In New York, you’re hard-pressed to meet a person who is completely indifferent to the food that they eat, which is why it’s near the top of my standard list of acceptable questions for getting to know a complete stranger (if you live in the city anyway): “What do you do?” “Where do you live?” … leading to the inevitable… ”Oh yeah? What do you pay per month in that neighborhood?” And soon, I’m out of the boring stuff and jump to, “What are your favorite places to eat?” As this is one of my favorite topics, it basically steers the conversation in a million different directions.

For example, if they say that they never miss weekend dim sum, take long subway rides to the outer boroughs in search of the most authentic representations of world cuisine, and are planning a trip to Thailand to do nothing but eat food from street vendors and be fit for custom-sewn business suits, then we’d start swapping stories and I’d pull out my phone and make little notes, like, “secret underground Chinese food court, Flushing”. 

And even if people are not so hard core, they at least have some important connections with food – how their mother made the best empanadas, or how they are addicted to the Turkish place on their block where they get free dessert when they smile at the cashier, how they met their husband at a hot dog cart, or how a bowl of kasha or meatballs, or sashimi, (or…, or…, or…, or…) and a glass of wine is all they need to forgive and forget a very cruel day. 

And everyone has their places. Their favorite sushi. Their favorite steakhouse. Their favorite tapas. If you disagree, they will passionately try to convince you to change teams with great gusto.

the jackpot for food conversation is, of course, when the person loves to cook him or herself, which prompts the conversation to run until the last bottle has been upended, then leave the party and continue in the Irish bar around the corner, until it reaches its conclusion when the lights come up and we’re booted into the snow at 5AM. That’s how I met Brian.

Why am I telling you this story? Because it was a better way to start the post than a rant about the gospel according to Rachel Ray with her cheerleading for home cooks for feeding their families meals prepared with lots of processed ingredients (and Dunkin Donuts). The point of this post was to talk about how it’s not hard to make meals in 30 minutes at home (completely healthy, non-processed) that are delicious and a bit different, and made from from 100% real food. Take this cauliflower that I cooked up using a few basic Indian spices, olive oil, and whole vegetables. It was delicious, and it only cost me about 4 bucks. There’s no better way to get personally involved with the food you eat than making it for yourself. Now you try! And then we’ll talk about it, endlessly.

By the way – for all you “tweeters” out there, click here to follow East Village Kitchen on Twitter. I’ll be updating with new posts, plus throwing in some random observations from my phone when the mood strikes. All the kids are doing it!

Cauliflower Curry
Inspired by the recipes of Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking by Netta Saluja 

1 cauliflower of average size

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 teaspoon red chili powder (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 big pinch salt

1 ripe tomato, chopped

handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Wash and cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, chili powder, and turmeric powder. Cook the spices in the oil, stirring, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the cauliflower and stir in the salt. Stir the cauliflower florets well, so each piece is coated with the oil and spice mixture. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat, stirring occationally until the cauliflower looks translucent at the edges and the stems become flexible.

Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional two minutes. If there is liquid left in the pan, raise the heat and cook it off, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

I’ve arrived at the point in the winter season when I turn into a serious hater. I hate my coats, my scarves, and my gloves. I hate shoving my feet into boots and freeing my face off each morning as I make the trek to the subway. I hate the sad selection of root vegetables and apples at the greenmarket. And with the teeth-rattling wind chills that raged all week, the only place that I wanted to be (besides curled up in bed) was in the kitchen making soup, pretending that I’d never have to go outside again.

Butternut squash soup is one of my winter favorites for a few key reasons. First off, it has only a few ingredients that are readily available and quite affordable.

And then there’s the fact that it is almost impossible to mess it up. Even my cat could make this soup.

And lastly, despite it’s decadent, creamy texture and big flavor, it’s ridiculously good for you (low in fat, high in nutrients).

This particular recipe features a puree of roasted red pepper drizzled on the top. I found the flavor off-putting and say don’t bother.

I used a hand blender to puree the soup right in the pot. If you do not have this very awesome gadget, never fear – a regular blender or food processor will yield the same effect. For me, it was worth the 25 bucks to never have to clean my blender after making soup.

