sweet potato, lentil and goat cheese salad

i was still in summer mode

when i opened the main page

of epicurious and was greeted

by this salad.

derailed from my original path

(i think it was for prune plums),

i clicked through to fall recipes,

showed amazing patience

when it took three pages to find

and then landed, finally at

the very fall-inspired dish.

it was one of those moments,

much like when i first saw this pie,

that i knew i would be making

the salad very soon.

it wasn't going to fall into

the print and lose

or

mentally filed away piles,

but instead, cooked as soon as

it made a modicum of sense

to set our oven back to its

winter mode: roast.

this past weekend,

i ransacked the bulk section

at the store, coming away

with what i hoped was

3/4 cup of french green lentils

and then on sunday,

headed to the farmer's market

in search of a sugar pumpkin.

none. and at the store an hour

later? none again.

i toyed with the idea of using

butternut squash - the

recipe had even said it was

an option - but when i saw

sweet potatoes, i knew

that was the obvious answer.

we are huge fans and i had

a feeling that, for us,

the salad would turn out

even better this way.

plus, pumpkins are tricky

to cut, a pain to peel

and messy to seed.

yes, this was a much

better option.

if i had any hesitation about

this salad, it was this:

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint.

i think it's fair to say that

i am anti-mint.

i do not like

mint chocolate chip ice cream

and over the years

i've done a very good

job at avoiding mojitos.

yet, as i walked past the

herbs, i lingered,

clinging close to the feeling

that recipe developers don't

add random ingredients just

for the fun of it. i consulted

with larry who agreed

that i should give the mint

a chance.

(fyi, i still stand

my ground on

parsley,

celery

and fennel

regardless of what future

recipe they show up in.)

i fell in love with the salad

before our first bites.

when we returned home

from the store,

hours before,

i had boiled the lentils

and roasted the sweet potatoes,

setting them aside in bowls until

it was time for dinner.

the sweet potatoes were slightly

smoky and spicy

thanks to the

cumin,

smoked paprika

and

cayenne.

i rewarmed the cubes slightly just

before making the salad -

for me, something that's warm always

seems heartier than it would cold.

as i slivered the mint

and placed everything in the bowl,

i just had that feeling -

that rare, but exciting, feeling -

that this was going to really work

and become a new favorite

in our house.

i loved how step-by-step it was,

how most of the ingredients

carried very little guilt with them

and how,

when tossed together,

everything just looked so right.

i'll admit,

that even after committing to the mint,

doubt still lingered.

but the fresh herb added

a really unexpected touch,

and i found myself craving a piece

with each bite.

i really, genuinely liked the mint

(so much so that just wait and see

what i did with the rest of it

for the next night's dinner).

sweet potato, lentil and goat cheese salad

adapted from bon appetit magazine

the original recipe called for sprinkling the pumpkin (or in this case, sweet potato) with hot smoked paprika. you know we love our smoked paprika, but we only had sweet smoked and i could not bring myself to buy a hot smoked, too. instead, i added cayenne. also, the original recipe called for one cup of goat cheese, which for our two person purposes seemed like quite a bit, so i reduced that and used a very exacting, four or five extra large handfuls of arugula leaves.

3/4 cup French green lentils

2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cubed into 1" pieces

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2-3 good shakes of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large handfuls baby arugula

3/4 log (4 ounce) goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

heat oven to 375˚f.

place lentils in small bowl. cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain. (um, i didn't realize until i just wrote this that i completely missed this step. obviously, i was still ok. i think.)

bring large saucepot of water to a boil; add salt. place lentils in boiling water and cook 30 minutes, or until tender, but firm. drain lentils. rinse with cold water until cool, shaking strainer. drain completely.

in large bowl, combine cubed sweet potato, 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. transfer sweet potatoes to single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. roast 20 minutes; turn (drizzling with olive oil or spraying, if necessary) and cook 10-15 minutes more, or until tender. cool on baking sheet.

just before serving: reheat sweet potatoes, if desired, in 350˚f degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or just until warm (not hot). in bowl, combine arugula, mint, half of the goat cheese, sweet potatoes, lentils, red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil (the recipe also instructed to use leftover oil from the baking sheet to make the dressing - i did not have any, which is why i slightly increased the amounts of the vinegar and oil).

divide salad amongst bowls; top with remaining crumbled goat cheese. garnish with mint leaves.

because they were there

i've been accused of morphing into a dangerous person

in the grocery store.

i may have a plan: 

hummus and pitas for lunch,

some tomatoes and a lime,

shrimp,

coffee filters,

a log of goat cheese 

and a box of rigatoni.

 

but then, (usually it happens somewhere amidst the produce)

i stop short

and start dreaming kitchen dreams,

because i've spotted something slightly

unusual

or 

an item, i've been searching everywhere for.

one time, i was in the market for 

soft shell crabs,

but i never made my way to the fishmonger,

because instead, i stumbled upon a bin of

uncured olives.

it never occurred to me that i could cure my own.

so i did what anyone would do

(honestly, i couldn't believe that others were just 

glancing at the orbs as they walked by)

and bought a handful. 

that night, i studied up on home-curing 

and set to work

on the 14-day process involving very simply,

salt and water.

six days later, i tossed the rotten olives -

they were moldy and wet and not good - 

and started over. it took me four trips,

four different experiments and 4 botched 

batches before i finally came to the realization

that olives, when left in my hands, are

incurable.

there were exotic fruit nights, 

when every thursday,

for an after dinner treat,

i brought home a different item:

monstera deliciosa (kinda weird) 

prickly pears,

dragon fruit,

pepino melons,

lychees (my favorite),

kiwano,

mangosteens (use a hammer and screwdriver)

and 

gooseberries.

