The Galleyman and I had a delicious sandwich for dinner. We've been making little open-faced sandwiches on some homemade rye bread that a special friend gave as a Christmas gift so we stocked up on deli stuff. While browsing Whole Foods Market today we picked up two freshly made Hoagie rolls made like baguettes. I sliced one of the rolls, buttered it and placed it under the broiler for toasting. When they just started to turn golden brown I put mayonnaise on one side, Miracle Whip on the other and some whole grain mustard. On The Galleyman’s side I piled on Braunswager, pastrami, roast beef, ham, Swiss and cheddar cheese and thinly sliced red onion. On my side I left off the Braunschweiger and onion. Then, I put them back under the broiler till starting to brown with the cheese melting. Wow, what delicious taste. I'm impressed. It's too bad that delicious doesn't always add up to healthy.
Our New Year’s Day treat was a leisurely walk around Whole Foods Market. We just slowly took in the store, walking aisles. Well, I walked aisles. The Galleyman did a serious perusing of the meat and seafood departments with a couple side perusals around the bakery and the prepared food buffet. There he was happily hanging out savoring the aromas at the counter where fresh pizzas were being renmoved from an open stone oven. The Galleyman is undoubtedly one of those extra taste bud food-tasting experts and I bet he could get one of those rare, high-priced jobs at perfume companies for people with super discriminating noses, yet here he was wasting his nose on discriminating between pizza toppings. Though, he would argue that it’s being wasted.
I picked up the fresh lemon and powdered sugar I needed for a new cookie recipe. I bought some yellow split peas that happened to be on sale. I use them for a Tomato, Onion, Zucchini Dahl that I make. (It’s an Indian Cuisine dish featuring a group of spices generally not favored by The Galleyman.) I noticed that those tiny black French lentils were being featured. I bought some and am going to look up a nice recipe for them, something different. The dried bean family is not common element in The Galleyman's dishes (except for the Great Northern beans featured in his amazing oxtail goulash), it’s a texture thing. I’ll take on the challenge of creating a dish he can’t resist. He likes lots of flavor.
They had their frozen white corn and frozen lima's featured; I bought a bag of both then went looking for The Galleyman who had discovered and was studying or maybe ogling some nice looking escargot with their shells stuffed with butter seasoned with garlic and chives. He bought some to enjoy later. I don't do escargot. I did one when we first got together because he wanted me to at least taste them before banning them from every future culinary event in my life. I don't do raw oysters, either, same story; I’m a good wife, hey, he gets to enjoy all he wants! We topped off our purchases with a football-shaped loaf crusty of bread that The Galleyman had them slice. The slices will be a nice morning platform on which to enjoy more of our Christmas present (from the rye bread baker) Huckleberry Jam. Anyone who hasn’t tasted a Huckleberry should put it on their bucket list.
Together we did a walk through of the cheese department. I've made a resolution to enjoy more hard cheese in the New Year; there are so many nice tasting cheeses. I like to do a sliced cheese and fresh fruit or cheese with a few drops of balsamic vinegar or sliced of cheese on crackers with a bit of jam. I was looking at some attractive jars of fig jam, but can you imagine the gaucheness of serving on an hour d oeuvres platter thin slices of a nice hard cheese with a bit of a sharpness topped with a bit of Huckleberry jam? The Galleyman makes legendary hors d oeuvre platters of diverse items. He thoroughly enjoys any meal featuring a diversity of taste surprises. His love of the small open-faced sandwiches on hors d oeuvre sized bread sporting a myriad of varying deli meats, cheeses, sliced egg, pickles, capers, olives, mustards, mayo’s, etc. harks back to his bar-owning days in Bavaria. OK, a food resolution for 2011, more open-faced sandwich platters served along with slices if hard cheese topped with Huckleberry jam.
