Hyderbad Style Vegetarian Biryani

I've received a couple requests for the link to the Biryani recipe I used. You can find it here. I used whole spices and did not grind them...But I'm tempted to try grinding them next time and see if that punches out the flavor a little. Also, it needs acid at the end. A lemon wedge on the side solves this nicely!
(A warning: You'll need at least a 4qt pan to make this in. Don't use a stock pot though. Wide and shallow works best for the steaming...)

Palak Daal

Aka the best weeknight (read: busy studying) dinner ever. And it makes a great lunch. Make it this week.

Palak Daal

1 cup white urid or urad daal (white lentils), picked over and rinsed

6 cups water, plus more if necessary


1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped


1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped


1/2 teaspoon turmeric


2 serrano chiles, minced


2 tomatoes, chopped


1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter


1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds


1 teaspoon pure red chile powder


a pinch of asafetida, optional


more salt to taste


juice of 1/2 a lemon


1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the daal and water. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, serranos, and all of the tomatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy. After an hour and a half, stir in the salt. In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. Stir in lemon juice.

Serve over basmati rice topped with the cilantro.

Curried Tomato Soup

This recipe is slightly adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. As the first thing that I made in my kitchen after 6 weeks away, I may be giving it more credit than necessary. But, this is a really filling and tasty twist on tomato bisque...

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons madras curry powder
2 cups chopped tomatoes (i used a large can of whole italian tomatoes)
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium boiling potatoes, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
salt
1/4 cup cream or coconut milk
handful of chopped cilantro and fried onion for garnish

- In a soup pot, heat the oil on medium high until HOT. Add the onions and cook until golden brown.
- Add the curry powder and stir with the onions for 10 seconds.
- Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas, and salt to taste. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of water (I used water and the liquid from the tomato can to add up to 4 cups) and bring the soup to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat to very low. Let simmer for 45 minutes until vegetables begin to break down.
- Remove soup from the heat and puree until smooth. Jaffrey recommends straining the soup through a seive, but I didn't bother and liked the thick quality of the soup. Were I making this for a party, I'd strain it to make it all silky and fancy.
- Once the soup is pureed, add the cream or coconut milk and stir over low heat to combine. (I used coconut milk, but the recipe calls for 1 cup of cream, but 1/4 cup of coconut milk was perfect for my taste.)
- At this point, I felt that the soup needed a little something, so I added about 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and a pinch of cayenne pepper. I think some whole, popped, mustard seed would have been nice too.
- Serve hot with a healthy garnish of cilantro and fried onion.

Foolproof Smoothies

I secretly worked at a smoothie place my first year of undergrad, and have been making smoothies at home ever since. The key ingredient is banana - without it the smoothie will be, well, not as smooth. I recently got a new blender, which is why smoothies are on the brain. They're great for hangovers too :)

The standard:

1/2 c. orange juice or other juice
1 banana
1 scoop protein powder (I prefer Spirutein but haven't found it in Chicago so I've been using Whole Foods' vanilla flavored protein powder with spirulina)
1/4 c. frozen or fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, and/or mango all work well
4 ice cubes

The always-failproof combo is OJ, strawberries, and banana.

Optional add-ons: vitamin C tablet, dash of vanilla, freshly grated ginger, and/or honey, even booze

Toss in blender and blend till smooth. Voila!

Winter Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

Last weekend in New York I had two fabulous salads. The first was a chopped salad incorporating crunchy hearts of romaine, green apples, corn, carrotts and other goodies with a cumin vinaigrette topped with a poached egg at the Home Restaurant. The second, a simple toss of fennel, cucumber root, and parsely in a lemony garlicky dressing reminiscent of my standard at home salad topper at Frankie's 17. When assigned the duty of making a salad for friendsgiving, I knew that crunchy veggies were the way to go. The resulting mélange was light, flavorful, and worthy of its own meal on other, less gluttonous, days of the year. Today I've made not one, but two meals out of its leftovers and Corrina's amazing cumin scented butternut squash latkes...And, as you might guess, I'm also embracing the hell out of stretchy pants. If you're seeking a light lunch over the next week of recovery, this might fit the bill...And, would probably turn into a satisfying dinner with the addition of some cooked garbanzo beans and a big slice of bread.

