Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Main Courses

  • Broccoli and Garlic Pizza on (Mostly) Whole Wheat Crust

    I picked up some broccoli last weekend at the local farmer's market with the intention of making my mom's Indian broccoli dish.   By the middle of the week though, I hadn't used the broccoli and I had just put my pizza stone in the oven to pre-heat when I realized that I shouldn't wait to use the broccoli, and instead make a broccoli pizza that night!  

    Broccoli and Garlic Pizza on Mostly Whole Wheat Crust 

    Backing up a little bit, I have been a bit negligent about blogging about my favorite new pizza dough recipe — the first I have used to make my own pizza dough instead of buying the delicious refrigerated kind from Trader Joe's.  Given how relatively new I am to cooking, I have never actually used yeast in any of my dishes, and I admit that the nervousness about using it has made me hold back from making my own breads and doughs.  Finally though, I decided that it was about time for me to become a true cook, use one of the yeast packets in my cupboard, and just make my own pizza dough at home.  I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com, and I couldn't find it easier to use and the result is AMAZING.  The flavor of the crust is literally mouth-watering, and letting the dough rise in the fridge instead of a more hands-on dough recipe is perfect for my busy schedule during the week.  Ever since I started making this crust a few weeks ago, we probably make it at least once a week.  I highly, HIGHLY suggest that anyone interested in making pizza at home try this recipe as soon as possible!

    So moving forward to the broccoli-inspired pizza, for the first time, I decided to substitute two cups of whole wheat flour for two of the cups of bread flour called for in the recipe.  Although the yeast flavor didn't come out as much with the whole wheat version of the dough, it still tasted pretty amazing.  I paired the pizza with my standard pizza sauce, which is also a user-submitted Allrecipes.com entry that I have altered.  I also included about 2 cups of grated low moisture mozzarella cheese, and 5 cloves of garlic. 

    The full recipe, which serves approximately 2 – 3 individuals, is:

    Ingredients

    • 1/2, or one dough ball, from this Brooklyn-style pizza dough recipe.  Substitute two cups of whole wheat flour for two cups of the bread flour for a healthier crust.  
    • 1/2 of this pizza sauce recipe.  I highly recommended making the sauce a day before, when you make the pizza dough, to allow the flavors to blend together.
    • 2 cups grated low-moisture mozzarella (can be part-skim if you desire)
    • 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
    • 5 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 large jalapeno, finely sliced and then chopped (optional, depending on your preference)
    • vegetable oil for sauteing broccoli

    Directions

    • Pre-heat pizza stone in the oven at 550 degrees for at least 45 minutes
    • At the same time, remove the pizza dough and sauce from the fridge to allow both to come to room temperature.  Chop the vegetables and garlic, and grate the cheese.
    • Heat on medium-high heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet or frying pan.  Once hot, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about one to two minutes depending on the heat of the pan.
    • Add the broccoli and saute for approximately 5 – 7 minutes.  I recommend covering the broccoli for at least 4 – 5 minutes to allow it to steam a bit.  Once the broccoli is cooked to your taste, remove it from the heat.
    • Press or toss the pizza dough according to your crust preference, and form into a 12-inch circle, using a lot of flour to ensure the pizza does not stick to your pan or peel.  
    • Once stone is hot, remove from the oven, and quickly place pizza dough on surface.  Add sauce and toppings immediately, and place back in the oven at the top rack (in my oven, the top rack is the coolest — would avoid the hottest place in your oven to avoid the cheese getting prematurely burned).  There is no need to pre-heat this pizza crust before adding the toppings, as long as the dough is at room temperature.  If it is not, I would recommend pre-heating for about a minute.
    • Keep in oven for approximately 4 – 5 minutes, or until the crust is fully cooked (testing by pricking a knife into any thick parts of the dough, and checking the inside of the dough) and the cheese is bubbly.  I would recommend watching the pizza closely toward the end of the baking period to ensure the cheese doesn't start to burn.
    • Remove from the oven, let sit for approximately 2 – 3 minutes, and then use a pizza cutter to cut and serve.

    Enjoy — you definitely will!

  • Lentil and Vegetable Soup — Excellent for All Seasons!