Wishing you good eats in the New Year, and for a good laugh and good food, don't fail to visit www.TheGalleyman.com
The Galleyman’s Wife
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Beyond Surfing
This morning I enjoyed movement from thought to thought and subsequently through corresponding links on the Internet. Interestingly, stream of consciousness has become multi dimensional. From a “Busy Cooks” newsletter I receive I noticed a side note about a recipe being from an obscure 1950’s era cookbook written by a Minnesota radio personality, Joyce Lamont. Google informed me she was sort of the radio equivalent of Heloise/Abby/Martha. I’m fond of reading about daily life and values of that era. I’ve read David Halberstam’s book The 1950’s and yes, I understand that underlying the seeming simplicity there was at times dark complexity but I was raised by folks with down to earth sensibilities and who enjoyed the simple pleasures that were commonly found in small town America in the 1950’s. Have you ever attended a Moose Lodge Family Christmas Party? Santa arrived bearing gifts to the joy of every child there. Marshmallow-filled fruit salads, ham and potato casseroles, platters of turkey, bowls of shimmering cranberry sauce, spice cakes, chocolate cakes, pies piled high with merangue and pretty bowls of punch weighed down cloth covered tables. Coffee makers sat on the bar between the kitchen and the hall with those heavy, off white ceramic cups. And there is a vague memory of ashtrays and cigarettes fingered smoothly by cool fathers wearing pastel knit shirts with triangular designs and sometimes leather panels.
As I read about Joyce Lamont, a line about the subjects she covered read “how to open the stubborn jar”. For some reason my mind for a moment thought of a “psychological mechanism” an interesting way of approaching one’s emotional limitations. We all are stubborn about something. Some of what we are ungiving about may not be in our best interest, in fact may actually hold us back. What if we kept a “stubborn jar” in our imagination or in reality? Periodically we could unscrew the lid and give some thought to beliefs about which we may be unhealthfully ungiving and unwilling to examine. Stubborn, to me, indicates tightly holding unexamined beliefs or habits. Well, as I read further Joyce, it seems wasn’t quite so esoteric in her advice but the flight of my mind certainly shows where a multidimensional stream of consciousness may lead.
As I read about Joyce Lamont, a line about the subjects she covered read “how to open the stubborn jar”. For some reason my mind for a moment thought of a “psychological mechanism” an interesting way of approaching one’s emotional limitations. We all are stubborn about something. Some of what we are ungiving about may not be in our best interest, in fact may actually hold us back. What if we kept a “stubborn jar” in our imagination or in reality? Periodically we could unscrew the lid and give some thought to beliefs about which we may be unhealthfully ungiving and unwilling to examine. Stubborn, to me, indicates tightly holding unexamined beliefs or habits. Well, as I read further Joyce, it seems wasn’t quite so esoteric in her advice but the flight of my mind certainly shows where a multidimensional stream of consciousness may lead.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Greek Indian Fusion, An Amazing Thanksgiving Hors d oeuvre
Thanksgiving morning, 7am and dark but not too cold. The November blast of winter in the western United States isn’t what they’ve made it out to be. I spent part of last evening making Spanikopita Indian Style. I adapted my Saag Paneer (Curried Spinach and Fresh Cheese) recipe. My periodic adventures into making Spanikopita have me keeping phylo dough in the freezer. I’ve loved making hors d oeuvre-sized Spanikopita. I fold them into 1" x 3" oblongs placing a dozen at a time in plastic containers and freezing. If you are going to do the buttery folding of working with phylo dough, always double the recipe, have containers ready for freezing and make a bunch. Once you are on a roll it gets smoother and is actually fun. It’s definitely something most people won’t make or think to buy. They make wonderful breakfast treats or impressive hors d oeuvres. I love to give them as gifts frozen and ready to bake. There is a disposable plastic container that holds a dozen. I tie one or two containers with a ribbon as gifts for friends or hostesses and they are always appreciated.
