Jen's Winter Vegetable Curry

This recipe is based on one found in an Indian cookbook my mom had picked up during a bookstore adventure when I was a child. I remember flipping through the glossy pages in wonder at the brightly colored vegetables and exotic ingredients. I think my mom may have tried one or two recipes that didn't come out as well as the photos, and relegated the cookbook to the shelf, never to be looked at until I began my quest for culinary inspiration as an adult. The two major modifications I made to the original recipe, which did not call for softening the onions before adding the vegetable stock and other vegetables or the addition of fenugreek.These two additions will provide a dish that is much more similar to one ordered at an Indian food restaurant, which I am sure is what my mother was aiming for in her attempt at this recipe. 

Please enjoy! 

 3 tablespoons grapeseed or peanut oil

1 onion, sliced

1 teaspoon or more ground cumin

2 teaspoons or more coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1/4 to 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 cups potatoes, diced

1 small head cauliflower florets

½ cup green beans, 1-½ inch pieces

2 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks

4 tomatoes, chopped (canned is okay – use whole canned tomatoes or omit)

2-4 cups of vegetable stock, to cover vegetables about halfway

Prepare the spices using a mortar and pestle. I used the ultra-spicy Bird’s Eye Chili left-over from another recipe. Crush chili peppers, then set aside in a small bowl. Then grind the fenugreek. A spice grinder may be worth a try, as the seeds are extremely hard. 

In a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.

Make sure the kitchen is ventilated!

Add spices and cook for about two minutes until fragrant and brown. It will be very spicy!

Add onions and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes until onions are translucent and soft. They shouldn't be caramelized.

Add stock and vegetables and bring sauce back to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serve over rice. Optional garnishes include cilantro, plain yogurt, or chopped cashews.

Greens and Sage in Wine Reduction

I am always looking for new ways to use greens. I was craving a marsala-style pasta sauce for the ravioli that was in the freezer for a quick weeknight dinner.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter1/2 cup mirin or any kind of white wine

1/4 cup fresh sage, chiffonade

1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 habanero pepper, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8-10 leaves radicchio
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
8 cups greens (I used 1/2 bunch of kale and 1 bunch of chard)
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
15 ounces of your favorite packaged ravioli (I like ones made with quinoa and other ancient grains)

Procedure

1. Brown butter over medium heat in a 10 inch skillet or saute pan.
2. Pour in the mirin and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
3. In a large stock pot, begin heating four quarts of  water seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt to a rolling boil.
4. Add the sage and simmer until it browns and becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes.
5. Whisk in the broth and reduce the mixture by half.
6. Stir in the habanero, garlic, and greens. Simmer until wilted.
7. Add the ravioli to the water and cook according to directions.
8. Toss in the radicchio and bell pepper. Simmer until the pepper and radicchio are tender, about 5 minutes.
9. Serve with grated cheese. 

Easy Eggplant Lasagna

This recipe originated from one in the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. This is one of my most cherished cookbooks. I am not afraid to substitute ingredients for what I have on hand to save an extra trip to the grocery store. Sometimes I change the technique or a few ingredients based on my tastes. This recipe is especially wonderful because it uses uncooked pasta, which becomes perfectly cooked in the oven. 

This is what I came up with to create a satisfying version of one of my favorite comfort meals. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

28 oz can whole tomatoes  *

8 oz can tomato sauce

6 oz can tomato paste (I used a little less - we used a couple of tablespoons for Spanish Rice the night before)

1 1/2 tablespoons capers packed in salt, rinsed very well

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground

1 large eggplant, sliced in rounds

olive oil for brushing

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup whole milk mozzarella, freshly grated

1 1/2 cup feta cheese divided, crumbled 

1 small zucchini, sliced into rounds

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

* NOTE: Chop the tomatoes for the recipe, but be sure to purchase whole  canned tomatoes. Their flavor is much better than tomatoes that are pre-chopped before the canning process. 

Procedure

Saute the onion in olive oil over medium until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and oregano and saute until the garlic is beginning to brown and is really starting to smell delicious.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, capers, and pepper and simmer over low until the lasagna is ready to come together. Take a picture with Instagram. Remember to add the zucchini. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a brush to evenly coat the eggplant with olive oil and place on a baking pan until browned on the edges, about 15 minutes. Take another picture with Instagram. 

Take a break here to check and see what's new with Pinterest. 

Remove the oven from the oven (or leave the oven where it is and remove the eggplant from the oven). Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, eggs, and 1/2 CUP of feta. 

