A Heirloom Cholay For The Weekend

Weekend meals are always a slapdash affair, A quickly grilled burger or tepid takeout. A better choice is an easy but very flavorful Indian choley or chole.Again , the Food Flirts, Sheila and Marilynn Brass come to the rescue with a recipe from their Heirloom Cooking With The Sisters (St.Martin's Press). The original recipe is from their English friend, Katy. She learned how to cook this from her mother, Viru, who was an expert on Indian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 (19 oz.) can of chickpeas
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes (I used the diced one from Tuttorosa)
2 medium potatoes boiled. ( I cheated here and microwave  boiled them)
1 tablespoon butter softened to room temperature (I subbed in I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (again I veered off and used olive oil instead)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (if you can't find them, ground cumin works just as well)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry  powder
1/4 teaspoon red  chili powder
1 cup chopped onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon or lime  juice

Drain chickpeas in a colander and rinse with cold water.(i'm saving the aquafaba for meringues - stay tuned for that)

Drain tomatoes in colander, then cut in 1/2 inch dice (or you can buy already diced tomatoes as I did). Set aside in another bowl.

Peel and cut potatoes into one inch pieces and place in a third bowl( I left the skins on  - it's a matter of taste)

Melt butter with oil in saucepan over low heat.

Add cumin seeds. Turn up heat slightly and stir with a wooden spoon until cumin seeds sizzle.

Add garam masala, curry powder and chili  powder and stir to mix.

Add onions and garlic and continue cooking until softened 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in diced tomatoes.

Add chickpeas, potatoes and salt and cook , stirring until chickpeas and potatoes are heated through 4 to 5 minutes.Remove cholay to serving dish and let cool to room temperature.

Pour lemon or lime juice on top before serving.

As with any Brass sister recipe, this was a huge hit with everyone taking three helpings each. I didn't add the citrus juice. I felt it was just as tasty without it. The spices were a wonderful mix  that worked well with the veggies. The only thing missing was the Indian flatbread naan to wipe the bowls clean.

I will be making this classic a lot in the future . It was easy  and delicious - the perfect stew for any night of the week.

Recipe page 58 of  Heirloom  Cooking With The Brass Sisters (St Martin's Press)

In A Stew

One of the nicest aspects of cold weather is hearty cooking and eating. There's  nothing more satisfying than a homemade stew, chock full of meat and veggies.Add dumplings and it's a full meal. It's the best comfort food on a chilly day, warming from head to toe.

What is the best stew? That's up to the home chef making it along with individual tastes.Chicken stew is the most classic and has a nice, light flavor. Because of this , any combo of veggies pairs well with it. You can even use fresh or frozen ones. Since this is autumn, think about adding butternut squash .It's taking chicken breasts and cooking them with four cups of squash. Diced tomatoes are also thrown in to give color and a boost of flavor.Fall spices such as sage and thyme are also included, along with garlic and onion. That leftover Halloween pumpkin can be cut up and added to a chicken stew as well.Cooked pumpkin has a lovely creamy texture  and a sweetness that  compliments the bird. For a fancier take on this humble dish, try a coq au vin inspired one. This is an easy one,laced with red wine , garlic and a variety if different herbs. The last is one found in Gallic cooking, oregano,thyme and bay leaves. Top it with herbed dumplings laced with more thyme, chives and parsley. Can turkey be made into a stew? Yes! In fact, many of those Thanksgiving birds will be repurposed into tasty stews. Turkey stew can even be made in a skillet. It's just taking the meat cooking it with whatever veggies you want. You can even use leftover potatoes and yams.along with those herbs you used for the stuffing.

Many home chefs enjoy  making a good beef or lamb stew. This is the most traditional recipe. Meat lovers enjoy a good traditional beef one, chock full of flavor and texture. Where the meat comes from is crucial to creating a good stew. Remember to get cuts from the front shoulder or rear end, A chuck shoulder or a rump roast is a good choice. This also applies to lamb too. You could also try top chuck or eye round roast too. An old-fashioned beef stew has everything from sugar (!) to Worcester sauce.Spices are crucial. Stick with the traditional one such as allspice, ground cloves, along with paprika for color. Vegetables are also traditional too. Use celery, along with carrots and celery.Pork can be turned into stew as well. Melissa Clark gave a good recipe in her column A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.She puts  the spicy garam masala along with cinnamon and cumin, spices not normally connected with the dish,Cayenne is also added for heat, again, unusual for a stew.Another ingredient, also out of the ordinary for this dish, coconut milk is used for tying the entire dish together, She also tosses in chick peas and green peas for some creamy texture. Tomatoes, that stew staple are included to give it color and some acidity.Instead of dumplings , try warm naan with it instead for sopping up the gravy.

This is stew weather. Try a homey chicken one, or a spicy pork, loaded with curries. Anyone is a rib sticking one, warming  a happy eater from head to toe.