General Winter

Hello there. We have been experiencing one of the rainiest, wintriest weeks in years, and in a generally mild climated country such as our own I bet you can just imagine the amount of excitement, sentiment and plain out hysteria this might stir. The amount of words poured over this wintry spell in every possible sphere- media, facebook, private conversations-  threatens to exceed the precipitation counts themselves, and it was a pretty fair downpour, I'll admit to that.
So, the last few days have turned me from a not-especially-avid weather report follower into a near zealous weather report shunner, and all for the sake of maintaining a sense of surprise and wonder in life. And proportion, one might add. As far as I'm concerned, once one has noticed the seasons have changed one is obliged to change their wardrobes, shifting the necessary garments up or down in the closet accordingly. Layering should be applied so as to allow the peeling off or piling on of garments as necessary, and if it has been pretty cold for a few days in a row- one might rightfully determine to opt for the heavier coat when leaving the house. It's common sense, no? If the need arises for some planning in advance, by all means, consult the evening news to learn if tomorrow will require an umbrella. But to religiously try and determine just how much rain will fall in every individual back yard? hey, you lost me there. I'll take a general  "actual chance for snow" instead of a knowledgeable declaration of just how many centimeters to expect, and then relish the white cover I wake up to, thank you very much. Which was of the depth of 10 cm, mind you. We measured.

I would like to share several wintry recipes with you. The first is for a tea, a drink that becomes a staple for me in winter. I am constantly boiling, steeping, and sipping it seems, hot mug clenched fast between palms. I juggle between a variety of ready mixtures, and an array of fresh and dried herbs and spices which I mix and much according to need and desire. Warming spices are especially appropriate once the temperatures drop: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger ( fresh and in dry powdered form ), english and cayenne pepper. All of this have therapeutic qualities which are relevant for a host of winter conditions. Starting the morning with a cup of tea made from boiling water poured over about a 1/4 of a teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger in their powdered forms, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper is wonderfully delicious, and it is very quick and simple to prepare since no peeling, dicing or lengthy boiling of roots of barks is required. A warm cup of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne is good when I feel groggy or lethargic, and is said to be highly cleansing to the body. Given how hot cayenne pepper is, I find it easy to believe it's reported germ killing qualities. I can only handle a pinch.

The tea I'd like to share with you is one I discovered last winter when I was down with a cold and turned to again this week when I was feeling under the weather (oh, weather again. apologies). Turmeric may not be the most obvious candidate for tea making and the thought of it may even make you shun. It's worth a try though, as it is said to posses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities and is enjoyed regularly by several healthful and long-living communities around the world, mostly in Asia. You can read about it's properties here, and there is plenty more info out there on the web. The flavour takes some getting used to, but accompanied with ginger, lemon and possibly some sweetener ( natural! duh. )  may even be something you'll learn to like. I quite enjoy it now, and it makes me feel great.

Turmeric Tea

*

4 cups of water

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp powdered ginger OR 1 cm long piece of fresh root, peeled and diced as tiny as possible

juice of about a 1/4 of a lemon

pinch of cayenne pepper ( optional)

in a lidded pot bring water to boil. Add turmeric, lower heat and simmer covered for 8 minutes. add ginger and cayenne and simmer for several more minutes ( if you are using powdered ginger you can add it in earlier on). Remove from heat, add lemon. You may want to sweeten this with honey, brown sugar, maple syrup or just have it plain. 

I added the cayenne in this case since I was overcoming a cold, and wanted extra germ killing qualities in my tea. I often make this tea with only turmeric, ginger and lemon. 

The next recipe was a chance discovery, also prompted by the cold, as in, the sickness type one. After a day of mostly tea I needed an easy and nourishing meal and seeing as I had zero inclination towards a lengthy preparation I decided to attempt an Asian style broth with soba noodles. My expectation were minimal to say the least, but the effort was rewarded with a quite delicious bowl of soup which I will most definitely be re-making and elaborating on.

Shiitake Broth with Soba Noodles

6 cups of water

2 dried shiitake mushrooms

1.5 long piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced

1 clove of garlic, halved

2-3 tbsps Tamari soy sauce

2 tbsps Sake

1 tsp brown sugar

a bit of rice vinegar

1 small carrot, sliced into thin, long pieces

1-2 scallions, chopped into 2 cm long pieces

1/3 of a package of Soba Noodles.

