Hot Tamarind Lovin'

Rich Quinoa and Buckwheat with Collards & a Green Salad with Chick Peas and a Carrot-Ginger Dressing
The Salad.


RECIPE
Hot Onion and Tamarind Reduction.
2 small onions
1-2 tbs vegetable oil (I use sesame-not toasted)
2 pods of tamarind
2 hot peppers
water
Make this reduction in a large sauce pot. Chop onions and cook in oil on medium high until they begin to brown. Add enough water to cover the onions plus one inch. Add the tamarind pods. (Remove the outer shell of the pods, and add the fruit as a whole pod. We will remove the seeds after the flesh of the fruit begins to fall off.) Add the finely diced hot peppers. Keep at a low simmer for about an hour while continuing to add liquid to keep the level at about an inch above the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sauteed Mushrooms:
Slice up a package of mushrooms and saute on medium high heat until tender and browned.
Quinoa and Buckwheat mixture:
¾ cup quinoa.
¾ cup buckwheat.
These are both quick cooking grains. The quinoa is ready in about twenty minutes, the buckwheat in about 10. You could use any grains here especially if they are leftover in the fridge. For both grains use twice the volume of water, cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Stir the grains, the mushrooms and the reduction together when ready to serve.

Collard Greens:
1 large bunch collard greens
1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
1 Tbs. Rice Vinegar.
Remove tough stems from one large bunch of collard greens. Chop into ½ inch strips. Steam for about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat, place in bowl and dress with a small amount of vinegar. Pile the grain/reduction mixture on top of the greens. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Green Salad with Chick Peas and Carrot Ginger Dressing:
about 4 cups of your favorite mixed greens
1 cucumber, thinly sliced with the skin on.
½ cup cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/8 of a red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup to 1 cup sprouts (depending on your tastes)
Dressing:
2 carrots, grated
2-3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
pinch of salt.
Combine ingredients in food mill, food processor or blender. Add more liquid (water, oil or vinegar) if needed and adjust acidity (vinegar) to taste.

This meal would have been better with a side of black beans cooked your favorite way.

STORY:
Sometimes I find it beneficial to spend a little extra time lingering in the produce section of the grocery store. It seems like the store managers are always inserting little displays of new items between the piles of pears and apples or at the end of an isle of potatoes and onions. Last week, underneath a display of locally grown apples, about one foot above the floor, there were several unassuming packages of dried goods that, based on the packaging, seemed to be geared towards customers interested in flavors from Latin America. I immediately noticed a package of tamarind pods. I’ve never actually seen a tamarind pod, but I’ve seen many products with a tamarind flavor before. When Mike and I lived in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn we could walk downstairs and within a two block radius procure tamarind flavored soda, tamarind ice cream and tamarind flavored shaved ice. It is a slightly sour taste and, from what I understand, is common in some Latin American cooking as well as some Indian and Thai cooking. Needless to say, I bought the tamarind. Turns out that you have to break off the outer shell of the pod and inside is the fleshy fruit that encompasses several large, dark brown, hard seeds. You can pop the fruit in your mouth, eat the flesh part and then spit out the seeds. This method of eating tamarind is quite fun and Mike and I enjoyed making funny faces as we manipulated the fruit and seeds in our mouths. For this meal I decided to try to use the tamarind in a savory fashion so I made the onion and hot pepper reduction. Having something hot with something sweet is a tried and true combination. I think I’ll try something similar with dried apricots in the future. I will also try to remember in the future that a meal with collard greens is often a plea for the appearance of black beans. I’m still perfecting my carrot-ginger dressing and I’ll be trying some new variations in the future. I’ll keep you posted.