ingredients:

2 tablespoons e.v.o.o.
1 sweet onion, chopped
0.5 cup half and half (omit or substitute soy milk for vegans)
0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
0.5 teaspoon spanish paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 bunch cauliflower, chopped
2 cups yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
chopped mint (fresh or dried)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
bacon as garnish, chopped and cooked through (opt.)

listening to: chicane – no ordinary morning

yesterday was the blessed/cursed day known as valentine’s day (depending on your perspective).  my husband and i fixed dinner together, and we had a great time coming up with a menu and tweaking it to our specific tastes.  of course, no husband and wife can put together something so intricate without a few, ahem, “disputes”, but they were all in good fun, and the memories made from last night are the real reasons why anyone goes through the trouble of buying into a holiday sponsored by hersheys.

this soup was a specific standout from last night, so i wanted to share it on the blog.  it was a great blend of flavors, and the sweetness of the onions combined so nicely with the cauliflower and the potatoes.  the curry was just perfect.  i know it’s not traditional to use pork in many indian dishes, but a garnish of bacon was a must for us, so i strongly suggest it to other meateaters!

we began by sauteeing the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of e.v.o.o. on medium heat.  once the onions were translucent, we tossed in the cauliflower and the potatoes, along with 4 teaspoons of curry powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 0.5 teaspoon of spanish paprika, and 0.5 a teaspoon of garlic powder.  we also threw in a dash of salt and fresh black pepper (to taste).

after we let this saute for a minute or two, we covered the vegetables with 8 cups of chicken stock.  of course, veg/vegans can use vegetable stock, and it will still taste delicious.  we brought the soup to a boil and reduced the heat to low.  then, we covered the pot with its lid and let the soup simmer for 25 minutes.

after 25 minutes passed, we tasted the soup and added more salt or pepper to our taste before stirring in 0.5 cup of half and half.  we pureed the soup using an immersion blender, but a regular blender or food processor will work beautifully.  honestly, anyone who loves soup as much as i do should really invest in a good immersion blender.  it sucks rocks to ladle spoonful after spoonful into a cuisinart/blender, all while making a mess of your countertops and burning your hands in the same godforsaken moment.  i found a good immersion blender on amazon for under 30 bucks.  do yourself a favor.  trust me, you won’t regret it.

once the soup is pureed until smooth, spoon some into a bowl and garnish with dried or fresh mint, along with the bacon.  my cute husband put dots of half and half in our bowls and used a toothpick to make hearts . . . *cue the groans and the distant sounds of retching.  hey, i knew i picked a winner.  my momma didn’t raise no fool.

bon appetit!

ingredients:

5 roma tomatoes, diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup goat cheese crumbles
10 fresh basil leaves, rolled and diced into ribbons
0.25 cup e.v.o.o.
0.25 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or agave syrup
kosher salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
6-8 slices toasted ciabatta bread

listening to: maria callas – carmen aria

i recently had a good friend and blog fan mention that she loves reading the candid cook for the pictures of food and the nerdy brand of humor.  when i asked her if she had tried any of the recipes, she quickly exclaimed, “oh no!  they’re way too complicated, and they look like they take forever!  i just like to look at your pictures and make a mental list of what you should cook for us next time!”

this comment blossomed into a full discussion of how to make my blog more accessible to people who don’t necessarily have an hour or two to make a meal.  i totally get it!  i don’t have kids, and i know that it takes a modicum of enjoyment to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  i really don’t think that you have to LOVE cooking or set aside several hours of your day to have a great, home-cooked meal . . . so i decided to start sharing a few QUICKMEAL ideas on my blog!  this is the first!  let me know what you think!

sorry, but i have to take a nerd moment and phonetically spell out the way you should pronounce this dish – it’s “broo-SKEH-tuh.”  please, don’t say “broo-SHEH-tuh” anymore.  thank you.

bruschetta is very easy and extremely satisfying.  have a significant other or a friend/family member grill some italian sausages (you can always use tofurky brand italian sausages if you want to stay veg!) while you toss together these ingredients, and you have a delicious dinner in less than 30 minutes.  i cringe to think that the last sentence may have conjured an image of rachael ray, but i don’t think the peppy piss-ant has the patent on a meal under 30 minutes, so i’ll chance it.

