I looked in the fridge and all I saw was a
- scant quarter jar of chipotle salsa [that I'd gotten from Trader Joe's in a moment of convenient weakness]
- a block of palm sugar [of which I used 1 1/2 tbsp]
- a jar of capers [2 tbsp used]
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil [extra virgin]
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil [extra virgin]
- yellow mustard seeds [1 tsp]
- coriander seeds [1/2 tsp]
- cumin seeds [1/2 tsp]
- crushed garlic [1 tbsp]
- frozen peppers [1/2 cup combo of red, yellow & green]
- tomato basil marinara sauce [1 1/2 cup]
- hot and spicy mustard [1 tsp]
I took the oils [coconut and olive] put them into my sauce pan along with the mustard, coriander and cumin. Toasted them until they were aromatic and added the peppers.
[I had to cook the peppers until they had reduced by 2/3 to get the intense flavor out of them before I added the other ingredients.]
I added the capers, fried them up, then the palm sugar, stirred added the garlic, swirled until the oil was well fragranced with that Mediterranean aroma. I poured in the chipotle sauce and fried it down until it released its steam and concentrated in flavor, viscosity and color. Finally I added the marinara sauce and spicy mustard, reduced and served over some black eye peas and veggie hamburger layers in a semi-deconstructed lasagna in a bowl.
Oh and was it good!!!
It was a great challenge and one that we'll keep in our archives. I've made it since with a lot of great variations to fit the moods.
Try it and I know you'll be a believer. It's tasty, healthy and a whole lotta fun! As a matter of fact... try it with my black eye peas fritters!
As always, it's my pleasure sharing with you tasty vegetarian innovations from my kitchen. Until next time...