Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas

A funny thing happened on the way to posting this recipe.  I fell through a sourdough rabbit hole and am just now coming back to reality.  Someday I will write all about that for it has been as strange and wondrous a journey as that of Alice herself.

Although I love to mix up my own spices when I cook Indian style, there are times when I just do not feel like gathering up a lot of different spice jars and tins.  This was one of those times when I was looking for something fast and easy.  When I came across this recipe that calls for curry powder I thought it would be just the thing.

And it was.  It was easy, fast, and super delicious.  It was good both by itself and with rice.  It's easy enough to make at the drop of a hat and tasty enough to make for company.

The first time I made it I used the full can of coconut milk as called for in the recipe.  It was delicious, but more soupy than I wanted it to be.  The second time I made it (see photo) I only used half a cup of coconut milk and I was happier with the consistency and it still had that luxurious coconut mouth feel and taste.  I froze the rest in 1/2 cup servings for future use.

A final note:  I have said this before and I'll probably say it every time I post about a recipe that uses curry powder.  There is nothing wrong with using a commercial curry powder.  Just make sure you are using a good one.  My favorite sweet curry powder these days comes from The Spice House.

Home Cooking Chapter - Beans and Vegetables:

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER AND CHICKPEA STEW

Serves 6-8 2

TBSP vegetable oil
2-1/2 cups chopped onions
5 tsp curry powder
6 cups small cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (or 2 15-oz cans)
2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onions and saute until they have started to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the curry powder and cook for a minute to let the flavors come out.  Add the cauliflower and garbanzo beans and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan.  Simmer until the cauliflower is tender and the liquid has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally; 10 to 15 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro and serve. 

adapted from Bon Appetit May 2009

Exported from Home Cookin v.8.56 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Swiss Chard

We are enjoying the third coldest/worst/however you want to express it winter in recent memory and I have to say it is really getting to me.  I love winter; I moved to Chicago partly for the weather, but even I have had enough.  We finally had a bit of a thaw last week and I was actually able to wear regular shoes for a record three days in a row (and for the first time since before the new year), but it had to go and snow again Friday night.  I actually whimpered Saturday morning when I looked out the window and saw another layer of snow covering the partially melted layers, and I had to go to my closet and pull back out the snow shoes that I thought (hoped, really) I was done with for the season.

But it will end, eventually, and I know there are people having to cope with far worse problems than this in the world.  So I will persevere and try to enjoy the opportunity to cook even more hearty winter soups and stews to warm me up and get me through these cold, dreary days.

This lentil soup with Italian Sausage and Swiss Chard is just the thing to do it, too.  It is hearty and satisfying and travels well for workday lunch.  You can't go wrong with that.

I feel the need to share a tip I have recently discovered.  One of the things I have always liked about lentils is that they do not require soaking before use.  But I recently made a recipe that called for a two-hour soaking and I was curious about it so went ahead and soaked them.  And the result was amazing.  They came out plump and tender, and seemed to have more flavor (although that might just have been because their texture was so soft and creamy).

So the bad news is that I have started soaking my lentils before I cook them.  It does add time to the process, and it is not necessary, but I have found in the few times that I've done it now that the difference in texture and flavor do make it worth the extra time.  I don't soak for a full two hours, though.  I just rinse them and get them covered in water as soon as I get started on the recipe and let them soak while I prep the other ingredients.  So it doesn't really add that much extra time to the process but makes a huge difference in the finished product.

The original recipe called for Escarole but that is not what was available at the store so I opted for Swiss chard instead, which was on sale and looked good.  Spinach would also be good.

Home Cookin Chapter - Beans and Vegetables

LENTIL SOUP WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SWISS CHARD

Serves 4-6

1-2/3 cups lentils, rinsed well
5 cups water
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound Swiss chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place the rinsed lentils in a bowl.  Cover with water and let them soak while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.

Simmer the lentils in the chicken broth with the bay leaf and half of the garlic in an uncovered 4-quart pot for about 12 minutes.  While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Brown the sausage, then remove it to a towel-lined dish.

