moreMirchi

Caramelized Broccoli!

2012-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

This is broccoli roasted at a high temperature for a while. Essentially what happens is that over time broccoli get caramalized and with added salt and pepper taste like a sinful snack, which its totally not :) Try it - you'll see what I mean.

Whole head of broccoli broken into bite sized florets
1 minced garlic
Generous serving of olive oil
Kosher salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
If you soak to wash your broccoli - make sure you dry it well.
Spread the broccoli on a baking sheet, douse it with olive oil, mix in the garlic, salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 - 25 mins or until broccoli is bright green and crunchy.
I usually thrown in green/red pepper strips as well - they cook to the same effect.

Chicken with wild mushrooms

2012-01-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

I often come back to this recipe especially since morels always seem to within reach here in Seattle :) and it makes a impressive dinner party dish.

Serves 4

2 legs, skin on
2 thighs, skin on
Salt and ground pepper
4 tbsps butter
1.5 cups of morel mushrooms (I have used dried porcini and morel mix as well, just soak in warm water for 30mins)
1/2 cup dry sherry
3/4 cup heavy cream

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Use a non-stick skillet that is large enough to contain all 4 pieces in a single layer. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down and cook until the skin turns light brown (about 5-7 mins on each side). Transfer the chicken out of the skillet and discard the butter-fat mix.

Add the chicken back into the pan along with the sherry, mushrooms and salt to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about 20 mins. Don't overcook the chicken and check a couple of times to make sure that the liquid hasn't evaporated. Add water as needed.
Transfer the chicken into a platter and cover with a foil tent.
Add cream to the mushrooms-sherry mix and simmer for 5 mins.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with crusty bread.

Butternut Squash and Basil Lasagna

2012-01-07T08:48:00.001-08:00

My friend, Aparna, made this delicious lasagna for a dinner party last month. I was absolutely bowled over by the flavors and unique ingredients!

From Giada de Laurentiis' recipe with some modifications. I made the basil sauce by following the steps from Deb's smitten kitchen recipe.

For the Squash puree:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb butternut squash, I bought the cut and cubed one from Trader Joe's
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water

For the Basil Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
3tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
Red chilli flakes, to taste

12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
In a heavy skillet, pour a turn of olive oil and add the butternut squash to it. Add salt, pepper to taste, and coat all the squash. Add the 1/4 cup of water, and cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes till tender. Mash coarsely with a masher or put it into a food processor to puree.

For the basil white sauce, in a pan melt 2 tbsp of the butter and add the flour. Stir constantly till the raw smell of the flour disappears, about 2 mins. Make sure to stir so that flour does not brown. Now add the hot milk and stir (best with a whisk) till the mixture begins to boil. Boil till the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Transfer half of this sauce to a blender and add 3/4 cup of basil leaves, and blend until smooth. Transfer this basil mix to the remainder of the white sauce to mix evenly.

Preheat oven to 375F. In a baking dish, grease sides generously and start layering your lasagna. Start with a layer of the basil sauce, a layer of the no-boil lasagna noodles, and then a layer of the squash mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese onto the squash layer (I did not put any cheese except on the top to brown). Layer this way until you end with a last layer of squash. Reserve 1/4 cup basil sauce to drizzle over the top along with some Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375F for 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad!

Spreading Christmas Cheer - Chocolate Cake!

2011-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

I always bake for Christmas and since I was travelling this year, I picked an easy & never-fail Smitten Kitchen recipe - Everyday Chocolate Cake that I could recreate with minimal ingredients in my friend's kitchen.

I used Scharffen Berger Chocolate and it turned out fantastic. The only thing I added was the Chocolate frosting on top that was melted chocolate - Half & Half - Dark rum + Grand Marnier. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the cake with the frosting, but I can confirm it was a hit! How can you go wrong with chocolate and alcohol! ;)

I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a very happy New Year! Cheers!

Lauki (Bottle guard) sabzi

2011-12-02T12:25:00.001-08:00

This is my friend's Sudha's recipe - she is an amazing cook who reintroduces me to traditional Indian vegetables and cooking each time I visit her. This recipe is so simple and tasty - I went from not cooking with bottle guard at all to making this atleast once a month! :)

Serves 2 (with leftovers for lunch!)

1 bottle guard (Lauki) - peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Green chillies - 4 or 5 slit
Milk - 1/2 cup
Ground peanuts (pwd)- 2 tablespoons
Cilantro - chopped for garnish
Water - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
EVOO - 1 swirl of the pan

Combine the following powders in a cup -
Chilli pwd - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric pwd (haldi) - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander pwd (dhania) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin pwd (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Hing - a pinch
Salt - to taste

In a pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard splutters, add the cumin seeds & slot green chillies. As the cumin browns, add the powders you have already combined in a cup while also stirring the mixture. Don't let the powders burn, but let them cook for a min or so while constantly stirring. After a min, add milk, water, ground peanuts(pwd), water and the chopped bottle guard. Cook covered for about 20 minutes - when cooked the bottle guard pieces should be still al-dente and not too mushy!

Garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve hot with rice/roti !

Mushroom Pepper Fry

2011-11-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

Growing up in India, cooking with mushrooms was very uncommon. Fortunately for us, we were a part of this mushroom cooperative and would have fresh grown mushrooms of different varieties delivered to our doorstep every other week. Their earthy flavor combined with mom's ability to make them lip smacking made them my favorite! Here's one of her recipes - Mushroom Pepper Fry. Mushrooms & Black pepper go really well together! :)

Serves 2

1 pound oyster/button/baby bella mushrooms - cleaned and chopped. Mushrooms are extremely porous and soak up water like a sponge. Because they are mostly water, never soak fresh mushrooms. Brush off any dirt or wipe them with a damp paper towel.

Onion - 1 chopped finely
Curry leaves - 1 stalk (5-6 leaves)
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon or use fresh minced ginger & garlic
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coriander pwd/dhania - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric pwd/Haldi - 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh ground black pepper - 2 tablespoon (adjust to taste if you don't like your dish too peppery)
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon, or 1 swirl of the pan using a pourer

Heat oil in a wok, and add cumin seeds. When cumin browns, add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry until the onions are translucent/light brown(5-8 minutes). Now add ginger & garlic paste, coriander pwd and turmeric pwd and cook until the mixture doesn't smell raw anymore (about 2 minutes). Then add the mushrooms and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until they shrink and soften. Then take the wok off the stove and add salt, pepper and lemon juice.

DO NOT add any of these during the cooking process because -
- Adding salt to mushrooms causes them to let out water. This will cause your dish to become too watery
- Adding pepper during the cooking process takes away from the bite/flavor
- Lemon juice turns bitter when cooked

Serve with hot rice/roti! Enjoy!!

Rajma

2011-11-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

I love the simplicity of this dish. This is the most perfect Punjabi rajma recipe I have tried. Its from Vikram Vij's wonderful book "Vij's At Home".

Ingredients:
Onion,1 large chopped
Ginger-garlic paste, 2 tbsp
Tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups chopped
red chilli powder, 1 1/2 tbsp
turmeric, 1 tsp
ground cumin, 1 tbsp
ground coriander, 1 tbsp
black pepper, 1 tsp
2 cups rajma beans, soaked overnight
water, 4-5 cups

In a pressure cooker, saute the onions in hot oil till they brown, 6 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes, and then add the masala powders to the mixture. Saute for 6-8 minutes till the tomatoes cook and oil glistens on the surface. Add water, stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the soaked and drained kidney beans and pressure cook as per your cooker's instructions. Mine cooked in about 12 minutes. Serve with rice and a small salad.

Penne in Vodka Sauce

2011-11-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

From Rachel Ray's recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces; I used a combination of fresh and can tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream; I used half and half
5-10 basil leaves

In a large pan, swirl the olive oil and add butter, garlic, and onion. Saute onions for 3 to 5 minutes, don't brown. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream. Cook till the vodka reduces by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken/ vegetable stock, and the tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. When the oil starts to glisten on the tomatoes, stir in the cream and remove from heat. Cut up half the basil leaves and stir into the sauce.

In the meantime, cook the penne pasta in boiling water al dente. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and remainder chopped basil leaves.

Cauliflower Gratin

2011-11-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Adapted with some changes from Deb's Smitten Kitchen recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cup hot milk
1 tsp fresh black pepper
2 tbsp dijon mustard (my own variation)
1/2-3/4 cup parmesan cheese (this depends on how much you want to put in it)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

To cook the cauliflower, the original recipe asks to boil it in water til done. I steamed them instead to retain more nutrition. Steam for about 7-8 minutes till done but with a bite. Don't overcook.

In a wok, melt 2 tbsp of the butter and add the flour. Stir constantly till the raw smell of the flour disappears, about 2 mins. Make sure to stir so that flour does not brown. Now add the hot milk and stir till the mixture begins to boil. I use a whisk to stir to avoid getting any lumps. Boil till the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan, dijon mustard and salt/ pepper.

Add the cauliflowers to the white sauce to coat evenly. Put the mixture into a baking dish, and top with a mix of the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Dot the dish with butter if desired, and bake at 375F for 30 minutes till golden.

Indianizing the Tomatillo

2011-08-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

My mom makes this killer baaji/curry with green or early tomatoes. These tomatoes are very tart, and are usually left to ripen. When available, in some homes these are used as souring agents in Dals. I have been on the lookout for green tomatoes in many a farmers market. That's when I chanced on the idea of using Tomatillos instead. Granted they are not the same, but the end result is very similar - a tangy tasting dish that hits all the flavor spots! Since then I have used tomatillos in many chutneys and dals in the place of green tomatoes.

Serves 2

Tomatillos (firm and bright green) - about 10 - dehusked, cleaned and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Onion - 1 chopped into 1 inch cubes
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves - 4 or 5
Coconut - frozen shredded - 1 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 4 or 5 - slit
Cilantro - 1/2 cup - chopped
Turmeric/Haldi - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tablespoon

In a wok, heat some oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add curry leaves, green chillies, ginger-garlic paster and onions. Saute until the onions are translucent(about 5 minutes). Now add tomatillos, salt and haldi. Cover and cook until the tomatillos are fully cooked through and soft (about 5-10 minutes). Add coconut and mix just as you turn off the stove. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rotis/rice - Enjoy!

Note - this dish is very tangy owing to the tartness of the tomatillo. Please be warned if you are not a fan of tangy-ness! :)

Caprese on a stick - perfect for Summer!

2011-07-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Something about food on a stick appeals to me, and this caprese salad tastes so much better served on a stick. It also helps that the recipe is so simple. It's the perfect Summer salad to impress your friends! :)

Serves many

Basil leaves
Grape tomatoes
Perline (pearl size) Mozzarella cheese - I used the Crave Brothers brand available in Whole Foods
Salt & pepper to season
Olive oil - one turn of the bottle
Toothpicks

Take a toothpick, and thread it through one grape tomato, one basil leaf and two mozzarella pearls. Place on a plate, and repeat until you have as many as you need ot run out of ingredients. Season the caprese sticks with salt, pepper and good quality EVOO before serving. That's it! :)

Chutney Pomfret - Do you smell home yet?

2011-07-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Do you know how certain foods and smells have a way of transporting you back in time? This recipe did the same for my husband, Lakshman. A wave of nostalgia hit him reminding him of time spent with friends in cheap, seedy food joints in Bombay, living it up with finger lickin' good food and "quarter" bottle alcohol shared amongst best buddies... :)

Serves 2

2 whole Pomfrets - cleaned (a type of fish popular in India - You can find it in the Asian markets/fish stores in Chicago)
Haldi or Turmeric - 1 tsp
Red chilli poweder - 1.5 tsp
Salt to season
Oil - 1 tbs

For Green Chutney, you need -
1 bunch Cilantro
A couple of sprigs of Mint
1 green chilli - serrano or Thai (you can add more if you like it spicy)
Salt
Juice of half a lime
Hing/Asafoetida - Optional

I got the fish cleaned and prepped at the fish store like in the following picture Make sure there are multiple slits on the body.

