Dal With Roast Okra And Brown Rice

Simple Dal with Roast Okra

Just enough kick to warm the Blood and move the Qi. 

For Dal

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon good quality garam marsala - we bought ours at Dual Specialty Shop - NYC
• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• Sea salt
• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed until water runs clear
• 6 curry leaves
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• Brown rice, simmer with a cinnamon stick, for serving
• Chutneys of choice, for serving

Warm a large saucepan over medium flame.  Add olive oil and heat to just below shimmering.  Reduce flame.  Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent, just a minute or two.  Stir in cumin, mustard, fennel and garam marsala and cook, stirring constantly until spice is toasted, just a minute.  Add tomatoes and cook just until tomatoes start to breakdown.  Season with a hefty pinch sea salt.  Add rinsed lentils and 8 cups cold water.  Stir in curry leaves and another pinch salt.  Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils completely break apart and turn to mush, about 40 minutes.  Stir in fresh ginger about 20 minutes into cooking time and then continue to let simmer.  Adjust seasoning with salt as needed.  

For Okra

• 1 pound fresh okra
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 scant teaspoon garam masala

Heat oven to 425.  Set a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.  Combine okra, olive oil, salt, pepper and garam masala in a large bowl and toss well to coat.  Transfer seasoned okra to hot baking sheet - it should sizzle on contact.  Place in oven and roast, shaking once or twice, until okra is both crisp and tender, about 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with a bit more salt and serve.  

Tomato Farcie

Tomato Farcie

This recipe is courtesy of our dear friend Jill Anton.  She was lucky enough to spend 6 months in France and get the all things culinary inside scoop. 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large end of season tomatoes 
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound sausage meat
• 1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon and chives
• Cooked rice, for serving 

Heat oven to 400.  Warm a medium skillet over a low flame.  Add olive oil.  Heat a moment or two.  Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, a few minutes.  Season with a healthy pinch salt and pepper.  Remove from heat. Halve tomatoes horizontally and scoop out flesh from both halves.  Roughly chop flesh and set in a bowl - along with any juices you can collect.  Place bottoms halves of tomatoes in a shallow non-reactive baking dish - tomatoes should be snug but not too tight.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Combine meats in a small bowl - mixing together well with fingers or a fork.  Add cooked onions and herbs and season well with more salt and pepper.  Mix to combine.  Divide meat into 6 portions and gently shape into a patty.  Place patty into each tomato base.  Cover meat with tomato tops.  Season chopped tomato flesh with salt and pepper and use to fill holes between tomatoes.  Drizzle whole thing with olive oil and transfer to oven.  Bake until meat is cooked through and the tomatoes are very soft but still holding their shape, about 1 hour.  The tomatoes will blister and the whole thing look a little wonky but promise - absolutely delicious.  Serve with rice - and a glass of French wine. 

Clams with Roast Tomatoes and Soupy Rice

Clams with Roast Tomatoes and Soupy Rice

• cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for final drizzle
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Several sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 ears corn, kernels removed =  2 cups fresh corn, cobs reserved
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for final drizzle
• 2 cloves garlic, minced to paste
• 3 shallots, finely chopped, heaping 1/4 cup
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh end of summer herbs - have experiments with a mix lemon verbena and lemon thyme and marjoram - all nice - plus more for garnish
• 1 smallish bulb fennel, finely chopped - about 2 cups
• 1 cup arborio rice

Heat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on baking sheet and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.  Set in oven and roast soft and bubbling, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. 

Meanwhile set a large pot over a medium flame.  Add clams, 1/4 cup wine and 3 cups cold water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently until clams open, about 8 minutes.  Discard any clams that fail to open.  Use a slotted spoon to remove cooked clams from cooking liquid.  Transfer to a large bowl,  cover with a damp clothe and refrigerate until needed.  Add 2 cups cold water to cooking liquid, reserved corn cobs and bay leaves.   Return to boil, reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, until liquid is very flavorful.  Remove from heat and discard corn cobs and bay leaves.  

Set a heavy bottomed saucepan with greater surface area than height over a medium low flame.  Let stand a minute or two to heat.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil together in pot until sizzling.  Add garlic, shallots and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Season with a healthy pinch of sea salt and a few cracks of black pepper.   Add corn kernels and fennel and cook until soft and just subtly caramelized, about 8 minutes.  Season once again.  Stir in rice.   Stir to coat rice grains in oil and toast just ever so gently.  Deglaze pot with remaining 1/4 cup wine.  Return clam cooking liquid to the heat and bring to a simmer.  Slowly add broth, one ladle full at a time, stirring more or less constantly between each addition and waiting until the liquid has been fully absorbed before adding more.  This whole process should take about 20 minutes.  Check rice for doneness and when just shy of al dente add remaining broth and clams.  Cook until clams are hot and rice is perfect and still soupy.  If you have run out of broth - augment with freshly boiled water.  Stir in remaining chopped herbs and two tablespoons butter.  Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper.  Serve  immediately in nice shallow pasta bowls.  Spoon tomatoes over each portion and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.