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You are here: Home / Waiter, there's something in my... / WTSIM – the finger-on-the-pulse roundup

WTSIM – the finger-on-the-pulse roundup

by Jeanne Horak on April 8, 2008 21 Comments in Waiter, there's something in my...

WTSIM-pulses- roundup

If your pulses aren’t racing yet, they soon will be.  Gather round, one and all, for the roundup of the 14th edition of the Waiter, There’s Something in My… event!  I was your charming host this month and I have battled through my nursing duties (see previous post) as well as mad weather that included 17C on Thursday/Friday and… 2 or 3 inches of snow on Sunday (!!) to bring you this, the definitive collection of recipes featuring pulses.  Just because I like order, I have divided the recipes according to their principal ingredient into bean, chickpea and lentil categories.  Nothing scientific, just my love of categorisation 😉  So, without further ado, let the roundup begin!

BEANS

Theredwhisk First out of the starting blocks was Wilbur of The Red Whisk who goes with a slightly off-beat Easter theme and presents us with smoked bunny sausages gratin with cannellini beans.  As a child, I’d probably be weeping for the poor bunny… but as a carnivorous adult I’m drooling at the prospect of this unusual sausage and bean combo!

Homemade In a slightly more Summery (or Springy) vein, Sarah of Homemade in Yuma, Arizona takes her first steps into the wonderful world of food blogging events and treats us to a tuna and white bean salad.  I love this combination – now if only the weather would warm up a little…!

Mulberrybush Another newbie follows hot on her heels!  Please welcome Mrs B of fledgling blog Round the Mulberry Bush in Suffolk right here in the UK. She sticks with the tried & tested classics and gives us the glorious Spring dish of braised lamb with flageolets.  Somehow, lamb and pulses is one of those combinations that just works – deliciously!

Passionatecook My fellow-WTSIM founder Johanna of The Passionate Cook takes fusion food to a whole new level as she makes black bean soup reminiscent of Mexican cuisine, adapting a recipe from an Austrian chef, and adding a surprising touch of crab.  It’s an edible work of art!

Mrswskitchen From black beans to white as we pop into Mrs W’s Kitchen in New York state, where Amanda is cooking up a storm.  Ever thought that beans were OK, but a bit bland?  Then prepare to have all your assumptions challenged as you feast your eyes on her garlicky white beans with pecorino. Irresistible.

Fingerlicking And it seems black is the new… erm, black.  More black beans from Namratha of Finger Licking Food in Atlanta, Georgia, but this time in a different form.  Namratha puts together some black bean and corn cutlets which sound delicious and look even better – check out the design possibilities that ketchup offers.  Who woulda guessed?!

Introducingashley Staying with the same basic ingredients but mixing them up in a whole new way is Ashley of Introducing Ashley in San Francisco.  Instead of making fritters, she chooses instead to toss in some peppers and avocado and voila – black bean and corn salad materialises!  Not only delicious but oh so colourful too 🙂

Greedygourmet From summery salads, it’s back to wintry soups – unsurprising, given the amount of snow we had over the weekend here in the UK!  Fellow-South African Michelle of The Greedy Gourmet here in Canewdon, UK goes grocery shopping and finds she is being flirted with – by a knobbly gourd!  She hears the siren song of kabocha squash and immediately starts dreaming of the fun they could have together – such as butter bean and baked kabocha squash soup.  Mmmm, velvety and delicious.

Canelaycomino Have I ever mentioned how much I love pulled pork?  For this reason alone, Gretchen of Canela & Comino in Lima, Peru, is my hero because hers looks amazing.  But we are far more concerned today with what she serves with her pulled pork:  spicy black beans!  Just look at the three types of chile involved – chipotle, ancho and amarillo.  Phew!

Ggg Staying with the theme of beans with chile we wander into Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe’s kitchen in Melbourne, Australia, attracted by the delicious smells.  Not only is she baking cornbread, but she’s also making a vegetarian chile non carne with the traditional Australian addition of… a can of lager!  I can’t wait to try this one 🙂

Spittoonextra Back in good old Blighty, WTSIM co-founder Andrew of SpittoonExtra, just west of London, is usually a dessert man.  But man cannot live by sugar rushes alone and so we find him giving a gourmet makeover to a simple store cupboard staple – a tin of mixed beans.  His delectable beans with black pudding and pancetta lifts these humble ingredients into the realms of the extraordinarily tasty.  Now all I want to know is where’s my lunch invitation?!