Marinate the fish with salt, haldi, red chilli pwd for about 30 minutes.

Make the Green chutney by grinding cilantro, mint, green chilli , salt, lime juice and hing to a thick paste in a blender. Add very little water only if necessary during the grinding process.

After the fish has marinated for 30 minutes, generously spread the green chutney into the slits and body of fish. Let marinate for an additional 5 minutes.

In a skillet, add some oil (I used EVOO). As soon as the oil gets hot, add the fish (one at a time)and let it cook/brown for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Pomfret is a very bony fish with very little flesh - so cooking time is usually quick.

Serve with more fresh green chutney on top, and a side salad. I served mine with some quinoa salad.

Enjoy!!!

Lima beans with dried wild mushrooms

2011-06-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

I got fresh lima beans in my produce box last week and finally cooked myself a bowl yesterday. Source: Vegetables, James Peterson

Serves 2

1.5 cups of shelled lima beans

1 cup dried mushrooms, the original recipe calls for porcini and I used wild mushroom mix

1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Soak mushrooms in 1/2 cup of luke warm water for 30 mins. Move the musrooms around in the bowl every few minutes to ensure that all of the mushrooms are well soaked.

With 15 mins left on the soak. Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil, add the beans and let cook for 10 mins. Drain and toss with olive oil.
Heat a wok, toss in the beans and chopped mushrooms with the water. Careful to keep the grit and sand in the bowl. Cook over medium high heat until the water cooks off.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Trout en papillote

2011-06-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Serves 2

2 Trouts, gutted and cleaned
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
4 thin slices of lime
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 crushed and minced clove of garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven at 375 deg and saute fennel in olive oil and garlic until tender and lightly browned. Season with salt.
Cut about a foot of parchment paper, fold it into half and cut into shape of a heart.

Place the fish closer to the center of the paper, season with salt and pepper. Place half of the following - fennel, coriander leaves, chopped tomatoes, red pepper and sliced lime.

Fold the paper over the fish and fold the edges with short, overlapping folds. Leave a small opening, spoon in half the white wine and olive oil. Carefully, complete folding the packet.

Place it in a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins.

Remove and serve with a pair of scissors :)

Sauteed Swiss Chard

2011-06-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

1 bunch swiss chard, remove the center vein
3-4 red chillies, broken into pieces
3 pods garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Cut the swiss chard into ribbons and put into a bowl of cold water. Heat olive oil in a pan, and add the red chillies and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes and then remove swiss chard from water and place into pan. Dont shake off the water from the chard, this will allow it to steam in the pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, and then cook with cover off for 3-4 minutes more. Serve as a side.

Ultimate Couscous

2011-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

This recipe was part of the "food lover's cleanse" on Bon Appetit

It had delicious Moroccan flavors and was fairly easily to put together for a weekday dinner. Adapted with minor changes from the original recipe

FOR THE VEGETABLES:
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp hot paprika
1/4 tsp chile flakes
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
3 bay leaves
5 tbsp olive oil
some cilantro leaves for garnish
Salt

FOR THE COUSCOUS:
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup boiling vegetable stock
1/2 tsp coriander pwdr

Mix together all the ingredients for the vegetables, leaving out the chick peas and the cilantro leaves. Put this mix into an overproof dish and cook at 350F for about 30 minutes. By this time the vegetables should be cooked, while still retaining a bite. Now stir in the cooked chick peas and put into the over for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, put the dry couscous with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the frozen peas, 1/2 tsp coriander pwdr, and ½ teaspoon salt. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous. Cover the bowl with a tight lid and leave for about 10 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, cover again and leave somewhere warm.

To serve, serve the couscous onto a plate, spoon the vegetable mixture on top and sprinkle cilantro leaves.

Vanilla Date Smothie

2011-06-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup almond milk (vanilla flavored)
3 medjool dates, remove seeds
4 tbsp greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whirr everything in a blender to a thick puree. Add ice cubes as needed. It was simply delicious!

Prawns in Spicy Coconut Masala

2011-03-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

Sorry, no picture. But its a reddish coconut curry.

1 lb (0.45kgs) prawns
2 tbl spn fresh/frozen coconut
9-10 red chillies (if you can handle more, increase it)
1/2 tea spn coriander seeds
3-4 teppal/triphala
2-3 kokum pieces
Salt

Grind the coconut with red chillies, coriander seeds to a very smooth paste. Do not add too much water (this would be ideal in an Indian mixer, but I made it in my blender). In a thick bottomed pan, mix the paste with prawns, kokum,triphala and salt. Cook it on a low heat till prawns are done, about 6-9 minutes. Don't overcook the prawns or they will become chewy.

homemade thin crust mushroom pizza!

2011-03-12T10:00:00.001-08:00

homemade thin crust pizza! a photo by moreMirchi on Flickr.

My first pizza - very exciting. Even though it doesn't look like a prize it sure tasted good :) ofcourse, also more so since I made it! I made the pizza dough with a mix of wheat and white flour which made the dough a bit dry. Next time, I'll try with all white flour.

Makes 2 large individual sized pizzas

Pizza dough
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup luke warm water + a little more to help knead

In a big bowl, mix flour, salt and yeast. Then add the oil and water and knead for a good 4-5 mins until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Use a bit more water if the dough is too dry.

Rub the bowl with olive oil, place the ball of dough back in, cover and let sit in a warm place for a couple of hours. Longer the better until the ball has roughly doubled in size. I heated my oven to 200 deg and then shut it off to place the dough in.

After a couple of hours, gently massage the ball of dough with the palms of your hand. Then place it back in the bowl and let sit for another 20 mins.

Now, gently roll out the dough. Use your hands to stretch the dough into a rough circular or rectangular shape. The point is to get it evenly thin.

Tomato sauce
1 14-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves crushed and minced
1 tsp oregano and thyme
1/2 cup water

In a saucepan, heat a tbsp of olive oil and cook garlic until lightly browned. Add tomato, dried herbs, water, salt and pepper. Cook down the mixture to about 1/4 cup. Now add wine and cook down the tomato mixture to about 1/4 cup.

Pizza toppings
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cups of grated and/or thinly sliced cheese, I used a mix of Manchego and Pecorino

Assembling the pizza
Preheat oven to 500 deg. Sprinkle a bit of corn flour on a baking dish lined with aluminum foil and place the pizza dough on it. Spread the tomato sauce, mushrooms, cheese and onions. Bake for 10 mins or so until the crust is browned and crispy and the cheese is lightly bubbling. Serve with salad.

Steamed Broccoli with toasted sesame seeds

2011-03-12T09:22:00.001-08:00

Steamed Broccoli with toasted sesame seeds a photo by moreMirchi on Flickr.

1 head broccoli, split into bit sized florets
2 tsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until its tender enough to spear through with a fork. In a bowl stir in the sesame seeds, oil, salt and pepper. Serve hot!

Spicy eggplant and pepper in black bean sauce

2011-03-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

Spicy eggplant and pepper in black bean sauce a photo by moreMirchi on Flickr.

3 Asian eggplants
1 red pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chili bean paste, I got mine at Whole Foods
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin or any rice wine
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Cilantro, for garnish - scallions work well too

Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice each length into quarters. Similarly chop pepper into strips as well.

In a small bowl, mix together chicken stock, chili bean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and sugar. Set aside.

Dry roast eggplant in a pan until the pieces start turning brown. This helps in making the eggplant less absorbant to oil.

In a wok, heat oil. Add eggplants, red pepper and stir-fry until outsides become golden brown and insides begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and ground red pepper and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in stock-sauce mixture and mix well. Allow sauce to simmer for 2 minutes and eggplant to absorb sauce. Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, plate, and garnish.

Mussels in white wine sauce

2011-03-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

My idea of comfort food in winter is beer, frites and mussels at Hopleaf. But it is a bit of a hike from Bucktown to Uptown so here is my attempt to recreate mussels in wine sauce. Surprisingly quick and delicious!

Serves 2 main courses
2 lbs of mussels, I got them at whole foods
1 cup dry white wine or vermouth, I used the latter
1/2 cup chicken broth (or fish broth, if you have it on hand)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup cream
3 tbsp chopped parsely
1/2 tsp dried thyme

First, if you are not using the mussels on the day of purchase - store them in a bowl over a bag of ice. Cover it with a damp cloth and place it on the bottom most shelf of the fridge where its the coolest. Be careful to not store mussels in a closed plastic bag because they need to be able to breathe. The damp cloth keeps them moist against the dryness of the fridge. They will keep for 24 hours.

When ready to cook, clean the mussels. Look for ones that are open. Tap lightly on the shell, healthy ones will close their shells, sometime pretty slowly. Those that don't close, take a quick sniff - if it smells like bad fish then discard. Few mussels will have a weedy thready thingy called a beard sticking out their side. Yank it sharply to remove. It's pretty harmless so don't obsess over getting each strand out. Run the mussels under cold water but be careful not to let stand submerged in water.

Add butter and oil to a hot pot over medium heat. When the butter melts add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.
Add vermouth, broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer it for a couple of minutes.
Add mussels, stir and cover. Let cook for 4 mins.
Add chopped parsley and cover to cook for another 2 minutes.
Add cream, stir and turn off the heat. All the mussels should be open at this point. Discard ones that are still closed.
Enjoy with crusty french peasant bread!

Olive oil crisp

2011-03-03T08:43:00.001-08:00

a photo by moreMirchi on Flickr.

This is honestly sooo good. It is slightly savory and nutty with toasted sesame seeds and bursts of sweet with crystal sugar on it. I tried it the first time in Seattle and much to my delight found it again at a Dominick's here in Chicago.

Dressing your greens

2011-03-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been experimenting with different flavors of dressings in my salad. I really like two of the four I've tried so far and find myself going back to these often. I make a small amount, store it in an airtight glass jar and use when needed. A jar usually lasts about 4 days.

Source: America's Test Kitchen

Basic vinaigrette: makes about 1 cup

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsps red or white wine vinegar

2 tsps minced red onion (or shallot)

2 tsps Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsps minced fresh tarragon, dill, basil or oregano or 1/2 tsp dried

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp pepper

Variation: Balsamic vinaigrette

Substitute blasamic vinegar for the wine vinegar and use oregano. Reduce garlic to 1/2 clove.

Lemon vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

3 tbsps fresh lemon juice

2 tsps minced red onion

2 tsps dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsps minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Shake all the ingredients in a jar with a tight lid.

Rosemary crackers

2011-03-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

I am snacking on one as I blog the recipe. I am literally copying the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, so I can keep track of foods passing my kitchen. And she has better pictures!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round - shape can be rustic; dough should be thin.

Lightly brush top with some oil and sprinkle sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 10 - 12 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

Arroz con camarones (Costa Rican paella)

2011-02-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is a classic South American dish, called different names in different countries.

2 lbs raw shrimp, deveined
2 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs canola or sunflower oil
2 cups uncooked rice (I used valencia rice)
3 tbs butter/ oil
1 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, diced
3 tbs parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
½ cup of white wine
Salt and pepper

Marinate the shrimp with salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, let it marinate for an hour.
Bring 3-4 cups of water to boil in a large pot, add the shrimp and boil for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be chewy. Remove the shrimp from the water and reserve the water they cooked in to prepare the rice.

Chop up 1/2 the shrimp into small pieces and leave the other 1/2 whole.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot, add the minced garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers are tender. At this point, add the rice to the garlic and vegetable mix, and mix well until the rice is coated with oil. Add double the cups of water as compared to the rice. Use the water that was used to boil the shrimp. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow rice to cook slowly, monitoring for water and adding a little as needed. When the rice is about 1/2 cooked, add the chopped shrimp to the cooking rice mix. Once done, add the remaining shrimp during the last minutes and mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with shrimp with tails on.

