Recently I had these Pea Cakes out at Southern Rail Restaurant in Phoenix and I was inspired to do my own twist on them. Theirs were tasty but fell apart when you ate them. Mine do differ from the taste of the ones I had from Southern Rail but hold together well and are moist. I don’t know what the Southern Rail Recipe was but they had an almost falafel taste, seemed pan fried or grilled and came with a really Great Flavorful Tomato Jam that complimented the cakes very well.  I found them interesting nonetheless.  Mine are more a corn bread taste. I guess I could have called mine cakes if I made them flatter or made them like pancakes in a fry pan but choose the muffin shape so I called them muffins. Mine came out moist with a delicate flavors I liked and I didn’t want to add anything else to them. My oven is set at 350 degrees and I used oiled muffin pans.

Ingredients are

1 Cup Cornmeal

1 Cup Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup soft butter

1 egg beaten

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Milk

1 lb. Peas (I used a 1 lb. frozen bag thawed)

1 cup of chopped Scallion

1 clove minced garlic

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

I had my dry ingredients in one bowl.

My wet in my other bowl.

Then I spilled out 1/2 my wet and added the garlic,  half of my peas and all the scallions.

Then I blended mixture.

Then I added the Fresh Ground Black pepper to all bowls and combined all mixtures. The mixture did look sort of dry but I knew it would be fine since I based this recipe on my Corn Muffin Recipe I haven’t Published as of yet.

Filled oiled Muffin Pans about 3/4 full.

Baked them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

They came out moist and with a nice texture. They do have some slight sweetness to them but are without sugar. you can also taste onions without them overpowering the peas. This recipe made 17 muffins for me.

I think they are a good for breakfast, or as a side, snack  or a side dish for dinner.

Forking Good!

I had some Mulling Spice and some Grapes that were going past their time so I thought I’d pickle them seasoned with Mulling Spices. Mulling Spice sort of has the aroma of Christmas.

Normal Mulling Spices are Orange, Ginger, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Allspice, Star Anise, and Cloves.

Foe some reason I had an old pack of this seasoning sitting around. I no longer purchase any spice blends because they almost forking always suck.

I cooked maybe 1/3 sugar against 2/3rds vinegar with my already packaged Mull seasoning and the grapes. I drained the mulling spices out.

They came out tasting good and not too sweet, almost apple pie like. I think they will go well with a light creamy cheese or an almost not sweet whipped cream. They also keep well too!

It’s easy to pickle your grapes if you accidentally  purchased too many.

Forking Truth

Red Lentil and Carrot Kofte

I was searching for a recipe for something different to do with carrots and came across Award Winning Cook Book Writer’s Diana Henry’s Recipe for Red Lentil and Carrot Kofe Recipe. I was excited about the recipe because it seemed to be made with ingredients that were all very heathy like carrots, lentils, bulgur wheat and exotic seasonings.

The word Kofe is of Persian Origin and comes from the Persian Word Kufteh meaning mashed. In old times before grinders were made meat balls were mashed with a mortar.

I didn’t alter Diana Henry’s Recipe too much but for my taste I thought salt, pepper and lemon juice needed to be bumped up. I also had to cut back on the cilantro because for me it was too much. The biggest change I made was to crisp up the texture because the texture of this mixture was too exotically soft for me so I made them into patties and crisped them up in an oven at 400 degrees. (I forgot if it took a 1/2 hour or 45 minutes) Also instead of Pomegranate Seeds I really thought supreme oranges went really well with this dish.

Ingredients (for the Kofte and Sauce)

35ml Tahini (around a Tablespoon)

1 3/4 lemon’s juiced. (I used almost 3)

4 garlic cloves crushed

6 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I actually used less)

90g Red Lentils (cooked)

50g Bulgur Wheat (cooked)

200g Carrots (roasted with a sprinkle of sugar, salt and pepper when they are done mash them)

1 Small Red Onion finely chopped

1 t. cumin

1 t. paprika

1 t. Turkish Pepper Paste (I used my homemade Roasted Spicy Fresno Pepper Paste) The recommended substitute is Harissa

1 t. Tomato Puree (I left this out)

2 bunches of coriander (cilantro)  (I used only a handful and found that to be plenty)

1 Pomegranate (seeds only) (I used 1 orange supremes )

over salad is suggested

The recipe for the sauce is mix the tahini with 75ml of water and juice of 1/2 a lemon, one crushed garlic and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper. I used all fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons and skipped the water)

Heat about a T of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan and toss in your very finely chopped red onions and let then go till they are soft.

Then add cumin, paprika, remaining garlic, let it go about 2 minutes and then add your pepper paste (and tomato puree if you are using that).

Stir in your lentils and carrots and cilantro (the amount you like), juice of one lemon. 2 T of extra Virgin Olive Oil is suggested to add. (I think mine was soft enough and I didn’t add that)

It’s recommended to shape these into balls the size of a walnut and indent them to hold pomegranate seeds and then drizzle with tahini sauce, extra virgin olive oil and chopped coriander/cilantro.

For me this was too soft to eat this way so I shaped them in patties and crisped them up in a 400 degree oven for 30 or 45 minutes.I salt and peppered the surface of Kofes.  I used orange instead of pomegranate and scallions instead of more cilantro.

Red Lentil and Carrot Kofte

Forking Truth

These came out with lots of flavor and were a little sweet, a little smokey and a little spicy but they are vegetarian and as far as I know fat free or mostly fat free.

The recipe went like this.

3 cups of already cooked beans

6 oz. can of tomato paste

1/2 cup of Apple Vinegar

2 Tablespoons of the sauce from Chipotle Peppers

1 finely mashed garlic clove

1 grated small apple

1/2 cup grated sweet onion

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

Fresh Ground Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Water, about 2 1/2 Cups you might need slightly more or slightly less depending on how much your beans  absorb.

Directions are easy you just combine and put in a covered pan in your oven at 350 degrees for an hour and then check and see if you need more water and then let them go another hour. Adjust seasonings  and water if needed.

They look like this when you are done.

Forking Good!

I came up with this original recipe for beans inspired by my interpretation of what I think Pasta Fagioli should taste like.  Pasta Fagioli is a soup that is of beans and pasta. When I think about the soup I think of a rich chicken taste . Instead of pasta I replaced it with  a NO-CREAM but rich cream like sauce with that familiar cooked tomato taste.

These are the ingredients I used to come up with this dish.

Local Tepary Beans

A variety of Beans Fresh cooked and canned to add variety.  (Local Tepary Beans, assorted White Beans, Kidney Beans, and Chick Peas, Giant Lima Beans) I do use other beans at times sometimes Cranberry Beans and Cow Beans but I always like to use a variety.

Chicken Fat saved from roasting a chicken for that rich Chicken Flavor.

Chicken Stock

One small Tub of home made Tomato sauce.

A good Tasting Flour such as Moong Bean or Kamut. (Farro would be fine too and more Italian)

Seasonings

Oregano

Basil

Rosemary

Savory

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

(I didn’t need salt but you might)

I finished with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

You start by equal amounts of Chicken Fat and Flour in your sauce pan and cook till it bubbles for a few minutes.

Then you add your home made Tomato Sauce and let that cook a few minutes.

Then you add your beans and use a potato masher to mash them in.

Add your Chicken stock.

Use your seasonings start with about a 1/2 part of Oregano to 1/4 part basil, about 1/8 part rosemary and 1/8 part savory. Add Fresh Ground Black Pepper.

Let it simmer maybe two hours and do stir occasionally.

It will go from this.

To this, adjust seasoning at this time and Finish with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Forking Truth