Consuming Consciousness

For such a rich-tasting dish, this has surprisingly few calories and packs a huge protein-wallop. It’s also a one-pot meal, very quick to assemble, and relatively inexpensive for a seafood dish.

Though I love fresh mussels, they’re hard to come by in many U.S. supermarkets, and I rarely have time to wrestle with bearding the beasts before even beginning to get around to preparing dinner. Lately, though, I’ve been finding large bags of frozen, pre-cooked mussels in my local Turkish and Asian markets in Berlin. My guess is that they’re also available in the States. Here they’re quite cheap, and I can feed four people very well for under 10 Euros. I love how easy they are to use — they’re already clean and simply need to be heated through.

Mussels have a powerful flavor and need to be countered by other strong but complementary tastes. In this dish I use a combination of garlic, shallots, chilis and hot peppers and balance it with white wine, cream and orange peel. Any citrus peel would be interesting, and next time I’ll try it with lemon. You can serve these mussels in a bowl like a stew, or spoon them over rice or pasta if you can handle the carbs. (more…)

“Garam Masala” is like “Chili Powder” or “Curry Powder.” They’re all names for spice combinations that one is often called to used in recipes, but they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so you never quite know what you’re getting. I’m pretty picky about my spices, so I grind my mixtures myself. It’s not very time consuming, and in a sealed container they can keep for six months at room temperature — longer if you store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

The recipe is best if you use whole spices and grind them yourself from seed. I use a coffee grinder, but a mortar and pestle works just as well. Spices are unbelievably expensive if you buy them in small quantities in the supermarket, but if you have access to a health food store you can often buy them surprisingly cheaply, especially if you measure them out yourself from bulk dispensers. Another very cheap place to get these spices is at neighborhood Mexican or Asian markets, where they’re sold inexpensively in cellophane or plastic bags.
(more…)

Some recipes are so simple, and the results so unexpected that they’re a joy to make. This deep, rich, flavorful, spicy salsa needs 30 minutes of prep time (to soak the dried chiles) and about 5 minutes of blending. (more…)

Of all the recipes I’ve invented, this is the one that has gotten the most requests over the years. I have friends who are dejected if, when they come over for dinner, I haven’t made a dish featuring this green sauce rich in tomatillos, Hatch green chiles and garlic. It’s easy to assemble, and it freezes beautifully so I always make double or triple the amount I need. If you live in the Southwest, don’t miss the opportunity to make it during Hatch season — the fresh-roasted chiles available from roadside vendors or from supermarkets specializing in Mexican produce and ingredients.

I serve this sauce over grilled poultry, fish, tofu, or vegetables. It’s also an excellent base for a pork or goat stew: brown the meat, then add the green sauce and simmer until the meat is tender and begins to fall apart. The sauce is full of vitamins and minerals: one serving contains 127% of your daily iron requirement. (more…)

If you’re like me and you often crave heat, you probably have a variety of hot sauces in your kitchen. But unless you hail from the Caribbean, I can almost guarantee you that you don’t have anything like this one. It’s a sweet, unbelievably spicy, and incredibly fruity and flavorful condiment that tastes great on poultry, turns your rice and your tofu into a taste treat, sharpens up fried foods, and is at its absolute best on fish. Unlike many hot sauces, this one doesn’t celebrate heat for the sake of heat; instead, it embodies the word “spicy” — flavor and heat combined in a heady, consciousness-altering mix. (more…)

This is an exceptionally rich and mild chocolate mole (though of course you can heat it up with cayenne). It’s my favorite sauce for grilled turkey or chicken breast, and it also goes wonderfully with rice or vegetables. I make a large batch because it takes time to cook and it freezes well. From beginning to end, the cooking process is about three hours long, but your active contribution is less than one hour. It’s on a day off, when you don’t want to fuss too much in the kitchen, but you’d like to fill the house with delicious smells. At less than 120 calories per serving, this is an exceptional treat. (more…)