Serve with avocado slices, tomato and onion salad, lime slices.

Sri Lankan Goat Curry

2011-01-31T18:34:00.001-08:00

I love Sri Lankan food for its spiciness and rich curries. Lip smackingly hot!

1 lb goat/ lamb, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green chilli, diced
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
10 curry leaves
1/4 cup thick coconut milk

Marinade:
1 tbsp coriander pwdr
1/2 tbsp cumin pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1 tbsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tbsp black pepper pwdr
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
salt

In a bowl, mix the cut meat with the marinade spices along with 1/4 cup of water to make a thick paste. Coat the meat and allow to marinate for 1/2 hour.

In a pressure cooker, take some oil and heat. Add the fenugreek seeds, green chilli and curry leaves, and when spluttering, add the onions. Allow to brown nicely. When golden, add the meat with marinade and brown on high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 10 minutes.

Once cooled, open the cooker and set back on open fire. Check salt and add as needed.
Add the 1/4 cup of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Enjoy!

Chicken Stew with Kale and White Beans

2011-01-23T19:05:00.001-08:00

I made this dish some weeks ago on a very COLD Chicago evening. Warming and hearty, and I found another use for kale! Serves 6-8.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 medium mixed potatoes; diced (I used Yukon gold, red and purple)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion; chopped
1 large shallot; minced
2 carrots; peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese; finely grated
5 cups chopped kale
15-ounce can white beans; drained (the original recipe asked for cannellini beans which I could not find)
salt and pepper to taste

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and shallot and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cubed potatoes and cook 15 minutes until softened. Add in chicken stock, thyme, chicken cut into cubes, Parmesan, salt and pepper bring to a simmer. Add the kale and beans and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.

Enjoy with crusty bread, or on its own!

Bagara baingan

2011-01-19T17:56:00.001-08:00

Deepthi's authentic andhra recipe(sorry we ate it up before we could photograph it!)

Serves 4

8 small eggplant slit partially
Onions, 1 1/2, sliced
Green chillies, 4-5 slit lengthwise
Ginger-garlic paste, 2-3 tsp
Whole roasted peanuts, handful
Curry leaves, 10
Cilantro, handful chopped
Cinnamon, whole, 2" stick
Cloves, 2
Bay leaf, 1
Methi seeds, 1 tsp
Jeera, 1 tsp
Dhania Pwdr, 1 tsp
Haldi, 1 tsp
Chilli Pwdr, 1 tsp
Tamarind paste, 1 tsp
Salt, oil to taste

Put slit brinjals on a baking sheet and broil for 10 mins till skin is charred.

Heat oil in Wok. Add jeera, cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, and methi seeds. When spluttering, add add onions, chillies, and brown. Add Ginger-garlic paste and cook till raw smell disappears. Add peanuts, salt. Roast for a bit and take off flame. Grind to a paste in the blender. Add back to the wok, and add tamarind and water (1cup). Put in remainder of powders. Let simmer. add the brinjals that have been broiled along with curry leaves. Let cook for 5 mins. Take off gas and garnish with dhania leaves. Enjoy with white rice!

Gujarati Dal

2011-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

1 cup toor dal

1/2 cup masoor dal

1/2 tomato, chopped in big pieces

1 chilli, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp chilli pwdr

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin pwdr

1/2 tsp coriander pwdr

mustard and jeera seeds, for seasoning

Cook dal with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker with the tomato, chilli, salt. Once cooked, open cooker and mash dal with additional 2 cups water. Put it back on the stove, and bring to a boil. Add the chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders, lime juice and sugar. Once boiling, season with mustard and jeera seeds in oil.

Kale and andouille soup

2010-12-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

V made this tasty, wholesome, winter soup with help from James Peterson and his own sense of what might work, using leftover kale and andouille sausage. Made me proud :)

Serves 4

1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed but left more or less whole
4 andouille sausages, defrosted if frozen and cut into 1/2 inch thick discs
1 medium sized bunch of curly kale leaves torn into bite sized bits
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup of partially cooked rice
4 cups of chicken stock
Juice of half a lime

Heat about a 2-3 tbsps of olive oil in a soup pot. Cook andouille sausages until they are lightly browned but not necessarily fully cooked. Remove and reserve.
Now, add onions and lightly brown them. Add garlic and cook until you can smell the garlic.
Add the partially cooked rice and stir it around to mix well. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
Pour in stock along with Kale and sausages. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and let cook for another 10 mins until the rice and kale is completely cooked through.
Combine flour with a couple of tbsps of hot soup in a cup to make a paste. Add this paste back into the soup. Let simmer for a minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Adjust for salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve with warm french bread.

Baked whole red snapper with potatoes

2010-11-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

Source: James Peterson's Fish and Shellfish

Serves 2

1 2lb whole yellow eyed red snapper (sea trout or bass can be used as well)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
Salt and pepper
3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp of capers or 15 brined black olives, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the fish with olive oil. Arrange an overlapping layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with half of the garlic and thyme, salt, pepper and some more olive oil. Spread on another layer of potatoes and sprinkle the rest of the garlic and thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. make another layer if you have more sliced potatoes left.
Bake potatoes for 20 mins.
In the meantime, wash the fish in cold water. Dry and rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place the fish on top of the potatoes and arrange tomatoes and capers around it. Bake for 30 mins or until the fish is done.

French toast

2010-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

Source: America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook

Serves 4
8 slices white bread - I used sourdough bread
4 tbsps of butter
1 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tbsps sugar
2 tsps vanilla essence
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Maple syrup - I used grade B syrup for a more mapley flavor

Toast bread on a medium setting 3-4 to get the bread slightly browned, crunchy and dry.
Whisk 2 tbsps of melted butter, milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.
Pour the batter in a larger shallow dish.
Soak both sides of the toasted bread in this mixture for 30sec each side.
Heat a 12 inch non-stick pan on medium high heat with a tbsp of butter. Remember you never want a non-stick pan to start smoking.
Place the soaked slice of bread in the pan and cook until its golden brown on both side. About 2 1/2 minutes per side.
While doing the rest of the slices, store the cooked slices in the oven at 200 deg to keep warm.
Generously pour maple syrup on slices before serving. Garnish with chopped, toasted nuts.

Swordfish in yogurt-cilantro sauce

2010-10-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Source: James Peterson's Fish and Shellfish

Makes 2 generous servings

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 packed cup of fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 packed cup of fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 serrano pepper or thai chilli, coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
2 steaks of swordfish or any firm fleshed fish like sea bass

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
In a food processor - mix yogurt, turmeric, cumin, cilantro, mint, garlic, serrano pepper or thai chilli and salt together.
Dip fish steaks in the yogurt-cilantro mixture and place in a baking dish coated in olve oil. Pour the rest of the yogurt mixture over the fish.
Bake for about 15 mins until fish is cooked through.
Serve immediately.

Cheddar biscotti

2010-10-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

I like Bittman - I enjoy his cookbooks because the recipes are paragraphs of easy to follow conversational instructions that primarily focus on putting together delectable flavors without getting bogged down in technique. My kinda guy!

Source: Mark Bittman (http://markbittman.com/this-weeks-minimalist-cheddar-biscotti)

Makes about 10-12 biscottis

2 eggs
1 1/2 grated cheddar cheese - I used 8 year cheddar from the Madison farmers market
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 deg.

In a food processor, beat 2 eggs with cheese using the dough blade.
Add flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper and salt if you think the cheese wasn't salty enough.
Process the mixture pulsing it a few time until the flour is just about incorporated and still crumbly. DO NOT over-process!
Shake it out of the processor onto a floured surface and bring it together in a rectangular shape about an inch thick.
place on a oiled or buttered baking sheet and bake for 35 mins.
Slice the 'loaf'diagonally about 3/4 inch thick. Place it face up on the baking sheet and rebake it for another 30 mins.
Let cool and snack away! Works really well with Jalapeno jelly...so good.

Panzanella - isn't she a beaut!

2010-10-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

In thinking of ways to make the 1000 gourds of butternut squash I recieved in my CSA share today, Deb from Smitten Kitchen came to the rescue! This salad disappeared in a matter of minutes. Highly recommend it - please try and you can thank me *cough*, I meant Deb, later.

Serves 2 very hungry individuals

For the croutons:
2 tbsp salted butter
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme - original recipe calls for fresh thyme
4 slices of toasted bread and chopped into 1inch cubes
1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese - recipe calls for parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
1 small red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
2 tbsps red wine vinegar - recipe calls for sherry vinegar
Kosher sea salt
4 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of quartered Brussels sprouts
3 tbsps of chopped coriander

Preheat oven to 400°F.
For Croutons - Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate and add the garlic and thyme, and immediately add the bread cubes. Toss to coat well. Add most of the grated cheese and stir. Transfer bread to a baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and salt and pepper and gently toss again while still warm to melt the cheese. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
Soak the sliced onion in vinegar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Toss the squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, about 15 to minutes. Let cool.
Add the quartered Brussels sprouts to a pot of boiling water and cook until tender, about 1 1/2 minutes, and drain. Be careful to leave it a bit crispy.
Into the reserved red onions and vinegar, whisk in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with pepper.
In a large bowl combine the roasted squash, croutons, and Brussels sprouts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Garnish with cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.

Tomato-lime rasam

2010-10-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

For evenings when you don't feel like really eating but just sipping mug full of hot soup while reading tucked in a blanket...

Makes 4 servings

4 tbsps of toor dal
4 cups of water
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine
1 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped
4 large tomatoes (I used 2 tomatoes + 1 12oz. canned tomatoes)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
Juice of 1 lemon
Cilantro for garnish
For tempering
2 tsps ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
a few curry leaves

Pressure cook dal with water and salt for about 10-15 mins until the dal is completely cooked.
Add tomatoes, turmeric, green chillies and ginger. Let simmer until the tomatoes are completely cooked.
Using a coffee grinder, grind together peppercorns and cumin seeds.
In a small saucepan, heat some ghee. When hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, curry leaves and the cumin-peppercorns mix. Once the mustard seeds being to splutter, mix in the contents of the saucepan into the tomato-lime soup. Stir, serve and sip..

Acorn squash and chickpea salad

2010-09-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Nights are getting cooler and the pumpkins are rolling in. So last night, I whipped up a 3 step dish with help from Smitten Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks. It consists of the salad, dressing and the garnish that taste best when assembled right before serving.

Makes 4 sides
For the salad:~
1 small acorn squash, seeded, peeled and cubed into 1inch pieces (save the seeds)
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
a little more than a 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped coriander and mint leaves
2 tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Toss cubed squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt and 1 tbsp of chopped red onions.
Roast in the oven for about 20-25 mins until the squash is soft but not squishy like mine turned out because I let it overcook.
Once done, transfer to a salad bowl and let cool. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Gently toss to mix.

For the dressing:~
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 large lime
3 tbsp of tahini, well mixed
2-3 tbsp of water
2 tbsp olive oil, I used oil infused with red pepper

Beat all the ingredients together until its smooth. You might want to add a bit more water to adjust consistency.

For the garnish:~
Saved seeds from squash, de-stringed (is this a word?) and rinsed
1 egg white
2 tsp of salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with salt, pepper and paprika.
Bath the seeds in the egg mixture to coat evenly. I used my sieve to rescue the seeds.
Spread them on a oiled baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375 deg for 30 mins or until the seeds are golden-reddish-brown.

Before serving, Add a couple of tbsps of the dressing to a bowl of salad and garnish with crispysquash seeds. Enjoy!

Settling-in Egg Curry

2010-08-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

We just got back from vacation in England, and after numerous pub meals, we were craving some spicy Indian food. Egg curry to the rescue! Apologies for lack of a picture...we devoured it before I could reach for the camera!