Lately on my quest for simplifying the preparation of delicious Indian dishes I’ve been refining Saag Paneer. I studied lots of different recipes and came up with a simple tasty version of my own that is delicious. My for-fun website on Simple Adventures with Indian Cuisine outlines the recipe and making it. https://sites.google.com/site/simpleadventuresindiancuisine/
Invited to sis-in-laws for Thanksgiving, my task is to make the hors d oeuvres. Of course I’ll bring the deviled eggs that are family tradition. The plate with brim with olives, pickled beets, dill pickles, and celery chunks with peanut butter. I wanted to bring a delicious Indian dish but the vegetables are covered. Last year I took an amazing Yam Curry (http://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2008/11/aromatic-and-yummy-alternative-to.html) I kept thinking how I could expand my hors d oeuvres impressively with an Indian cuisine element. It occurred to me that the Saag Paneer without the cheese chunks would make an amazing, though different, spinach filling. So, yesterday afternoon I set about caramelizing an onion, stirring into it some garlic paste and spices and spinach then adding sour cream. I let the filling cool in the fridge and later began the phylo dough adventure.
My triangles look beautiful and I’m going to bake one for breakfast to see if my inspiration isn’t as brilliant as I think it will be. Traditional Spanikopita with spinach sour cream and feta cheese has an interesting, pleasant taste. I love them in the morning for breakfast. This Indian- inspired spinach filling will have more dimension with the blending of spices. I’m serving it with Mango Ginger Chutney for dipping. Trader Joe’s, an eclectic grocery chain out west, carries the chutney. I keep jars on hand for gifting and it’s perfect for dipping. My husband uses it, at times, as part of a cooking sauce for meat. It’s amazing in place of the mint jelly with lamb.
Lately on my quest for simplifying the preparation of delicious Indian dishes I’ve been refining Saag Paneer. I studied lots of different recipes and came up with a simple tasty version of my own that is delicious. My for-fun website on Simple Adventures with Indian Cuisine outlines the recipe and making it. https://sites.google.com/site/simpleadventuresindiancuisine/
Invited to sis-in-laws for Thanksgiving, my task is to make the hors d oeuvres. Of course I’ll bring the deviled eggs that are family tradition. The plate with brim with olives, pickled beets, dill pickles, and celery chunks with peanut butter. I wanted to bring a delicious Indian dish but the vegetables are covered. Last year I took an amazing Yam Curry (http://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2008/11/aromatic-and-yummy-alternative-to.html) I kept thinking how I could expand my hors d oeuvres impressively with an Indian cuisine element. It occurred to me that the Saag Paneer without the cheese chunks would make an amazing, though different, spinach filling. So, yesterday afternoon I set about caramelizing an onion, stirring into it some garlic paste and spices and spinach then adding sour cream. I let the filling cool in the fridge and later began the phylo dough adventure.
My triangles look beautiful and I’m going to bake one for breakfast to see if my inspiration isn’t as brilliant as I think it will be. Traditional Spanikopita with spinach sour cream and feta cheese has an interesting, pleasant taste. I love them in the morning for breakfast. This Indian- inspired spinach filling will have more dimension with the blending of spices. I’m serving it with Mango Ginger Chutney for dipping. Trader Joe’s, an eclectic grocery chain out west, carries the chutney. I keep jars on hand for gifting and it’s perfect for dipping. My husband uses it, at times, as part of a cooking sauce for meat. It’s amazing in place of the mint jelly with lamb.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Taking Fried Potatoes to a New Level on a Saturday Morning
It’s a hazy Saturday morning and I was in the mood to cook something. Fried potatoes sounded good, and I had some Russets on hand, but I wanted more complexity. I was in the mood to cook as well as eat. So, I hopped onto the Internet, typed fried potatoes + recipe into www.Bing.com and then started refining. I added + onions and + tomatoes.
My search came up with an interesting dish, seemingly Indian-like but with no Indian spices (it used metric measurements, maybe it was British as it had Malt vinegar and was baked in pastry.) It called for sautéed tomatoes and onions and crisp fried potatoes and sour cream wrapped in pastry pockets and baked.