Ingredients (Salad)

1 celery root, peeled and cubed
1 fennel bulb, cubed
1 jicama root, peeled and cubed
4 large carrots, peeled and cubed
2 red bell peppers, cubed
1.5 large granny smith apples, cubed
1/2 red onion, cubed
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup cubed sharp cheese (I used Gruyere and Asagio)
1/2 cup cumin vinaigrette
ground cumin

Blanch the celery root, jicama, fennel, and carrots in boiling water for one minute. Plunge into an ice bath and drain when fully cooled.

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with cumin, season with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing.

Cumin Vinaigrette

Combine the following ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to mix. Its best to let the dressing sit and marinate for an hour or two before using.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 lime juiced
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large clove of garlic (or a shallot), minced
pinch of salt

Pumpkin soup- Thai Style

While New York was beautiful, relaxing, and full of love and art, today found me exhausted after yesterday's travel disaster...2 hours on public transit to LGA (check.); 3 hours sitting on a delay at LGA (check.); 2.5 hour flight with screaming baby (check.); 1 hour ride on the L to get home (check.); etc...So, when I set out to shop for FRIENDSGIVING, I was feeling a bit less ambitious than usual. So, I decided on soup. This soup. Delicious, spicy, healthy soup. Soup that I could make ahead and then try to focus on papers until the eating begins.



While this soup is magnificent, it is still not quite where I want it to be. I've been trying for years to reverse engineer the thai pumpkin soup we served at Restaurant L while I worked there, and nothing yet matches the simultaneous richness and lightness of that perfect soup. I'm getting so close though, so close... I look forward to hearing what you think!

Step one: Roast some squash (I used 2 small sugar pumpkins and one medium sized acorn squash) in a 425 degree oven. I like to brush with olive oil and dust with sea salt and a little aleppo pepper.

Let the squash cool and then peel and cut into chunks. Set aside.




Step two:

Ingredients
Roasted squash
1 large sweet apple chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can of lite coconut milk
1/2 sweet onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Fresno chile chopped
2 inches of fresh ginger peeled and diced
4 inches of lemongrass chopped
1/2 red bell pepper diced
6 T canola oil
2 T red curry paste (more or less to taste depending on your brand)
2 T Rice Vingegar
2-3 T brown sugar
1 lime juiced

Directions
Heat the canola oil in a large stainless steel stockpot over low/medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper, onion, apple and chile to oil and cook until the onion is transparent.

Add curry paste. Stir to coat.

Add squash. Cook until warmed back through.

Add 4 cups of broth. Stir until squash begins to break down. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender or in a food processor.

Taste and add salt, lime juice, brown sugar and rice vinegar.


Serve garnished with chopped thai basil, red bell pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds and fish sauce for non-vegan eaters. This makes about 3L of soup and it freezes well! Enjoy.




Variations:
Garnish with grilled shrimp/ scallops
Sub 1 cup of veg. broth for seafood broth
Include 1-2 fresh curry leaves and/or chopped thai basil while cooking. (Remove curry leaves before puréeing.)

Cider-Roasted Root Vegetables

Brian and I made these for my mom when she was in town. From my Fresh Every Day cookbook, recipes from a cafe I love in Chapel Hill, NC (I use this all the time). Perfect for cooking up mysterious or abundant root veggies. I used whatever I had on hand courtesy of my Fresh Picks box, which included scarlet turnips and rutabagas. To veganize, leave out the butter and double the EVOO. Roasted parsnips are incredible.

