One of our favorite foods is Gyros. Garlicky, herby, tucked into pita with a dollop of tzatziki and some chopped tomatoes. We've started selling a spice blend to make said gyros and they're dead simple, if a little time consuming.

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
30-35 grams of Gyros Seasoning

Mix the meat and the spices and refrigerate for 3 - 25 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spoon the meat mixture into an 8” by 8” brownie pan, or something with approximately the same volume and sides at least 2” high, and smooth the top. Cook until the meat reaches 165 degrees, 60-75 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate til cold. When ready to eat, remove the meat from the pan and slice thinly. Place slices on a sheet pan and drizzle with any juices that remain in the baking dish. Cook again at 375 degrees until the edges begin to curl.

Serve with warm pita, cold tzatziki, sliced tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sesame paste (or 1 tablespoon each sesame paste & peanut butter)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or Chinese rice wine vinegar
a few teaspoons of chili crisp or 1 teaspoon chili flake

Noodles:
Rice noodles for 4 people, cooked til tender when everything else is ready, then rinsed and drained

The rest:
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon high heat oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons of Imp’s Umami Seasoning
3 cups of wild mushrooms
2 cups diced chicken (we used the meat from 3 chicken thighs and legs)
One red bell pepper, quartered and thinly sliced into strips
2 cups of snap peas, sliced into 1” lengths on the diagonal

Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a wok to a shimmer. Pop in the mushrooms, a teaspoon of the Umami Powder, and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until they are tender through. There may well be a little pool of mushroom water under them at this point, if so, put the mushrooms in a sieve over a bowl. You’ll use the mushroom juice later.

[Put the noodle water on to boil.]

Crank up the heat on the wok to medium high, add a teaspoon of high heat oil to the wok along with the snap peas and a ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until the peas have brightened and begun to blister. Remove to a bowl.

Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, garlic, and shallot to the wok and cook, stirring, until they are aromatic and the shallot has softened slightly. Don’t let the garlic scorch. Add the ginger, chicken, any mushroom liquid, and Umami Powder. Toss until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. If you have any doubt, be sure to check the internal temperature of the largest piece of chicken.

Toss the noodles with the sauce. Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss to thoroughly coat.

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 small hot pepper, deseeded, chopped
1 tablespoon+ nit’ir qibe
2 cups potatoes,1" cubes, par-boiled
4 carrots, halved & cut into ½ inch slices
½ lb green beans or snap peas
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
½ cup water or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Put a large heavy frying pan over medium heat. When the olive oil or butter has had a chance to become hot, add onion, garlic, nit’ir qibe and hot pepper.  Cook until the mixture just starts to darken.  

 Add potatoes, carrots and green beans (or 4-6 cups of vegetables of your choice) to the frying pan.  Stir well to coat with the onion spice mixture.  Add the water or broth, cover, lower heat, and let cook 10-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.                         

Serve with rice and lentils.

Lamb Korma -- serves 4                                   

1 ½ tablespoons Garam Masala
½ teaspoon mace or nutmeg
2 t. fresh, minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot chili, minced or
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt
1.5 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 onion, chopped
10 raw cashews or almonds, soaked in just enough boiling water to cover
1 cup yogurt (whole milk is best)

Toss the lamb with the salt. In a mortar & pestle or food processor, grind the dry spices into a paste with the garlic, chili, nuts, and ginger.  Toss the lamb with this paste.  Marinate the lamb 1 hour to overnight.  Sauté the onion in the butter until browned lightly.  Add the meat and cook for 5-7 minutes. Bring to a bubble. Turn the heat down, cover the pot, and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Stir in the yogurt. Serve with rice and green beans.

6 eggs
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
4 cloves (2T) garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Harissa
1+ teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups or two 14 ounce cans of tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled, optional

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté until it softens and just begins to turn golden.  Add the garlic and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic becomes aromatic and softens.  Add the harissa, salt, and pepper and stir for another minute. If the mixture begins to stick, add another teaspoon or two of olive oil.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), and sugar or honey. Simmer until the tomato mixture has thickened a little (this will take longer with fresh tomatoes, as they will release water initially and will take a little less time if you use the tomato paste).  