Cooksister And last but not least in the bean section I present… myself, the CookSister!  Seeing as I have had both an extremely extended winter and one times very sick husband, I have felt somewhat in need of comforting lately.  And when I need comfort, I know to turn to my hero Nigel.  This smoked haddock and flageolet beans in a creamy mustard sauce is, without a doubt, one of the most gently comforting dishes I have ever made.  Do yourself a favour and try it – because you’re worth it.

CHICKPEAS

Easycooking Divya of Easycooking in Chennai, India, kicked off the chickpea section (and her participation in WTSIM – welcome!) with a cousin to one of my all-time favourite dishes – channa masala.  Divya made channa upkari-sundal – a chickpea dish flavoured with coconut, chillies, mustard seed and curry.  Spicy heaven!

Melecotte Funny how the same ingredient can completely change character in the next dish.  Chris of Melecotte in Atlanta, Georgia comes up with a wonderful Garbanzo soup (aka chickpea soup) which she served over Easter.  With chickpeas, sausage and mushrooms all featuring in the ingredients, this could be renamed the “my favourite things” soup 😉

Zlamushka The third appearance of chickpeas as chickpea curry is thanks to Zlamushka of Zlamushka’s Spicy Kitchen in Malmo, Sweden, and it’s a totally different beast again. No sweet coconut this time, and no meat or mushrooms – just a list of spices as long as your aram, from sweet cinnamon to spicey chillies.  But all the effort is worth it in the end as Zlamushka pronounces the curry to be delicious.

Lisaskitchen Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen in London, Ontario has a rather different take on chickpeas.  You know felafel, the middle-Eastern chickpea balls sold at fast food outlets around the world?  Well imagine if felafel were given a spicier makeover and served alongside a deliciously fresh red onion and coriander salad – then you’ll be close to imagining Lisa’s spiced chickpea cakes.

Ranjis Back to the classics now as we visit Ranji of Ranji’s Kitchen Corner in North Attleboro, MA.  She makes one of my all-time chickpea favourites – chana masala! Can there be anthing more comforting that a steaming bowl of spicy, saucy chickpeas?  Possible, I guess… but unlikely!

Fearlesskitchen Ever need to make dinner, but just could not bring yourself to go to the grocery store?  Well, now you don’t have to!  Jessica of Fearless Kitchen in Braintree, Massachusetts proves this by rustling up her pantry chickpeas from what she found on the shelves of her pantry.  And I love the addition of harissa…

Dilse Over on the other coast, we visit Divya at Dil Se in Los Angeles to see what’s cooking.  If you’re feeling peckish and want a high-protein snack, you can do a lot worse than Divya’s aama vadai or split chickpea fritters.  They look so tasty and so easy to prepare 🙂

Myexperiments It seems that chickpea fritters in some sort are a popular option because Jayashree of My Experiments with Food in India just joined the WTSIM party and guess what she brought? Chickpea vada!  She remembers washing down many of these nutritious little snacks with weak tea in her hostel days, but I imagine they would make great snacks to accompany drinks as well.

Otherpeoplesfood Aha!  And now for something completely different.  Katie of Other People’s Food in Herndon, Virginia, had had chickpeas in hummus and loved them, so it should be a logical conclusion that she’d love them in a soup?  Correct!  And just look at the amazing flavours in this spicy chickpea soup recipe – coconut milk, cilantro, garam masala and apple juice.  Intriguing.

Ithinkihavearecipe Whan Kazari of I Think I Have a Recipe for That… in Canberra, Australia heard the theme for this month’s event, there was an agony of indecision.  Was it to be chickpea burgers, dhal… or maybe these little chickpea fritters, tantalizingly laced with paprika and served with a yoghurt sauce.  I’m thinking little spicy canapes…!

Cookalmostanything OK, OK I know that split peas are a very different thing to chickpeas… but I didn’t want to create a whole new category for just one recipe, so I thought they would enjoy each other’s company for a while.  Over in Melbourne, Australia, the lovely Haalo from Cook (Almost) Everything At Least Once has me drooling with her green split pea and chorizo soup.  Pulses and cured meat are always a match made in heaven, but this seems particularly tempting 🙂

LENTILS

Myfrenchkitchen Ronell of My French Kitchen, a fellow South-African in France, tells a story distressingly similar to what’s happening here:  the daffodils are out, the clocks are on daylight saving time… and yet the weather seems incapable of warming up! At least Ronell will have a few more weeks to enjoy soups like her roasted red pepper and lentil soup – comfort in a bowl!

