The New Economy Chapbook Cookbook Vol 1

c. 2016-2017 our hope with this cookbook is that you will not only use it but also share and circulate it in the spirit of the new economy. those involved with the project will be printing and selling copies with all proceeds going towards food justice/access and anti-poverty organizations; we ask only that if you do choose to reproduce and sell the book, that you do the same.

THANK YOU!

Coordinated by Gabrielle Calvacoressi with Melissa Studdard Design and Layout by Lynne DeSilva-Johnson

The New Economy Chapbook Cookbook Vol. 1 Inexpensive, Healthy, Hopeful Feasts for 2017

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ON OUR TABLE

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Gabrielle Calvocoressi: Shakshuka 11 Tiana Nobile: My Grandma’s Meatballs 13 Kate Angus: Cabbage With Apples And Onions 16 Amy Maclennan: Auntie Ol's Quiche Casserole 17 Beth Copeland: Black Dog Café’s Vegetarian Black Beans 18 Sandy Solomon: Chicken With Tarragon 20 Alissa Whelan: Lissy’s Veggie Eggrolls 22 Laura Smith: Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew 24 Kelly Cressio-Moeller: Oven Baked Drumsticks 26 Melissa Stein: Chicken With Saffron Rice 27 Beef, Leek And Barley Soup 29 Chicken And Dumplings With Leeks And Tarragon 30 Alice Anderson: Grammy Alice’s Icelandic Meatballs And Country Gravy 32 Joe Pan: 4-Bean 3-Meat 2-Option Tailgate Chili For Crowds 34 Dean Bakopoulos: Db’s Vegan Chili 36

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Michelle Bitting: Pozole Rojo 38 Yu-Han Chao: Fresh Apple Cookies 40 Cassandra Cleghorn: Recipe Medley!

Avocado/Grapefruit/Coconut Salad Simplest Blueberries With Coconut 41 Terri Leker: Jewish Potato Stuffing!

43 Altha Cravey: Pozole (Vegetarian) 45 Salmon Patties 46 Lucia Cowles: Hearty Lentil Soup (Beth’s Version) 47 Erika Meitner: Heartwood Xing Bean Bowls And Some Other Ideas 49 Jill Mcdonough: Some Things To Do With A Chicken And Whatever Vegetables You Have Around 52 Nicky Beer: Masala Dal 60 Laura Hoopes: Zucchini Squash Frittata 62 Lynne DeSilva-Johnson: Multi-Day, Multi-Meal Batch-Cook,Seasonal Roasted Veggie Money&Life-Saver Strategies 64 Stacey Harwood And Nin Andrews: Stacey’s (Quick and Cheap) Mussels 74 Justin “Papa” Bigos: Pasta E Ceci 75 Sean Singer: Linguine With Garlic And Oil 77

Lee Ann Dalton: Pasta E Ceci 78 Carla Bruni: This Pizza Should Be Illegal 79 Rose Auslander: Zucchini Pasta 82 Rose Auslander: Double Hope Potatoes 83 Annie Finch: Magic Leftover Energy Salad 84 Danielle Barnhart: Grandma Babe’s Vegetable Soup 85 Anna Lena Phillips Bell: A Cheering Soup 87 Jennifer Sperry Steinorth: No-Time Spicy Noodle Soup 89 Jennifer Jean: Simple Banh Pho Soup 90 Irene Svete: Make Your Own Vegetable Stock 91 Melissa Studdard: Melissa’s Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup 93 Melissa Studdard: Quinoa, White Bean And Kale Stew 95 Eve Linn: The Soup That Stretches 96 Paul Otremba: Pork And Squash Stew 98 Kaveh Akbar: Vegan Fesenjan 101 Stephanie Adams-Santos: Sopa De Tortilla Con Ajo (Porridge Of Tortilla And Garlic) 103

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Come Eat It’s cold but cozy in the house as I write this. Last night was the winter solstice for 2016. It’s worth it to mark the year. In part because this marks the first of what I hope are many years of The New Economy Chapbook Cookbook. But, more importantly, because I think this year will go down as one of the hardest and darkest in recent memory for so many of us, even those who think in this moment that they’ve won whatever it is they think they’ve won. This has been a year of too many senseless deaths. Too many inches of the Arctic melting away. So many liberties being withheld from so many. So many people without work. So many people starving or making tough choices and sacrifices in the name of not starving.

It’s enough to make a person lose their appetite.

And yet. Most of us want a table to sit at. A meal to sit down to. In October of this year I realized my partner and I were likely in for a fairly tough year economically. I have a real terror about not being able to afford to eat. I think many people do. So, I went on Facebook and I asked if folks would share some delicious and inexpensive recipes that get them through the tough times and also feel like feasts. I also thought that perhaps if anyone wrote back we could compile the recipes and turn them into a chapbook cookbook that we could “sell” for $2 donation receipts to organizations that fight food insecurity.

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I could not have imagined sitting here now with a document of over 100 pages in front of me. Stews, and soups, and egg rolls, and chili, and chili, and chili, and so many other marvelous feasts.

People took pictures. People drew! It also happens that most of these recipes are contributed by writers and activists, something that gives me such pleasure. Every single person who sent recipes in has contributed to a vision of a New Economy where we feed each

other and help out without the need for profit. There are no bios in this book, though I do hope you will look folks up. Everyone here is a shining light worth knowing.

I am so deeply grateful to all the cooks and especially to Melissa Studdard who helped me every step of the way with this project.

A few notes: this is done in the spirit of a zine and it’s done by me who is hopeless (but learning!) at most high tech stuff. Any and all formatting errors are all me. There shouldn’t be any errors in the recipes and, at the same time, these are home cooks and I’ve told them to just let us know how they do it. If you find another method works better for you, go for it!

This cookbook isn’t divided into sections. Just roam around. You may find a dessert next to a chicken. Story of my life!

And if you decide you like this cookbook and would like to contribute next year, find me on Facebook. I’m going to get started earlier!

It’s my great hope The New Economy Chapbook Cookbook will help you eat cheaply and deeply. Feel free to make copies and give to friends or pantries or you name it. I think we’re all going to have to take care of each other in the coming years. It’s always been that way but even more so right now.

You always have a place at this table.

May all sentient beings be free from suffering. May all sentient beings have food to eat.

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Gabrielle Calvocoressi December 22, 2016

Gabrielle Calvocoressi: Shakshuka There are a billion ways to do this wonderful dish. And it is truly cheap and can be made on a night when you are getting home late from work or on a night when you want to have a dinner party that feels elegant on a tiny budget. This year we ate it the night before Thanksgiving with dear friends. Their three year-old loved it as much as we all did.

I’m using Melissa Clark’s Shakshuka with Feta Recipe from the New York Times. But honestly, you can just riff on this. If I have a red sauce in the fridge (even, gasp, canned) I’ll use it for shakshuka. I love to put a little olive tapenade in the tomatoes. I LOVE to put preserved lemons in the mix.

Personally, I’d drop dead before I put a bell pepper in mine. You cannot go wrong. And if you don’t like a really wet yolk, don’t let anyone push you around. This recipe is great with a yolk as hard as rock. Innovate!

Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (I will say that I never do this) 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon sweet paprika ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped ¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups) 6 large eggs Chopped cilantro, for serving Hot sauce, for serving Note From GC: I put in a little dried oregano if I have it. And every season invites the opportunity for different herbs.

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I will also say that you can bake this in the oven but it works just as well on the stovetop. You can cover the pan in the last few minutes if you want to speed things along a bit without drying the dish out. Most days I cook on the stovetop.

Preparation Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in crumbled feta.

Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

I serve with a big loaf of bread and a salad If you don’t finish the shakshuka it makes a wonderful sandwich the next day. Kind of like an eggplant parm from the pizza place!

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This is my photo of my version:

Tiana Nobile: My Grandma’s Meatballs I was raised on these meatballs, and literally no one else’s (my mother’s, my aunts’, any fancy restaurant’s) ever came close. My grandmother gave me this recipe a few years back, and it was only recently that I felt the courage to take it on. I’ll proudly admit that mine are pretty darn good ;). My grandma passed away this year at 93 years old, and the idea of making this recipe public might have her turning in her grave, but they’re so delicious and a batch will feed you for days! (spaghetti and meatballs, meatball sandwiches, meatball banh mi, italian wedding soup, casseroles, etc etc etc) (This recipe can also easily be halved and still produce a substantial number of meatballs. A half batch will serve 4-6 people.) meatball: 3 pounds ground beef 3 eggs 1/2 cup pecorino romano 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 cup italian style bread crumbs 1/4 cup water salt and pepper red sauce: olive oil 3-4 28 oz. cans of tomatoes (diced if you like it a little chunky, crushed if you like it smoother) as many cloves as you want of garlic, minced (I generally do 4-7, depending on the size. I love garlic) 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper

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Sauce 1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped onion until they are soft and slightly translucent but not brown. Add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, stir in parsley, salt and pepper.

2. Pour in cans of tomato sauce and stir. Add seasoning (oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper). Bring to a boil, then simmer.

Meatball 1. Beat eggs in a separate bowl.

2. Combine all the ingredients and mix with your hands.

3. With your hands, roll the meat into balls 1-1.5 inches in diameter.

4. Place meatballs into sauce to cook.

5. Cover the pot and stir intermittently.

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Meatballs that are about 1 inch in diameter should be done cooking in the simmering sauce in 30-45 minutes. Meatballs that are wider will obviously take longer, but this is best made when you plan to spend a few hours at home. I generally let them sit for 2-4 hours; the longer they sit in the sauce, the better! Also, as they’re simmering, continue adding salt/pepper/oregano/etc. to taste.

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Kate Angus: Cabbage With Apples and Onions I practically lived off this when times have been tightest (college student, stretch of unemployment after 9/11 when film production in NYC was down and I'd been working as an Art Dept PA, and also in grad school when I was cobbling together a teaching fellowship and private ESL tutoring). It's really simple, vegetarian, gluten-free, and easy.

Ingredients: 1 tbs olive oil or vegetable oil. Or butter, butter also works.

1 large onion, sliced 1 large apple or 2 smaller apples, sliced 1/2 cabbage, shredded. I prefer purple cabbage for this, but any type of cabbage is fine 1 tbs vinegar--balsamic will make it sweeter, but I use apple cider vinegar just to be monogamous with the apple in the recipe 1 tsp caraway seeds--totally optional! salt and pepper to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced--this is also optional. Most recipes I've seen for this dish don't call for garlic but I believe garlic improves pretty much everything.

Instructions: 1. Heat large skillet over medium heat and add oil or butter 2. Add garlic, cook briefly (30 secs to maybe a minute) 3. Add onion and apple, cook and stir until onions are softened and translucent and apples are soft. Stir as needed. You could probably just combine steps 2 and 3 but I like to give the garlic its own brief moment in the pan first.

4. Add cabbage and cook another 5 minutes or so, until it is also softened.

Stir as needed.

5. Drizzle with vinegar and cook another few minutes until the vinegar has reduced and everything is soft and thoroughly cooked. Stir as needed.

6. Season with caraway seeds if using them, and salt and pepper to taste.

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I like to eat this with a hunk of bread slathered in mustard. I've also ladled it over barley or farro. But it is substantial enough that you can eat it without any accompaniment.

Amy MacLennan: Auntie Ol's Quiche Casserole 1 chopped onion 1 cup grated zucchini 1 cup grated carrot 1 cup broccoli florets 1 cup flour 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese 5 eggs 6 cloves of chopped/minced garlic a medium/heavy sprinkling of cayenne and salt to taste Preheat over to 350ยบ. Grease casserole dish with olive oil or garlic infused olive oil. Combine ingredients except broccoli. Put in ingredient mixture to 1/2 inch in casserole dish. Add broccoli. Add rest of ingredient mixture. Grate cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

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Beth Copeland: Black Dog CafÉ’s Vegetarian Black Beans Bag of dry black beans (about 2 ½ cups) 4 cups water 1 medium onion, chopped 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped 3 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (you can use two bell peppers instead) 3 T vegetable oil 1 medium tomato chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes 1 jalapeno pepper, diced ¼ cup ketchup 1 T salt 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon cayenne powder ¼ cup dry sherry 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce Place beans in a large covered pot. Cover with water. Allow beans to soak overnight.

