Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry

After an extended hiatus (only from the blog realm - I've still been in the kitchen), The EmT Plate is back with a recipe made just for cool fall evenings...pumpkin curry!

This recipe grew out of the need to use up some of the various gourds we've been getting in the CSA share this fall before another batch came in. It can be made with one or more varieties of pumpkin and/or winter squash - for the one I made, I used a pumpkin and a butternut squash, with some crookneck squash thrown in as well. If you are planning ahead, roast the squash the night before you make the curry - it will reduce cooking time for the curry overall.

Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry (~ 6 servings)
1-2 small to medium winter squashes (pumpkin, butternut, acorn, etc.)

Cut the squash(es) in half and roast on a large baking sheet, cut side up, at 400F for about 20 minutes. You should be able to pierce the flesh with a fork, but it will still be somewhat firm (and if it is really soft, just scoop it out and use it anyway!). Allow to cool, then peel and cut into ~ 1/2 - 1" chunks.

1 T. ghee or oil
1 T. Bengali five spices (panch-phoran)*
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 hot peppers (jalapeno, etc.), or to taste
1 T. ginger puree or minced fresh ginger
1 T. tumeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
salt and pepper, to taste
water, as needed
1 cup (~ 1/2 can) cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup almond milk

Heat ghee in a large pot over medium heat. When it melts, add Bengali five spices and allow to simmer for 30-60 seconds. Add diced onions, garlic, and hot peppers and cook about 2-3 minutes, until the onions just begin to turn clear. Add squash, ginger, tumeric, cumin, and coriander. Stir together and continue simmering, stirring regularly and adding water as needed, until squash is tender (and your kitchen smells like an Indian restaurant), about 20-30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and almond milk and continue simmering, about 5-10 minutes.

Serve over rice (for a Halloween-y look, over black rice, as shown below, or wild rice) - and top with mango chutney.

* If you can't find panch-phoran at your local supermarket or Indian grocery, you can make your own by mixing equal parts cumin, fennel, black mustard, kalonji, and fenugreek seeds.

काला चना का सूप (Kala Chana ka Soop - Black Chickpea Soup)

काला चना, or black chickpeas, are among my favorite legumes. They aren't available in cans here in the US, though - so if you cook with them, you will have to buy them dried and then soak and cook them - which means that cooking requires some extra planning and time. On the upside, many grocery stores (at least here in DC) are beginning to expand their Asian foods section - just yesterday I saw kala chana at Wegmans. If your local store doesn't carry black chickpeas, however, explore the nearest Indian grocery.

This recipe uses the black chickpeas as the basis for a soup broth. You won't need all of the chickpeas after cooking - the extras can be sprinkled on salads, processed into hommous, or eaten however else you'd like - or you can keep them as a part of the soup if you prefer.

As with my previous black chickpea recipe, this requires the use of a pressure cooker - if you don't have one, you'll need to increase the cooking time for step 1 to 1-2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.

काला चना का सूप (black chickpea soup) (~4-6 servings)
1 cup dried black chickpeas, washed in 3-4 changes of water
6-7 cups water
2 1" sticks of cinnamon
4 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed to break the skin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. ginger-garlic paste (store-bought or make your own by grinding together 1-2 cloves garlic and a quarter-sized piece of ginger)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 T. vegetable oil
1 quarter-sized piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 T. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (including stems), chopped

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Drain and place in pressure cooker with water, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and garlic-ginger paste. Secure lid and cook over high heat until high pressure is reached, then cook 3 minutes more. Remove from from heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own (approx. 20 minutes). Open the lid and check to see if beans are soft. [If beans are not soft, add additional water, cover, and bring to high pressure and cook another 1 minute.]