1/2 a package firm tofu, cubed 

In a lidded pot, place water, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, soy sauce, sake, sugar and vinegar and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Add carrot, tofu and noodles, and cook till noodles are just about ready, then add scallions and continue cooking till noodles are done. Check seasoning and serve.

I realize Sake is not something people normally have lying around, but I happened to have some in my fridge for a while now. I thought of using it since I haven't been able to find a high quality Mirin, a Japanese condiment made of rice but less alcoholic than Sake,and sweeter. In any case, the Sake was perfect here. Garlic, Shiitake and Ginger are all reported immune boosters and thus seem a likely combination for a vegetarian "chicken soup" which doctors often order to treat a cold. I also found that despite my fears Soba  noodles  hold together quite well in leftover soup and don't become overly soggy and mushy, thus making it possible to cook the noodles along with soup and store any leftovers. It was delicious the next day, possibly even better.

That's it for now. I still have a soup recipe that I owe you, but I think we shall save it ( once more for next time). This post is already a little word-heavy, and I do not want to weary you. Keep warm, dry and well fed!

Fuss Less: Mung Beans with Spinach and Lemony Tehina

This here is a dish I came up with a while back while trying to think of tasty,simple and fast ways to incorporate more legumes into my diet. Vegetarians need legumes, and if you are a puritan such as my self, legumes need care and some planning in advance: I prefer using dry beans, lentils and the sort, which require an over night soak and in many cases ( lentils and several others being the exception to this rule ) a lengthy cooking. I never used to cook a big batch and freeze part of it for fear of harmful chemicals the plastic containers would leach into the  food, and of loss of nutrients. However, I have found that my semi-religious attitude was preventing me from eating the amount of legumes which I should be eating, and thus proving unfavorable. So, I am trying to adopt a more relaxed attitude: maybe it's better to have a couple of boxes of cooked chickpeas or beans hanging around in the freezer than to skip this healthful, tasty part of my diet all together. Of course I prefer to soak, cook and eat my legumes immediately, but this just isn't always possible. I will just have to evolve, then.

This dish demonstrates the metamorphosis perfectly. I soaked a cup of Mung Beans over night. The next morning, I had neither time nor and inclination to cook them. So I changed their water and let them soak some more: this can only do them good. As the seed absorbs water it comes to life and begins to germinate, making the nutrients held within it more readily available for our bodies. But by the evening, it was time to either go ahead and cook those babies, or let them sprout. I felt like doing neither. Rather then reproaching myself for my lack of conviction, indifference towards my health and plain darned laziness, I somehow managed to shut that inner censor off and put those poor little beans in a pot on the stove. I shall cook them, refrigerate them, and figure out what to do with them next, as the week unfolds.

What a happy decision. Some of my most satisfying meals have been made from what I thought to be an empty fridge, and a gathering of random products which didn't stir  in me much enthusiasm nor even  half a hope of putting together a decent meal. But they repay my efforts, and forgive my lack of smallness of faith, and arrange themselves into something magical. . What  I would have been  missing out on if I had shut the refrigerator door at the sight of that box of plain cooked beans and several lonesome tomatoes and stomped off grudgingly to the nearest cafe, tail between feet!  I resolve whole heartedly, religiously, to never again dismiss what's lying in front of me, but instead to pick it up and pay it a second thought, see if it isn't in fact something lovely.  I know I shall not always succeed in doing so: looking, seeing or making the best out of what's in front of me. But I will try.

Mung Beans with Spinach and Lemony Tehina 

1 cup mung beans, soaked for at least 8 hours

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into 8ths

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 very large bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper 

several tbsp olive oil

* As you can see in the photos, I made this once with spinach and once with swiss chard. Both were delicious, you can choose which ever you like or have on hand.

Cook mung beans in plenty of un-salted water till soft, but not crumbly. strain the beans from water and set aside. I a large skillet, warm olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook till onions just begin to turn gold, but are still crisp. add tomatoes, cook for a few minutes, then add mung beans and spices. Cover, lower flame, and cook till tomatoes create a sauce. Add spinach and cook just till the leaves wilt. Add salt. Serve with a lemony, thin tehina sauce which you have made by mixing tehina with plenty of lemon juice, salt and quite a bit of water- you want it sour and on the runny side, like a thick cream. This dish is good either on its own, or you could pair it with rice, or baked sweet potatoes.. or whatever suits your fancy.