This is where sh*t gets real. Spread two cups of the sauce in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Top that with another cup of the tomato sauce. 

Layer all of the eggplant rounds, one cup of the tomato sauce, half feta cheese mixture, layer number two of noodles, and one more cup of tomato sauce. 

For layer number three, spread the rest of the cheese mixture, a layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, and the last cup of feta. 

Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Finally, blog about it! 

California-Style Couscous and Lentils

Lentils are incredibly inexpensive and delicious. French lentils are a beautiful green color with leopard spots. The green contrasts nicely with the bright bell peppers a
nd golden couscous in this dish. The dates add a sweet treat.

ingredients

1/4 cup French lentils, rinsed
4/12 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups couscous

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup diced bell peppers
1/2 bunch chopped kale

1/4 cup diced dates
1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup sliced green olives
sliced almonds

equipment

2 sauce pans
large serving bowl
saute pan

procedure

Simmer lentils in salted water about 20 minutes or until tender.

           Meanwhile,

Simmer couscous in salted water about 10 minutes until tender.

Add oil to the saute pan and heat over medium until it is shimmering.

           Toss in the kale and bell pepper

Combine lentils, couscous, kale, and remaining ingredients in the bowl.

Yum!

M-M-M-My Chermoula

Here is an unusual sauce I had never heard of before until last night, when I was browsing my copy of The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. It is called Chermoula and this recipe is a version of Ms. Waters', which is her take on the original recipe from North African tradition.

This sauce is perfect for anyone who is seeking a raw food diet, vegan, low carb, or gluten-free. It can be a topping for rice or a marinade for meat or fish.

I did not have parsley when I made this sauce, so I just used extra cilantro and it turned out great.

I sauteed tempeh in olive oil and soy sauce, sliced fresh baby portabello mushrooms, sliced avocado, and chopped California dates on a bed of mixed baby greens for the salad. I used the Charmoula for the dressing to rave reviews from the boyfriend and myself.

A tip for easy cleaning of the blender is to put warm water and soap in the blender and turn that baby on right after you finish the sauce. It will just need another soapy rinse and will be good to go for your beverage service, if necessary.

Blend:

1 in piece of ginger
1 spicy chili, seeded if you don't like spicy or leave an appropriate amount of seeds for your desired level of spice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup cilantro
1 or 2 garlic cloves to taste

Lazy Artisan Bread

Homemade bread is one of the most wonderful things I can think of. It is nourishing, comforting, and satisfying in a way that so few things are. When I bake bread I feel connected to each ancestor before me who transformed ground grain, yeast, and water into something magical. The elegant presentation is deceptive. The simple ingredients make this a perfect recipe for the lazy chef.

Be sure to use a spoon to put the flour into a measuring cup instead of scooping with the measuring cup. This will ensure light, fluffy bread. This is an old time trick hidden in the preface of many an ancient cook book.

Here is my recipe for lazy artisan bread.

Rising Time: up to 24 hours
Baking Time: 20-30 minutes
Baking Temperature: 475

Helpful Equipment: baking stone

Dough Starter (Sponge is the fancy term)
1 cup and 3 tablespoons Flour
3/8 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons honey
1 1/3 cups warm water

Whisk the crap out of these ingredients as hard as you can for two minutes. This is your chance to take out all that aggression that may be pent up over phone trees, people who don't recycle, or whatever presses your buttons. It should be pretty bubbly. This is the base of the bubbles in your future loaf of bread.

Flour Mixture
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

Mix the flour mixture in a bowl and gently spoon over the dough starter mixture.

Cover and ferment for about four or five hours, depending on what is convenient for you. Longer time always gives the flavors more time to create a party in your mouth later.

Add

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

and

mix with a stand mixer or hand knead for about eight minutes. This dough will be very sticky but do not panic. This is where being lazy creates taste!

Flour the batter ball really well and put in a bowl where you can observe its progress. Cover and let it rise until doubled, one to two hours. A kitchen above 70 degrees is preferred, if this is not possible, I like to turn my oven on warm or just set the dough next to the pilot light if you have an old time gas oven. Make sure the dough doesn't get too warm or it will bake!

Smash the dough down and let rise until doubled again, maybe another forty-five minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 475. Prepare a metal sheet pan in the floor or bottom rack of the oven.

Shape the dough into a rough ball and place on a floured sheet pan or cookie sheet, preferably on a baking stone. After you put the dough in the oven, quickly place two cups of ice (prepare beforehand) in the pan on the floor of the oven.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the outside is golden and crispy or you just can't stand waiting.