The next day bring to rapid boil and cook until tender, about three hours, stirring frequently. Add water as necessary, keeping fluid level as close to 4 cups as possible. Reduce to simmer.

Sauté onion, garlic, and celery (or green pepper) in oil until onions are tender.

Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly in sauté pan.

Add to beans.

Simmer for an additional 2—30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

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Serve over rice. To make it thinner and serve as soup, add more water.

Note: This makes a lot, so I freeze two-thirds of this recipe in containers

to thaw and use later. It tastes great on a cold winter day.

My mother, Louise Tadlock Copeland, gave me this recipe. It’s inexpensive, nutritious, and hearty. You can use canned beans, but dried beans taste better and are more economical. I have no idea where my mother found this recipe or where Black Dog CafÊ is (I found several with a Google search). Every time I prepare this meal, I think of her. She devoted her life to helping others and would be happy to know that this recipe was included in a book to benefit low-income people.

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Sandy Solomon: Chicken with Tarragon I make this recipe by instinct at this point, but I think I first got it from the New York Times Cook Book, edited by Craig Claiborne. Great vehicle for fresh tarragon from the garden or you can make the recipe with dried tarragon other times of the year. Simple format: chicken plus onions or shallots and mushrooms in a white (wine) sauce with some tarragon.

Good as a stand-alone entrée with a couple of vegetables or as a topping for pasta (in which case cut the chicken into smaller bits and keep the sauce thicker). If I don’t have wine or cream or chicken broth, I just use milk; that would certainly be a less costly version, which is the first version below. If you want to save a bit of money, use chicken thighs.

3 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned, halved 7 tablespoons of flour 7 tablespoons of butter 1 onion chopped or a couple shallots chopped a handful of mushrooms sliced (as my grandmother said, “some”) 2 cups of milk salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon

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Dredge the chicken in 3 tablespoons of flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a frying pan or other wide-mouthed pan, brown the chicken in 3 tablespoons of butter. Set aside on a platter.

Sauté the onion/shallots until they’re mostly cooked; then add the mushrooms briefly.

Move the onion/shallot and mushroom mixture to the plate with the chicken.

Make a white sauce in the same pan by first melting 4 tablespoons of butter on moderate heat. Don’t let the butter brown.

Add 4 tablespoons of flour and stir or whisk until completely mixed with the butter. Let the flour cook on low heat for about five minutes. Stir constantly. This manoeuver takes away the raw taste of flour.

Add warmed milk while stirring.

Add the tarragon, the chicken, and the onion/shallot and mushroom mixture. Cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is done. Add extra liquid occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking. I usually pour in some white wine at this point. You could add chicken broth. Or you could just

add more milk or some water. Depends on what you’ve got in your

kitchen that day.

Season to taste and serve.

Serves 4 to 6 OR (version of the original recipe) 3 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned, halved ¼ cup flour ¼ cup butter 1 onion chopped or a couple shallots chopped a handful of mushrooms sliced (some mushroom ¼ cup of dry white wine ¼ cup of chicken broth ¼ cup of cream salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon

Dredge the chicken in flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Save the rest of the flour.

Brown the chicken in 3 tablespoons of butter. Set aside on a platter.

Sauté the onion/shallots until they’re mostly cooked; then add the mushrooms briefly. Add the wine.

Cook over high heat until liquid has nearly evaporated while scraping all particles lose.

Add the rest of the flour and stir to make a paste. Add the chicken broth and the tarragon.

Move the chicken back to the pan. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes.

Move the chicken to a platter. Keep warm.

Add the remaining butter and cream to the pan and heat gradually, stirring. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

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Alissa Whelan: Lissy’s Veggie Eggrolls Super fun for dinner or a potluck!

Ingredients: 1 package of Eggroll Wrappers 1 Bag of Cole Slaw Mix OR 1 Head of Cabbage and 1 Carrot, shredded 1 8 oz. Jar of Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms*, drained and rinsed 2 Medium Avocados, peeled and cubed 1 tsp. Ginger, grated 2-3 Tbsp. of Sauté Oil of choice (Olive, Canola, Sesame, Ghee, etc.…)

Canola Oil (for frying) 2-3 Tbsp. (to taste) Soy Sauce Sweet Chile Sauce or Duck Sauce Cooking Directions: Heat Olive Oil in pan Once pan is hot, add Ginger, Sauté for 30 seconds Add Cabbage and Carrots, Sauté until cooked down, approximately 5 minutes Add Soy Sauce and stir into mixture Add Shiitakes and Avocado, Sauté for another minute Remove mixture from pan, and drain off excess liquid Follow Diagram to fill and wrap Eggrolls with mixture until gone ** Heat about an inch of canola oil in Frying pan (or you can use a deep fryer)

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Once oil is super hot, (You can test by splashing a couple of drops of water, if they sizzle and pop, then you are ready to add egg rolls, but stand back when doing the water test so you don’t burn your face!) add egg rolls to the pan, but do not overcrowd. Use tongs to flip if necessary. Egg Rolls are done when they are a nice golden brown. Use tongs to remove

egg rolls when done and let them cool on a rack.

Pair with dipping sauce of choice. (Sweet Chile Sauce is my preference.) *Jarred Shiitakes can be found in most grocery stores. If you choose to substitute for fresh shiitake mushrooms, be sure to fry them separately to remove excess moisture and then add to sautĂŠ pan after the cabbage mixture has been cooked down **Rolling the Egg Rolls takes a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it down, it gets easier)

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Laura Smith: Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew My tightest year ever was 1998, working for AmeriCorps in Philly and living in my first one-room apartment, before I learned the greater resourcefulness of living in big houses with many housemates. When it was too cold to go out and walk the city, I spent evenings eating ginger snaps baked from scratch and feeling sated by space and spice and new independence--a kind of multi-dimensional deliciousness that put some temporary give in the insecurities and discomforts of living off little. Later, waiting tables during in grad school in Austin, the same flavors were in the Chori Chole we frequently had for employee meals at the restaurant. For me, ginger and cumin and cinnamon and pepper are the flavor of great celebration in tight circumstance. This recipe from Food Network is my current favorite version.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, diced 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cumin 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (or whatever paprika you have) 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes 3 15-oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked and rinsed 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth (I use veggie) 1 teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach (or not, if you don’t have any)

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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar. Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so

the chickpeas are just covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes. Add about 30 minutes cooking time if starting with presoaked, dried beans.

Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. (This is way easier with an immersion blender.) Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

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Kelly Cressio-Moeller: Oven Baked Drumsticks Heat oven to 425 degrees F -1/2 cup all-purpose flour -1 tsp. salt (optional) -1/4 tsp. garlic powder -1/2 tsp. paprika -1/4 tsp. pepper -1/4 cup butter, melted -6 chicken drumsticks (12 work well in a 9 x 13 pan, double ingredients above) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mix flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a bowl. Dip chicken drumsticks into butter; roll in flour mixture to coat. Arrange in an ungreased or foil-lined square pan, 8x8x2 Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, about 50 minutes.

Yields 6 drumsticks

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When times are challenging to feed our family of four, I make chicken drumsticks as they are one of the most affordable meat protein options. I buy free-range, organic and am still saving in comparison to other meat cuts. I serve these with a combination of sides: brown rice, beans, scrambled eggs, quinoa, barley, green salad, or vegetables in season or on sale.

I cook the drumsticks with the skin on so they remain tender, but after cooking I save the skin to make a broth to be used for a soup later in the week. This recipe is especially useful in the fall and winter months as the higher temperature oven warms the kitchen, too. Enjoy and wishing you healthy eating! (recipe from Cooks.com)

Melissa Stein: Chicken with Saffron Rice Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chicken-with-saffron-rice.html Prep Time: 35 minutes Cook Time: 85 minutes Servings: 6–8 This is our version of arroz con pollo, the traditional Spanish dish of chicken and rice that is seasoned with saffron. The ingredients are simmered together to enhance the flavors, creating the perfect one-pot meal.

Ingredients: 3 1/2 lb. chicken thighs and drumsticks Salt, to taste, plus 1 1/4 tsp.

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 yellow onion, finely diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 1/4 tsp. crumbled saffron (Trader Joe’s has a good price) 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 5 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup dry sherry 2 1/4 cups chicken broth 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices 3 cups medium-grain rice (also called Calrose) 3/4 cup green olives, pitted and halved (green olives with pimentos work fine) 1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions: Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Discard the fat in the pot, then wipe out the pot with paper towels. /// 27 ///

In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil.

Add the onion, bell pepper, saffron and red pepper flakes and cook, stir-

ring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the sherry and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, broth, tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in the rice, 1-1/4 tsp. salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Add olives and stir pot, then cook for 15 more minutes.

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Remove the pot from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Beef, Leek and Barley Soup Adapted from Smitten Kitchen: https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/beef-leek-and-barley-soup/ 1. Trim two big, meaty short ribs and put them on the bottom of your soup pot.

2. Add three big cloves of garlic chopped up, two chopped onions, and three medium leeks cut lengthwise and then into segments—use both the white and the green parts. Grind in a little black pepper. (You can salt-and-pepper and sear the meat first, if you like, then briefly sauté the garlic, onions, and leeks in the caramelized juice to add a richer flavor.)

3. Add about eight cups of filtered water or beef stock (the soup will taste better with beef stock, or use water plus bouillon cubes/powder/liquid) and let it simmer on the back burner for at least three hours while you go about your business.

4. When there is an hour or two left in the cooking time, add ½ cup of barley. You can also add lima beans, cubed potatoes, peas, corn, celery, diced carrots, string beans or chopped tomatoes at any point (adjusted for individual cooking times), or the second day, should you have any left over.

5. Before serving, skim off the fat–there will be a bit, as short ribs are quite fatty–take the meat off the bones, chop it and put it back in the soup.

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Chicken and Dumplings with Leeks and Tarragon Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, February 2005: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/2302-chicken-and-dumplingswith-leeks-and-tarragon CI’s Notes: Don’t use low-fat or fat-free milk in this recipe. Start the dumpling dough only when you’re ready to top the stew with the dumplings.

Ingredients 5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs Table salt and ground black pepper 4 teaspoons vegetable oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick) 2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts, cut lengthwise then into 1-inch pieces 1 large onion, minced 6 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup dry sherry 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 2 bay leaves 1 cup frozen green peas 3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves Dumplings 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt 1 cup whole milk 3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

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Instructions 1. For the stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve.

Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 tea-

spoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat.

Add the leeks, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.

4. For the dumplings: Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not overheat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

6. Drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). One way to do this is to gather the batter onto a soup spoon, then push the dumpling onto the stew using a second spoon.

7. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

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Alice Anderson: Grammy Alice’s Icelandic Meatballs and Country Gravy In 2009 I suffered a traumatic brain injury. As a single mama with three kids working as a part time adjunct writing professor, times were tight before the injury. After, we were plunged into poverty quickly. Not only that, but it was difficult for me to cook anything complicated. But ground beef was often on sale at the market, and I remembered my Grammy Alice’s recipe—so simple and yet satisfying, the very definition of comfort food. Instead of feeling deprived, my kids always felt like “meatballs and gravy” was an indulgent meal. Alice was the second wife to my grandfather, Johannes. When his first wife passed away, Alice was sent to help with the farm and raising his small children. Eventually, she ended up marrying him and having another set of kids, twelve in all. Whenever I make this recipe, I think of cold nights on the prairie and happy kids with full bellies. My brain injury and the lean years that followed were our own kind of prairie—stark and daunting and often bleak—but nights around the table with a big plate of meatballs seemed a luxury, and a great way to survive.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min.

