The Makeshift Cook

I accidentally got a subscription to Bon Appetit, which is less a cooking magazine and more a lifestyle magazine, although really what magazine ISN'T a lifestyle rag? What happened was, I bought something from Amazon's home and garden section and got to choose a free magazine. The last freebie I got was Domino and I have had enough of rolling my eyes at that particular wad of advertorial, so I opted for recipes instead.

So far there's little of real use in Bon Appetit, but this little recipe for Ground Coriander and Cilantro Flatbreads caught my eye because it looked super-easy AND I had an overabundance of plain yogurt that needed to be used. I altered it a bit because I didn't have any cilantro, but damn I bet it would be delicious. Just sub cilantro for parsley. Bon Appetit also calls for whole milk yogurt; use it if you have it, but lowfat worked fine too.

Coriander Flatbreads
1 1/2 cups (or more) AP flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup (or more) plain yogurt
Olive oil (for frying)

Sift dry ingredients together. Stir in fresh herbs. Add yogurt and moosh together with a fork until dough starts to clump together. Then knead in the bowl, adding more flour or yog as necessary, until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for a minute. Divide into 8 pieces, roll into balls, and then roll out with a rolling pin (or my favorite makeshift, a wine bottle). Heat a generous plop of olive oil at medium high heat in a non-stick skillet and fry the breads three at a time until golden and puffed, about 3 minutes per side.

I made the soup to go with it on a day when I really felt like I had no food in the house. It just goes to show you how pampered and silly I am, because look at the bountiful soup I came up with! I think I'm just craving copious farmer's market veg and we're not quite there yet, weather-wise.

Curried Red Lentil Soup
Olive oil for the pot
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala or curry powder
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 cups red lentils
1 large sweet potato, cubed
8 cups of water
Fresh spinach (frozen is fine too)
Salt to taste

Rinse and pick over the lentils, discarding any foreign objects (duh). Drain in a fine sieve/colander.

Heat the olive oil in your soup pot at medium-high heat. Add onions and spices (feel free to improvise), and saute until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook a bit longer. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat with spices. Dump in the can of tomatoes, lentils, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until lentils are tender and sweet potatoes are cooked through (20-25 minutes). Blend some or all of the soup in your blender or with an immersion mixture (optional). Return to pot, add chopped fresh spinach, and cook just until wilted. Salt to taste.

Serve with brown rice or all by itself, and definitely eat flatbreads.