Cecina, aka The Little Black Dress of Appetizers

     
   Growing up in a working class Italian American household, I learned a LOT about not wasting stuff and making ends meet...usually right around the Thursday payday. Boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese, peppers stuffed with whatever was left in the fridge, Jumbo bags of hot dogs from Food For Less, and waffles made with 7 up or sometimes Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer were the norm.

   I started cooking young, of out of self-defense. My mother was from a different background than my father and was not brought up to do housework, so shit got real interesting when she turned her hand to cooking.  She never seemed to realize that preheating the oven was something one had to do to cook food properly, and so we ate half-cooked meats, charred on the outside (because "on" is "on" and who the hell pays attention to those pesky oven dials and what they're saying). She baked lava cakes before their time simply because boxed cake mix was put into the oven and then the oven turned on. It's a wonder we weren't all dead from salmonella.
   
   My dad's immigrant grandparents on the other hand, were excellent cooks. My mom's parents liked going to the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel on holidays if dad's immigrant side of the family was going to be attending. I guess they wanted to  make sure EVERYONE was speaking English around the holiday turkey. Considering this picture of those days, I guess they got their wish.

 
   My dad's family was fun. There were chicken feet boiling in a big pot on their stove (still wood burning) in their old, old, house. There were homemade ravioli, and broddo one could use as a mirror it was so clear. There were pigs feet and other startlements to my mothers old school American relatives when they showed up, and not many of dad's people spoke much English. I thought if I spoke English to them LOUDLY and slowly they'd understand me. I must have been a real pain in the ass to them.
   
   Mom's side were Republicans, dad's were Democrats and much fighting ensued. One fight ended with the removal of our furniture by my mom's dad who had given them the house...and I guess the furniture too evidently. Anyway, the upshot of all of this is I learned to cook, and I learned to be thrifty.  Which brings me to Torta de Ceci, that wedge shaped thing in the picture at the top of this page.

   Torta  de Ceci  aka Cecina belongs to what is called Cucina Povera, The Kitchen of the Poor. It's very, very easy to fix, costs nearly nothing, and one can dress it up or down, add or subtract. It's a basic, and a great dish to serve as an appetizer to a group.  All one needs for Cecina is a 10 inch cast iron pan and a bag of garbanzo flour. I like serving it on Holidays before my Italian style Thanksgiving, and it's perfect it if your group includes vegans, vegetarians, or anyone who is gluten free. Here's how to fix it.

Cecina

Here's What You Need:

3.5 oz garbanzo flour
5 Tbs olive oil
300 ml water
salt and pepper to taste

Here's What To Do:

Mix the garbanzo flour and the water in a bowl.
Blend it together well and then cover the bowl and let it sit for a couple of hours.

Coat a 10 inch cast iron skillet  with 3 Tbs of olive oil.
Put the olive oil coated skillet into a cold oven  (too bad mom never tried this one she'd have been a natural) and turn it on to 450 degrees.
When the oven is at 450 take the skillet out of the oven.
Pour the cecina bater into the hot hot skillet, drizzle 2 Tbs of olive oil over the batter then swirl it a bit with a spoon.
Put the skillet back into the 450 degree oven for 15  minutes.
After 15 minutes open the oven and move the skillet to the top rack and raise the heat to 500 degrees. Broil for about 5 minutes or so. This can cook really fast depending on ones oven so do keep and eye on it. When it starts to turn  golden and crusty take it out.

The finished Cecina should  be something firm enough to cut into slices.
Run a silicone spatula around  the edges and underneath the Cecina to loosen it.
Now, place a plate on top of the cast iron pan and turn it over so that the Cecina unmolds. The bottom is now the top! 

Slice it into  wedges. You can serve this topped with ricotta and pea shoots, olive tapenade,  caponata, proscuitto. Plain or fancy, you name it. Cecina is only  limited by your imagination and whatever your guests feel like eating.

So there it is. A simple, easy, warming treat for the holidays. Coming up next, more holiday dishes and how I became a restaurant consulting chef for gluten free dining.
  
    

Aloo Baingan : Eggplant and Potato, A Perfect Pairing.

  
   Well, now that my Advil-addled stomach is on the mend, and I'm fixing my anemia it's time to talk about cooking again. The day before the fire I cooked up a batch of stuff, but the next morning we had to flee at 3 AM and so I never got to post any of it until now. Luckily, this is one of my favorite Indian comfort foods and with the chilly and rainy weather we've been having up here post fires, it's especially welcome.
   