Cooking time: 20 min.

MAKES: 8 servings INGREDIENTS:

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2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup milk 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper flour, for rolling meatballs 2 pounds extra-lean ground beef (can substitute one pound ground pork mixed with 1 pound ground beef if desired)

GRAVY: 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 1/2 stick butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 cups milk Dash cayenne pepper Dash white pepper Salt, to taste DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion and seasonings. Let stand until crumbs absorb milk. Add meat; stir until well blended. Shape into 1-in. meatballs, and roll lightly in flour.

Heat shallow skillet with oil and butter until hot. Place floured meatballs in hot pan and reduce heat to medium. Turn frequently until meatballs are browned. Add ½ cup water and simmer until meatballs are cooked through.

Remove meatballs to another dish and cover tightly. Set aside.

For gravy, in the same skillet, sautĂŠ onion in butter until tender, scraping up brown bits from the pan. Stir in flour and brown lightly. Slowly add milk; cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly until gravy is smooth and thickened. Sprinkle in flour while cooking to desired thickness.

Gently stir in meatballs; heat through but do not boil.

Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

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Joe Pan: 4-Bean 3-Meat 2-Option Tailgate Chili for Crowds I cook this meal for large gatherings: salons, sporting events, movie nights, poetry readings. I’ve fed 25-30 people off the meat option, 15 off the veggie. Note that instead of buying the Taco Mix packets, which are generally inexpensive, you can create your own—each packet would be about 1 Tbsp of chili powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp oregano, 1 ½ tsp cumin, & ½ tsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper. If you’re making this for your family, you’ll have delicious lunch/dinner leftovers for days.

Directions Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cut pre-cooked sausages into quarter-inch slivers, browning the sides. Crumble the ground chuck into the hot pan. Cook until evenly browned, adding one packet of Taco Mix. Drain off excess grease. Dump into 5-gallon stockpot on medium heat.

Pour in the beans (drained), diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add diced onion, celery cut into slivers, bell peppers sliced about a quarter inch thick then halved, minced garlic, bouillon, and beer. Season with Taco Packets, salt, pepper, cayenne, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer.

After thirty minutes, reduce heat to medium-low for 2 hours, stirring every fifteen minutes.

After 2 hours, taste, & adjust salt, pepper, & cayenne if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat & serve, or refrigerate & serve the next day.

To serve, ladle into bowls, topping with shredded cheese & sour cream. If you really want to get wild, whip up some jalapeño cornbread to go with this mess. Oh my goodness.

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3 pounds ground beef chuck 2 pre-cooked turkey sausages (packages of 4) 2 pre-cooked chicken sausage (packages of 4) 1 cup beef bouillon 3 cans white bean 5 cans kidney beans 3 cans of black beans 3 cans extra beans (have fun, pick something new) 3 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 pound shredded cheese 1 container of sour cream 2 large yellow onions 1 large red onion 3 stalks celery, chopped 2 green bell peppers 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 clove of garlic 2 beers (this can be substituted with 2 more cups beef bouillon) 3 packets of Taco Mix 3 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon white sugar Vegetarian Option (for 15 people)

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1 cup vegetable stock 1 packet of Taco Mix 2 cans white beans 3 cans kidney beans 2 cans of black beans 1 can beans (have fun, pick something new) 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 pound shredded cheese 1 container of sour cream 1 large yellow onions 1 large red onion 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 clove of garlic 2 beers (this can be substituted with 2 more cups of stock) 3 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon white sugar

Dean Bakopoulos: DB’s Vegan Chili This is something I make for my family often. When my kids were little, I made it because it would help them get some veggies in their diets and also because we were pretty broke. Also because it’s super easy to modify in any way you see fit, uses canned goods (which you can stock up on cheaply and keep in the pantry), and requires one large pot to make, so minimal clean up. Also, super easy to double or even triple the recipe and have a very cheap potluck/dinner party main dish that can accommodate your vegan and GF friends. This version serves 6-8 folks.

Ingredients: 2 T olive oil One medium onion, diced One green pepper, diced Two cloves garlic, minced Two carrots, chopped Two celery stalks, chopped One cup chopped mushrooms One jalapeno pepper, diced (you can skip if you want a milder chili) 2 T cumin 2 T chili powder Salt and pepper Juice of one lemon 28 oz can tomato sauce 28 oz can diced tomatoes 15 oz can black beans 15 oz can garbanzo beans 15 oz can kidney beans Pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper (1/4 t)

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Optional add-ins: small can of sliced black olives small can of sweet corn small can of green chiles Half bottle of good dark beer Splash of Siracha or your favorite hot sauce Pinch or two of brown sugar or cinnamon or cocoa

In a large pot, heat the oil, then saute onions, garlic, green peppers until onions are translucent. About 5-10 minutes. Then add carrots, celery, mushrooms, optional jalapeno, and cook five more minutes or so. Add cumin, chili powder, a sprinkling or two of salt and pepper, juice of one lemon and cook a bit longer. If you like a hotter chili, I add about 6 oz. of dark beer at this point, and continue cooking until some of the beer boils off and the mixture is really simmering. Then add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, all the canned beans, any more add-ins. Bring to a near bubbling boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for an hour. Longer simmering will bring more flavor. Add spices while cooking to suit your taste.

Serve with corn bread or corn chips, cheese and/or sour cream. It’s also good with cottage cheese mixed into it, or served over your favorite rice.

Keeps for five days or more in mason jars in the fridge, and freezes super well.

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Michelle Bitting: Pozole Rojo Ingredients 3/4 cup dried chiles de arbol 4 or 5 dried ancho chiles 6 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 4 finely chopped) Kosher salt 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut in half 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large white onion, chopped 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican) 1 bay leaf 3 15 -ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed Diced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes and/or fresh cilantro, for topping Recipe from The Food Network

Directions Break the stems off the chiles de arbol and ancho chiles and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put the chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water; weigh down the chiles with a plate to keep them submerged and soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chiles and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender. Add the smashed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula; discard the solids.

Rub the pork all over with the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pot; add the pork to the other side and sear, turning, until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

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Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth, oregano, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the chile sauce (depending on your taste). Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, turning the pork a few times, until tender, about 3 hours.

Stir in the hominy and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pork starts falling apart, about 1 more hour. Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the pork to a

cutting board; roughly chop and return to the pot. Add some water or broth if the pozole is too thick. Season with salt. Serve with assorted toppings and the remaining chile sauce.

I also make this in the slow cooker and leave it to simmer all day. So yummy!

AND, it can be made with canned enchilada sauce in lieu of the chili sauce from scratch.

For all my years growing up in Los Angeles, there was an AMF El Dorado Bowling Lanes on Lincoln Blvd at the end leg of shops and restaurants before the open stretch of road that feeds into LAX. So I drove by it pretty regularly and went to have fun bowling and sometimes for birthday parties celebrated there.

Adjacent to the alley was KJ’s Coffee Shop. Both are now closed after decades of being in business. My last memories of the place are from Sundays a few years back when my daughter Vera took painting classes at nearby Otis Art Institute. My favorite thing was to wait in the rundown but always buzzing bowling alley diner and have pozole for breakfast. I’d eat and work on poems while my daughter painted next door. Yes, the food they served was mostly typical American cafe fare: burgers, waffles, club sandwiches, chili and fries, but the people who ran it were Latino and so there were some other dishes on the menu that regulars knew were special. Like the pozole I had to learn to make when I found out the place had finally shut down, along with the bowling lanes. Mothering is hard. Both my kids have had big challenges to deal with over the years. But sitting there on Sundays eating this meaty, brothy comfort food so authentically prepared, knowing my girl was making something magical and important nearby is a bright and precious spot of remembered time together.

Enjoy & with love, Michelle Bitting

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Yu-Han Chao: FRESH APPLE COOKIES 1/2 cup shortening or butter (1 stick) 1 1/3 cups brown sugar 1/4 cup whole milk (or soy milk) 2 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup unpeeled apple, finely chopped (1 medium apple, any variety) (optional) 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Melt shortening or butter (30 seconds or so in microwave). Stir in brown sugar and milk with fork or whisk.

2. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon (and nutmeg, if using). Mix until smooth. Dough should be sticky, not runny—if too liquid-y and won’t hold shape, add more flour by the tablespoon.

3. Chop unpeeled apple (discard core) into fine pieces and mix into the dough.

4. Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonful 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

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5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned.

Cookies are soft and smell like fresh apple pie.

Cassandra Cleghorn: Recipe Medley!

First, I think this is a great idea, and so needed. I believe that people can eat well on a limited budget. Processed foods may be cheaper in the short run, but they sure can cost a lot when your health starts to suffer. So I always look at the “old produce” stand at the back of the supermarket.

Often you will find avocados that are deemed too ripe, but have really just reached their peak, etc. And bags of (organic) frozen fruit often go on sale, watch for this, and stock up--often cheaper than fresh and way more practical.

These recipes are vegetarian, vegan and paleo--no refined sugar, but yummy.

Avocado/Grapefruit/Coconut Salad (One Serving--multiply as needed) Peel a grapefruit and cut into sections or rounds (mango or orange also work).

Halve an avocado and cut into cubes or slivers.

Cut a bit of red onion and perhaps a smidgen of jalapeno into super thin slivers.

Combine in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Put 1/4 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut into a frying pan (no oil), heat slowly, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown and starts to smell like heaven. (Careful, it can burn quickly in the final stages of toasting.)

Here’s the fun part: pour the coconut right from the hot pan into the bowl of other ingredients. Listen to the sizzle and stir. Eat soon, when the coconut is still warm.

Simplest Blueberries with Coconut One Serving--multiply as needed.)

Put 1/4 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut into a frying pan (no oil),

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Heat as many frozen blueberries as you are craving in a microwave or on the stove, and pour berries and juices into a small bowl pan. Set aside.

heat slowly, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown and starts to smell like heaven. (Careful, it can burn quickly in the final stages of toasting.)

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Pour the hot coconut into the bowl of blueberries and hear the sizzle!

Savor every warm bite because you deserve this, the easiest and most delicious of all deserts.

Terri Leker: Jewish Potato Stuffing!

A weird but delicious family recipe for potato stuffing that was apparently honed by my grandmother during the Depression (not this Depression, that other one). My mother is long gone and never wrote the recipe down, but she dictated it to me 20+ years ago, from her hospital bed, the night she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Even in that state she seemed pretty solid on the ingredients. I don’t know what about the recipe makes it Jewish except that we are Jewish and it calls for the ingredients of my people (starch!).

INGREDIENTS: 5 potatoes (3 white/2 red is good) 2 medium yellow onions Grated stale hard roll (I once saw my mom use a stale hot dog bun) 1/2 cup cream of wheat 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup matzoh meal 1/3 cup olive oil (or less, depending on consistency) 1 tsp kosher salt (or a little less, if using table salt) ½ tsp pepper And here is a gluten free alternative: Smushed-up rice crackers for the stale roll Cream of Rice for Cream of Wheat Trader Joe’s GF all purpose flour for regular flour (or any GF alternative flour) Rice crispies for matzoh meal DIRECTIONS:

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F 2. Grate onions and potatoes (if you have a food processor, you may break with tradition by using the grater attachment) 3. Add onions and potatoes to mixed dry ingredients in large bowl 4. Add oil and mix by (sorry) hand 5. If all your vegan/vegetarian friends cancel, you can put a piece of chicken skin on top. Or just sprinkle more salt/pepper on top.

6. Bake in a well-oiled glass or ceramic baking dish (8” x 11” or 7” x 9” or a 9” round, or anything around that size) at 350 for 45 mi -- 1 hour. Serve with chicken, gravy, roasted vegetables, or nothing.