here’s the one and only direction: toss all the chopped ingredients into a bowl and spread the mixture atop toasted slices of bread.  voila!

yay!  and you don’t have to read a novel to get through the recipe, either!! 

bon appetit!

lang van (plaza midwood)

price: $$
rating: * * *

3019 shamrock drive
charlotte, nc 28215
704.531.9525
www.langvanrestaurant.com

chalk it up to being demi-asian.  i adore food from this part of the world.  japanese, chinese, thai, vietnamese, korean, malaysian, manchurian, etc.  there are marked, yet subtle, differences in each country’s cuisine, and i’ve had a helluva time exploring each and every one of them.

the evolution of vietnamese cuisine also retains tinges of imperialistic france . . . and we all know those cheeky, wine-drinking garcons can create some gastronomical masterpieces.  the melding of vietnamese and french cuisine is probably one of the only positives one can legitimately assert when it comes to that sad period of history when white people decided anything they could stick a flag in belonged to them . . . har-dee-har.

lang van is no exception to the deliciousness.  indeed, it stands out amongst the pack in the charlotte area, and this only makes me even more determined to bring purveyors of east asian culinary wares to our region.  the food at lang van is awesome; but, god help me for saying this, the entire place desperately needs one of those HGTV makeovers.  the surroundings almost make you forget that your food is awesome, and that, my friends, sucks rocks.  seriously, it’s past the point of being quirky.  it’s just fugly.  period.

we ordered everything from simple fresh rolls to complex dishes of vermicelli spiced with pineapple and a light dash of curry.  the fried tofu was crispy and served alongside sweetly sautéed onions in garlic and soy sauce.

the chicken and beef dishes were seasoned with the optimal blend of spicy, savory, and sweet.  the ability to showcase these flavors in one dish is exactly why asian food stirs my senses like no other.  garlic, soy, ginger, curry, honey, basil, coconut, pineapple, chili peppers, jasmine rice . . . yeah, i won’t go on.  it will just make me hungry.

i killed a bug on my bench.  no lie . . . (it wasn’t a cockroach, so stop screaming!!).

. . . and i just kept right on eating.  it was that good.

please, for the love of all that is holy, renovate lang van.  i’ll still keep eating there, but it saddens me to know that the yuppies in my trendy in-town neighborhood would most likely drive right by the sketchy-as-hell restaurant known as lang van . . . and they would miss out on an amazing treat.

your food is too damn good for your restaurant.

the end.

* can be made vegetarian style!

ingredients:

2 medium sweet onions, chopped
2 pounds boneless beef shanks/lamb/chicken, cubed (omit for vegetarian)
8 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 package dehydrated herbs (sabzi vegetables) *
3 to 4 cups water (approx.)
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
0.25 cup lemon juice
3 dried omani *
0.5 tablespoon honey
salt to taste
pepper to taste

* can be found at international food stores and/or middle eastern markets

listening to: amr diab – wala-ala-baloh

whenever i visit texas with my good friend tabbi, we always eat at kasra persian grill so that i can have one of my favorite meals ever: a big plate of tahdeeg (the crispy rice and/or potato layer on the bottom of the rice pot) piled high with ghemeh and ghormeh sabzi.  ghemeh’s lentil-laced tomato goodness and the tang of the greens in ghormeh sabzi are complimented by the buttery basmati, which is fried to crispy perfection.

needless to say, the flavor combination is insanely good.  since i’ve already touched on ghemeh in a prior post, it’s only fair that i now share the recipe for ghormeh sabzi.

ghormeh sabzi is most similar to indian saag in its construction – a stew of pureed/chopped greens.  instead of the mellow creaminess typical of a saag, ghormeh sabzi is highlighted by citrus notes in the dried omani (dried lime) and a splash of fresh lemon juice.  it’s tart and satisfying.  my favorite way to prepare it uses cubes of boneless beef shank, but it can also be made with chicken, lamb, tofu, turnips, and potatoes.  it also makes a very good argument all on its own.  if you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, you will love this dish.