The pastry part sounded a bit much, both the making and the extra carbs, but the mixture sounded good so I improvised and made a casserole.
The onion tomato mixture simmered up into the potatoes, and the sour cream tied it together. It has a creamy sweetness and would make a yummy breakfast casserole or side dish to a meat-based supper for folks who like good ole’ American food (sans the Mexican seasoning if they aren’t fond of cumin). It would be interesting to make again and experiment, replacing the Mexican seasoning with Indian spices and maybe frying some ginger with the onions and adding chopped cilantro.
My husband felt it tasted kind of like a creamy baked potato. I know my Mom and Dad and cousin Donna would have been game to try it with Mexican or Indian seasonings, but they would have loved it plain. It would have tasted like comfort food to them. Funny, there was never any thought of sauteing tomatoes with onion and certainly not adding tomatoes to fried potatoes in the foods of my growing up years. I love that I've learned about doing that from the Indian cuisine. (See cooking tip below)
Creamy Fried Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 of a 14oz. can black beans, drained
½ tablespoon Malt Vinegar
½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon Mexican Seasoning, (if omitting this and add salt to taste or other seasonings you like.)
4 medium Russett potatoes, sliced thin with skin on (I sliced them by hand in 1/8" slices)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Paprika if desired
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Fry chopped onions in olive oil on medium until edges are browning.
Add tomatoes, beans, vinegar and sugar, simmer until thickened.
Remove from pan and wipe out or use an other pan.
Heat vegetable oil and add sliced potatoes (patted dry). Fry on medium high with lid on until they are getting brown and then turn to brown other side. Salt to taste.
When potatoes are done, place onion mixture in a buttered shallow casserole dish, top with potatoes and frost generously with sour cream. Top with paprika if desired.
.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min.
Cooking Tip:
Next time you are frying up some onions to use in fried potatoes or another dish, add some diced tomatoes. Chopped onions or onions and garlic fried up with some diced tomatoes are a great base with which to do lots of things. You can then add the mixture to fried potatoes, or toss in some other parboiled vegetables or meat and any spices you like.
With easy in mind, fry up some onion, garlic and tomato and freeze for a quick base that can turn leftovers into a quick casserole or sauteed dish.
1 large onion equals about a cup, I'd say two onions to 1-14oz. can of diced tomatoes drained.
My search came up with an interesting dish, seemingly Indian-like but with no Indian spices (it used metric measurements, maybe it was British as it had Malt vinegar and was baked in pastry.) It called for sautéed tomatoes and onions and crisp fried potatoes and sour cream wrapped in pastry pockets and baked.
The pastry part sounded a bit much, both the making and the extra carbs, but the mixture sounded good so I improvised and made a casserole.
The onion tomato mixture simmered up into the potatoes, and the sour cream tied it together. It has a creamy sweetness and would make a yummy breakfast casserole or side dish to a meat-based supper for folks who like good ole’ American food (sans the Mexican seasoning if they aren’t fond of cumin). It would be interesting to make again and experiment, replacing the Mexican seasoning with Indian spices and maybe frying some ginger with the onions and adding chopped cilantro.
My husband felt it tasted kind of like a creamy baked potato. I know my Mom and Dad and cousin Donna would have been game to try it with Mexican or Indian seasonings, but they would have loved it plain. It would have tasted like comfort food to them. Funny, there was never any thought of sauteing tomatoes with onion and certainly not adding tomatoes to fried potatoes in the foods of my growing up years. I love that I've learned about doing that from the Indian cuisine. (See cooking tip below)
Creamy Fried Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 of a 14oz. can black beans, drained
½ tablespoon Malt Vinegar
½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon Mexican Seasoning, (if omitting this and add salt to taste or other seasonings you like.)
4 medium Russett potatoes, sliced thin with skin on (I sliced them by hand in 1/8" slices)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Paprika if desired
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Fry chopped onions in olive oil on medium until edges are browning.
Add tomatoes, beans, vinegar and sugar, simmer until thickened.