Serves 4-6

1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. unfiltered apple juice or apple cider
2 T. olive oil
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary or thyme or combo or both
2 small turnips, trimmed, peeled, and quartered lengthwise
4 small potatoes, halved
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-in. wedges
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-in. pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-in. pieces
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk the vinegar, apple juice, oil, butter, mustard, and rosemary/thyme together in a large bowl (I skipped this step and dumped everything into the glass baking dish I roasted everything in). Add veggies and toss/stir to coat. Season with salt & pepper and spread veggies into single layer - as best you can. Roast for 45-50 mins, stirring veggies occasionally, until they are tender and light golden brown around the edges (note: I ended up roasting almost an extra hour, as I like my veggies so roasted they start to caramelize). Toss with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Baja's Best Pinto Beans

It's no secret I love dried beans. Really good tasting, good quality beans. What could be healthier or more satisfying? So here's a staple pinto recipe that's refreshingly meat-free. 100% vegan these are. These have a mildly smoky, sweet flavor that's not quite bbq and so they go with everything. I particularly love them for breakfast con huevos y tortillas.

You will need to make these in the biggest pot you have b/c of all the water, and they'll need a few hours on the stove. They freeze well too. Enjoy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit, 2003
Serves 6 or more...

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large jalapeño chili with seeds, cut lengthwise in half
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 9 1/2 cups water
• 1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, chili, oregano, and cumin; sauté 1 minute. Add 9 1/2 cups water and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

Discard chili. Add sugar and salt to bean mixture. Simmer uncovered over medium heat until beans are tender and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour longer (or more). Remove from heat. Season with additional salt, if desired.

Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Sweet 100's

This is a Spring/Summer recipe...But, today is so sunny and warm that it seemed apropos. This recipe emerged from my attempt to reverse engineer a particularly delicious meal at a now-defunct eatery in La Canada California...Not exactly a bastion of culinary innovation, but this place (name long forgotten) was really lovely. I like to make this dish for parties and serve it with simple veggie dishes like sauteed patty pan squash, fresh greens and wildflower salads, etc. It's so rich, that the recipe can easily feed a crowd when served in this way. It's been so long since I wrote this recipe out (and knew where the paper was that I wrote it on), that I am guesstimating a bit when it comes to the amount of cheese to use. I think this is also an issue of personal taste, so you should be sure to taste the spoon a lot when prepping this one.

I've made some nice variations on this over the years, adding cayenne and paprika and serving with spicy grilled shrimp and corn instead of the arugula; adding a ton of spring veggies and some dill into the mix, and on and on...But, this version is still my favorite. I might also mention that this pairs really nicely with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Gruner Veltliner...Sigh, summer.

Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Slow Roasted tomatoes

Arugula Pesto (Can be made 1-2 days ahead)
- Several large handfuls of fresh arugula. I like to mix the softer baby leaves with the larger and more peppery "mature" leaves.
- Good quality olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and Pepper (gray sea salt is great in this)
- The juice of one lemon
- toasted almonds or pine nuts

In a food processor, blend the garlic, oil and nuts until smooth. Add the arugula a bit at a time, using the lemon juice to keep it moving. Once you have a thick green paste, add salt and pepper to taste and blend one last time to combine. If you're making ahead, pour into an airtight jar and cover the mixture with olive oil.

For the Shells & Cheese
- 1/2 pint fresh sweet 100 tomatoes halved
- 1/2 pint sweet 100 tomatoes halved and slow roasted (spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, salted and peppered, and cooked until mostly dry in a 150- 200 degree oven...about 45m)
- 1/2-1 cup good quality french goat cheese
- 1-2 cups grated gruyere or similar cheese, sharp white cheddar can be nice, but sometimes makes the sauce grainy
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 cups whole milk (Depends on how much cheese you plan on using)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 clove of garlic, minced and sweated in butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large bag of large shells, cooked al dente


- In a heavy saucepan melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and make a roux (whisking briskly for about 2-3 minutes)

- Add the milk in a stream, whisking continuously and bring to a boil, still whisking and reduce heat to a low simmer.

- Add salt, pepper, and garlic.