Dairy-Free/Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies I’m not GF, these are just really simple, great, and kinda cheap because they don’t require butter or flour. They are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle. My go-to, and the recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

INGREDIENTS 1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky 1 cup sugar, granulated or brown (I use brown because: chewier cookies) 1 egg 1 teaspoon baking soda If using unsalted peanut butter: heaping 1/8 teaspoon table salt or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Optional: a couple ounces grated chocolate or a couple handfuls of chocolate chips.

More options: you can extend the recipe further by adding ½ cup Rice Krispies or rolled oats (or both). You can also melt the chocolate and drizzle it over the baked cookies or dip the cookies in chocolate.

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheets, or use parchment paper or Silpat sheet 2. Beat together peanut butter and sugar until fluffy and well-mixed 3. In another bowl, lightly beat egg and then beat into peanut butter mixture with baking soda and (if using) salt until combined.

4. Add optional ingredients, including chocolate, if using.

5. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and space 3 inches apart on baking sheets.

6. Flatten balls into a criss-cross pattern using a fork dipped in sugar, or flatten using the bottom of a glass (also dipped in sugar). Optional but awesome: sprinkle a tiny bit of salt over the tops of the cookies.

7. Bake until puffed and golden 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then move to rack to finish cooling.

Altha Cravey: Pozole (vegetarian) 9 servings

Rinse lentils and put them in a pot with 6 cups water, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until the lentils are just barely cooked. Set aside, don’t drain.

In a small skillet, roast the cumin seeds over medium heat, constantly shaking the pan back-and-forth. After a minute, add the oregano. Remove the pan from the heat but continue shaking. As soon as you can smell the oregano, add the paprika. Shake the pan another few seconds and turn the spices out onto a plate. Grind in a mortar or electric spice mill and set aside.

Sauté the onion in water, starting with a quarter cup and adding more as needed to keep it from sticking to the pan. Once the onion starts to color some, add the garlic, carrot, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and the toasted, ground spices. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked lentils, minced garlic, and hominy. Add the chipotle chiles, or jalepeňos. Additional water may be needed to bring the soup to a desired consistency. Cover and cook slowly until the lentils are completely done, another 20 minutes or so. If you are using the nopales, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Season the finished soup with lime juice and serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

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1 C lentils 6 C water 2 bay leaves 2 large garlic cloves 1 T fresh chopped cilantro 1 t cumin seeds 1 t dried oregano 1 t chili powder or paprika 1 yellow onion 1 medium carrot 1 celery stalk, finely diced 1 large green pepper, or ¼ pound fresh nopales, diced in ¼ in squares 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 15-oz can hominy, drained

Pureed chipotle chiles, to taste (appx 1 t) or 2 jalepeno chiles, seeds and veins removed, chiles minced Juice of 2 limes Fresh cilantro for garnish (from Dr Dean Ornish cookbook, heart doc) A dd a bone or a bone with (pork) meat if you want pozole with meat)

Salmon Patties Crush up saltine crackers. Use a rolling pin or whatever works. Drain salmon. Mix all ingredients. Allow just a few minutes for the cracker crumbs to soak up flavor and get soggy. Form salmon patties by hand. Fry them in hot oil for 4-5 minutes. salmon (1 can – 14 oz) saltine crackers (1/4 of box) egg (1) oil (4 tbs), for frying patties

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PLUS: Add more eggs and more crackers if you have a large group. You can substitute mackerel. Enjoy with creamed potatoes and green vegetables.

Lucia Cowles : Hearty Lentil Soup (Beth’s version) This recipe was improved from the original by Beth, the mother of Catherine, one of my closest friends. Catherine and I went through elementary and high school together, along with two other especial friends—the four of us relate to each other like siblings. This last summer we watched one of us get married (happily!). Then this fall Catherine and I bought a house together. It’s been six months filled with change, celebration, and a need for hearty soups.

Catherine and I both make this soup at least once a month; it lasts a week and it’s filling and healthful and tastes great (especially with extra wine).

We prefer to use French lentils (they don’t split as easily as green/red lentils when cooked), and to add kale or spinach or some other dark, leafy green into the mix. For lack of bay leaves or thyme, I make this with sweet basil, marjoram and a dash of soy sauce, and it still tastes great.

1 medium onion, chopped fine 3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained (save juice) 1 bay leaf ½ tsp thyme 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over ¾ tsp salt ground black pepper ½ cup dry white wine (or Vermouth) 4 cups veggie broth juice from drained tomatoes ½ cup water 3tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

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Sauté onions, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly golden. Add carrots and continue cooking until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute). Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme; cook until fragrant (again, about a minute). Stir in lentils, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium-low for 5-10 minutes (until lentils begin to darken). Increase heat to high, add wine, bring to simmer.

Add veggie broth, juice and water, bring to boil, cover partially and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold shape (about 30-35 minutes). Discard bay leaf. Garnish bowls with chopped parsley.

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(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Erika Meitner: Heartwood Xing Bean Bowls and Some Other Ideas 1 package (1 lb) dry black beans 16 oz chicken broth or stock (or veg if vegetarian) 1 yellow or white or vidalia onion 1 red or green or yellow pepper (optional) 2 bay leaves Cumin Oregano Garlic Salt 2 cups rice 2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in ½� chunks 2-3 red onions, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into thin half-rings Garnish (any or all): fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, salsa

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Soak beans overnight in cold water to cover (or use quick-soak method--boil for 3 minutes then soak in boiling water for 1 hour) & drain in colander Dice yellow onion and pepper, and saute in olive oil in big pot for about 5 minutes. Add 1-2 Tbl cumin, 1 Tbl oregano, and garlic to taste.

Dump in beans, cover with broth, put in bay leaves, and cook (partially covered) for ~1 hour (depends on age of beans--could take longer) Beans can also be done in a crockpot (highly recommend--just saute onion and pepper beforehand)--soak & drain beans, then dump in crockpot with all ingredients and broth, and cook on low for 6-8 hours While beans are cooking turn oven to 425 Put red onion on one roasting tray with olive oil, and sweet potatoes on another; roast both for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently Make rice At the very end, add salt (to taste--I usually use at least 2 tsp, but depends on your broth) to the beans Set out buffet of beans, rice, veggies, and toppings Note: if you’re short on time, use 2-3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed in lieu of dry beans, and follow the recipe from the second step on (onion, pepper, etc.), but use slightly less broth and cook for 15 minutes

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Other cheap/bulky/great recipes: This lentil and sweet potato stew recipe from Smitten Kitchen: https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/ This peanut stew recipe--but I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, add sweet potato and/or cauliflower, and use chicken broth instead of water: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/8687/african-chicken-stew/ Turkey Pesto Meatballs (these freeze really well!): 2 cups marinara sauce, 1.5 lbs ground turkey (I often use 2 lbs depending on package size - you can also use chicken), 1 ¼ cups plain dried breadcrumbs, ½ cup pesto, 2 eggs, ¾ t. Salt Preheat oven to 350. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce over bottom of heavy medium pot. Mix turkey, breadcrumbs, pesto, eggs and salt in medium bowl—don’t overmix or they’ll turn to lead. Using moistened hands, form mixture into 50 small-to-medium-sized meatballs. Place 16 meatballs in single layer in sauce, and reserve the other 34. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bring to simmer. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

For the rest of the meatballs, put a small rack (I use a cookie-cooling rack) on a cookie sheet and lightly coat with non-stick spray. (You can line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil to save on cleanup time later.)

Put the reserved meatballs on the rack, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool fully, then freeze. To reheat, defrost in the microwave or just simmer in a pot of sauce as above.

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Jill McDonough: Some Things To With A Chicken and Whatever Vegetables You Have Around

Here are some decorative pumpkins that are overdue for roasting.

[Ed. note: not all decorative pumpkins are edible! please check!]

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And here’s a big chicken.

They belong together. With olive oil and salt and pepper. I roast them until they look like this:

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Sometimes that’s at 450 for like 45 minutes, sometimes it’s at 350 for like 80 minutes, if I have something else going on in the oven. I just put it in there and leave it for a while. I don’t flip it or baste it. There are a lot of ways to make a chicken done, all of them pretty good. If it’s not done when you think it’s done, that’s okay; put it back. You know what is delicious? Overdone roast chicken.

For the first ten minutes or so these pumpkin seeds were in in another baking sheet, on the top shelf, also with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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While the chicken was cooking I was blanching broccoli florets and making this sauce from about equal parts lime, mayo, and miso:

I dressed some pumpkin chunks with a spicy vinaigrette and some pumpkin seeds, and topped the dressed broccoli with sunflower seeds, but just because I had both. Here’s supper.

Here’s leftovers:

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Here’s some chicken remains. After I pick the chicken I take the carcass and the drippings and make a broth with them and vegetable debris I keep in a baggie in the freezer: carrot ends and peels, celery ends, onion peels. I put it all together for a couple hours on the back burner, and my house smells great. If I don’t have time after supper, or I already have plenty of broth, I chuck the carcass and drippings and the hot water I used to clean up the drippings into a gallon baggie in the freezer and make broth later.

Here’s a good thing to do with the broth: put some of the boring parts of broccoli in it and bring it to a boil.

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Then get your bowl ready with dabs of miso and gochujang:

Add some of the heating broth to make into a soup base in your bowl.

Once your broth is boiling, add noodles to the pot. Then you have a bowl of broccoli and noodles and spicy miso broth. Here it is with leftover chicken and pumpkin and some tofu and scallions and sriracha on top:

Here’s some more leftover chicken, becoming chicken salad canapÊs:

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And here’s some leftover chicken becoming tacos:

That’s cheese and beans. Sometimes I put pumpkin and lentils and broth in a slow cooker with chili oil. Sometimes I put beans and broth on the stove or in the slow cooker.

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Nicky Beer: Masala Dal Adapted partially from Epicurious, partially from Ruta Kahate’s 5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using 5 Common Ingredients Serves two heartily with rice.

This filling, flavorful vegan recipe doubles and triples nicely, keeps in the fridge, and makes a great leftover lunch for the next day. With the exception of the lemon juice and the cilantro, it’s made with staples that can hang out in your kitchen for a long time. To that end, I always have the lentils, coconut milk, and tomato paste in the cupboard, so I can make this with a modest outlay at the supermarket at the drop of a hat. I cook this many, many times throughout the fall and winter.

1 C. masoor dal (sm. orange lentils, aka red lentils) 2 C. water ½ tsp. turmeric 2 T. canola oil 1 tsp. mustard seeds (yellow or brown) 1 tsp. cumin seeds ½ tsp. coriander seeds 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 c. chopped onion 1-2 medium-sized cloves garlic, minced ½ C. canned unsweetened coconut milk ½ tsp. ground cayenne ¼ C. chopped cilantro leaves 2 T. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. kosher salt 2 t. tomato paste Cooked rice (brown or white jasmine)

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Bring lentils & water to boil with turmeric in heavy saucepan, then bring down heat to gently simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 mins.

While lentils cook, heat canola oil on med-high in a skillet, then cook spices in oil until mustard seeds pop and are fragrant, about 1 min. Be

mindful of oil splatter.

Reduce heat slightly to medium. Add onion to spices and sautĂŠ until golden-brown and tender, at least 8 mins. Add garlic, stir 1 min.

Add onion-garlic-spice mix to lentils when they are tender. Add coconut milk, 1 T. lemon juice, cayenne, tomato paste, and salt. Bring to a lively simmer (just under a boil) for at least 5 minutes to reduce.

Add remaining 1 T. lemon juice and cilantro and cook for 1 min before serving. Serve over rice.

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Laura Hoopes: Zucchini Squash Frittata Vegetarian not vegan 2-4 servings depending upon side dish(es) used Ingredients: 2 small zucchini squash (about ¾ lb) 2 Tbsp unsalted butter ¼ cup finely chopped chives or 3 Tbsp dried chives 6 eggs, large ¼ cup half and half 1 cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese Seasonings to taste, salt and black or white pepper Preheat oven to 325.