   Each Spring, no matter what else I'm planting, I always guaranteed plant two vegetables, potatoes, and about 4 different varieties of eggplant. Those two are the basis or are used in so many Indian dishes that they are essentials for me. This eggplant and potato dish is one of the first I learned to cook back 27 years ago. It quick, simple and delicious. All one needs is an eggplant and a few Yukon gold potatoes.

Aloo Baingnan

 

Here's What You Need:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cubed

1 medium or large eggplant, cubed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 green Serrano chilies
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and finely minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
curry leaves if you have them
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp of amchur powder (mango powder) or lemon juice
salt to taste

Here's What To Do:

Cube the eggplant and drop the pieces into a bowl of water so they do not get discolored. Set them aside.

Chop the onion and set aside.

Chop the ginger...

...and the chilies.

In a skillet or kadhai heat 1Tbs coconut oil or other vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot add in the cumin seeds, ginger, chilies, and curry leaves if you are using them.

Stir things around for a minute or two and when the spices get aromatic toss in the chopped onions.

Saute the onions until they get soft and translucent, then add the potatoes and turmeric powder.

Stir everything around to coat it add about 1/2 cup of  water.

Put a lid on the pan and let things cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the eggplant and the coriander and cumin powder, stir things around so they are well mixed.

Put a lid back on the pan, and let the vegetables cook for about 10 minutes or until everything is tender. Check and stir every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking or burning. You may add a bit more water if needed.
When everything is cooked though, add in the garam masala, and mango powder or lemon juice. Salt to taste, and finally the chopped cilantro.

This is a great warming dish, and a very basic one to start with if you've not cooked Indian food before.

It's great on the table with any American meal. It also works to serve this on a #meatlessmonday  with chapattis and a simple yogurt dish. Coming up next, a brilliant yet easy apple dish from Tartine Bakerys'  new cookbook. Follow along  on Twitter @kathygori

Not Your Grandma's Green Tomatos. Green Tomato Sabzi, Quick, Spicy, and Vegan.

  
   Every year I plant tomatoes. They grow so easily and plentifully I usually wind up swamped by this time at the end of Summer. Things went a bit differently this year. We had a cold and rainy Spring and the early part of the Summer was not that warm, therefor I've spent the better part of August waiting for my tomatoes to turn red red red. The other day I got tired of waiting and wondered since Southerners in this country make a habit of eating Fried Green Tomatoes, how about people in other places. More specifically have green tomatoes fried or otherwise found their way into the Indian kitchen? The answer was, You Betcha!

   Green tomatoes seem to be a thing almost everywhere and I wondered just how many of those green tomato dishes were dreamed up by people like me who were hungry and tired of their tomatoes taking forever to ripen. There were a whole lot of ways to do Green Tomatoes but looking for a simple vegan version was pretty easy. Turns out that was what I was looking for for my Labor Day Vegan Indian Lunch Using Everything From Our Own Garden, a fast and simple recipe to get some use out of those slowpoke Green Tomatoes.

Green Tomato Sabzi

 

Here's What You Need:

3 cups of chopped Green Tomatoes
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 shallot finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili
1 tsp cumin powder
4 Tbs jaggery or dark brown sugar
salt to taste

Here's What To Do:

Get yourself some green tomatoes.

Chop them into 3 cups worth.

Finely chop a shallot.

Heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil in a skillet or kadhai.
When the oil is hot add in the mustard seeds.

When the mustard seeds start to pop add in the fenugreek and shallot.

Stir them around for about a minute then add in the tomatoes...

...cumin, coriander, Kashmiri chili and salt.

Mix everything together well then cover the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes open the lid and give everything a good stir.

Add in the jaggery or brown sugar.

Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan again and let cook for another 5 minutes then stir again.
Take the lid off and let it further cook for another five minutes. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.

When the tomatoes are softened the sauce is ready.
Serve it up with rice or chapatti.

   It's hot spicy, sweet, and tart. A quick dish that goes from oven to table in less than an hour. This can easily be made ahead and reheated the next day for serving, always a plus when cooking on these extra hot hot hot Northern California September afternoons.

   Coming up next....more straight from the garden to the table, it's Wine Country Harvest Days follow along on Twitter @kathygori