Roasted Root Vegetables with Chickpeas

Yes, it’s March, but still chilly.  I need something warming on these evenings when a burger or a pizza just isn’t going to do the job.  Besides, I like to eat healthy and there’s only one way to do it…..Just do it!  No if, ands, or burgers and fries.  Ok, you know the routine, but are you going to do it? I’ve got a recipe that will make you lick your lips and swear to never eat fast food again, except for beer, of course.  After all, perfection is the enemy of enjoyment.  That’s why we marry.

Most everyone doesn’t mind eating healthy if healthy tastes good.

Next puny bellyache:  I don’t have the time to cook every night! 

Ans: Being a true and understanding friend, I have a solution for you.  This is a dish you can cook on a weekend and eat all week long.

Next complaint:  I’m not a cook.  

Ans:  Well, uh, let’s see….can you peel and chop vegetables, stick ‘em in the oven for a while and pull ‘em back out?

And a final bitch:  I don’t like any vegetables, but potatoes. 

Ans: Ok, I admit, ya got me there.  Good luck.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Chickpeas

Heat the oven to 400ºF, if your oven has a fan, if not, heat the oven to 420ºF.

2 large parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped in 1 inch chunks

1 bunch of baby carrots, washed, green leaves chopped off and discarded (I buy the little bags, with no leaves)

2 beet roots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons smoked paprika and ground cumin

1 tablespoon each cinnamon and turmeric

2 tablespoons (or a bit more) seasoned rice vinegar

Several generous splashes of olive oil

A generous handful each of fresh cilantro and mint, chopped (remove the stems on the mint and discard)
A handful of dried apricots, cut in half

A small bag of slivered almonds, toasted (see instructions below)

Put the chopped vegetables (except the beets and chickpeas) in a LARGE bowl, add olive oil and spices. (save some of both for the beets). Mix well.

Spread the vegetables on two baking pans.

Mix the beets in a separate bowl to keep everything from turning red, then add them to the other vegetables.

Put the slices of red onions in another bowl and splash in some seasoned rice vinegar.  Mix well and let them marinate.

Put both baking sheets in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, toast the slivered almonds.  Put a bit of oil in a pan, toss in the almonds and stir as necessary to get an even toasting.  Watch them closely.  Almonds can go from nearly ready to burned in seconds.

Check the vegetables, add more seasoning if desired, and toss in the chick peas.  Continue cooking until all vegetables are cooked through.

When the vegetables are cooked, let them cool a bit, then put them in a large bowl and mix in the chopped herbs and dried apricots.  Add the marinated onions and mix again.  Sprinkle the almonds on top.

As the French say: Voila! As Americans say: Looking pretty damn good. Or, in British English:  I say, it seems a bit of all right!

And as I say, dig in! You not going to miss that pizza!

Deviled Crab -devilishly simple

My mother used to make deviled crab to rave reviews.  This recipe follows hers as closely as my sagging memory allows.

One evening over supper a guest asked how hard deviled crab was to make.  “Oh, it’s very simple,” my mother said, nonchalantly.  “You just toss everything together and slip it in the oven.”

My father’s eyes got big.  He dropped his fork.  “Easy for you to say!  You didn’t spend two goddamned hours dicing every goddamned thing!”  Of course, my father took his dicing responsibilities as seriously as a talented machinist in a watch factory.  If he had made jigsaw puzzles, the pieces would all have been one inch square and you could have measured them with a micrometer.

As for me, as my greedy family constantly reminds me, I am not that perfect, least of all when I’m mincing hard boiled eggs.  Still, when I feed the hungry hordes, they have no problem bellying up to the trough and fighting for the last scraps. Your hordes are going to love this dish, too.

Besides the delicious mingling of flavors, another thing I like about deviled crab is the eye appeal.  Tiny bits of this and that flecked together, lighted browned on top, and served in ramekins, or scallop shells, as my mother used to do…well, they beg for the time honored delight of  rapidly moving the fork to the mouth.

Unlike what my father exclaimed, this recipe only takes about half an hour, including the slicing and dicing, and another 25 minutes baking in a 350ºF (180ºCº) oven.

To keep it simple, and to give the deviled crab first billing, I often serve it with oven-roasted vegetables, which I toss with only a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. The vegetables also bake at 350º, for the same 25 minutes.  Finger-sized cuts of carrots, petite green beans, slices of red bell pepper, a few broccoli flowerets, and slices of onion add color, and a rough-cut bistro texture to the plate.  Often I drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar over the vegetables before serving.

Deviled Crab

1 lb. crab meat – I used a one-pound can of pasteurized and refrigerated mixture of claw and body meat.  Two recommendations:  Fresh crab is best.  Steer clear of the canned crab that requires no refrigeration – absolutely tasteless!

1 Cup mixture of green and white onion, diced

1 Stalk of celery, diced

½ Red bell pepper, diced (use the other half in the mixed, roasted vegetables)

3 Hardboiled eggs, minced (You can use a fork.  I used a pastry blender, the tool for cutting butter into flour)

½ Cup plain breadcrumbs  (a stale baguette and my food processor do the trick)

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

½ Cup mayonnaise (careful with this; the idea is to moisten, not saturate)

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

3 Lemon wedges

Pick through the crab meat to take out any bits of shell.  Put the crab meat in a bowl and squeeze the lemon wedges over it.  Mix well. 

Add the other diced and minced ingredients and breadcrumbs to the bowl. Toss.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and a dash of cayenne – how big a dash depends on you!  I favor truly just a dash.  Crab is a delicate flavor.

Mix and toss well, using forks.  You want to keep the mixture light, not at all packed down.

Again, using forks to keep the mixture from packing, fill the ramekins.  This recipe will serve 4 or 5 as a main course, or 6-8 as an appetizer.

Prior to going in the oven.

Put the ramekins on a cookie tray and pop them in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.  The bits deviled crab sticking up should just be turning brown.  If not, leave them in the oven another five minutes, but take care not to overcook!

Fresh out of the oven

A solid supper and devilishly easy.  Serve with dry to semi-dry white sparkling wine.  I suggest two bottles.  One for the meal and one for sipping while you cook.  It makes the time go so much faster and will make you a jolly host.