- Whisk the sauce gently until thickened, and then remove from heat.

- Stir in the cheese until fully melted and incorporated (if you like, you can do this over very, very low heat or just keep the pan on the warm burner with the flame off).

- Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, you can thin
the sauce with a bit of the warm pasta water if you need to. Stir in roasted tomatoes.

- Serve on a bed of the arugula pesto, garnished well with fresh, halved sweet 100's. If you want to go all out stir in a BIG handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh basil with the roasted tomatoes and add a garnish of chopped kalamata olives in addition to the pesto and fresh tomatoes.

Peruvian Quinoa Soup with African Spices (name corrected by Julio)

This is the soup that I made for Kelly's sweet potato party. I get mixed reviews from people who haven't tried it when I tell them that there is peanut butter in it, but I've made it four times in the last month and it has always gotten rave reviews! It's also great the next day, though it thickens up a lot.


Peruvian Quinoa Soup with African Spices

2 T olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
handful of celery leaves, chopped (optional)
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
5 cups of vegetable stock
2 medium-small zucchini, diced (keeping the skin on makes it look better)
1 t ground cumin
1 t dried organo
1 t grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed (i use heirloom red quinoa)
1/2 smooth peanut butter
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes, to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute the onion over medium heat until translucent, then add the garlic, bell pepper, and celery. Saute 10 to 15 minutes, or until veggies are golden and softened.

Add the remaining ingredients except the last three. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until quinoa is cooked and veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the peanut butter, stirring well to blend in completely, then simmer over very low heat for another 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is puffy and the sweet potato is tender.

Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and serve.

Black beans, by request of D

Since leaving California, I continually crave Mexican food...While this recipe is far from traditional, and quite easily made vegan unlike most Mexican food, it is really delicious, easily modifiable, and very, very cheap eats. I usually have it with brown rice, and roasted squash and potatoes...In these combinations, it definitely satisfies my cravings. This is a fairly free form recipe, but those who've eaten it, frequently request it...So, here you go!

Ingredients

1-1.5 cups dried black beans (soaked for 8- 24 hours)
1/2- 1 red bell pepper diced
1/2- 1 sweet onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-2 anaheim or poblano chilies diced (optional. use serranos if you want these to be punchy and spicy)
2-4 cups of vegetable broth (I use Imagine Organics No-Chicken broth. You can use water to save $$, but the broth adds a lot of richness.)
1-2 teaspoons coriander
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1- 3 teaspoons aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper or cayenne or some mix of the three
1-3 tablespoons of butter
1-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2- 1 cup sweet corn kernels (optional)

Directions

- In a 3.5 quart sauce pan (with a tight fitting lid) melt equal parts butter and olive oil, about 4 tablespoons of fat. If you want to avoid butter, you can just use oil, but the little bit of butter adds a rich flavor that really makes these beans pop.

- Once the oil/butter is hot, reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion, bell pepper, diced chile, and carrots. You just want enough vegetables to add flavor. I usually use 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1 chile, and 2 small carrots, but sometimes I add more or less depending on what I have on hand and what I am in the mood for.

- As the vegetables soften, add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, aleppo, and cayenne. I don't usually measure the spices, instead I go on smell. As a guideline, definitely use at least 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin. You should have about 1 tablespoon of the "red" spices, in whatever combination and ratio seems right to you.

- As the spices become fragrant and the onions become clear and soft, add the rinsed and soaked beans. Stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

- Add enough vegetable stock to just cover the beans. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 1 hour.

- After one hour, adjust the lid so that the top of the pan is half open and add a bit more liquid, a good shake of the balsamic, and the brown sugar. Let simmer for 30 more minutes.

- Remove the lid. The beans should now be pretty soft, but maintaining their shape. If the beans are dry, add about 1 cup more broth. Let the beans simmer, uncovered on low until the liquid cooks out and the beans are very soft. You may have to add more liquid as the beans cook down to get them to cook to your preferred softness. Play it by eye and taste.