Source: Raschandrika Konkani cooking

4 cloves

1" cinnamon

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp turmeric

2 red chillies

1 tbsp fresh/ frozen coconut

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

3-4 eggs, boiled, peeled and halved

Heat oil, and when hot add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon stick, and cloves. When they start to splutter, add the chopped onions, reserving 1/4 cup for later. Add the ginger-garlic paste, coconut, turmeric and red chillies. Cook for a few minutes, and then add the tomatoes. When they turn soft, turn the flame off. Grind this mixture to a paste in a blender.

In the same cooking pot, add a little more oil and fry the remainder of the onions till they turn golden. Now add the mixture from the blender and add 2 cups water (or more if needed). Add salt to taste, and a little lemon juice (optional). After simmering for 2-3 mins, add the halved eggs. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

2010-08-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe and images from http://everybodylikessandwiches.com, and thought I should give it a try this weekend. So here it is my First post! ha!

spicy oven-fried chicken
(from epicurious )
1 c yogurt
1/4 c skim milk (I used whole milk)
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
4 T Sairacha Hot Sauce
2 T Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
1/2 onion, sliced
5 chicken legs with skin and bones (organic & free range)
1 c dry breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
1/4 c flour
2 t dried thyme
2 t cayenne pepper
1 T Butter
In a large bowl, whisk together everything from the yogurt to the onions. Submerge the chicken legs and let marinate for 3 hours or overnight, turning chicken occasionally.
Preheat oven to 425F. In another large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs to the cayenne pepper. Pull out a large baking dish so that it’s handy. Using one hand (for less mess), pull out a chicken leg from the yogurt bowl and give it a little shake to get rid of excess drips. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture and place it in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining legs. Dot each piece of chicken with some butter and bake until the chicken browns and gets crispy, about 50 minutes.
I apologize for the quality of the picture but I didn't have a camera on me so I ended up using my ever handy blackberry. Enjoy!

Gazpacho

2010-08-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

This summer cucumbers have been coming in aplenty. Gazpacho is a cooling summer soup to make if you have fresh tomatoes on hand.

Serves 2

2 largish tomatoes, cubed

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 small cloves of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of good olive oil

Splash of white wine vinegar - you can use sherry vinehar as well if you that on hand instead

1/4 cup of water

Slice of white bread slightly toasted and torn into pieces

Few basil leaves to garnish

For tempering:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 curry leaves

1 tbsp of olive oil

Puree tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, bread, vinegar, salt, pepper in a food processor. Stream in olive oil while processing.
Add a bit of water if the soup is too thick.
In a smaller pan, heat some olive oil and add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds start sputtering, add curry leaves. Drain the mix into soup. Stir to mix.
Garnish with basil leaves and serve at room temperature.

Lemony beans salad

2010-07-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

All ingredients can be eye balled and everything can be adjusted according to taste.

1/2 lb of green string beans

2 tsp of lemon zest

1 tbsp olive oil

Rock salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Steam beans until done. Don't oversteam them, they need to be a bit crunchy.
In a serving bowl, add olive oil, salt and pepper to the beans and stir well to mix.
Finish with lemon zest and pine nuts. Serve.

Sesame sugar snap peas

2010-07-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sweet, succulent and crispy!

Serves 2

A big bowl of sugar snap peas - Sorry I didn't weigh them

1 1/2 tbsp of toasted sesame seed oil

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tsp of white sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Rinse the sugar snap peas, trim the ends and remove the strings on the side.
In a baking dish that holds the peas pods in a single layer. Massage in the sesame seed oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for 15-20 until sugar snap peas are tender and slightly browned.
In a serving dish, mix roasted sugar snap peas with lemon juice and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Beets, fennel and orange salad

2010-07-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

I have a love-hate relationship with beets. I loved beets in this salad - it screams SUMMER!

Source: The kitchn

Serves 3

2 valencia oranges, peeled and de-pith

1 bulb fennels, fronds removed

1 tbsp fennel fronds, chopped

2 small beets, peeled and grated, I used my food processor

1 tsp orange zest

3 tsps extra virgin olive oil

Kosher sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp orange juice

Thinly slice the fennel bulb. Toss slices with fennel fronds, salt, pepper, 2 tbsps of orange juice, 2 tsps of olive oil and set aside.
Combine grated beets with 1 tbsp orange juice and 1 tsp olive oil. Set aside.
Slice oranges into 1/4" thick slices.
On a serving plate, arrange a layer of oranges, topped seasoned fennel followed by beets. Serve at room temperature.

Shrimp in mustard gravy

2010-07-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

Source: 50 great curries of India

Serves 4

1 pack of frozen shrimp, I leave the shell on while cooking because I feel like it might keep it from overcooking BUT it does get a bit cumbersome to eat.

2 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tbsps mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

50gm of dessicated coconut, add 1/4 cup of water and set aside

1.5 inch piece of ginger

5-6 small cloves of garlic

2-3 green chillies

1 onion, cubed

2 tsps coriander powder

2 tsps cumin powder

1-1.5 tsps crushed red chillies

1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes

juice of 1/2 lime

coriander leaves to garnish

salt to taste

oil

Toast poppy seeds for a couple of mins. Grind poppy seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, coconut, ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion, coriander, cumin, crushed red chillies, and 1.5 tsp of salt with 1/2 cup of water.
In a skillet, heat some oil and fry the spice paste for 6-7 mins. Stir continuously and add a little water to avoid sticking at the bottom.
Add tomatoes and saute for another 5 mins.
Add a couple of cups of water and lime juice. Simmer for 5 mins on low heat. Add salt to taste.
Add shrimp and keep a close eye. Cook until done - shouldn't take more than 5 mins to cook through. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Roasted asparagus and potatoes with thyme

2010-06-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Asparagus is the hot veggie of the season - we are getting bundles of it in our produce box. The first week I made asparagus pesto and last week I roasted the bunch. It was a light and tasty summer lunch.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 bunch of asparagus with stem ends snapped off

2 yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tsps of fresh thyme

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Cut asparagus into inch long pieces.
In a baking dish large enough to hold potatoes and asparagus in a single layer, add all ingredients and roast in the oven for 25 mins.
After 25 mins stir the mix and check potatoes for doneness. If still very firm, then leave it in the oven for another 10 mins.

Kokum Sherbat

2010-06-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been trying to experiment with Amchi (Konkani) cooking to try some of my favorite recipes growing up. Its amazing to see how many amchi food bloggers there are out there, and the traditional recipes are there for the picking!

In the summer months, kokum sherbat is supposed to be excellent for cooling the internal system. Considering we have a no-AC unit, I'm just about ready to try anything!

1/2 cup kokum (available in South Indian stores...similar to tamarind, it is used as a souring agent)

1/2 cup sugar (more per taste)

4 cups hot water

salt to taste

jeera pwdr to taste

in a large glass bowl, add the kokum and sugar, and pour the hot water over it. Leave overnight for the juices of the kokum to be released completely. A pinkish-red liquid will be released. Now, use this concentrate to dilute with water. Add water, sugar and salt as per taste (how sour or sweet you like it). Also add a pinch of jeera pwdr before drinking up! The drink is meant to be salty-sweet.

Bengali Shrimp

2010-06-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Tried a variation of the Bengali aloo dum but with shrimp. Delicious!

20 shrimp, cleaned and deviened

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tbsp dhania powder

1/2 tbsp jeera pwrd

2 cloves

piece of cinnamom

1 heaped teaspoon chilli pwrd

1/2 tsp haldi pwrd

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tejpatta

1 large tomatoes, cut

1/4 tsp sugar for caramelization

In a mixer, grind the onion, dhania pwdr, jeera pwdr, cinnamon, cloves, chilli, haldi,and ginger-garlic paste with a little water. In a cooking pot, heat oil and add this masala. Add sugar to aid with caramelization of the onions. Fry well for almost 15-20 minutes until the onions lose their raw smell. Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates (took about 5-7 minutes). At this time, add 1-2 cups water depending on the desired consistency of the gravy. When the gravy is boiling, drop the shrimp in gently and cook about 5-7 minutes. Careful not to overcook since the shrimp can become chewy! Finally, when done turn the heat off and garnish with dhania leaves. As with most seafood curries, the longer you wait before eating, the more intense the flavor of the dish!

Spring onion or scallion scones

2010-05-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Source: Farmgirl fare

Makes 8 large scones

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tbsp + 2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 ounces grated cheese - I used purrano

4 ounces cream cheese - I used one with garlic, microwave if necessary it should be soft

4 scallions, sliced both green and white parts

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a big bowl.
Add cheeses and use a fork to fold the flour over the cheeses. Don't overwork the mixture.
Add scallions and use the fork to lightly combine.
Beat the egg with milk and whipping cream in another bowl. Fold this into the flour and cheese mixture. Comine until its roughly mixed.
Flour the working surface and your hands. Get the flour mixture out and form a pie about an inch thick. Use a floured knife to cut the pie into 8 wedges.
Brush the scones with a mixture of 1 egg and 2 tbsp of flour. Bake scones on a buttered baking dish for 20mins. Let cool before serving with some jalapeno jelly :)

Roasted fennel salad

2010-05-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

So simply easy and very tasty. Give it a go!

Serves 2

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

a healthy sprinkle of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Coat the fennel slices well with olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Roast it in a 375 deg oven for 20 - 30 mins until some of the slices are slightly browned.
Sprinkle ground pepper and serve.

Shakshuka

2010-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I had never heard of shakshuka, but was dying to try the recipe out ever since Deb from Smitten Kitchen posted it. How can you go wrong with poached egg and a tomato gravy? I added a few variations. Perfect for a day when you want to whip up something quick for dinner/ brunch.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

1.5 large tomato, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped into medium pieces

1 tsp cumin pwdr

1/4 tsp paprika pwdr

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

cilantro leaves for garnish (the original used parsley)

In a shallow pan, heat oil and add the onion and pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Next, add the cumin and paprika pwdrs, and saute for 2 minutes. Now add the tomato pieces along with 1/2 cup water. Using the back of the spoon, crush the tomato pieces as they cook. Cook the tomato gravy for about 15 minutes. I added a little more water as needed. When the liquid is bubbling, crack eggs over the sauce and allow it to spread over the tomato gravy surface. Cover with a lid, and allow the eggs to poach for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, and baste the eggs with some of the tomato gravy. Garnish with feta and cilantro/ parsley and eat immediately with pita or naan.

Veal rump pot roast

2010-04-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Pot roasts are meant to be one-pot dishes where a bunch of veggies and meat are cooked over several hours in broth. This creates a very flavorful dish without the need for spices other than salt and pepper.

Serves 4

2-3 lb veal rump, it was held together in a net made out of butcher's twine

20-25 cremini mushrooms, most of them were small and medium sized, seperate stalks and heads and dust off dirt if any.

1 1/2 cups diced red onions

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly diced

4 dried bay leaves

2 bunches wild leeks, sliced on a bias. Wild leeks are also called ramps and grow wild in the midwest and the east coast. They taste like spring onions and garlic and look like large spring onins as you can see in the image below. Give it try - they are in season!

1 carrot, peeled and cubed

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

generous bunch of bouquet garni - rosemary and thyme, tied with a twine

5-6 whole peppercorns

3 cups of beef broth

1 1/2 cups red wine

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 325 deg.
Use a thick bottomed, oven proof pot - I used my cast iron Le Creuset pot. Heat a tbsp of peanut oil on medium high heat. Brown the veal rump on both sides. There will be smoke if ventilation isn't good, but don't worry about that. Crack open your windows. Make sure the veal is nicely browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Discard the oil and put in another tbsp of fresh oil. Again over medium high heat, put in onions, garlic, carrots, peppercorns and mushroom stalks. Sprinkle some salt and stir. Saute until onions are brown.
Add wine to gently scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let simmer for a couple of minutes.
Add the veal rump. Add enough broth to submerge the bottom half of the rump. Add a couple more tsps of salt, bouquet garni and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover the pot with aluminum foil, depressed in the center so that the condensation rolls off the middle onto the meat instead around the sides of the pot. Aluminum foil also helps seal the pot well.

