Chicken in Guaje Sauce

This Guaje (gwa-hay) sauce is inspired by Rick Bayless's recipe Pollo Asado en Guasmole. The Guasmole (huaxmole) sauce is a tomato-based sauce with toasted ground guaje (or huaje). I found guaje at a Mexican market nearby; also, I usually stock up on ancho-pasilla chilies and sun-dried tomatoes anyway, so, I had enough ingredients handy to make this dish.

Guajes or huajes are the flat, green pods of an acacia tree. The pods are sometimes light green or deep red in color -- both taste the same. Guaje seeds are about the size of a small lima bean and are eaten raw with guacamole, sometimes cooked and made into a sauce. They can also be made into fritters. The ground seeds are used to impart a slightly garlicky flavor to a mole called guaxmole (huaxmole). The dried seeds may be toasted and salted and eaten as a snack referred to as "cacalas". Purchase whole long pods fresh or dried at Mexican specialty markets.
-- from Gourmet Sleuth

Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 cups broth or water
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
cilantro and spring onions for garnish

For the Guaje Sauce aka Guasmole (huaxmole):
1 cup canned tomatoes
2-4 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 dry ancho-pasilla chillies
4-6 dry red chilies
4 garlic cloves
½ cup guaje seeds, lightly toasted


Preparation

1. Sauce: Soak the sun-dried tomatoes and the ancho-pasilla chilies in just enough hot water to immerse them; allow to reconstitute for about 5 minutes; then combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a fine paste
2. Use about one-third (or just enough) of the sauce to marinate the chicken chunks for about ½ to 1 hour
3. Heat oil in a pan sauté the tomato paste till dark red and aromatic, add the chicken pieces and sauté to brown the outsides, then add the sauce and broth and cover and cook for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat, checking to make sure there is enough liquid; cook the sauce to desired thickness
4. Stir in the brown sugar and adjust salt to taste
5. Garnish with cilantro and chopped spring onions

Mushroom Stroganoff

This Russian-inspired mushroom stew is adapted from Paul Gayler's recipe in Ultimate Vegetarian cookbook. Since I am partial to fusion cuisine I used sake in this recipe as I had it handy and was in the mood for experimenting, but, any dry white wine can be used instead.

Also, since I don't eat beef, this is just a vegetarian version featuring mushrooms as the primary ingredient.

Serve it with rice or noodles or even rotis, or enjoy it by itself. I like it with quinoa.

Ingredients
4-6 cups sliced mixed wild mushrooms
¼ cup sake or dry white wine
1 medium red onion diced finely
1 small gherkin, finely chopped or sliced (optional)
1 cup canned evaporated milk -or- heavy cream
½ cup vegetable stock
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
chopped spring onions for garnish

Preparation

1. Dredge the mushrooms in half the paprika, sprinkle some salt and toss it around till well coated
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mushrooms, sauté for a few minutes, remove from pan; then add the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes over medium high heat, add the stock and wine and bring to a boil
3. Stir in the evaporated milk or heavy cream, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer till sauce reduces by half and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon
4. Add the mushrooms back, the gherkins and mustard if using, the remaining paprika and lemon juice, stir well, season to taste; garnish with spring onions

Cauliflower & Spinach Yogurt Soup

This cauliflower and spinach dish can be served as a slightly thin but chunky soup or as a fairly thick curry with coconut-rice or naan. What I like about this version is the splash of yogurt to add some creaminess in the end.

Bell peppers, carrots, even potatoes are a great way to make this soup hearty, if preferred.

Ingredients
½ cup cooked/canned) garbanzo beans*
2-3 cups cauliflower florets
2-4 cups baby spinach leaves, cleaned
6 cups vegetable stock**
1 small yellow onion diced finely
4-6 garlic cloves, minced finely
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
chopped spring onion for garnish
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
* 1 cup if making into a thick curry, reserve half of it for thickening
** or bullion cubes dissolved in water per package directions


Preparation

1. Heat the canola oil in a pot, add the onions, ginger, garlic and sauté till aromatic and onion gets translucent
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except yogurt, stir well, cover and cook till cauliflower is done but nor mushy; adjust salt to taste
3. If serving as a thick curry, puree or mash the reserved garbanzo beans and cook till thickened to desired consistency
4. Beat the yogurt till slightly creamy, keep handy
5. Before serving, stir in some yogurt to desired proportion (I like a generous ½ cup of yogurt per 2½ cups of soup) and garnish with chopped spring onions

Collard Greens with Cannelloni beans

When cooked through well, collard greens lose their bitterness and somehow still manage to feel crunchy - one of the reasons it is a favorite with me to make dals/koottus or bite-sized wraps like dolmas. That, and of course, the nutritional value it has when cooked.

This is a very simple recipe with collard greens and cannelloni beans, sautéed with some ginger, garlic, onion, tomatoes and flavored mildly with ground cumin and coriander.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 medium tomato diced -or- ½ cup canned tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger root
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
½ Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil
water or vegetable stock as needed

4-6 cups chopped collard greens
1 cup cooked (or canned) Cannelloni beans

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pot, sauté the onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin and coriander; then add the tomatoes and sauté a bit more
2. Add the chopped collard greens, 4 cups of water or stock, cover and simmer, checking often to make sure there is adequate water (I like this dish fairly dry to eat as a side, but, if having it with rice as a meal, it can have more liquid)
3. When collard green is almost done, add the cannelloni beans, cover and simmer till done; adjust salt to taste
4. I like to add a bit brown sugar to bring out the flavors in the end

Ratatouille Niçoise

As most wonderful cook books often note: In the early days, this traditional Provençal dish was an unassuming meal for the farmers, made with fresh summer vegetables, mainly courgettes (zucchini), onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and some herbs de Provençe.

Though not quite the conventional Niçoise recipe of stewed vegetables, originating (as the name implies) in Nice, this version of ratatouille was inspired by Paul Gayler's Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook. As always, I took some epicurean-license with Paul Gayler's recipe here to adjust to my taste.

I try to make a version of this during summers with vegetables from our garden, but, what with it still snowing and rather gloomy, I decided to make it anyway as a hearty winter night stew.

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium Japanese/Chinese eggplant, diced fairly large
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 red and/or green peppers, chopped to bite-size
6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed
3-4 medium tomatoes -or- 1 14oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 Tbsp herbs de provençe
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup chopped spring onions
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp paprika
¼ cup dry white wine** (optional)
2-4 Tbsp olive oil
** I use local Pinot Gris (made in Oregon), but low-end Sauvignon Blanc is good too

Preparation

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan, add the zucchini a pinch of salt and paprika and toss around till browned on the outside and cooked a bit; remove from pan, keep aside
2. Heat a little more olive oil in the same pan, add the eggplant and bell peppers, a pinch of salt and paprika and cook till mostly done; remove from pan, keep aside
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of the remaining oil in the same pan, sauté the onions, garlic and tomato paste till aromatic and the tomato paste turns deep red and cooks through
4. Add the stewed tomatoes, toss in the zucchini, eggplant and peppers, salt to taste, cover and simmer to desired consistency (I prefer it fairly dry, not soggy) adding water or vegetable stock as needed
5. Add the white wine, if using, stir in herbs de provençe and simmer a few minutes more
6. Garnish with chopped or torn basil leaves and/or spring onions
7. Optionally, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and add the basil leaves, toss around till aromatic and drizzle over the ratatouille before serving