Peel and cut ends off squash, grate the squash and either use blender or food processor to cut it up fine. Place it on several paper towels, let sit 2-3 minutes and squeeze out moisture. Repeat once or twice more with fresh paper towels; try to get as dry as you can.

In nonstick frying pan, melt butter and sauté squash and chives for 6-7 minutes. Squash mixture should be dry and zucchini should be tender.

Salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tsp salt, several dashes of pepper suggested).

In a large (10 inch) oven ready casserole pan, place the eggs, half and half, ¼ tsp salt, dash pepper and whisk until well blended. Don’t try to fluff the eggs, just mix well. Pour in the squash mixture and stir into eggs. Using pot holders, place casserole dish into oven at 325 for 25 minutes. Check by shaking, mixture should be firm but not immobile when shaken. Remove with potholders and cool 5-10 minutes. Serve.

Suggested accompaniments: salad, French bread or rolls, steamed vegetables with lemon butter. Some like to put Sriracha or creole hot sauce on frittata.

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I made this recipe up from memories of two similar dishes, one from a small café in La Jolla and the other from a fund-raising zucchini cookbook from the Abortion Counseling Service of California back in 1969.

It’s nice and quick, have served it a number of times when unexpected guests came around dinner time. People like it and ask for the recipe.

Usually they say, “Why don’t you add ….. some time?” You can add anything, leftover or just interesting, and it still works. Chutney, ham, tuna, crab, tomato and bacon, curry, apricots, and loquats are some things my friends have tried and loved. Be creative and have fun. Please don’t call it garbage frittata, which one of my friends suggested when I said you could add leftovers. It’s too good for that!

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Lynne DeSilva-Johnson: MULTI-DAY, MuLTI-MEal BATCH COOK SEASONAL ROASTED VEGGIE Money&LIFE-SAVER STRATEGIES Gluten Free, Vegan (With Non Vegan Optional Add Ons)

I don’t remember when I really stopped using recipes, but it’s been a while. That being said, they are SUPER useful whenever I am faced with an unfamiliar vegetable or have a desire to make a form of a thing I’m not accustomed to, and I understand those feels!!!

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In wanting to put a recipe together for this book, this was sort of a challenge — how to turn what I do in the kitchen into something tangible for other folks? But then I realized this is actually about feeling capable and making things easy, and that I can do.

Some years ago (well, almost two decades now) I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and I have numerous other chronic illnesses — all of which have proved to be mitigated by changes to my diet. A plant based, gluten free, dairy free diet is where I landed. And, I make 90% of my food — often for myself, or myself and my partner — when I work at home. But it also means I’m exhausted a lot of the time and have lots of health costs… so my food has to be plentiful, cheap, and efficient. But it also has to make me feel…not depressed about what I’m eating. et VOILA! you’re getting here the end result of many years of making it work. These are totally flexible batch-able strategies for a variety of veggies and ways to make them work for MANY days over the course of a week, without getting bored.

I’ve also suggested add ons and sauces here that will make this even more flexible! (oh, and: when I say “day 1, 2, 3” here I don’t mean it has to be in a row this can last a week.)

VARIATIONS / COMBINATIONS Roast —> Curry OR Roast —> Glaze, ==> Salad / Soup / “Fried Rice” As much as you want of: 3-6 Potatoes, any color / Sweet Potato / Batata (depends on size) Squash (I prefer Red Kuri or Butternut) *bonus: save your seeds! instructions below recipe* Chick Peas (1 can, no need to fuss) Cauliflower (one whole head) Zucchini (1-2 medium to large zucchini) Carrots ADD INS:

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Onion (One large onion or two smaller sized onions is enough. I like vidalia or red best) Apple (optional) Rosemary (dry or fresh; optional)

DAY 1 : ROAST Keep it simple! You can use any variation of the above. Change your combinations!

Preheat the oven to 400.

Chop your potatoes, zucchini, or squash into cubes / rough chop your head of cauliflower into smaller pieces. you do NOT have to peel zucchini, potatoes, OR squash! just scrub and be done with it.

Chop your onion and, if you choose, apple (also no need to peel) and set aside.

Put these pieces on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish, so that there is a single layer of veg without veg sitting on top of each other. Better to use a second sheet than layer. \\\ 66 \\\

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add chopped onion/apple, distributing evenly.

Drizzle with olive oil — and no there is no “right” measurement here, even if I gave you one it would be an approximation! there’s no way to know how big your veggies are!!! — start light, just zig zagging a light line of oil over the veggies. You can add more after the next step if you need to.

Use your hands to make sure the mixture is evenly and lightly coated with oil, and that the veg/onion/apple is evenly distributed throughout. There shouldn’t be a lot of oil puddling on the pan, but a little is ok. If it’s puddling a lot, take a paper towel or sponge and remove excess. (You’ll get the hang of it).

Roast for 30-40 minutes, checking and turning / shaking up veggies with a spatula every 10 minutes. They may brown a little and even get a little stuck to the pan, this is fine, just make sure to loosen everything up, move em around, and put them back.

Test (ie, taste) your veg at 20 minutes, choosing the biggest piece of the hardest vegetable you’ve used. Depending on the space around your veg pieces, the size of your cubes, and the heat of your oven, you might almost be done. Or, you might need 10-20 more minutes. A few extra minutes is no big deal.

When you’ve decided your veg are soft enough, turn off the oven, and take whatever you plan to eat, reserving the remainder.

For this first day, I like to toss this mix with fresh parsley or dried cherries/cranberries, or maybe a little gamasio (black sesame), and always a little sea salt. It’s great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Nice topped with avocado, or if you eat egg, a 7 minute egg (recipe below)**. Also nice mixed as a breakfast bowl with veggie or meat sausage pieces. Or with rice.

DAY 2: CURRY: take your leftovers out of the fridge. /// 67 ///

drizzle some olive oil or coconut oil into a frying pan, and heat on medium. if you have fresh tomato or canned/crushed tomato, add it to the oil. if not, NBD.

shake some curry powder to oil or tomato mixture. (I love sun brand madras curry) a tablespoon, if you’re nervous, is probably fine. you may add more later, the veg will soak it up. if you want a little extra spice, you can add a little cayenne. add your veg and turn it with a spatula or wooden spoon, allowing the mixture to fully coat the veg. if you aren’t using tomato and you notice it’s dry, you can add a splash of water. cover and cook on medium to low heat, about 8-10 minutes. taste — you can add a little more curry now if it’s not too prominent, and also a little sea salt and pepper, which will bring the curry flavor out. serve! over rice, as a side, however you like.

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again, this is a great opportunity to mix other things in: nuts, raisins, parsley, cilantro. for a creamy curry, you can hit this mixture with a few spoons of yogurt.

I prefer greek style texturally, and use Anita’s coconut yogurt. if you’re feeling fancy, make raita*** with your yogurt and top with that.

OR, GLAZE: in the winter especially I seem to crave sweets, and this seems to scratch that itch. take your leftover veg, and put in a pan with a little maple syrup, olive oil, and sea salt. toss until covered, and cook over medium heat. add a splash of water once liquids are absorbed, and cover, lowering heat, for 10 minutes. add dried cherries or cranberries, sunflower seeds or other chopped nuts. pecan if you’re feeling fancy like that.

Pictured above: DAY 3: Refried Rice w glazed, spiced veggie mix, topped with nuts, pomegranate seeds, raisins and julienned basil or parsley. /// 69 ///

DAY 3 VARIATIONS: SOUP, SALAD, REFRIED RICE SOUP: This may be the laziest, easiest thing to do with your leftovers at this point, but literally you can put them in a blender with stock (veggie or chicken if you do that), and heat it up and you have soup. You can also add a bay leaf as it heats, or blend a little yogurt (again) or cashews in with your soup to make it creamier. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is surprisingly delicious. If you want to bring the curry flavor forward, add more curry powder as it heats.

SALAD:

SPINACH or LACINATO KALE (any green, really) BALSAMIC VINEGAR/OIL/LEMON/SHALLOT / YOUR CHOICE VINAGRETTE NUTS, DRIED BERRIES, CHEESE, EGG (optional)

Either of these variations is really terrific tossed into a winter said with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and maybe a chopped tart apple.

You won’t even really need more dressing than that! but you can always use a balsamic vinaigrette or add a little finely chopped shallot.

Try it with spinach or lacinato/dinosaur kale — and if you’re eating raw kale, seriously take the time to massage it! it sounds ridiculous but it breaks down the roughness. even better, let the kale sit in that dressing for a while — the acid will do the same work. if you still do cheese, this would be great with a sharp cheese — blue, or feta.

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And if you’ve prepped 7 minute eggs**, and put them in the fridge, put one on top!

“REFRIED RICE”:

LEFTOVER RICE LEEK/SCALLION (optional) or ONION SOY SAUCE, TAMARI or LIQUID/COCONUT AMINO PARSLEY/CILANTRO (optional)

when you start batch cooking you realize that a big batch of rice at the beginning of the week may literally save your life. something we love for almost any meal starts with leftover rice, and whatever leftover veg we have in the house. if you have scallions or leek, that can be really nice for this. you can also simply just use a little more chopped onion here. if using leek or scallion, chop and hold some tops (greens) aside for topping. heat oil in a pan or wok over medium heat. (for this variation, sesame oil is ideal, but if you don’t have it, no big deal.) heat scallion / leek / onion in oil until soft / translucent.

throw in leftover veggie mix splash with soy/tamari/liquid amino (to taste — don’t know how much you have left!) cook this with the lid on over low/medium heat for about 5-6 minutes

remove lid and toss in rice, mixing well. add additional tamari/soy/aminos, and a little water, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until brown. rice can get a little crispy here, which is delicious.

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top with leek or scallion greens, parsley or cilantro. or another 7 minute egg!

*** you’ll find following this a few quick tips/recipes for roasting your squash seeds, raita (w vegan variation), and the perfect 7 minute egg! to use for toppings.

***SQUASH BONUS!: YOU CAN AND SHOULD EAT ANY AND ALL SQUASH SEEDS. roast and SNACK. here’s how: wash these off all their gooey material, and set them aside. remove excess goo with a towel if you need (they shouldn’t be FULLY dry, just not still covered with material) and put them on a baking sheet. cover them with more salt than you really think you need. like a layer. you can also be creative here: I like garam masala or other curries, cumin, coriander, or occasionally a little maple syrup, or just black or red pepper. but always WITH the salt. you’re going to mix this all together with your hands and make sure the seeds are well coated. you don’t need any oil for this, the remaining moisture from the seeds will do the trick. you want them to dry out, not stay wet. again, try to space them out, a flat layer on the baking sheet. put this pan in the oven alongside your veg pan. it won’t need too long maybe 10 minutes. you may hear them start to “pop” like popcorn. take out if you do, and if they’re still damp move them around and put them in until they’re dry. these are great to mix in with your veg or put on a salad or eat while you’re waiting for the roasting to finish! ***7 MINUTE EGG! if you eat eggs this egg is IT! like poach without the trouble.

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literally the easiest: boil water. when it is at a rolling boil (really!) put eggs in water and keep it boiling! if needed/boiling over, reduce to a lower boil. set a timer to 7 minutes, and set a bowl of very cold water aside. when your timer rings, remove the eggs ASAP, setting in the cold water. you can run cold water into the bowl or rinse each egg in cold water individually, as well, once you put them there — this keeps the eggs from continuing to cook from their own heat. the eggs should have firm whites and runny yolks. you can make many and keep them in the fridge for later use.

***EASY RAITA one of the biggest shifts in my life was beginning to keep / grow herbs. this makes my simple meals feel really special and fresh. I use fresh mint all the time!

1 cucumber (or half if you’re just using for a single sitting) 2 cups / standard “big” container of greek style milk or dairy-free yogurt (or half) — I use anita’s coconut yogurt, my splurge of life, but amazing for cooking.