Cover and move the pot to the oven. Check in 10 mins, if the broth is furiously bubbling lower temperature to 300 deg. On the other hand if broth is not bubbling enough, increase heat to 350 deg. The idea is to have the broth bubbling gently.
Bake for 3 hours.
Insert a fork into the meat. If the meat is done, you should be able to do this easily. Gently remove the meat and set aside.
Strain and discard all the solids. At this point the veggies and herbs have already imparted all their flavor into the broth.
Bring the strained broth back to a slow simmer. Add potatoes, sliced wild leeks (I used half the green leaves as well) and mushroom heads. Place the meat back into pot. Cover pot with aluminum foil and the lid. Move it back into the oven.
Bake for another 30 mins.
Uncover the pot, leave it in the oven for another 30 mins and baste the meat every 10 mins. The meat forms a shiny coat and the sauce reduces considerably and becomes syrupy. Keeping the meat in the sauce while reducing it intensifies the flavor of the sauce.
When done. Remove the meat and set it on a cutting board to rest for atleast 5 mins before you cut into it. This allows its juices to get reabsorbed back into the meat instead of spilling out when you cut into it.
Ladle out sauce and veggies over the meat. Enjoy with caution - you might just end up stuffing yourself!

Pinto bean chilli

2010-04-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Serves 4

1 cup pinto beans, soaked overnight

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and diced

4-5 whole peppercorns

1 can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 1/2 cup of diced red onion

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 sliced thai chillies or green finger peppers

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt to taste

Pressure cook pinto beans, 1 tsp of salt and peppercorns in 4 cups of water for 20 mins. Cook until beans are easily mashable with a wooden spoon.
While the beans are cooking, heat a tbsp of olive oil in another pot. Add onion, garlic and cumin seeds. Cook over medium heat until onions are evenly browned.
Add tomatoes, salt and chillies. Cook until half of the tomato juice has been cooked off. While cooking, keep crushing tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Add cooked the contents of the pressure cooker into this onion-tomato mix. Simmer for 5 mins.
In a small cup, combine flour with 4 tbsps of the liquid from the pot. Make sure there are no lumps.
Add the flour paste and lime juice to the soup. Simmer for another 15 mins until the soup has thickened into a more sauce like consistency and the flour is completely cooked.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. As you can see I didn't bother to garnish or take a better picture before I dove right in :)

Kale chips

2010-04-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

Friday was a good day! Kale chips turned out so good that I managed to polish off a whole bunch.

Serves 2 or 1?

1 large bunch of Kale

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Trim the stems off. I kept the leaves more or less whole. Wash and dry. You can use a salad spinner. I resorted to paper napkins and kitchen towel. The idea is to dry them well.
In a large bowl add olive oil to the leaves. Massage it in thorougly. Then add vinegar and do the same.
Line baking trays with aluminum foil and spread the leaves on it in a single layer. I used 2 trays for 1 bunch.
Bake for 12 minutes. Remove, add salt and let cool for a minute. Snack away!

Note: Once you put the Kale in the oven, check in about 5-6 mins to see if the leaves are searing. If they are, then they need to be in the oven only for another 30 seconds or so otherwise they will get burnt.

Smoked salmon pasta

2010-04-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

Serves 2

3 cups pasta, I mixed two kinds

4 oz. smoked salmon, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

Fresh ground black pepper

Throw the pasta into a pot of salted, boiling water until cooked al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, dry roast pine nuts in a skillet until light brown. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in the skillet (large enough to hold the pasta later). Add onions and garlic with salt and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
Add wine and lemon juice and let cook until sauce boils down by half. Add cream and boil for an additional minute.
Toss in the cooked pasta, smoked pasta and pine nuts. Add a couple of tbsps of the pasta water if the sauce is too dry.
Garnish with capers or parsley.

Black chick-pea soup

2010-04-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

Adpated from: Ismail Merchant's Passionate meals

Serves 4

1 cup black chick-peas, soaked over night
1 dried red chilli
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp chick-pea flour or besan
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pressure cook chick-peas with 1 tsp of salt and 4 cups of water until tender. About 20 mins.
In a saucepan, heat oil and fry the dried chilli for a couple of minutes.
Add cumin. mustard seeds, garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add ginger, tomatoes, 1 tsp salt and turmeric. Cook until tomatoes are well blended with the spices. I used a wooden spatula to gently press down on the tomatoes while cooking.
Add chick-pea flour and stir to mix well. Cook for another 5-6 mins.
Add this mixture to the chick-peas and the water it was cooked in. Stir well, add lime juice and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes on a slow simmer.
The sauce will be thick. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Cauliflower, potatoes, carrots and peas

2010-04-21T06:52:00.001-07:00

... these are some of my favorite things..la la la...I was singing this for no apparent reason while cooking last night. Perhaps, happy to be back in the kitchen after a long hiatus.

Serves 4

1 head cauliflower, cut in florets

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

2 smallish carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 onion, diced

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

3-4 cloves

1 cup of chopped cilantro

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

Heat a tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add garlic, mustard and cumin seeds. Cook until garlic is lightly browned.
Add onions with salt. Cook until golden, about 5-6 mins.
Add tomatoes, ginger, red pepper, turmeric and salt. Cook until tomatoes are cooked through and most of the water is cooked off, about 10 mins.
Add potatoes and carrots with a tbsp of water. Lower heat to medium, cover and let cook until potatoes are closer to done but not completely done.
Add cauliflower with 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine, lower heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook until cauliflower is cooked through. About 20 mins.
Add peas and cilantro. Cook for another 5 mins.
Enjoy!

Dal Makhni - the Easy version

2010-04-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

This hearty dal is easily my favorite lentil! Enjoy it with jeera rice.

Serves 4-6

1 cup split urad dal, soaked for 1 hour

1/4 cup rajma (red kidney) beans (I used a can)

1 tomato, pureed

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 green chilli, cut into pieces

1/4 tsp red chilli pwdr

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 cup milk (i used skim, but the heavier the better)

1 tsp butter

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oil for tempering

In a pressure cooker, add the soaked urad dal, rajma, pureed tomato, ginger-garlic paste and the green chillies. Add the red chilli pwdr and cumin pwdrs to the dal, along with 2 cups water. Pressure cook everything for 15 minutes. When the steam has released, you can open the cooker and mash the dal to a smooth consistency. At this time, add the milk and butter, and bring to a low boil. Temper with a tadka of oil and cumin seeds. Serve hot.

Tina's smoked salmon chowder

2010-03-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Tina made a delicious pot of smoked salmon chowder for dinner one blustery night. I haven't made it yet but I intend to very soon - it was perfect! Tina grayed out items she omitted in her recipe but can be used otherwise.

Serves 6

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

5 green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

1/2 cup water

6 cups fish stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp dried dill weed

8 red potatoes, cubed

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

3/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 lb flaked or chopped smoked salmon

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

Place the bacon into a large pot set over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes to release some of the drippings, about 10 mins. Then add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook and stir until veggies are tender, about 15 mins.
Stir in green onions, then pour in the water and fish stock. Season the soup with salt, pepper and dill. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 20 mins or until tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Cotinue to cook and stir until the mixture is light brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in a little bit of the milk to thin the roux. Stir the roux into the pot with the veggies. Pour the rest of the milk into the pot and heat through, stirring constantly.
When the soup had thickened slightly, stir in the white wine. Mix in the lemon juice, smoked salmon and corn. Cook over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Ladle into soup bowls to serve. Sprinkle chopped parsley or cilantro on top.

Sambare

2010-03-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

A unique feature of Konkani cuisine is the use of ground fresh coconut in dal. Here is one example, which is one of my favorites. It is best enjoyed with white rice and a simple vegetable.

1 cup toor dal, soaked for 1/2 hour

1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr

4 tbsp blanched spinach, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

COCONUT MIX:

3 tsbp fresh/ frozen coconut

1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted in oil

3 red chillies, roasted in oil

2 tbsp tamarind paste

Grind the coconut mix to a fine paste in a blender using a little warm water. In a pressure cooker or over low heat, cook the dal along with turmeric. When cooked, mash the dal well an add the cooked spinach to it. Boil the dal well, and add the coconut paste mix to it. Add salt per taste, and check for sourness. The dal should have a mild sour taste; if more is desired add more tamarind. Cook for about 5-8 mins more.

To temper the dal, heat 2 tbsp oil in a separate vessel and saute the garlic for 3-4 mins. Add this to the dal at the end.

Remember not to cook the dal for too long after the coconut mix has been added as this can cause the coconut to spoil.

Braised collards with ginger and chili-pepper

2010-03-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Serves 3

1 bunch collards, stemmed and cut into thin strips
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced
Ground black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil, stir in onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add ginger and jalapeno. Stir for a few minutes
Add collards, salt to taste and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and let cook for 20 mins. When done collards will be chewy soft with a little bite.
Uncover, stir in butter and let the water cook off.

Roasted winter veggies and Kale soup

2010-03-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Back in January when I had enough of the ample winter squash supply in my CSA share - I chopped half of them up into cubes and roasted the rest with soy sauce. Then froze them in ziploc bags and pyrex containers. I used roasted squash for this soup. Serves 4

1/2 squash, halved, drizzled with soy sauce, wrapped in aluminum foil anf roasted at 425 deg until you can easily pierce it with a blunt knife
2 carrots, roughly cubed
1 potato, cubed
1 large red onion, cubed
1 turnip, cubed
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped in strips
3 springs of fresh thyme leaves
2 crushed red pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper

Preheat oevn to 375 deg. In a baking, add potato, carrots, onion, turnip, crushed red pepper, garlic, salt, pepper and a healthy glug of olive oil to coat.
Roast uncovered until potatoes are cooked through and onions have caramelized at the edges.
Process roasted veggies along with the squash pulp until a few chunks remain.
In a soup pot combine processed veggies, kale and thyme. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover and cook until Kale is done, about 20 mins.
Taste and adjust for salt.

Boozy French Toast

2010-03-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Smitten Kitchen's recipe was so tantalizing, it HAD to be made this weekend!

Serves 2-3

6-8 slices bread (you can use any bread)

1.5 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp of your fav liqueur *

1/4 tsp salt

nuts, orange zest optional (I used walnut pieces)

Grease a baking dish well and arrange bread slices in two layers. Sprinkle nuts over the bread slices, making sure to lift the top layer and sprinkle in-between.

In a bowl, whisk together all the other ingredients. Pour the mix over the bread pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and leave overnight in the fridge for the bread to soak up the liquid.

Next morning, pop it into the oven at 425F for 35-40 mins until the egg mix is cooked. We enjoyed it on its own, but you can also have it with maple syrup or fruit.

Mushroom Dumpling Soup

2010-03-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

This light soup was perfect for a chilly morning lunch!

From Nupur's One Hot Stove

Ingredients:

3-4 cups stock (I used chicken)

1 cup mushrooms, chopped into quarters

1/2 cup carrots, cut into pieces

1/4 cup shelled corn

1/2 cup broccoli

frozen dumplings/potstickers, 6-8

1 tsp chilli paste (I used sriracha)

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

cilantro

Heat stock and when boiling, add vegetables. Cook till veges are tender (took about 10 minutes). At this time, add the cilantro, chilli paste, soy, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar. Check for salt and allow soup to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Next, add in the frozen potstickets and cook per instructions. Garnish with some more cilantro, if needed. Enjoy right away.

Mooli Dal

2010-03-03T09:46:00.001-08:00

My grad school years started my first experimentations with cooking. One of my roommates, J, used to make this mooli dal which I absolutely love. The cooking somehow reduces the pungency of the mooli and complements the dal well.

