From Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. A wonderful cookbook with an amazing breadth of recipes.
Ms. Jaffrey says to use unwashed risotto rice to get at all the starch- a shocking idea for a compulsive food washer like me! A good risotto, she says, is adult 'nursery food', with an assertive density, and a decided bite. Never undercooked, but firm and creamy, like well-cooked pasta.
I took a leap of faith and followed the instructions, down to the unwashed rice. The end result was a gorgeous risotto- simple, creamy, perfect.
Ingredients:
4 cups light vegetable stock ( I used one stock cube dissolved in 4 cups hot water)
3 tbsp olive oil ( I used one tbsp)
1 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 small onion, finely chopped ( I did not use it)
1 tbsp golden raisins
10 oz fresh spinach, washed, dried, chopped
1 cup unwashed risotto rice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
Heat the stock and keep it hot over low heat.
Pour the oil in a large, heavy saute pan. ( I used a dutch oven.) When hot, add the pine nuts. Fry them until golden brown. Remove.
Now add the onion to the oil. Fry it for a minute, and add the raisins. Stir a few times and add the spinach. Fry for a few minutes, and add the rice and cinnamon. Fry for another minute.
Pour in a ladleful of stock. Turn the heat to medium and keep stirring. As the stock gets absorbed, keep adding another ladleful and stirring. Keep doing it until all the stock is gone, for at least 22 minutes.
Add and stir in the cheese and butter, until well mixed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Let the risotto rest for a minute, then serve with pine nuts sprinkled on top.
When I find a recipe that combines all the veggies in my fridge that need to be used up, I run with it, even if it is from the infamous Food Network. These galettes are easy to make, delicious, and perfect for a crowd. Cut into smaller squares for appetizers and larger ones for main course.
The recipe follows, with my modifications in brackets.
Arugula Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh arugula, cleaned and packed
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach, cleaned and packed
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons sliced toasted almonds (I used walnuts instead, thinking the heavier flavor of walnuts would go better with arugula.)
- 3/4 cup olive oil (I used 3 tsp)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 tbsp)
- Pinch salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Galettes:
- 1 box puff pastry sheets, thawed (substitute pizza dough, mini pitas, flatbreads, whatever rocks your boat)
- 3/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers
- 3/4 cup sliced roasted yellow peppers (I stuck the peppers in the oven while the pastry thawed, and they were done in about twenty minutes.)
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
To make the pesto: In a blender, combine the arugula, spinach, Parmesan, garlic, and sliced almonds. Blend on low and slowly drizzle in the olive oil and the lemon juice. Blend until the mixture completely emulsifies. Remove from the blender and season with salt and pepper.
To make the galettes: Cut the puff pastry sheets into 6 (6-inch) round circles. (I just cut it into squares with a pizza cutter.) Place each circle on a parchment-lined pan. Spread about 3 tablespoons of arugula pesto over the top of each puff pastry circle. Sprinkle the roasted peppers evenly on top. Divide the feta cheese evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe.Our household kitchen chef did, and found it worthy of four stars. Serve with a salad and nice wine. Enjoy!!
(And we are officially, truly, back in the cooking business.)
The weekend bread baking ritual starts like this.
Friday evening, I settle on the couch with a bread book and a cup of tea. This is the best part, deciding which bread to bake. Something new or old? Sourdough or not? The rest of the weekend is planned around the bread.
Start the soaker and biga after brunch on Saturday. Clean house before, shop for groceries after.
Sunday morning, mix the dough and start the first proof.
Run to the farmer's market for lunch and icecream. Run back.
Shape the loaf. Pre-heat the oven. Practice patience.
Finally! Bread-baking time. The house smells yummy.
An hour later, dinner is served.
Peter Reinhart's recipe for whole grain Struan, a Scottish Harvest bread made with a little bit of all the harvest grains thrown in. That is the true genius of the Struan; you can make it with whatever grains you have on hand. I had barley, steel cut oats and flax seeds.
Served with an Italian chickpea-mushroom soup.
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup canned crushed concentrated tomatoes (or 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped)
a handful of fresh basil and oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
parmesan shavings
- If using dried beans, soak them in 4 cups water the night before. Pressure- cook the beans the next day until softened.
- Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup hot water. When softened, chop roughly. Pass the soaking liquid through a fine sieve and reserve.
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, cumin and sweat the onions until translucent.
- Add the chickpeas with their liquid, tomatoes, mushrooms and their liquid, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for forty minutes.
- Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot. Simmer for another ten minutes.
- Stir in the sour cream before serving and top each bowl with parmesan shavings. Serve with crusty bread.
Two words: Comfort. Food.
I really haven't felt like cooking since my family left. Everything that mom brought- the home made wheat cookies, the cute silver bowls shaped like a leaf, the three bronze musicians on my wall- remind me of home and what I'm missing. Thank goodness for the barefoot contessa, who tempted me back into the kitchen with her lobster pot pies.
I usually make pie crusts at home, thinking they are bound to be healthier than store brought ones, but a comparison showed that there isn't much difference in terms of calories. Using frozen puff pastry sheets made this a true comfort food, easy to put together in less than an hour.
For the filling:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1.5 cups milk
1 tsp vegetable stock concentrate
a handful of fresh herbs (I used sage and thyme)
6 cups of parboiled/fresh veggies (cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, peas and mushrooms)
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast/cheese
salt and pepper
For the crust:
I used one frozen puff pastry sheet for four mini loaf pans/ramekins
1 tbsp oil+1 tbsp milk, for brushing
coarse salt and black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, and leave the puff pastry sheet on the counter to thaw.
