Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Side Dishes

  • Filled Filo Cups – The Twenty Minute Appetizer

    My dinner party cooking experiences are usually so chaotic that I am usually cutting dishes at the end of the night instead of thinking about what more to add.  However, a new exception to that longstanding rule occurred with my recent Downton Abbey finale party in which I decided to add a simple appetizer to my dinner table just an hour or two before guests arrived.

    Filo Cups - baked

    That simple appetizer was made with some leftover ingredients from my main dinner course preparations – approx. 3 oz. of goat cheese, 1 tsp. of chopped tarragon, and 1 tsp. of chopped basil.  To that mixture I added just a bit of salt and pepper, and placed approximately equal amounts of the mixture into a package of pre-baked filo cups, which have been in my freezer for some time.  

    Filo Cups - pre-baking

    For a much neater presentation, I could have piped the goat cheese mixture into the cups, but oh well.  I baked the cups for approx. 15 mixtures or until the cups and filling were hot.  

    Filo Cups - close up

    These filo cups are really a lifesaver to have in the kitchen – you can fill them with almost anything for a bite-size appetizer, and I'll definitely be experimenting with more variations in the future.

  • Patatas Bravas – Hearty Party Fare

    As a vegetarian, my options at Spanish tapas restaurants can be limited.  However, I can also rely on at least one vegetarian tapas dish no matter where I go – the ubiquitous patatas bravas.

    Patatas bravas are fried potato cubes with a spicy sauce.  They alone can often be a good meal for me, and I was excited to try my hand at making them when the stars seemed to perfectly align a few weeks back.  

    The first star moving into place was the Balaboosta cookbook, which I had checked out from my local library on the recommendation of co-workers.  The cookbook had a recipe for patatas bravas, with the spin of spicing the potatoes with za'atar.  The second star that made this opportunity occur was a friend hosting a housewarming party to which she recommended we bring a "tapas-style" dish.

    I decided to take that instruction literally, and off I went preparing patatas bravas.  I combined the Balaboosta approach with Serious Eats guidance and some personal health-consciousness to make za-atar spiced, sauteed potatoes with spicy aioli.  

    I prepared the potatoes by using the Serious Eats technique, but with far less oil.  This resulted in me boiling the potato cubes until tender and then lightly browning potatoes on the stove-top instead of frying them. 

    Patatas Bravas Potatoes Boiling

    Patatas Bravas - Browned Potates

    I probably could have further browned the potatoes by using higher heat or putting them in the oven, but I have to admit, I was a little pressed for time to get to the party!

    I then prepared the aioli, using the Serious Eats food processor recommendation and then hand whipping in the olive oil as instructed to avoid bitterness.  The aioli took less than a few minutes to make and was so creamy and delicious.  I really can't wait to make homemade aioli again – yum!

    Patatas Bravos Aioli in Food Processor

    Patata Bravas - Aioli seasoned

    As a final touch, I improvised some za'atar with sumac, sesame seeds, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.

    Homemade Za'atar seasoning

    And then I sprinkled the za'atar on top of the potatoes until they tasted nicely seasoned.

    Patavas Bravas - Spiced Potatoes

    The dish was a major success at the party, with the aioli being used to accompany other appetizers.  I really look forward to making it again, though I may use some other spices as well, as I found the sumar / za'atar to be slightly sour for my liking.  

  • Sweet Potato Oven Fries – Simple Breakfast Accompaniment

    On a whim, I purchased some sweet potatoes from the farmers market a  few weeks back.  I initially had in mind making a spicy South Indian sweet potato and chile dish, but ultimately decided to try a new approach.

    To Cook's Illustrated I turned, and found this healthy Sweet Potato Oven Fries recipe.  The recipe couldn't be easier to make – cut the sweet potatoes (I cut them into smaller, bite-size pieces than called for in the recipe) and toss with oil, salt and pepper.  Bake.  Turn the sweet potato slices over once or twice while in the oven for even cooking.  

    Cooks Illustrated Sweet Potato Oven Fries Close Up

    When the sweet potatoes are nicely browned, remove from the oven and serve!

    Couldn't be easier, but…the flavor was definitely a bit bland and without the crunch from oil, I don't these are a snack that fully stand on their own.  However, I can see these as the perfect breakfast potato side, so will be holding the recipe for that use in the future.

