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Monday, June 25, 2007

pan pizza

easy recipe pan pizza italian vegetarian


The other adult likes to to throw a BYOP - Build Your Own Pizza - party where we have the dough ready - stretched to about 5-inch circle, 2 or 3 different sauces, many different toppings... and a really sizzling grill. Assemble as you please and he will throw it in the grill and cook it for you!

Pizza is a favorite at home, especially because we don't have it every day. None of the store pizzas really manage to satisfy us as the home-made ones - Boboli® crust seems to come close, but only if we are in a real rush... and even then we like to make our own sauce and add toppings.

My favorite is the Neopolitan pizza dough that came with one of my Italian recipes book. But, every once in a while, I like to use the recipe that came with the bread machine - with some modification, of course. I simply throw the ingredients together in the bread machine, set to dough-only cycle, and when it beeps, the dough is ready to be stretched, sauced, topped and baked.

Now the sauce varies depending on the mood and ingredients handy (so what's new, right?). Sometimes it is pesto, sometimes it is garlic sauce, but, usually tomato sauce.

pan-pizza-2


What I like about this recipe is that the cast-iron skillet makes the crust really tasty - crisp on the outside, soft, fluffy and chewy on the inside. Also, the gluten gives the texture we like so much... of course, this recipe is not for all - especially people who are restricted to gluten-free diets - in which case, simply substitute gluten with the flour of your choice.

Ingredients:
for the dough:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
½ cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups flour (I like a mixture of unbleached all-purpose and wheat flours)
2½ tsp rapid rise dry yeast
optional: stir in some grated Parmesan and dry herbs

for the tomato sauce:
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp dry oregano leaves
1 tsp dry marjoram leaves
1 tsp dry basil leaves
2 garlic cloves minced
salt to taste
(or, any other favorite herbs and spices)

for the toppings:
sun dried tomatoes, capers, pineapple, pickled jalapeño rings, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, olives - anything is fine - maybe some soy sausage chunks, some spinach, feta, mozarella or even brie...

Preparation

Combine the ingredients in the bread machine and follow directions to set it to dough-only cycle.

Heat oven or grill to 400°F; grease one or two cast-iron skillet(s) and keep handy

combine the sauce ingredients with a little water at a time and simmer over medium-low till desired thick consistency

when dough is ready divide it into two portions - freeze one portion for later use, or, if two cast-iron skillets are handy simply stretch the dough into the skillet and leave it to rest for about 15 minutes

spread some sauce, add your favorite toppings; I prefer very little cheese so I just add a little crumbled feta, or little chunks of mozarella or brie that just melts and "seals" the toppings

bake in 400° oven/grill for about 20 mins, check about 15 minutes in

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

indian-spiced stuffed coconut baby eggplant

Eggplant, Brinjal, Aubergine, Vazhuthananga, Kathrikkai... whatever name it goes by, it has been one of my favorites since childhood.

I think a number of recipes I have collected here feature eggplant as the primary ingredient - be it Japanese, Malaysian, Indian or Italian recipes :-)

Original eggplants were white and about the size of a hen-egg apparently, hence the name... Then hybrids started defaulting to deep purple as they don't look as bad as the white ones when bruised ;-)

The lovely purple flowers the plant puts out early in the season in our garden is a sight to behold. And, as many would know by now, eggplant is a fruit, a berry in fact.

While calliopes, ichiban, black beauty and a few other varieties are just as good, my favorite has been what are called "baby eggplants" - what I call Indian eggplant or brinjal - that are a gorgeous purple, with smooth tender flesh, not too many seeds, about the size of a large hen-egg.

The best way to enjoy these "baby" eggplants in my opinion is to slit and stuff them with favorite spices and pan cook them as in this recipe :-)

And this is my post for JFI's Eggplant event hosted by Sangeeta at Ghar ka Khana


Ingredients
8-10 baby/Indian eggplant
3-4 Tbsp oil

for the stuffing:
4 Tbsp dry grated coconut
3 Tbsp chana dal
2 Tbsp urad dal
1-2 dry red chilies
1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste

plus, 4-6 tbsp tamarind concentrate/juice


Tempering: 1 tsp coconut oil or canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal, 2 Tbsp dry grated coconut

Preparation

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the chana dal, when it turns golden brown add the urad dal, when it turns golden brown add the mustard seeds, and when they pop add the cumin seeds and dry grated coconut; sauté till coconut turns golden brown; turn off heat and keep handy for garnish

stuffing: dry roast the stuffing ingredients, then coarsely grind them to powdery consistency, then add a little tamarind concentrate at at time to make a thick paste

slit the eggplants in quarters, taking care not to cut all the way to the stem - leave them attached at the stem

stuff each eggplant with the prepared stuffing, taking care not to break them apart

heat oil in a pan, place the stuffed eggplants gently on the pan, add any remaining stuffing, sprinkle a dash of salt and a tablespoon or two of water (not too much), cover and cook on medium low till eggplant is cooked and the skin develops a slight crispness, turning once or twice to get the skin crisped all over

take care not to break the eggplant, try to keep them whole when handling :-)

Garnish with the tempering and serve warm with rice or roti.

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Vazhakkai Mezhukku Varatti

vazhakkai mezhukku varatti puli kari plantain indian easy recipe vegetarian


Vazhakkai is the Tamil word for Plantain. Green unripe plantain is something I grew up with - it was pretty much year round item and very common in Palakkad (Palghat) cuisine. It is usually cooked as a vegetable in mor-kozhambu and south Indian style curries.

One of my favorite curries is mezhukku varatti or upperi that my mom makes with plantain. The others include vazhakkai podimas (which is streamed and grated with coconut), vazhakkai pulikari (with tamarind), and as a prominent ingredient in avial (vegetable medley).

This recipe here is an adaptation of the mezhukku varatti and pulikari.

The specialty about this recipe that gives the texture i like is powdered par-boiled rice that has been lightly toasted first before powdering. And of course, the tang from the tamarind. Plus, I like to add coarse crumbled toasted peanuts, and some dry grated coconut...

vazhakkai mezhukku varatti puli kari plantain indian easy recipe vegetarian


Ingredients:
2 plantains
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate (adjust to taste)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp dry grated coconut
3 Tbsp coarsely ground toasted peanuts
2 Tbsp par-boiled rice (or jasmine rice), dry toasted and coarsely ground
water as needed
salt to taste

Tempering: 1 tsp coconut oil or canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal, 4-6 curry leaves (optional)

Preparation:

peel the plantain with a vegetable peeler, and dice it; keep it in a bowl of water till ready to throw in the pan for cooking

mix the coarsely ground dry roasted rice, dry grated coconut and coarsely ground toasted peanuts and keep handy

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the chana dal, when it turns golden brown add the urad dal, when it turns golden brown add the mustard seeds, and when they pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves

then add the plantain some salt, turmeric, chili powder, tamarind concentrate, brown sugar, some water, stir well, cover and cook till plantain is tender and cooked; adjust flavors to taste

stir in the rice+peanuts+coconut powder mix and stir it in; the cool thing about this is it absorbs any extra water and makes the dish come together with a wonderful texture - not too dry, not too runny

I had some spring onions in the garden that I used for garnish, but, curry leaves, or cilantro leaves or even sliced green chilies is a good garnish for this recipe.

Serve warm with rice and rasam or sambar. I like it better with hot rotis :-)

This Vazhakkai mezhukku varatti style recipe is my 'V' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.

azhakkai mezhukku varatti puli kari plantain indian easy recipe vegetarian

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

penne with fennel and chives

whole-wheat-penne-1 weekend herb blogging fennel easy recipe pasta penne


Fennel seeds were an integral part of my mom's cooking when I was growing up. We had toasted fennel seeds mixed with little "rice" candy after a sumptuous and spicy meal to act a a digestive aid and a breath freshener. Even these days, I chew a spoonful of lightly toasted fennel seeds after meals, and have gotten D hooked on it as well.

And Fennel is my post for Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Astrid from Paulchen's Food Blog.

whole-wheat-penne-1 weekend herb blogging fennel easy recipe pasta penne
Fennel in my garden


Fennel has a very subtle, distinct aroma and flavor - close to licorice and aniseed - that goes well in Indian cuisine. Common Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) plant resembles Dill - with spiky-thin yet soft and feathery leaves. Almost all parts of the perennial fennel plant are edible - including the leaves, the stalks, the seeds.

It is easy to grow in kitchen/herb garden where there is plenty of sun and once established they are quite sturdy; and being perennial, they come back each year to cast their magical spell :-)

Fennel leaves can be used in bouquet garnis, in salads, minced and infused in aromatic cooking oils, chopped up stirred into salad dressings and vinaigrettes, or even made into herbal tea. I have used weak tea made with dry fennel seeds or fresh fennel leaves as a digestive tonic for my baby anytime it feels like she might be having a tummy issue like gas or indigestion.

The simple pasta recipe here uses fresh fennel leaves and chive flowers as seasoning.

Ingredients:
whole wheat penne pasta, cooked per package directions, rinsed and drained
spring onions, sliced into 2-inch pieces
steamed broccoli florets
pepperoncini, sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped fennel leaves
1 garlic clove finely minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
3-4 chive fresh flowers, if handy
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
salt to taste
optional: toasted pine nuts for garnish

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the fennel leaves, garlic and chives, sauté till aromatic; add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, adjust flavors to taste.

Serve cool or at room temperature garnished with fennel leaves and chive flowers.

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Monday, June 18, 2007

spicy corn griddle cakes

weekend breakfast blogging WBB blog event easy recipe spicy corn griddle cakes

Weekends are great as D, Baby and I sit together and have breakfast in a leisurely way, usually warm and fresh breakfast (as opposed to dry fruits and toasted oats cereal in cold milk).

These corn griddle cakes can be spiced up, or served mellow. They feel wholesome, savory and more filling than pancakes somehow.

And, spicy corn griddle cakes recipe is my post for June's Weekend Breakfast Blogging (WBB#12), started by lovely and famous Nadita of SaffronTrail, and hosted graciously this month by Trupti at one of my usual blog-stops: The Spice Who Loved Me. The theme is Spice It Up! and that's exactly what the spice-mix-1 does to this recipe.

weekend breakfast blogging WBB blog event easy recipe spicy corn griddle cakes

Ingredients:
for the batter:
1 small can creamed corn
1 cup cake* flour (or all-purpose flour)
½ cup corn masa flour
¼ cup fine cornmeal
½ cup finely diced onions
½ tsp baking soda
1½ cup buttermilk
1-2 generous Tbsp of spice-mix-1
salt to taste
*cake flour is soft wheat flour that gives a fluffy texture; can substitute 1 cup of cake flour with 3/4cup all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp cornstarch

for salsa fresca:
1 tomato, finely diced
½ onion finely diced
a few sprigs offresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp spice-mix-1
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
salt to taste

for spice-mix-1: (make ahead and save for later use)
1 Tbsp dry red chili powder
1 Tbsp celery seeds
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp dry minced onions

Preparation

combine the salsa fresca ingredients and stir well, keep aside to develop flavors

combine the dry batter ingredients, add a little buttermilk at a time, stirring gently to break down lumps; the batter consistency is just like pancake batter; make the batter right before ready to cook

in a griddle or pan spoon just enough batter to make about 3-inch-diameter "cakes" that are about ½-inch thick or maybe thinner; flip and cook both sides just like pancakes or dosai

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot off the griddle with the salsa fresca, or your favorite chutney.

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

Chocolate-bran cupcake with cream cheese frosting

easy recipe chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting


What's Father's Day without pampering the Dad-in-the-house with some pastries, right?

So, I baked a batch of cupcakes inspired by a recipe from the Cupcakes book by Susanna Tee. As usual, I didn't follow the recipe closely and threw in some of my favorite ingredients in an attempt to make it "healthy" and it turned out quite surprisingly good.

I made a batch of mini muffins for the wee one and myself, and a smaller batch of regular-size muffins for the Dad.