- Once the liquid is cooked out, add salt to taste. At this time, add about 1 cup of sweet corn kernels (frozen is easiest) if you wish and stir until they are warmed through.

- Serve with rice, roasted potatoes or as a side dish to enchiladas, a filling for veggie burritos, etc. These beans are great on their own, with an avocado or cilantro garnish, and with a little extra hot sauce.

Lovely Lavender, Apricot and Pomegranate Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs

Tonight, in true Sunday Supper fashion Danica, Peter and I whipped up an indulgent meal that, in sum, contained about one solid stick of butter... This rice was a SHOW STOPPER and now officially in my top-5 favorite recipes. I highly encourage you to try it out. The delicious halibut (courtesy of Peter) crusted in almonds and cashews with a hefty amount of lazy persons' beurre blanc was the perfect accompaniment.


Lovely Lavender, Apricot and Pomegranate Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs
Serves 4-6 as a side...But, is definitely worth making a meal out of. In which case, I'd say it would serve 3-4 with a nice salad to round out the meal.

Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled & chopped
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth (I always use Imagine Organics No-Chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons candied ginger diced
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 big handfuls of fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped dried Turkish apricots
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds and cashews chopped
- 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint

Directions
- Melt butter in a large saucepan, add celery and onions and cook until soft.
- Add garlic and rice; stir until thoroughly coated with butter.
- Add broth, ginger, lavender and salt.
- Bring to boil; reduce heat to low.
- Cover and cook without stirring until liquid is absorbed (about 40 minutes).
- When rice is cooked (but still has a tiny bit of liquid), stir in pomegranate seeds, apricots, and lemon juice. Stir on low for about one more minute to warm up the fruit.
- Add chopped nuts and herbs and enjoy a delicious, fragrant meal!

Adapted from here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Savory-Rice-Pilaf-With-Lavender-Apricots-66672

The original recipe called for currants instead of pomegranate, far less chopped herbs and chicken broth...I opted to make it vegetarian, and always think more green is better! While the currants were replaced due to my inability to find them anywhere, I think I liked the pomegranate better, it was less sweet, and added a bright, tart flavor that really rounded out the savory quality of the lavender.

My favorite fall soup...

So this is actually tonight's dinner, but this recipe is one of my favorites for butternut squash. Tonight we made it with the addition of 2 small chopped apples (added at the beginning with the carrot and onion) and we used half a butternut squash and a whole kabocha squash. Finally, we usually roast the squash while we get everything else chopped and sweated to speed up the cooking process. Enjoy!

Thai Squash Soup

Adapted from Whitehouse Crawford

1 onion sliced

2 carrots sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon butter

2 14 oz cans of coconut milk

1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste (I've used green curry paste and red curry paste as well)

1 butternut or similar size squash, peeled and cut into chunks (1 1/2" cubes work best)

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (optional)

1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock

Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot and ginger in the butter until soft. Add the coconut milk and the curry paste, and dissolve the paste into the coconut milk. Add the squash and the fish sauce and simmer until the squash is soft. Puree the soup in the blender, adding stock as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Season soup with salt to taste.

formalizing procrastination

fellow culinary procrastinators, go forth and share what you made for dinner last night! in honor of the yam festival, here is my recipe for sweet potatoes au gratin.

adapted from my mother via Bobby Flay

- 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel are best) peeled and sliced very thin
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2-3 chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce

- pre-heat the oven to 350
- purée peppers and cream to create a smooth mixture (add or subtract peppers depending on your spice preference)
- using about 1/4 of your sweet potato slices, create an even layer in a small/medium casserole dish
- apply salt and pepper
- evenly pour about 1/4 of the cream mixture over the potato slices
- repeat until you have used all of your sweet potato slices
the top layer should be just barely covered with the cream mixture, and you should leave about 1" between your top layer and the top of the dish
bake at 350 for one hour...and then try not to consume the entire dish yourself