Opening Night

Up and running on the internet now...two days, two technicians, too many hours and phone calls, and some unnecessary indigestion...but that's not the purpose. This is a foodie blog - talking about food finds and restaurants here in the Metro Atlanta area.

Tonight - June 15, 2007 - Date Night

The wife and I went out tonight. Dinner at Chris' Pizza in Toco Hills. Chris' is a great hidden place - Greek pizza and food. This is good food, not high end, not low end, just solid cuisine. The service is good and the place is normally quiet - the dinner crowd was arriving as we were on the way out. The wife ordered an individual veggie pizza and a small Greek salad. I had the small Greek pizza. What is it about gyro meat? The blended flavors of lamb and beef, the seasonings, and that slightly crunchy outside. We finished up and then went right around the corner (literally) to Atlanta Coffee Roasters. This is another hidden place. It's a favorite with college students. The espresso is excellent - I'd rate it in my top three in this town. They are retailers of all sorts of coffee, tea, and brewing gear. I'm a big coffee person - my Chemex and I have a potentially unhealthy relationship. This place gets two thumbs up from me.

Last night (marking two months of marriage) was homemade Chickpea Curry - I found a recipe at a vegetarian site and sort of made it my own.

2 c dried chickpeas
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 medium onions, diced medium fine
6-7 small cloves of garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/4 tsp cumin seed, toasted and finely ground
1 tsp coriander seed, toasted and finely ground
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
1 tsp Penzey's Maharajah curry powder (this is the ultimate curry powder)
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp garam masala

I always hot-soak my dried beans. I cover them in boiling water for one hour, drain well, and use. Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil over medium high heat until slightly golden. Remove from heat. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander seed, and curry powder and stir well - the kitchen will be very fragrant now. Put chickpeas, tomatoes, saute mix, 1 cup of the water, and the salt in a Crock-Pot. Cook on low for 6+ hours. I left out (and probably missed out) the garam masala the original called for. You can add this if you'd like (and probably should) in the last half hour of cooking. Check partway through and add additional cup of water if needed. Serve over rice for a tasty meal.