spiced chickpea with fresh vegetable salad

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/12/spiced-chickpea-salad-vegetarian-recipe

After tasting a version of this dish at a new London tapas bar, Morito, I tried to recreate it at home. It came out quite different, but still clean-tasting and fresh, with a warm spice aroma in the background. Serves four.

100g dried chickpeas
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 small cucumbers (280g)
2 large tomatoes (300g)
1 small red onion, peeled
240g radishes
1 red pepper, seeds and pith removed
20g coriander leaves and stems, roughly chopped
15g flat-leaf parsley, picked and roughly chopped
120ml olive oil
Grated zest of 2 lemons, plus 50ml lemon juice
30ml sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed 
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom 
1½ tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
Greek yoghurt (optional)

Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of cold water and the bicarb. Next day, drain, place in a large pan and cover with twice the volume of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour, skimming off any foam, until tender, then drain.

Cut the cucumber, tomato, onion, radish and pepper into 1cm dice, and mix with the coriander and parsley. In a jar or sealable container, put 75ml of olive oil with the lemon juice and zest, vinegar, garlic and sugar, shake and season to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

Mix together the cardamom, allspice, cumin and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and spread on a plate. Toss the cooked chickpeas in the spice mixture in batches, to coat well. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and over medium heat lightly fry the chickpeas for two to three minutes, gently shaking the pan so they cook evenly and don't stick. Keep warm.

Divide the salad between four plates, arranging it in a large circle with a slight indent in the middle, and spoon the warm chickpeas in the centre. Drizzle some Greek yoghurt on top if you prefer the salad to be a bit more creamy.

• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London.

Kale Sauteed with Garlic

Heat a little butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and add a couple cloves of chopped garlic and a little minced onion. Sauté for 1 minute, then add chopped kale to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the kale is wilted. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable or chicken stock, and simmer until the kale is cooked to desired tenderness. Sprinkle with lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve alongside your favourite main dish.

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Fabada Asturiana

Makes 5-6 servings

• 500 g uncooked white beans
• Water, for soaking the beans
• Few strands of saffron
• 200 g ham hock or ham bone (may use Majestic ham bone)
• 60 g thick-slice jamon Serrano
• 200 g bacon slab
• 300 g whole chorizo de Bilbao
• 200 g morcillas (Spanish blood sausage)
• ½  tsp whole paprika picante
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, mashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
• 
  

In a large bowl, soak the beans in enough cold water to cover for not more than 8 hours.  Drain the beans then transfer them to a wide shallow cooking pan. Pour in enough water to cover the beans with an inch of water over all.  Bring the beans to a slow boil over medium heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

Stir in saffron, ham hock, jamon Serrano and bacon slab, making room for them at the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

Skim off any foam, add the chorizo, morcillas, paprika, olive oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Let boil for another 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to a simmer.  Check to be sure there’s ½ inch of liquid over the beans. If liquid becomes less, add more water.

Cover the pan and cook the fabada slowly for 1 to 2 hours, or until the beans become tender but not mushy.  Make sure there’s always ½ inch of liquid over the beans. Stir mixture occasionally so beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste the beans and, if needed, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the beans into a serving bowl. Transfer the sausages to a plate and slice them diagonally.  Serve the sausages with the beans.

For more tips, recipes and stories, visit author’s blog www.

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com/normachikiamco. Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco

Cook’s tips:

Do not soak the beans too long or they will become mushy.

Chef Miguel recommends adding the meats to the beans (the chorizo, bacon, jamon Serrano and morcillas) whole (not sliced).  That way they will be better able to retain their flavor.

If the cooked dish seems too thin (malabnaw), remove five to six beans from the stew and mash them with a little of the cooking liquid. Then stir the mashed beans into the stew.  Bring the dish to a simmer and cook until the mashed beans are incorporated and the liquid has thickened.

If you can’t find paprika picante, you can use any other kind of paprika.

Read more: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/98113/fabada-asturiana#ixzz2Q76MvDfM
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Limoncello Bundt Cake

For my limoncello; must make this recipe.

Ingredients

For the Cake
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup limoncello
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• zest of 2 lemons
For the glaze
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons limoncello

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the 1/3 cup limoncello until well blended.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with flour mixture.
7. Beat in lemon zest
8. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt cake pan.
9. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched with a finger.
10. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan; invert and cool completely on a rack.
For the Glaze
11. Whisk confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons limoncello until smooth; drizzle over the cake.