Chickpea & Feta Dip

Chickpea & Feta Dip (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 24 servings of 2 Tbsp. each)

Ingredients

·         2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

·         2/3 cup  crumbled Feta Cheese, divided

·         1/3 cup drained roasted red pepper strips, divided

·         1 clove  garlic

·         3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

·         Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1.      Place chickpeas, ½ cup cheese, ¼ cup peppers and next 4 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

2.       Spoon into serving bowl. Top with remaining cheese and peppers.

I made this as an appetizer for a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood.  I served with various crudités (celery, carrots, pepper strips, etc.) for a healthy option during our Dinner; I also used fat-free feta to help cut back on some fat and calories.  I find the consistency to be more of a spread than a dip, and it was a little dry and clumpy, not creamy like hummus.  It tasted overwhelmingly like chickpeas, I would have liked a little more of a feta or red pepper taste.  I do not plan to make this dish again, but feel free to try your hand at it!

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ½ onion, diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp. ground cumin

·         2 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), undrained

·         1 small red bell pepper, diced

·         1 small turnip, peeled and diced

·         1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained

·         1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

·         ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         1 pinch salt

·         1 pinch cracked black pepper

Directions

1.)    Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, and curry powder; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.)    Add the garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, turnip, corn, and tomato sauce. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

My first experience cooking with curry and turnips was a major success!  The original recipe calls for simmering for 1.5-2 hours.  I don’t know if that is necessary, my curry was cooked through in about 1 hour.  At that time, I added some more curry powder and cumin as well as ¼ to ½ cup of water and cooked on low for an additional hour.  After it was done, I also added a splash of Sriracha – which, I believe, was the perfect addition!

My husband and I loved this dish!  It was a little spicy, but the curry flavor definitely comes through.  The cumin/curry relationship is fantastic.  The corn, turnip, pepper, and beans all have a nice crunch to them, which goes well if you serve it with rice.  I also served heated mini pita bread bites, and the dish works quite well with those as well.  I cannot wait to make this dish again and again, it is a definite keeper in my book and so easy to make.  If you are a beginner with curry, don’t be scared, this is a great starter dish and so easy to adjust to your taste.  Enjoy!

Earnest & Scott Taproom - Wilmington, DE

http://www.ernestandscott.com/

This new restaurant in Wilmington recently opened at the site where Public House used to be.  It has the same owner as Chelsea Tavern, so I was very much looking forward to trying it.  Overall, it was a nice experience, but they need to work out some of the kinks in regards to service and availability.  They had items on the beverage menu that were not availability and our server didn’t come to our table for over 30 minutes – even though they were not overly busy.  I hope that this is just “new opening” jitters and that my next experience is more positive.

I ordered the Crispy Chickpea Veggie Burger as my entrée.  When it came out, the burger was twice as large as the bun – absolutely huge!  When I was eating it, about half of it ended up on the plate because the consistency was soft enough that if it was in the air and there was no bun for support, it was going to fall apart.  It was served with lettuce, tomato, red onion confit, beer mustard, and Vidalia catsup.  Super tasty!  I actually cannot wait to order it again, but hope that it isn’t as huge so that I can actually eat the whole thing.  The sandwich is not served with fries or chips, so if you want that, be sure to order as a side.  One of the girls in our party ordered the Crispy Polenta (with cheddar cheese and fine herbs).  This had a nice crispy outside and soft, warm, chewy inside.  Not too much cheese on the top, either – delicious!

For dessert, my husband and I shared the Chocolate Torte. I don’t remember what it had in it other than chocolate, but it was some kind of fruit – it wasn’t that good and was very small.  I would definitely not order it again.

I look forward to my next visit to the Taproom – and hope that the service and menu are all up-to-date!


8/12/2013 Update:

My husband and I returned to Ernest & Scott Taproom for some more culinary pleasure.  I asked the server about the Sweet Pea Risotto and this time she said it was vegetarian!  (Previously, I was told that it was made with chicken stock.) 

Since I was not getting the Veggie Burger this time around, we ordered the Truffled Pommes Frites as an appetizer.  The fries were coated with truffle oil, shredded parmesan cheese, herbs that I could not identify, and sea salt.  I liked them – none of the ingredients was overpowering, but I think that they add the cheese and herbs at the end as only the fries on top had those!  Still, good with ketchup (Heinz, of course)!

When the risotto came out, I took a moment to admire the dish: it is a mixture of rice, peas, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, pearl onions, carrots and herb ricotta cheese and topped with a  poached egg.  The confetti of color was appealing and resulted in a tasty dish.  As would be expected, it has a sweet taste – the peas and pearl onions really do their job!  The vegetables – especially the asparagus and carrots – stayed crunchy and gave a nice texture component to the creaminess of the risotto/cheese.  I fully enjoyed this dish – both that night and for leftovers (although I did eat the whole poached egg the first night!).  I definitely recommend it to anybody stopping by Ernest & Scott.