I highly recommend using fresh thyme for this soup, and don’t forget to add the zest. The recipe calls for orange, but I used lemon instead.

As I mentioned earlier, If you like the taste of biting garlic and slightly bitter pepper overpowering the lovely creamy squash flavors, then this puree is for you. Otherwise, steer clear.

I served this soup with some rosemary crackers that I will show you in my next post. The soup was entirely delicious and achieved the desired warming effect, briefly lifting my spirits, if only until I had to return out into the elements once more.

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Purée
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2003 

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/4 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 2 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

5 1/2 cups (or more) vegetable broth

3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

The feedback from blog readers was so positive for for my Roasted Tomato Garlic Hummus, that I decided it couldn’t hurt to share this yummy variation that looks quite similar but bursts with the flavor of fresh roasted red peppers. I whipped it up last night when we were feeling too lazy to get out of the house and it was delightful with a little homemade herb focaccia. 

I love making hummus because it can be prepared and enjoyed almost instantly. 

Just 20 minutes in the oven on 350 degrees and presto – the garlic is almost melting in its skin and the peppers are perfectly softened.

If you’re not into spontaneous hummus making and you plan ahead you can soak your chickpeas and save yourself some money. Since this was a last-minute decision, I used a 12 oz can. Put you roasted garlic cloves, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, the juice of one lemon (no zest this time – it overpowers the pepper flavor), and salt and pepper to taste into the food processor. Start with one tablespoon of olive oil in there as well, adding more if you would like a more creamy hummus. Allow the food processor to do its thing until you are satisfied with the texture. Plate and serve (shown here garnished with a cilantro oil that Brian made) or put in the fridge for later. 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 fresh red pepper

3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1 lemon

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Remove the seeds from a red pepper and slice it into fourths. Place on a pan with three cloves of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peppers and garlic are soft.

Place roasted peppers into the food processor and squeeze the garlic out of its skins on top of the peppers. Add 12 oz. drained chickpeas, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and begin to run the food processor. If you feel that the mixture is too dry, ad more oil as needed. Blend until you are happy with the level of smoothness.

Plate and serve warm, or cover and place in the fridge to serve chilled at a later point in time.

You just can’t beat a satisfying hummus! With the ones that you really love it starts innocently enough – you’re picking at the bowl at a party, absent-mindedly scooping dollops with pita wedges while trying to balance your wine glass and hold a conversation all at the same time. Then your mind starts to wander… “wow, this is some creamy hummus…I love it when there’s lemon… and so light! Mmmmm I think I’ll have just a little more… crap, I finished the bowl. I hope no one noticed! I wonder if there’s more in the kitchen…”

Hummus is great because even non-cooks can easily make it themselves – it requires almost no skill at all. There is a lot of personal preference with hummus, which probably explains the dizzying array of flavor choices at the market. What makes absolutely no sense is the price that it fetches at stores. The laziest version of homemade hummus, which is the kind that involves chickpeas from a can (as opposed to soaking dry ones), costs only a couple bucks and is custom made to taste. 

I love roasted vegetables in my hummus, so my recipe starts with a pint of grape tomatoes and a couple cloves of garlic. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Smash 3-4 large garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and remove the skins. 

Arrange the garlic and tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Use your hands to ensure that the pieces are all covered completely with oil. Roast them for 12 minutes, or until the tomato skins are beginning to split.

Drain and rinse 1 can or two cups of soaked chickpeas.

Zest a lemon until you have a teaspoon of lemon zest. Be warned that this recipe is designed to appeal to those who enjoy a lot of lemon flavor in hummus. If you don’t, omit the zest completely and just add the lemon juice later in the recipe.

Take the roasted tomatoes and garlic out of the oven. With a pair of tongs, crush the tomatoes so all of their skins are broken. Flip everything over and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Put the chickpeas, roasted tomatoes and garlic, and lemon zest (optional) in the food processor. Squeeze the juice of one lemon through a strainer (or slotted spoon if your strainer has gone missing – as I have in photo) into the food processor. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and a jigger or two of olive oil.

Turn on the food processor and let it do its thing. If you like chunkier hummus, stop after a minute. If you like super creamy hummus (as I do), don’t be afraid to leave it in there for a long time. If it’s not pureeing as you would like it to, add more olive oil.

