Avocado, Cilantro and Green Garlic Frittata

Throwing avocado in everything is one of the joys of living in California. So when we had out-of-town guests, we decided to throw it in a frittata. The resulting dish was delicious, quick and memorable, served with a side of stir-fried asparagus.

Everything comes together very quickly, so have all your ingredients prepped before you turn on the heat.

8 eggs
salt
pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks green garlic, roughly chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced

Beat eggs in a large bowl with salt, pepper and cilantro. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute green garlic for 3-5 minutes, until just starting to brown. Pour in eggs and add avocado chunks, then cook on the stovetop for a few minutes, until the bottom is set, then transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the top is golden. Cut into wedges and serve.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup with Spring Onions and Green Garlic

The pressure cooker is God's gift to anyone who loves home-cooked chickpeas but doesn't have 3 hours to spare while they cook on the stovetop. If you don't have a pressure cooker, consider getting married so you can register for one. If you're commitment-shy or if you eloped, you could make this recipe with canned chickpeas in a regular pot--just simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, probably about 15 minutes.

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 stalk green garlic, minced
1 spring onion, minced
1 sweet potato, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight or quick-soaked
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup minced parsley
salt to taste

Heat butter or olive oil in your pressure cooker on high heat. Add the green garlic and onions, stir for a minute or two, until translucent, then add sweet potatoes and spices and stir to coat, about two more minutes. Add the chickpeas and vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and cover the pot to bring to full pressure. Lower heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Let the pressure come down (You can speed this up by putting the pressure cooker in the sink and running cold water over it), remove the lid and add parsley and salt to taste.

Springtime Potato and Asparagus Curry

On the topic of food pairings that scream "Woohoo! Winter is over," let's talk new potatoes and asparagus. They're a common couple (usually on that wedding-reception plate with the salmon option and some lemon wedges), but this time we've spiced them up with an aromatic coconut-tomato sauce, because we're breakaway cooks like that.

You might wonder whether it's worth it to roast potatoes before adding them to a curry. A friend suggested it when she tasted another of our potato curries and we were very pleased with the results. The potatoes get a chance to concentrate their sugars and caramelize a little, and the texture is awesome.


3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
12-15 small waxy potatoes (we used red creamers), diced
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 inch chunk of ginger, finely minced
1 small bunch (about 15-20 spears) asparagus, chopped into 1-inch segments
1 cup pureed tomatoes (we used canned, but if you want to make this later in the summer, fresh could work too)
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon tumeric
salt to taste
plain yogurt for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Combine 3 tablespoons oil, spices and salt in a small bowl. In a baking pan, toss potatoes with the oil mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes, until tender and browned.

When potatoes are almost done, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large stockpot on medium-high. Add cumin and mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Next, throw in the shallots and ginger and stir for a minute or two. Add the asparagus and saute until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, cayenne and turmeric. Stir well, then transfer the roasted potatoes to the stock pot. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until liquid has reduced a bit, to let the flavors steep. Adjust salt and serve over rice, with a dollop of plain yogurt if desired.

Rasam in the Age of the Curry Leaf Ban

What a beloved soup--we adore rasam in the winter for soothing colds and coughs, in the summer with flavor-bursting heirloom tomatoes, and with whatever type of dal strikes our fancy. But we always assumed that curry leaves were an irreplaceable flavor component and were hesitant to blog something with an essential ingredient that many of you might not have access to. Then, a few weeks ago, we went on a wild ingredient goose chase through Berkeley's Indian groceries only to discover that curry leaves are currently banned in the US. So we took the opportunity to walk a mile in the shoes of anyone who doesn't have ten Indian groceries nearby and try to make this classic, spicy South Indian soup without its trademark curry leaves. Result: delicious. (OK, fine--tamarind concentrate and asafoetida might be a little difficult to find. But hey, at least they're legal!)

If you were smart enough to freeze curry leaves back when they were available fresh or if you have a potted curry leaf plant, by all means throw them in. As for dal options, we made this with urad dal, but it is just as delicious with more easily-available red lentils or even plain old yellow split peas.

1/2 cup dal (see above)
4+ cups water
1 and 1/2 cups pureed tomatoes (canned in the winter, fresh in the summer/fall)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil or ghee
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves if you can get them
chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Combine the dal and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer 40 minutes to an hour, until dal is very soft.

*FOR CANNED TOMATOES* Add 1 cup of water, tomatoes, asafoetida, tamarind, ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne and black pepper to the dal, bring to a boil again, and simmer for 5 minutes.

*FOR FRESH TOMATOES* Combine tomatoes, asafoetida, tamarind, ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne and black pepper in a saucepan with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, and then add to the dal, bring to a boil again, and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the canola oil or ghee and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and optional curry leaves and cook until seeds pop (around 15-20 seconds). Immediately pour the oil and seasonings into the soup, stir well, and salt to taste. Serve with a generous sprinkling of cilantro.

