saw fit to make the dessert. This was so simple but utterly delicious. This is the perfect thing to whip together if you are in a hurry but really want to end dinner with sometihng sweet. It comes together in a matter of minutes and can cook while you are lounging over dinner. All I can say is – YUM!

You will need: 6 Bartlett pears, 2 cups blueberries, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup dark brown soft sugar, 1/2 stick unsalted butter (4 tbs, 4 oz butter), 2 tbs crystalized ginger.

Preheat oven to 350*

Peel , core and dice pears (1/2″ dice). Mix together with the blueberries in the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Put remaining ingredients in food processor and blend to a rubble-like consistency. Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the fruit in an even layer and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature. We had it with freshly whipped fresh heavy cream. I cannot tell you how good this tasted. The sweetness of fruit with a ginger kick – very refreshing and a fine ending to a fabulous dinner!

also had this with coffee the next morning..

Magenta Cole Slaw (serves 6 as side dish)

Spotlight Stealer!

This was made by my friend and “drop-in” cook on the night she also made her now famous (at least in our house!) Country Sausage with Onion Gravy (type in search box for recipe). The color of this dish is unreal, luminous in fact. It was such a fabulous accompaniment to the sausage and the potatoes. I’m not the biggest Cole Slaw person but I will certainly make this, not only for its fresh taste but also for the surprising shock of color on the table!

You will need: 1/2 a green cabbage, 1/2 a red cabbage, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup fine granulated white sugar, 1 tbs dry mustard, 1/2 cup mayonnaise (light is fine), 1 tbs heavy cream (optional), more vinegar and sugar to taste.

Note: You will need to make this up to 6 hours before serving (up to 2 days ahead is fine)

Chop cabbage roughly and transfer to a food processor and blend until cabbage is finely chopped. Transfer to a big bowl and sprinkle with salt, mix.  Next add sugar and vinegar.  Sprinkle in dry mustard and mix. Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise  and mix together throughly. Add the rest of the mayonnaise a little at a time until you feel it is the right consistency for you. You might like it “wetter” in which case add the rest of the mayonnaise (and the optional heavy cream).   Taste,  add more sugar and/or vinegar if it needs it (up to your taste buds!) Let it sit to ferment for at least 6 hours (can be made up to two days before you need it).

Sausage with Onion Gravy & Potatoes (serves 6)

Guest Chef in the house!

My friend collaborated on tonight’s dinner, which was a treat. It is something I want  to happen in the Crappy Kitchen (Good Dinners!) as often as possible. We chatted last night and I asked if she would be part of my blog project. If I’m going to record nightly food happenings it seems only fitting to include the talents of friends who cook and eat in my house also. People who love to cook can talk about food as passionately as any riled up sports fan! I decided to play “side-man” (literally) and make the sides to go with her Sausage with Onion Gravy AND she was also making dessert – a Pear & Blueberry ensemble with a Ginger-Infused crumble top! (all sides and dessert are posted separately so you can find them easily and can match them up with other menus). Well… sitting writing this it is hard to convey how awesome the evening turned out? I arrived home in a flurry with a bag of potatoes and some lettuce and my “guest chef” had already arrived and was getting her apron out and ready to go. I threw down my bags and grabbed some glasses. Before she satisfied everyone’s hungry I was going to have to satisfy our thirst! Glasses were duly deposited into the freezer to

happy hour

chill and I cut a lime to make Cosmopolitans  – a “girly drink” as my husband would say. I made the drinks and we took a sip – aah, we were going to have to sit down for at least the time it would take to polish off our little pink libations! After sufficient fuel, we headed to the kitchen and got down to the business of peeling potatoes, washing lettuce and scallions, dicing one disturbingly large onion, and all the while chatting and (I have to admit) having another cocktail.. All sorts of things were made…sausage with onion gravy (recipe below), lettuce simmered with peas, mashed potatoes with savoy cabbage, not to mention a Magenta Coleslaw and a Fruit Crisp. I sit her now in the aftermath, in the quiet of my house and think of the lovely gift I was given this dinner time. Friends came to cook, we ate and enjoyed the simple pleasure of each other’s company. Food is the great catalyst for making nights like this happen – never underestimate the power of a crappy kitchen and a couple of simple ingredients!

