amateur cook

Asian Pear and Cranberry Curry Chutney

2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 big thin skinned Asian pears
2 shallots
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander
pinch of chili powder

Put cranberries in a bowl with juice and vinegar. Set aside. Roughly chop shallots and saute in a little olive oil in a large pot. Slice pear flesh around the core and roughly chop. Toss pear into the pot with brown sugar and spices. Pour over the juice, vinegar, and cranberries.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally, and near the end stir constantly to reduce the juice.

THE MASON JAR PROJECT

In the take-out and delivery system, eating the same meal twice in one week is considered especially heinous. In Bushwick, the dedicated cooks who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Mason Jar project. These are their stories.

Monday, February 6th - Raw Kale Salad

makes 6 jars in 1 hour

1 cup Tahini Dressing
3 bunches of kale (washed)
1 cup Feta Cheese
3 cans of chickpeas (rinse)
1/2 cup Asian Pear Chutney
2 cups Quinoa

Roughly chop kale and mix with Tahini dressing. Fill bottom of each jar with this. Crumble feta cheese on top. Scoop chickpeas for the next layer. Put a few tablespoons of Asian Pear Chutney. Boil 4 cups of water with quinoa for 15 minutes or until water is evaporated. Once cool, scoop quinoa for the final layer of the jar.

Monday, February 13th - Pastelon

makes 6 jars in 5 hours

1 package Cheddar and Jack cheese
4 Goya baked plantains

For Beans:
1lb of black beans
4 tbs. canola oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 green pepper chopped
1 cup salsa verde
1/4 cup of Salsa Lizano
cumin, salt, coriander, pepper

Soak beans for 4+ hours. Boil in water for 1.5 hours until soft. In a separate pan, heat oil. Add onions and saute for 6 min until soft. Add spices and pepper for 5 min. Add garlic and salsas for 1 min and stir in finished beans. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Cut plantains into fourths. Fry each for 3 min until slightly seared. Once cool, add 2 to the bottom of each jar. Scoop about 1/2 cup of beans. Add layer of cheese. Repeat to fill each jar.

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

THE MASON JAR
CONDIMENTS

plus

WEEK THREE

Monday, February 20th - Chana Masala

Tahini-Lemon Dressing

1 cup Tahini
1 cup water
1/2 lemon (squeezed)
1 clove of garlic
paprika

Put tahini, lemon, garlic and paprika in a blender. Slowly add water while pulsing until it reaches a creamy consistency. Refrigerate until use.

makes 6 jars in 2 hours

2 cans of chickpeas
2 lbs of chicken
2 potatoes
2 green peppers (chopped)
4 tbs. canola oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, tumeric, paprika, chili powder

1 cup rice + 2 cups water

Cook rice with water until boiling, then turn heat down to simmer until water is evaporated.

Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions for 5 min until soft. Add spices and chicken for another 5 min. Add potatoes, garlic and green peppers for another 5 min. Add chickpeas with water and tomato sauce, cover and stir occasionally for 15-20 min.

THE MASON JAR
DESSERTS

WEEK SIX

Monday, March 19th - Chickpeas & Friends

makes 6 jars in 2 hours

4 tbs. canola oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 cans of chickpeas
1 box mushrooms (chopped)
1 bunch kale (stemmed & chopped)

salt, pepper, sage, thyme, lemon juice

1 cup rice + 2 cups water

Cook rice with water until boiling, then turn heat down to simmer until water is evaporated.

Heat pan, add kale with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and mix until steamed about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat oil in same pan. Add onions for 5 min until soft. Add spices, garlic, and mushrooms for 10 min. Add kale and chickpeas, cover and stir occasionally for 15-20 min.

Coffee and Cinnamon Rice Pudding

1 cup rice
3 cups 1% milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed black coffee
1 handful chopped walnuts

Put rice in a saucepan with milk. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to the slowest possible simmer. Cook until the rice is very tender. This will take up to 1 1/2 hours.

About 1 hour into the cooking, stir in the salt, sweetening, vanilla, spices, and 1/2 cup of coffee.

Transfer about 1 cup of the rice to a blender, add about 1/2 cup coffee, and purée. Return this to the pot and mix well, add walnuts.

Serve at room temperature or cold.

WEEK FIVE

Monday, March 12th - Spinach Rice Casserole