Reduce the heat to medium add the onion, Swiss chard stems, carrots, celery and remaining garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Saute until the onions are just soft, then stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for two more minutes.  Add the sausage and the lentils with their cooking liquid and simmer for about five more minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Add the chard leaves and cook until tender, about three more minutes.  Add the vinegar to taste and adjust the seasoning.  Remove the bay leaves and serve.

adapted from recipe in Gourmet Magazine [RIP] (October 2008)

Exported from Home Cookin v.8.55 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Tomatillo Pesto

Back in September (yes, I'm that far behind on my blogging) my gardening friend asked me if I liked tomatillos, as she had a surplus of them.  I wasn't completely sure how to respond because, as a rule, I am not fond of the tomatillo sauce that is served at most restaurants, but I'm not sure how accurately that reflects the taste of a real, live tomatillo.  So I told her that I wasn't a huge fan, but would be willing to try them fresh to see whether I liked them or not.

So she brought me 5 beautiful, fresh tomatillos.  I hadn't really thought about what I would do with them, so I started looking for recipes.  I was hoping to find something other than sauce, but I did not have much luck with that.  I finally decided to try this recipe I found at A Thought for Food, a site well worth checking out as it is chock full of lovely recipes and breathtakingly beautiful photos.

I made the recipe pretty much as written, and I must say it was something of a revelation to me.  It was fresh, tart, and spicy.  It pretty much begged to be used with pork, so I bought a tenderloin at the Apple Market.  I looked online for a roasting technique for the meat and found a good one, but I somehow failed to bookmark it so I regret that I can't link to it.  But I can remember how I cooked it.

The sauce married well with the pork.    I put the tenderloin on a foil-lined baking sheet, seasoned it, and then covered it with the sauce.  I baked it at 375 deg. F. until an internal thermometer read 145 degrees, then let it rest before slicing into it.  It was stupendously good.

I cannot recommend this salsa highly enough.  It is fresh and spicy and so far goes well with everything I have tried.  It is especially good spread over fish just before broiling.

Home Cookin Chapter:  Spices Spreads Dips Sauces

TOMATILLO PESTO

4 to 5 medium tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, dried and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (any nuts will work)
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, roughly chopped, seeds removed if
you prefer less heat
1/4 cup walnut oil (any oil will work)
juice of 1 lime
kosher salt, to taste

Place all of the ingredients except for the oil in a food processor with the blade attachment and process until well blended.  With the motor running, add the oil in a fine drizzle and continue to blend to the desired consistency.

adapted from http://www.athoughtforfood.net/recipe-fettucine-with-tomatillo-and -cilantro-pesto/

Exported from Home Cookin v.8.55 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Stir Fried Broccoli with Shallots

It's been a while since I pulled out the wok.  Sub-zero temperatures and snow do not bring it to mind, and we have had more than our share of both so far this year.  But I continue my goal to eat more vegetables and have been in the habit of always having broccoli in the fridge.  I was mostly just blanching it and eating it that way, sometimes tossing it in a light walnut oil and wine vinegar dressing, sometimes just adding salt and pepper and leaving it at that.  As quick and easy as that is, and as much as I like broccoli by itself, I find myself looking for different ways to prepare it.

I mostly think of stir fry as a grand production, with my "if these ingredients are good, this many more would be so much better" mentality.  I will end up with a large amount of little bowls and plates that leave a lot to clean up at the end, and often the flavors compete with each other rather than complementing the main ingredient.  I can't remember whether or not I've mentioned it before, but that is one of the things I have been working on this past year or so:  less is more.   I try to remember and repeat it every time I walk into the kitchen.  And you know what?  Less really is more, at least in the kitchen.

In this case it is an especially good thing.  When I keep my stir fry simple, it is a snap to whip one up in a jiffy, with minimal cleanup required at the end.

This method works well with broccoli, but could be used with just about any other vegetable you would like to use.  Here's how I did it:

Home Cooking Chapter - My Recipes

STIR FRIED BROCCOLI WITH SHALLOTS Serves 2

1/2 Tbsp peanut oil, or other oil with a high smoke point
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 head of broccoli, cut into smal florets of even size
1/2 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (or 1 tsp each of fresh ginger and
minced garlic)
1 Tbsp sweet sherry
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water, as needed

Combine the sherry and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch and set aside.  Have the shallot, broccoli, and ginger garlic paste ready.