    Last year, Andy and I went to his co-worker Claudia's condo for a Mexican cooking lesson.  Among the delicious things we ate was a super-yummy and filling lentil soup.  Although Claudia didn't use many vegetables in her version of the soup (potatoes, tomatoes and onion), with the bountiful set of vegetables from my weekly CSA deliveries, I decided to make her recipe into more of a vegetable and lentil soup this year.  I've made the soup about 3 – 4 times this spring, summer, and now fall.  Each time I've used a different set of vegetables and the result has never disappointed, so I would definitely recommend customizing this recipe to incorporate your favorite ingredients, no matter the season!  I would also recommend making this soup over weekends to serve as several weekday take-to-work lunches as well.

    Lentil Soup 

    This recipe makes about 4 meal-size servings.

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups water
    • 1 cup lentils, washed and picked through for stones (though I admit I do a cursory job of this)
    • 1 medium onion, quartered and then 3 of the sections chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, 2 cloves whole and 2 coarsely chopped
    • 2 hot peppers (serranos, jalapenos and/or poblanos depending on your preference), sliced
    • 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
    • 1 medium carrot, sliced into 1/2 inch circles
    • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 2 tbls. vegetable oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    • Bring water, lentils, the full quarter of the onion, the 2 whole cloves of garlic and 1 tsp. salt to a boil
    • After the soup boils, reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.
    • While the soup is simmering, in a separate medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil on medium heat.
    • Stir into the saucepan the chopped garlic, chopped onion, hot peppers, green peppers, tomatoes and carrot, and saute for 5 minutes.
    • Add in the garlic powder and ground cumin to the saucepan, and saute mixture for another 3 – 5 minutes or until vegetables have just become tender.
    • Stir the saucepan contents into the soup, and simmer the entire mixture for another 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked to your taste.  Add in additional salt or pepper as necessary (if the soup tastes under-flavored, adding a modest amount of salt can really bring out the flavors).
    • Remove soup from heat and serve immediately.  Adding homemade croutons or crushed tortilla chips helps make this soup into a filling main course.

  • Rasam — A Light and Spicy Indian Tomato Soup

    One of my favorite Indian dishes is rasam — a light tomato broth that is wonderfully flavorful and can be enjoyed with rice and yogurt in addition to just being delicious on its own.  After long salivating for rasam on my journeys home to Michigan, I finally decided to try it on my own.  I bought some rasam powder (a mix of ground spices that you can find at any Indian store), and instead of following the rather bland directions on the box, I tried to incorporate items that I know my mom uses when she makes rasam.  The recipe follows the picture below.

    Rasam 2 

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups water
    • 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
    • 1/3 cup chopped onion
    • 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
    • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
    • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 2 tsp. prepared rasam powder
    • 1 tsp. mustard seeds
    • 2 dried red chili peppers
    • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

    Directions

    • Place water in medium pot, and turn heat on burners to high.
    • Add in chopped vegetables and rasam powder, and stir well.
    • Bring mixture to a boil, and boil for 3 – 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to a simmer.
    • At the same time, heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan.  Once hot, add mustard seeds and break the 2 dried chili peppers in half and add them as well.
    • Heat the mustard seeds and peppers until the mustard seeds pop.  Once they do, add the entire contents of the saucepan to the simmering pot.  
    • Stir the soup well, and then serve when desired.  Although excellent on its own, rasam can also be served on the side of any Indian meal or with just rice.

  • A Bland First Attempt at Vegetarian Paella

    In January, I made the bold purchase of a paella pan.  And to follow up that self-described "bold" move, I attempted my first paella…7 months later.  Unfortunately, it was not a wait well worth it — the result of my impromptu paella was bland, and there were LOTS of leftovers (though I admit all of the leftovers were consumed with lots of Sriracha, which certainly made it tastier).   In any case though, it was a good way to use a lot of random CSA veggies, even if it meant eating them with a lot of Sriracha.

    Below the picture, I provide the ingredients I used and directions, followed by tips that I think will help make the paella tastier next time (and no vegetarian paella skeptics, none of those tips involve using meat!). 