1 big handful of mint , chopped (recipe check says “1/4 cup”) cumin cayenne pepper lemon juice I’m lazy with my raita. I basically chop half a cucumber, stick it in yogurt, add chopped mint, a little lemon juice, and sprinkle cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and then eat it, a bit runny, on my food. it tastes great. but you can also leave it in the fridge, if you make it before. I actually really like to have cucumber yogurt similar to this for breakfast, so if you make it in the morning, make a bunch, eat some, and save some to use on dinner!

Enjoy, in good health, my friends.

With love, in solidarity, ONWARD Lynne

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.”

-Cesar Chavez /// 73 ///

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Stacey Harwood and Nin Andrews: Stacey's (Quick and Cheap) Mussels

Justin “Papa” Bigos: Pasta e ceci (Italian peasant dish I grew up eating like twice a week: Pasta and chick peas: a staple of the Italian American household, at least in Connecticut!)

Ingredients: 2 cups chick peas (canned is fine, but can boil/hydrate dry if you like) 2 cups pasta -- macaroni, or anything small 8 cups water 2 medium onions or 1 large onion -- minced or medium chop 2 carrots -- medium chop or rough grate 2 celery stalks -- medium chop 4-6 garlic cloves (or more!) -- minced (with a couple as rough chop/ shaved if you really love garlic) 1 can whole tomatoes -- squished in your hands, or you can puree for maybe 20-30 seconds -- be sure to drain can of water first -- do not buy can of crushed or puree (those tomatoes tend to be lower grade and bitter) 2 sprigs of rosemary (can also use thyme, sage, etc, but rosemary is to my taste for this dish) 2 bay leaves Kosher salt Pepper Olive oil for sautéing Directions: In a large sautee pan or medium-sized pot ...

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1. Sautee the onion in olive oil for a few minutes, then add garlic, carrot, and celery -- took till softens on medium heat, around 10-15 mins 2. Add herbs, sautee another few minutes 3. Add chick peas and tomatoes 4. Put lid on pot and quickly bring to boil 5. Add eight cups water (can also add a little bouillon/stock at this point if you want more flavor) 6. Bring to boil without lid 7. Add pasta and cook for 15-20 minutes (or until it’s al dente -- I live at 7,000 feet and things take longer to boil here) 8. Let sit for a minute or two once pasta is cooked -- add salt and pepper

to taste 9. Serve with grated parmigiano and/or pecorino romano (or the cheaper stuff); some Italian or crusty bread and butter also goes great with this dish

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This dish can be reheated and enjoyed throughout the week. It’s got your carbs and proteins, and is savory and warms you on a cold night. You can make this soupier by simply adding more water/stock before/after the boiling of the pasta in the dish. A soupier dish lasts longer, of course!

Sean Singer: Linguine with Garlic and Oil Makes: 4 Time: 30 minutes Salt 1/3 cup olive oil 2 tbsp minced garlic hot red pepper flakes, to taste 1 lb. long, thin pasta 1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Put in the oil, garlic, pepper and a pinch of salt in a small skillet or pan over medium-low heat.

2. Cook pasta and toss with sauce.

Optional variations: add 4-6 anchovies to oil with garlic. Or, add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in oil alone 2 to 3 minutes.

This is an inexpensive and quick vegetarian dish. Good for late nights and tight budgets. Has salty, spicy, savory, and feels like home.

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LEE ANN DALTON : PASTA E CECI

Carla Bruni: THIS PIZZA SHOULD BE ILLEGAL This recipe is largely taken from other recipes on the Smitten Kitchen blog—a truly amazing (and thorough) resource. Most of the embellishments and histrionics are mine.

This will make two 9x13-inch rectangular-ish or two 12-inch round-ish pizzas. This should serve 4 for dinner. I find this to be a cheaper meal because I usually have most of these ingredients in my pantry and fridge already and just need to spring for the canned tomatoes and cheese.

Da Dough Very simple, but you need to plan ahead. I’ve let this rise as long as 22 hours, but I sometimes have a food martyr complex. A 12-hour dough is delicious and a reasonable middle ground, so we’ll go with those instructions. · · · · ·

3 cups all-purpose flour (bread flour works too) Slightly heaped ¼ teaspoon of active dry yeast 1-1/2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt 1-1/4 cup water (add another tablespoon or so if needed later) 1/4 cup or so of cornmeal

Mix all the ingredients with a spoon in a big old bowl. The dough will be rough, but if it’s crazy rough, add another tablespoon or two of water.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a folded up towel and keep it at room temperature for about 12 hours. It’d be a good plan to throw this together when I you up in the morning so it’ll be ready around dinnertime.

Work, go about your day, do some writing maybe.

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About a half hour before the dough is ready, start making the sauce. More on that below. Some fancy people use pizza stones, I just use an old metal pan. Maybe because this is a budget guide, we should assume we’re using old metal pans and I’m here to tell you that you will not suffer or feel lesser for it. You deserve to be loved and to have excellent pizza. Add a thin layer of olive oil to that banged up old metal pan, that is surely bursting with memories and character, and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Probably it’s fine if you don’t have cornmeal and sprinkle flour, but maybe it’ll burn a little. Non ti preoccupare.

Heat up that oven. And don’t be shy—that oven should essentially be the 7th circle of hell. I’m talking like 500-550 degrees. If you have a fancy pizza stone, stick it in there to it heat up as well.

Flour your counter with wild abandon. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured counter—the dough should have transformed into something loose, soft, sticky and stretchy. I know we already floured that counter good, but go ahead and add flour to the top of that dough now, too, and divide it in half. Make these halves into balls and grab a dough ball with floured hands and let the weight of it stretch as you hold the end of it. Do this a few times, going around the edges of the dough, so it stretches itself out. Put that sucker on the old metal pan (that will surely find its way into an award-winning short story some day due to the role it has played in both your life and in the divorce), nudge and press the dough around in it to make it fill as much of the pan as possible, and add the desired fixings (see below).

Da Sauce, Da Fixins · One 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano is the best, Contadina will save you a couple of bucks) · One clove of garlic (or three if you’re me) · ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt · Red pepper flakes if you like red pepper flakes · Pinch of sugar · 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella (the stuff that’s in plastic, but not submerged in water) · ½ cup finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese · Two glugs of olive oil · A little fresh basil Pizza sauce is a different consistency than pasta sauce—pizza sauce is thicker, like Medusa’s blood when she’s beheaded in the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans. This recipe was a revelation to me.

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Empty the can of tomatoes into a colander and give each tomato a squeeze to release all the juice and seeds inside. If you want to save all that juice, put a bowl under the colander and use the stuff for Bloody Mary mix later on.

Put the drained tomatoes in a blender and add salt, garlic, red pepper, and sugar to the tomatoes and blend it until you have a smooth, saucy texture.

You may have some extra sauce, so throw that in the fridge and use it for something else this week. Maybe arancini!

Add 1/3 cup of sauce to each of your stretched out doughs. Spread it evenly. Tear the mozzarella into tiny pieces and scatter it around the pizza. Some like to add the basil and parmesan or Romano at this stage, some add it half way through, some add it after, some do half before and half after. You do you. Each pizza is a unique, fattening snowflake.

I don’t eat the meats so I can’t speak to the best choices on that, but I love me some veggies. The trick is to sauté the vegetables in a little olive oil BEFORE adding it to the pizza and putting it in the oven. I’m a mushroom fanatic, and pre-sauteing keeps those beauties fungilicious instead of sad, dried-out shells. I say just cook up whatever veggies you may already have in your fridge.

Once you’re good with your cheese and toppings, drizzle a little olive oil over your masterpiece and toss it in the oven. I like to mumble a made-up blessing as I drizzle (or a hex when I’m in a particular mood) and practice for the day I become a pissed off old Sicilian woman. Try it.

Bake the pizza 10-15 minutes. Pace around the kitchen and living room.

Straighten the silverware. Pour yourself a glass of $3 Trader Joes wine.

Open the oven door 14 times to check on the pizza and then fret that you’ve let all the hot air out.

When the pizza’s top is blistered and the crust is golden, you’re good. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board, cut it like a Chicagoan or a New Yorker— in this one instance, I won’t judge (go Cubs!). Repeat with the second ball of dough, or make someone else do it so you can devour this first pizza like a wounded gazelle in the hot, dry savanna.

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Rose Auslander: ZUCCHINI PASTA

I created Zucchini Pasta when my husband Rick and I were struggling to put food on the table as dancers in Iowa, and a dance student gave us zucchini from her garden! When I returned to school while pregnant, and continued while taking care of our baby daughter, this cheap and easy dish made sure we ate something healthy—good hot or cold, it gave Rick a treat to look forward to when he got home from work at midnight. It’s still a family favorite, quick to make with what’s in the pantry.

8 oz dried pasta (egg noodles work best, or rotelli) 1 large fresh zucchini (not peeled), roughly chopped 4 tbs. mayonnaise (enough to moisten) 4 oz. grated parmesan or romano cheese, plus more for topping black pepper (fresh ground) optional (depending on what you have on hand): 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), OR 1 cup frozen edamame (shelled) optional: 1 lemon (juice and grated rind), OR fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced

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Boil pasta according to package directions—add zucchini (and edamame) for last 5 minutes of cooking time (if using garbanzo beans instead of edamame, add for last 2 minutes of cooking time). Drain (it’s ok if zucchini falls apart). In mixing bowl, stir together the drained pasta (including edamame or garbanzos if using), mayonnaise to moisten, grated cheese, pepper (and lemon juice and peel if using). Serve with extra cheese. Or if adding mushrooms, arrange slices on top of plated food, sprinkle extra cheese on top, and microwave for 1½-2 minutes.

Double Hope Potatoes I have been making these potatoes every week since moving to Cape Cod to finish my first poetry book--on a strict budget. They’re easy, cheap, filling, and healthy. My husband and I eat them as a main dish, and this recipe makes two meals for us (leftovers keep great--prepare, then wait to microwave until ready to eat).

2 very large baking potatoes, unpeeled 1-2 tbs butter (depending on taste) up to ¼ cup whipped creamed cheese (or up to ¼ cup milk) cheese for topping (cheddar or parmesan) pinch of salt pinch black pepper Optional: ½ cup or more chopped fresh, uncooked broccoli 2 thinly-sliced scallions Rinse potatoes, coat with olive oil, and bake 1 hour in preheated, 450˚ oven. Carefully split hot potatoes lengthwise with sharp knife and scoop out insides with tablespoon (into mixing bowl), leaving 4 shells.

Mash hot potato insides and mix with butter, creamed cheese (or milk), adding as needed for mashed-potato consistency), salt and pepper to taste. Mix in most of broccoli, leaving some to decorate top. Pile potato/ broccoli mixture back into shells, in microwave-safe dish. Decorate top with reserved broccoli and sliced scallions, cover with slices of cheese.

Microwave for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

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Annie Finch: Magic Leftover Energy Salad My first memory of feeding myself when times were tight was when I was 16 and lived for a while in a communal house on onion and cheese sandwiches. Ever since, I have thought of the onion family as the Earth Goddess’s gift to the hard-up. Nowadays my favorite way to enhance my diet for free and to feel directly nourished by the earth is by foraging for violet leaves, plantain leaves, dandelion greens, nuts, flower petals, apples from abandoned trees, seaweed. . .

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Toss together any of the following: shredded leaves and stems of leftover raw greens (kale, swiss chard, beet greens etc), lettuces, parsley, a few celery leaves; fresh greens gathered from outside (dandelion leaves, violet leaves, plantain leaves, mustard garlic leaves, chicory, etc); leftover roasted vegetables including beets, onions, garlic, carrots, kale, and cauliflower (you can roast almost the entire cauliflower including the core chopped fairly small) broccoli (ditto, including all the stems chopped fairly small); green beans, snow peas, or sugar snap peas diced; cukes, tomatoes, ​and ​ any ​other ​ leftover ​raw or cooked ​ vegetables ​;​ beans, cubed cheese, leftover meat, tofu, etc. Toss with the Magic Dressing that ties it all together: olive oil, lemon juice, and miso (½ cup olive oil with 2 T each lemon juice and miso, blended in the blender). ​Eat with gratitude.​

Danielle Barnhart: Grandma Babe’s Vegetable Soup I was 5 years old the first time I remember my grandma serving me this soup. She was so pleased to ladle more and more into my bowl, and I loved that it made her happy. She still lights up when she tells the story of her little granddaughter saying “More please. More please.”