my latest fruit moment, was 2 weeks ago

when blink-and-you-miss-'em

meyer lemons, came into stores. i was so into the 

spirit of the sweet and tangy citrus

that i picked up four without any ideas. 

i finally figured out a plan, 

so exciting (to me) that i've actually

been dreaming about them.

i'll tell you all about it soon.

and then, my favorite,

but for those around me, probably the scariest of 

destinations,

the Japanese market that is very close to where i work.

it's fascinating, and even though 

very little is actually in English 

and i don't speak

a lick of Japanese, i'm determined to experiment, 

and purchase something new, each time we go.

sometimes we've been lucky, with really amazing

spicy boiled clams, 

perfect udon noodles 

and fermented black beans.

other times...

a sushi place that we go to makes amazing futo maki that has something odd and pink in it. even though the list on the label included cod and sugar, when i saw this box, i knew i had found my secret ingredient. but it wasn't until i got home that i realized, i'm not rolling my own sushi any time soon. now what am i going to do with it?

recently, determined to find a partner-in-crime for Japanese market shopping, i dragged my friend jenn (and a resistant larry) into the store. then, to make up for the dragging,  i made (asked, asked) each of them to pick a treat , hoping they would get into it and reach for something interesting. larry picked pocky. jenn was a really good sport and chose these adventurous, surprisingly good and almost-alarmingly astringent pickled plums.

so it should be no surprise, 

that last week, when reaching to grab 

a bunch of scallions,

my hand ended up in the basket of

fresh garbanzo beans.

i felt kind of silly, that even though my cabinet

is often stocked with canned chickpeas,

that i've soaked the dried variety overnight

and used the next day in soups,

that i never thought about the bean in its raw state. 

and, without the label, i probably wouldn't have 

known what they were.

i shopped light - worried about another olive

experience - and bought only 1/4 pound.

when i got home,

i showed them to larry, and then said,

let's each eat one,

while silently praying that when i finally researched the pods

it wouldn't read, 'poisonous when consummed in its raw form.'

the small beans were 

crunchy and much closer in taste

to a green bean

than a chickpea, the way we know them to be. 

a little investigating taught me that they are 

great freshly shucked and thrown into salads

(whew, that's a relief),

cooked out of their pod or prepared similar

to edamame. i was glad for this. if shelling one 

had taught me anything, it was that

it was sure to take me quite a long time to remove

them from their casings by myself. edamame-style was the answer:

every man for himself.

i was all set to boil them and sprinkle 

with a little salt, but then i read further and found

multiple warnings, that not

only are they the perfect secret vessel for boiling water -

they're also capable squirters. 

so instead, i did what i love best -

a taste test.

one group was steamed (sort of),

one roasted (of course)

and 

one sauteed.

the outcome? 

they're all worthy methods,

and interestingly enough, 

cooking them encourages

a more prominant family resemblance.

some words of caution. while soybeans

are simple to remove from the pods, these

do take a little more work - some of the feisty ones

require a little help from your hands (more like peanuts).

and, inside, you'll find two small beans max, 

not three or four.

they'd be great as an appetizer,

for a farm-inspired meal,

or just as a nibble with wine

or even beer.

after some discussion, 

i realized it was worth it to share all three -

go find beans. cook them the way you see fit.

you be the judge.

microwave-steamed fresh garbanzo beans

with lime juice and fleur de sel

i made this with a handful of the beans, so i've adjusted the recipe accordingly. this is meant to be a very simple preparation - that's why i haven't involved an actual steamer. these are fresh and bright and quite addicting. i offer the same warning from above - watch out for pods that seem overly heavy. i did get a steady stream of warm lime juice straight to my cheek when i bit into one.

1/4 pound fresh garbanzo beans

1 Tbs. water

1/2 lime, juiced

fleur de sel

in bowl, combine fresh garbanzo beans and water; cover with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave 1 min., 3o sec., shaking bowl once, or until pods turn bright grean. transfer to small serving bowl; squeeze lime juice over beans. sprinkle with fleur de sel.

roasted fresh garbanzo beans

with ground cumin and ancho chili powder

these cooked quickly, so keep an eye on them and shake often. feel free to change the seasoning combination to a favorite - i think they would also taste really amazing tossed with lemon zest and thyme or black pepper and finely chopped rosemary.

1/4 pound fresh garbanzo beans

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

kosher salt

heat oven to 375˚F. place garbanzo beans on a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray or olive oil. drizzle with olive oil. Roast 5 min., or until golden to deep brown in color, shaking pan often. immediately transfer beans to bowl; sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and kosher salt. toss to combine.

sauteed fresh garbanzo beans

with marcona almonds, garlic and red pepper flakes

we really loved the flavor combination of these beans. while the garlic and red pepper flakes really stand out, the almonds add a welcome crunch that offers a nice break from all the bean removal. i'm a big fan of these slightly heart-shaped almonds that are typically sold already husked.

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, peeled and each cut into 6 pieces

1/4 pound fresh garbanzo beans

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup marcona almonds 

kosher salt

in skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil and garlic pieces, 1 minute, or until the oil is hot and the garlic is just tender. using slotted spoon, removed garlic pieces from oil; set aside. increase heat to medium-high; add beans and red pepper flakes. cook 3-5 minutes, or until pods become golden brown, shaking pan often. add garlic pieces and almonds; cook 1 minute more, or until garlic and almonds are hot. transfer to bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt.