Recipes & Food-Related Ramblings
Kale is a polarizing green. Some despise it with every fiber of their being while others are almost evangelical in their enthusiasm for the plant. I am somewhere in between. I think there are a lot of leafy hearty greens that deserve our attention, so I don’t buy into the whole “kale is the ultimate fuel” mentality. Nor do I dismiss it as a fibrous, inedible mess. Kale, like most foods, has its time and its place. And today its place is in my Kale Caesar Salad with Marinated White Beans.
What you’re looking at looks pretty elegant, doesn’t it? Some might even call it ostentatious in this current climate. But what you’re actually looking at is a handful of pantry staples, the end of a yogurt container and a few egg yolks. This Tuna Tahchin with Green Lentils and Preserved Lemon is my pantry’s take on the classic Iranian dish – Tahchin. Tahchin is a sort of rice cake bound together by yogurt and eggs and seasoned with saffron. It can stay as simple as that and still be called a tahchin. But most versions include a layer of protein, most often chicken, in the center. I made it with tuna, lentils and preserved lemon because that’s what I have in my house right now.
This was supposed to be a dessert. It was supposed to be a festive and Easter-y treat… but also unleavened to acknowledge the Jewish half of this household. But as you can clearly see, this Bacon and Egg Fried Rice is not a dessert. I mean, unless you have a fairly loose definition of the term “dessert”. Very loose…and weird.
I wanted cassoulet the other day and that is essentially why this pot of Baked White Beans happened. Lately, memorable restaurant meals have been flitting before my eyes. I dream of the agnolotti from my favorite Italian haunt and revisit every slurp of ramen and sip of ice-cold beer I experienced at the izakaya down the street. But mostly, I am haunted by memories of the cassoulet from La Palette on Queen West here in Toronto. And it’s not just the dish itself, it’s the staff, the decor, everything I felt sitting at that handsome bar. But I won’t be sitting at that bar again anytime soon. And I somehow doubt there is Toulouse sausage within walking distance from my house.