You will need: 3 lbs sausage (country links), 1 very large sweet onion, 1 tbs unsalted butter, 4 cups water, 3 tbs corn starch (cornflour), lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Dice onion and add to big saute pan (12″) along with butter. Cook on low to

saute onions for 15-20 minutes

medium heat for at least 15 minutes, until very soft. Turn heat up and let the onions brown for another 5 to 6 minutes. Add sausage and season with lots of

add sausage in single layer to onions and season with pepper..

freshly ground black pepper and brown on all sides. Pierce each sausage a few times to release their juices and add the water. Turn up heat to high until the liquid comes to a boil. Add more black pepper and release any carmelized bits from the pan by stirring the bottom with a wooden spoon or fork. Turn heat down and simmer until sausages are fully cooked ( 6 or so minutes). Remove

whisk in corn starch..

sausages to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Mix the corn starch with about 3 tbs of water in a small bowl. Bring liquid in pan to a boil and swirl in cornstarch. cook for another 2 minutes. Taste and add more pepper if desired and some salt. Turn down pan and keep warm until ready to serve. We served this with a colcannon mashed potato (plain mashed potatoes would work very well also) and simmered peas with lettuce (use search box to find recipe). You could also serve the sausage with rice or on its own with the gravy and some crusty bread.

This was so unbelievably good..

Simmered Peas & Butter Lettuce(serves 6)

This is what I made to go along with the Sausage & Onion Gravy dish (use search box to the right to find recipe)cooked this evening by my friend. It is a very quick but impressive little dish. Handy if you want to use up lettuce that has lost a bit of its crispness. I always have baby frozen peas in the freezer for those moments when you want to get dinner together fast, or as was the case tonight, you want to do more drinking and chatting with friends much more than you want to be fussing over something time-consuming!

You will need: 1 lb bag frozen baby peas, 4 scallions, 2 heads butter lettuce or 1 head of red leaf lettuce (I used red leaf tonight), 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper flakes (optional)

First, take peas out of freezer and leave on your counter while you get the rest of

saute scallions..

the ingredients together. Chop scallions, including green parts finely. Wash lettuce (no need to dry) and cut the bottom off to loosen and free all the leaves. Tear the leaves a little but leave pretty big. (If the heads are small you might not need to tear the leaves at all – just leave them whole). Put saute pan (9″ or more) on stove-top on medium heat and add oil. Saute scallions for 3 minutes, add

Simmer peas..

broth and let it come to a simmer. Add peas and cover to cook for 3 minutes. Taste broth at this point – if it needs salt or pepper add a little and also the pepper flakes if you are using. Cover the peas with the lettuce as evenly as possible and cover for about 2 minutes, it should wilt into the liquid. At this point it is ready to serve. Because it cooks so fast you can do this last minute OR make a little ahead, turn off and reheat right when everything else is ready. Serve with a little broth.

And there you have it..

Colcannon Potatoes (serves 6)

This is a great variation on mashed potatoes. I made these to go along with my friend’s Sausage with Onion Gravy dish. I was in charge of a few paltry things tonight so had plenty of time to fiddle around with the mashed potatoes which are practically obligatory with this dish! The twist on this dish is to mash some cooked savoy cabbage into the already mashed, buttered and milked potatoes.

you will need: 3-4 lbs potatoes (any red or white skinned potato will do), 1 small savoy cabbage, 1 cup milk (2% or whole), 4 tbs butter, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Peel and quarter potatoes and put in a pot and fill with cold water. Put on stove-top on medium high heat and cook at a low boil until potatoes are soft (a knife should be able to go through one extremely easily). While potatoes are

chop cabbage and cook until soft in pot with water..

cooking, chop savoy cabbage into thin strips and rinse under cold water. Place in pot and fill with water until it comes to just under the top layer of cabbage. Add 1 tsp salt to water and gently boil until soft. Drain both the potatoes and the cabbage when cooked and set aside. Put milk into small pot along with butter and turn heat to medium. Warm until butter has melted (milk will be quite hot). Mash potatoes very well and pour milk into potatoes and mash further. Add 1 tsp salt and pepper and mix into potatoes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Add chopped cabbage and mix well. Put tea towel over potatoes and keep warm until time to serve. This potato dish can be made anytime you want a mash with your main course.

Stir cabbage into potatoes, milk and butter - done!

Roast Chicken with Garlic & Cherry tomatoes (serves 6)

Start with these..