    Vegetarian Paella

     
    Ingredients (for approximately 6 – 8 servings)

    • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 3/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1 large green bell pepper, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
    • 1 medium orange bell pepper, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
    • Approx. 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
    • 1/2 tsp. saffron
    • 1 small jalapeno, chopped
    • 1/4 tsp. paprika
    • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
    • 1 cup arborio rice
    • 1 cup brown basmati rice (only because I realized I only had one cup of arborio)
    • Olive oil

    Directions

    1)  Heat oven to 400 degrees.
    2)  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in paella pan on medium-high heat (you may need to use two burners depending on the size of your paella pan.
    3)  Add garlic and onion, and saute for approximately 5 minute until the onions cook down.
    4)  Add the sliced bell peppers, jalapeno and tomatoes and cook for approximately another five minutes.
    5)  Add rice, saffron and paprika, stirring to incorporate rice into the entire vegetable mix.  Saute for 2 minutes.
    6)  Add in the vegetable broth, stirring and increasing heat to high, and cook until the liquid starts to boil.
    7)  Place pan into oven uncovered, and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and rice is cooked.
    8)  Serve immediately.

    Preliminary Improvement Tips

    Thanks to the advice of my friend Jonathan, it seems I can attribute a good chunk of the paella blandness to dramatic underspicing.  I should have used a few tsps. of pimenton instead of traditional paprika,  and used more saffron (and crumbled it) and salt.  Additionally, I should have definitely just stuck with a cooking a smaller amount of rice, and using only the arborio or other medium-grain rices because not only do they cook faster, they also are the necessary component to building the traditional paella "crust".  I also think I should have been more diligent about using two burners for my large paella pan to more evenly distribute high heat throughout the cooking, as well as using a higher heat (e.g., Bittman's recommended 450 degrees for his tomato paella recipe) to better achieve the crust as well. 

    I'll definitely report back after I attempt another round of paella!

    Vegetarian Paella Close Up

  • Indian Style Cabbage Stir Fry

    The weekly CSA deliveries continue to make me try new recipes — or at least in this case, a recipe I have never tried despite eating several times.  For two or three weeks, I received a small head of cabbage in my share.  I've never actually cooked with cabbage, but I remembered that my mom made a tasty Indian cabbage dish that I used to eat a decent amount growing up.  So I called her up, and got her recipe — which sure enough, was extremely easy to follow, cooked up incredibly quickly and will definitely be repeated next time I pick up some cabbage!

    And the best part — which I learned at work the next day — is that a whole head of cabbage has less than 300 calories!  That means each serving of this recipe is maybe 75 – 100 calories at most! 

    Cabbage (Indian Style)

    Makes approximately 6 servings

    Ingredients:

    1 small head cabbage, outer green leaves removed and thoroughly washed (approx. 6 cups of cabbage, after chopped)
    1/4 cup peas (can be frozen)
    1/2 cup shredded carrot
    1 thai green chili pepper
    1 tsp. mustard seeds
    2 cloves garlic, sliced
    3 dried red chili peppers (can be found in Indian grocery stores), broken in half
    1 tsp uridahl
    1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    Vegetable oil
    Salt

    Directions:

    1.  Chop the cabbage into small pieces — approximately 1/2 inch wide by 1 – 2 inch long pieces.
    2.  Place cabbage in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes to pre-cook.  Also place peas and carrot in the microwave for approximately 1 minute (if frozen, for 2 minutes).
    3.  At the same time, heat 2 – 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat, and add mustard seeds.
    4.  After mustard seeds pop, add garlic, red chili pepers, uridahl and cumin, and quickly saute.  You want to cook until the garlic softens, but before it browns.
    5.  Immediately add the cabbage, peas and carrot; sprinkle on the turmeric and salt to taste; and ensure that the seasonings and oil coat all the vegetables. 
    6.  Saute the mixture for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring regularly until the cabbage reaches the consistency you desire.  Add more salt to taste before removing from the heat. 
    7.  Serve hot with basmati or long-grain rice, or Indian breads.  Think about how something so delicious can be so good for you!

  • Turkish-Style Zucchini Pancakes (Mucver)

    One of my favorite Turkish dishes is mucver, or zucchini pancakes, topped with a Turkish yogurt.  Despite my feeling that one can probably never mess up mucver (I've had it at multiple restaurants with varying levels of overall quality), I hadn't really thought about making it at home until I saw this recipe on the NY Times website a few months ago.  But even after seeing this fairly easy recipe, I didn't actually decide to plow forward and make it myself until I recently a HUGE zucchini from my CSA.  I have tried a few other dishes with the CSA zucchini, including a spicy stir-fried zucchini and sliced zucchini on homemade pizza, but the massive size of the zucchini I received that week meant that it was time to get creative so to the mucver I turned.

