tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83989115096042732472024-03-21T01:09:25.633-07:00On Herbs and HerbivoresDaphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-18403950078999126712020-11-07T04:20:00.001-08:002020-11-07T04:20:13.721-08:00Crispy Tofu Tacos with Loads of Delicious ToppingsA crispy tofu filling, with a hint of both sweet and spicy, and then a selection of toppings that create a layering of savory, spicy, sweet and tangy flavor - what could possibly be better? <p>The tofu and cilantro sauce are adapted from <a href="https://thewoksoflife.com/loaded-crispy-tofu-tacos/#wprm-recipe-container-30821" target="_blank">here</a>, the corn from <a href="https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cilantro-corn/ab9c33f0-e7e8-4a57-b487-58c018e50ff9">here</a>, and the onions from <a href="https://www.allwaysdelicious.com/pickled-red-onions/">here</a>. <br /></p><p>Although they look fancy, each component is very easy to make - and I especially recommend the onions, which are so simple, yet add a crunchy tang and that unbeatable purple color. Still, if you don't have the time or energy to make all the finicky bits, you can make just the tofu, and serve it with anything you like: salsa, refried beans, cheese etc. <b>You can also make all of the components in advance. To reheat the tofu, </b>simply put it in an oven/toaster oven for a few minutes until it warms and crisps up a bit. <br /><br />This recipe is <b>gluten free</b>, as long as you make sure your tacos are GF. The base is <b>vegan</b>, so as long as you leave out the cream and cheese, you're good. <br /><br />Most of the topping recipes will make more than is needed for the tacos. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Crispy Tofu Tacos with Loads of Delicious Toppings</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B0kOYg7Q6pXc_oSDA0YRdbVHqX-HVT_XGICcmEuWoMAgGn7fX94C9ir3QlmQyCK4AF4pzkhoXlZCkkfISyzQzPdj_Sgblio0iAPIUPerqnL5IHJrG93pVxNUIVQlVAZBLetARQprFUZt/s2048/crispy+tofu+tacos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B0kOYg7Q6pXc_oSDA0YRdbVHqX-HVT_XGICcmEuWoMAgGn7fX94C9ir3QlmQyCK4AF4pzkhoXlZCkkfISyzQzPdj_Sgblio0iAPIUPerqnL5IHJrG93pVxNUIVQlVAZBLetARQprFUZt/s320/crispy+tofu+tacos.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>For 3-4 servings: </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i>To Serve: </i><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>- </b>2-3 small soft corn tortillas per person, or 2 hard taco shells per person. <br /><br />- Crispy tofu and any of the rest of the components listed below (or whatever other toppings you want). <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">- Grated cheddar or other sharp cheese (optional). <br /><i><br /><b>To Assemble: <br /><br /></b> - </i>If you're using soft tacos, heat the corn tortillas on a skillet with a tiny bit of oil, until warmed through but not crunchy. If you're using hard shells, heat in oven as instructed on the box. <br /><br />- Top each taco with a few cubes of tofu and the toppings of your choice. If you're using all of the components, the order I recommend is: a bit of warm corn -> warm tofu -> a bit of cheese (the heat from the tofu and corn will melt it) -> a few dollops of cilantro sauce -> onion. <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i> Crispy Tofu: </i></b></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 pack firm or extra-firm tofu. </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (if you really hate heat you can skip this, but I wouldn't recommend it.) </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tbsp honey </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 cup fine cornmeal (not corn starch!) </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tsp chili powder </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tsp cumin </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp garlic powder</p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp salt </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/8 tsp black pepper </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/4 cup of oil </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. Cut the tofu into cubes. In a shallow bowl combine the sriracha and honey, and then toss the tofu in the mixture to coat thoroughly. If needed, add a bit of honey and sriracha. <br /><b> </b></p><p style="text-align: left;">2. In another bowl, combine the corn meal and the spices. Carefully toss the tofu in the mixture until coated. <br /><br />3. Heat the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Put the tofu in the pan, and fry until golden-brown on all sides. For best results, take the time to place each piece of tofu, and then flip each piece to fry on all sides - rather than just stirring them. (note: if you really don't want to fry, you can probably bake them in the oven until browned crispy - but I don't guarantee the results). </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Cilantro Cream Sauce</b></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>- </i>1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b>- </b></i>a handful of fresh cilantro </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2-3 scallions </p><p style="text-align: left;">- pinch of salt <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b>Put all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whizz together until you get a smooth sauce. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Pickled Onions: </b></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i> - </i>1 large red onion </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b>- </b></i>1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 1/2 tsp salt </p><p style="text-align: left;">- Boiling water </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b>Slice the onion into thin slices and place in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water to cover the onions, and let sit for about 10 seconds. Drain. Add the lime/lemon juice and salt to the onion and mix well. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate. After about 30 minutes, the onion will turn a bright purple and will be ready to serve. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Cilantro Corn: </i></b></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 tbsp of butter or oil. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i>- </i></b>1 small chili pepper, finely chopped (optional. Leave out if you don't like heat). </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 onion, finely chopped<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped </p><p style="text-align: left;">- About 350 grams/ 2 cups frozen corn kernels </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 cup water </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 bunch cilantro, very finely chopped (optional, if you are a cilantro hater). </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp salt </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1-2 tsp sugar (optional, to taste) </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. In a medium pot or saucepan with a cover, heat the butter/oil. Add the chili pepper, onion, and garlic, and sautee until the onion is translucent. </p><p style="text-align: left;">2. Add the corn, water, cilantro, and salt. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the corn is tender and flavorful. </p><p style="text-align: left;">3. Open the pot, and add the lime/lemon juice. Taste to check seasoning. If you would like it more savory, add a bit of salt. If you want a bit of sweetness to counter the chili, add a bit of a sugar. <br /><br />4. If there is still liquid in the pot, cook, uncovered, for a few minutes, until the liquid is evaporated (take care not to burn the corn). <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /></p>Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-60276204152733795282020-10-01T01:03:00.005-07:002020-10-24T07:56:25.675-07:00Chickpea "Meatballs" (cutlets) in Red Curry Sauce<p>For a recent meal, the carnivores in the family were having meatballs in a "Caribbean" sauce with pineapple and peppers. I wanted to make a similar dish for myself, but didn't have vegetarian meat on hand, nor did I feel like tofu. </p><p>I found <a href="https://www.chef-lavan.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%A3-%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A2-%D7%A8%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%97%D7%95%D7%AA-/%D7%A7%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A1-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%98%D7%91-%D7%A2%D7%92%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for chickpea "meatballs", which looked promising and fairly easy to make. I dunked a couple of them in the pineapple sauce, and it was okay, but not a great fit. The original recipe calls for tomato sauce, but I wasn't in the mood for that, so I put together a quick spicy red curry sauce to go with them and it worked out perfectly.<br /><br />If you don't like red curry, you can have these with whatever sauce you like, or even eat them plain, perhaps in some pita bread. <br /><br />If you don't have or don't like any of the herbs or spices, you can omit them (I made it with only cilantro, as I didn't have any parsley on hand). <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Chickpea "Meatballs" in Red Curry Sauce </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiXNuitFzHM8YH6JiNf1AgEkcC0IkptTcaslYN9VBCqrMQM0dKLtxC5xTHZJLqgE7g01z3V9wKvH7OJRBF32aVffh_LksnoAyiL2gBUAYpjJ2-EFMgXHZ46PLCjI3R0SFS2UCnRFY-T2a/s2048/meatballs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiXNuitFzHM8YH6JiNf1AgEkcC0IkptTcaslYN9VBCqrMQM0dKLtxC5xTHZJLqgE7g01z3V9wKvH7OJRBF32aVffh_LksnoAyiL2gBUAYpjJ2-EFMgXHZ46PLCjI3R0SFS2UCnRFY-T2a/s320/meatballs.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b> Ingredients (for 16 large cutlets): </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>For the Cutlets </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (if you can get them, it's best to use frozen cooked chickpeas and defrost them. If not, canned or self-cooked will do fine). </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>- </b>1 large onion, peeled and quartered </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 3 cloves garlic, peeled <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 4 slices of white bread, soaked in water and then squeezed (gluten free bread works fine) </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 cup parsley leaves</p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves</p><p style="text-align: left;">- 3 tbsp tahini (the raw kind, not the prepared spread) </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tbsp lemon juice </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tsp ground cumin </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 tsp Ras-Al-Hanout or Garam Masala </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp black pepper </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)</p><p style="text-align: left;">- olive oil for oiling the pan </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>For the Sauce: </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 tsp canola/sunflower/vegetable oil<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 cloves of garlic, minced </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>- </i>1 inch/2.5 cm of fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tsp of frozen ginger) </p><p style="text-align: left;">- Thai red curry paste (make sure you use a vegetarian brand, as many contain fish/shrimp). Start out with about 1/2 tbsp, and then add more if you want the sauce spicier. I went with 1 heaped tbsp in mine. <br /> </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 can coconut milk <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">- 1 tbsp lemon juice </p><p style="text-align: left;">- 2 tsp sugar <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>For The Cutlets: <br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment, and grease with olive oil. Heat oven to 200 C/ 400 F. </p><p style="text-align: left;">2. In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, onion and garlic together. Add the wet bread, herbs, tahini, lemon, and spices (including the salt and pepper) and blend together to a smooth paste. </p><p style="text-align: left;">3. Using lightly oiled hands, roll the mixture into 16 balls and place each on the prepared baking tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden-brown and the cutlets fairly firm. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Note: </b>at this point, you can just eat the cutlets as they are (they would make a nice sandwich), or serve them with any sauce you like. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>For the Sauce: </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. In a large pan, heat the oil, and then saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant and golden. </p><p style="text-align: left;">2. Add the red curry paste and mix around a bit to break the paste up. </p><p style="text-align: left;">3. Add the coconut milk and stir well, until all of the red curry paste is fully incorporated into the milk. Check the flavors and add more paste if needed. </p><p style="text-align: left;">4. Add lemon juice and sugar, and cook on a low simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens. <br /><br />5. Carefully place the cutlets in the sauce, stirring gently to coat, and cook for a few minutes until the cutlets are warmed through. Serve with rice. <br /><br />Enjoy! <br /></p><p><br /></p>Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-37565925180089963562020-07-11T08:09:00.000-07:002020-07-11T08:13:52.431-07:00"Dangerous Liaisons" Lemon TartI was a theater major in high-school, and for our final exam we mounted a rather ambitious production of "Dangerous Liaisons". Putting on this production was months of work, and at one point all of the cast and crew met up for a fancy picnic to work on the play (we were all kind of foodies as well as theater people). I don't remember all of the details, but I remember that we stayed up half the night preparing goodies for this picnic, and the queen of the goodies was this beautiful, summery lemon tart. <br />
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I seem to recall that we got the original recipe from a newspaper clipping which I no longer have. What I do still have is the recipe itself, which still appears in my notebook as the "Dangerous Liaisons Lemon Tart". It consists of a delicate and crispy tart shell, filled with a tangy lemon custard - a very different experience to the sweeter and more assertive lemon meringue pie. <br />
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As always, I made mine GF using a good flour mix (any mix will do), and in fact, using GF flour with short pastry means not having to worry so much about over-mixing, because there's no gluten to develop. <br />
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<b>A Note on Eggs: </b>the pie is not baked after the custard is put in, so the only heat the eggs get are by mixing over the double boiler. For food safety reasons, you want to make sure that your mixture reach a temperature of at least 72 C/160 F. It's best to use a food/candy thermometer for this, but if you don't have one then at least make sure that when you touch the mixture in the middle of the bowl it is uncomfortable hot to the touch. For me this coincided with the time the custard reached the correct consistency.<br />
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This recipe uses several egg yolks. If you don't want to waste the whites, why not try this recipe for <a href="http://herbsandherbivores.blogspot.com/2011/01/chocolate-filled-meringue-kisses.html" target="_blank">chocolate-filled meringue cookies</a>? <br />
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<b>"Dangerous Liaisons" Lemon Tart</b> </div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 28 cm/11 inch tart tin): </b></div>
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<i>For the Crust: </i></div>
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- 2 cups all purpose flour (gf is fine) </div>
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<i>- </i>1/3 cup sugar </div>
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- grated zest from one lemon </div>
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- 175 grams/6 oz cold butter, cubed </div>
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- 1 egg yolk </div>
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- 3 tbsp ice water </div>
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<i>For the Filling: </i></div>
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- 4 eggs </div>
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<i>- </i>4 egg yolks </div>
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- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (this is about 4 small lemons or 3 large ones, but may be more or less depending on how juice the lemons are)</div>
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- 3/4 cup white sugar </div>
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- grated zest from two lemons </div>
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- 100 grams/3.5 oz butter, room temperature and cut into small cubes </div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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1. Dough: Put the flour, sugar and zest in a food processor bowl<b> </b>and mix briefly to combine . Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles little dough crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by hand by cutting the butter into small cubes and then rubbing them into the flour with your fingers) Add the yolk and the cold water and mix just until the dough forms big clumps. Do NOT over mix. Combine a bit by hand, flatten to a round disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. </div>
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2. Preheat oven to 175 c/350 f. Lightly grease a 28 inch tart/pie tin. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about a 30 cm/12 inch round, then flip onto the prepared tin. Press gently into the tin and trim any edged. Pierce the dough with a fork, then freeze, covered, for 15 minutes. (The cooling and freezing stages ensure that the butter is cold, ensuring a flaky, crispy shell)</div>
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3. Remove the dough from the freezer, cover with a sheet of baking parchment and top with dried beans or a baking weight. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove the parchment and cool completely. </div>
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4. Prepare the filling: in a medium metal or heat-proof glass bowl whisk together the eggs and the yolks using a wire whisk. Gradually add the lemon juice, whisking as you go. Then add the sugar and lemon zest and whisk until you have an even mixture. </div>
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5. Take a medium pot sized so that the bowl can comfortably sit atop it <b>without</b> touching the bottom. Fill with a little bit of water and bring the water to a boil. With the pot still on the stove, place the bowl onto the pot and whisk, constantly, until the mixture reaches a thick custard consistency and is very warm to the touch (or measures 72 c/160 f with a food thermometer). </div>
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6. Remove from heat, and begin whisking in the butter cubes, one by one, until each is completely incorporated into the mixture. Pour the filling into the cold shell. Gently tilt the pie to either side to smooth the custard and make sure if fully fills the tin. Refrigerate until the filling is set, about 4-5 hours. </div>
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-11311871695062361272020-01-09T03:12:00.000-08:002020-01-09T03:12:10.625-08:00Rich Persian Soup with Spinach, Legumes and Herbs<br />
I first fell in love with Ash Reshteh - a thick soup with herbs,legumes and noodles - as a teen. My family briefly lived in Southern California, and we regularly ate this stunning dish at our local Persian restaurant. Over the years I've found lots of recipes for it, but I've never tried them, in part because I couldn't get my hands on Reshteh - Persian noodles - and wasn't sure if other types of noodles would have the same fabulous texture.<br />
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It's been cold and rainy out here, so a few days ago I found myself googling "vegetarian winter recipes", and came across <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/52-comforting-vegetarian-recipes" target="_blank">this list</a>, which has lots of interesting ideas. Among them was <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/beans-green-soup-with-yogurt-mint" target="_blank">this recipe</a> <br />
which is based on Ash Reshteh, but has no noodles in it. With the lentils, beans, and chickpeas, it's still incredibly filling and satisfying, with a nice sour undertone that cuts through the richness. My version is a bit simpler with the garnishes, but otherwise much the same as the original. <br /><br />
If you still want the extra comforting texture of noodles, I would throw them in a bit before adding the greens, and let them cook with the lentils and beans for a few minutes.<br />
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This soup is naturally GF. If you want it to be vegan, just skip the yogurt/buttermilk at the end. If you prefer a thinner texture, or if the soup thickens up after being in the fridge, just add some more water at the end. <br /><br /><b>Note: The dried beans need to be soaked overnight, or for at least 8 hours, before making this soup, so plan ahead. You can soak the beans and chickpeas together. <br /></b><br />
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<b>Rich Persian Soup with Spinach, Legumes, and Herbs </b></div>
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<b>Ingredients: </b><br />
<i>For the Soup: </i><br />
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (sunflower, canola, or other neutral flavor)<br />
- 1 large onion, finely chopped<br />
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated<br />
- 1/2 cup dried beans (the original recipe calls for navy beans. I used a multi-colored bean mix, soaked overnight and drained<br />
<b>- </b>1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained<br />
- 1/2 cup green lentils, rinsed <br />
- 1 tsp ground turmeric<br />
- 8 cups cold water <br />
- 5 oz (about 140 grams) fresh baby spinach, chopped<br />
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped<br />
- 1 cup parsley, chopped<br />
- 1/2 cup dill, chopped <br />
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
- Salt and Pepper<br />
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<i>For the Garnish (optional): </i><br />
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (do NOT skimp on the oil here, or the onions will burn rather than fry)<br />
<i>- </i>1 large onion, sliced into thin rings<br />
- Greek yogurt or Buttermilk or a mixture of both. <br /><br /><b>Preparation: </b><b></b><br />
<i>Soup</i><br /><b></b><br />
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and golden. Do not over-heat, as the onion will burn.<br />
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2. Add the garlic, beans, and chickpeas (but not the lentils!) and season with the turmeric. Stir for a minute or two until you can start to smell the garlic cooking. Add the water, mix, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the soup is simmering, and cook, uncovered, for about 35 minutes.<br />
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3. Add the lentils, and continue to cook, uncovered, for another 25-35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the beans are creamy-soft but don't lose their shape. I found it helpful to add some salt and pepper at this point, as it was unpleasant to taste the beans unseasoned. At this point you should have a very thick mixture, closer to stew than soup. <br />
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4. Add in the spinach and the herbs, and cook for 4-6 minutes, until the greens have wilted. The water released from the greens should bring the whole thing back to the texture of a thick soup. Add in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. <br /><br /><i>Onion Garnish: </i><br />
5. In a pan, heat up the oil over medium-high heat, and add in the onion rings. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion turns golden, then lower the heat to a medium, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly charred and crispy. <br /><br /><i>To serve: </i>6. Plate each portion of soup in a bowl, drizzle some yogurt or buttermilk into the bowl, and top with the crispy onions. <br /><br />Enjoy! <br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-34734358943707395532018-08-25T00:41:00.000-07:002018-08-25T00:41:27.882-07:00Scones with Home-Made Clotted Cream I admit, I love a good British high tea. Finger sandwiches and elegant little cakes make me happy, but above all I can't resist a perfect scone, served with strawberry jam and fresh clotted cream.<br />
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For those who don't know it, clotted cream tastes like something of a hybrid between butter and whipped cream. It's rich, creamy, spreadable, but not sweet (hence the jam). In some places you can get store-bought packaged versions of it, but those are usually much less creamy and quite disappointing. I've tried making it at home before, but without success. So when a colleague recently posted about her luck making clotted cream at home using a method I hadn't tried before, I knew I had to try it, and it came out perfect!<br />
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Since I had clotted cream, I also had to make scones. I used <a href="https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/scones_1285" target="_blank">this recipe</a> as my guideline. The ones you see in the picture are gluten free, made with a good quality all purpose GF flour. If you have one you can trust, give it a try. <br /><br /><b>Note: </b>the clotted cream takes at least 20 hours to make, so make sure you plan ahead with it!<br />
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<b>Scones with Home-Made Clotted Cream </b></div>
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<b>Clotted Cream (makes about 3/4 cup): </b><br />
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<i>Ingredient: </i><br />
<b>-</b>1.5 cup of heavy cream (try to find one that is not ultra-pasteurized, if you can)<br />
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<i>Preparation: </i><br />
1. Preheat your oven to a high temperature, about 190 C/374 F.<i> </i>When the oven is fully heated <b>TURN IT OFF. </b>We will be using the residual heat from the oven to make the cream. <br />
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2. Pour the heavy cream into a flat oven-safe dish. You want to have as much surface area as possible. Place the cream into the (turned-off!) oven, and leave it there for 12 hours (overnight is easiest). The cream should develop a weird-looking skin, and you may notice some separation of liquid. This is good.<br />
<br />3. Carefully remove the dish from the oven, cover (e.g with cling wrap), and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours.<br />
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4. Carefully skim the cream into a bowl. You essentially want to separate the harder, buttery top from the liquid in the bottom. Stir well until the skin is mixed into the cream.<br />
<br />5. At this point you will have clotted cream, but it may have some slightly harder bits in it because of the leftover skin. You can use the cream like this, if you like it. However, if you want to be a really perfect creamy texture, take a very fine sieve, and push the cream through the sieve to get rid of the chunkier bits. It's a bit of work to get all of the cream through, but well worth it! <br /><br /><b>Scones (makes 9 good-size scones): </b><br />
<b><br /></b><i>Ingredients: </i><br />
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<i> </i>- 2 cups / 225 grams self-raising flour, or all purpose flour + 2 tsp of baking powder (if you have good all-purpose GF flour, you can use that). <i> </i><br />
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<i>- </i>pinch of salt<br />
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<i>- </i>3.5 tbsp/ 55 grams cold butter<br />
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<i>- </i>2 tbsp/ 25 grams white sugar<br />
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<i>- </i>3/4 cup / 150 ml milk<br />
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<i>- </i>1 egg, beaten <i> </i><br /><b></b><br />
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<i>Preparation: </i><br />
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1. Preheat oven to 220c/425 f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.<br />
<i> </i><br />
2. Pour the flour into a large bowl and combine with the salt. Dice the butter into small dice, and add to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour. The mixture should start to become crumbly and look a bit like sand.<br />
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3. Stir in the sugar and the milk until the mixture is <b>just combined into a dough</b>. <i>It's very important not to over-work scones, or they won't rise properly</i>. You should get a dough that is soft and a little bit sticky. If it's too dry and crumbly, add a bit more milk, 1 tsp at a time. If it's too sticky then add a bit more flour, but <i>be careful not to add to much flour or the dough will become hard. </i><br />
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4. Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough onto it. Knead very lightly (again, do not overwork!), and form a round, about 2 cm/ 3/4 inch thick. Use a 5 cm/2 in cookie cutter (or a round glass) to cut out the scones and place on the lined baking sheet. <i>It's best to use a sharp cutter and to cut firmly in one quick movement ,as too much messing around with the edges tends to seal them, which prevents rising.</i> Take any left-over dough and gently knead it back into a round to cut some more scones. <br />
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5. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg, and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until risen and golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack, and serve with clotted cream and good jam. <br /><br />Enjoy! <i></i><br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-6655657160933998062018-08-01T00:56:00.002-07:002018-08-01T00:56:52.046-07:00Creamy Pasta with Roasted Peppers and TomatoesThis great recipe happens to be vegan, but still has an immensely satisfying rich creaminess that would please even the hardiest dairy-lover. This is achieved by drizzling the olive oil in while the food processor is running, as well as by the nuts. <br />
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<b>Creamy Pasta with Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 3-4 portions): </b><br />
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- 250 grams/1/2 lb dried pasta of your choice (or the equivalent in fresh pasta)<br />
<b>- </b>3 medium tomatoes<br />
- 2 red bell peppers<br />
- 5 cloves of garlic<br />
- 1/2 cup nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts will work)<br />
- 1/4 cup good quality olive oil, plus extra for roasting<br />
- Salt and pepper<br />
- Grated Parmesan (optional) <br />
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<b>Preparation: <br /></b><br />
1. Heat an oven to 200 C/400 F. Slice tomatoes in half and place them round side down in a baking dish. Cut the peppers and remove the seeds and "ribs". place them, skin side up, in the same baking dish. Add the garlic cloves as well. Drizzle olive oil over all of the vegetables and lightly season with salt. Place the baking dish in the oven and roast the vegetables until the skin of the peppers is blackened and puffy. Remove from oven and allow to cool. <br /><br />2. Set a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.<br />
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3. When the vegetables have cooled enough to touch, carefully remove the skins from the tomatoes and the peppers (it's okay if you can't get every last bit of skin off), and place them in a food processor. Peel the garlic cloves and add them as well.<br />
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4. Add the nuts into the food processor, and begin to process. Once the vegetables have begun to form a pasta, drizzle in the olive oil <b>while the food processor is running</b>. As you do this, you'll start to see the color become pinkish and creamy. Continue to run until you have a fairly smooth pasta (there may be a bit of chunkiness from the nuts left over. That's fine). Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. <br />
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5. Cook the pasta according to instructions and drain. Return the pasta to the pot, add in the sauce, and toss together. Check seasoning. Serve warm, with a sprinkling of Parmesan (if desired).<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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<br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-69497228842439866162018-06-26T01:50:00.003-07:002018-06-26T01:50:37.535-07:00Gentle Mint-Chip Ice CreamMint-chip has always been my favorite ice cream, but I know many people don't love it. As my husband put it "I don't feel the need to eat toothpaste."<br />
This mint-chip recipe, taken from <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/06/best-mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream-recipe.html" target="_blank">SeriousEats</a>, is a different story. Rather than having an aggressive, tooth-pasty flavor, it has a delicate, gentle minty freshness, with hints of something sweet and herbal. It is also, you will note, not a bright green. The chocolate chips are crunchy delicious nuggets of goodness.<br />
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<b>Note: </b>This recipe requires an ice cream maker, and of course you do need to make sure your maker container is pre-frozen. You also need to take into account time to steep the mint leaves, and allow the mixture to cool. So if you're planning to serve it in the evening, you need to start in the morning, or preferably make it a day in advance. <br />
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<b>Gentle Mint-Chip Ice Cream</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for about 1 qt/1 liter of ice cream): </b></div>
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- 2 cups heavy cream</div>
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- 1 cup whole milk</div>
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- 1 large or two small bunches fresh mint (or na'na) leaves</div>
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- 6 egg yolks</div>
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- 1/2 cup sugar</div>
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- 1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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- 4 oz/ 110 grams dark chocolate </div>
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- 2 tbsp neutral oil such as vegetable or canola </div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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1. Heat the cream and milk in a medium saucepan until just simmering. Remove<b> </b>from heat, stir in the mint leaves, cover, and allow to steep for two hours. </div>
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2. When the leaves are ready, put the yolks and sugar in another saucepan, and stir until combined. Using a fine sieve, strain the minty cream/milk mixture into the egg/sugar mixture, and then press on the mint leaves to get as much of the flavor as possible. Discard the leaves. </div>
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3. Put the saucepan on medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until you get a smooth custurd-like texture, that coats the back of a spoon. You know it's ready when you can draw a line through the custard on the spoon with your finger and have it stay there, without having the custard flow back together. Note that the custard will not be very thick. </div>
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4. Pour the custard through a fine sieve into an airtight container. Place in the fridge for at least several hours, and up to overnight, until it is quite cold. </div>
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5. Place the ice cream into your ice cream maker and churn per instructions. While it's churning, place the chocolate and the oil into a microwave-safe bowl, and melt carefully (put in for 30 seconds, sit, then again, until the chocolate is fully melted, but not burnt). </div>
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6. When the ice-cream is almost fully churned, but not quite, pour the chocolate into the ice cream maker and allow to churn with the ice cream, creating ribbons of chocolate bits in the ice cream. If your ice cream is already too hard to turn at this point, just turn off the maker, and vigorously stir in the chocolate by hand. </div>
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7. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and allow to harden for a few hours before serving. <br /><br />Enjoy! <br /><b></b></div>
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-12823066046534635872018-06-11T03:19:00.001-07:002018-06-11T03:19:33.185-07:00Drunken NoodlesI sometimes find making Asian recipes at home a bit frustrating, because they never seem to get the same depth of flavor that they have in a good restaurant. So this particular recipe blew my mind, because it really had that complexity you want from a satisfying noodle dish. <br /><br />The source of the recipe was a surprise in itself: the cookbook "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cravings-Recipes-All-Food-Want-ebook/dp/B012KJXFNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528711137&sr=8-1&keywords=cravings" target="_blank">Cravings</a>", by Chrissy Teigen. I got this book on a whim, and it has proven to be one of the best cookbooks I've seen in a long time. I've already made five or six recipes from it, and they were all a smashing success. The book does have one disadvantage, which is that it has almost no vegetarian recipes. This recipe is no exception, using chicken and oyster sauce in the original version. But here I give you my own vegetarian twist on Chrissy's recipe. Since the original recipe included egg, I decided to just leave it there as my source of protein. But you can also use some tofu seasoned with salt and sesame oil and stir fried in oil until crispy, and either use it with the egg for a vegetarian recipe, or without it for a vegan version.<br /><br /><b>A Note for the Gluten Free about Whisky: </b><br />
Grain alcohols and gluten are a tricky thing. In theory, distilled grain alcohol (like vodka) shouldn't contain any gluten (or at least less than the requisite 20 ppm), due to the distillation process. Nonetheless, some celiacs still say they have reactions to such alcohol. Whisky is even more complicated, because some whisky producers add a bit of the mash back into the product after distillation. For our version of this recipe, we used Jack Daniels bourbon, because they have a very clear and unequivocal Gluten Free statement on their website. However, if you're still concerned about using a grain-based drink, you can replace it with rum or brandy, or just skip the booze altogether.<br />
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<b>Drunken Noodles </b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 5-6 satisfying portions): </b><br />
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<b> </b><i>Sauce: </i><br />
- 6 tbsp light brown sugar<br />
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (make sure to use GF for a gluten free version)<br />
<b>- </b>1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (again, make sure to use GF)<br />
- 2 tbsp of whisky (see note above)<br />
- 1 tbsp mirin<br />
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce<br />
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped<br />
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<i>For dish: </i><br />
<i>- </i>350 grams/12 oz of rice noodles, preferably the wide kind, softened according to the package instructions <i> </i><br />
- 3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil<br />
<i>- </i>4 eggs, beaten<br />
- 4 scallions (green onions), chopped<br />
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced<br />
- 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger<br />
- 4 cups broccoli florets<br />
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
1. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in one bowl.<br />
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2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large wok, add the eggs, and cook, stirring, until just cooked. Set aside in a bowl, and give the wok a quick wipe to clean some of the egg residue.<br />
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3. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in the wok, and when it begins to smoke, add in the scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 20 seconds. Add the broccoli and broth and cook, stirring, until the broccoli turns a bright green and the broth is mostly gone, about 3-4 minutes.<br />
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4. Add the softened noodles and the egg back into the wok, and add the sauce. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring or tossing the mixture, until the noodles are fully cooked, everything is warm, and the sauce thickens.<br />
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5. Served, optionally topped with some more scallions.<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-82653893673561385752018-06-09T11:11:00.000-07:002018-06-09T11:11:19.411-07:00Knish (Onion and Potato Pastries)A curious fact about Israel is that a lot of the foods typically associated with Jewish cuisine in the US, are virtually unknown to Israelis. For example, until a few years ago, you couldn't get a bagel in Israel to save your life, and even now supermarkets rarely sell them. Knishes are a similar deal. You can find Burkeas in every store, but I can't remember the last time I saw a knish anywhere.<br />
So when a recurrences of pop-culture references to Knish made me crave some, there was no choice but to make them myself.<br />
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I opted for a version in which the potatoes and onion are mashed together to make a smooth filling, because I have a kid who will happily eat these just as long as there are no visible oniony-bits. If you prefer a bit more texture, add the onions in after you mash the potatoes.<br />
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The knishes can be made gluten free (the ones in the picture are!), but it does require having an excellent gluten free all purpose flour that you trust, as you do need to make a dough that is flexible enough to roll and delicious enough to eat.<br />
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<b>Knish</b></div>
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<b> Ingredients (for 20-30 small knishes): </b><br />
<i>For filling: </i><br />
- 3-4 potatoes (about 500 grams/1 lb), peeled and chopped into medium chunks.<br />
- 1 large onion, diced.<br />
- 3 tbsp oil, for frying.<br />
- 1 tsp salt<br />
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, although it gives a nice richness of flavor)<br />
- 1/2 tsp black pepper <br />
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<i>For dough:</i><br />
- 2 cups all purpose flour<br />
- 1 tsp baking powder<br />
- 1 egg<br />
- 1/2 cup warm water<br />
- 1/4 cup oil<br />
- 1/2 tsp salt<br />
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<i>For finishing: </i><br />
<i>- </i>1 egg yolk beaten with a bit of milk<br />
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<i> </i><b>Preparation: </b><br />
1. Put the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with salted water, and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are soft. Drain. <br />
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2. While you wait, put frying oil in a pan, add the onions and cover. Sautee over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, then remove the lid and allow the onions to become golden-brown. Remove from heat.<br />
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3. Mash together the potatoes, onions, salt, sugar and pepper, either in a food processor, using a stick-blender, or using a masher, until very smooth. Remember: if you want to keep the onion texture, add the onions after the mashing process. Check for taste. The seasoning should be quite strong (stronger than you would want in mashed potatoes that you eat straight up), because there's only a bit of filling in each knish.<br />
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4. Prepare the dough: Preheat oven to 175 C/350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg and water together, then add the oil and the salt and mix. Gradually add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, and mix thoroughly. When it starts to come together as a dough, start kneading, first in the bowl, then out on a well floured surface. The dough should feel smooth, not sticky, and elastic. If it's too sticky to knead comfortably, add some more flour. Knead for a few minutes to develop the gluten (or just until you have a usable nice dough, if you're making this GF). <br /><br />5. Divide the dough into two balls. On a well floured surface, shape the first ball into a flat rectangle, and roll until very thin and quite large (about 30X20 cm, or 13X9 inches). Do the same with the other ball of dough.<br />
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6. Cut each rectangle into two, lengthwise (so you have two long and narrow pieces). Place about a quarter of the filling lengthwise along the center of each piece, then roll the dough (like a swiss roll) around the filling. Repeat for all the pieces.<br />
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7. Using a sharp knife, slice each roll into pieces, about 2.5 cm/1 inch long. Carefully lift each piece and place it, cut side down, in the baking tin, then gently push together the top section over the potato filling to slightly "close" the knish. This is a bit messy, and don't worry if it doesn't close altogether. The results are meant to be rustic. <br /><br />8. When all of the knishes are placed on the baking tin, with a bit of distance between each one, brush them with the egg/milk mixture. Place in the over and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the knishes are golden and fully baked. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-274649400489654612018-03-04T01:00:00.004-08:002018-03-04T01:00:51.542-08:00Creamy Corn and Squash Pasta This pasta was delicious enough to get me back to posting. It's a delicious, rich pasta with butternut squash, corn kernels, a bit of heat from spicy peppers, offset by the creaminess of the sauce<br />
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The recipe is inspired by one in the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Minutes-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0867309040" target="_blank">Gourmet Meals in Minutes</a>. The original recipe uses zucchini and creme fraiche, but I don't care for zucchini and had no creme fraiche on hand, so I used butternut squash and sour cream instead, to excellent results. <br />
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Use gluten free pasta for a GF version, and ditch the cream for a still-satisfying vegan version.<br />
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<b>Creamy Corn and Squash Pasta </b></div>
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<b> Ingredients (for 2-4 portions): </b><br />
- 250 grams/ 0.5 lbs dried pasta, preferably a long shape like spaghetti or fettuccine<br />
- 2 tsp olive oil <br />
- 1 medium onion, finely diced<br />
- 1 clove garlic, minced<br />
- 1/2 of a medium butternut squash, very finely diced<br />
- 2 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh<br />
- 1 jalapeno or other mildly hot pepper, de-seeded and finely diced <br />
- 1 cup vegetable broth<br />
- 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche (optional)<br />
- one bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)<br />
- salt and pepper, to taste <br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
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1. Fill large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to instructions. <br /><br />
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and the squash, and saute, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the squash is tender. This should take about 8 minutes, so have patience. The squash has to be <i>very finely diced</i> or else it will take forever to soften this way. <br /><br />3. Add the garlic, corn and hot pepper, and stir, then add the broth and bring to a boil. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add to the sauce. Stir well, and season with salt and pepper. Add the cilantro. <br /><br />4. Serve in bowls, topping each portion with a large dollop of cream.<br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-4414379428609935782015-02-19T04:20:00.001-08:002015-02-19T04:20:05.191-08:00Pepper, Spinach and Cheese Lasagna A delicious and easy recipe for lasagna that can be modified and adapted to suit your needs and your tastes. I made it with roasted peppers and spinach, but you can change those up to pretty much any vegetable you like (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms etc.).<br />
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To save time and effort, I didn't bother making a proper tomato sauce, using good quality crushed tomatoes as they are. The flavors and seasoning from the cheese and the vegetables were more than enough.<br />
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To make it gluten free, just use gluten free lasagna. You could probably also make a vegan version by replacing the cheese layer with some baked beans or something similar. <br />
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<b>Pepper, Spinach and Cheese Lasagna</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 4-6 portions): </b><br />
- 1 package of non-cook lasagna<b> </b>noodles (you may not need the whole package, but good to have one in hand)<br />
- 1-2 bell peppers (or pre-roasted peppers)<br />
- 1 package fresh spinach (or a small package of frozen spinach, defrosted and sieved)<br />
- 1 tsp olive oil <br />
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed<br />
- 1 small can (400 grams) of good quality crushed tomatoes<br />
- 1 container of cottage cheese<br />
- 1 container of soft white cheese, low fat cream cheese, or plain Greek yogurt <br />
- 1 egg<br />
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar, mozzarella or other cheese of your choice + a few handfuls for topping.<br />
- Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder.<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
1. Roast the peppers (you can skip this and put fresh pepper slices instead, but I think this tastes better): Cut the<b> </b>peppers into several large pieces, getting rid of the ribs and seeds. Place them skin up in a baking dish, and place in a hot oven or under a broiler until the skin is charred and cracking. Take out the over and allow to cool down. Peel the skin off as best you can (don't worry if some skin is left over).<br />
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2. Prepare the spinach: heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly golden. Add the spinach, stir and allow to wilt (if fresh). Take off heat.<br />
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3. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. Combine the cheese mixture: put the egg, the cottage cheese, the white cheese, and 1/2 cup of grated cheese in a bowl and stir well. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and any other Italian-style seasonings you enjoy.<br />
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4. Put the lasagna together: take a smallish lasagna dish, and coat the bottom of it with a few tbsp of crushed tomatoes (this should be a thin coating, not a big layer, so about 1/4 of the total amount of tomatoes). Place a few lasagna leaves on the tomatoes, to cover the dish. Top with a layer of the cheese mixture, then arrange a few pieces of pepper and some of the spinach, so that most of the area of the lasagna has some vegetable on it. Top with a few more tablespoons of tomato sauce (another 1/4), and sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese. Add another layer of lasagna leaves, and repeat the process one more time. Top with one more layer of lasagna leaves, and coat these with the rest of the tomatoes (1/2 of the can), and as much grated cheese as you like.<br />
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5. Cover the lasagna with tin foil, and place in a hot oven for about 40 minutes, or until a knife slices easily through the soft noodles. You can remove the tin foil and allow the lasagna to bake a little longer to get some nice browning on the cheese. <br />
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6. Enjoy! Like most lasagna, if you slice it right away it will be soft and become a mess. If you allow it to cool down a bit, then it will settle and become easier to slice into nice pieces after reheating. Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-45901693959234670362014-09-06T00:47:00.001-07:002014-09-06T00:47:04.206-07:00Savory Sweet Potato Tart TatinThis is a savory recipe for tart tatin taken from <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/recipes/limor-laniado-tirosh/.premium-1.2370823" target="_blank">here</a>. It involves layers of caramelized sweet potatoes combined with goat cheese in a puff pastry shell.<br />
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Sadly, this recipe cannot easily be made gluten free unless you have access to gluten free puff pastry. In some places this is readily available. In other places it doesn't exist.<br />
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The original recipe is garnished with tahini, but I didn't find that a good flavor combination with this, so up to you. <br />
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<b>Note: </b>you will need an oven-safe skillet 26 cms/10 inches in diameter. <br />
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<b>Savory Sweet Potato Tart Tatin</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for a 26 cm/10 inch tart): </b></div>
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- 500 grams/ 1 lb puff pastry. </div>
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- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes (or 2 large), peeled and thinly sliced. [You should have about 500 grams/1 lb after peeling]. </div>
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- 1 "log" (approximately 200 grams/7 oz) of fresh goat's cheese, thinly sliced.</div>
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<i>For the Caramel:</i></div>
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- 1/2 cup sugar </div>
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<i>- </i>1/4 cup boiling water</div>
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- 2 tbsp olive oil </div>
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- 1 tsp salt</div>
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- 1 tsp ground black pepper</div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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1. In a 26 cm/10 inch oven safe skillet, prepare the caramel. Place the sugar in the skillet on a medium heat and melt the sugar to a dark caramel. <b>Do not stir with a spoon.</b> Instead, gently swirl the skillet around to stir. When the sugar is melted and fairly dark, add the boiling water <i>1 tbsp at time</i>, swirling the skillet constantly. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Again, stir by swirling, not with a spoon, or the caramel will seize up. </div>
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2. Preheat oven to 200 c/400 f. Put the sweet potato slices in a large bowl and add the caramel, tossing them together so that the potatoes are coated. In the same oven safe skillet, arrange the potatoes like roof tiles to cover the skillet, drizzle with a few tbsp of the leftover caramel. Put the potatoes in the hot oven and roast for 10 minutes. </div>
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3. Remove the skillet from the oven and place the goat cheese slices on top of the sweet potatoes. Roll out the puff pastry to a round/square about 1 inch/2 cm larger than the skillet. Carefully cover the skillet with the pastry, tuck in the pastry sides to form a tart shell, and prick with a fork all over to make holes for steam. Return the tart to the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden-brown and cooked through. </div>
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4. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Take a large serving plate and place it upside down on the pastry, then carefully flip the pan and plate, and then remove the pan, so that the tart is on the plate, pastry down. Serve warm. </div>
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-51550526575286647832014-06-14T03:36:00.003-07:002014-06-14T03:36:48.509-07:00Tortilla Española (Omelet with Potatoes)The Spanish word "tortilla" translates simply into "small cake". In Mexico it is used to describe the familiar breads from corn or flour used as the basis for burritos, enchiladas and the like. In Spain, it is used to describe this omelet with potatoes, the Spanish equivalent of a fritata. It's a filling, delicious dish that can easily be used for a hearty breakfast or a light lunch or dinner.<br />
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One note: don't skimp on the oil, or you'll never get the crispy golden crust. <br />
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<b>The Book: </b>The Culinary Institute of America's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breakfasts-Brunches-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0867309075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402735012&sr=8-1&keywords=culinary+institute+of+america+breakfast" target="_blank"><i>Breakfasts and Brunches.</i></a><br />
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<b>Description: </b>This book comes from one of the top cooking schools in the United States, and it offers an impressive array of breakfast and brunch choices, complete with a few menu suggestions at the beginning. The recipes range from breakfast drinks through to salads and sandwiches, and from the simplest items (such as soft boiled eggs) to more sophisticated takes on familiar foods. The book definitely leans towards the American view of breakfast, with plenty of recipes for pancakes, waffles, muffins and pastries. However, there are also some other offerings. While the book is geared towards breakfast, many of the recipes in it can easily be used for a light meal at other times of the day.<br />
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<b>Language: </b>English.<br />
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<b>Genre: </b>breakfast, pastries, light meals.<br />
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<b>Veg Status: </b>the majority of the book is vegetarian friendly, although definitely not vegan-friendly. There is only one section dedicated to meat, and even that one also offers a wide range of vegetarian potato recipes such as hash browns. The other sections contain very few recipes with meat, and most of those easily convertible to vegetarian.<br />
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<b>GF Status: </b>Not great. Most of the book is dedicated to pastries of all sorts, obviously heavy on the gluten. You will find some fine options in the egg section as well as the salads, and an experienced GF baker armed with a good flour alternative can probably make most of the other recipes work, but I wouldn't buy this book as a gift for the celiac in my life.<br />
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<b>Tortilla Española</b><br />
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<b>Ingredients (for 4 servings): </b></div>
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- 1 large onion, minced or very finely diced</div>
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- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced</div>
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- 2 large potatoes (or 3-4 smaller ones), medium dice </div>
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- 8 eggs</div>
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- 1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional) </div>
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-1/2 tsp salt</div>
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- 2 tbsp of olive oil, divided</div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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1. In a large frying pan, heat about 2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally,<b> </b>until the onion is translucent. </div>
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2. Add the potatoes and salt, stir, lower heat, and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fairly soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.</div>
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3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the chopped cilantro (if using). Add the vegetable mixture to the eggs and stir. </div>
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4. Add the rest of the oil to the pan over high heat, and make sure the pan is very hot before adding the egg mixture. Allow the eggs to cook until set, <i>without stirring</i>. When the bottom of the eggs becomes golden brown, carefully flip the eggs over with a spatula and cook until they get the same color on the other side. </div>
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-87199971269639140462014-06-08T02:13:00.002-07:002014-06-08T02:13:47.163-07:00Saag Tofu/Paneer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a relatively mild Indian dish, made with loads of lovely spinach. It can be made vegan using tofu, or non-vegan using paneer cheese (For a simple recipe for homemade paneer, see the end of my <a href="http://herbsandherbivores.blogspot.co.il/2011/01/paneer-tikka-masala.html" target="_blank">paneer tikka masala</a> post). I made some changes to the original book recipe to simplify it. </div>
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<b>The book: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Home-Cooking-Introduction-Recipes/dp/0609611011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402216927&sr=8-1&keywords=Indian+home+cooking" target="_blank">Indian Home Cooking </a>by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness </div>
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<b>Description: </b>This book is, as the title suggests, a guide to cooking Indian food in your home kitchen, and specifically in an Western kitchen. This means that while there is some use of specialty ingredients, often the book will offer alternatives or simply supply a simplified version of a recipe that makes it easier to cook at home. It works really well if you are living in the UK, or in a fairly large American city with access to places like Whole Foods or other retailers that will carry Indian spices and the like. It can require a bit more creativity to make it work if you live somewhere where such items are more difficult to locate. </div>
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<b>Language: </b>English</div>
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<b>Genre: </b>Indian food </div>
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<b>Veg Status: </b>The book is by no means exclusively vegetarian, and it has large sections dedicated to meat and fish. However, because Indian food is very vegetarian friendly, this book has lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes. Moreover, most of the meat recipes can be easily converted to vegetarian or vegan by substituting tofu, paneer, or cooked chickpeas for the meat. </div>
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<b>GF Status: </b>Indian food is very GF friendly. While there are some breads and pastries that would be difficult to convert to GF, some Indian classics are GF by virtue of using chickpea flour or lentil flour instead of when flour. And of course the vast majority of the recipes for curries and the like are naturally gluten free. In other words, you will be able to find enough GF recipes for your heart's content in this book. </div>
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<b>Saag Tofu/Paneer</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKLWLnHidlXXP8Lxl38UsIhznBib5kMOdAzyu-s07433wN9ZKLvr9nFa5T3ILa1Ob6kYuC9rl_UeTKeFrzblZdXV71z3LuXsB6ArgEyR47LraiMLHjK5WpiXUoYbdL_jO2xsCPPdqAtuu/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKLWLnHidlXXP8Lxl38UsIhznBib5kMOdAzyu-s07433wN9ZKLvr9nFa5T3ILa1Ob6kYuC9rl_UeTKeFrzblZdXV71z3LuXsB6ArgEyR47LraiMLHjK5WpiXUoYbdL_jO2xsCPPdqAtuu/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 2 large portions or four small ones): </b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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- 1 package (about 300 grams) firm tofu or paneer, sliced into cubes</div>
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<b>- </b>about 500 grams/ 1 lb fresh spinach or frozen spinach </div>
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- 1.5-2 tablespoon ghee, butter or oil</div>
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- 3 whole dried chilis</div>
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- 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds</div>
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- 7 green cardamom pods</div>
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- 7 whole cloves</div>
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- 3/4 teaspoon fennel</div>
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- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger</div>
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-1/2 teaspoon salt </div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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1. Heat 1/2 tbsp of<b> </b>oil to a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add as many cubes of paneer/tofu as will fit comfortable and brown them on all sides. Drain the tofu/paneer on paper towels and continue until all of the tofu/paneer is browned, adding more oil as needed. (I needed only one batch). Set aside. </div>
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2. Boil about 2 inches/5 cm of water in a large pot. Add the spinach (frozen or fresh), cover and cook stirring for a few minutes until the fresh spinach is wilted or the frozen spinach is thawed. Drain, and either puree in a blender with some of the cooking water, or simply chop finely. </div>
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3. Heat the ghee, butter or oil with the red chiles, cumin, cardamom, cloves and fennel seeds in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cumin turns a golden-brown color, 1-2 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, 45 seconds. Add the spinach and the salt. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes. </div>
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4. Place the paneer/tofu squares on top of the spinach. Cover and cook gently 5 more mintes. Halfway through the cooking, use a spatula to gently turn the paneer in the spinach. Taste for salt. </div>
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5. Serve with rice and/or Indian bread. </div>
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<b> </b></div>
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-49276444315403886402014-05-23T10:52:00.002-07:002014-05-23T10:53:27.267-07:00Announcing: The "Herbs and Herbivores" Cookbook ProjectThose of you who have been following this blog will not have failed to noticed that it has been, well, mostly dead for the past 18 months or so. Between a toddler, an international move, a new job, and the other stuff that make up life, for a while there I wasn't cooking very much at all. If I made something more exciting than scrambled eggs for dinner, it felt like a special occasion. Venturing beyond the four or five regular dishes that I know how to make by heart took a great deal of effort.<br />
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But I opened this blog because once upon a time, I actually found cooking exciting. I wanted to try new things, explore new flavors, and expand my culinary knowledge. So in that spirit, and in order to challenge myself to rediscover the joys of cooking and baking, I have decided to embark on...<br />
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<b>The "Herbs and Herbivores" Cookbook Project</b></div>
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<br />
A lot of people these days are getting rid of cookbooks, because "you can find any recipe you want online." In many ways, this is true. I love the vast array of cooking sites and blogs, and I do often use online recipes. But the problem with online recipes is that they are mostly good if you know what you want to cook. If you're looking for a recipe for beer battered onion rings, or a 3-bean casserole, or gluten free ravioli, then Google is your best friend. But it can't replicate the magic of a good cookbook. A good cookbook doesn't just tell you how to make something. It seduces you into trying new things. Even if you never cook a single recipe from a book, reading through it will open up your culinary imagination and encourage you to consider new foods and new flavor combinations. And that's something that an internet search doesn't do nearly as well.<br />
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As you have no doubt gathered by now, I'm a fan of cookbooks. In fact, one of the first things people notice about my kitchen is that I have books. Lots of them. As of this morning, there were 119. (Yeah, I know. Time to buy one more book to round up the number. Or another 81, as my husband suggested). I have vegetarian cookbooks, gluten free cookbooks and general cookbooks. I have books dedicated to Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Israeli and Persian cuisines. I have a perhaps disproportionate number of books dedicated to baking (of those an even more disproportionate number dedicated to chocolate). I have books dedicated to specific products, such as squash or tomatoes, and books with as broad a mandate as you can imagine. The one thing most of my books have in common is that they are gorgeous. I like my cookbooks to be glossy, shiny, and full of pictures. I know there are some fabulous books out there with no pictures whatsoever, and I own a small number of them, but like I said - a cookbook should seduce the reader into trying new things, and beautiful book just does that better.<br />
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Over the past couple of years, my books have been largely abandoned. But in an effort to rekindle my cooking, I'm going to start this simple, low-key project. Over the next few months, I am going to go over every cookbook I have, and I am going to cook at least one NEW (and vegetarian, of course) recipe from each book. That is, I'm going to make at least one recipe I have never made before. I will then post the recipe on this blog, with a short review of the book from whence it came.<br />
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And I will start in just a minute, with a simple and delicious <a href="http://herbsandherbivores.blogspot.co.il/2014/05/cinnamon-sour-cream-and-hazelnut-cake.html" target="_blank">Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut Cake. </a><br />
<br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-79714519385178680592014-05-23T10:52:00.000-07:002014-05-23T10:52:01.409-07:00Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut CakeThe first participant in the cookbook project is a lovely cake that would go great with tea or coffee in the afternoon.<br />
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The sour cream gives it a lovely moistness, and the cinnamon and brown sugar make it sweet and yummy.<br />
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I made it here with Cup4Cup gluten free flour and it came out great. If you have a GF flour mixture that you trust, give it a try. <br />
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<b>The book: </b>"<a href="http://www.hashulchan.co.il/?CategoryID=138&ArticleID=12098" target="_blank">The Sweet Collection" (HaOsef Hamatok)</a>, by Israeli food empire "Al Hashulchan".<br />
<b>Language: </b>Hebrew<br />
<b>Genre: </b>sweet pastries and desserts<br />
<b>Veg Status: </b>All of the recipes in the book are vegetarian. A few are vegan, but they are definitely in the minority. <br />
<b>GF Status: </b>Like most baking books, it is not GF friendly, although there are some recipes for fancy, rich, mousse-type cakes that are naturally gluten free. Other recipes will require substitution with a good gluten free flour.<br />
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<b>Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut Cake</b> </div>
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<b>Ingredients: </b><br />
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- 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or a gluten free equivalent that you trust)<br />
<b>- </b>1 tsp baking powder<br />
- 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1 cup (200 grams) white sugar<br />
- 2 eggs<br />
- 125 grams/about 4 oz butter, softened<br />
- 200 ml/6.5 oz sour cream (I didn't have enough, so I used a combination of sour cream and a low-fat cream cheese)<br />
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<i>For the filling</i><br />
- 60 grams/1/3 cup dark brown sugar<br />
- 100 grams/1 cup hazelnuts, lightly roasted and finely chopped (I used a combination of hazelnuts and almonds)<br />
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to <b> </b>200 C/390 F. Lightly grease a loaf tin or a small bundt cake tin.<br />
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder.<br />
3. In a mixer, mix sugar, eggs and butter until smooth. Slow the mixer down and add the sour cream and flour gradually: 3 tbsp of flour, allow to mix, 1 tbsp of sour cream, allow to mix, and so on, until they are all mixed in and there is a smooth batter.<br />
4. Combine all of the filling ingredients together.<br />
5. Put half of the batter in the baking tin. Top evenly with the filling. Top with the remainder of the batter.<br />
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.<br />
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<br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-84123289800623255532014-02-09T02:06:00.002-08:002014-02-09T02:06:13.531-08:00Corn and Cheese MuffinsThese savory muffins are full of delicious corn and cheesy goodness. They are easy to make and delicious for both adults and kids. They freeze quite well, so you can make a bunch and defrost when you want them. <br />
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They have so little flour that it's easy to make a gluten free version by using any neutral GF flour. <br />
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<b>Corn and Cheese Muffins</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients </b>(for 18-20 muffins):<br />
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<b>- </b>800 grams (about 1.5 lbs) frozen sweet corn kernels or canned corn (not cream corn).<br />
- 250 grams/8 oz cottage cheese (in most places this is a standard small container, but you may want to check your measurements).<br />
- 200 ml/about 8 oz sour cream (again, a standard small container will usually be fine). <br />
- 200 grams/7 oz grated cheese (you can use any mild semi-hard cheese such as a mild cheddar or mozzarella). <br />
- 4 eggs<br />
- 1/2 cup regular flour (you can use any gluten free flour of your choice).<br />
- 1 tbsp canola oil<br />
- salt<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
1. Prepare a muffin tin (preferably a large one with 20 spaces, but you can also make this in batches) by spraying it with oil or otherwise greasing it. Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F.<br />
<b> </b><br />
2. Place the corn (frozen or canned) in a sieve and rinse to defrost/wash. Drain and put in a large bowl.<br />
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3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well to create a batter.<br />
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4. Spoon the batter generously into the muffin tin (the batter will not rise very much, so you want to fill the 'cups' of the tin to capacity).<br />
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5. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden-brown and firm. Allow to cool a bit before removing from tin.<br />
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The muffins can be stored in the fridge or frozen.<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-5949153053180865952013-06-21T07:21:00.000-07:002013-06-21T07:21:10.202-07:00Gazpacho (chilled tomato soup)Gazpacho is the ultimate summer dish. It's not only cold and refreshing to eat, it's also cold and refreshing to make, as it doesn't require turning on the oven or stove.<br />
It is quite an easy dish as long as you have a good blender or food processor. Without either one, it's quite a lot of work and won't have quite the right texture.<br />
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There are lots of versions of gazpacho out there, but I used <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/07/18/how_to_make_authentic_gazpacho_first_accept_that_it_s_not_a_tomato_smoothie_.html" target="_blank">this one</a> as my base. <br />
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Here I garnished it with finely diced cucumbers and onions as well as some lightly browned almond slivers, but you can garnish it with lots of other things.<br />
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Gazpacho is at it's best if allowed to rest overnight in the fridge, so that all the flavors combine. But you can eat it as soon as it's ready if you like. <br />
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<b>Gazpacho</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 4-6 portions): </b><br />
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- About 6 medium tomatoes (1 kilo/2 lbs), preferably very red and ripe. <b> </b><br />
- 1 red bell pepper<br />
- 1 medium or 2 small cucumbers, peeled.<br />
- 1/2 red onion, peeled<br />
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled<br />
- 1 medium Jalapeno or other hot pepper, deseeded<br />
- 1/3 cup of olive oil, preferably extra virgin<br />
- 1 handful of almonds and 1 slice of bread (gluten free is fine) <b>OR</b> 2 slices of bread <b>OR </b>2 handfuls of almonds<br />
- 3 tbsp of lemon juice or a light vinegar such as sherry vinegar or cider vinegar (but not balsamic).<br />
- Salt and pepper, to taste.<br />
- Water or ice cubes, as needed. <br />
- For garnish (choose any combination of these, or nothing at all): finely diced cucumbers, finely diced tomatoes, finely diced onion, finely diced hard-boiled egg, croutons, lightly browned almonds.<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
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1) chop all of the vegetables into a large chunks. If using bread, cut the bread into small chunks.<br />
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2) Put the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, jalapeno, olive oil, almonds/bread and lemon juice/vinegar into a food processor or blender, and blend until you get a relatively smooth mixture (although it will still have a bit of texture, especially with the almonds).<br />
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3) Season with salt and pepper. If you would like a slightly runnier texture, add a little bit of water (but not much!) at this point. If you plan to eat the gazpacho right away and would like it to be really cold, add a few ice cubes (but only if your blender can handle them!). Blend some more to get the seasoning mixed in and the ice (if using) fully crushed.<br />
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4) Serve with the desired garnish and a drizzle of olive oil.<br />
<br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-87226583989317254562013-03-27T09:27:00.003-07:002013-03-27T09:27:57.419-07:00Wine Poached Pears with a Chocolate BottomPoached pears are a classic dessert, but this versions adds a lovely chocolate surprise that makes them even more delicious. It also has the advantage of being both vegan and gluten free. <br />
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<b>Wine Poached Pears with a Chocolate Bottom</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 6-8 servings): </b><br />
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- <b> </b>6-8 smallish pears<br />
- 1 bottle wine, preferably medium-dry. You can use red or white. If you use red, the pears will take on the color. I used white here.<br />
- 1/2 cup sugar(with a bit extra as needed)<br />
- 1 tsp cinnamon (or one stick cinnamon)<br />
- a pinch of ground cloves or a few whole cloves<br />
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or some slices of ginger)<br />
- 200 grams/7 oz high quality dark chocolate (if you want to make this vegan, make sure you use a vegan chocolate)<br />
- Almonds or other nuts of your choice, finely ground (optional)<br />
- Finely shredded coconut (optional)<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
<br />
1. Make the wine syrup: in a wide flat pot combine the wine, sugar and spices. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Check if the syrup is sweet enough and add a bit more sugar if not. It should be somewhat sweet but not overly so.<br />
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2. Meanwhile, prepare the pears: slice the bottom off of each pear, so that they can stand. Using a paring knife or a melon-baller to take out the core of the pear from the bottom, trying to leave as much of the flesh intact as possible. Peel each pear from the top down, leaving the stem.<br />
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3. Place the pears in the pot, bottom down, and poach for about 10 minutes, then plop the pears on their sides so that the tops cook properly as well. The pears are ready when you can easily stick a toothpick or fork into the flesh, but they do not fall apart and still retain their shape. Do NOT overcook them. Remove from heat and allow the pears to cool down inside the liquid. When the pears are cool enough to touch, remove them with a slotted spoon (or by gently taking them out with the stems) - reserving the liquid - and place them on a plate to dry off. <i>Take a clean empty plate and place it in the freezer</i> <i>to use in prepping the pears. </i><br />
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4. Reduce the syrup: put the pot with the liquid back on a medium flame, and cook until it is somewhat thickened and reduced by about half. Remove from heat and reserve the liquid. <br />
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5. Melt the chocolate in a relatively small heat-proof bowl, either in a double boiler or in the microwave. (You want to make sure that the bowl is small enough that you can easily dip the pears in the chocolate). In a bowl or on a plate combine the almonds/nuts and coconut.<br />
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6. When the pears are relatively dry, take the clean plate out from the freezer. Gently take each pear by the stem or top, and dip the bottom in the chocolate. Try to make sure that the chocolate not only covers the bottom of the pear but also fills the hollow core. Dip the chocolate covered pear in the nut mixture, and place on the cold plate to harden. Do this for all the pears.<br />
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7. Allow the pears to harden on the plate. If it's a warm day or the chocolate won't harden, refrigerate the pears for a bit to help the process. Serve each pear on a plate with some of the reduced syrup. You can also add some nice ice cream to make it even better.<br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-68836765155854681582012-12-03T13:27:00.001-08:002012-12-03T13:27:40.547-08:00Personal Tartlets with various fillings These little mini-tarts are a perfect party dish, because they are very easy to make, taste great, and are very easy to serve. These are just a few suggested fillings, but you can use whatever you want with the same technique. <br />
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I also made a gluten free version of these using Cup4Cup flour and the recipe <a href="http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/cup4cup-gluten-free-puff-pastry/" target="_blank">here. </a>It came out great (the tarts in the picture are gluten free). <br />
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<b>Personal Tartlets</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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<b> </b>To make these, you need to start out with a sheet of thinly rolled puff pastry, and a cupcake tin (one standard American pack of puff pastry made between 9-12 tarts for me). Cut the puff pastry into squares, and line each hole of the cupcake tin with one square, to make little pastry "cups". Fill the cups with whatever filling you want, and bake in a hot oven (430 f/200 C) for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and fully cooked.<br />
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<b>Sweet Potato Filling (for 12 tartlets):</b><br />
<b>- </b>2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks<br />
- 1 pack of soft goat cheese<br />
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme<br />
- salt and pepper<br />
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Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water, until soft. Drain and put in a bowl or return to pot. Mash the potatoes until quite smooth. Add the goat cheese and continue mashing until the cheese is fully incorporated into the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and thyme leaves. <br />
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<b>Potato filling<i>: </i></b><br />
<b>-</b><i> </i>3 medium potatoes (or 2 very large), peeled and chopped into large chunks<br />
- 2 tbsp milk (optional)<br />
- handful grated cheese (cheddar or whatever you like) (optional)<br />
- 2 eggs<br />
- Salt, pepper, paprika <br />
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Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water, until soft. Drain and put in a bowl or return to pot. Mosh the potatoes until smooth, adding the milk to help with creaminess. Add the cheese and eggs and mix well until incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.<br />
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<b>Cheese filling</b>:<br />
This really isn't so much a recipe as an idea. Basically, take a bowl, and in it combine a mixture of softer and harder cheeses, as well as an egg or two and some seasoning, to create a thick liquid filling which you can pour into the cups. For my filling I use: 1 medium package of 2% greek yogurt, 1 small package of cream cheese or mascarpone, 2 eggs, and a couple of handfuls of a mixture of grated Parmesan and mozzarella, seasoned with salt and pepper. You can also add fresh herbs to the mix. <br />
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Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-66688909386375734882012-07-16T21:05:00.000-07:002012-07-16T21:05:15.133-07:00Southern Style Rice and BeansThis colorful dish is perfect for potlucks and dinner parties, because the carnivores treat it as a nice side dish, while us veggies know that with rice, beans and vegetables, this actually works as a satisfying entree. It's just as delicious at room temperature as it is warm, and you can make it more or less spicy based on your preferences. The recipe is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/174045409X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315925578&sr=8-3" target="_blank">The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook. </a><br />
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<b>Southern Style Rice and Beans</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 4 entree portions): </b><br />
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- 1 cup white rice, uncooked<br />
<b>- </b>2 tbsp olive oil<br />
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced<br />
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced<br />
- 1 onion, finely diced<br />
- 2 small tomatoes, diced <br />
- 1 chili or jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped (if you don't like heat, you can leave this out. If you like more heat, leave some or all of the seeds and ribs in the pepper)<br />
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed<br />
- Salt and pepper<br />
- Seasoning: you can either use about 1 tsp of a prepared cajun-spice mix, or you can mix together any or all of the following spices and season to your taste: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, dried thyme.<br />
- Fresh basil, chopped, to garnish (optional)<br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
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1. Cook the rice according to instructions either in a rice cooker or in a pot with water, until just tender. When it's cooked, place in a large serving bowl or dish. <br />