I suspect that when my daughter is grown and is asked what her favorite dinner was as a child it will be this one – hands down.  How many people do you know who swoon at the smell of roast chicken and are jolted back to some distant past in which they claim were the “happiest days of my life”? Roast chicken has this amazing talent for making people feel warm and comforted. It might have been the Sunday dinner when everyone made it to the table or, after a rotten day at school you walked in the door and were greeted by your smiling mother and at the same moment a blast of that crispy roasting meat hit your senses and all of your problems instantly fell away. I’m not saying this is what happened but it is what you Think happened when you smell a chicken roasting merrily away in a nice hot oven! I too am not immune to its powers of distorting the past a little and somehow in making this dish I may be trying to recapture a part of my childhood that was sweet and good. Tonight was no exception. There was tiredness in the air but at the same time a feeling of relief knowing that the busy week was over and a lazy morning was in our future. The humble roast chicken managed to lull us yet again into a happy place.

(*Now, this sort of romantic talk about how Roast Chicken awakens our sense memory and gives us a warm cozy feeling is all very well if you love chicken as I do. However, I have to apologize to my sister and those like her who find all fowl foul!)

There are so many many ways to make Roast Chicken and this recipe is just one of them. Over time there will be a growing list of variations posted on my blog for you to choose from. This particular recipe is very fast and requires little more than throwing the following onto a pan and into the oven!

You will need: 1 cut up chicken ( 8 pieces – with skin & bones – 4 to 5 lbs), 1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 stalk celery with leaves, 1 head of garlic, 2 sprigs of fresh oregano, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup white wine, freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 lb Tagliatelle.

Note about chicken: I buy kosher chicken for this dish (and any other roasted type chicken) and this is the reason why – it has been brined in salt which gives it wonderful flavor and very moist meat. I never add salt to the dish because it doesn’t need it (learned from experience). If you are using an unbrined chicken season it with salt  at the same time as the pepper.

Preheat oven 425*

Get a big saute pan (12″) and have at the ready. Put each of the following in the pan as you prepare: diced onion, chopped celery,  oregano stalks,

This is what the bottom of your pan should look like..

cherry tomatoes, separate garlic cloves (unpeeled). When all of the vegetables are in the pan add the white wine.Trim chicken pieces of extra skin and fat and layer over vegetables in single layer. Pour 1 cup chicken stock over chicken. Rub the oil

put chicken on top and season..

into chicken skin with hands. Season with freshly ground pepper (and 1 tsp salt if the chicken is unbrined – see note on chicken above) Place in center of oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes take out pan and pour the rest of chicken stock onto chicken (1/2 cup). Return to over for about 35 minutes at which point the

mash garlic

skin will be a deep golden brown. Remove chicken to plate and fish out all garlic cloves. Place pan on stove top and turn heat to low. If you want more broth add chicken stock or water 1/4 cup at a time and stir in until you are happy with consistency. Take garlic cloves out of skins (squeeze narrow end and meat should pop out) and onto a plate. Mash cloves to a paste and swirl into pan. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your taste. In the meantime put a pot of water on

take chicken out of sauce

and cook tagliatelle according to instructions. When cooked, drain and add pasta to sauce. Turn off pan. To serve put some tagliatelle on a plate with sauce and vegetables and top with piece of chicken. Serve it with salad or some sautéed greens if you like…

ready to eat!

Bailey’s Hot chocolate (for 2)

Late Night Craving..

When the whole house was tucked in their beds and I was sitting in my own company writing my nightly blog  I was stricken with a craving for chocolate. I didn’t want a piece of chocolate…I wanted to drink something chocolaty. I decided on a cup of “proper” hot chocolate. I really can’t stand the packet stuff (which is all very well and good when kids come clamoring in from playing in the snow) which I find sickly sweet with not enough chocolate taste. I never knew you could actually make Hot Chocolate until I was an adult. I somehow thought it only came from a tin or a sachet? It finally dawned on me when I saw the movie “Chocolat” that I could melt the chocolate myself! There is something so decadent about the whole process. It is like getting to lick the big wooden spoon after the frosting has been made. Anyway, after I had made my little treat I decided that I wanted a nip of something to go with it. I remembered I had bought a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream for Christmas use, and knew it was the perfect pairing (although I’m sure it’s been done before!). I always end up buying a bottle of Bailey’s around Christmastime. Every season I am overcome with a wave of nostalgia and feel the need to have a bottle of this creamy whiskey in the house. I remember it being an appropriate drink for the ladies and gentleman who refused to have a drink to celebrate the season BUT would have “a little Bailey’s if you have it?” They would go on to get very merry indeed! I was thankful this night that I had it and have a feeling that it might not sour this year but be happily poured into late night Hot Chocolate treats.