Heat the wok until smoking.  Add the oil and the shallot and let cook for a few seconds.  Add the ginger garlic paste and stir for another few seconds.  Add the broccoli and cook until just tender.  As soon as the garlic and ginger start to brown and stick to the bottom of the wok, pour about half of the water around the edge of the cooking food to create steam and to loosen the garlic and ginger from the bottom of the wok.  Cook until the water has evaporated.  Repeat with the rest of the water if necessary.

As soon as the broccoli is ready - about 5 - 7 minutes total, add the sherry and soy sauce mixture.  As soon as it is boiling, add the corn starch and water slurry and cook until the mixture thickens, about 10 seconds.  Remove the wok from the heat and turn the broccoli into a serving bowl to keep it from cooking more.  Serve immediately.

Exported from Home Cookin v.8.55 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Recalls of the Week:

Back when Blogger updated their format I ran into many problems trying to compose with HTML. Being self-taught and using a lot of cut-and-paste techniques, I had too much trouble with the format and I got frustrated trying to get the layout for these "Recall of the Week" posts to look the way I wanted them to look. Being the dedicated blogger that I am, I simply gave up trying. But I still get the weekly reminders and it still pisses me off that we waste so much food and seem to be going about fixing the problem in all of the wrong ways that I have decided to suck it up and try again. With a different format, of course. So here's what happened this past week*:

Tyson Foods, Inc. of Sedalia, Missouri, is recalling approximately 33,840 pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with a Salmonella Heidelberg strain (1/10/14).
   

Gusto Packing of Montgomery, Illinois, is recalling approximately 67,113 pounds of sliced, spiral ham products due to concerns about possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination (1/17/14). 



*This list does not include recalls issued due to mislabeled foods, only recalls for food products that pose a potential health threat due to contamination issues.

Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

Frittata for One: Two-Egg Vegetable Frittata

I love frittatas, and make them somewhat regularly, but my regular 8-egg recipe is often more than I want for the time it would take me to eat all of it.  I am lucky enough to love leftovers so that is not usually an issue for me; however, when I want some frittata for Sunday breakfast, I don't always want it to carry over into the work week.

The solution is certainly one of those "duh" moments.  There is no reason that the recipe cannot be broken down into individual, two-egg servings.  And that is what I did here.

I am also still trying to incorporate more vegetables into my diet, and as a means of accomplishing that I have taken to having some pre-blanched vegetables on hand at all times to add to dishes, or to simply eat out of hand so I have healthier snack options.  So far that is working out pretty well, and it was especially helpful over the weekend when I had the thought of making a quick frittata and realized I had broccoli and zucchini already prepped in the refrigerator.  From there, it was an incredibly simple process to pare down my regular frittata recipe to a single serving.

It could be doubled for two, or if you wanted to be a little bit fancy, you could simply make two of them for a cozy breakfast for two.  You could also prep a lot of different vegetable options and have yourself a frittata party. It's all good.

TWO EGG FRITTATA

Makes 1 serving

2 eggs
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped blanched zucchini
1/2 cup chopped broccoli stems or florets
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and add the thyme, salt and pepper and whisk together.  Add the zucchini and broccoli and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet.  When it is foamy and sizzling, pour in the egg mixture, making sure to distribute the vegetables evenly.  Let sit for 30 seconds, then lower the heat and cook until the eggs have set on the bottom, about 15 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.  Place the skillet under the broiler (wrap the handle in aluminum foil if it is plastic) until the cheese has melted and is golden, about 2 minutes.

Can be served immediately, or at room temperature.

12/03/2013

Exported from Home Cookin v.8.54 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Chicken Pizza

Every once in a while we order pizza for our end-of-month lunch at work, and it is a challenge to find the right mix of toppings for a group that contains vegetarians and various allergies. I usually ask around to get a general idea of what will fly before I place the order.  The last time, when I asked one of my more challenged co-workers what pizza she could eat, she said "chicken." When I asked what she liked with it, she said "Just chicken. Nothing else."

I didn't think that would work well for everyone, so I just ordered chicken on half of a pizza. To my surprise, it was the first to go and folks were commenting on how good it was. So I think I will order a whole one next time.