That’s pretty much it. Taste it to see if there is enough salt and if it is the right consistency and adjust accordingly.  We ended up eating this as a meal with a fresh loaf of bread that Brian made, a bottle of wine, and some cheeses we had lying around, but shhhhh, don’t tell our parents. It’s the kind of thing that they don’t want to know about their grown children. Only balanced meals are consumed in this household.

I mean, aren’t the four food groups wine, cheese, hummus, and bread? Oh, and chocolate salted caramels?

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Hummus

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

3-4 cloves garlic

2 cups chickpeas

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon lemon zest

olive oil

salt and ground black pepper

I just started a new job and I’m thrilled to not be working downtown for the first time in almost four years! For a long time I had been dreaming of the day that I would not have to brave the crappy commute, the depressing streets surrounding the stock exchange, and most of all, the lack of decent lunch options. In fact, I ate at the same soup counter day after day, and I only got one type of soup – the three lentil chili. you’d think I’d be sick of it after four years, but I found myself missing it yesterday, and decided to whip up some chili of my own.

Chili is a superfood – full of vegetables and protein and very filling, but without a lot of fat and absolutely vegan (unless you add some dairy later). I like mine tangy, spicy, and just a little sweet – all at the same time. A good chili begins with a large, sturdy pot with onions and garlic caramelizing in some olive oil on the bottom with some salt and ground black pepper.

My chili involves a few types of peppers. I like bell peppers (I used red and green, but any combination works great) because they provide nice flavor and balance to the chili, and I use Jalapeños for the heat. Be sure to remove the seeds of both before chopping. The bell peppers need to be cut into larger pieces (no bigger than an inch on any side,  and the jalapeños should be diced as small as possible.

Add the peppers to the pot with the onions and garlic and sautee for 15 to 20 minutes on medium to high heat. The goal is to get the peppers nice and soft without burning anything.

I prefer veggie chili to be very heavy on the tomatoes. I use two large cans of organic chopped tomatoes and I highly recommend the Muir Glen brand (the ones in the picture) if you can find them, since they are fire roasted and add a lot of flavor.

On the issue of corn in veggie chili I am emphatically pro-corn! I am also, however, very much anti-canned corn. For this batch, I decided to use two ears of hot house corn, which frankly, sucks. Maybe frozen corn is the answer? What a paradox that chili – a delicious winter food is enhanced by corn – a food that  is only at its best during the month of August (at least for on the East Coast).

Once the tomatoes and corn have gone into the pot, be sure to add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. This is also the time to add the spices and white basalmic vinegar, which is the secret to tangy, yet not overpoweringly acidic chili.

Once the tomatoes and corn have gone in, it is time to add the spices. I opt for a whole lot of chili powder because it gives it flavor without bite and lends a nice color to the chili. I also like cumin in my chili, but that is a personal preference. Add the ground red pepper a little at a time depending on the heat that you are going for. Adding beer only helps if you want more liquid and nostalgia or testosterone – in veggie chili, I really don’t see the point and didn’t actually added it to this batch – it just looks badass in the picture.

In my recipe, the beans come last. This time, I used a can of Goya black beans and a can of Goya chickpeas. Under usual circumstances I would have planned ahead and soaked dried beans overnight, but that was not in the cards. Either way you should end up with approx. 1 and 3/4 cups of each type of bean. Be sure to rinse them (especially if they come out of a can) and then add them to your chili pot. Let the whole thing simmer for at least ten minutes (or longer if you want to cook off some of the liquid).

And there you have it. Delicious, protein rich, vitamin heavy, delicious, and vegan – until you add the sour cream and cheddar, which are optional (no really!). This one pot will provide about 8 meals. It did the trick and made me stop craving the chili that I used to get at my job downtown, and now I happily commute to Brooklyn.