Lemonpi Y of Lemonpi in Sydney hasn’t had time to participate in WTSIM for a while but has this month managed to rustle something up – hurrah!  Ever thought of baking lentils into bread?  Nope, me neither.  Now go and check out Lemonpi’s lentil rolls – genius!  Not only will they appeal to all lentil-lovers, but they are also the perfect disguise to get lentilphones to eat the little pulses with a smile on their face 🙂

Rd2b Jessica of RD-2B in Montreal, Canada, ia another WTSIM newbie.  She usually likes her lentils in some sort of curry, but today she goes for a classic combination of Puy lentils and sausages.  A woman after my own heart – and a perfect comfort meal for London where it’s been snowing most of the day!

Blogfromourkitchen It seems like this particular classic combo is a big hit in Canada because Elizabeth from Blog From OUR Kitchen in Toronto, Canada also offers us Puy lentils and sausages!  Elizabeth also ponders whether I have a secret spy camera in her kitchen, after she made this dish on exactly the same day as I announced the theme.  Better not tell her, then, that this recipe is almost exactly the same as the one I make! :o)

Pikeletpie From the classics, we move on to something different entirely from Lili of Pikelet and Pie in Sydney.  She turns green lentils into spicy lentil and anchovy dip which works as an accompaniment to fresh fish, but would be just as good on chunks of her potato flatbread.  Inspired!

Eatingoutloud Staying with creamy-textured lentils for a moment, we pop in to visit Allen at Eating Out Loud in California.  He wows us with khicheri (creamy lentils and rice) – and I still can’t believe that something that looks so indulgent and creamy can actually be good for you.  Bonus!

Foodnfamily You’d think by Autumn the weather would be about ready for a hearty soup, right?  Actually not, as Kit from Food & Family near Cape Town, South Africa discovers as she finds herself cooking soup and closing the kitchen doors to keep the hotter outside air out!  Check out her truly scrumptious lentil soup with its Super Secret Ingredient:  stock from the Christmas gammon.  Genius!

Inmybox In a far more summery vein, we cross over to California where Scrumptious at In My Box is looking at the produce box and thinking salads rather than soups.  But first there is a visit to a local cheesemonger where the feta cheese is anything but local and the bad attitude is on the house… BUt the day improves markedly with a lentil salad with feta, mint and orange.  Can I come to lunch please??

Eatlikeagirl You can tell by the nature of the recipe that we’re back in England for the next one – Niamh of Eat Like A Girl in London, UK, is clearly as much in need of comfort as I am following the dready weather.  She makes a dish that is beguiling not only in it simplicity but also in its sheer, downright, mouth-watering deliciousness.  I challenge you to go and look at her picture of braised sausages with potatoes and puy lentils and disagree!

KittensinkitchenStaying in the UK, we have Kittie of Kittens in the Kitchen in Brighton.  She took a decision to eat more pulses and vegetable this year but was still craving risotto… what to do, what to do?  But she comes up with a brilliant solution of making a pulse-otto instead.  Think creamy green and red lentils spiked with red pepper and broad beans – a perfect bed on which to serve her stuffed pork tenderloin.

Biggestjim Staying with lentils, but moving from a supporting to a starring role, we visit James’ kitchen at Biggest Jim’s Food Blogs right here in London.  Ever thought about going vegetarian but coudl not stand the thought of giving up your beloved burgers?  Well with Jim’s delicious lentil and spinach burgers… you don’t have to!  In fact, these sound a lot more interesting that beef burgers, and a lot better for you too 🙂

Naminami The lovely Pille of Nami-Nami in Tallin, Estonia, recently had some friends round for dinner.  If the weather in Estonia has been anything like the weather here, I’m guessing everyone needed a little warming up – and what better way to do that than to indulge in a little Egyptian spicy red lentil soup?  And I love the idea of serving it with coriander cream – clever Pille!

So there you have it – a smorgasbord of pulses to please the pickiest palate – from salads to soups to fritters to dips to delicious main courses, they’re all there.  If I have managed to leave anybody out, a thousand apologies and please do give me a shout and I’ll add you ASAP.  Thanks to everyone who participated and a special thanks to all those of you who said nice things about my choice of theme 🙂

Next month’s host is Johanna and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us!

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  1. Pille says

    April 8, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    Thank you so much for including me! If the weather continues to be rainy and wintry, i’ll have plenty of time to try all of the dishes above 🙂

    Reply
  2. Mrs.W says

    April 8, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Many thanks, Jeanne, for another great event & well-done roundup! What a bunch of fantastic recipes–I’ve been looking for more to do with beans/lentils/chickpeas, and now I have a bunch of new recipes to add to my ‘must try’ list. *yay*

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    April 8, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to put this together. What a great collection of pulse recipes!

