Indian Food Week: Part 2

This week I have been deep in rehearsals for THE MAGIC FLUTE here in Midwestia. I have to admit I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of talent they have gathered to be in this production; there are some accomplished and wonderful singers here.

In this second installment of INDIAN FOOD WEEK I present to you an authentic recipe for the delicious vegetarian dish, Saag Paneer (cheese with spinach.) You can purchase paneer in the cheese section of some groceries but if you live in Midwestia or are just feeling crafty you can make your own paneer very quickly and easily by clicking here. It's crazy how easy it is.

This recipe for Saag Paneer was part of a wedding shower gift from a dear friend of mine (who's family happens to be Indian)-and it's sooooo good.

SAAG PANEER FROM PRITI'S MOM

1 onion

6 cloves garlic

1 oz. fresh ginger

1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed

1 cup plain yogurt

4 oz. buttermilk

2 tsp red chili powder (start with less if you don't like hot & spicy)

2 tsp garam masala (start with less if you don't like hot & spicy)

1 cup half and half

6 oz. paneer

salt to taste

Chop the onion, garlic and ginger and grind them into a paste. In a medium saucepan, combine the paste, spinach, yogurt, buttermilk, chili powder, and garam masala. Simmer at medium heat for 20 minutes. Mash the ingredients with a potato masher (or blend in a blender if you like it finer and smoother.) Add the half-half. Simmer until the mixture has a creamy consistency, 10 - 15 minutes. Add the cheese, simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Zucchini Pie

Last night Prof. Hubs and I prepared a Spring feast dinner: Pasta with Asparagus & Lemon, eggplant rollantini, and this zucchini pie.

One of my favorite family recipes, and perhaps one of yours as a few friends have told me they grew up with it as well, (it must have been in some publication back in my grandmother's day) is the Zucchini Pie. My grandmother and mother have made it for as long as I can remember. It's a delicious vegetarian entrée, a lovely appetizer or just a great addition to any spring meal. And it's a great way to use up any zucchini or squash you have in the house. Those of you who don't like cheese needn't worry-the parmesan included doesn't over-power the flavor, it more adds depth and richnes. The pie has a nice bit of puff and lightness and I personally prefer it thinner than thicker (cooked in a larger pan=more crisp outer layer. mmmm....) Actually, my favorite way to enjoy this pie is in little cupcake servings!

ZUCCHINI PIE

3 cups shredded zucchini (or a mix of zucchini and summer squash)

1 small onion chopped finely

4 eggs

1 cup bisquick mix (or 1 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried marjoram (opt.)

1 tsp chopped parsley (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased 10X6 pan (or 12 inch pie plate or cupcake tins.) bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.

closeup of deliciousness

Vegetable Resolutions

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions-by the time December 31st rolls around I've rarely even considered my plans for the new year. However I do recognize the value of goal setting and creating healthy habits. After the richest of holiday feasts I like to amp up my vegetable intake. I figure that if I eat more vegetables I won't have any more room in my tummy for fatty foods and sweets... Following the richest of indulgences I have been known to eat a dinner or two a week of just beautifully prepared vegetables. Sometimes the body needs a bit of a digestive break from the heavy, complicated foods of the holidays. My favorite veggies include a whole roasted Sweet potato (wrap in foil, bake at 400 for 1-1.5 hours,) roasted brussels sprouts or asparagus (toss with olive oil, s&p, put on baking sheet, bake at 400 for 20 min,) and my new veggie fave: garlicky breadcrumbs cauliflower. To me this cauliflower preparation is a nice substitute for my breadcrumbs pasta. (Though low-carb people take note: it's not low carb. It's cooked in breadcrumbs. But it is lower carb than pasta cooked in bread crumbs...)

It's a lovely side dish to fish or chicken, or enjoy it as I do: part of an all vegetable feast.

GARLICKY BREADCRUMBS CAULIFLOWER

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

1/4, up to 3/4 Cups breadcrumbs

S&P

In a large saucepan add cauliflower, cover with water and a some shakes of salt. Bring to a boil. Cook until cauliflower is tender-about 8 minutes. Drain well.

In a large, nonstick sautée pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden. Add breadcrumbs. Well combine garlic oil and breadcrumbs. Add cauliflower and toss to coat.

I like to allow the mixture to stay for a minute or two in place-in order to create a nice crispy crust of crumbs on the cauliflower (this can only be done in a nonstick pan.) Add S&P to taste. Enjoy!

Popovers

In my childhood home my Mom must have baked fresh popovers every Winter weekend. I fondly remember tearing into the warm, puffy crust and feeling enthralled as I watched the steam rush skyward before I took my first bite. Each of my two brothers must have eaten their weight in popovers during the 1980's... This is why whenever I see/smell/taste/even think of popovers I feel intense happy family nostalgia.

