Winter Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

And just like that, it is February. Winter is slipping by and when I’m not in the store I’m enjoying every snowy moment I can outside. I do think it may be my favorite season in the Methow Valley. But then I’ve said the same about spring, summer and fall.

With the snow and skiing comes some richly satisfying meals of long simmered stews and roasts. At the same time, I do start craving fresh, lighter flavors around about now, which fortunately coincides nicely with the abundance of citrus that pops up in the markets.

We are kicking off a new year in our Tasting Jerusalem group and cooking with cumin (Beth shares some terrific background on the history of cumin here). I tend to use cumin with meat, but with all the Cara Cara and blood oranges, limes and Meyer lemons piling up on my kitchen counter I couldn’t help but wonder how cumin pairs with citrus. I was optimistic as cumin is so versatile.

Not much to it here: I started mixing up a simple vinaigrette and, rather than my usual lemon, I squeezed a lime. I added a generous scoop of cumin along with olive oil and salt and gave the jar a good shake.

I then set about combining all the flavors and textures I am craving: crunchy romaine, soft avocado, sharp red onion, sweet oranges and puckery Meyer lemons. A drizzle of the cumin vinaigrette and voila! We started eating our wintery salad.

My optimism paid off. Cumin’s distinctive, warm, earthy flavor really came through and balanced the bright, citrusy flavors of the salad beautifully. It was a deeply satisfying salad that seemed to bridge the gap between the snowy winter outside and the piles of citrus inside. What a special time of year.

Winter Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

These are the ingredients I used to create a salad with some punchy flavors and textures – feel free to use any citrus or other produce that is in season. I think some pomegranate arils would be delicious, too.

Romaine or other crunchy lettuce, roughly chopped
Baby greens such as spinach or kale
Red onion, finely chopped
Avocado, diced
Meyer lemon, finely chopped (including peel)
Cara Cara oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
Blood oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Assemble your greens and remaining ingredients on a platter or individual plates. Drizzle with cumin vinaigrette and serve.

Cumin Vinaigrette
Makes ½ cup

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (roughly 2 large limes)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a small jar with a cover and shake until well mixed. The dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for a week.

This recipe has been shared on the 28 Days of Salad Project which you can check out here.

Nectarine and Basil Relish

A bowl of lusciously ripe nectarines sits on my picnic table, totally irresistible to me. I bite into one, juice dribbling down my arm, and it is pure heaven. Oh summer, how I do love you.

When I’m not devouring these beauties by the pound, I’m slicing them for pies and cobblers and dreaming of new ways to enjoy them, which led to this simple, more savory dish.

Not quite salsa and not quite salad, I landed upon relish as a way to describe it. Sweetly scented nectarines are sliced and gently mixed with crisp red peppers, red onion and bright basil. A zesty, citrusy dressing rounds out the flavors nicely.

Soft and crunchy and full of juicy color! This is a quick one to prepare and enjoy when gathered with friends. Whether served alongside grilled chicken or perhaps a cheese platter, this pretty relish celebrates some splendid tastes of summer.

Nectarine and Basil Relish
Serves 4

3 ripe nectarines (about 1 pound or so), pitted and sliced into eighths
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Place the nectarines, red onion, basil and red pepper in a medium sized serving bowl. Whisk together the lime zest and juice, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Drizzle over the nectarine mixture and gently stir. Salt to taste and chill for about an hour before serving.

Chickpea and Chicken Stew for Purim

A boisterous weekend is promised with the arrival of Purim! Purim is a time of merriment, the holiday celebrating Queen Esther and Mordecai’s victory of saving the Jews of Persia from the wicked Haman. Children and adults alike dress in costumes and festivities abound.

While hamentaschen are a popular cookie to bake for Purim (when I was cooking at Hillel UW I was baking hundreds of hamentaschen at this time each year!), chickpeas are also traditional to eat. According to the Purim story, while Queen Esther lived in the court of King Ahasuerus, she ate mostly legumes so that she could maintain a kosher diet. For this reason, it is customary to eat chickpeas on Purim. As a simple snack, chickpeas are often warmed and sprinkled with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Over the past fifteen years or so, I’ve been making a chickpea and chicken stew that has become a favorite in our family. In the spirit of Purim, I include a blend of Persian-inspired spices with cinnamon, saffron and cardamom.

I begin by soaking dried chickpeas the night before I want to make the stew. Once this step is done, though, the stew is quick to prepare. The chickpeas cook along with the chicken, making it a one-pot meal (and even a possible weeknight dinner). After dicing a couple of onions and sautéing them in olive oil, I stir in the spices and chicken, followed by the soaked chickpeas, some chicken broth and a squeeze of lime. At this point, you can leave the stew to simmer while you chop a salad, steam some rice (or my new favorite, cauliflower “rice”) and open a bottle of wine.

The fragrant spices mingle together as the stew bubbles, taking you to far-away lands and filling your house with a delicious aroma. The chicken is tender and velvety, the chickpeas add a soft pop of texture and the onions melt into a luscious sauce. A bowl of stew energizes us for the Purim carnivals and hamentaschen eating yet to come. Chag Purim Sameach (Happy Purim)!

Chickpea and Chicken Stew
Serves 6

1 cup dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
A pinch of saffron threads
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3-4 pound organic chicken, cut into 6 serving pieces
3 cups organic chicken broth
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
Steamed rice for serving

The night before you plan to make this stew, cover the chickpeas in a bowl with water and let soak overnight.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot (I use a 5 quart size), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 7-8 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, saffron, salt and pepper and after a stir let cook for a minute. Add the chicken pieces and allow the chicken to cook and brown for a few minutes. Drain the chickpeas and stir them in. Pour in the chicken broth and lime juice and gently stir to mix. The chickpeas should be covered but the chicken may not be completely submerged – this is ok.

Bring the stew to a boil, partially cover the pot and lower the heat. Let simmer for about 45-50 minutes, until the chickpeas are soft and the chicken is tender. The stew can be prepared ahead and rewarmed before serving. Just before eating, stir in the chopped parsley and taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve with bowls of steamed rice.

Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice for Breakfast

I have to share with you what I’ve been eating lately for breakfast. Most days, I wake up eager to get into the kitchen (of course, pouring a big cup of coffee may be part of this, too) where I usually have a list of what I’d like to cook, what I need to prep for dinner or a new recipe idea to play with ... but breakfast takes priority before I dive in.

With early morning light softly coming through the window (yes, our pitch-black mornings are beginning to brighten!), I sip my coffee and think about what to cook up. I like to start the day with protein and prefer savory breakfasts with eggs. As much as I adore pancakes, if I make a batch I always have to have an egg alongside. Now that our backyard hens are laying again after the dark winter days, I am happily collecting eggs and admiring their bright, sunny yolks.

This past December, I had Naomi Duguid’s beautiful book, Burma, on loan from the library and did quite a bit of cooking from it. I’ve since added it to my wish-list since it is a marvelous collection of stories, history and very delicious dishes (a new favorite is Golden Egg Curry). In addition to chopping and frying lots and lots of shallots, I fell in love with the combination of fish sauce and lime juice that is the foundation for many of the meals.

A bowl of leftover brown rice inspired me recently to think about a change from my usual eggs-on-toast-with-avocado. With fish sauce and lime juice still on my mind, it wasn’t long before I was chopping green onions, chiles, and, of course, shallots to whip up a fine breakfast. I find that if I keep little bowls of diced onion, ginger, garlic or some leftover veggies in the fridge, then this is indeed quick to prepare. But keep it simple, it’s first thing in the morning after all.

The rice is warmed in a bit of coconut oil with shallots and chiles, then doused in fish sauce and lime juice. A fried egg, sunny-side up, tops it off with a sprinkling of green onions. The salty, sour flavors awaken your taste buds while the creamy egg yolk coats the rice lusciously. A satisfying, energizing breakfast, and best of all, only one skillet!

Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice
Serves 1 (easily doubles)

1 teaspoon coconut oil (or more if needed)
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red chile, finely chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice (either short or long grain)
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste (preferably Red Boat Fish Sauce, an amazing all-natural, quality sauce)
1/2 lime
1 egg
Green onions, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and red chile and sauté for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rice and stir to warm the rice and mix in the shallots and chile.  Add the fish sauce and squeeze the lime over the rice and stir. Taste to see if you like the salty-sour balance and add more of either. Scoop the rice into a small bowl.

If needed, add a bit more of coconut oil to the skillet and warm. Crack the egg in and fry sunny-side up or however you prefer. Slip the egg out of the skillet onto the rice, scatter with some green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Pour another cup of coffee and enjoy!