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2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the bell peppers and onion for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften (but they shouldn't get really soft), stirring occasionally. <br />
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3. Add the tomatoes and chili pepper and keep cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the kidney beans and keep cooking just to heat the beans.<br />
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4. Add the vegetables to the rice and mix well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cajun spice/spice mix. Garnish with fresh basil if desired. <br />
<b> </b><br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-8834584671285758262012-06-13T18:55:00.000-07:002012-06-13T19:24:17.638-07:00Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese RisottoThe idea for this recipe popped into my head just before I fell asleep a few nights ago, and I decided I just have to try it. It is not inspired by anything I've seen elsewhere, but is an original recipe. It came out rather well, too, if I may say so myself.<br />
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<b>Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Risotto </b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 2 portions): </b></div>
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- 2 large red peppers</div>
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<b>- </b>2 tomatoes </div>
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- 1 clove of garlic </div>
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- 3 cups of vegetable stock/broth (if you absolutely can't get stock, water will do) </div>
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- 1/4 large onion, finely chopped </div>
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- 1 tbsp butter</div>
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- 1 tbsp olive oil </div>
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- 1/4 cup white wine</div>
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- 1/2 cup arborio/risotto rice </div>
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- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese</div>
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- a few tbsp fresh goat cheese </div>
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- salt and pepper, to taste</div>
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<b>Preparation: </b></div>
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1) Heat oven to 400F/200 C. Slice the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and ribs. Slice the tomatoes in half. Place the peppers skin up on a baking tin, and the tomatoes skin down. Roast the peppers and tomatoes in the hot oven for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and their skins are blackened. Take out of oven and allow to cool. </div>
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<b> </b></div>
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2) When they have emove the skin from the peppers and the tomatoes (don't worry if you can't get every tiny bit of skin off the peppers). Put the tomatoes and <i>one </i>of the roasted peppers into a food processor, add the garlic clove and process to a fairly smooth puree (it should be fairly liquid). Slice the other roasted pepper into thin strips and save for later. </div>
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3) Put the vegetable stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat so that it is just keeping the stock warm. </div>
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4) In a wide pan heat the butter and oil together. Add the onion and allow to sweat over medium-low heat until the onion softens and becomes slightly translucent. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two, until the rice is also translucent. On medium heat, add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until it is absorbed in the rice. Add one ladle of the stock into the rice and again cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is fully absorbed. Continue to add the stock, one ladle at a time, and allowing it to absorb while stirring until the rice is puffy and just tender (it should be 'al dente'). If you run out of stock, you can add warm water as needed. </div>
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5) When the rice is cooked, stir in the pepper and tomato puree. Stir in the parmesan cheese, and then check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Remember that the goat cheese will add a bit more saltiness, so do not over salt. Add the roasted pepper pieces, stir, and allow to heat through. Plate the risotto and crumble large chunks of the goat cheese on top of it. The goat cheese will melt and will be easy to stir through the risotto, giving it a lovely creaminess. </div>
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Enjoy! </div>Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-54053526451254741002012-04-22T06:49:00.001-07:002012-04-22T06:49:26.695-07:00Pea SoupThis soup, which we like to call "witches' brew" in my family, has the advantage of being incredibly delicious and looking quite elegant, while at the same time being ridiculously easy to make.<br />
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<b>Pea Soup</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 4-6 servings): </b><br />
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- 1 package (4 cups) good quality vegetable broth (or 4 cups of water flavored with buillon powder, but this is less recommended).<br />
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<b>- </b>About 2 packages of frozen peas (I used 2x12 oz package, so total of 24 oz or about 700 grams, but you can play with the exact amount).<br />
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- 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional, and a bit of oil if you are using it). <br />
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- Salt and pepper to season.<br />
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- To serve: sour cream/creme fraiche, croutons (all optional) <br />
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<b>Preparation: </b><br />
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1. In a medium pot, saute the onion in a bit of oil until softened (if you are using the onion). Add the broth (if you aren't using the onion, just put the broth directly in the pot). Heat to a boil.<br />
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2. Add the peas into hot broth and cook for about 10 minutes, until the peas are mushy.<br />
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3. Using a stick blender (better option) or a food processor/regular blender, carefully puree the soup until it is completely smooth and green, without chunks of pea or onion in it. Reheat the pureed soup. I like the soup quite dense, but you can add broth or water to adjust the consistency to one you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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4. Serve the soup hot. I like to serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream and some croutons, but of course this is up to you. <br />Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-58328487896077915162012-04-22T06:37:00.002-07:002012-04-22T06:37:12.511-07:00Cheese SouffleSouffle is one of those things that is notorious for being incredibly difficult to do. However, this recipe for souffle is actually pretty easy, and totally delicious. The only thing you need to worry about is the timing. The souffle takes about an hour (or an hour and fifteen minutes) to bake and you have to serve it as soon as it is ready, or else it starts deflating. Therefore, you have to carefully plan when you sit down to dinner, to make sure that you neither have to wait for the souffle to be ready nor serve deflated souffle.<br />
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<b>Cheese Souffle</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients (for 4 servings): </b></div>
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1 cup grated cheese (I use chedder or mozzarella or a mix)</div>
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50 grams (about 3 tbsp) butter </div>
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3 tbsp flour (I use cornstarch or other GF option) </div>
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½ tsp salt </div>
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A pinch of paprika </div>
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1 cup low-fat milk (you can use full fat) </div>
4 eggs , separated<br />
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<b>Preparation </b><br />
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1. Melt the butter in a medium pot. Add the flour,
salt and paprika and stir to create a roux. Add the milk and cook on low
heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is bubbling and
thickens. Remove from heat, stir in the cheese until it is fully melted. </div>
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2. Whisk the egg yolks (!) until
you get a relatively stiff yellow foam. Add the cheese sauce into the
yolks and stir until it cools somewhat. </div>
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3. Whisk
the egg whites to a stiff foam, and fold the cheese mix into the foam.
Pour into a heat proof souffle dish (a 5 cup dish). To give the souffle a
little “hat”, run a knife in a shallow circle in the middle of the
foam, about 1 inch from the edge.<br />
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4. Bake In an oven at 300 F, for about
1.25 hours, until a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. Serve
immediately. It goes well with a side of rice. <br />
<b> </b> <br />
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<br /></div>Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398911509604273247.post-28083134454270725612012-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:002012-01-26T15:41:17.710-08:00Pakoras (Spinach, Onion and Potato Snacks)These are vegetable fritters with Indian spices and just a hint of heat, fried crispy in a chickpea batter and delicious.<br />
They are best served with various chutneys. This recipe is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Home-Cooking-Introduction-Recipes/dp/0609611011/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327608295&sr=8-2">Indian Home Made Cooking. </a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Pakoras</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Ingredients (for about 30 pakoras): </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Spice Powder:</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">-1 tsp coriander seeds</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>- </i>1 tsp cumin seeds</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>- </i>1 tsp garam masala</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp cayenne/chili pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>- </i>1/2 tsp fennel seeds</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i></i><i>For fritters</i>: </div><div style="text-align: left;">- 6 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped </div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1 medium red potato, peeled and very finely diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1 medium red onion, diced </div><div style="text-align: left;"> - 1 fresh hot green chili pepper, very finely chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 2 cups chickpea flour (can be found in the "natural foods" section of many supermarkets)</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1/2 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">- 1.75 cups water </div><div style="text-align: left;">- Canola oil for deep frying</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Preparation: </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Mix the spices in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind very coarsly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b>2. Combine the spice powder with the vegetables, chili, cilantro, flour, salt and baking powder and stir to coat everything with the flour. Add the water gradually and stir to create a batter. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Pour several inches/cm of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot (but not very hot. You want the potatoes to cook without the pakoras burning). Spoon 4-5 large spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil. Allow to fry for about a minute, then turn over and cook for another minute, then keep cooking, flipping occasionally, for about 5-6 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fried pakoras into a plate lined with paper. Keep doing this until you fry all of them. Serve hot with chutney. </div>Daphnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526000048802341315noreply@blogger.com1