My friend Claire (of Claire's Limey Salad fame) recently prepared popovers at a dinner she hosted and I was instantly taken back to those childhood weekend breakfasts. With this in mind I decided to prepare a Desperate Housediva version of this family favorite. I added some magical White Whole Wheat flour in order to make it a bit healthier and included the melted butter in the batter itself to add a flaky/pastry component to the dish. They did not disappoint: not only do they live up to my popover nostalgia but they also feel healthier (and no less delicious) with the addition of the white whole wheat flour.

If you have never had the pleasure of enjoying a fresh popover (which was Prof. Hubs' situation before this morning) the only way I can describe them is to say they are something like a Yorkshire Pudding...if that doesn't help you, just taste them. Prof. Hubs said that they are like the best parts of bread combined with the bests part of eggs. This is a somewhat literal description for those who really have no previous popover/yorkshire pudding experience.

No matter what, you should make them...like NOW.

POPOVERS

(adapted from the Moosewood cookbook)

2 to 4 Tbsp melted butter

2 eggs

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

(NOTE: In the original recipe one can use up to 4 eggs depending on your egginess preferences. If using more than 2 eggs, add a 1/4 each of milk and all purpose flour.)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tin/popover tin.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients well. A few lumps are okay.

(NOTE: some people use the melted butter to grease the tin. Others add the melted butter to the batter. I do the latter and it creates a wonderfully flaky popover, but if you're looking for a silkier, less flaky popover omit the butter from the batter.)

Pour batter into muffin tins filling them 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes (Add 5 minutes

per egg if you added more than 2 to your batter.) DO NOT open oven while popovers are baking!!!!!

After the alotted cooking time has passed remove popovers immediately and prick the puffy part with a knife to allow steam to escape and to help them hold their unique shape.

Serve immediately. I like mine plain or with this...

Healthy side dish idea for Holiday feasts and beyond!!!

In general, I don't like cauliflower. I think it goes back to the years of boring veggie trays at various school events (I also don't like that plastic-tasting ranch dressing that comes in tubs that often accompanies those trays.) In my entire life thus far I may have only enjoyed this pale cousin of the broccoli prepared 2 ways-the first is a roasted preparation with salt and pepper (because I believe that just about every vegetable is delicious when tossed in olive oil, salted, peppered and roasted...) and the other preparation is as a flavorful substitute for mashed potatoes which appears at the end of this post.

I am always looking for ways to incorporate different vegetables into my diet which is what drove me to give cauliflower a whirl in Midwestia. I also love comfort foods and I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to enjoy lighter versions in a healthy way. (It is due to the latter that I often substitute whole wheat flour for white or agave nectar for honey/sugar. I don't cook with fake sugars like splenda: I don't like the taste and I mentally feel less satisfied if I know that I am not eating actual calories-Although I am guilty of hypocrisy in this matter because I have been known to use butter-flavored crisco sticks to make my famous ginger cookies...and I really can't think of anything LESS natural than butter-flavored crisco stick) With that in mind, here is an all-natural recipe for delicious cauliflower mash:

Rich & Creamy (and garlicky) parmesan mashed cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 head garlic

handful parmesan

2 large dollops sour cream

S&P

Remove papery outer shell of garlic head. Wrap garlic in foil. Roast head of garlic in foil in oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, squeeze out yummy roasted garlic from clove.

Wash and cut cauliflower into florets

Boil cauliflower in large pot of water until tender (about 10 minutes)

Drain really, really well. While still hot, combine with sour cream, parmesan, roasted garlic, and s&p. Puree mixture in Food Processor, Blender, etc. until the texture resembles that of mashed potatoes.

Enjoy as a low-carb, starch free, veggie side dish!

surprising use for an impulse foodie purchase

Last Spring when Prof. Hubs was living in Boston we would spend part of our weekends together on various kitchen experiments. I really enjoyed tasting the ethnic eats available in Boston and on one particular visit Prof. Hubs, his roommate, and I all visited a Korean market in Cambridge in search of some foodie finds. In addition to several giant jars of Kimchee I picked up a beautiful bag of Korean sweet brown rice. At the time I thought I was buying short grain brown rice (my fave) because I did not read (nor do I now read) Korean. Much to my dismay when I prepared the rice (washed it 3 times, cooked it 1:2 parts water) I ended up with a sticky, glutinous 'porridge.' That's when I set to googling and learned the Brown sweet rice is actually brown STICKY rice, used for desserts, etc. This bag of rice has sat in my pantry for a few months untouched. Then a couple of days ago I was struck with a possible use for the rice which produced a PHENOMENAL culinary success.