And it got me thinking about my tendency to overdo in the kitchen. Whenever I start to think of a new combination of flavors, I start with two things that will go well together but before I know it, I keep adding items until I have created a virtual monster. And I will often end up with a mish-mash of flavors that add up to much less than the sum of their parts.

So I decided to make a chicken pizza. A just-chicken pizza. And it was fantastic. The sauce and cheese created the perfect backdrop to let the chicken shine. Sometimes less truly is more.

CHICKEN PIZZA

Makes 2 pizzas

1 batch pizza dough (recipe below or click here to see how to do it)
3/4 lb cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Make pizza dough.  Move a rack to the bottom slot of the oven and preheat it to 550 deg. F. Shape the dough to the desired size. Top with the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the mozzarella cheese and the chicken, then spread the Parmesan cheese over everything. (If you are making two pizzas, use half of the ingredients for each pizza.) Bake the pizza for 18 to 20 minutes, until it is browned and bubbling.

Serve hot.

PIZZA DOUGH

Makes 2 small pizzas

1-1/4 cup warm water (105 - 115 deg. F.)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast (or two 1/4-oz. packets)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white bread flour, plus more for kneading
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
cornmeal, for dusting the baking sheet

Combine the flours, salt and sugar in a small bowl and whisk together to mix well. Place warm water in a large bowl and add the yeast, whisking it together. Add the oil, and then the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.

Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and set the bowl aside. Bring the dough together into a ball and knead, sprinkling more flour over the dough if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic and is just at the point where it is not sticking to your hands. Try not to add too much flour. Cut in half and make two balls. Dust with flour and put each ball into a plastic bag (leaving room for it to rise) and put the balls in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pizza. If you are making the pizzas right away, then just put the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to make sure it is covered with the oil, and let it rise until doubled, about one-and-a-half hours.

You can also freeze the dough at this point. Just give it time to defrost before you get to work.

Follow the directions for the pizza you are making.

adapted from the recipe on the package of Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White Flour.

Exported from Home Cookin 6.46 (www.mountain-software.com

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato and Spinach

This dish was inspired by a recipe I got years ago from my sister and filed away for future reference.  I finally decided to give it a try this year, and it was quite delicious.

When I took a closer look at the recipe, I saw that the only spice it used was curry powder.  These days I have so many Indian spices in my pantry that I decided to make my own blend.  It was easy to do and they  blended the earthiness of the spinach and lentils with the sweetness of the potatoes to a perfect pitch.

The way the recipe was originally written, you saute the onion, garlic and ginger, then add the liquid, and then add the spices and tomato paste.  One of the main things I have learned about Indian cooking is that you cook the spices in the oil before you add the liquid so the spices can bloom.  The same applies to the tomato paste.  It was about that time I decided to create my own dish instead of making it as written.

The result was quite lovely.  The sweet potato adds an extra depth of texture and flavor that makes this a memorable dish.  It is warm and hearty and full of flavor.  You can't ask for more than that.

If you prefer, you can use curry powder instead of the nigella, cumin and mustard seeds and other spices; add it where the recipes tells you to add the rest of the spices.

Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes

CURRIED LENTILS WITH SWEET POTATOES AND SPINACH

Makes 4 main or 6 side servings

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 lb chopped spinach

Combine nigella seeds and oil in large saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the seeds are sizzling add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, followed immediately by the onion. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the rest of the spices and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to let them burn. Add the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes. Add the lentils and the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, covered, until the lentils are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Add the sweet potato and tomatoes and cover the pot again. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, then add the spinach and stir well. Cook for another 5, until the spinach has wilted. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately over dill rice.