Veggie Chickpea Chili

2 cans of organic, fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 Jalapeño peppers

4 cloves of garlic

1 large onion (white or yellow)

2 ears of corn cut from the cob (or 1 12 oz package of frozen corn)

olive oil

salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons ground red pepper (or to taste)

4 tablespoons chili powder (or to taste)

1 tablespoon cumin (or to taste)

1 and 3/4 cups chickpeas

1 and 3/4 cups black beans (or other bean of your choice)

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

Sour cream (optional)

cheddar cheese (optional)

The arrival of my November 10^th installment of NY Magazine elicited squeals of delight from yours truly – a whole spread of holiday foods featuring local ingredients (and the farmers who grow them!) written by a few of my favorite chefs. Given that I’ve been in a soup-y mood lately and that I love love love fennel, deciding to dive in with Dan Barber’s recipe for a fennel soup was a no-brainer (stay tuned for other gems, including Ed Brown’s Roasted Oysters with Leeks & Bacon – drool).

This soup is simple once you move beyond the stock, which is just slightly more complex than an average vegetable stock with it’s fennel, garlic, coriander seeds, and thyme. I recommend that you prepare it in advance, otherwise you are looking at 4 hours in the kitchen. 

Alas, I did not photograph the stock-making process, but the instructions are straightforward – apologies for being a bad blogger. 

There are few things more satisfying that chopping into a big bulb of fennel – it’s dense and crisp and your kitchen is instantly filled with fresh, anise aroma. Well, maybe there is one thing more satisfying – peeling an apple clean with just a single insertion of the blade. When chopping the fennel, be sure to use only the white parts for the soup and hold the greens for later.

The rest is simple – sweat out the onions and shallots in a tiny bit of olive oil, add the apples and fennel, then the stock, season, and simmer for half an hour. Come back in 30 minutes and you will have a saucepan of mush – fennel, apples, and the rest all cooked down and ready to become creamy soup.

Contrary to Dan Barber’s instructions, I pureed the mush in the food processor as I tend to avoid cleaning my blender at all costs. I let the food processor do its job for about three minutes and got the desired effect – a creamy, dense fennel soup that tastes so rich that you’ll never miss the stick of butter that you’ll swear is enveloped in that fennel-apple goodness. This soup is a vegan’s dream.

Dairyless Local-Fennel Soup
From New York Magazine, November 10, 2008
THE RECIPE:
For the Vegetable Stock:

• 
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil 

• 1 1/4 cups medium-diced onion 

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 

• 1/4 cup medium-diced leeks
•  
1/2 cup medium-diced carrots 
• 
3 1/4 cups medium-diced fennel 
• 
Salt

• 1/8 teaspoon coriander seeds 

• 1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns 

• 6 sprigs parsley 

• 3 sprigs thyme 

• 1/2 head garlic

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and a pinch of salt, and sweat over low heat. Add the coriander seeds, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, garlic, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 50 minutes. Strain and chill.

For the Fennel Soup:

• 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 
1 onion, chopped 
• 
3 small shallots, minced 
• 
3 1/2 cups diced fennel, white part only, reserving green fronds for garnish 

• 1 apple, peeled and diced 
• 
Salt and ground black pepper 

• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed 
• 
4 cups vegetable stock (recipe above) 

• 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and shallots, and sweat until translucent. Add the fennel and apple, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes before adding the fennel seeds and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a blender and purée, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Return to saucepan and heat gently. Garnish with fennel fronds.

THE CHEF:
 Dan BarberBlue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Instead of the traditional pumpkin or squash soup, Dan Barber prefers the anise-flavored fennel. “It’s so silky and rich, you don’t need to add dairy,” he says. “Which means it’s hearty without being filling, so you can enjoy the rest of the meal.” Barber has experimented with many varieties for flavor, but Ken Migliorelli’s oversize bulbs, he’s says, “are the sweetest.”
THE FARMER:
 Ken Migliorelli(Migliorelli Farm) Tivoli; 845-757-3276 or migliorelli.com Ken Migliorelli comes from a family of Italian farmers—when his grandfather emigrated from Italy in the thirties, he brought broccoli-rabe seeds with him and planted them on his farm in the Bronx. That same strain of seed is now grown on Migliorelli’s farm in Dutchess County, which is one of the largest regional farms specializing in Italian products—broccoli rabe, arugula, and dandelion, among 140 other items. “The fennel’s grown in a sandy loam soil,” says Migliorelli. “That’s what makes it sweet.”