Heat the butter in a dutch oven. Add the flour and stir until you get a dark brown roux. Whisk in the milk and the stock concentrate and bring them to a boil. Add the mustard, yeast, veggies. Season and let simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are cooked through.
Divide the vegetable filling between four mini loaf pans/ramekins. Cut the thawed puff pastry sheet to fit the pans, leaving half an inch overhang all around. (You could also use a dutch oven to cook the veggies in and then just cover it with the whole sheet). Cover the pans with the pastry sheet, seal the edges and brush the surface with milk and oil mixture. Sprinkle some coarse salt and pepper on top if you like, cut at least two vents into the crust, and bake until the top is well browned (about 20 minutes for the mini-pans.) Let stand for ten minutes before serving.
This was good with a simple green salad, even better when followed by the Skinny Cow chocolate fudge icecream.
p.s. Why do you think I can't find any fat free frozen yogurt when I want to binge?
Date and pistachio stuffed semolina cookies, flavored with rose water. Familiar to the Indian palate, yet very different.
For my parents.
Are you parent to an aspiring cook? Do you silently watch as your child wreaks havoc on your precious cookware? Do you swallow undercooked pasta with a brave smile and a word of encouragement?
In another twenty or so years, you shall be rewarded.
With cookies.
Hang in there.
p.s. I'd like to send one of these pics to Jugalbandi Click for May- theme cookies. Which picture do you like best?
The kind that make you drive fast, drop all the groceries at the door, and run back out with the camera in hand.
..For the most important question of all.
via Fark.com
Yes, such a beast exists.
I have been fascinated by challah for a long, long time. It has to be one of the most beautiful breads out there, and most bread baking books are full of praises for the rich festival bread.
Or it could just be that I wanted to braid dough. :)
I found Maggie Glezer's sourdough challah recipe at The Fresh Loaf. It is a comprehensive recipe with detailed instructions, which makes it so much easier to follow.
To make it vegan, I replaced the eggs with a flax seed emulsion and the honey with agave nectar. Here is the recipe with my modifications.
For the starter:
2 tablespoons (1.2 ounces) active firm sourdough starter
1/3 cup (2.8 ounces) warm water
1 cup (4.8 ounces) bread flour
For final dough:
1/4 cup warm water
3 large eggs, plus 1 for glazing I replaced the three eggs with 3 tbsp of powdered flax seed plus 9 tbsp water. For the glaze, I used 1/4 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water.
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons agave nectar
About 3 cups (14 ounces) bread flour
Fully fermented sourdough starter
Evening before baking:
Knead starter into water until it is partially dissolved, then stir in the flour. Knead this firm dough until it is smooth. Let the starter ferment until it has tripled in volume, 8 to 12 hours.
Baking day:
In a large bowl, beat together the water, powdered flax seeds plus the additional water, salt, oil, and nectar until well combined. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix in the bread flour. When the mixture is a shaggy ball, scrape it out onto your work surface, add the starter, and knead until the dough is smooth, no more than 10 minutes. If the dough is too firm to knead easily, add a tablespoon or two of water to it; if it seems too wet, add a few tablespoons flour.
The dough should feel smooth and very firm but be easy to knead.
Fermenting the dough:
Place the dough in the warm cleaned bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment for about 2 hours. It will probably not rise much.
Shaping and proofing the dough:
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Braid the dough as desired, position the loaf on the prepared sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof until tripled in size, about 5 hours.
30 minutes before baking, arrange one rack in the upper third position . Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the glaze for the loaf. (Vegan glazes- soymilk, cornstarch and water, baking soda and water.) I microwaved 1/2 tsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water for three minutes. Online forums suggested that it would give the bread that eggy shine. Unfortunately it did not quite work out that way. :)
Baking the loaves:
When the loaf has tripled and does not push back when gently pressed with your finger, brush with the glaze. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until very well browned. If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent it with foil. When done, remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a rack.
I have not had regular challah, but this version was delightful. Not very soft, but a rich, sweet flavor- the crust was especially delicious. The crumb is light, soft and moist. I will be making this challah again.
The vegan sourdough challah goes to the weekly Yeastspotting over at the Wild Yeast blog.
I could have baked a cake for A's birthday, but here's how cake distribution goes in our household.
P bakes a cake.
A eats a slice. P eats a slice. A praises the cake and goes to bed.
P eats the rest of the cake.
So, in the interest of our shiny new healthy lifestyle, I made cupcakes instead. Four of them.
I followed Isa's fabulous recipe. I had tried it once before, replacing all of the oil with applesauce. That yielded passable cupcakes, but the ones made from the original recipe are truly extraordinary. Moist, light, and not too sweet.
(As for the frosting, what you see above is lite cool whip with some lemon zest and chopped crystallized ginger. Yeah, sometimes nothing but pure synthetic taste will satisfy my palate. lol )
The birthday boy ate three cupcakes. Success!!
Recent Comments
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Purplesque said:
So glad you and the family enjoyed the pies. I get a huge kick when someone actually tries one of... read more
on Spinach risotto with pine nuts and raisins -
Purplesque said:
Madhur Jaffrey is a genius! I love her approach- food for food's sake; no fancy frills, no over-complicated recipes, but... read more
on Spinach risotto with pine nuts and raisins -
Purplesque said:
:D I will take that as a Huge compliment. Maybe I should try my hand at the new fad- tweeting... read more
on Spinach risotto with pine nuts and raisins -
Purplesque said:
:) They do work well together. I would have never thought to add raisins in a risotto- but they were... read more
on Spinach risotto with pine nuts and raisins
:) Thank you. I thought of omitting the cinnamon- it did not make much sense to me. Glad I took... read more
on Spinach risotto with pine nuts and raisins