My grandmother, Babe is now 87 years old. When she made this soup, she would use a pressure cooker. I have since made some adjustments--removing one green beans, adding garlic--but the warmth and the love is always there. My six year old never fails to finish her bowl.

Ingredients: 6 (ish) potatoes 5 (ish) carrots 1 onion - preferably yellow 1 handful of garlic cloves 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 3 cups of beef broth (can be substituted with vegetable broth) 2 cans of condensed tomato soup 1 bag of frozen peas 1 bag of frozen corn (Generously serves 8 - 10) Instructions: Peel, chop, and rinse potatoes (varying slightly in size). Place in cold water, and bring to a boil in a large pot. Chop and rinse carrots, and add to potatoes once boiling. Boil until both are tender.

Dice onion. Chop garlic into large chunks. Sauté both in oil in deep pan until browned. (Onions should be mostly melted down). Deglaze pan with broth.

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Strain most of the water out of the potatoes and carrots--leaving about a cup in the bottom. Add onion and garlic broth. Add both cans of tomato soup (do not reconstitute). Simmer all over low heat until until desired thickness. The smaller potatoes will have begun to break down.

Add frozen peas and corn. Let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Season generously with salt & pepper.

Best served to the ones you love with a hunk of buttered bread.

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<3

Anna Lena Phillips Bell: A Cheering Soup A blended soup of bright sweet potatoes, winter squash, or carrots helps me make it through all kinds of winter. Just about any of the ingredients can be adjusted, especially the varieties and proportions of vegetables and the combination of herbs and spices. I like this as a meal in itself, or it goes well with a salad, or bread and cheese, or steamed kale, or . . . A few sweet potatoes will make a surprising amount of soup, so use a big pot!

Four to five sweet potatoes, or one to two butternut squash And possibly A couple of carrots, chopped A parsnip A single beet (if you need some pink in your life) &c. &c.

One large onion, diced Several cloves of garlic, to taste, minced A little oil or butter Some dried thyme, or minced fresh herbs if any are growing (rosemary is nice!)

And possibly A half-cup of red lentils, rinsed and carefully cleaned Minced ginger, for a spicier and sweeter-leaning soup A little cayenne Water And possibly (recommended!): Coconut milk or cream, or soy milk, or cream A little salt or Braggs Some garnishes: Toasted pumpkin seeds or toasted sunflower seeds A dollop of yogurt or sour cream or coconut cream, or a little cream or soymilk Minced fresh herbs, by themselves or tossed with melted butter or warmed olive oil Red pepper flakes /// 87 ///

Place a pleasing combination of orange vegetables on a baking sheetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;use

whatever amount will fit easily. For sweet potatoes, just pierce the skins all over with a fork; for squash, halve and seed, then pierce. (If you’re including carrots, there’s no need to bake them; they can cook in the pot.) Baste with a little oil and bake at ca. 425 degrees for ca. an hour, or until a fork goes to the middle.

Allow to cool enough that you won’t burn your fingers, then peel. Squash and most root vegetables should be peeled fully; leaving in just a little of the sweet potato peel adds nutrients, and likely no one will notice. Then chop coarsely. If everything’s well cooked, not much chopping is necessary, especially for sweet potatoes; if a little hard still, chop into one-inch cubes.

Some options: Bake sweet potatoes one day, have them whole for dinner, then use what’s left the next day to make soup. Or, if you don’t have time to bake, the vegetables can be boiled instead; peel and chop into one-inch cubes, and simmer until a fork can pierce them. Save the liquid to use in place of water in the next step.

In a large pot, sauté the onion in oil or butter, and when it’s nearly translucent, add the garlic. When both are nicely sautéed, add the herbs and let them appreciate the fat for a minute. Next add one or two cups of water.

If you’re including carrots and/or red lentils, add these first and let them simmer for ten minutes or so, then add the sweet potatoes or etc. Add more water as needed to fully cover everything, then let simmer, stirring occasionally. While simmering, add optional spices (cayenne, ginger) as you prefer. Cook until all the vegetables are soft but not totally mushy, and everything seems well acquainted (about half an hour, depending).

Spoon or pour a reasonable quantity of the mixture into a blender, adding liquid as needed, and blend until smooth. Pour the result into a new pot.

Keep on until all is blended, then stir the soup together again on low heat, and add liquid to reach the consistency & volume you prefer. If you want a creamier soup, make sure the pot is at a low simmer or off the burner, and stir in a cup or two of coconut milk/cream/soymilk. Taste, and add a little salt or similar as needed.

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Serve in bowls or mugs, top with whatever additions suit your fancy, and eat in good company, whether a book or a friend. xoxo!

Jennifer Sperry Steinorth: No-Time Spicy Noodle Soup I love this simple soup. It can be altered depending on what veggies, broth, protein you have on hand.

1 lime, squeezed 6 T red wine vinegar or rice vinegar 4 T sesame oil 2 jalapeĂąo peppers, seeded and chopped* *or to taste, with two peppers many find this soup quite spicy--super spice fiends: keep the seeds in!

6 cloves garlic, minced 11 c broth of choice (chicken, mushroom, misoâ&#x20AC;Ś) optional: a few slices raw ginger 3/4 bag egg noodles 1 block of firm tofu, cubed or two cooked and cubed chicken breasts or 2-3 cooked and cubed pork chops, or a couple of heaps of sliced mushrooms.

1-2 medium tomato chopped 1 c. chopped cilantro optional: additional veggies: zucchini cut into half moons, chopped raw spinach, kale, or collard greens Combine first 7 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add egg noodles and boil per package directions. If using zucchini, kale or collard greens, add in the last three minutes of the egg noodle cook time along with tofu and/ or meat. If using spinach, place in bowls and pour very hot soup over spinach. Add tomato and cilantro just before serving.

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This soup is filling with the egg noodles, veggies and protein but also spicy and citrusy. Sometimes I add chili-garlic paste for a bit more heat, sweet and depth.

Jennifer Jean: Simple Banh Pho Soup Soak pho in hot tap water for 5-8 minutes Drain pho in colander Store in large Ziploc bag Boil 6 cups of water in a pot Add 6 tsp of bouillon to boiled water Add pho (amount depends on hunger--NOTE: more pho means a less “soupy” meal) Boil for 2-3 minutes Serves 4 NOTE: does not keep well as a “leftover” Cost: Banh Pho: $1.49 a package (8 servings) Bouillon: $1.99 for a 7.9 oz jar (24 servings) (Adding veggies & spices increases cost--but also increases flavor! Favorite veggies to add: carrots, onions, & peppers. Favorite spices: poultry seasoning, sage, rosemary, & thyme.)

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NOTE: We serve pho soup several days a week in the Summer—when our funds thin, when my adjunct classes dry up or disappear, when we’ve got June Gloom rains that keep my husband from his house painting dayjob. We tell the kids that hot food cools a body during hot weather. They always gobble up our cheap, thick soup.

Irene Svete: Make Your Own Vegetable Stock Back in 2008, after the economy crashed and before Facebook took over the world, I joined a cooking group on LiveJournal. The idea behind pollanesque was to cook more, eat better, create community, and maybe through that “support a healthier economy, a more complex and human political system, and a globally responsible life.”

I don’t know how much of that we accomplished but I made some great inexpensive soups based on our shared recipes. Eight years later, I still swear by dogeared’s tips for making vegetable broth. And I’ve never found a better practice to make sure everything I buy gets used.

This is one of those old school “granny recipes” with a bit of this and a dash of that. You begin by tossing into a one-quart freezer bag all those unattractive but still edible bits of leftover raw vegetables, then putting the bag into the freezer. Simply add more vegetables to your freezer bags as they accumulate. Right now, for instance, I have two bags full of frozen wilted lettuce, onion peels, limp carrots and celery, mushy tomatoes, and zucchini ends that didn’t get used before I left for a weekend last month.

Once you accumulate four one-quart bags (a gallon of tightly compacted vegetables), you’re ready to start cooking.

One caution: Do not use members of the cabbage family or the white parts of your green/yellow/red peppers. They will make the broth bitter.

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Ingredients 1 gallon, frozen vegetable gleanings 1 onion, chopped 2-3 garlic cloves A small leftover Pecorino Romano rind Peppercorns (I use 8-12. Sometimes I crush them for more flavor.)

Dried rosemary (1 – 1 1/4 teaspoons) Bay leaves (usually 2) Dried Italian seasoning (I generally make my own using a mix of thyme, marjoram, savory, sage, oregano, and basil, about a ½ teaspoon of each, a bit more of the marjoram and thyme.)

12 cups of water Optional: I freeze leftover wine in an ice tray and will sometimes add a cube or two Throw the frozen vegetables into a large pot. I have a 12-quart stockpot from a restaurant supply house but you can use one as small as 5.5 quarts.

Then add the other ingredients, water last.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

When it is done, remove the pot from the stove and strain the stock, making sure to mash the vegetables to get out all of the liquid. I usually freeze the broth in two-cup portions. I use the broth as base for everything from risotto to soups.

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The LJ group, pollanesque, went inactive in 2012 but its archive remains live and searchable by topic. To see the original post of this recipe, go to http://pollanesque.livejournal.com/47141.html

Melissa Studdard: Melissa’s Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup

Although my daughter and I are vegetarians, she loves comfort food, especially when she’s sick. I developed this recipe when she had a cold, and now she requests it regularly, whether she’s sick or not. Like a poem, it’s versatile—as long as you throw in an aesthetically pleasing balance of the ingredients, you have the soup. I keep frozen peas, Quorn chicken, and vegetable broth on hand, and I grow the parsley and rosemary.

Base

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Vegetable broth bullion cubes (about 4-6) Quorn chicken or other vegan chicken (about 2 breasts, set out to thaw a bit) Celery (a stalk or two) Carrots (a large carrot) Peas (about a half cup to cup) Fresh Rosemary (to taste) Fresh Parsley (to taste) Pasta (a cup or two uncooked—the denser spiral noodles and shells work great) Pepper (to taste) Salt (to taste) Olive oil or butter (about a tablespoon)

Alternates & Add-Ins Bragg’s Amino Acids (a few squirts for depth and richness) White Wine (to taste) Other Herbs (to taste) Other Vegetables Onion (about ⅛ - ¼ cup chopped) Garlic (2-4 cloves, for the immunity boost—I usually add this unless her stomach is too queasy) Freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese (a few pinches of on top of a warm bowl—tasty)

The measurements can vary by individual taste, but I usually start by sautéing a few cloves of minced garlic, ¼ cup chopped onion, and 6 vegetable bullion cubes (without water yet) in about a tablespoon of oil or butter.

Next, I add water to transform the bullion into broth, filling the pot up about ¾ of the way. Then I add sliced or chopped carrots and what my daughter and I call the “fake chicken.”

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After about five minutes, I add the celery, peas, rosemary, and amino acids.After about five more minutes, I add the pasta and cook until the pasta is done.

At the very end, I sprinkle with finely chopped parsley for a fresh taste.

Quinoa, White Bean And Kale Stew This recipe is from Appetite for Reduction, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It’s a perfect stretching meal because you can eat it the first day without sauce, and then on subsequent days add hot sauce, cider vinegar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, etc. It’s many stews in one, and always delicious.

Appetite for Reduction was recommended to me by vegan writer Shanna Compton, and I highly recommend it to you.