Note: I confess I never melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl over a simmering pot of water for that matter! I just dump the chocolate into a small pot or little saute pan and turn the heat to low. I know it probably interferes with all sorts of chemical reactions and the chocolate may not turn out as smooth (with no glossiness) but if everything requires a big production I loose my enthusiasm. I know that great bakers shudder at the thought of my lazy, and I’m sure most inappropriate method, and I apologize. So, if you want…where I irreverently melt chocolate in a pot, by all means feel free to do it the proper way!

You will need: 1 tbs cocoa powder, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup chocolate chips (60%) or 2 oz chocolate , 1 tsp vanilla, pinch salt, 2 tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Melt chocolate in a small pot (or double-boiler!) and set aside. In a small bowl add the cocoa powder and a little of the milk and mix in until it becomes a paste.

turn heat off before chocolate has completely melted and stir to melt remainder

Add the rest of the milk and cream. Mix well with whisk (I have the sweetest

Whisk milk & cream into cocoa paste

little whisk, stole it from my daughter’s baking kit). Pour the mixture into the pot with the chocolate and stir on medium heat until it is hot. Take off heat and stir in vanilla and a dash of salt. If it is too thick add some boiling water OR if it is too thin add another piece of chocolate and stir until it has melted. Take a glass or a little cup and add 1 tbs Bailey’s Cream. Pour the hot chocolate on top and give it a little stir. Of course it works equally well without the alcohol.

Delectable..

 

Simmered Green lentils with Tomatoes (serves 4)

There are nights when I just don’t feel like eating what I am actually cooking for dinner. This usually happens when I am compelled to prepare what I may have enthusiastically pulled out of the freezer the night before and then am not in the mood for the thing. This happened the night I made the Shin Beef dish (type Shin Beef in the search box for the recipe). Another night I might drool for a morsel of beef  but that night I had a hankering for something that was just as rich but had a whole different feeling. So maybe it is madness to make two dinners in an evening but that is not how I see it. The advantage may be that the alternate meal could be used for lunch or dinner the next day or even frozen and pulled out when even the though of standing by the stove makes you want to burst into tears. The reason I end up with dinners in the freezer is not the result of careful menu planning but moreover because some nights I want to have more than one pot going! When something is an hour or so in the oven I could take this time (and sometimes do) to do a load of laundry or sit on the couch. However, I am more apt to hang out in the kitchen and pull out an ingredient that has been staring at me for a while wishing to be transformed. When I go to a shop with a particularly great organic section I can get carried away buying little packages of spices, oils, grains, flours that I don’t normally cook with on a regular basis. These things tend to sit in my cupboard for a bit before I remember I have them, and that night my pretty bag of Baby French Lentil Beans was just such an item! I suddenly knew that I wanted that taste, something aromatic…..with tomatoes perhaps? What I ended up with was this very simple little stew and I relished every bite. It is a great vegetarian dinner and could easily be the star of a hearty lunch with a crusty bread for mopping.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups of baby lentils (yellow, green, brown – doesn’t matter), 1 15 oz (425g) can/tin of peeled whole plum tomatoes with juices, 2 medium onions,  1 green pepper, 1 tbs of mild curry powder (more if you want more spice – I used an Indian powder) If you want to make your own curry blend use this instead – 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or stock cube), 2 or more cups of water. Condiments: sour cream and garlic chili paste (both optional), extra virgin olive oil.

Rinse lentils and set aside to drain. Dice onions and chop peppers into big chunks. Roughly chop tomatoes and reserve juices (if you have a different type of canned tomato in your cupboard feel free to unrestrict yourself!). Put 2 to 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil in pot (3 or 4 quart) on medium heat. Add onions to pot and saute for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add peppers and give it another 3 minutes before adding the spices. Mix the spices into the vegetables and let them cook for about 1 minute before adding the tomatoes, lentils, broth and water. Turn up heat and let it come to a bubble. At this point, cover, turn down to low and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked (anywhere from 20 – 30 or more minutes) If the stew is thicker than you like, thin it out with

great color

some more water. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and/or chili paste (I indulged in both) or eat plain.  If you have some nice bread, then by all means break it out.

After making this a couple of times you might decide you want to use a red pepper or more spice or add garlic or some other vegetable like

gimme a spoon!

carrots or celery. Don’t limit yourself  – just search around your kitchen and use things that appeal to you. Like most dishes there can be no end of variations  so keep trying different ingredients and methods until you are happy with the results.