    Rather than follow the NY Times recipe which required a lot of ingredients that I didn't have and much more egg than I wanted ( I generally don't eat eggs unless they are in baked goods), I looked up a few other recipes and decided to just freestyle it with the following version:

    Zucchini Pancakes

    This recipe makes approximately 2 large main course servings or 4 appetizer-size servings.

    1 medium large zucchini, shredded
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 tbls all-purpose flour
    1 tbls panko breadcrumbs
    1 green onion, finely chopped
    crushed red pepper to taste
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/3 tsp baking soda

    Olive oil for pan-frying (approx 3 tbls)

    Directions

    1.  After shredding the zucchini, squeeze as much of the excess water out of the remains and pat the mixture as dry as possible.

    2.  Heat a heavy pan on high heat with olive oil for light pan-frying.

    3.  Mix all of the remaining ingredients together.

    4.  Place one large tablespoon of the mixture onto the pan, slightly flattening out to a 2 – 3-inch diameter with a spatula.  Repeat, leaving an inch or two between each zucchini pancake round.

    5.  Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side, until fairly browned.

    6.  Serve immediately with a Greek or Turkish style yogurt or freshed chopped dill, if you desire.

    Although this recipe may not follow the true Turkish style of mucver, I found this recipe to be extremely quick, flexible and very tasty (not too eggy!), and look forward to trying other spices or cheeses with it as I happen to get them in my kitchen. 

  • Back to Soups! Rachel Ray’s Corn and Salsa Soup

    Apparently there is hope that I will use the cookbooks and cooking magazines in my apartment, and not just rely on the internet and cookbooks from the library for my cooking and baking experiments.  I make this statement as the other day, I pulled out the one and only "Everyday with Rachel Ray" magazine I bought last year and made my first recipe from it.  I settled on the "Corn and Salsa Soup" recipe both because I thought it would be a filling soup for my friends who I were expecting for dinner, but also because it seemed that it would be a quick main course that would allow me to spend time on the two desserts I planned on making that evening. 

    Rachel Ray Corn and Salsa Soup Close Up

    I basically followed the recipe step-by-step, though I ended up using a can of plain diced tomatoes because I couldn't find fire-roasted tomatoes at a small grocery store nearby.  I found the soup incredibly easy to make  and despite my concerns that it would not have enough flavor, the poblano peppers definitely added a lot more spice than I thought.  I definitely look forward to preparing it again, especially because it had both a light consistency and somehow ended up being incredibly filling and healthy.  The recipe can be found online at:  http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/corn-and-salsa-tortilla-soup/article.html.

    Rachel Ray Corn and Salsa Soup   

  • Broccolini and Popovers — A Simple, Light and Very Garlic-Heavy Meal!

    About a week or two ago, I found some very good-looking broccolini at the local grocery store and decided to pick some up even though I had no idea what I should make with the bunch.  I ended up looking in my cookbooks (including the ones from the library) and couldn't find anything that seemed good so to the Internet I went!  I found this simple "Garlicky Broccolini" recipe from Rachel Ray:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/garlicky-broccolini-recipe/index.html.  I ended up making it one night, and decided to pair it with some Garlic Parmesan Popovers from my Gourmet cookbook — my first attempt at Popovers.   The Gourmet recipe is also online at:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garlic-Parmesan-Popovers-11444.  My thoughts on the recipes follow the pictures below.

    Garlicky Broccolini and Garlic Parmesan Popovers

    I thought the broccolini turned out well though I admit that I probably won't use this recipe again — it was just a little too simple, and I think there are probably other dishes I can throw broccolini in to make a more flavorful and memorable meal.  My first attempt at popovers also turned out well — I used my silicon baking cups and pre-heated them in the oven per a tip I found online.    They rose uncontrollably (as they should!) and had a great consistency when we took them out of the oven.   The only complaint I have is that they tasty pretty "egg-y", and as someone who is not really a fan egg-flavored foods, I could only eat one popover.  Andy enjoyed them though, and ate all of the leftovers so if you are looking for a popover recipe, it seems this would be a good one to start with!

