Eat Your Spinach!

Being home from the Philippines means one thing for sure... I get to cook again!

Today I have been laying low because I'm fighting a cold (thank you, Providence Hall students!), so I was ready for some comfort food.

One of my favorite dishes at Indian restaurants is saag paneer. I've tried a few times to make it myself, and my version has never quite matched up. But I dug out an old recipe I'd missed till now and I'm happy to say, I hit the jackpot. Yessssss.

I highly recommend that you make the effort to find paneer cheese for this recipe. If you live in Goleta the Good Land, you can find it at my absolute best source for all sorts of spices and international ingredients, Indochina Market. From spun rice noodles to Cadbury chocolate to tamarind paste to paneer, this place rocks.

If you can't get it, tofu is a good substitute (speaking for myself, that is. Housemate insists paneer is a crucial ingredient).

Saag Paneer
serves 4

1/2 lb packaged paneer cheese, sliced into cubes
flour for dusting (I used GF flour and it worked great)
3 tb olive oil
2 onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled & minched (or 1 tsp crushed ginger)
1-2 green chiles, stemmed & thinly sliced (or your favorite hot sauce ~ add according to your taste)
1 lb fresh spinach, thoroughly washed
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tb half & half (I used plain yogurt instead)
Enough rice for each person...

Directions

1. Start rice.

2. Lightly dust paneer cubes with flour. In non-stick saucepan, heat 1 tb oil. Sauté paneer cubes on medium-low heat until they turn a shade darker on all sides.

3. In another pan, heat remaining 2 tb oil. Add onions, garlic, ginger, green chiles and sauté, stirring constantly for 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are soft.

4. Add spinach and water and simmer till spinach is wilted (cover the pan). Let cool slightly.

5. Pour contents of saucepan into blender or food processor and process into coarse puree.

6. Pour puree back into saucepan and add salt, garam masala and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat to blend flavors.

7. Add fried paneer and half & half (or yogurt), and gently simmer over low heat for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.

New Year, New Curry

I'm slightly cheating in saying "new year" because I made this on Dec. 30, but I plan on including this curry in my life often in 2011. It was utterly wonderful. I found the recipe by googling "brussels sprout recipes indian" and came up with a slightly quirky one that still showed potential. I had to adjust an item here and there, but the results were great. The photo to the left best captures what it looked like... but I confess I didn't take it -- I stole it from the internet. Cheater cheater pumpkin (brussels sprouts?) eater!

I'm calling this Brussels Sprouts Curry, but honestly, this sauce would be amazing on just about anything -- especially potatoes and/or cauliflower.... There may be a couple of new ingredients for you to purchase but DO IT. They are handy to have around if you want to continue to cook Indian dishes.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS CURRY

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts

2 onions

1 cup tomato puree (I adapted here: I used a small can of TJ's organic tomato paste. I slowly added 3 cans of water into the recipe as I cooked)

2 green chilis or your favorite temperature pepper sauce (my favorite is green "Picamas" from Guatemala)

1 tbsp crushed ginger

½ cup tamarind water (yet another adaptation: I have a jar of tamarind paste, which is also used to make pad thai; I put 2 heaping tsp of the paste in a half cup measure, filled it the rest of the way with water and dissolved it. Voila! Tamarind water.)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder (called "dhaniya powder" here. Learn something new every day.)

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

Salt

Oil

Mustard seeds

Directions

Start your rice.

Cut brussels sprouts in half (or even in quarters if you want). Boil in water for 5-7 minutes.

In a frying pan , add 2 tsp oil and fry mediumly chopped onions till soft.

Add chilis (or hot sauce) and ginger together. Saute together for 1-2 minutes on medium low heat.

Add tamarind water, turmeric and salt and blend in. Let it bubble a bit. Then add tomato puree/paste to it. Then add coriander powder, garam masala. Stir together, slowly adding water, 1 can at a time. Keep stirring

Bring it to boil, then turn it down. When all the ingredients get blended together and the sauce is thick but not too thick, add the brussels sprouts and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Crush some mustard seeds in a mortar & pestle (or spice grinder) and sprinkle on top. You can also top this with plain yogurt, raisins, chutney and nuts.

Serve with hot rice.

Hurry Curry

I try to talk about significant spiritual issues on this blog, my favorite music, or occasional writing in a vulnerable vein....

But BY FAR the most comments are not in response to any of my attempts at depth. Instead, I receive the most comments related to the recipes I post! Oh well.

I will keep trying to post that "other stuff," just for my own entertainment, I suppose ☺

Here's a standby recipe I have used for years. I found it in the LA Times, back when papers got delivered to your porch. It's a keeper. This is perfect for those I-have-half-an-hour-and-no-idea-what-to-make-for-dinner moments... and like it says below, it's also great as a cold leftover or picnic option.

HURRY CURRY

2 onions
3 tbsp butter
2 c cooked beef, lamb, chicken or pork (or nothing)
1 apple
1/2 c golden raisins
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp flour (I am now gluten-free, sadly. Instead, I use soy flour, and I've used cornstarch in the past)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c half and half or plain yogurt (or coconut milk)

I also have used bell peppers, potatoes, celery, mushrooms, cauliflower... Whatever vegetables sound good to you. I also like to add cashews to it right before serving, along with grated coconut if you want. THIS IS ALSO REALLY GOOD AS A COLD SALAD. If you make it cold, slice up some grapes in it as well. Oh man, I'm getting hungry.

Cut and peel onions into large chunks. Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onions until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Place onions in bowl and set aside.