Make 6 little divots in the tomato mixture and carefully break an egg into each one.  Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are at your preferred doneness. I like to cook them for 7-10 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are lovely and runny.

Serve with toasted crusty bread and a green salad with a citrus vinaigrette.

1 tablespoon Chicken & Ribs Blend
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
8 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 chicken, cut into pieces
3-4 plums, sliced, pits removed
1 large onion, quartered and thickly sliced

 

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Add the chicken pieces and rub all over with the spice, lemon, and honey mixture. If you have time, refrigerate for 2-6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a sheet pan with parchment or foil, if you want. Add the sliced plums and onions to the bowl, toss, and pour the contents of the bowl onto the sheet pan.

Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serve with good bread or rice for soaking up the juices.

Feeds four with leftovers. maybe.

.75 pound noodles of your choice, cooked, rinsed, and drained
12 oz package of extra firm tofu, cubed and allowed to dry
1 tablespoon of TKI Umami Spice mixed with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups broccoli and/or cauliflower florets, steamed to your preferred doneness
1 cup cabbage, chopped
3 small carrots or 1 large carrot, shredded and tossed with
1 tablespoon lime juice

Sauce:

5 oz (~.75 c peanut butter)
2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, thinly sliced (or grated, if you don’t have a food processor or powerful blender)
1-2 hot chilies, halved and deseeded (or not)
2 cloves garlic
a good glug of fish sauce
¼ - 1/3 cup of soy sauce
2.5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Xiaoxing wine vinegar or sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
0.25 cups water (more, if needed)

• Dust the tofu cubes with Imp's Umami Powder and cornstarch. Fry until browned and crisp.
• Put all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend til smooth.
• In a large bowl, mix the vegetables with the sauce.
• Add the noodles and mix to coat, then add the tofu and gently combine.

 

 

 

ghee or oil, 1 tablespoon 
garlic, 1-2 tablespoons minced 
onion, 1 medium, chopped 
celery, ½ cup diced
carrot, ½ cup diced  
garam masala, 1 teaspoon 
sweet turmeric masala, 1 teaspoon 
tikka masala, 1 teaspoon
tamarind paste, ¼ teaspoon, mixed into warm water (opt.)
ginger, 1 ½ inches, grated
coconut milk, 8-12 ounces
red lentils, 2 cups
chicken or vegetable stock, or water, 1 quart
spinach, 10-16 ounces
salt to taste

Heat the oil to a shimmer. Sauté the onion on medium heat for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low, add the garlic, and sauté for another minute, then add the carrot, ginger, and celery and cook 3-5 minutes. Add the spices and stir to mix thoroughly for 30 seconds. Add lentils and broth and simmer 20-25 minutes, until lentils are tender. Add more water or broth as needed. Add spinach and cook until tender. Add the coconut milk and bring the soup back up to a lower simmer. Taste, correct salt, and serve.

Like many of you, I over-indulged over the holidays. Not terribly, just a little more sugar, a little more meat, and several fewer vegetables than I like to. Yesterday, I shopped for the good stuff: spinach, peppers, lettuce, oranges, bananas, grapefruit, cabbage, eggplant, buttermilk, yogurt, and some lean beef so I can make my own ground beef. And all I wanted for dinner was a vegetarian, vegetable laden meal, satisfying, but not heavy. So I put some rice on to cook and made this.

a small thub-sized piece of ginger, minced or grated
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 fresh hot chili, minced, or one to two dried hot chilis
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 cup lentils (I used 1/2 cup red lentils and 1/2 cup split yellow peas)
water (or broth)
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces spinach
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried, unsweetened coconut (optional)

Heat the oil to a shimmer. Add the onion and cook until it softens and turns golden brown. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili. Stir, cooking, 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, coriander, and cumin, mix, and cook another minute. Add the lentils and two cups of water. Stir, bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cover. Check every 15 minutes, stirring and adding water as needed. When the lentils are tender add the spinach and coconut. Cook until the spinach is wilted and tender. Add 1 teaspoon salt, taste, and add more salt as needed. Mix in butter and serve over steamed rice.

Serves 4 as a main course.