  • Thai Green Curry with Zucchini and Bamboo Shoots

    Moving back to D.C. has unfortunately meant that I am again exposed to what seems like scores and scores of sub-par Thai restaurants.  However, instead of resigning myself to eating overpriced and really-not-tasty Thai, I decided to take "advantage" of this situation and try cooking Thai food at home.  I spent a few days researching Thai cookcooks on the Internet, ultimately narrowing my search to vegetarian-only cookbooks.  Finally, after consulting several websites including the author's, I settled on Nancie McDermott's Real Vegetarian Thai. 

    My first experience with McDermott's book was making the Thai Green Curry with Zucchini and Bamboo Shoots — I wanted to make something that was a little more complex than some sort of spicy stirfry-type dish (what I generally get in Thai restaurants) so I ventured a little outside of my comfort zone with by deciding to make both the curry paste and the curry itself.  My thoughts on the recipe and the curry approach follow the picture of the final product over rice.

    Thai Green Curry Over Rice

    McDermott's green curry paste was actually pretty easy to assemble, especially as I had all of the ingredients on hand already except I had to substitute some pre-chopped lemongrass in a tube for using lemongrass stalks as three grocery stores in the area were out of, or didn't have, fresh lemongrass (D.C. fails me again!).  I also added in a few more Thai green chili peppers to ensure it would be an especially spicy paste. 

    The curry itself was also fairly easy and straight-forward to make, though I ended up cooking it for maybe double the time called for in the recipe to make sure that the zucchini and other parts of the curry fully cooked to my taste.  I also added in maybe an extra 1 – 2 tsps. of the curry paste to ensure that the dish was full of flavor.

    The result:  a little bland and boring.  Ultimately, what I really learned is that I just don't like Thai curries (yes, somehow I couldn't figure out BEFORE deciding to make this dish that there is a reason why I don't order curries in Thai restaurants!).  The coconut milk just seems to dilute the flavor too much of the dish, and although I could "feel" the heat in a way, I really couldn't taste and enjoy it in the dish.  So it was kind of an "eh" experience, but doesn't dimish my enthusiasm for trying out the other recipes in McDermott's book — especially because it'll be easier than continuing a frustrating experience in this town to find new, solid Thai restaurant options!

  • Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa

    The second batch of vegetarian enchiladas we made with the homemade tomatillo salsa was even more filling than the last batch we made by adding in a can of black beans and reducing the other ingredients as appropriate.   I'd highly recommend making this incredibly substantial and varied meal with a lot of flavors that only takes minimal work.
    Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

    Makes 2 large servings

    Ingredients

    • 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and washed
    • ¼ cup frozen or fresh corn
    • ¼ cup chopped onion
    • 1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (or substitute Jalapeno)
    • 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I usually use a store-bought
      Mexican blend or just Jack cheese)
    • 4 8-inch flour tortillas
    • 1 tbps. vegetable oil
    • 1 – 1.5 cups of tomatillo salsa (recipe found here:  http://www.madhuknitsandcooks.com/madhu_knits_and_cooks/2009/03/tomatillo-salsa.html)

    Directions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
    • Heat the tortillas either on an open flame on the stovetop
      or in the preheating oven for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the tortillas become
      slightly firm
    • Cover an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with a light layer of the
      tomatillo salsa to prevent the enchiladas from sticking to the pan
    • Heat oil on medium to high heat in a large saucepan, and add
      onion, hot peppers, black beans and corn. 
      Saute for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is warm and the onions are
      cooked
    • Using a soft spatula or masher, lightly mash the beans as
      they cook
    • Divide the enchilada filling into four even portions
    • Spoon each quarter of the mixture into a tortilla, sprinkle
      cheese on top if desire, and roll tortilla, taking care to ensure that the
      mixture does not fall over the ends of the tortillas
    • Place each tortilla, with the edges of the rolled sides face
      down, in the pan
    • When all tortillas have been placed in the pan, spoon the
      remainder of the salsa on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle ½ cup cheese on
      top of the enchiladas
    • Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 – 40 minutes,
      removing foil 2/3 through baking time