Cut meat into bite-size pieces and set aside. Peel apple and cut off 4 wedges. Discard core and cut wedges in half. Add raisins - and nuts. Set aside.

Place broth in small saucepan and heat until simmering. Turn off heat and let it sit on burner.

Melt remaining butter in 2 1/2 qt saucepan over low heat and KEEP AN EYE ON IT. Watch butter melt - don't let it brown. Tilt saucepan till butter coats bottom of pan. Sprinkle flour and curry powder over butter. Using large spoon, stir constantly all over bottom of pan until all three are blended well. Now slowly add broth, stirring constantly with whisk so mixture blends well. Turn heat to medium and stir until thick, smooth and creamy - about 3 minutes. Stir in salt to taste. Add at least 1/4 c half and half or yogurt if it's too spicy for you. Add meat, apple, raisins & nuts and continue to stir and cook sauce for a few more minutes.

Pour sauce and meat mixture over rice, couscous, quinoa or baked potatoes. Sprinkle coconut, chutney or a little yogurt or sour cream on top. Eat a lot.

Serves 4

Hello-o-o Aloo!

It's Saturday night and I have to admit, I'm really pleased with myself. I just made a great meal for dinner. If you like Indian food, you're fond of spinach and potatoes, you're insecure about cooking, or heck, you're just hungry.... this is your lucky day. I got this recipe from my new issue of Vegetarian Times... thanks again to Steph and Claire for the birthday gift that keeps on giving!

P.S. I think this recipe would be the perfect "I'm-tired-from-work-and-don't-know-what-to-make-and-don't-want-to-have-fast-food-or-breakfast-for-dinner-AGAIN" sort of meal. And the leftovers would be delicious.

Aloo Palak (Spinach & Potatoes)
serve 4 | vegan | gluten-free

Two 10-oz pkg of frozen spinach (or 1 16 oz. bag of frozen Trader Joe's spinach), thawed, drained, liquid reserved

2-3 medium potatoes (I used Yukon gold), cubed

2 tb garlic powder

2 tb curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

cayenne pepper if you want

3/4 c light coconut milk (again, at Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Stir together spinach, 3/4 cup spinach liquid, potatoes, garlic & curry powders, cumin, and salt right in the 9 x 9 baking dish.

Cover with foil, bake 45 minutes.

Start pot of brown rice then as well.

When done, remove from oven. Stir in coconut milk and transfer to serving bowl.

I topped mine with some apple/cranberry chutney and roasted cashews. Na'an bread would have been terrific as well. I bet you could easily make this with several additions or variations:

• cauliflower
• tofu
• squash
• fried egg
• slices of garlic
• onion, roughly cut

Tell me how it goes.

SUNDAY NIGHT RECIPE - for kicks

My whole schedule - heckfire, my LIFE - was thrown off by this fire, so I haven't had my wits about me to blog, exercise, sleep... sadly, I retained my capacity to eat, as usual. I even eat when I have the flu. Pathetic.

Anyway... I made something last week, pre-fire, that was so darn good and I cannot believe I'm going to admit it to you.

Recall a few posts ago ("Manna from Heaven") when I used cooking as a spiritual exercise in being grateful for what I'd been given? Last week gave me yet another opportunity with the BUTT-load of carrots we've been receiving from Fairview Gardens, our lovely CSA.

Those who know me long and well know that I am the Great Hater o' Carrots. Bleah bleah bleah. Hate 'em cooked, raw, juiced. Bleah. Yes, I am willing to eat them in carrot cake, but puh-lease, you can't even taste them -- especially with some delightful cream cheese frosting.... mmm....

But I digress. I WANT to and NEED to be thankful for how God is providing bountifully and creatively in my life these days. And for the last three weeks at least we have received a very large bunch of carrots in our weekly share from Fairview.

What to do, what to do... my housemate Ruth can only eat so many carrot sticks for lunch, and I'd already made one batch of carrot bread and while it is perfectly wonderful, my hips do not need more carrot bread...

So I was left to being a grown-up and learning how to eat carrots in a more adult fashion. I dug out a recipe from Fairview last year and forgot that this was THE BOMB to the BOMB. Yes, I'm saying, admitting, even celebrating a dish made with carrots. It is REALLY good, all you Fellow Carrot Haters out there. Try it. The texture of the soup is worth the price of admission - the recipe sheet calls it "velvety." I agree.

INDIAN SPICED CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
3 tb peanut oil (I used sesame oil)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tp crushed ginger
2 c chopped onions
1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (equals 4 cups) (PS - I didn't have quite enough carrots, believe it or not, so I used some roasted butternut squash I had in the freezer. This quite possibly made it even better!)
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime peel
5 c (or more) chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp lime juice
Plain yogurt (for garnish)

Grind coriander and mustard seeds in spice mill to fine powder. Heat oil in heavy large pot over med-high heat. Add ground seeds & curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add ginger; stir 1 minute. Add onion, carrot, lime peel. Sprinkle with salt & pepper; saute until onions begin to soften - 3 minutes-ish.

Add 5 cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer uncovered until carrots are tender - about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree in blender until smooth. (OR IF YOU'RE REALLY FORTUNATE, use an inversion blender right in the pot!)

Return soup to pot. Add broth if too thick. Stir in lime juice, salt & pepper to taste.

Can be done one day ahead of time.

P.S. I fried some slices of polenta in a pan the next day for lunch with a tsp of olive oil, then poured some leftover soup on top of it. Glorious. I'm telling you, this soup is GOOD. Velvety, I might add.