semi-expensive hobbies

*dusts off blog* I’m back, with a new dSLR. :D

From The Traveler’s Lunchbox,
· Catalan Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Almonds
· Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Avocado Sauce

I didn’t make these quite so perfect, but the flavor still came out well, so I guess that’s what counts. I’m going to add in comments to Melissa’s original recipe based on my experiences making these.

Catalan Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Almonds

· 2 (14oz/400g) cans chickpeas, drained
· 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 large onion, peeled and grated or finely minced
    (Don’t be like me and chop them up into pieces. When she says grated or finely minced, she means it.)
· 1 can (14oz/400g) plum tomatoes in juice, preferably Italian, drained and chopped
    (I just bought a can of finely diced tomatos, which seemed to work well enough.)
· pinch sugar
· pinch saffron threads
    (I know she says to include this, but we poor students don’t have money to buy saffron. I think it tasted fine without it.)
· 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
    (I might’ve used a bit more than three…)
· 1/3 cup (50g) lightly toasted almonds
· small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    (I just used a few shakes of dried parsley. I didn’t have fresh parsley on hand.)
· 1 1/2 cups (325ml) chicken or vegetable stock
· salt
· juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

(1) Try the chickpeas - if they’re not completely soft to the bite (and canned ones rarely are), bring them to a boil in lightly-salted water and cook them until they are, usually about 10-20 minutes. Drain.

(2) In a heavy frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and sauté the onion until it is golden brown and very soft, about 25 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, letting them fry until they melt into the onions and form a paste, about another 10-15 minutes. This is called a sofregit, and its intense flavor forms the basis of many Catalan dishes. Remove the pan from the heat.
    (It really really should be a paste. As you can see from my final product, my onion pieces were way too big to fry down into a paste.)

(3) In a large mortar or food processor, combine the saffron, garlic, almonds and parsley and pound (or pulse) to a thick paste (add a little water if necessary to keep things moving).
    (I also don’t have a food processor, so in a small saucepan, I used a little bit of chicken stock to cook the garlic, almonds, and parsley together. I think the whole almonds give the chickpeas a nice crunchy texture.)

(4) Add the paste to the onion mixture along with the stock and the chickpeas, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature; you’ll find that this dish keeps developing in flavor the longer it sits.

· 3 large ripe Haas avocados
· 3-4 large ripe tomatoes, diced
· 1 small red onion, diced
· 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
· 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
· large handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or torn
· salt and pepper
· (optional) cooked, crumbled bacon (I usually cook 2 strips per person; you can easily leave this out to make it vegetarian)
· (optional) freshly-grated parmesan cheese (this time I actually used crumbled feta and it was excellent as well)

· about 1 lb (500g) spaghetti or fettuccine, cooked al dente

(1) In a large serving bowl, mash the avocados, leaving a few chunks.
    (If you want to make a chip dip instead of a pasta sauce, no need to mash the avocados. Also, you really will need the large serving bowl.)

(2) Stir in the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste, being mindful of the fact that you might be topping it with salty bacon and cheese later.
    (I found the 1-2 tbsp of vinegar wasn’t really enough to flavor, so I used twice that amount. However, I added each tablespoon slowly, because the liquid has a tendency to sink to the bottom. Also, you might want to sprinkle in a little bit of lemon juice. That way the avocado stays green a little longer.)

(3) Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and then immediately combine with the cold sauce, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with the bacon and cheese (or you can pass these separately if you wish) and serve immediately.
    (I actually thought it tasted better when the pasta is run under cold water so that when the sauce is mixed in, it doesn’t become warm. I’m not a fan of warm avocado.)