Remove from pan and wipe out or use an other pan.
Heat vegetable oil and add sliced potatoes (patted dry). Fry on medium high with lid on until they are getting brown and then turn to brown other side. Salt to taste.
When potatoes are done, place onion mixture in a buttered shallow casserole dish, top with potatoes and frost generously with sour cream. Top with paprika if desired.
.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min.
Cooking Tip:
Next time you are frying up some onions to use in fried potatoes or another dish, add some diced tomatoes. Chopped onions or onions and garlic fried up with some diced tomatoes are a great base with which to do lots of things. You can then add the mixture to fried potatoes, or toss in some other parboiled vegetables or meat and any spices you like.
With easy in mind, fry up some onion, garlic and tomato and freeze for a quick base that can turn leftovers into a quick casserole or sauteed dish.
1 large onion equals about a cup, I'd say two onions to 1-14oz. can of diced tomatoes drained.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Whipping Up A Quick, Delicious Indian Dish On A Busy Thursday Night
I was in the mood for an Indian dish and I had some thawed frozen peas that needed using. But…it was Thursday night and I have an early appointment. How to concoct an Indian dish quickly and with easy clean up.
Keeping our large electric frying pan handy and easy to use is great.
I was building the dish around my peas.
I quartered 5 red potatoes and boiled them till done but firm.
I rinsed and put away the kettle.
First the triad, I only had a large red onion (I’d never used red onions) I went ahead and chopped half of it. I took 1 inch of a fat piece of ginger, peeled and grated it. I crushed two large garlic cloves. I did my triad chopping, grating and crushing on the same flexible cutting board.
For some reason I had a lot of celery so sliced two stalks into thin diagonals onto the cutting board.
Measured into a small dish ½ teas. Garam Masala, ½ teas. Cumin powder, ¼ teas. chili powder.
When potatoes were done, I heated 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil into which went
the triad: ginger, onion and garlic with the addition of the celery.
Sautéing that until soft I enjoyed the aromas. When soft, I added the spices and mixed well.
Into that I dumped a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Then I stirred in the potatoes and the 2/3 of a 16 oz bag of frozen peas that need using.
Salting to taste, I let it blend for a bit on medium heat while I quickly washed the cutting board, and small spice dish.
Serving myself in a bowl I topped it with about 1 Tablespoon melted butter.
It is truly comfort food. The only trouble with this dish is I’m eating too much, three bowls! It was so tasty. You may not believe it, but the way the spices blended they were really subtle.
What a way to “get your vegetables” and use up leftovers.
Boiling the potatoes took the most time. So if planning ahead for some busy evening dinners you might boil the potatoes ahead.
I keep diced tomatoes on hand.
I was caught short on onions (usually have sweet on hand). But, the red onion worked fine.
I happened to have a lot of celery on hand thus wanted to use some and it was a great addition.
Instead of peas, I could have added frozen or parboiled sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli or other vegetables. I could have used left over vegetables of any type.
I like the texture of the potato pieces in this dish. Wow, I can't think of an American dish that pairs potatoes with tomatoes?
I enjoyed making this and only had a cutting board, a tiny bowl for the spices, the potato boiling pan and the frying pan to clean up.
I’ve placed the left over’s (lots) in a zipping bag glad to have found a way to use my peas. I'll enjoy this again tomorrow and I’ll deliver some to Mina, my friend from Goa. I know she will appreciate the treat as I’ve appreciated her lessons in this delicious, intriguing cuisine.
Here's the ingredient list
5 red potatoes, quartered
1/2 to 2/3 of a 16oz. bag of frozen peas, (frozen or thawed). 2 stalks celery
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
1/2 onion, chopped
1" piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated (or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pregrated ginger).
2 large or equiv. garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Keeping our large electric frying pan handy and easy to use is great.
I was building the dish around my peas.
I quartered 5 red potatoes and boiled them till done but firm.
I rinsed and put away the kettle.
