Daily Archives: October 21, 2009

Lentil Curry

21 Wednesday Oct 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Farmers' Market, Lunch, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Lentil Curry

A quick and simple two-pot meal.  You can substitute the type and amount of vegetables, depending what you have on hand.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups dried lentils, washed
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 small potatoes, diced
  • 3 heaping tablespoons madras curry powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a small pot, cook lentils in water for 20 minutes until slightly softened.
  2. In a large pan, heat olive oil.  Add diced onions and peppers, and cook 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
  3. Add broccoli, potatoes, water, and madras curry powder.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Note: You may need to add more or less water depending on the vegetables you use.
  4. Add lentils and stir.  Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.
  5. Stir in milk and heat through (milk adds a nice richness, but you can omit if you would like).
  6. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. Serve over jasmine rice.
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(Mis)adventures with Quince – Quince Jam

21 Wednesday Oct 2009

Posted by in Breakfast, CSA, Farmers' Market, Lunch, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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QuinceDid you know that some historians believe that the apple, from the biblical story of Adam and Eve, might have actually been a Quince?  Did you even know what a quince was?

I had limited exposure to the fruit until today, having only been served a quince jam with some manchego cheese at a fancy tapas bar in Philadelphia.  I remember it having a unique, but pleasant taste.  I certainly didn’t know what it looked like in it’s natural state, which got me into a funny situation today.

The quince, as you can see in the photo above, resembles a pear.  When I got the CSA on Saturday, that’s what I assumed the green fruit was.  I packed it in my lunch today, and around 4:30 took it out as a late afternoon snack.  One bite told me something wasn’t quite right.  At first I thought it was not ripe, as it was extremely hard and bitter.  After another bite on the other side, I went to find Kim.

“I think you need to cook it,” she told me, taking one look at the hard fruit and the look of disgust on my face.  I coaxed her and another colleague into sampling a small piece, but no one could identify the taste – a mix of sour pear/pineapple/sour apple.  It was certainly not something we were accustomed to.

I finally decided to email the farm, and within minutes I got back a reply:

“John -It is a quince!!! and not to eat!! but to make jams with!”

On my walk home, I sheepishly Googled “Raw Quince Stomach Ache” from my phone and held my breath as the page loaded.  It turns out it’s OK to eat, it just doesn’t taste very good.

I saved the rest of the quince after our taste test, and decided to follow our farmer’s advice and make jam.  It was really easy, and the final product was much better than the raw stuff.

Quince Jam

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 quince
  • 5 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
  • Water

Optional:

  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Peel quince and cut into chunks.
  2. Place fruit in a small sauce pot.  Add sugar, and fill with water just until the water reaches the top of the fruit.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  4. Cook until fruit becomes soft and the mixture resembles applesauce.
  5. Remove from heat and cool.
  6. Stir in vanilla and cardamom, if desired.

The resulting jam was delicious.  A nice texture and familiar taste with exotic, lingering undertones.  I didn’t add the vanilla or cardamom, because I wanted to taste the essence of the fruit, but it made quite a bit so I may add it to half of the batch.

Quince Jam