Garam Masala and Thyme

What I love about this dish is that, while it does involve bechamel (the classic French white sauce), the endive makes it a bit lighter and less overwhelming. The sautéed leeks, peas and herbs give a bit of sweetness, which nicely offsets the bitterness of the endive, and the white beans add some protein, which makes this a really nice meal.

Ingredients
3 Belgian Endives, sliced in quarters lengthwise
1/2 cup dried white beans, rehydrated (put in a large saucepan with about 4-6 cups water and boil for 40 minutes, covered) and drained
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 leek, cut into 1/4″ half-moon pieces
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1-1/2 cups skim milk
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 oz gruyere, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 375 Farenheit. Arrange endive pieces in a gratin dish (a ceramic oval dish about 1-2″ deep, if you’ve never seen one). In a medium saucepan or flat-bottom sauté pan, sauté leeks in 1 tbsp butter until softened. Toss white beans in and arrange leeks/beans over the endives. Arrange peas on top of the whole thing.

In the same pan you used to sauté the leeks, add 2 tbsp butter, and add flour when it’s melted. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the flour starts to turn a bit golden. Add 1/4 cup milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly until milk is incorporated. Add the rest of the milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens, then add nutmeg, cayenne and herbs. Take off the heat and pour over the vegetables and beans, using a wooden spoon to shift the vegetables away from the sides of the dish so the sauce doesn’t spill over.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, gruyere and a touch of cayenne. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until the top is browned and the sauce is nice and bubbly. Serve over couscous or grilled sourdough bread.

I got this recipe from The Vegetarian Table: France by Georganne Brennan, and I swear to you, it’s brilliant. Harissa is a spicy chili-garlic paste that’s North African in origin, but apparently popular in France. This version is modified slightly based on what I had available (couldn’t find dried Anaheim chilis, and I added a couple of things), but it’s really good.

You don’t need much of this to make your food good and spicy, but it typically goes with couscous, and even went well with the Endive Au Gratin that I made for tonight’s dinner.

Ingredients:
3-4 dried Chipotle peppers
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
8 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp good olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth

Start by removing the stems and seeds from the Chipotles. Cut into smallish pieces and grind along with mustard seeds in a coffee/spice grinder.

In a small chopper, add garlic, spices and turmeric and pulse until garlic is well-chopped. Add oil and continue pulsing until combined - then add broth and do the same.

This will store in a tightly covered container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Use it on couscous, in tomato dishes, and soups. Be warned, it’s spicy - so you don’t need a lot unless you really like your food hot. It’s also great in hummus.

This was honestly one of the best things I have ever made. The stew is hearty, but the lemon and fennel make it much lighter so it doesn’t get overwhelming. Serve this over some jasmine rice.

Start with:
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 head fennel, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium-to-large stockpot, sauté onions and fennel over medium heat with a bit of salt and pepper for about 10 minutes, until onions are nice and soft, and fennel begins to soften. Then add:

1 large (28-oz) can whole peeled Roma tomatoes with juice, crushed with your hands
1 cup (ish) dry white wine
juice and zest of one lemon
1 cup cracked green olives, pitted and halved
2 cups cannelini beans, par-boiled (I rehydrated them about half-way yesterday to save time - you can also just use a can of beans, rinsed and drained)

Turn heat down to low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Add

12 oz swordfish, cut into largish chunks

cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until swordfish is just about done, then add

1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1″ chunks

cover again, and continue stewing for another 5 minutes or so until asparagus are just tender. Serve over jasmine rice.