" Split p e a sonality ! "

The yin and the yang of legumes ( split peas and Turkish dhal)





A creamy, flavorful rendition of "two peas in a pod!"




Accompanied by " garlic bread leaf croutons"





Or crispy puff pastry croutons with an interesting crunch ( See below for the how to)





Five star comfort cuisine with puff pastry cutouts





This presentation will have your family or your guests pondering on how you separated the two colors in the pumpkin and in a way it is fun and echoes the premise of this presentation.
Often these legumes are looked upon as culinary hum drum, but when cooked down, it becomes a creamy vehicle for kick a.. soul food! Each personality of these interesting legumes will emerge when you the mistress or master mind manipulate its gastronomic interdependence to achieve a sensational soup symphony. For me, surreal as this may sound, this soup spells Fall with its colorful leaves and also playing in the soft snow, glistening in the bright sunlight. It is then that I realize.......time to get my a.. inside out of this frigid yet refreshing arctic air and have a steamy bowl of soup!

Here now finally the recipe:

These are just ordinary ingredients none of your exotic heroics! Please use organic ingredients when possible!

• 1/4 lb green split peas and a 1/4 lb Turkish masoor dhal ( available from Indian grocer)
• whole allspice berries and some cloves
• kosher salt to taste
• 1 cup frozen green fresh peas
• 1/4 c chives
• 1/4 c chopped leeks
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 1/2 c chopped parsley
  
• garlic powder or fresh even though the powdered form here proves more effective!
  
• few turns of crack black
• 6 carrots
• 1 big onion
• 1 tomato peeled
• tomato paste
• 1 potato
• 2 roasted jalapeno seeds removed ( sometimes I purchase these from Mexican markets where they only roast these chillies in huge drums and can you imagine the aroma..... AWESOME!!!!
  
• cumin
  

Normally I just make one color and that is just the green split peas with all the veggies cooked down with the tomato paste added but I really wanted to evoke some playfulness and I can assure you, anyone will enjoy eating their veggies in this way!

Boil the two different color legumes in separate saucepans. To the green split peas, add some salt, water just enough to cover, a few allspice berries and cloves and the leeks and cook until creamy. Add enough water to thin out the soup . Add the peas, only 1/4 c of cilantro, 1/4 c of the parsley, the chives, garlic powder and the crack black and cook for few minutes more. Blend this mixture, pour back into saucepan with one of the roasted jalapenos and keep on a low heat.

Meanwhile to the Turkish dhal, add some water just enough to cover, salt, crack black, allspice, cloves and cook for about 20 mins. Add the peeled carrots, onion, potato, and cook further until the whole veggies are tender making sure to add water continuously to keep the soup of pourable consistency. Blend this mixture with the peeled fresh tomatoes and the remainder of the cilantro and parsley . Pour back into saucepan and add 2 T of tomato paste and the other whole roasted jalapeno and a touch of cumin. keep both saucepans on a low simmer until ready to eat.

Croutons

I rolled out puff pastry and made twists and even cut out letters of the alphabet. I brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with grated sharp cheddar and Parmesan and paprika OR brush some with an egg wash and sprinkle with your favorite crushed potato chips and then bake.

For the leaves:

Use a cookie cutter and cut shapes from bread, brush with melted garlic butter, dip the edges in chopped parsley and bake

Sometimes I make this soup with meat. Please enjoy!

Nazarina A


Roast chicken noodle soup with kicka.....crispy straws

Cooking to the tune of the star-spangled banner and singing praises to good old fashioned corn!

Another 4th of July celebration food! Everybody at the camp enjoyed this variation and surely in no time there was nothing left.
Check out my other corn recipe: http://giddygastronome.blogspot.com/2008/03/stuffed-poblanos-with-roasted-poblano.html

Corn, the good old fashioned camp food, is always a must have at any outdoor occasion." It is better for the body and soul much more so than an inanimate vehicle with an energy efficient goal"! Where has all the good corn gone?

Compound butter :

1 stick unsalted European butter( softened)

1/4 c chopped red bell pepper

1/4 c cilantro chopped

1 red chili chopped( seeds removed)

1 t fresh lemon juice

1 t sweet pickle masala or sweet Hungarian paprika

1 t red bell pepper seeds with roasted garlic

salt to taste.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and roll up like a sausage in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready for use. Place slices of the compound butter with corn in foil on the hot coals. It takes about 40mins. OR you can boil the corn in salted water for 25 mins until tender, pour out the water and place back on stove top with a slice of the butter on each corn. Place lid on pot and just keep warm on low. The butter will melt and you will have steaming, buttery and flavorful corn.

Enjoy!

Baked butternut with a touch of brown sugar

As you have most probably noticed, I love almost all things caramelized and golden brown!

This is no exception! So easy peasy, just sprinkle butternut with a little brown sugar, "smear with some pounded fresh garlic, a little roasted bell pepper seeds and some cinnamon and a tiny bit of kosher salt and last but not least a pat of unsalted butter and bake in the oven until tender and brown. To serve, stuff the little cavity with some basmati and chives.

Nazarina

Potato and tomato layer bakes

The unbaked version of a floury potato and tomato layer bakes.

The tomatoes and chives were sown and harvested by my husband with so much TLC. These tomatoes were the bomb! They were so juicy, so much so, that when you bit into it, it splattered all over your face! The tomato is by far my favorite, but then again I cannot be trusted because I am a slut.....a food slut that is! I cannot be faithful to just one man, I mean, vegetable.

This dish was a labor of love, the stacking of all the layers was laborious but then I always say that nothing is worth having without a little bit of effort and a culinary vision!

The end result was nothing short of my expectations - It was crispy, golden brown and oh! so .................satisfying!

Sorry! you are most probably saying, "where are the tomatoes?" My response," it was devoured before I could take a picture of one measly wedge. So you are just going to have to trust me!

Nazarina.

Zucchini rolls and vegetarian lasagna

The double feature here is the zucchini.

The zucchini flesh is hollowed out, sauteed with garlic, red bells, green onions, then cooled, mixed with a little panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan and stuffed back into the "tubes" and then baked. The dish is garnished with a spicy yellow bell pepper sauce and basil and pine nut pesto.

The lasagna is made with won tons instead of pasta, and the layers consist of zucchini, peas and Parmesan. I was really not into zucchini until I made it work for me with all these interesting sauces!

Jamaican jerk sweet potatoes with a sweet potato bisque

Do you think that when you serve this Jamaican jerk sweet potato dish to a jerk, he or she would possibly stop acting like one?

Nazarina.