delicious, indeed

*Photo courtesy delicious. magazine

As a complete cookbook fiend, you'd think that I'd be obsessed with food magazines also. This is not the case. I find most cooking magazines to be either too high-brow and snobby, with too many elaborate and time-intensive recipes (e.g. Gourmet, Bon Appetit), or too basic and therefore boring (e.g. Vegetarian Times). I thought I'd found an extremely happy medium with CHOW magazine, which was written with a twenty-something demographic in mind and had fun articles, photography, and recipe ideas, but CHOW was bought out by CNET after only a few issues and made into an exclusively online publication. I am a fan of Cooking Light magazine, due to its plentiful seafood and vegetarian recipes, but there's just not anything "special" about it -- it's not really visually interesting, and it doesn't generally scream "buy me!" from the magazine rack. Once CHOW ceased to exist, I thought I was done with food magazines. I was wrong.

At Pages bookstore a while ago, I came across a food publication I had never seen before -- delicious. magazine out of Australia. "Voted the world's best food magazine" it's cover declared. "That's good enough for me," I thought, as I carried it to the check-out. This magazine is designed beautifully, with gorgeous photography -- it's fantastic just to look at. If you can get past the pictures and actually read the articles and recipes, they're fantastic too. Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, and Gordon Ramsay are regular contributors, and all recipes are presented in a fun, conversational tone. It's a delight to read. Despite the hefty pricetag that comes with subscribing to a magazine produced halfway around the world, I signed up in a jiffy.

My first issue arrived a week ago, and I found the following tasty dish in Nigella Lawson's section. The original recipe calls for pumpkin but, since it's not pumpkin season here in Canada, I substituted butternut squash. The Thai curry adds a nice comforting heat to the soft butternut, and the chickpeas contribute a satisfying textural contrast. Try this recipe out -- it's delicious, as advertised.

Aromatic Butternut & Chickpea Hotpot

1 14 oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 3 cm chunks
2 14 oz cans chickpeas
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1. Combine coconut milk, soy sauce, and stock in a small bowl.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large (and deep) frying pan or pot. Add the onion, sprinkle it with some salt, and cook for about 4 minutes until soft. Add the red curry paste, and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the time. Then, add the ground cumin and coriander.
3. Turn the heat up to high, and add the butternut squash. Cook for one minute, stirring, so the squash pieces are coated with the aromatic paste.
4. Pour in the coconut milk mixture, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 10-20 minutes, until butternut is soft.
5. Add the drained chickpeas, put the lid back on, and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Stir gently, add salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro to taste.

Serve with hot basmati rice or crusty bread to soak up the liquids.

Serves 4