January 2014

I first ate a whole tandoori cauliflower many years ago at an Indian restaurant back in Toronto. I clearly remember the server setting the giant platter down on our table, a big, auburn vegetable head in the center surrounded by pickled onions, herbs and chutneys. There was almost something majestic about how it was presented, and it made us all feel like royalty.

One thing I love about being in America are the amazing sandwiches you can get just about anywhere. On our California honeymoon I ate my fair share, and although Kauai seems rather far away from the mainland, there are health food stores selling amazing things between two slices of bread all over this island. Hoorah!

It wasn’t until I went for lunch at a friend’s place a couple weeks ago that my life changed. When I walked into her apartment I could smell it. Something malty and definitely baked, toasty, nutty…when I rounded the corner to her kitchen, there it was. A very beautiful loaf of bread, pretty as a picture, studded with sunflower seeds, chia and almonds, golden around the corners and begging me to slice into it.

The curried vegetables will heat quickly in a skillet, then drop a few eggs in little wells in the vegetables until the whites just set. The dish is reminiscent of Middle Eastern shakshuka. Use toasted naan to scoop up sauce and golden runny yolks.

On a blustery evening, a pot full of well-seasoned vegetables is a satisfying meal. This saucy curry includes chunks of potato, squash, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans, with a handful of chickpeas. What makes the dish delectable are the aromatics — onion, garlic, ginger, chile pepper, and plenty of warm spices. Yes, you can easily reach for a jar of curry powder, but the stew will taste fresher and brighter if you mix coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon to create a blend of your own. Heat the spices in oil so the flavors toast and mellow.

Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, typically take less than 20 minutes to cook and have a dreamy texture. If you want to use canned chickpeas in this recipe, use two cans (about 16 ounces each). In the Andalucia region of Spain, writes Jeff Koehler in the book “Spain: Recipes and Traditions From the Verdant Hills of the Basque Country to the Coastal Waters of Andalucia,” spinach and stewed garbanzo beans (as they’re called there), are popular tapas fare. Traditionally, crusty bread is pounded with toasted garlic to make a paste, which is stirred into the dish.

Millet, a tiny gluten-free seed, originated in China and therefore lends itself nicely to Chinese flavors and preparations. Millet is often cooked one of two ways: with lots of liquid and a longer cooking time to create a porridge-like consistency or with less liquid and a shorter cooking time for a lighter dish similar to quinoa or couscous. Here, use millet in place of rice to make the Chinese-American staple. Use leftover millet or cook it fresh (and take care not to overcook) and use it the same day.

Cook the brown rice and quinoa separately (they’ll keep their integrity that way). Then stir in sauteed mushrooms and plenty of parsley. All three components can be cooked in advance and reheated together in a low oven.