chop A Culinary Playground

Cous Cous with Seven Vegetables

Well, actually nine vegetable cous cous.  This would be a great recipe for a meatless Monday.

1          Bulb Fennel, quartered

1          Turnip. quartered

2          Stalks celery cut into four inch pieces

1          Carrot cut into four inch pieces

1          Onion, quartered

½         Head cabbage, cut in half

4          Large

Brussels

sprout cut in half

1          Corn cob, cut in two inch pieces

8          Snow peas

1          Red bell pepper, quartered

 

1          14.5 Can diced tomatoes

4          Cups Water or vegetable broth or a mixture of both

1          Teaspoon Coriander

1          Teaspoon Cumin

1          Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1          Pinch Saffron

1          Bunch Cilantro tied (make sure to leave roots on)

 

            Cous Cous

1          Teaspoon Butter

 

Place all the vegetables except the snow peas in a stock pot.  Cover with water, spices and cilantro.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.  Add the snow peas in the last minute.

 

Cook cous cous  per package. (I actually prefer to steam it) When cous cous is down, fluff with a fork adding the butter. (Butter can be omitted if you want it to be vegan)

 

Place on a platter and arrange vegetables around, pour vegetable cooking broth over the cous cous.

 

Serves four large servings

Southern Barbeque

Foodalogue’s long Culinary Tour Around the World to benefit Bloggeraid has come to an end in the America’s south.  I decided to do barbeque.  My husband, Moumen is obsessed with smoking.  So I let him do the primary cooking.  We decided to smoke spareribs, pork shoulder, pork loin, primerib, salmon and red bell peppers.  No we didn’t do all this just for Foodalogue.  We had a catering for a benefit for the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The smoker is made of steel pipe and we use Keawe wood (mesquite) for the ultimate flavor.

 

 Moumen made a rub of paprika, garlic powder, Old Bay Seasoning, clove, cayenne, allspice, black pepper, kosher salt, brown sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, ground dried chipotle, nutmeg, coriander.

 Then we smoked the meat low and slow, never exceding 260 degrees.  The pork took 8 hours, the primerib, 12 hours, salmon, 1 hour.

From the pork shoulder I made a pulled pork sandwich, topped with coleslaw and fried pickles. This would be great for a Memorial Day Party.  You could make a Pulled Pork Bar, with lots of different toppings, fried green tomatoes, black bean and corn salad, a Thai style slaw, be creative!

Coleslaw

½             Head of green cabbage, shredded

½             head of red cabbage, shredded

¼             red onion, sliced

3              stalks celery

2              Tablespoons Agave syrup

1              Teaspoon Celery Seed

                Salt and Pepper

½             Cup Mayonnaise

Sweet Potato and Chicken Potpie

We have been having unusually cold weather here in Hawaii.  Except for the few months that I went to cooking school in Paris, I have always lived in Hawaii.  I have never experienced it to be so cold and for such a long time as I have the last few weeks.   I guess global warming is cooling off Hawaii.  I know a lot of people that live in colder areas don’t feel sorry for me being here in Hawaii in the upper sixties (I have gotten a lot of grief from my Facebook friends).  I have to defend myself.  I live in a single wall construction house with no insulation, a lot of my windows are stuck open because I never have to close them (I even have one window in my kitchen that is only screen), and our living room is basically and outdoor lanai.  So to warm up I have been making lots of comfort food hence the Pot Pie. 

This could easily be made vegetarian by not adding the chicken and just using vegetables.  I topped it with and unsuccessful biscuit recipe (my husband says that I over worked it), so I am not including that.

Chicken Pot Pie

4                              Chicken Breast, poached and diced in 1 inch cubes

2                              Tablespoons Butter

1                              Medium Onion, diced

1                              Large Sweet Potato,

                                peeled and diced

2                              Carrots, peeled and diced

4                              Ribs Celery, diced

½                             Red Bell Pepper, diced

6                              Jerusalem Artichoke, peeled

                                and quartered

1                              Teaspoon Thyme

                                Salt and Pepper

3                              Tablespoons Flour

¼                             Cup White Wine

1                              Cup Milk

½                             Cup Peas

Sauté onion, sweet potato, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and Jerusalem artichokes in the melted butter for 5 minutes.  Add thyme, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with flour and stir, add wine and milk and stir.  Add chicken and peas. Let sauce thicken for 5 minutes.  Place in a casserole and top with your favorite pie crust of biscuit dough.  Bake in a 380 oven until crust is golden.