    Cooks Illustrated Sweet Potato Oven Fries

  • New Go-To Roasted Broccoli Approach

    I find roasting vegetables to be a great, low-intensity approach to add vegetable sides to any meal.   I usually just make up my roasting approach, but inspired by a very pretty Cook's Illustrated picture, I decided to try an actual recipe for my latest broccoli roasting attempt.  

    Roasted Broccoli Cooks Illustrated v2

    The Cook's Illustrated Roasted Broccoli with Optional Garlic recipe produced a really great roasted broccoli.  The broccoli had the texture of a perfectly roasted vegetable, but retained the flavor of fresh broccoli.  

    The bit of sugar added to the broccoli pre-roasting also added some great sweetness and crispness to the broccoli edges.  The only modification I would make in the future is to use more than a tablespoon of minced garlic to have that flavor come out more.  Otherwise, this will definitely be my go-to approach in the future.

    Roasted Broccoli Close Up

  • First Attempt at Indian Brussels Sprouts – Not Quite There

    I have had some great brussels sprouts curries in India, but unfortunately my first attempt to make such a dish in the U.S. was a bit of a mess.  The brussels sprouts were a bit too tough and undercooked, and the seasonings didn't fully come together with the vegetables.  

    That being said, I think I have a decent base from which to improve on.  I probably just need to figure out how best to cook the brussels sprouts down, and may need a longer, lower-heat cooking period which will help the spices incorporate as well.  As I continue to refine the recipe, please find the first-attempt steps below.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry for Lunch

    (Portioned for a work week lunch with paneer)

    Indian Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

    Ingredients:

    • 2 – 3 cups of halved, small brussels sprouts
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • pinch of hing
    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1 tsp ginger
    • 1/2 jalapeno, sliced 
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
    • 1/2 cup water

    Brussels Sprouts for Curry

    Brussels Sprouts Curry Ingredients

    Directions:

    • Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet, when hot, add spices.
    • When mustard seeds start to pop, add onion, ginger and jalapeno.  Cook until onions are translucent.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry Spices Tempering

    • Add brussels sprouts and turmeric to the pan, and increase heat.  Add 1/4 cup of water and cook until water evaporates, periodically stirring.  Continue to stir, adding water as necessary to ingredients do not stick to the pan.  
    • Cook until the brussels sprouts are to your liking, and add salt to taste before serving.  Covering the sprouts while cooking may also help them reach your preferred consistency.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry

  • Pati Jinich’s Cooked Tomatillo Salsa

    While I have a pretty good tomatillo salsa recipe that I've used for years, I recently decided to try Pati Jinich's cooked version of this simple salsa.  I have never heard of cooking tomatillo salsa before, but I think I am a convert to this new approach.  

    Pati Jinich Cooked Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients

    The main difference with this version and my standard version is that cooking down the salsa results in a thicker salsa immediately instead of waiting a few days for the mixture to thicken in the fridge.  In addition, the vegetable oil used to cook the salsa down adds a nice richness to the salsa.  

    Pati Jinich Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients v2

    I think this will be a great salsa not only for serving, but also for enchiladas and other baked dishes because of its thickness.  Look forward to making it more and more!

    Pati Jinich Tomatillo Salsa Blended

  • Cheddar Scallion Jalapeno Drop Biscuits – Near-Instant Gratification

    Making a soup and need an accompaniment to make it a full meal?  Or want a quick savory option for brunch or breakfast?  Or just want something delicious that takes virtually no time to make?

    Assuming that one has to answer "yes" to at least one of these questions, the solution is Cook's Illustrated's Cheddar and Scallion Drop Biscuits recipe, to which I usually add half to a full minced jalapeno.  The recipe takes just a few steps – basically, stirring things togetherness (yes, that easy!).  

    Cheddar Scallion Biscuits Dough

    Cheddar Scallion Dough Together

    Cheddar Scallion Biscuits Ready for Baking

    These few steps somehow result in an amazing, amazing result – a savory, moist and light biscuit.  The scallions add a nice sharp flavor, the jalapeno adds sweetness and spice, and the cheddar adds another mellow flavor.  These biscuits are so good that I made them three times within the first month of trying this recipe!

