Morrocan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Chickpeas seem to call out for Moroccan spices, so that's what they get here. I make this soup really chunky and hearty.

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 1 large onion, medium diced
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 1 quart vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• several kale leaves (to taste)

Pastitsio

I thought this was a perfect recipe for a cold autumn night, except the weather wasn't cold at all :)). Nevertheless, we enjoyed it immensely :D

 

For the tomato meat sauce:

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bechamel sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
  
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 3/4 pound small shells (I used orechiette)

Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley

The problem with my kitchen is that I never have enough light, even in the summertime I have to turn on the light to cook. That explains my photos to a degree (I'm not trying to make excuses here), and I confess I'd love to have a kitchen like Roxana's (sigh). Until then, let's make some couscous!

The ingredients are:

- 3 tbsp butter, divided

- 1/2 cup pine nuts

- 1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped

- 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

- 1/2 large cinnamon stick

- 1 fresh or dried bay leaf

- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup parsley, minced

- zest of 1/2 lemon

- 1/4 cup raisins (optional)

- black pepper to taste

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown, then transfer to a small bowl.

Peach, Pecans and Cinnamon Cake

My daughter and I were invited to a barbeque upstate today, at one of my colleagues' country house. I knew it was an approximately 3 hours drive to get there, so I needed a cake that would travel well under any weather conditions. I decided to make this one:

This cake can be made with fresh ripe peaches or pears.