I love how the strong, full-bodied flavor of the Yunnan perks me up in the morning. It has a great balance of tannins, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and it has been really consistent throughout the past few seasons. I haven’t gotten a second opinion on this, so I’m being entirely subjective when I say that it tastes great with a red grapefruit (but I’m partial to both things).

Castleton Estate’s ’09 2nd flush Darjeeling is on my list because this harvest is just really beautiful. It’s an elegant balance of fruity bass notes and hints fall leaves, and I find that it’s strong enough to brighten me up when I need it, but delicate enough to not overwhelm my palate in the later part of the day.

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 pound Lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 quarts Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Coriander
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Toasted Cumin
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Grains of Paradise
• Freshly Chopped Parsley to Garnish
• Juice of half a Lemon

• Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
• Add lemon juice. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency (optional). Sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately with lemon wedges and a hearty bread.

• 2 cups Dry Chickpeas (About A Pound Dried Or 2 Pounds Cooked)
• 4-6 cloves Garlic, Minced
• Sea Salt To Taste
• Slices Of Day-old Bread Broken Into Small Pieces
• Moulins Mahjoub Sliced Preserved Lemons
• Moulins Mahjoub Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Moulins Mahjoub Sun-dried Garlic
• Moulins Mahjoub Wild Capers
• Moulins Mahjoub Harissa
• Ground Cumin
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Soak the chickpeas in water overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse them, and cover them with water (or broth) in a large stockpot.
• Add the minced garlic and bring it to a boil. Add some sea salt, reduce the heat, cover and simmer. Onsa Mahjoub insists that you get the best flavor if you let them cook slowly for many hours — as little as 2 and as long as 10.
• Once the chickpeas are cooked, it becomes a constructed soup- build each layer to create a visual and culinary marriage of delicious colors and flavors. Be sure the broth is very hot, since everything else is at room temperature.
• Start by crumbling some of the bread in the bottom of each soup bowl, as little or as much as you’d like. Ladle the soup over it, and add generous spoonfulls of the preserved lemon, sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried garlic, capers and harissa on top. Add a sprinkle of ground cumin and a ribbon of extra virgin olive oil, and you’re ready. Stir and enjoy!

• 1 package Kalijira Basmati Rice, washed and drained
• 2 tbsp Charmaine Solomon’s Kashmiri Marinade
• 2 tbsp Salt or to taste
• 3 3/4 cups Water
• 3 tbsp Raisins
• 1 cup Frozen Peas

• Put rice into heavy-based saucepan with well fitting lid.
• Stir the Kashmiri marinade and salt into hot water and add to the rice.
• Bring to a boil and stir in raisins.
• Cover and cook on very low heat 5 minutes, then scatter peas over rice and replace lid, without stirring.
• Cook an additional 10 minutes, then turn off heat.
• Before serving, lightly fluff the rice with fork.
• Serves 4-6.

mailorder-able!