No Animals Were Harmed In This Post

Husband’s Offspring No.1 moved in with us at the end of March. She is a vegetarian (of the most undemanding kind, though) which gives me the right to change the Weekly Menu and add another meatless day! My oldest, the College Kritter, is another story. For her brief and rare visits from the lands of North California, ample amounts of animal protein, preferably in a big chunk, have to be present. I always think that we need to book an ashram or at least a spa in Palm Springs to undergo a total and comlpete de-tox after she goes back to the People’s Republic of Berkeley.

I was a bit worried in the beginning because the Offspring No.1 is a true born-and-raised Georgia peach, and I cook from all over the world, inspired by a song, a smell, a story.

I cure my own sauerkraut (my father praised the results; and yes, we live in Southern California), I render lard, I gather bones, feet, carcasses and shells to make stocks (my neighbors know better than to come home from the store with freshly cleaned trout, without their heads in a separate bag for me), I make yogurt and ricotta and mayo. A couple of years ago I had a vegetable garden and a definite plan for a compost bin. Living in a tiny apartment now is the only thing preventing me from raising a couple of chickens… damn the fine print in that lease.

I was afraid that the Offspring No.1 would find me pretty strange, at best, some kind of a hippie-peasant. But, so far, she has embraced the change; she is willing to try different things, and maybe, just maybe, does not really wonder why her father married some relic from the 19th century.

She has returned to Georgia for several days. We don’t have to abstain from meat. But, I was completely floored when Husband suggested we try the mung beans we purchased several days ago at a Persian ethnic store! I pointed out that, unlike “normal” beans or split peas, these are cooked as a “dal”, with vegetables and spices only, omitting any yummy porcine products. He didn’t flinch and mung beans it was. I went to work, leaving detailed and illustrated instructions for the dish, after I soaked the beans overnight. When I came back I finished the meal, made some naan and we ate so much that afterwards Husband was groaning and complaining that he felt as if it had been Thanksgiving! And all that without meat, he he.

MUNG BEAN DAL, adapted from www.buzzle.com

Ingredients:

• 1½ cup mung beans or lentils, dry
• 9 cups water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt or rock salt
• ½ tsp curry powder, mild
• 1 tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 2½ tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Soak beans overnight and next morning drain them.  Transfer them in large pot with 9 cups of water and cook for 40 – 50 minutes, or until quite soft. In a small frying pan heat oil and put mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add turmeric and warmed spices to the cooked beans. Add all remaining ingredients, mix well and cook for 15 – 20 minutes over medium heat. Serve hot with rice (I didn’t make rice, because we had freshly baked naan! Heaven…)

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.