July 4th

Porchetta after roasting

So much to eat!

Porchetta

Ribs!

Brisket

Waiting for the fireworks

Every July 4th we have friends over for a feast on our deck. We eat, drink and then wait for sunset and the amazing display of illegal fireworks from all over the city. This year was especially amazing. We always get Brisket and Ribs with all of the sides from Bludso's Bar-b-que. Guests brought, deserts, vegetables, etc. It makes for a bountiful feast. We made a Porchetta this year. You can get the recipe for baking the Porchetta on our blog of Feb. 24, 2014. Click the date to get the recipe.

We purchased the porchetta at McCall's Meat and Fish. All we needed to do was to roast it all day. It was perfection.

We made several new dishes to accompany the Porchetta. Avocado-and-Cabbage Slaw is an Indian take on Cole-slaw. It was a hit. We would definitely make it again. It was a perfect accompaniment. We baked Japanese Sweet Potatoes, the small purple ones that are so naturally sweet they taste like dessert. Instead of the traditional Baked Beans Cathy made a Moroccan dish: Tagine Bel Homus (Tagine of Chickpeas). This was a big hit and I am sure we will be making it again. She individually peeled each Chickpea. In the future we will skip that step!

The entire night turned out to be a fun time for everyone. Food, drinks, fireworks, makes for a great party.

Avocado-and-Cabbage Slaw

SUVIR SARAN

When Suvir Saran’s mother tried this spicy, crunchy cabbage slaw at his restaurant Tapestry in New York City, she said, “Baba, this is the best chaat I’ve ever eaten!” While Saran didn’t intend to make over the traditional Indian snack, a dish with chickpeas, potatoes, yogurt and chutney, the crunch, spice and tang immediately elicit an iconic chaat. “There is nothing Indian about it, and yet, it’s entirely Indian,” says Saran. 

Ingredients

3         tablespoons fresh lime juice


2         tablespoons honey


1         tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger


2         teaspoons Sriracha


2         teaspoons soy sauce


2         teaspoons Asian fish sauce


1         teaspoon white wine vinegar


¾        teaspoon chaat masala

1/4      teaspoons ground cumin


Kosher salt

Pepper

1         pound green and/or red cabbage, cored and finely shredded

6         scallions, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced


1         pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved


½        cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped


¼        cup mint leaves, finely chopped


2         Hass avocados—peeled, pitted and diced, plus avocado slices for serving 


1         cup roasted salted cashews, chopped, plus more for garnish

Microgreens, for garnish


In a large bowl, whisk the lime juice with the honey, ginger, 
Sriracha, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, chaat masala and cumin until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, mint, diced avocados and the 1 cup of chopped cashews and toss to coat. Garnish with avocado slices, more chopped cashews and microgreens; serve.

Tagine Bel Homus

Tagine Of Chickpeas

Foods of Morocco

An alternative to tinned chickpeas is dried chickpeas; for this recipe use 1 cup, soaked overnight in cold water, drained and cooked with water to cover for 1 to 1.5 hours. if preferred, do not skin the chickpeas.

3       tablespoons olive oil

1       brown onion, chopped

1       garlic clove, finely chopped

1       teaspoon harissa, or to taste, or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
pepper

½      teaspoon paprika

¼      teaspoon ground ginger

½      teaspoon ground turmeric

1       teaspoon ground cumin

1      teaspoon ground cinnamon

14    oz tin chopped tomatoes

1       teaspoon superfine sugar

15     oz tins chickpeas

3       tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

2       tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

SERVES 4

PUT the olive oil and onion in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic, the harissa or cayenne pepper, and the spices and cook gently for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and sugar and season, to taste. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, drain the chickpeas and put them in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover well. Lift up handfuls of chickpeas and rub them between your hands to loosen the skins. Run more water into the bowl, stir well and let the skins float to the top, then skim them off. Repeat until all the skins have been removed.

DRAIN the chickpeas again and stir them into the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary. Stir through the parsley and coriander and season, to taste. Serve with crusty bread or with couscous.