05/19/2013

Exported from Home Cookin 7.50 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Pickled Beet and Fennel Salad with Shallots and Walnuts

Happy Thanksgiving from the sunny strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Family has converged here from various parts of the country.  As a first-time visitor I am trying to absorb the overwhelming . . . overwhelmingness . . . of it all.  I fully expected to hate it, and while I am impervious to most of the attractions I can't say that I am hating it.  The mountains that surround the city are breathtakingly beautiful, as is the weather.  Anthropoligically, there is something to be said for the sheer magnititude of neon (although I guess it isn't neon anymore; at least not the neon I am used to associating with Las Vegas).  The water display at Bellagio was an amazing sight.  The sheer commercialism and excessive consumerism are not as vulgar as I expected both to be, but are impossible to avoid.  I am still trying to process it all as I have only been here one day, but it is an impressive place; whether the impression is positive or negative I leave to the individual.  I have not done any gambling, nor do I plan to.  But that's more because it just isn't my kind of thing and I'd rather spend my money on something that I enjoy.  So far we have not eaten at any noteworthy restaurants, nor do we plan to as far as I know, but the food has been fresh and good where we have eaten.  Today we will explore the bounty of the Flamingo Paradise Garden Buffet Thanksgiving spread that overlooks a 15-acre habitat that includes live pink flamingos and the biggest koi I believe I have ever seen.  I expect it will be quite tasty (the buffet, not the koi).  I hope your Thanksgiving spread is equally good.

I jumped on the pickling bandwagon a couple of years ago.  I am especially proud of my dill pickles.  I've done some experimenting with vegetables and I love what the combination of sugar and vinegar does for all kinds of vegetables.  I have not taken the plunge into canning yet, but that is not far off the horizon.  Maybe next year.

One of the things I do not like about pickled vegetables, however, is the amount of sugar involved.  Granted, most of it stays in the jar with the pickling liquid and I think sugar is fine in moderation, but I try to eat as little added sugar to my diet as possible.  And what sugar I do allow myself to have I would much rather get from the cookies, cakes, and pies I love to bake.  So I do not pickle as often as I would like to.

But I do love me some pickled beets.  And Leaning Shed had the most beautiful big golden beets that I had to bring some home with me.  I wanted to pickle them so I decided to do a quick online search to see if I could find a method that did not use such a high ratio of sugar to sour.  As luck would have it, I found this recipe on Elise Bauer's Simply Recipes that calls for just a tablespoon each of sugar and apple cider vinegar.  A tablespoon of olive oil balances the two to truly highlight the natural sweetness of the beets.

I liked it so much I decided to take it that one step further and add my favorite companions to the beets and came up with this pickled beet and fennel salad with shallots and walnuts.  I used red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, and soaked the shallots in it while I prepared the rest of the ingredients to mellow their bite and give them extra tang.  The end result was the perfect balance of sweet, sour, tart and tangy.  A sprinkling of fresh thyme gave it the perfect fresh finishing touch.

It might be too late to add this to your Thanksgiving table, but it would make a nice addition to that other holiday meal that is coming up . . . Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes

PICKLED BEET AND FENNEL SALAD WITH WALNUTS

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 medium-large beets
1 large or 2 small shallots, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1 large fennel bulb quartered and cored
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

To toast the walnuts:  Lay the walnut pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet and place on a center rack in a pre-heated 350 deg. F. oven.  Cook until the nuts are just starting to turn brown and you can just start to smell them, about 10 minutes.  (Check after 7 minutes.)  Remove from the oven and place in a bowl to cool, then coarsely chop them.

Leave an inch of the stems and the roots on the beets and wash under cold water, making sure to scrub off all of the dirt.  Place the beets in a 3-quart saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, covered, until tender, between 30 and 40 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool. 

While the beets are cooling, prep the rest of the vegetables. Thinly slice the shallots and put them in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar.  Set aside.  Slice the fennel as thin as possible and place in a large bowl. Trim the ends of the cooked beets and peel them.  Cut them into quarters and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Add to the fennel.

Remove the shallots from the vinegar (keep the vinegar) and add them to the fennel and beets.  Add the olive oil, mustard, and sugar to the vinegar and whisk briskly until an emulsion has formed.  Season to taste with the salt and pepper.  Pour over the salad and combine well.  Add the thyme, reserving some for garnish if you're using fresh.  Toss to combine.  Let sit at least half an hour before serving immediately, or refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  Top with a tablespoon of the toasted chopped walnuts and a few leaves of the fresh thyme.

inspired by recipe found at Elise Bauer's Simply Recipes:

Exported from Home Cookin 7.53 (www.mountainsoftware.com)