Now, think for a moment. What is one of the yummiest fall side dishes of all? Butternut squash risotto, of course! And what's the problem with typical risotto? It's made with WHITE rice (Arborio, etc.) How can one enjoy a perfect fall risotto but not sacrifice whole grain goodness??? BROWN SWEET RICE to the rescue!!!

One caveat to this substitution-brown rice takes about twice the amount of time to cook as does it's white cousin. However, this rice is so naturally glutinous you can easily let it cook, covered, and unattended for bits at a time between the stirring. So I think this makes up for the extra 25 minutes...

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH BROWN RICE

cooked insides of 1 butternut squash (halved and roasted for an hour so that the 'meat' is soft, then scooped out of the skin)

1 cup brown sweet rice

up to a container of low-sodium chicken broth

up to 1/2 bottle of dry white wine

1 shallot, minced

olive oil

s&p

lots of parmegiano reggiano, for serving.

First, rinse your sweet rice in water 3 times. This helps reduce the stickiness. You may also soak it for several hours or overnight. Dry rice grains (just make sure there's no extra water hanging out with those grains when you're ready to start cooking.)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over med-high heat. Sauté shallots in the oil until soft and translucent. Then add rice. Stir rice around in shallot/oil mixture for about 3 minutes. Then add 3/4 cup broth and 3/4 cup wine. At this point you can hang out with the rice and stir, or you can cover the pot and go watch a few minutes of tv. When the rice has absorbed most of the broth and wine, add another 1/2 cup of each and give it some nice stirs. At this point you may cover again for a few minutes until the broth and wine are absorbed. Basically, just repeat this procedure until the rice reaches the correct al dente texture. For me this took about 45 minutes. When that texture is reached (or about to be reached) add your squash, stir around. Add s&p. Remove from heat. Add parm. to taste and ENJOY!!!

Next time I'll share with you my sweet potato whole wheat gnocchi :)

Independence Day

Last night was the first Independence Day fireworks display I have seen in probably 20 years.  The inhabitants of the entire town and its environs all gathered on the local High School's soccer field and watched silently (for the most part) for 30 minutes of dynamite splendor.   It was really nice.

Today I have been thinking a great deal about my own independence.  I was left to my own devices much of the morning as my fiancé went about his schol

arly duties in his office.  I'm so used to filling my time with excitement in New York-with meeting up with friends, voice lessons, window shopping, etc. that I don't actually give myself any time to think.  Now that I'm here and I have nothing but completely unstructured time I need to learn how to be productive in my contemplation.  In other words:  I need hobbies.  I have a few work related things that are necessary every day (practicing for at least an hour, photo retouching, working out, cooking elaborate dinners) but that is not enough to keep a person from going crazy.  I'm thinking of taking up

 painting.  Or planning a recital to perform here in the fall.  Any ideas???

I've never been good on vacations at simply RELAXING.  I always have a suitcase full of novels to keep my mind occupied.  I think I need to spend some time learning to appreciate the lack of social stimuli here in Ohio.

In my attempts to utilize my large and fabulous kitchen here and to keep myself out of trouble here are a few recipes:

Yesterday's Farmer's Market was fabulous and I came home with an abundance of fun fruits and veggies to play with.  I am particularly excited about the beets (with greens attached) and the Swiss Chard.  Oh, and I've never had actual black raspberries before, only blackberries.  They are amazing!

Here are two recipes I'm making tonight inspired by yesterday's bounty:

BEET AND ORANGE SALAD

3 beets, roasted, peeled and sliced

1 Orange,  3/4 sectioned, cubed, juice of the last 1/4 reserved (with none of the pithy white stuff)

Feta Cheese crumbles

Chopped mint

E.V. Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Arrange beets on a serving platter.  Top with orange cubes, feta crumbles and chopped mint. make a dressing out of the reserved juice, a bit of olive oil and some s&p to taste.  Enjoy!!!

My Blitva (Croatian Swiss Chard)

Bunch of Swiss Chard, washed, cut away from stalk and into 1-inch strips

White or yellow potatoes, boiled until tender, drained, still warm.  Skin on, cubed.

Garlic cloves, chopped (I always use a lot of garlic in my recipes, like 3 to 4 cloves for this, but if that seems insane to you, cut back a bit)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

S&P

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on med-hi, add garlic.  After the garlic becomes fragrant, add the chard strips.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until well wilted.

Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl combine cubed potatoes (still warm,) with the chard and garlic mixture.  Add up to 1/2 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper until you get a nice, mash of all the ingredients.  This is AMAZING as a side dish to fish, meat, omelettes, whatever.  I just love blitva.  

Buon Appetito!