Two tasty, texturally satisfying legume salads

 1. Garbanzo Salad

You can make a chick pea salad in the style of any creamy mayonnaise-based salad, be it potato, macaroni, chicken, or tuna. You can dress it all at once, cold, but the chick peas do benefit from a two-step dressing, as described here.

Rinse and drain tinned chick peas or cook your own. Cover and heat for a minute or two in the microwave. Meanwhile, make a dressing: Per tin of chickpeas, use approximately 1/4 c mayo, 1/2 t squort of mustard, 1/2t salt, splash of lemon juice or vinegar or pickle brine. Toss with the warm chick peas and refrigerate for several hours. (Yes the mayo will melt and look gross, it's ok). When cool, add diced celery, scallions, and dill. Make creamy with more mayo or sour cream. Season to taste.  You could also add diced cucumber, gherkins, bell pepper, red onion, radish, artichoke hearts, chives, parsley, other herbs, hard boiled eggs, tuna, what have you.

2. Lentil salad with walnut oil 

I adapted this dish, which I loved especially as leftovers, from Martha Rose Shulman at the New York Times. She adapted it from The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells. Keep walnut oil, once opened, in the fridge.

I use a 500g packet of cooked lentils from Trader Joe's (or cook your own green puy lentils-- red will break down; the NYTimes recipe says to cook lentils with garlic, bay, onion, and carrot. Make a dressing by whisking together 2.5T red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar, 1.5 T dijon mustard, salt, and 1 fat shallot minced. Then slowly whisk in 1/2 c walnut oil and, if you cooked the lentils yourself, a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Toss in lentils (if you warm them up it will help absorb the flavors even if this is served cold). Add 1/4 c chopped parsley and adjust the seasoning. Arrange toasted chopped walnuts on individual portions. (About 2/3 c walnuts for the recipe).

Tarte Flambee-ish, aux Champignons-ish

Trader Joe's has a couple of frozen items that I enjoy from the same manufacturer (Maitre Pierre): a "Tarte Aux Champignons" and a "Tarte d'Alsace," a take on tarte flambee/flammkuchen. I wanted to create something similar. I adapted a NYTimes recipe and used TJ's lavash. I added the mushrooms and cheese, so it's a complete recipe without it, just not what I'm trying to recreate.

Per 12x9 lavash:

Sauteed mixed mushrooms w butter, herbs

1/4 c creme fraiche

1/3 c fromage blanc (or more creme fraiche, sour cream, mascarpone, Greek yogurt, or a mix)

1/8 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

pepper

2 strips/100 g thick-cut smoked bacon, finely chopped (about 2/3 c)

1/3 c finely chopped white onion

shredded gruyere and or emmentaler 

Preheat a baking sheet on a pizza stone at 425. (I didn't do this, and really wish I had). 

Mix dairy products, season. Smear on the lavash with a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle on onions, bacon, mushrooms, and then cheese. Bake until top is browning and it is crispy, about 20 min. Serve warm.

The trickiest part may be getting it and keeping it appropriately crispy. I'd take the advise of the NYTimes recipe next time and pre-heat the dish. 

Worth trying again: shortcut honey cake

 This Rosh Hashanah, I wanted a quick honey cake and googled shortcut recipes using a cake mix. I used a recipe from the LA Times which produced a very thin liquid of a batter and a pretty dense, slumpy cake. I was disappointed when I took it out of the oven, but the eating experience actually mimicked other honey cake I've had and I liked the overall flavor better than many I've tried. 

Oven to 350. Prep a tube pan.

Mix dries:

1 15 oz vanilla cake mix (the recipe recommended Betty Crocker super moist French vanilla, so that's what I used)

2 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground allspice

Mix wets:

1 c honey

3/4 c oil

1/2 c orange juice (recipe called for 1/4 c oj and 1/4 c whiskey)

4 large eggs.

Blend dries and wets. Bake 45 min. Invert onto rack to cool. Make a powdered sugar glaze if you want.

