Algerian Chili - test run!

[Guest guest]

On 1/5/08, Sparrow R Jones <sparrowrose wrote:

> Now, in the order presented in the directions, my changes:

 

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention. I didn't put the salt in, either.

 

Sparrow

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the notes on your " test run " .

 

I am planning to make this after I get a few more ingredients at this week's

grocery trip, so I greatly appreciate your notes. I'm glad to find another

one who likes things HOT!!!

 

Grin....when I do some spicy stir-frys, even the dogs cough and put their

paws over their eyes.....!!

 

One thing, though...You note that you completely eliminated the oil. I

learned in one veggie cooking class that we should always add at least a

little oil in any dish, particularly a soup/stew. It helps to transfer the

flavor of the spices throughout and gives a better " mouthfeel " to the

finished product.

 

As an aside, you mention your store did not have any fresh parsley/cilantro.

We are SOOO lucky....a brand new Kroger Marketplace just opened here (SW

Ohio. Kroger is a major regional supermarket chain). Our produce department

is just huge....something like almost 500 different varieties and...catch

this.....about 75 ORGANIC items! I am so excited to buy my juicing

ingredients there! Downside is...I now spend about $40/week for me just on

produce......But I figure it's 'way less than doctor and pharmacy

charges.....!

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Sparrow! Great report on the recipe!

 

I also made this one yesterday, but had some

slight changes.

 

I used chilies that were probably a bit bigger

than the 'small' ones asked for, and I didn't

seed 'em either (never do). I would also double

them next time. I used cayenne as called for, but

would use more next time - depending on what

doubling the dried chilies did to the heat. I

think double or more should be okay for our

tastes, because we don't like things to burn off

the taste buds but just to make them sit up and

shout. (Most people gasp when they tasts our

'hot' food, so maybe that's not conveying much

info.)

 

About the parsley and cilantro: I had none fresh

and only 2 tsp dried parsley when I started

this. I put in the 2 tsp parsley - not having a

clue what a 'sprig' meant, since sprigs come in

all different sizes I added about 1/3 cup of

chopped fresh parsley to the cooking pot when I

got back in. Towards the end I added about 1/3

cup chopped cilantro. I would have added more of

both, but this won't be consumed until lunchtime

today and I wanted some of the herbs to blend

with the dish and some to be fresher. So I'll

re-do the herbs when I re-heat the dish. Oh - and

my parsley is that horrid curly-leaf parsley this

time - all I could buy for some reason. Do people

really LIKE that kind? It's mostly for decoration

in f*sh shops, I thought

 

Paprika: I used 1/2 Tbsp Spanish Paprika (the end

of that one) and 1/2 Tbsp Hungarian. I figure

Spanish is probably what is meant, but I dunno

that I wouldn't just use Hungarian next time. It

can take the extra heat.

 

Since I hadn't shopped when I started the dish

off, I used one and a half cups of chopped canned

tomatoes. I thought of using more, because it

isn't very strong in tomato flavour despite the

tomato paste (I used a 5.5 oz can), but perhaps

it's not the idea that tomato should predominate

as it often does in mexican-style chilies. (The

term 'chili' for this dish refers to the

seasoning only, after all - it's a bean stew that

originally would have had me*t in it, I

understand.)

 

No oil. No added salt. (My tomatoes were

unsalted, the tomato paste was salted as usual -

all I can get.)

 

Garlic: I used 15 cloves which just happened to

be one head of garlic. I'd probably use more next

time.

 

Cooking method and timing? I cooked this in the

crockpot/slowcooker - and threw everything in

together right at the start, with the exception

of the salt and the extra fresh herbs which I

will add at the end today. I put it on high, with

around 4 cups of water (I was looking for a thick

stew) but it took forever - I guess I got sold

old beans. Around 8 hours later it was done,

lovely and fragrant and thick.

 

TASTE TEST: It's hard to tell from just the

occasional cook's 'quality testing' taste. I

shall taste again when I reheat it today and

adjust the seasonings along the lines I mentioned

above (except not to add more chilies because

they woouldn't have time to infiltrate the dish -

I'll use cayenne if needed instead).

 

But all in all I'd say this is a very good recipe

to use!

 

Love and hugs, Pat

 

--- Sparrow R Jones <sparrowrose

wrote:

 

> I made the Algerian Chili recipe tonight and it

> is very tasty. I think

> I will turn up the heat (more hot spices) next

> time I make it, but I

> will definitely be making this one again.

>

> I want to report on the changes I made to the

> recipe and so I will

> reproduce the original here and then comment

> afterward on

>

> my changes.

>

> Algerian Chili

>

> Ingredients:

>

> 2 cups navy beans, soaked

> 1/4 cup olive oil

> 1 large onion, finely diced

> 3 small dried red chilies, seeded

> 15 garlic cloves, minced

> 1 Tbs. sweet paprika

> 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

> 4 tsp. ground cumin

> 6 oz. tomato paste

> 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

> 7 cups water or vegetable broth

> 2 bay leaves

> 2 1/2 tsp. salt

> 1/8 tsp cayenne, or to taste

> 20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

> 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

>

> Directions:

>

> Rinse and pick over the beans and soak them

> overnight; drain and reserve.