there are many types of herb blends you can find to make ghormeh sabzi.  the most popular one (and the easiest to find) is used in this recipe – dehydrated herbs (sabzi).  there are also fried and canned versions, but if you cannot find any of these, you can create your own herb blend from equal parts of fresh leeks, dried fenugreek, dried parsley, dried dill, fresh cilantro, and fresh spinach.  i find that you need to fry the vegetables longer if they are fresh, but it should not alter the flavor much in the absence of prepared sabzi.

i begin by sautéing the 2 chopped onions with 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large pot with a lid.  i toss in the 2 pounds of cubed beef shanks and add the 2 tablespoons of ground turmeric, along with a dash of salt and a sprinkling of pepper.  let the meat and onions cook together until the meat is no longer pink.

in a large heat-safe bowl, empty the contents of the dehydrated sabzi along with enough boiling water to cover.  allow the sabzi to reconstitute for at least 20 minutes before draining entirely of water.  squeeze as much excess water out as possible.  now, fry the reconstituted vegetables in a frying pan along with 6 tablespoons of canola oil for at least 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat.  there should be no visible water in the frying pan, and the vegetables should have darkened to a deep green color.  once the sabzi is finished frying, add it to the pot with the beef and onions.  cook everything together for 5 to 7 minutes more before adding 2 drained cans of dark red kidney beans and 3 or 4 cups of water.  don’t pour in enough water to make a runny nightmare, but make sure there is enough to at least cover the contents of the pot.

now, toss in 3 omani and bring the stew to a boil.  allow it to boil for a few moments before covering with the lid and reducing the heat to a high simmer for at least 1.5 hours.  the longer it cooks, the better it tastes – my best ghormeh sabzi was left overnight in a slow cooker on low.

10 minutes before serving, add 0.25 cup of fresh lemon juice and 0.5 tablepoon of honey to the ghormeh sabzi.  honey is NOT traditional, but it’s my little non-persian addition to the dish.  for some reason, i think the touch of honey cuts through the tartness of the lemon and vegetables with just the right hint of sweetness.  this may warrant a strong “tsk, tsk” from a real persian chef, but the hell with it . . . i like it that way, and i’ll do as i please in my kitchen. 

lastly, season with salt and pepper to taste before serving atop a bed of basmati rice.

gotta love it, because i sure do!  ah, i can’t wait to go to kasra again. 

bon appetit!

* can be made vegetarian style!

ingredients:

2 medium sweet onions
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 package chicken/beef/lamb tenderloin, cubed (omit for veg.)
2 tablespoons e.v.o.o.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
0.5 teaspoons ground paprika
0.5 teaspoon ground cardamom
0.25 teaspoon ground saffron
2 cans diced tomatoes (DO NOT drain)
2 cans garbanzo beans (drained)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (approx.)
0.5 cup plain greek yogurt
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup golden raisins
8 medjool dates, pitted and quartered
salt to taste
pepper to taste

* serve over couscous prepared with toasted pine nuts or almonds
* substitute eggplant and zucchini for meat in vegetarian version

listening to: natacha atlas – soleil d’egypte

urban dictionary defines “comfort food” as “food that gives emotional comfort to the one eating it; tends to be favorite foods of childhood, or linked to a person, place or time with which the food has a positive association.”

for me, tagine provides its own positive association.  the first time i ever tasted its savory goodness atop a pile of steaming couscous and buttery pine nuts, i was in love.  whether it be a chilly winter night or a balmy summer afternoon, the scent of the simmering spices stirs my soul and tantalizes my taste buds.  give yourself some time to let it stew on the stove or cook in its traditional vessel, also known as a “tagine”, and let the aroma do its magic.

a tagine is merely a slow-cooked stew of braised meat and vegetables.  traditionally, a moroccan-style tagine is prepared using the spice blend known as ras-el hanout . . . i do use this spice, but it is not always easy to find, so i provided the breakdown of a traditional ras-el hanout in this recipe.

i begin by heating 2 tablespoons of e.v.o.o. on medium low heat in a large pot with a lid.  if you have a traditional tagine pot, feel free to use it, but it is not necessary.  toss in the 2 chopped onions and cook until they begin to become translucent.  add the cubes of butternut squash and the meat before sprinkling all the spices, minus the saffron, on top.  toss in a dash of salt, as well . . . perhaps 1.5 teaspoons.  cook until the meat is no longer pink.

yeah, it should smell pretty damn good at this point.

add 2 cans of diced tomatoes with their sauce and stir.  once it is incorporated, pour in the 2 drained cans of garbanzo beans and the 2 cups of stock.  mix before tossing in 1 cup of golden raisins, the 8 quartered dates, and 0.25 teaspoon of ground saffron.  bring it to a boil and then lower to a simmer for at least 45 minutes.  the longer it cooks, the better.  typically, a tagine is made with tougher cuts of meat and should be cooked for hours on end, but i wrote the recipe for myself, and i find that using tender cuts of meat means you do not have to cook it for such a long time, but feel free to be as traditional as you choose.

before serving, add 0.5 cup plain greek yogurt and chopped cilantro to the tagine.  add salt and pepper to taste, as well.  the tagine should have balanced notes of salty, spicy, and sweet (from the dried fruit) . . . the spice should hit first and the finish should be sweet, if you’ve prepared it correctly.  the squash should melt in your mouth.  can you see why this is one of my comfort foods?

prepare the couscous according to the package directions, but toast either pine nuts or sliced almonds in a pat of butter to add to the couscous.  the layer of complex flavor the nuts add to the dish is a little flash of heaven.

i have friends who openly claim to consider mephistopheles’ bribe for a bowl of tagine.  add a dollop of greek yogurt atop, and savor your loved ones clamoring for their own taste.

a warning: if you don’t love your company beforehand, you need to be prepared to have them love you for many meals afterward.  don’t say you weren’t warned.

* can be made vegetarian style!

ingredients:

1 package center-cut bacon, diced (omit for veg/vegan)
1 package prepared gnocchi
1 bunch baby bok choy, washed and chopped
8 dates, pitted and quartered
2 small white onions, diced
3 tablespoons e.v.o.o.
8 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
1 tablespoon butter
salt to taste
0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes
grated parmesan cheese

listening to: billie holiday – love me or leave me

toasted gnocchi earned a spot in my “top five revelations” category last year.  i don’t know why it took me so long to find out about it, but i can tell you it took a helluva lot less time for me to attempt the dish at home.  the crispy exterior and its soft, potato-y goodness of an interior provide a base that goes with almost any flavor your culinary heart could envision.

this recipe was inspired by an AMAZING take on toasted gnocchi served with grilled peaches and pancetta i tried at a local restaurant called vivace.  since peaches are tough to find year round, i decided to mimic the salty/sweet with bacon and dates.  fresh figs are delicious, but they won’t hold up well when tossed alongside many other ingredients, so dates work the best.

the first key with toasted gnocchi is to slightly undercook when it’s initally boiled.  this is tough to manage because it takes all of two minutes to cook through, so you have to be really mindful of not letting it become too mushy.

i began by cooking the diced bacon on medium low heat until it became crispy.  don’t overcook the bacon, but be careful not to leave any of it rubbery and underdone.  set aside the cooked bacon on a plate with a paper towel to draw out the rest of the oil.  save one tablespoon of the rendered bacon grease for later.

prepare the gnocchi according to the package directions, but remove it from the boiling water a bit sooner than suggested.  drain the gnocchi thoroughly.  in a large pan, heat 3 tablespoons of e.v.o.o. to medium high.  toss in the cooked and drained gnocchi, and make sure your pan gives the gnocchi plenty of room without looking overcrowded.  turn the gnocchi periodically so as to allow it to toast in the olive oil.  if you stir too frequently, you will fail to achieve the browned, crispy exterior of deliciousness intended.  be patient and vigilant – it’s easy to burn the gnocchi.  towards the end of the toasting process, add 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to the gnocchi – the flavor will be awesome.

now, add the 2 chopped onions, 1 tablespoon of butter, 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 8 sprigs of fresh thyme that have been de-stemmed.  once the onions begin turning translucent, lower the heat to medium low.  throw in the cooked bacon and the seeded and quartered dates.

finally, add the chopped bok choy.  i have used swiss chard before, but i prefer the taste of the bok choy juxtaposed alongside the dates.  it’s really an amazing flavor and texture combination.  add salt to taste and serve the gnocchi with grated parmesan cheese.

this is a dish that absolutely makes you look as though you worked a lot harder than you actually did.  people are impressed, and it’s ridiculously easy to pull off.  it’s also great for unexpected company and dinner parties, as it holds up pretty well.

forget your routine spaghetti dinner and try this dish out.  i’ll be damned surprised if it doesn’t look, smell, and taste divine.

bon appetit!

phat burrito (southend)

price: $
rating: * * *

1537 camden road
charlotte, nc 28203
704.332.7428
www.phatburrito.com

i had quite an interesting experience on my first visit to phat burrito.  one soggy monday night, we decided to grab takeout from someplace nearby.  since it was getting very close to 9pm, we knew our decision needed to be made swiftly.  i’d heard from several people about how great phat burrito’s food was, so i decided to place an order around 8:30pm that night.

the dude who answered the phone was definitely a character.  i ordered a chicken quesadilla, a steak burrito, a steak tortilla salad, and some extra guac.  he asked multiple times if i would make it there by 9, OR ELSE.  amused, i assured him we would be there right away.

phat burrito is located quite close to another southend staple – price’s chicken coop.  it’s situated on a corner across from price’s with an incredibly small parking lot and an even smaller footprint.  inside are all the conforming trappings of a nonconformist establishment: revolutionary posters, indie rock band bumper stickers, pierced and dyed cooks, mismatched tables/chairs, and multicolored walls with appropriately peeling/scuffed edges.  it’s definitely charming, and i loved how the clientele was a bit atypical – of course, you had your artsy crowd, but there were definitely some “jocks” and “plastics” mixed in (and who doubted i could make a mean girls reference on my blog!?  yep, that’s what i thought!).  an array of patrons from differing backgrounds can only mean one thing in an establishment this kitsch . . . some darn good food.

i waited awhile for my eats, and when i made an inquiry to the neo-hippie manning the register, he informed me, with a bemused laugh, of the fact that the paper with my order had been “lost,” so would i mind giving it again.  i didn’t mind, so i resubmitted my requests and waited for only a few minutes more before the aforementioned cook tossed it all together.  he handed me my bag of grub and i walked back over to the register . . . to wait again.  when neo-hippie noticed me a second time, he asked if anything was missing.  i told him, “well, i haven’t paid, yet.”  he was actually shocked that i waited around to pay.

oh well.  maybe i should have bolted.

the food was great: cheap (less than $7 per item) and satisfying.  my favorite of the selections we made was definitely the salad.  the steak was well-marinated and didn’t sport the texture of shoe leather (a welcome change).  the guac was a bit bland, but the avocados were fresh, so i tossed on some salt and dealt with it.  the runner-up was the burrito . . . i omitted the beans and loved how hearty and filling it was.  the quesadilla was probably the weakest link, but even then, it was still damn good.

phat burrito is definitely a joint for the mellow.  the people were very nice, if a bit scatterbrained, and the food took awhile, but was totally worth it.

i think this is a winner when it comes to takeout on a rainy night.  i’m glad because, even though i feel like a traitor for saying it, i was starting to get tired of moe’s.

ingredients:

1 package of phyllo dough sheets
2 cups whole raw almonds
1-2 sticks of unsalted sweet cream butter
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
0.75 cup honey
1.5 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
4-6 whole cloves

* pastry brush
* remove phyllo dough from freezer at least 2 hours beforehand!!

listening to: the beatles – all you need is love

i’m not a huge fan of sweets, so it usually takes a very unusual kind of treat for me to bust out my (lack of) baking skills.  yeah, i never did follow those cursed measuring rules too well.

i figure that, since it involves very little measuring and only the slightest amount of baking, baklava is one of those things i could manage to pull off with a relatively high success rate.  i was fairly correct, in my humble opinion.

after tweaking my recipe several times, i came up with what i found to be my favorite combination of chewy, sweet, nutty, and savory.  of course, you can use any kind of nuts in place of the almonds, but the flavor of that particular nut paired with butter and honey is almost too good for anyone of sound mind to pass up.  i’ve also made this with pistachios and a hint of rose water – that was also a big hit.

i begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

i place the whole raw almonds into a food processor and pulse them several times until they are about the texture of coarse bread crumbs.  in the absence of a food processor, some paper towels/plastic bags and a rolling pin will more than suffice.  now, some people prefer the almonds pieces to be a bit bigger than crumb-sized, but i find that the larger your crushed nuts are, the harder the mixture is to work with – wow, that sentence is funny for a bad reason, but there really isn’t a better way to say it!

once they are satisfactorily crushed, toss the almonds into a small mixing bowl along with 0.5 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.  mix it thoroughly.

phyllo can be a tricky thing to work with.  make sure that the sheets of dough have been out on your counter for as close as possible to 2 hours – if they are not thawed enough, they will be way too brittle, and if they have been out too long, they will be difficult to separate.  i’ve found that 2 hours seems to be around the optimal time for assembly.  additionally, place a damp paper towel over the exposed phyllo sheets while you work with them so that they don’t begin to dry out.

coat the bottom of an oven safe rectangular pan with butter.  lay 1-2 sheets of phyllo dough down and, using a pastry brush, carefully coat the sheets with a thin layer of melted butter.  don’t be too particular about it, or you’ll run out of butter almost as fast as your cholesterol goes up from its consumption.  once you’ve coated the phyllo adequately, sprinkle a thin even layer of the nut mixture on top.

repeat this process at least 8 times, or you’ll wind up with the dinkiest baklava anyone ever laughed at behind your back.

for the final layer of phyllo, i usually combine 3 to 4 sheets for a good crust, but i’m careful to make sure that i butter between the sheets (yeah, yeah, yeah – get your mind out of the gutter) so that they brown nicely in the oven.

once this process is complete, i sprinkle approximately 0.25 cup of water on top and carefully cut out diamond or square shaped pieces using a very sharp knife.  bake the baklava in the oven for around an hour, but check back at 50 minutes just to make sure they are not too brown.  fyi, dark brown is too brown . . . the baklava should be golden brown on top.

on to the syrup!  you may prefer to make your syrup a bit sweeter, but i find anything more to be too overpowering for me.  put 1.25 cups of water, 1.5 cups of granulated sugar, 0.75 cup of honey, 1 whole cinnamon stick, and 4-6 whole cloves into a small pot and bring it to a boil before letting the syrup simmer for at least 15 minutes.  try to do this towards the end of the cooking process so that the syrup is still hot when the baklava is done.

when the baklava is a nice shade of brown, remove it from the oven and wait a few minutes before carefully pouring the syrup over the baklava.  yep, you should have removed the cinnamon stick and the cloves prior to this.

the texture will be the best the next day but, if you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop yourself from sampling the hot baklava.  trust me when i say the syrup will become thicker and the baklava will assume that perfect balance of crispy and chewy IF YOU WAIT, but i definitely understand if you can’t.  store it in a refrigerated container so you can impress your friends/family the next day.  no one has to know that it wasn’t that tough to make!  get creative and add melted chocolate on top or some other cool combination of pecans and brown sugar for some baklava fun!!

bon appetit!

ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
0.5 teaspoon ground cardamom
0.5 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
2 cans garbanzo beans (DO NOT drain liquid)
1 can diced tomatoes (DO NOT drain liquid)
1 tablespoon greek style yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1 cup half and half (can use plain soy milk for vegan)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon e.v.o.o.
1 tablespoon butter or ghee

listening to: ronakt – twist

when i was younger, i could not fathom the concept of being vegetarian.  i loved my steak.  i loved my chicken.  i loved . . . meat.  there was just no way i could ever eat pasta and veggies for days on end, let alone for the rest of my life.

this notion took a sound trouncing the first time i ever visited india.  one of our closest friends from college lives in mumbai (a.k.a. “bombay”), and we’ve had the privilege of visiting his country twice – once for fun and once for a wedding i am certain we will be talking about for the rest of our lives; but that’s another tale for another post.