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal, washed and soaked for 1/2 hour

1 large mooli, cut into rounds

sambhar powder, 1 tsp

turmeric, 1/2 tsp

For tadka (tempering):

1 green chilli, cut small

2-3 red chillies, broken into small pieces

cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp

mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp

In a pressure cooker, put the soaked dal, mooli, sambhar powder, and turmeric and cook for 2 whistles. This may take upto 45 mins if cooking on an open fire. When done, add some water if the dal is too thick, and return to a boil on the stove. In a separate pan, heat 1 tsp oil. When hot, add the tadka ingredients and allow seeds to brown slightly. Pour this tadka over the dal and mix well to incorporate.

Leeks and Mushroom egg noodles

2010-02-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

I received of homemade dried egg noodles in my box of produce last week and this was quick entree I made out of it after a long day at work and a 3 mi run :)

Serves 3

2 cups dried egg noodles, cooked in salted water, drain and keep warm. Save 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2 1/2 cups of mushrooms - I used a blend of porcini and cremini

1 whole leek, sliced and washed

1-2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1/4 cup mirin

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

Spring onions to garnish

Salt to taste

Heat a couple tbsps of olive oil in a large pan and saute garlic and leek. Cook until the leek wilts and is completely cooked. About 8-10 mins.
Add mushrooms and saute until they are a deeper brown.
Now add mirin and soy sauce and stir. Cook for about a minute before tossing in the cooked noodles and sesame seeds. Stir to combine the sauce and the noodles. At this point, I added a 1/4 cup of the reserved noodle water to add to the sauce.
Adjust seasoning and garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot.

Paneer Makhani

2010-02-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Indian food blogs is finally posting again! To celebrate, I tried the paneer recipe featured on it. YUMMY!

The paneer makhani was a little heavy, so pairing it with a simple vegetable dish would balance out the richness.

225g paneer, cut into cubes

1/4 tomato

5 tbsp yogurt

chilli powder, 1/2 tsp

cayenne pwdr, 1/2 tsp

almond powder, 1 tbsp (or grind 5 almonds with skin removed)

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1"ginger, chopped fine

In a blender or food processor, add the tomato, almond powder, 2 tbsp yogurt, chilli and cayenne powder and blend to a smooth paste.

In a shallow pan, heat olive oil and drop in the cardamom and bay leaf. Let it sizzle for a bit, and then add the minced ginger. Lower heat and saute the ginger for 2-3 minutes till golden. At this time, add the tomato and yogurt paste to the oil. Add an additional 3 tbsp of yogurt and mix well. Turn the flame to low (to avoid burning the yogurt) and cook for 15-20minutes. The water will evaporate and the gravy will become thick and reddish-brown. At this time, add in the paneer pieces and cover with the gravy. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add salt and taste.

I found the gravy to be a little too tangy for my liking, so I added a dash of milk to the dish. When incorporated, I found it reduced the sourness and added a creamy taste to the dish.

Enjoy with naan/ roti.

Fennel pasta

2010-02-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Serves 4

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced - I used a mandoline

Linguine pasta

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of cubed pancetta, optional

2 tsp crushed red chillies

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano

3/4 cup broth - I used homemade chicken broth

1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and add pancetta over medium heat. Once the fat renders, remove pancetta, add crushed red chillies and garlic. Cook until garlic begins to turns deep yellow.
Add sliced fennel and stir for a minute or two. Now add lemon juice, broth, salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt - parmesan will add some saltiness as well. Bring to a simmer, cover, lower heat and let cook until fennel is done. This should take about 15-20 mins.
During this time, cook the pasta. Keep it a little more than al dente, so that it can finish cooking in the fennel sauce. Save 1/2 a cup of pasta water.
Now uncover the fennel sauce and let it cook on medium heat to cook off most of the liquid. Until you have 2 tbsps of the liquid left.
Add the partially cooked pasta to the pan, stir to combine and add a 1/4 cup of the pasta water. If it's too dry, add another 1/4 cup. The idea is to keep it moist. Cook for a minute until pasta is cooked through.
Mix in parmesan reggiano and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Couscous and Sausage Stuffed Peppers

2010-02-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tried my own variation of Smitten Kitchen's recipe and H and I thought the flavours of the ingredients really went well together.

Makes 2 bell peppers

Ingredients:

2 large green bell peppers

1/3 cup couscous

2 chicken sausages (I used Trader Joes' jalapeno chicken sausage), cut into bite-size pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped fine

1/4 can garbanzo beans

2 tbsp tomato paste

6 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, cut into small cubes

1/2 tsp coriander powder

salt/ pepper to taste

First, prep the green bell peppers by slicing the tops off and cleaning the insides of seeds and membrane. In a lightly greased pan, place the bell peppers top up, and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Prepare couscous as per instructions on the packet. I used water, but Deb suggests chicken stock which will probably add additional flavour.

In a shallow pan, heat oil and fry onions till lightly golden. Add the garlic and green chilli, and saute for 2 mins. At this time, throw in the beans, zucchini, cut sausage, cherry tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir, and allow zucchini to cook for 7-8 minutes. When cooked, add salt and pepper. Take off fire and stir in prepared couscous. Set aside.

Remove the bell peppers from the oven. Fill the prepared couscous mixture into the peppers and bake for 20 mins. I turned the oven to broil for the last 5 mins, to allow the peppers to brown a little.

White urad dal

2010-02-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Serves 2

1/2 cup urad dal, rinsed

3 1/2 cups of water

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tbsp ginger, chopped fine

2-3 whole peppercorns

1/2 tsp salt

For tempering

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1-2 dried red chillies crushed

1 pinch asafoetida

1/2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine dal, water, ginger, salt, peppercorns and turmeric in a rice cook. Let it cook until dal is soft and soupy, about 40 mins.
Heat butter in a small pan. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds and crushed chilles. As soon as you can smell the cumin, take off the flame and tip it into the cooked dal.
Add lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Potatoes and peanuts

2010-02-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

Lots of potatoes this winter!

Serves 4 as a side

2 red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4" cubes

4 tbsp raw peanuts

1 medium onion, diced

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

crushed red pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup of chopped fresh coriander + 1 tbsp for garnish

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once it begins to sputter, add onions and peanuts. Cook until onions are slightly browned.
Add turmeric, salt and crushed red pepper. Stir in for a minute. Add diced potatoes and a couple tbsp of water with lemon juice Stir, cover and cook until potatoes are done, about 10 mins.
Add 1/4 cup of fresh coriander and cook for another minute.
Garnish if necessary and serve hot.

Penne Pasta with Eggplant Puree

2010-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Tried Smitten Kitchen's rigatoni version with a few minor changes. It was hearty and unusual!

1 small eggplant, chopped into pieces

15 cherry tomatoes

5 pods garlic, whole

5-6 mint leaves

olive oil, 3 tbsp

crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tsp

ground black pepper, 1 tsp

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 lb penne pasta

Mix the chopped eggplant, cherry tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, pepper, red pepper flakes and salt with 1tbsp olive oil. Arrange on a tray and bake in oven for 35 mins at 350F. Let cool once done. When cooled, add this mix to a food processor along with the mint and 2tbsp olive oil. I added 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk (the cherry tomatoes were too sour for my liking) to make the paste smoother.

In a baking dish, roast the pine nuts at 350F for 5-6 mins.

Cook the penne pasta as per instructions on packet, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. When cooked, remove pasta from water and add the eggplant puree. Add the pine nuts and mix well. Taste for additional salt/ pepper. If you like it more saucy, add the 1/2 cup of pasta water. Serve immediately.

The eggplant and mint combination was unusual and went surprisingly well with the penne.

Sweet potato falafels

2010-02-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

From 101 cookbooks :)

Makes about 12 falafels

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 dried red chillies

2 cloves of garlic

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3/4 cup of gram flour

a cup of roughly chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp of white sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chillies in a coffee grinder.
Preheat oven to 375 deg. Cube sweet potatoes, sprinkle the ground spices, salt, pepper and a couple of tsps of olive oil. Make sure the cubes are well coated. Bake for 30 mins or until done.
Set aside to cool. When it is cool to touch, toss it into a bowl, add lemon juice and flour. Mash it all up until its doughy. If its too dry, add a little lemon juice or olive oil. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Make little table spoon sized balls, place on a lightly oiled baking dish and sprinkle with seasame seeds.
Bake for 20 mins until it has browned a bit and serve hot.

Lamb leg steak in red wine sauce

2010-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

V whipped this up one weeknight - it was a much deserved treat in the middle of the week :)

Served 2 very hungry adults

1.5 lb lamb leg steak, 1-inch thick

salt and pepper to season

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ancho chilli, crushed

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 cup of red wine, we used a Syrah

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1tbsp of heavy whipping cream

1 small onion, sliced thin

Rub lamb steak with garlic, salt, pepper and crushed ancho chilli on both side. Marinate it, covered for a couple of hours in the refridgerator.
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and brown the meat for 5 mins on both sides on medium heat. Set aside in a plate and cover it completely with aluminum foil so the meat continues to cook.
Remove charred bits, if any, from the pan and add an additional tbsp of olive oil. Cook sliced onion with rosemary until it turns translucent to light brown.
Add stock and wine and simmer for 5 mins. Season with salt if necessary. Add cream and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Uncover the meat, cut into 2 servings and ladle sauce over it. Serve garnished with fresh rosemary.

Okra Masala

2010-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love bhindi (okra), but find it a pain to get just-right. This recipe was fool-proof and VERY delicious!! Please try it!!

Source: 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian

Ingredients:

1 lb bhindi, tops cut off and slit in 2, lengthwise

Masala: 2 tbsp dhania pwdr, 1 tbsp jeera pwdr,

2 tsp red chilli pwdr, 1 tsp turmeric pwdr

yogurt, 1/2 cup

jeera seeds, 1/2 tsp

oil, 2 tbsp

salt

In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with the masala powders to make a smooth paste. Use 1/4 cup water to dilute the yogurt, if needed. Add this spiced yogurt to the cut bhindi and set it aside for 15 mins. Next, take a shallow pan (use a non-stick) and heat the oil. When hot, add the jeera seeds and let them splutter. Now, add the entire bhindi yogurt mixture and lower the flame to avoid the mix from burning. Cook without a lid for about 30 mins, stirring every 5 minutes. Dish is ready when the okra is cooked, and the yogurt mix has dried up.

The mix was initially very sticky, and I was skeptical that this dish would turn out well. Towards the end of cooking, the stickiness disappeared and the dish was perfect. You need to have some patience with stirring and allowing the okra to cook slowly. Well worth it, considering prep time is negligible!!

Spicy bean and squash soup

2010-01-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

Serves 6

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can diced fire roasted tomato
2 can cooked red beans
1/2 winter squash
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed, leave it whole
1/2 ancho chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
salt to taste
3-4 whole peppercorns

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Halve a winter squash and scoop out the seeds. Season each half with salt and pepper. Cover each half completely with aluminum foil and place it cut side down in a baking dish. Roast for 20 mins or until it's easy to insert a knife through.
Let cool and scoop out the flesh. Use half for this recipe and save the rest for another recipe later (this freezes well).
In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add cumin seeds and half a minute later add onions and peppercorns.
Cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, ancho chilli, salt, ground coriander and roasted winter squash. Cook for 10 mins until tomatoes are cooked.
Add red beans, give it a stir to heat through.
Process contents in a food processor until its lightly blended. I liked this soup a little chunky.
Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and fresh coriander.