First the triad, I only had a large red onion (I’d never used red onions) I went ahead and chopped half of it. I took 1 inch of a fat piece of ginger, peeled and grated it. I crushed two large garlic cloves. I did my triad chopping, grating and crushing on the same flexible cutting board.
For some reason I had a lot of celery so sliced two stalks into thin diagonals onto the cutting board.
Measured into a small dish ½ teas. Garam Masala, ½ teas. Cumin powder, ¼ teas. chili powder.
When potatoes were done, I heated 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil into which went
the triad: ginger, onion and garlic with the addition of the celery.
Sautéing that until soft I enjoyed the aromas. When soft, I added the spices and mixed well.
Into that I dumped a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Then I stirred in the potatoes and the 2/3 of a 16 oz bag of frozen peas that need using.
Salting to taste, I let it blend for a bit on medium heat while I quickly washed the cutting board, and small spice dish.
Serving myself in a bowl I topped it with about 1 Tablespoon melted butter.
It is truly comfort food. The only trouble with this dish is I’m eating too much, three bowls! It was so tasty. You may not believe it, but the way the spices blended they were really subtle.
What a way to “get your vegetables” and use up leftovers.
Boiling the potatoes took the most time. So if planning ahead for some busy evening dinners you might boil the potatoes ahead.
I keep diced tomatoes on hand.
I was caught short on onions (usually have sweet on hand). But, the red onion worked fine.
I happened to have a lot of celery on hand thus wanted to use some and it was a great addition.
Instead of peas, I could have added frozen or parboiled sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli or other vegetables. I could have used left over vegetables of any type.
I like the texture of the potato pieces in this dish. Wow, I can't think of an American dish that pairs potatoes with tomatoes?
I enjoyed making this and only had a cutting board, a tiny bowl for the spices, the potato boiling pan and the frying pan to clean up.
I’ve placed the left over’s (lots) in a zipping bag glad to have found a way to use my peas. I'll enjoy this again tomorrow and I’ll deliver some to Mina, my friend from Goa. I know she will appreciate the treat as I’ve appreciated her lessons in this delicious, intriguing cuisine.
Here's the ingredient list
5 red potatoes, quartered
1/2 to 2/3 of a 16oz. bag of frozen peas, (frozen or thawed). 2 stalks celery
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
1/2 onion, chopped
1" piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated (or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pregrated ginger).
2 large or equiv. garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My New Favorite Sandwich
August is Sandwich month. Without knowing that, for last night's dinner, my husband came up with my new favorite sandwich. The varying flavors and textures had me craving more. In fact, I'm having a smaller, meatless version for breakfast. And to think vegetables aren't his favorite food!
He buttered and toasted 6" sections of a narrow crusty baguette.
He broiled Iserno brand Mild Italian Sausages keeping them whole.
In butter and white wine, he sauteed asparagus, red bell pepper, sweet onion and mushrooms.
To serve he slathered the toasted roll with guacamole. He placed a whole sausage on the roll and lightly melt a slice of Provolone cheese on top. He then topped it with the warm vegetables.
The crispness of the roll, the heartiness of the sausage and surprising sweetness of the vegetables all bound by a bit of cheese-it's a keeper and definitely one I'd serve to guests. It would allow you to please vegetarians, just leave off the sausage as I'm doing for breakfast.
My New Favorite Sandwich
Ingredients
one crusty baguette split in two lengthwise and sliced into 6" chunks
Ready made or fresh guacamole - We keep ready to go Wholly Guacamole in the freezer, you could use just fresh avocado spread onto the bread.
Deli thin slices of Provolone
Asparagus
Red Bell Pepper sliced into 1" strips
Sweet onion sliced into 1" strips
Sliced mushrooms
White wine (he used a sweeter white wine, a Riesling)
Butter
Instructions
Saute the vegetables in butter and white wine until soft.
Butter and toast the bread sections. (He used the toaster oven, they could be toasted under the broiler.