Ingredients 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 cups leeks, thinly sliced (white and green parts) 1 teaspoon salt 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 large carrot, peeled, diced medium 1 large parsnip, peeled, diced medium 8 cups vegetable broth 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, diced medium 1 cup dry quinoa 1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed 1 bunch kale (about a pound), rough stems removed, torn into bite sized pieces Herb blend: 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (see crushing fennel tip) 1 teaspoon dried majoram 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary Fresh black pepper, to taste Directions Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté leeks and garlic in oil with salt for about 3 minutes, or however long it takes you to prep your carrot and parsnip. Add carrot and parsnip, along with the herb blend, turn heat up to high and sauté for a few seconds.

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Add vegetable broth, potatoes and quinoa. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes and quinoa are tender. Add kale and beans, and stir frequently until kale is wilted.

Cover and simmer on low for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt.

Eve Linn: The Soup That Stretches *What you need:* olive or vegetable oil or butter 2 cans or more crushed tomatoes 2-3 onions 2-3 stalks of celery 2-3 carrots garlic bay leaf basil oregano red pepper flakes if you like, or ground black pepper and salt to taste. (I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use any) Veggie broth, chicken broth or water depending on your preference 2-3 cans of red kidney beans or a mixture small pasta, cut up and boiled potatoes, rice (I cook these separately so they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get mushy) spinach, chard if desired, sliced or torn. ( if you like greens, be aware spinach will cook down to almost nothing) Add at the end of cooking. *To garnish:*

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Parmesan cheese *To make:*

Chop onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cover bottom of a heavy soup kettle with oil or butter. Add chopped veggies with spices and cook until onions are clear. Add liquid of choice (about 4-6) cups depending on how thick or thin you like your soup. Simmer for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes or fresh if you have access to them, half a small can of tomato paste or a hefty dollop of pesto if available. Add beans.

Cook for another fifteen or twenty minutes, adding more liquid if needed.

When everything is hot and fork tender, add starch of choice and cook until heated through, then add the greens and stir, until they are cooked down. Ladle into bowls, top with grated parmesan cheese if desired. You can double this with no problem and freeze, but don’t add cheese if freezing.

Serve with country bread, salad, and cookies for desert for a cozy meal. I have been making this soup for about twenty years and it is very forgiving. It is known in our house as “Mom Soup.” Enjoy

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Paul Otremba: Pork and Squash Stew Makes about 3 quarts.

3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder*, trimmed of large fat and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 large fresh pork hock, optional 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch cubes 1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch cubes 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes 1 large yellow onion, diced 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 2 large cloves of garlic, minced 1 14oz can of peeled whole tomatoes, drained Bouquet garni of fresh thyme, parsley, oregano, and 2 bay leaves.** 4 tablespoons of a North African spice blend***, or to taste 3 tablespoons of oil or lard Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste 6 cups of stock****, plus more if needed * Pork shoulder is great for this, and it’s cheap and tasty. Lamb also works great, but it’s pricier. When I started making versions of this stew over a dozen years ago, based off of a recipe I found on Epicurious.com (which might be a 2001 recipe from Bon Appétit for “Garbanzo Bean Soup with Saffron”), I made it as a vegetarian meal, skipping the meat and adding a can of chickpeas, drained, before the last ½ hour of cooking. ** Fresh herbs are not necessary. I live in a place where I can grow fresh herbs year-round, and I don’t like spending money on bunches of fresh herbs that tend to be way more than I need for most recipes.

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*** For this stew, I like the basic flavors you find in recipes for Moroccan or Tunisian spice blends. I tend not to buy jarred blends but make my own, typically building off of cumin, coriander, cayenne, ground chili, ginger, and cinnamon. Individually, I use these spices regularly enough.

I hate buying expensive spice blends that I’ll only use for one or two recipes. You can play around with the spices you like and have around. This version uses spices found occasionally in merguez sausage and harissa.

It contains 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon whole caraway seeds, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons ground

ancho chili, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. The whole spices were toasted and ground, and then blended with the rest. This makes more than needed for the recipe, but it’s good to have extra to adjust the seasoning when finishing the stew. A simpler blend could be a couple tablespoons of ground cumin, a tablespoon of paprika or chili powder, a couple teaspoons of cinnamon, a teaspoon of cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper. The whole point of the stew is not to buy a bunch of ingredients you’re only intending to use for one meal. **** I used homemade chicken stock this time because I had some in the freezer. I have the habit of buying whole chickens and saving unused parts in the freezer for making a big batch of stock that I freeze in 2-cup portions. It’s cheaper to buy whole chickens and butcher them yourself, which gives you a couple meals with chicken, and homemade stock is very flavorful. If not homemade, I typically use purchased chicken or vegetable stock. For a homemade vegetarian version, Mark Bittman has a great recipe for vegetable stock, and most of the ingredients are already being used for this recipe.

Directions for the Stew:

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If you are cooking with an oven-safe pot, preheat oven to 315ºF. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil or lard in a 5-quart Dutch oven (or whatever large soup pot you have) over medium-high heat. Season the pork with the spices, and if you want you can do this hours in advance, leaving the seasoned pork in the refrigerator until you need it. Brown the cubed, seasoned pork in the Dutch oven. When browned on all sides, remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the third tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and then the onions and carrots, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot as you stir occasionally. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Then add the garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, crushing and breaking them up in the pot. Return the pork to the pot with the squash, potatoes, bouquet garni, and stock. If you are using the fresh pork hock, nestle it into the pot at this point. If you are using the oven, bring the pot to a simmer on the stove and then move it to the oven to cook uncovered for 2.5 hours. If on the stove, cook it partially covered until the pork and squash are fall-apart tender. When completely cooked, remove the pork hock, let it chill a bit, and then remove and chop the meat, which you can add back to the stew. If the stew is too thin, you can add a little more stock. Check the seasoning and adjust.

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You can eat the stew on its own, perhaps with some bread on the side.

You can garnish it with things like sour cream, kefir cream, prepared horseradish, radishes, or celery. I like to use what I have around in the fridge. This time I happened to have some kohlrabi and horseradish root I bought for a salad, so I used those shredded and grated over the stew with sour cream, celery leaves, and some hot sauce. To make the stew into another distinct meal, you can heat it up in a skillet with roughly chopped greens, like collards or mustard greens. You can serve it over rice or barley or with green lentils. You can add chickpeas to the stew, or you can serve it with chickpeas after making it with vegetable stock for a vegan meal. This is an immensely forgiving and versatile dish that can accommodate much of what you may have already in the refrigerator and that can be transformed for days into different meals. I freeze three-cup portions for easy meals. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough for two people to have dinner, or for you to have dinner and then lunch the next day.

Kaveh Akbar: Vegan Fesenjan 2ish cups raw walnuts 2 cups vegetable stock 1 big yellow onion 1 box firm tofu 2/3rd cup pomegranate molasses (you can find this in Middle-Eastern grocery stores or online) Brown sugar Paprika Salt Turmeric Black pepper Garlic powder Cinnamon I don’t usually follow any specific written recipe so I’m kind of approximating lots of this, but here’s the gist: bake the walnuts at 350 for tennish minutes. Bake the (firm) tofu till crispy. Sauté a big yellow onion until it’s super translucent, add vegetable broth, simmer for a few minutes. Add tofu, simmer for a few more. Crush all the walnuts to a powder (you can put them in a ziploc bag and smash them with a can, or be more dignified with a food-processor ((I use the can))), then add those. Add 2/3rds cup of pomegranate molasses. More if you’re nasty (I’m nasty). If you’re not familiar, it’s quite tart. Simmer for tennish minutes so the flavor can settle, then season—turmeric, paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon. Just a bit of each. I like using brown sugar but you can use white.

The more you add, the less tart it’ll be—you can really go nuts with it, some people like it only sweet, I like it mostly sweet and a little tart. Add a cup or even two. Sweet’s good. No shame here. Simmer for a long while.

It’s like chili, it gets better the longer you cook it—you just wanna be sure to stir every twenty minutes or so so the walnuts don’t stick to the bottom.

Serve over white rice!

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This was one of my favorite dishes growing up, a special occasion dish (we always had it then with chicken, which you can do too if you prefer). I remember once, in the days where I was going weeks on popcorn and ramen and rice alone (in a filthy apartment we lovingly dubbed ‘The Trash Castle.’) Digging around one afternoon, I found a bottle of pomegranate molasses in the back of a cupboard (likely nabbed from an ancient trip

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home), AND my roommate happened to have a bag of (very old, very stale) walnuts. I got so so so excited. I went to a campus grocer, splurged on some tofu and an onion, and spent the evening making us a fesenjan feast. We listened to favorite records and ate and ate all night long, far beyond the point of comfort. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever felt so rich.

Stephanie Adams-Santos: Sopa de Tortilla con Ajo (Porridge of Tortilla and Garlic) As a child who spent many summers in my grandmother’s home in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, I often sat with the elders in the little blackened room (to which in many ways the kitchen was the annex), where the wood stove glowed with the burning of fresh leña and the women boiled water for coffee and baths, clapped out their daily rounds of tortillas, gossiped, and kept warm. The other kitchen, which was mostly empty, had a fridge and an electric stove, and a dining table protected in a sheet of thick plastic. That was the formal kitchen, but this kitchen, the old kitchen that was here long before the new kitchen, was where the tortillas were made. Smoke had made the walls black, and save for the fire itself, there was no other source of light. This was the room where I received many of my grandmother’s stories. Where I learned that she received her first pair of shoes when she was sixteen, and how before that her feet were wide and flat from walking barefoot. Shoes pinch your feet like this, she had told me, and made the same motion of shaping that I had seen her do while making little loaves of sweet bread. She never had a father to speak of and lost her mother at an early age and was raised by an angry aunt (who met a tragic end—her skirt one day caught fire and she died weeks later of her insufferable burns). This aunt had very little to her name, and she was deaf, so my grandmother began to sell tortillas in the market when she was only eight years old. I have been working since I was this tall, my grandmother tells me. If I wanted to eat, I had to work. Often she and her aunt had nothing else to eat but a few tortillas with lime and salt or with chile. Or fried with garlic into a kind of porridge—which is the recipe I wish to share with you now. It is a “poor person’s dish”, as my grandmother says, and she would laugh if I ever told her it was worthy of a cookbook, but it is rich in its simplicity and deliciousness. Note: You must love garlic and tortillas to love this dish. And if you do, you will probably want it every day.

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Ingredients 1/2 cup Masa Harina 1/3 cup water (for tortillas) pinch of salt 4-5 cloves of garlic 2-3 tbsps of vegetable oil 1 cup water (for porridge)

Serves 1-2 _______________________________________ Step 1: Tortillas Preheat an ungreased griddle, iron pan, or comal on medium-high heat.

Mix the masa with salt in a bowl and add the water to form a soft dough.

Add more dough or masa as necessary. You should be able to handle the dough and shape it, but it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be so dry that it cracks. Keeping your fingers wet, form the dough into little circles and work them into thin, flat rounds with your palms. Natural tortillas made without a press are much thicker than the store-bought variety. They are hearty and life-giving.

Place the tortillas on the hot griddle/pan/comal and cook on one side for several minutes. They are ready to flip when the bottom of the tortilla easily lifts off the hot surface and has developed some color and dryness.

Flip and allow the other side to cook for another few minutes. Set the tortillas aside to cool. At this point, it would also be wise to sample one.

Try cutting a key lime and rubbing on a little lime and salt.

Step 2: Porridge Mince the garlic cloves and set aside. The tortillas should have cooled down a bit so they can be handled. Now, break up the tortillas into small pieces with your hands and set aside.

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Heat up the oil in a pan and when it is hot, fry the garlic for about a minute, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let it burn. When the garlic starts to brown, add the crumbled tortillas and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Little by little, add some of the remaining water and stir. The water will help take apart the tortillas and eventually will form a warm, savory porridge. When the consistency is to your liking, pour into a bowl and crush some pepper over the top and enjoy.

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