Complete Fake-Out

I am not a vegetarian.  Oh, I'll admit that I once was - a very long time ago - for a very short time.  It had something to do with prepping raw chicken for 500 back in my catering days.  But eventually I succumbed again to the dark side, back to burgers, rib-eyes and that old favorite, bacon.

Several weeks ago we were working on that "cookbook I can't tell you about" and when the photo shoot was done, we gorged ourselves on wood-roasted fois gras with figs and beautifully grilled dry-aged steaks.  Pig heaven (well, more like goose and cow).  Thank goodness my (non-existent) scruples didn't get in the way of the fabulous-ness on that table!

Still, I can be content with just vegetables in front of me.  I can't think of any I don't like, and they are constant visitors to my dinner plate.  Particularly if they are roasted.  Did you know that roasted brussels sprouts are almost as good as french fries?  (In truth, they are just a vehicle for salt).  Roasted cauliflower is pretty awesome, too.  Or a whole head of cauliflower microwaved for 10 minutes then slathered all over with dijon mustard, topped with shredded sharp cheddar and nuked again for about a minute until the cheese melts.  That's what I made last night and I will admit to polishing off the leftovers for breakfast this morning. 

So I am never unhappy when invited to my vegetarian friend's house for dinner (Linda, you know who you are).  She is a great cook and she has taught me a few tricks, like her lentil loaf and vegetarian chili.

And that is what I want to share with you - Linda's Vegetarian Chili.  It's delicious, it's healthy and no one will ever know it's meatless, unless you tell them.  I made a big batch of it the other day (remember, it's autumn and I'm into that kind of cooking), served it to Henry and he didn't have a clue.  Guess I should have kept my mouth shut.

I like it served over rice with a dollop of sour cream.  In my nod to trying to become a skinny cook one of these days, I served it over brown rice (cooked with chicken stock, so much for my veggie efforts) with a spoonful of nonfat, local "Greek" yogurt.  Virtuous, yet delicious.

This recipe makes a lot, but do what I did:  eat it for dinner, save enough for a couple of lunches at home and freeze the rest.  You'll be glad you did when you drag it out on a cold winter's evening and can enjoy it without any real cooking that night.  A glass of decent red wine with it won't hurt, either.

LINDA'S VEGETARIAN CHILI

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
8 stalks celery, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3/4 lbs. mushrooms, rough chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon marjoram
2 12-oz. bags Morningstar Farms "meat" crumbles
1 12-oz. bottle of beer (I used Heineken), optional
Cooked brown rice and greek yogurt or sour cream for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onions and celery and saute until fragrant and vegetables start to soften.  Add red and green peppers and continue to cook until peppers start to soften.  At this point, it is a good idea to season well with salt and pepper.

Add mushrooms (portobellos or criminis are good for this dish as they are "meaty") and garlic; continue to cook for 5 minutes more or until mushrooms start to give off their juice.  Add tomatoes and kidney beans then season to taste with more salt and pepper, the red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, basil, oregano and marjoram.  When mixture starts to bubble, add the crumbles, cover the pot and lower the heat.  Simmer until chili thickens slightly and flavors start to meld, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently so chili doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pot. 

Add the beer, if using, and continue to cook, uncovered, until most of the alcohol evaporates, about 20 minutes.  Taste to adjust seasonings and serve in a large bowl over (brown) rice and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

 

Serves 12
Now don't turn up your nose at those Morningstar Farms "meat" crumbles.  They give this chili the right texture and just think of all the fat and calories you're saving!  You will find them in the freezer section of your grocery store.  If you just can't bring yourself to use them, you could always substitute ground bison for a low-fat meat version of this dish.  Your choice!

Since we are heading to Hugh Acheson's new restaurant in Atlanta tonight for dinner, I'm thinking my lunch today will be a nice bowl of this guilt-free chili!  I'll make up for it tonight, I'm sure!

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Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

  

    

Light and smell dominate the senses in Djemaa el Fna, the market square beneath the Khoutoubia Mosque, gateway to Marrakech's medina.  Flame throwers and snake charmers ply their trades beside food stalls rendering their exotic spiced smells to the skies.  Incandescent bulbs hung from wires across the stalls add to the yellow glow of the night.  People jostle and push, going for a meal or going for your pocket, beggars and backpackers in search of relief to their physical and emotional hunger.  So, to do the lovers next to the Trevi fountain in Rome search for their passion's desires, lit by the flowing water rushing, spraying, splashing.  Trivia, the Roman virgin, being the last thing on their mind.  Until, of course, they smell the artichoke, the eggplant, the meatballs.  

    

Yes, I said meatballs.  Did you hear a scratch in the record too?  Maybe the coin I threw into the Trevi fountain brings my memories back to there, as do the memories of wandering Moroccan medinas.  Maybe I don't think of meatballs when I think of these places I've visited, but I do think, and many times remember, through tastes and smells.  They say that those are the most powerful senses we possess.  Smelling cooking lamb, spices like cumin and coriander certainly gives me flashbacks to Morocco.  Simmering tomato sauce, rosemary, garlic and fennel conjure Italy's Mediterranean fare.  This recipe combines those flavors, those feels, those memories into lovely, lonesome, lust inspiring hunks of cheese filled meat.  Ok, I should stop there.  Let's just say these are good meatballs that made me think of my travels, a crucial element of why I cook.  Andrew Carmellini, of Urban Italian gives us this recipe.  He calls it the Middle East meets Little Italy.  I call it Marrakech meets Rome.  You can call it dinner tonight.

     

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tbsp rosemary, chopped

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/2 lb merguez sausage

1 lb ground lamb

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

     

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and soften for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook a minute further.  Add the coriander, fennel, rosemary and cook another minute to release the flavors in the herbs.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, then cover.  Divide the the goat cheese into 12 pieces, rolling in your hands to make round balls.  Remove the sausage shell casings and with your finger pull apart the sausages into small piecess.  Mix together the sausage, lamb, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and onion herb mixture.  Use your hands and fingers to mix fully the mixture.  Divide the mixture in half and then those halves themselves in half.  Divide each quarter into thirds and roll those thirds into rough balls.  Make an indentation in each ball with your thumb and insert a goat cheese ball inside.  Form the meat around the cheese and finish rolling the balls into a round shape.  Place the meatballs into the saute pan with the sauce and ensure the sauce is at a simmer, raising the heat if necessary and then lowering again.  Cover the meatballs and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn the meatballs and cook the other side, spooning the sauce on top, about 5 more minutes.  Ladle the meatballs into bowls, on pasta or rice if desired.