Infinite State

Something about summer’s onset makes me want to clear out the things I’ve got in the kitchen so I can start fresh. Here’s a nice quick pilaf (aren’t they all?) with what I had on hand, including fresh, canned and frozen:

1. Put 2 tbsp olive oil in a pressure cooker on medium
2. Chop an onion and toss it in
3. Chop a poblano (remove the seeds of course) and toss it in
4. Saute a few minutes to soften
5. Add a cup of basmati rice, stir to coat
6. Add a can of chick peas, mostly drained
7. Add a package of frozen spinach (use organic)
8. Add 1.5 cups water and bullion (I used veggie)
9. Cover and bring to low pressure, cook 7 minutes, natural pressure release
10. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice
11. Grind in black pepper
12. Salt to taste

Serve with big dollops of yogurt. I had also fried up some little tomatoes with sherry vinegar and salt, almost caramelized, and I tossed some into my bowl and discovered they were a great tart and sweet addition to the flavors.

Mmmm… And 2 out of 3 kids loved it. The third said it was okay.

(Just realized I must have a chick pea and spinach thing going on — see previous post.)

Mmmm, came out well. Just an inspiration with spinach in one hand and a can of beans in the other. Make the sauce while the pasta water boils and you cook the pasta, total time about 15 minutes.

Slice up two cloves of garlic and toss them into a large pan with some olive oil. Add flakes of red pepper (I like Marash Turkish). Just to the point of garlic turning golden, then dump in the (partially drained) chick peas, and cut up roasted red pepper strips. Saute a little, then add some chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi from a carton), maybe a cup. A bit of veggie bullion for depth, and some Turkish spice blend from Penzey’s. Simmer the sauce to thicken it.

Dump in a big pile of the fresh-cooked pasta (.75 lb?) and add a good quantity of grated cheese (I used about .5 cup locatelli/parmesan mix), some fresh lemon juice and a generous amount of top-quality unfiltered olive oil for peppery kick, and top with toasted pine nuts.

Yumm. One of those dishes that gets better as it sits a little bit and the sauce soaks in. 2 of 3 kids dug it, and it has plenty of protein for vegetarians.

I’ve been carrying two cell phones for the past few months, and the truth is pretty overwhelming: Verizon’s coverage makes T-Mobile feel flimsy. I’ve been impressed at the way my VZ Blackberry phone picks up signal in the subway underground, where T-Mo is still flatlined.