> In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the

> oil and cook the onion,

> stirring occasionally, until tender.

> Add cayenne, garlic, paprika, black pepper, and

> cumin. Cook, stirring

> for 2 to 3 minutes; add tomato paste and stir

> until mixture thickens

> (1 to 2 minutes); stir in tomatoes and 1 cup of

> water or broth and

> bring to a boil.

> Add the beans and remaining 6 cups water or

> broth.

> With a thread or cotton string, tie together

> bay leaves, chili

> peppers, and half parsley sprigs, and add them

> to the pot.

> Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook beans

> until tender (1-2 hours).

> Before serving, discard the chilies, bay

> leaves, and tied parsley;

> mince remaining parsley and add to pot along

> with

>

> cilantro.

>

> -=-

>

> The first change is reflected in what I just

> posted: I swapped cayenne

> and chili peppers in the directions because it

> made no sense to me to

> tie cayenne powder together, so I figured the

> two peppers got

> accidentally swapped in the directions.

>

> Now, in the order presented in the directions,

> my changes:

>

> 1. I eliminated the olive oil. Instead, I did a

> " healthy saute "

> starting with 1/4 of vegetable broth and adding

> more as needed. I used

> a total of 1 cup of veggie broth and 6 cups of

> water in the recipe.

>

> 2. I doubled the cayenne pepper and I changed

> the pepper measurement

> to 32 twists of the pepper mill on the coarse

> grind setting. (My next

> pot of this I plan to double the cayenne again.

> The amount of pepper I

> used seemed about right.)

>

> 3. I did not remove the seeds from the chili

> peppers (yes, I like

> spicy food.) (My next pot of this, I plan to

> double the chili peppers,

> still unseeded.)

>

> 4. I was unable to find fresh parsley and fresh

> cilantro in my grocery

> so I used dried of both. I added all the

> parsley rather than half and

> added the cilantro earlier so that it had time

> to reconstitute well in

> the soup.

>

> Dried worked well (though I'm sure fresh would

> be better), but I would

> not advise it if someone were trying to modify

> the recipe by using

> tinned beans because it takes long enough to

> reconstitute the dried

> herbs that the beans would be overcooked if

> they were already cooked

> at the outset.

>

> One possibility, however, if one were to want

> to convert the recipe to

> tinned beans and dried parsley & cilantro would

> be to add the beans

> last so that the herbs had time to simmer

> properly.

>

> I converted the parsley and cilantro using the

> assumption that 1 sprig

> is roughly equal to 1 tablespoon fresh herb

> which is roughly equal to

> 1 teaspoon dried herb. So that makes for 20

> teaspoons of dried parsley

> (which worked out to the exact contents of a 10

> gram bag) and 10

> teaspoons of dried cilantro.

>

> Other notes: I think I would like to double the

> tomatoes the next time

> I make this.

>

> Overall, I give it high ratings and would serve

> it to company

> (possibly with some pita and hummus on the side

> as I think the flavors

> would go together well. Also, a green salad,

> perhaps with a tahini

> lemon dressing or an avocado dressing.)

>

> Sparrow

>

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

> One thing, though...You note that you

> completely eliminated the oil. I

> learned in one veggie cooking class that we

> should always add at least a

> little oil in any dish, particularly a

> soup/stew. It helps to transfer the

> flavor of the spices throughout and gives a

> better " mouthfeel " to the

> finished product.

 

That's what I learned too However, the absence

of oil in a recipe from me, for example, does not

mean that it would be better that way. It simply

describes how I cooked it 'Tried-and-True' means

MY way, not some hypothetical way - and I cannot

therefore vouch for recipes that have oil added.

 

I don't use added oil for medical reasons, and I

have over time learned to prefer it this way so

that to me that 'better mouth feel' is enough to

make me put down my knife and fork in disgust

 

You go on doing it your way It'll work better

for you. But everyone's different, ya know?

 

Love and hugs, Pat

 

 

 

----

Dr Patricia M. Sant

http://beanvegan.blogspot.com

Vegan World Cuisine: http://www.care2.com/c2cvegworld

Vegetarian Spice:

Vegetarian Slimming: vegetarianslimming

Vegetarians In Canada: vegetariansincanada

'To cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life.'

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

 

 

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[Guest guest]

On 1/6/08, Momcat <Momcat55 wrote:

>

> I am planning to make this after I get a few more ingredients at this week's

> grocery trip, so I greatly appreciate your notes. I'm glad to find another

> one who likes things HOT!!!

 

The hotter, the better!

 

> One thing, though...You note that you completely eliminated the oil. I

> learned in one veggie cooking class that we should always add at least a

> little oil in any dish, particularly a soup/stew. It helps to transfer the

> flavor of the spices throughout and gives a better " mouthfeel " to the

> finished product.