MFK Fisher's "Greek" Artichokes

The last of the random Mother's Day recipes. This one represented me, being the 4th of the 6 recipes. It was the one I was the most nervous about, and in the end, maybe my favorite. It comes from MFK Fisher's "With Bold Knife and Fork." (MFK Fisher is a great favorite of mine.)

2 c or 1 lb package artichoke hearts (I used frozen, thawed)

1 scant cup craisins (recipe calls for black currants)

1 c dry white wine (I used cooking wine)

1/2 c vinaigrette

2 dashes tabasco (optional, did not use this time)

Rehydrate craisins in white wine and vinaigrette. Then mix all in small glass dish and cook gently, covered, until artichokes are tender, then let cool. Drain and chill, and then drain again before serving.

Pea and Mushroom Pilau

Another randomly-selected-recipe-for-Mother's-Day. I thought this pilaf, from the UK (hence 'pilau') cookbook "Best Ever Indian Cookbook" (Baljekar, Fernandez, Husain, and Kanani) was quite successful. 

2 1/4 c basmati rice

1 T oil

1/2 t cumin seeds

2 black cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 t salt

1 medium tomato, sliced

2/3 c white mushrooms

3/4 c peas

3 c water

Wash rice, soak for 30 min. Drain thoroughly.

Heat oil and add the spices, garlic, and salt. Add tomato and mushrooms, stir-fry 2-3 min. Add drained rice and peas. Stir gently, careful to not damage the rice. Add water, bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for 15-20 min. Remove lid and fluff.

Risotto con la Verza e il Parmigiano (Risotto with Savoy Cabbage and Parmesan)

 Mom asked me to randomly select recipes to make for mother's day, so I used a random number generator to choose 6 recipes (one for each of her kids). I liked three, which seems like a fairly high batting average. This is from Marcella Hazan's "Marcella's Italian Kitchen."

3 T chopped onion

1/2 c pancetta cut into very thin strips

1 T oil

4 T butter

1 lb cabbage, shredded very fine

salt

2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 5 c water of 1 c canned beef broth diluted with 4 c water

1 1/2 c arborio rice

1/2 c parmesan

black pepper (didn't use this time)

Put onion, pancetta, oil, and 3 T butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Turn eat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is light gold. Add shredded cabbage, a little salt, and turn with a wooden spoon a few times. Cover pot, and turn down the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the cabbage has become colored "a rich nut brown." (I foolishly didn't use the Savoy cabbage called for-- I think I used Napa-- and even after a really long time, I wouldn't call it a rich nut brown, but a sort of pale dead grass brown.) 

Bring the broth to a low simmer. Add the rice to the pot containing the cabbage, uncover, and raise heat to medium high. Stir the rice quickly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then add a ladleful of broth. Stir constantly, wiping away the rice from the bottom and side of the pot, until the broth has evaporated/absorbed. Add another ladleful, continue thus. When done, rice should be tender and toothsome and there should be enough broth that it is slightly runny. If you run out of broth before the rice is done, continue with water.

Add grated cheese and the remaining T of butter. Stir well and season. Serve immediately.

Retrenchment oatmeal cake.

 Adapted from cookingclassy.com

Cake

1 1/4 c boiling water

1 c (97 g) old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 c (113 g) butter, softened

1/2 c (105 g) packed light brown sugar

1/2 c (100 g) sugar

1 large egg

1 t vanilla

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/3 c (188 g) AP flour

Topping

1/4 c butter, melted

3 T milk

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 c (105 g) packed light brown sugar

1 c (85 g) sweetened shredded coconut

1/3 c chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Spray a 8x8 or 9x9 or 7x11 pan. Cover oats with boiling water and let cool. Whip butters and sugars until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and spices; then add soggy oatmeal. Mix dries, then mix dries into wets. Bake 30 min. Meanwhile, mix topping ingredients. When you take the cake out, pour the topping mix evenly over. Return to center rack and broil for a minute or so. (Watch it!) Cool for a bit.