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I have friends who are seriously magicians in the kitchen. My sister in law Anne in England discovering minutes before her Seder, that I was a vegetarian, with lightening speed created an amazing main dish for me. My friends Anna and Tovia make you think you are watching Mrs. Weasly cook with her magic wand. Magically they have all the ingredients that they need and even more amazingly they can talk while they cook and not mess up.
My Mom and my brother are also very talented cooks who are super organized, but I haven't tried talking to them while they cook.
For me, things are a little different. I must have a recipe. I can embellish a little but striking out on my own is often a recipe for a disaster. If I put something in the oven for 30 minutes then I feel safe starting a second dish but cooking more than this at one time stresses me out and I just can't handle it. Maybe I am the only one who finds cooking so challenging, maybe not. Baking Challah is a half day job and I do nothing else at all.
As a vegetarian I have loads of nice cookbooks and I have made some super tasty things, but invariably if I try to share one of these gems with others they are shocked by the number of ingredients and steps necessary to create this food. I am sure that I will continue to make a few of these that I really like, but the slow cooker is changing how often I will be working on these treats.
Hadas says that I need to give assignments. So here goes. I think the first thing you should try is the sweet and spicy Lentil Chili. I like this recipe because it is so versatile. You can serve it over rice with a few cashews on top for a great quick meal, you can serve it on it's own with cornbread. And David adds that it will probably be tasty on toast. See picture for the yummy English delicacy--beans on toast. I must admit that I do really like beans on toast.
Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili
(Fresh from the vegetarian slow cooker by Robin Robertson-page 63)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Large sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves (to save time I use the frozen ones from kibbutz Dorot available at Trader Joes)
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/3 cup dark unsulfured molasses
1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
Cayenne pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of water
1 cup of apple juice
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cook about 30 seconds longer.
2. Transfer the mixture to a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the lentils, tomatoes, molasses, and allspice and season with cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir in the water and apple juice, cover, can cook on low for 8 hours. Add more water if the chili gets too thick.
And that's it. I will write more later in the week. Happy slow cooking.