Roasted potatoes and cauliflower

2010-01-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

I have always found cooking cauliflower fussy and not very rewarding at the end except when V makes his version of gobi-aloo (cauliflower and potatoes). Since I have been roasting everything I can lay my hands on - why not roast cauliflower. Well it turned out fantastic :)

Serves 4

1 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into medium sized florets

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/4 inch cubes

Kosher sea salt to taste

2 tsp Ground black pepper

2 tsp Crushed red pepper

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup grated cheese - I used aged gouda and manchego mix

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
In a 9x13" baking dish put in the cauliflower and potatoes. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper and lime juice. Drizzle with olive oil.
Roast uncovered for about 30 mins. Check to see if its done. It was a bit crunchy and very lightly browned for me. If not, leave it in there for aother 15 mins.
Garnish with the cheese mixture and serve immediately.

Bengali Egg Curry

2010-01-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Have been on a real cooking slump. Egg curry, though, is simple and so easy to prepare!

Picture is a little hazy, but decided to put it up nonetheless, so that you can get an idea of the consistency of the curry.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 onions, 1 chopped fine, and 1 (for puree)

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 6 pieces

3 eggs, boiled

1/2 tomato chopped

1" piece ginger

3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 turmeric

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, small piece cinnamon, 2 cardamoms

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup milk

Boil they eggs, and shell when cooled. Using a small pan, spray with PAM or 1/2 tsp oil and let heat. Add the whole boiled eggs and saute till the outer skin of hard boiled eggs browns a little. Cut into halves and set aside.

In a blender, puree 1 onion, ginger and garlic into a fine paste.

Now, in a pan, heat oil and add the whole spices. When they are spluttering, add the 1 chopped onion and sugar and saute for 1 minute. Add the pureed onion, turmeric, chilli and garam masala powders, and saute on high heat for 6 mins. When the color starts changing to brown, you know it is cooked. Add the tomatoes, salt and potatoes with 1/2 cup water, and cover to allow the potatoes to cook. This took a while (10 minutes) and I had to monitor the water to prevent the curry from sticking to the bottom. When potatoes are done, add 1/4 cup milk and water as needed to create curry of desired consistency. Add the eggs. Serve hot with naan/ roti.

Pinto beans soup - so good!

2010-01-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

My excuse for being absent - I have been away on vacation marked by pure gluttony, followed by frantic attempts to get back on track at work and now recovering (very slowly) from a cold.

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups pinto beans

1 tbsp. + 2 tsp olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp salt

6-8 whole black peppercorns

3-4 cloves

2 bayleaves

3 cups of water or stock

Soak the beans in 8 cups of water overnight in the refridgerator. Rinse the beans.
Pressure cook beans, 3 cups of water, garlic, salt and pepper for 20 mins. Open and check if the beans are mashable. If not, pressure cook for another 15 mins.
Remove bay leaves and mash the beans with a spoon or a potato masher. I like chunks of beans in my soup. You can choose to process it to a more soupy consistency.
Adjust for salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander.

Baingan Bharta

2010-01-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

This recipe uses minimal spices and really lets the smoky taste of the eggplant come through. We enjoyed it with naan.

Serves 4

1 large eggplant

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 green chilli, chopped

10 strands of fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Over a high flame, roast the eggplant by turning it every 3-4 minutes. You will start noticing that the skin slowly starts burning and may split in some places. Roast it evenly and set aside. When cooled, remove the skin and chop the eggplant into pieces. It should already be a little mushy from the roasting.

In a shallow pan, heat oil and add the onions. Brown onions and then add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for 3-4 minutes, and then add the cut green chillies. Fry for another 2 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro and cook till tomatoes disintegrate. It took about 10 minutes to be completely soft. At this time add the chopped and roasted eggplant and mix well. Add salt to taste and 2 tbsp yogurt. Cook covered for 10 minutes or until eggplant is completely cooked and mushy. Serve hot!

Butternut squash pasta

2010-01-04T18:15:00.001-08:00

I am back from a much needed vacation. I made this before I left in an attempt to use up the last of the squash I had lying around.

Serves 4

1 lb of butternut squash, peeled and seeded

2 tbsp butter

1 lb pasta

1/2 tsp roasted, ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

1 small bunch chopped sage leaves

1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

Process chunks of squash until shredded.
In a broad based skillet, heat butter and add squash, salt, pepper, sugar and cumin. Cook until squash is cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add a few tbsps of water as needed. Make sure its not soupy.
Once the squash begins to cook, add the sage and cook overlow heat. Begin cooking the pasta.
When the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss the pasta with the squash in the skillet. Use the pasta water if the mixture seems too dry.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Toss in the cheese and serve.

Tomato Saar

2010-01-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Safiya has been politely requesting, for some time now, that I post this recipe and I'm finally getting around to it. Some background, then. Saar is a Konkani (and perhaps other languages as well) word for soup or broth. It is made in a variety of ways (and, as with a number of Sarasvat dishes, has a habit of tasting slightly in every household) and this particular Saar has been a favorite in my family for at least a few generations (my grandfather loved it). The most prominent tastes in this recipe are the sweet-sour taste of tomato and the distinct flavor of coconut milk. I should point out that it's been ages since I consulted the actual recipe for this dish - so my version may not actually be the right one.

Ingredients

4-5 tomatoes

14 oz can of light coconut milk - I think the original recipe asks for less but I like the coconut flavor

2 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 fresh green chilies (feel free to add more or less depending on your tolerance)

1 tsp salt (but again, add more or less depending on your tastes)

For Tadka

8 - 12 Curry Leaves

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp oil/ghee

Start by washing and boiling the tomatoes whole in enough water. As they boil tomatoes tend to split their skin and I usually take them off the stove and run cold water when the skin starts to peel off. Once a little cooler the skin peels of quite easily.

Toss the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend all of it till it's all one color. It can take a little while for the cumin seeds to completely blend so you may need to have the blender going for a while.

Pour the resulting soup into a vessel and bring it to a boil. Add some water to thin the blend - I usually add water at about 1:1. As it heats up make the tadka (heat the oil or ghee for a minute or so then add mustard seeds, once they start to pop add the curry leaves and heat for a further few seconds) and carefully mix it in the soup. It's a good idea to let it all simmer for a little while once the tadka is added until the tomatoes taste cooked.

The saar goes well with rice (though it may need a little extra salt when mixed in) and is also a great warm drink just by itself.

Variations: It might be a good idea to experiment a little with the sweet and sour tastes in saar - I have often added sugar or tamarind to balance some flavors.

Clementine Cake - my Christmas tradition

2009-12-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

You can't read this Nigella Lawson recipe without falling in love with it! What's not to love about clementine puree and almonds?! I made this last December when clementines were aplenty in the market, now have decided to make this an annual Christmas tradition!

This is my modified version of Nigella's recipe

4-5 clementines (any other small orange like satsuma, tangerine should also do)

1 1/2 cups ground almonds (I used almond meal)

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)*

Put the clementines into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 2 hours. When cooked, the clementines will be soft. Cut open and check to make sure there are no seeds. Put the cooked clementines into a blender, with pith and outside skin, and puree to a smooth paste.

In a bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients. Add the clementine puree and stir to make a smooth batter. Now grease a 9" baking tin well (make sure it is really greased well to avoid sticking) and pour in the cake batter. Cook at 375F for 30-35 mins.

The cake was moist and had the texture of chewy brownies.

* I prefer to put in some essence into cake to remove some of the "eggy" smell.

Simple Breakfast Sooji Utthapam

2009-12-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

This is a traditional Konkani breakfast specialty. It's easy to make, and reminds me so much of home!

Serves 2 people

Sooji (semolina), 2 cups

1 onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped roughly

cilantro, 8 strands chopped

yogurt, 3 tbsp

water, as needed

In a bowl, combine sooji, onion, chilli, cilantro and yogurt. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix to form a smooth batter. Add more water as needed. The batter should be thicker than dosa consistency, but not too runny. Add salt and cover and keep for 1/2 hour. In this time, sooji will fluf a little. Check consistency and add some more water if needed. Grease a flat pan and spread batter to make a thickish dosa. Cover with a round lid while cooking. Utthapam takes about 3-4 minutes to cook on both sides.

Cabbage, turnip, carrot soup

2009-12-08T06:11:00.001-08:00

Winter veggies normally include root vegetables and lots of winter squash. This time we got a large, white cabbage - woohoo! I whipped up this soup last night to celebrate the snow showers that seems to be blanketting Chicago faster than I expected. It was a treat after a day of slipping and sliding.

Serves 4

1/2 head of cabbage, cut into thin strips and chopping those strips into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 small turnips, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 small potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tsp of lemon juice

3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup of cubed pancetta

1 tbsp of butter

Salt and pepper

Add pancetta to a tsp of hot olive oil in a soup pot. Cook until the fat renders and pancetta pieces are browned and crisp.
Add onions and garlic with salt. Cook until onions are translucent.
Add rest of the vegetables and stir for a minute. Add stock, adjust for salt and add ground pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender.
Add lemon juice and stir in butter.
Serve hot.

Upside-down mixed berries cake

2009-11-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Serves 6

1 stick of salted butter

3/4 cup of sugar

pinch of salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup milk - I used 1% lactose free milk

1/2 cup frozen mixed berried - do NOT defrost before use

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
In a small bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder.
In a larger bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed until it forms a granular mix. Add one egg at a time and beat it in until mixed.
Add 1/3 cup of the flour mix and beat it a low speed, enough to incorporate it completely.
Add cream and continue beating. Next add flour mix, beat it, followed by milk. Add the rest of the flour. With every ingredient added make sure you beat it to incorporate it completely.
Fold in the frozen berries.
Transfer to a buttered baking dish (8"x8") and sprinkle some sugar on the top. Bake for 45 mins until its brown on the top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Roasted ratatouille pasta

2009-11-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Another one of my weeknight creations reeking of impatience :) I love that I can chop up a bunch of veggies, stick them into the oven with salt and pepper and dinner's ready!

Serves 3

1 large eggplant, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 large red onion, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 can of diced tomatoes strained - save atleast 1/3 cup of juice

Crushed red pepper

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsps of fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsps of olive oil

1 1/2 cups of pasta

Preheat oven to 375 deg.
Mix all the ingredients except the pasta in a 9x13" baking dish.
Bake for 45 mins until veggies are completely cooked.
5 mins before done - cook the pasta in 2 cups of salted water and reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water.
Mix the pasta into the eggplant mix and add the pasta water if more sauce is required. Stir to combine.
Garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Shepherds pie

2009-11-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is a quick one pot dish. Great for cooking on a week night with fresh winter produce - potatoes, onions and carrots.

Serves 4

1 lb ground meat - I used mutton

3 large pototoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 large yellow onion, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 cup string beans, chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup of carrots chopped into 1/4" pieces

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsps of butter

2 tsps fresh thyme

1 tbsp of fresh cream

Steam cubed potatoes until they are cooked through. Mash them with cream, salt, pepper and thyme . I used my food processor.
Preheat oven to 375 deg.
Heat some oil in an oven safe pot. Saute onions and garlic with salt until they are slightly browned and translucent.
Add carrots and beans and cook for 5 more mins.
Add the meat, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook until the meat is brown. Add 2 tbsps of water if the meat mix is completely dry.
Turn off the heat and layer the mashed potatoes over the meat and onions. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the top layer is golden-brown.
Garnish with fresh thyme. I served this with a side of sauteed chard.

Note: Consider adding peas to this recipe as well. I didn't have any on hand.

Chicken soup

2009-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have a mild ear ache, nagging headache and I feel like I am breathing in through only one of my nostrils. sigh..and its cold and gray outside. Chicken soup makes it all a little better.

