The right Mou for the job, episode II: We are the champions!

Back in July, I speculated that AS Roma's splashy new managerial signing, the legendary José Mourinho, would bring some stultifying soccer to our beloved club. Well, he did that, to some extent, but he also just delivered the first major European trophy in our 95-year history. That's right, we are the winners of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, making us champions in Europe if not of Europe. Woohoo! Enjoy all of the many highlights from yesterday's slender 1-0 win over a puny Dutch team:

 

 

 

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I hadn't made anything new from one of Meera Sodha's cookbooks for a while, so I gave this a shot and it was a big winner. Chile heads can definitely amp up the spice level beyond what we're able to tolerate, but this was really tasty and a surefire keeper.

Four "Pea" Usal

Adapted from Meera Sodha via the Guardian (May 5, 2018)  and East (2020)

Time: ~40 minutes

Sodha says that you can swap the beans and pulses listed for whatever you have on hand. She also says that this dish is “best eaten with a hunk of bread for mopping up the spicy juices,” which is what we did. I only used one serrano chile and ½ teaspoon kashmiri chile powder, which is mild (only 1,000 to 2,000 SHU), and this was still spicy for us, but we’re extremely spice-wimpy.

¼ cup (53) grams neutral oil such as sunflower or canola
2 medium red onions or 1 large (~340 grams), peeled and chopped
2 green finger or serrano chiles, very finely chopped (see note)
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
225 grams (2 medium) ripe tomatoes, chopped
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder (see note)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 quart (945 grams) water
1 (15.5-ounce) can blackeye peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
250 grams (~2 cups) frozen petite peas
200 grams snow peas
1 tablespoon (15 grams) lemon juice
1 large handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

    1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or 4-quart saucier over medium heat. Stir in the chopped onion and chile. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft, about 10 minutes.
    2. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
    3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down, about 5 minutes.
    4. Stir in the salt and spices and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
    5. Stir in the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 8 minutes.
    6. Stir in the blackeye peas, chickpeas, petite peas, and snow peas, and cook for 5 minutes.
    7. Off heat, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Taste for seasoning. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 4.