Broil the sausages until done.
Slather guacamole on the hot rolls. Place a whole sausage on each roll and a slice of Provolone. Melt with a quick slide under the broiler.
Top with the mixture of vegetables.
It looks gorgeous, has diverse flavors and textures that all flow together for a definite taste treat.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Italian-Indian Fusion
A friend was giving away cookbooks so I took one titled Sicilian Vegetarian Cooking, by John Penza. I have to say, since my adventure into Indian cuisine, I’m interested in vegetable recipes. With respect to Italian cooks and Mr. Penza, the recipes in this book, seemed quite boring. Every other recipe had ¼ to ½ cup Italian Parsley, whoa, not a very exciting ingredient, at least to me. There was garlic, onion, tomatoes, wine, lots of cheeses and very few spices - tiny amounts of nutmeg, red pepper flakes and oregano. I did, though find a thorough discussion of how to cook polenta. That was followed by a recipe for polenta layered with cheese and a tomato, mixture. The seasoning for the tomatoes beyond garlic was 20 whole Basil leaves 1 teaspoon oregano and the ubiquitous Italian Parsley. I couldn't stop thinking about a recipe I have for an Indian Dahl that has tomato, onion, zucchini, green pepper, garlic, and ginger. It sings with flavor from garam masala and has the textural addition of yellow peas cooked with onion. I decided the polenta layered with cheese and my Tomato, Onion Zucchini Dahl might just be very exciting. As I was making the Dahl for a picnic, and needed an hors d oeuvre for the following evening, I doubled the batch and kept some for this idea.
I considered that there might be a correlate in Indian cuisine for polenta so I went searching in my Indian and Eastern cookbooks. An eye opener - Madhur Jafferey, a famous Indian cookbook author, wrote a 460 page Vegetarian cookbook of recipes from India and numerous other Far Eastern countries. In this huge volume of vegetarian recipes there were only 3 that contained corn. I called my Indian cooking mentor, Mina, to ask about what they would use similar to polenta and she offered, "It would be Semolina, we don't grow much corn." Wheat, I thought, hm. Then it hit me, that's Cream of Wheat! I had that in my cupboard. But, I decided, I wanted the rougher texture of the cornmeal for this recipe so decided to stick with my fusion idea. (Actually, Cream of Wheat was close but Indian markets sell a straight Semolina grain for cooking.)
On my quest for polenta, I dropped by Whole Foods which sells it in bulk. Treating the cooking of the polenta like I do my Indian dishes, I set aside some time, organized everything and took the time to make slow cooking polenta from scratch, stirring it for 30 minutes. I spooned it in 1/2' layers into a round casserole (a layer topped with plastic wrap, another layer more plastic wrap and a third layer) and popped it into the frdge to cool and thicken.
I discussed with my husband, a great cook, the best cheese to use. The Italian recipe called for Mozzarella. I wondered if maybe a stronger tasting cheese might meld better with the flavorful Dahl. Then there was the idea of using cottage cheese such as in lasagna. Our cheese larder currently has American cheese slices, grated cheddar, some smoked mozzarella (I bought it for a pasta salad but it’s too smoky and intrusive a taste, I decided), some Queso Fresco (a very bland Mexican cheese I bought for chilies relleno), some pepper jack cheese (a suggestion from my husband but maybe too intrusive, I’m thinking). I chose to go with color, cheddar against the whiter polenta. (For later versions I've used freshly grated Parmesan which is a great choice.)
It was fun, my first attempt at a fusion, Italian-Indian. On top of polenta I layered some Dahl then some cheddar cheese added another layer of polenta. On top of that, more Dahl, more cheese and topped with a third layer of polenta more dahl and grated cheddar to melt on top. I heated in the oven to meld all the ingredients and brown the cheese on top.
I served it in small wedges that tasted amazing. People couldn't stop eating it. I'm definitely making it again. If you have to make a meal for guests that include vegetarians, this would definitely impress everybody.