 

I made it on a fasting day, which means there was a religious

proscription against using oil that day. When I make it on a

non-fasting day, I will put the oil in. The day I wanted to make it

happened to be a fasting day and, rather than wait, I figured I'd go

ahead and that way anyone who avoids fats year-round would know if

this were a recipe they'd want to try or not.

 

> As an aside, you mention your store did not have any fresh parsley/cilantro.

> We are SOOO lucky....a brand new Kroger Marketplace just opened here (SW

> Ohio. Kroger is a major regional supermarket chain).

 

I grew up around Kroger's. We have stores here with huge produce

sections, but with my husband's disability he only has the energy to

drive me to one grocery store so we choose the one that has the bulk

bins and overall lower prices. (On the bright side, it caters to a

Mexican clientele so there are tons of different kinds of fresh and

dried hot peppers.)

 

Some day I'll have a driver's license and a car and then I hope to be

able to visit multiple grocery stores (though I don't guess that would

be so good for the environment, burning the extra gas . . . ) Until

then, I deal with the limitations of only going to one store.

Compromises. *sigh*

 

Sparrow

[Guest guest]

Hi, Sparrow,

 

On 1/6/08, Sparrow R Jones <sparrowrose wrote:

 

> .

>

> I made it on a fasting day, which means there was a religious

> proscription against using oil that day.

>

 

Do you mind mentioning what religion this is? I'm not very knowledgeable

about religions other than mine, but I am interested in the different

traditions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

> I grew up around Kroger's. (On the bright side, it caters to a

> Mexican clientele so there are tons of different kinds of fresh and

> dried hot peppers.)

>

 

Oh....then you must have grown up around the Midwest region?

 

A Mexican grocery....lucky you...since we BOTH " ...like it hot...!!! " All

those different hot peppers to choose from.....!

 

My DIL comes from a Latin American background and I've been treated to some

wonderful dishes when her mom or SIL comes to visit. One of my favorite

spice mixtures is a blend of salt, hot peppers and lemon or lime granules.

They use it in lots of dishes, but my favorite is just to sprinkle it on a

plate of sliced cucumbers. It's also nice on sliced jicama with cucumbers.

 

Try to find this, if the salt isn't too much of an issue for you.

 

 

 

Pat, I hope this discussion isn't too OT for the list.

 

 

_._,___

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

On 1/7/08, Momcat <Momcat55 wrote:

>

> Do you mind mentioning what religion this is? I'm not very knowledgeable

> about religions other than mine, but I am interested in the different

> traditions.

 

It's Eastern Orthodoxy. Rather than go so far off-topic here, I'll

just give you a link to a description of the food/fasting traditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy#Fasting

 

Anything else should probably be in private mail . . . unless you want

my recipe for tahinopita, that is. :-)

(Tahinopita = Greek Orthodox vegan cake made with lots of tahini

(sesame seed 'butter') and eaten for celebrations during Lent.)

 

> > I grew up around Kroger's. (On the bright side, it caters to a

> > Mexican clientele so there are tons of different kinds of fresh and

> > dried hot peppers.)

 

> Oh....then you must have grown up around the Midwest region?

 

Technically, yes. Though we considered it the South. (Kentucky)

 

> A Mexican grocery....lucky you...since we BOTH " ...like it hot...!!! " All

> those different hot peppers to choose from.....!

 

I've been considering devising my own " house blend " of chili powder,

but I need to get a mortar and pestle first, I think. I've been

reading up on the possibilities and already make my own blend of

salt-free chili powder, ever since I found out just how much salt goes

into pre-mixed.

 

> My DIL comes from a Latin American background and I've been treated to some

> wonderful dishes when her mom or SIL comes to visit. One of my favorite

> spice mixtures is a blend of salt, hot peppers and lemon or lime granules.

> They use it in lots of dishes, but my favorite is just to sprinkle it on a

> plate of sliced cucumbers. It's also nice on sliced jicama with cucumbers.

>

> Try to find this, if the salt isn't too much of an issue for you.

 

It sounds really good . . . except for the salt. I don't have a health

issue with salt, but I get overwhelmed by salt pretty easily. For

example, chili made with tomato paste (haven't seen a salt-free

version) and tinned tomatoes with salt (fortunately, I've found

salt-free of those) and then salt in the recipe . . . tastes just

awful to me.

 

" They say " that one's taste buds get set, to a certain extent, in the

first four years of life and I grew up with a health food mom who

never added salt to her food or put salt on the table and made

everything fresh (including baby food) so I think my taste for salt

got set off from most of the rest of the population.

 

That wouldn't explain where I got my taste for spicy food, though.

Both my parents are real chickens when it comes to hot seasonings. My

mom won't even use black pepper! And when my dad cooks for himself he

doesn't add any spices of any kind. Total bland.

 

Maybe the Gypsies left me. :-) (Anybody got any good Gypsy recipes?)

 

Sparrow