Bulgur and Red Lentil Soup with Browned Onions

Kolkeh is a hearty, filling Syrian soup with simple ingredients: bulgur, red lentils, garlic, onions and practically nothing else. Conceptually, it's very similar to a soupy mjeddra, with lentils, whole grains and crispy onions combining to be more than the sum of their humble parts. The chewy bulgur and the broken-down lentils have a great textural contrast.

3/4 cup cracked bulgur
3/4 cup red lentils
3 cloves garlic, peeled
water to cover
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
1/4 cup canola oil (or other high-heat oil)
salt to taste
Toppings:
Sour cream or yogurt
Lemon wedges for squeezing

Place the bulgur, lentils and garlic in a medium-sized saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer about 30-35 minutes, until lentils break down and bulgur is tender.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until they are crispy and brown. Remove them promptly with a slotted spatula to prevent burning (but keep the cooking oil).

When the soup is cooked, stir in the onions, a teaspoon or two of the onion-frying oil, and plenty of salt. Serve with sour cream, yogurt or lemon wedges.

Dark Chocolate Mousse Pie with a Coconut Crust

Tonight we're heading over the annual Wine and Pie Party at our friend Tanya's house. While all pies are welcome, the rock-star challenge this year was to make a pie that everyone could eat, including attendees who are gluten-free (hence the nut crust), sugar-sensitive (hence the agave nectar) or vegan (hence the coconut milk and coconut butter) and at least one person who can't eat corn (hence the arrowroot powder in lieu of cornstarch). Our entry is this decadent creation, and we think it's a contender. With the chocolate and coconut flavors, it's like a Mounds bar, but without the nasty milk chocolate and too-sweet aftertaste.

To minimize insanity, you should:
(1) Have everything measured out before you start. You're dealing with coconut, nuts and chocolate, all of which burn easily, and you don't want to turn around to chop something and turn back around to find something smoking.
(2) Either have an electric mixer or a cooking partner, since there's a ton of stirring involved.

For the crust:
3/4 cup almonds (or walnuts)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut butter (you can totally use butter or margarine if you don't feel like shelling out $10 for a jar of fat. We understand.)
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons coconut butter

For the filling:
2 14-ounce cans of coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons arrowroot powder
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups chopped unsweetened baking chocolate (chop well so it will melt easily!)

First, start the crust. Grind almonds in the food processor until they're finely chopped, then add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until well-mixed. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a pre-greased 10-inch pie pan. Pop the pan into your broiler and cook for 5 minutes or less, only until browned. Keep an eye on it! You're just toasting, not cooking, and if the crust burns, you'll probably cry. Stick it in the freezer to cool while you make the topping and filling.

For the topping, heat the coconut butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add coconut and stir frequently until golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling time! Make sure you have everything measured out and ready, because this will come together quickly. In a medium-sized saucepan*, bring the coconut milk, agave and salt to a light simmer. Create a slurry in a small cup by mixing together the arrowroot with a few tablespoons of water. Add the arrowroot slurry a little bit at a time (you may not need all of it), stirring vigorously with a whisk or immersion blender, until the coconut milk thickens to a loose pudding texture. Remove from heat and cool for a minute. Add the vanilla extract and chocolate and continue stirring (see what we mean about the incessant stirring?) until chocolate is melted. Spoon the filling into the crust and top with the toasted coconut. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until you're ready to serve. Meanwhile, lick all of the utensils.

*If you have a double boiler or are comfortable improvising one with two pots, that works well. The only change to the recipe is that you don't have to bring the coconut milk all the way to a simmer and you don't have to remove your pan from the heat before adding the chocolate.

UPDATE July 2009:

Phoebe's sister made a vanilla version of this recipe and said it was delicious! She just added more arrowroot to get it to firm up, swirled with raspberry jam, and topped with fresh raspberries. We've also made Meyer lemon variations that we'll share with you once we have the recipe just right.

Roasted Asparagus and Green Garlic with a Fried Egg

Certain ingredients come in season at the same time and practically beg you to cook them together, like strawberries and rhubarb or tomatoes and basil. To that list, add green garlic and asparagus--they're both welcome bursts of green at the end of winter, with flavors that make you want to do a no-more-winter-squash victory dance.

This was originally intended as a side dish, and you could certainly leave out the fried egg and serve it that way. But as springtime progresses and more and more delicious vegetables become available, consider this: fried egg plus anything equals meal, zapping your prep time and enabling you to enjoy the extra daylight.

Green garlic, as we've mentioned before, is worth seeking out. But if the farmer's markets haven't started up where you are yet, you can certainly do this with a crushed clove of garlic or even a finely chopped leek in lieu of the green garlic.

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, chopped into 1 and 1/2 inch pieces
3 stalks green garlic, white and pale green parts only, diced (you can use the floppy dark green part for vegetable stock)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
2 eggs
Thinly sliced Jarlsberg or Gruyere cheese, for the top

Preheat oven to 375. Toss asparagus, green garlic, olive oil and salt together on a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes, until asparagus is tender, with touches of brown.

When asparagus is ready, fry eggs. Top each egg with the asparagus and a slice of cheese. Eat, and then get yourself outside!