    Cheddar Scallion Biscuits Baked

    The cooled biscuits last a few days, and can be warmed up in an oven or microwave, though their texture may become slightly more uniform instead of the day-off feature of having a slightly firmer crust and soft interior.  Regardless, these are an amazing treat!

    Cheddar Scallion Biscuits Cooling

  • Madhur Jaffrey’s Mung Beans with Browned Garlic and Onions

    Trying to diversify my Indian protein mixes, I sampled a Madhur Jaffrey World Vegetarian recipe last year for "'Dry' Hulled and Split Mung Beans with Browned Garlic and Onions."  

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions

    It's a quick weeknight preparation – basically boiling yellow split mung beans and then adding some tempered seasonings with browned garlic and onions.  

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions - Dal

    Mung Beans with Browned Onion - Onions

    The result is equally simple – a dal with Indian spices and deep onion flavor.  I'm not sure if it stands a lot on it's own, but it's a nice, sweet onion-y alternative to other simple dals and can well complement a larger selection of Indian food.

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions and Green Beans

  • Summer Corn Soup – Simple Weeknight Meal

    As this post demonstrates, 2015 ended on a very busy note as I am still catching up on recapping summer 2015 cooking projects!  This post could not be more summer-inspired as it involves my favorite seasonal produce – sweet corn.  

    As Alice Waters, the author of this recipe in The Art of Simple Food, notes "this is a no-fail soup as long as you have fresh sweet corn."  Her recipe requires 5 ingredients (butter, onion, salt, corn, and water) and could not be easier to make on a weeknight.  Pureed, it also had a nice, thicker consistency than an earlier corn soup I had improvised with a similar mild and sweet flavor.  I made some modifications to the soup when making it – using a leek in addition to onion and garnishing with scallions and Chinese hot sauce – and think generally this is a great base recipe that can be adapted to a variety of preferences.

    You begin the recipe by melting 3 tbsp. of butter in a pot (reduced by the 4 tbsp. called for in the original recipe):

     

     

    Corn Soup Butter Melting

    Then add the leeks/onions (I used 1/2 large onion, diced, and 1 leek, diced):

    Corn Soup Leeks Cooking

    While softening, shuck your corn (4 – 5 ears' worth):

    Corn Soup Corn Cobs

    When the onions are softened, add your shucked corn to the pot:

    Corn Soup Corn Cooking

    Cook for a few minutes, and then add 1 qt of water (or to your liking):

    Corn Soup Cooking

    Bring to a boil, then simmer until corn is cooked to your preference.  Puree in batches or use an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency.  You can also strain the soup to get rid of the harder corn pieces, but it's up to you.

    Corn Soup Blender

    Prepared Corn Soup

    Corn Soup in Bowl

  • Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley – Decent Way to Spice up Quinoa

    I am swimming in quinoa – I have containers upon containers of the "super grain" from some aggressive bulk quinoa purchasing several months ago.  I haven't really gotten that creative with utilizing all of this quinoa – rather, I just boil it and serve it on the side of Indian dishes or stews.  

    To break this quinoa monotony, I turned to the internet to find some recommendations on combining quinoa with scallions and parsley (two herbs that I happened to have on hand).  Not surprisingly, I found several recipes for "Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley" as well as similar types of quinoa salad.  

    I decided to keep it simple and largely follow a Food & Wine Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley recipe.  I halved the recipe, and cooked the quinoa as I usually do (2x water to quinoa ratio, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender).  As I was cooking the quinoa, I quickly chopped the herbs.

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley - Cut Herbs

    And then quickly sautéed the garlic and scallions until tender and fragrant:

    Quinoa Scallions and Parsley - Scallions Cooking

    When the quinoa was done cooking, I simply put it in a serving dish:

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley Cooked Quinoa

    Then stirred in the scallion mixture and parsley:

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley Cooked

    When I garnished the dish with salt and pepper, I went a little nuts with the salt so ended up adding some lemon to break up the saltiness.  The lemon juice (approx. 1/2 tsp.) definitely helped lighten up the dish.

    I think this would be a good side to a Middle Eastern dish because the parsley adds a nicely complementary flavor.  I would not make this as more than a side dish though because the flavors aren't that interesting or complex enough to carry a main dish.  So back to the drawing board on new quinoa recipes!