Tomato, Onion, Zucchini Dahl
(In Indian cuisine, “dahl”generally refers to a dish that
includes dried peas, beans or lentils)
Serves 8 (I
double it and freeze it in small portions) Ingredients
The Boiled Peas
8 oz yellow split peas (often available in bulk at natural food markets)
1 - 14 oz. can chicken stock, if more liquid is needed add water (vegetable stock for vegan)
1 small to med onion, coarsely chopped
(I leave out salt because of the salt in the stock)
The Vegetables
2 tablespoons oil1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds (at East Indian stores or natural food stores.)
1 inch piece fresh ginger root, grated (available fresh or in jars of ginger paste in supermarkets)
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (an Indian spice mixture available in bulk at natural food markets but is in most supermarkets)
2 6” zucchini, scrape the skin a bit leaving some green (I use a zester) and slice into 1/4” rounds
1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes. (I like petite diced))
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Coarsely chop the onions. and separate into dishes ready to add.
Wash the split peas and place them in a saucepan with the
stock, the small chopped onion and some salt. Cover, bring to boil, then simmer
for about 25 minutes, until the peas are soft but still whole. Drain the soft,
but still whole, yellow peas. Set aside.
While peas are cooking, measure garam masala and turmeric in a small dish, and brown mustard seeds in another, ready to add.
Coarsely chop the green pepper and add to the large chopped onion. Slice the zucchini and place in a separate bowl ready to add. Crush the garlic and peel and grate or finely chop the ginger placing both on a plate or in a bowl ready to add.
Coarsely chop the green pepper and add to the large chopped onion. Slice the zucchini and place in a separate bowl ready to add. Crush the garlic and peel and grate or finely chop the ginger placing both on a plate or in a bowl ready to add.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the mustard seeds, cover and
fry briefly until they start popping (don’t let them burn).
Quickly add the large chopped onion, the ginger, garlic and green pepper
and fry gently for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the
turmeric and garam masala and cook for 1 minute, (the aroma will be amazing)
then add the zucchini, tomatoes, lemon juice, about 2 tablespoons water, and
salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until zucchini has softened.
If serving as
a main dish, serve over basmati rice, or as a side dish with Nan bread (Trader
Joe’s Frozen Garlic Nan is a treat.)
Polenta
You can buy polenta in rolls ready made to slice into the layers. I like the process of the slow cooking process, it relaxes me.
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup polenta (sold in bulk at places like Whole Foods and in bags in Safeway)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions:
Bring water with salt to a boil. Add Polenta in a thin stream whisking it in so it doesn't lump. Turn down to medium heat and whisk pretty regularly until thick and done 25 to 30 minutes. Butter the Casserole dish you will use, pour in 1/2 inch layer of polenta. Cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap. Pour in another 1/2 inch layer of polenta, top with another sheet of plastic wrap. Pour in a third 1/2 layer of polenta. Put in refrigerator to cool and thicken.
Extra polenta? Pour into buttered muffin tins, freeze then remove into zip sealed freezer bags and keep on hand for a new idea for spaghetti sauce or fry slices for a breakfast treat.
Polenta
You can buy polenta in rolls ready made to slice into the layers. I like the process of the slow cooking process, it relaxes me.
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup polenta (sold in bulk at places like Whole Foods and in bags in Safeway)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions:
Bring water with salt to a boil. Add Polenta in a thin stream whisking it in so it doesn't lump. Turn down to medium heat and whisk pretty regularly until thick and done 25 to 30 minutes. Butter the Casserole dish you will use, pour in 1/2 inch layer of polenta. Cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap. Pour in another 1/2 inch layer of polenta, top with another sheet of plastic wrap. Pour in a third 1/2 layer of polenta. Put in refrigerator to cool and thicken.
Extra polenta? Pour into buttered muffin tins, freeze then remove into zip sealed freezer bags and keep on hand for a new idea for spaghetti sauce or fry slices for a breakfast treat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)