    Reply
  4. Ranji says

    April 8, 2008 at 9:28 pm

    hi jeanne thats a lovely round up..everything looks so delicious..loved every recipe entered..
    i have added the link to the round up too:)..hoping to participate next time too…

    Reply
  5. Chris says

    April 8, 2008 at 11:07 pm

    Jeanne, thanks for a great round of recipes. I am so excited to try some of these garbanzo bean dishes, as well as others. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Johanna says

    April 8, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    thanks for an entertaining round up – particularly liked the ideas of lentil bread and pulsotto 🙂
    Melbourne was starting to cool down but is back up to 28 C on Friday so we are having a little heat wave – but the nights are darker and it is cooling so I will look forward to trying some of these wintery beany meals soon!

    Reply
  7. scrumptious says

    April 9, 2008 at 1:46 am

    Jeanne – thanks for the round-up, and taking the time to write such great captions for each contribution! It was a delight to read. I’m drooling over all those chickpea fritters, and now I have so many recipes to try!

    Reply
  8. Jayashree says

    April 9, 2008 at 5:28 am

    Lovely round-up, Jeanne……that’s a whole lot of fabulous looking dishes.

    Reply
  9. Divya says

    April 9, 2008 at 7:43 am

    Jeanne..what a great round-up?Can’t wait to prepare all those yummies!!
    Have added a link to my post!!

    Reply
  10. mrsB says

    April 9, 2008 at 7:45 pm

    What a cheery roundup! Great job, Jeanne. I happen to have two boxes of puy lentils waiting for some cooking action!

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth says

    April 9, 2008 at 10:41 pm

    Excellent round up, Jeanne. I can’t wait to try several of these dishes! (Good thing I can’t read very well so I didn’t notice that you have pretty much admitted that you DO have a hidden camera in our kitchen. Otherwise, I’d have to always make sure my hair was brushed and that my apron, shoes and oven mitts matched. ;-))

    Reply
  12. myfrenchkitchen says

    April 10, 2008 at 8:32 am

    Congrats Jeanne! Like always and with everything, you did such a magnificent job, it was a pleasure to discover all the recipes out there, Thanks!
    ronell

    Reply
  13. katie says

    April 10, 2008 at 11:45 am

    What gorgeous recipes! I had planned on doing something for this… But I clearly have to get my life under control! If only I coulf figure out how.
    Gret round-up of a great event… Now I’m really hungry on top of it!

    Reply
  14. Andrew says

    April 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    Quite amazing how creative people are – given such a simple ingredient and the result is a mass of recipes to try. Great theme and round-up.
    PS invites in the post…

    Reply
  15. lili says

    April 10, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    I love the range of different flavours and techniques displayed here, highlighting such a humble, and often overlooked, ingredient. In the past pulses have had a bad rap, but no longer!
    Thanks!
    lili

    Reply
  16. Christina says

    April 11, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    Nice roundup! There’s some very yummy dishes in this one. I have been having bean and pea soups for lunch all this week, so definitely the time for it.
    Hope Nick is feeling better!

    Reply
  17. jj says

    April 12, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    WOW WOW WOW! That was a smorgasbord alright! Great job and many thanks!

    Reply
  18. Wilbur says

    April 18, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Hey! Sorry it’s taken a little while to get back to you but I just had to say thank you for featuring my bunny dish! In answer to your question in the comments on my site – yes it is more of a cassoulet but hardly a traditional one. Tasty and filling none the less.
    I’ve gone through a fair bit of your older posts; I love your work! 🙂
    ~Wilbur

    Reply
  19. write resume says

    February 17, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    oh, every dish looks the waaay too delicious, if talking the whole truth here

    Reply
  20. Flor says

    March 21, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Here’s my recent Mexican-inspired fav: I’ve been enjiyong plopping a mix of dirty rice and beans, sliced avocado, a little fresh or yogurt and pico de gallo on top of warm corn tortillas. I usually make a big batch of the rice and beans (short grained rice, turmeric, cumin, chili, and can of black beans), then stuff the leftovers in burritos or quesadillas.

    Reply
  21. Joshua says

    March 22, 2012 at 1:12 am

    Well this has all been one big tease !Although, isn’t a tart topless by nfeidition ? Like, if there’s a top on it… isn’t it a pie ?Clearly I’m not up on these things… I need to bake more. Love your work and photography as always 🙂

    Reply
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(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

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