Serves 6

6 chicken drumsticks, skinned

5 cups of water

Bouquet garni - small bunch of parsley, 5-6 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

8-9 shallots sliced

3 bay leaves

5-6 whole peppercorns

1 tbsp of flour

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Heat a couple of tbsps of oil in a soup pot and add the chicken. Let the chicken brown until it comes off the pot easily and let it brown on the other side as well. Set aside.
Add shallots to the oil and cook until wilted and translucent. Add some salt to help with the wilting.
Add garlic cloves and flour. Stir quickly for less than a minute and add 1/2 of water. Scrape the bottom the pot with a wooden spoon to remove brown bits.
Now add the rest of the water, bouquet garni, bayleaves and peppercorns.
Allow the water to come to a quick simmer. Add chicken legs. Bring to a boil, add salt, lower the heat, cover and cook for 35 mins until the chicken is done.
When done, remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice into it before serving.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2009-11-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Adapted from H's mom's recipe

Ingredients:
2 green bell peppers
3 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper pwdr
1/2 tsp cumin pwdr
1/2 green chilli, chopped fine
salt

Boil the potatoes to cook them thoroughly. Peel the skin off, and mash them well. Add the turmeric, cayenne, cumin powders, chopped green chilli and salt to season.

Now, take the whole bell peppers and slice off the top with the stem. Empty out the inside contents to create a hollow which can be stuffed with the potato filling. Scoop the potato filling inside. Arrange the filled bell peppers on a greased baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins at 375F. I turned the gas mark to broil for the last 5 mins of baking to allow the outer skin of the pepper to roast.

Cabbage-peas poriyal

2009-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

Source: Vegetarian cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan

Serves 4

2 tsps olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black gram dal (urad dal)
1 tsp bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1 dried red chilli crushed
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
4-5 curry leaves
500g of chopped cabbage
1 cup of peas

Heat oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, red chilli, asafoetida powder and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add chopped cabbage, peas and salt to taste.
Stir to mix well. Cover, lower heat and let cook until cabbage is tender and cooked through.
Serve hot. If you prefer, garnish it with dessicated coconut right before removing it off the heat.

Andhra Mutton Curry

2009-11-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Source: Once again, Ms. Punjabi's 50 Great Curries of India

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tsp cayenne pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
a few sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lb stewing lamb
1 1/2 large onions, chopped fine
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (i skipped this because I didn't have it)

Whisk the yogurt, turmeric, ginger-garlic pastes, chilli and cayenne pwdrs and the cilantro leaves together to make a thick marinade. Coat the meat with this mixture, and marinate for 1-2 hours.

In a deep pan, add oil and when heated add the cardamoms and cloves. After 1 minute, add the chopped onion and let it brown for 5-7 minutes. When onions are browned, add the meat mixture. Let the meat cook on medium/ low heat for 15 minutes, until the marinade is absorbed. Make sure you are stirring continuously so that the marinade does not burn. I noticed that at the end of 15 mins, the water from the yogurt had evaporated and the gravy had taken on a slightly brownish color. Now, add the tomatoes and cook again for 5 mins till the water is absorbed. Add the curry leaves, caraway seeds and salt. Cook for 2 minutes.

At this point, I transferred the contents of the pan into a slow cooker, added 3 cups water, and let the meat cook for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 cups water to the pan on the stove and cook the meat covered on slow heat until it is tender.

This recipe was DELICIOUS and is a MUST TRY! I thought it would turn out too spicy, but the yogurt tempers the chilli powders. ENJOY!

Chicken Liver Mousse

2009-11-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1) Chicken Livers (1 lb )

2) Shallots

3) Garlic

4) Thyme & Rosemary

5) Port

Procedure:

Whoa, flashed back to chem lab in high-school, my nasty chem teacher wouldn't let me in, if the notes weren't done in a particular format. Hah...this'll show her!!!! I can make chicken liver pate and blog about it now....hah!! who had the last laugh Mrs B!

Anyways, coming back to the livers, first pat down the livers with a kitchen towel and salt & pepper them, add plenty of red chilli flakes (if you want some kick). Heat a heavy bottomed pan, use some high heat oil and make sure the pan is really hot, brown the livers on both sides about 3 to 4 minutes a side, the livers are done when they are slightly firm to the touch. To be sure, check the livers to see if they are slightly pink on the inside, that's done.

Get rid of the burnt oil, fry the chopped shallots and garlic with the herbs, just for a few minutes. Then add some port, reduce it down to a couple of tablespoons. Almost forgot, keep salting at each stage.

You're almost done!!, now combine everything in a food processor and blend!! Since this is not a Pate (i don't have the patience to put in the accent, so just imagine it's there) but a Mousse, sieve the blended product to smoothen it out and then fold in some heavy cream. Oh also, before you begin blending add in half a stick of butter...(haha, serves you right for not reading all the way to the end before starting.). All done now.

Romesco

2009-11-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

This soup looks fussy but was a surprisingly quick soup to make. I made the fish broth a day in advance.

Source: James Peterson's Splendid Soups

Serves 8

Fish broth - base of the soup

4 pounds of fish bones

2 medium sized onions, sliced

4 shallots sliced

a small bunch of fresh thyme

1 small bunch of parsley

3 cups of dry sherry or white wine

Soup thickener - picada

6 - 1/2" slices of french baguette

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 cup blanched almonds

1 ancho chilli - soaked in boiling water for 20 mins, seeded and coarsely chopped

8 cloves of garlic

salt to taste

To finish the soup

8 fillets of white fish

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup picada

salt

pepper

For the fish broth:

Soak fish bones in water for 30 mins. Change the water a couple of times to make sure that the fish bones are clean. Thorougly rinse the bones.
In a 4-quart pot, combine the bones with all the broth ingredients and add enough water to cover all the bones.
Bring the broth to a slow simmer and simmer for 30 mins. Strain the broth.

Picada:

Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil on both sides. In a seperate baking dish, spread out the almonds. Toast bread and almonds until the bread and almonds are well toasted.
Combine olive oil, ancho chilli, garlic and almonds in a food processor. Process until you get a smooth paste. Add toasted bread and ladle in a few spoon fulls of fish broth. Process until you get a smooth paste. Add salt to taste.

To finish the soup:

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot. Add the picada and stir to cook for 2 mins.
Pour in 10 cups of fish broth, adjust for salt and bring to a slow simmer.
Poach the fish fillets, a few at a time.
Serve each fillet in a soup bowl, ladle in the fish soup and garnish with fresh thyme.

Moroccon-style Lamb soup with dried apricots

2009-11-05T05:36:00.000-08:00

Adapted from Splendid Soups by James Peterson

Serves 6

2 lbs of lamb stew meat - you can also use lamb shanks cut crosswise
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves - chop 2, leave the rest unpeeled and whole
2 quarts of chicken or veggie broth or water
3 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1-inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
pinch of saffron
1 2-3 inch cinnamon stick
3 cups canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried figs
3 small bulbs of fennel, sliced crosswise
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

In a 4 qt soup pot over high heat, brown the lamb in half the olive oil. Transfer browned meat to a slow cooker with the broth and unpeeled garlic cloves. Cook over high for 3 hours.
When you have 30 mins left on the slow cooker: In the 4-quart pot over medium heat, cook onions and chopped garlic in the remaining olive oil until lightly browned, about 5 mins. Add turmeric, ginger and saffron. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Add cinnamon, tomatoes, apricots, figs, fennel, salt and pepper to the pot. Ladle out 1 cup of broth from the slow cooker into the pot and simmer gently for 20 mins.
Now add the meat from the slow cooker to the pot. Drain the broth - I saved it to use later.
Simmer for another 10 mins. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 mins more.
Just before serving add a dash of white wine vinegar and garnish with almonds and cilantro.

Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds & Pistachios

2009-11-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

I was first introduced to this recipe a few years ago by our friends Dan & Deborah who were gracious to share this recipe. Served with a mixed greens salad and a simple dessert of stroopwafles (available at World Market) & fresh blackberries, it made for a perfect autumnal meal. I won't even get into the cheese platter!

I have since made this dish a few times and it never fails to garner the oohs, aahs and yumms.

Serves four

2-3 Tbsp ghee (or olive oil with a pat of butter)
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/4 lbs lean lamb (shoulder or leg) cut into bite size pieces
8 oz moist, pitted dates
1 Tbsp dark honey
Salt

Ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pat butter
2-3 Tbsp blanched almonds
2 Tbsp shelled pistachios
Small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed casserole or tagine and saute onions till golden brown.
Stir in spices. Add meat and toss to coat with spice mixture.
Pour in enough water to almost cover meat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for about 90 minutes.
Add dates and stir in honey. Simmer another 30 minutes.
Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
Heat olive oil with butter in a small pan and stir in nuts. Cooks till they begin to turn golden.
Scatter nuts over the top of the lamb and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with couscous.

Shrimp Quesadillas

2009-11-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

After a week-long hiatus, courtesy a licensing exam, I was able to finally return to posting on the blog. Sunday evening with very little in the fridge, I decided to try some homemade Mexican food. Now, quesadillas are not the most difficult thing to make, but the combination of these ingredients made it fresh and surprisingly light!

I tweaked some of the ingredients from this recipe on Closet Cooking

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 large corn tortillas
20 shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked (I used frozen shrimp which were cooked)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
1/4 white onion, chopped fine
1 tsp chaat masala* (the original recipe calls for cumin pwdr but I found this substituted better)
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/4 lemon
1/2 cup mexican cheese mix, grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you want that extra kick)

Cut the shrimp into small pieces and add the onion, jalapeno, chaat masala, cilantro, and lemon juice. Add salt (if using chaat masala, remember that it has salt in it). Set this marinated shrimp aside for 20 mins.

Heat a flat pan, and place tortilla on it. Pile on the shrimp mixture and top with grated cheese. Allow the tortilla to get a little crisp, by which time the cheese will also have melted slightly. Now place another tortilla on top, and flip the whole thing over gently to allow second side to crisp.

Cut into pieces and serve with sour cream and salsa.

* Chaat masala is a spicy tangy mixture of several Indian spices, readily available in Indian stores

Shahi mixed veggie paneer

2009-10-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Add cashew paste and cream into any Indian curry and you have 'Shahi' (Royal) sauce.

Serves 4

1 lb cottage cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups of frozen veggies

2 medium onions, chopped fine

1" inch peice of ginger, chopped

1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

1 tsp crushed red chillies

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup cashew nut paste

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup water

Saute onions in hot oil till golden brown. Add ginger, kasuri methi and fry for 1-2 mins.
Stir in red chilli, garam masala and salt.
Add tomatoes and cook until it is the spices are well combined and most of the tomato juice has been cooked off. About 5-7 mins.
Add cashew paste and cream. Simmer for 3-4 mins. Add water, veggies and simmer.
Add paneer and continue to simmer for another 5 mins.
Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with naan.

Overripe bananas - again!

2009-10-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

V insists on buying half a dozen out of which normally 2 end up in banana bread. This time round, I tried banana cookies from Simply recipes and they turned out like I would expect banana cookies to taste like - perfect!

Onions added to Quiche Lorraine makes Quiche Alsacienne

2009-10-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Source: adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook

Serves 6-8

1 9" whole wheat pie crust - I get the Whole Foods brand

5 eggs

1 cup of whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup of cubed pancetta or 4 strips of bacon

1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 cup of chopped red onions

1 cup grated cheese - I used a mix of Manchego and Gouda

Prick the pie crust's base and sides with a fork. Partially bake it in the oven for 10 mins at 375 deg. In the meantine, heat 1 tsp of oil in a non stick pan, add bacon or pancetta pieces and cook until the bits begin to brown and the fat melts. Drain out a bit of fat if its too much - now add onions and cook until they are browned.
In a bowl whisk eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper and thyme together.
Layer cheese at the bottom, followed by the onion-pancetta mix in the pie crust. Place the pie in the oven and a minute later without removing the pie from the oven, pour the egg mix until it reaches a 1/2" below the top of the pie.
Bake for 40-50 mins until it is slightly browned on the top. Be careful to not overcook.
I served this with a side of Kale with potatoes and anchovies.

Good to know: the reason we leave the pie crust in the oven while pouring in the egg mix is so that the egg mix begins to set as soon as it is poured thus preventing the crust from becoming soggy.