staying in the home of a vegetarian family did not necessarily mean we were forced to consume only vegetarian foods; rather, it never came to question once we saw the variety and tasted the quality.  man, if i could eat vegetarian the way indians eat vegetarian, it would be something i could possibly pull off.  it’s definitely not just about beans, veggies, and rice: it’s all about the lentils, the curries, the spices – a hundred different ways to dress a potato . . . i think it would be near impossible for me to get tired of this food.

chana masala is one of my all-time favorite vegetarian dishes.  did you think chickpeas were just for hummus?  think again . . .

i begin by heating 1 tablespoon of e.v.o.o. and 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee on medium heat in a medium saucepan.  once it shimmers, throw in 1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds and immediately cover the pan with the lid.  once the seeds finish popping (about 1-2 minutes later), throw in the chopped onion, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 0.5 teaspoon of ground coriander, 0.5 teaspoon of ground cardamom, and 0.5 teaspoon of chili powder (opt.).  stir until the onions begin turning translucent.

now, dump ALL the contents of 1 can of diced tomatoes and 2 cans of garbanzo beans.  if you drained the liquid from any of these cans, you can substitute water, but this was a HUGE mistake on your part, and . . . it sucks to be you.  add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of honey or agave syrup to the pot.  bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for at least an hour.

if your kitchen doesn’t smell hellagood at this point, i’m utterly confused. 

for the finishing touches, add 1 tablespoon of greek yogurt, 1 cup of half and half or soy milk, and the chopped bunched of fresh cilantro.  warm the channa masala through before serving it with basmati rice, roti, pita, naan, and/or any other kind of carb you can get your hands on (except for pasta).  a dollop of raita (indian yogurt sauce) and onion chutney makes this absolutely unbelievable.

betcha won’t miss the meat!!

bon appetit!

pinky’s westside grill (wesley heights)

price: $
rating: * * *

1600 west morehead street
charlotte, nc 28208
704.332.0402
www.eatatpinkys.com

~ by lara fleming, guest blogger

my dad is in town this week, and we were able to go out for lunch together one day.  i told him about a new place called pinky’s that i recently heard about.

it’s totally up his alley (and mine) because we both love burger dives.  located at the corner of freedom and morehead, it’s not in the best part of town, so i probably wouldn’t go there after dark, but i felt totally fine going there for lunch.  we saw all sorts of characters – business people out for lunch, moms and their kids, and lots of funky tattooed folks who work there.  i love places that attract an eclectic bunch, so to me, this was a sign that the food would be good, and was it ever.

my dad got the ding dong style burger, and i got the maddy patty melt.  we shared a basket of fried pickles.  the ding dong style burger was crazy but delicious, according to my dad.  it’s a burger with crunchy peanut butter, honey-cilantro slaw and hot sriracha sauce.  he loved the flavor explosion, and said he would order it again.  my maddy patty melt was equally good.  it’s a five ounce burger with grilled onions, 1000 island dressing, swiss and american cheese hot pressed between two slices of texas toast.  it almost tasted like a burger covered in pimento cheese, with a little bit of a kick.  i would definitely order it again . . . although, i have to admit, the white trash burger caught my eye, and i don’t think i’ll be able to pass it up next time.  it’s a five ounce burger with provolone, fried pickles, onion rings and spicy ranch sauce.  how good does that sound?

our basket of fried pickles was the best i’ve ever had.  they were thinly sliced and lightly fried (is that an oxymoron?), and the ranch dipping sauce was perfect – not too thick, so it didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the pickles, but complimented them perfectly.

the portions were not huge, which usually annoys me, but, in this case, the portion was perfect for a lunchtime burger.  i didn’t leave feeling stuffed, and i was pleasantly full.

our burgers were between $4-$5 each, and the pickles were about $4, so it’s a total “cheap eats” place.  the service was great even though the place was packed – friendly, fast, and attentive.  i can’t wait to go back.  i might have to convince my family to join me there this weekend because i can’t stop thinking about that white trash burger.  it’s calling my name.