2. Transfer the mixture to a large cast iron pan or other large pot [if there is too much liquid, remove some and save it to add as liquid evaporates during cooking]. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Cook the ginger sticks (stirring frequently) until golden, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, and tumeric in quick succession and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomato and cilantro and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

4. Set a strainer or colander atop the pressure cooker pot and pour soup mixture through in order to separate out chickpeas. Remove and discard cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. In a food processor, combine tomato mixture and 1/2 - 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and process until smooth. Add this back to the soup, along with additional liquid and some whole chickpeas (~ 1/2 cup), if desired. Return soup to a low boil over medium heat and simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

5. Serve with fresh chapati/roti, or if you don't want to make fresh flatbreads, with crackers or a few slices of store-bought crusty french bread.

काला चना मसाला (Kala Chana Masala - Black Chickpea Masala)

While white chickpeas are fairly easy to find here in the United States, the black chickpeas used in this dish are harder to find - unless you go into an Indian grocery. काला चना (black chana) tends to be a bit firmer and nuttier than the white variety and I was very happy with how this dish turned out. This recipe requires the use of a pressure cooker - if you don't have one, change the cooking time in step 1 to approximately 2 hours.

काला चना मसाला (black chickpea masala)
1 1/2 cups dried black chickpeas, washed in 3-4 changes of water
5 cups water
3-4 T. chana masala spice mix
3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
4 scallions (white parts only), finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro (including stems), finely chopped
2 T. peanut oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 T. fresh ginger, minced (or paste)
1-3 fresh green chile peppers (e.g., serrano), split lengthwise or minced
1 T. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground paprika

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight (or at least 6 hours) in enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Drain and place in pressure cooker with 4 1/2 cups water and salt. Secure lid and cook over high heat until high pressure is reached, then cook 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Remove from from heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own (approx. 15 minutes). Open the lid and check to see if beans are soft. [If beans are not soft, add additional water, cover, and bring to high pressure and cook another 1 minutes - or cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.]

2. Transfer chickpeas and remaining water to a deep-sided saute pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until all of the water evaporates, about 40 minutes.

3. Mix in half of the chana masala spice mix, then add tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining spice mix over the top.

4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds. Quickly add the ginger and green chile peppers and cook 1 minutes. Mix in coriander and paprika and immediately pour over chickpea mixture in serving dish. Stir lightly and serve.

Pesto Hommous

I was in a pesto mood today [see my earlier post about pesto and pesto - vegetable lasagna], so for my next experiment in hommous-making, I tested out a hommous - pesto combination. Here's what I came up with...

Pesto Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 cup loosely-packed basil leaves
2 T. pine nuts
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable juice

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.

Spinach Hommous

Last week I traveled out to Oregon to visit my friend Melissa. The trip provided plenty of inspiration on the food front: reminding me how much I like fresh berries (see recent posts about some of the treats I've been whipping up after going berry picking upon my return) and finding some delicious spinach hommous at the grocery store that prompted me to whip up a batch of my own. Enjoy this spread with pita or spread it on a hearty whole wheat bread and top it with cheese and sliced veggies (cucumbers and tomatoes, for starters) for a yummy sandwich. Just don't take it to the beach, where you might find that the wind tries to add its own touch - a bit of gritty sand!

Spinach Hommous (~ 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). If the hommous is too thick, add some vegetable juice, about 1 T. at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Masala Hommous

With the heat of summer coming on, I like to trade in the warm soups of fall and winter for something cool in my lunch bag. Last week, I kicked off the season with gazpacho (see last year's recipe). This week, I've decided to bring in fresh vegetables (grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers, and baby carrots), mini pitas, and hommous. The varieties of hommous available at the grocery store appear to be endless, but I decided to try making my own this time around - and to add some Indian spice in the process. I also cut down on the oil and tahini, which add a lot of fat to hommous; in order to restore the moisture needed to achieve a creamy texture, I used low sodium vegetable juice.

Masala Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garam masala
dash cayenne pepper
up to 1/4 cup vegetable juice

1. Combine all ingredients except vegetable juice in a large bowl and lightly mash together.

2. Process in batches in a food processor. Add vegetable juice as needed to achive desired texture. [I found that processing in three batches, adding about 1 T. of vegetable juice to each batch, worked well. Experiment and see what works for you.]

3. Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.