D sort of protests when I bake anything with sugar and butter in it: he does love them so, and thinks if he kicks up a fuss none of the fat calories will stick to him ;-)

Ingredients:
for cupcake:
6 Tbsp softened butter
½ cup sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
4 Tbsp evaporated milk
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup wheat bran
2 Tbsp Hershey's Special Dark™ Cocoa powder
2 Tbsp Chocolate Ovaltine®

for frosting:
½ cup light cream cheese
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder

Preparation

heat the oven to 400°F; either grease the muffin tins or place paper baking cases; I greased the mini muffin pan, and put baking cases in the regular muffin pan

combine all the cupcake ingredients in a bowl and beat till light and fluffy

spoon into muffin pans and bake in 400°F oven for about 15-20 mins, or until well risen and springy to the touch - insert a toothpick when in doubt - it should come out clean

allow to cool on a rack and get the frosting ready; simply beat the frosting ingredients together; keep chilled till ready to frost; if not serving the cupcake right away, chill in the fridge

fathersday-cupcake-3

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Saturday, June 16, 2007

Grilled Vegetables

easy recipe vegetables grilled marinated

Roasted or grilled vegetables, especially if they have been marinated in some yummy marinade first, is quite a treat, don't you think? Fresh from the oven or grill, slightly charred or smoky depending on how the vegetables were treated, just a touch of fresh herbs and olive oil...

D offered to make a meal as I had a nasty migraine and my work week was horribly stressful. So, I naturally felt obligated to chop up the vegetables and marinate them :-)

I know, I agree, it is odd that rather than resting and awaiting the meal to be served, I *had* to get it "ready" first...

Now, ordinarily, D is fully capable of chopping, marinating and grilling the vegetables all by himself. But, when he throws a trap like, "Oh, your marinade is very good and you get them all neat and pretty", I fall for it completely and end up doing all the "prep" work. Despite the nasty headache...

Anyway, I guess it was worth it as the vegetables turned out just perfect and we had a nice meal... and my headache? well, it lingered overnight and reluctantly left me the next day.

Marinade is simple this time: some kecap manis (or soy sauce + brown sugar), Tabasco® sauce (or chili powder), coriander powder, canola oil - adjust to taste. (alternately, just throw together your favorite herbs and spices for the marinade).

Vegetables: this time we had asparagus handy, plus bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant.

I prefer to par cook the vegetables before marinating, so they don't take too long to cook up on the grill.

Marinate for about 30 minutes while the grill is getting hot. Throw them in the grill basket, in batches if preferred, at high heat and let them char a bit... the brown sugar helps carmelize.

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Calzones

calzone easy recipe


Call it folded pizza, call it savory turnover, either way, calzones are a wonderful and filling meal-to-go. I like making a few and freezing them for easy and quick lunches. They taste best when they are fresh out of the oven, though.

The filling usually depends on my mood and things that are handy. Almost always I stuff it with some part-skim mozarella or ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, onions, pickled jalapenos, pineapple, olives, pepperoncinis and maybe some soy sausage chunks.

Any regular pizza dough recipe would work - I like the Neopolitan pizza dough recipe I found in one of my cook books with Italian favorites.

But, many times, for a quicker version, I just use the one that came with my bread machine. I use the dough-only cycle in the bread machine to get the dough ready and then roll it out, fill it, fold and seal it and bake it. The recipe here makes about 6 calzones.

Ingredients:
Dough:
2½ cup all-purpose flour
2¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

some milk for brushing

Filling:
anything goes really, any pizza toppings - sometimes I throw in some broccoli or even spinach - typically, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, onions, olives, pineapple, soy sausage chunks, and
freshly grated mozarella, or ricotta
thick tomato sauce or pesto

calzones italian




Preparation

Activate the yeast in some lukewarm water; combine the dry ingredients on a work surface and make a well in the center, pour the active yeast; add a little water at a time and knead into a smooth elastic dough; place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, set aside in a warm place for about an hour to rise; punch down and let it rise again

Heat the oven to 375°F; grease a cookie sheet and keep handy

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions or more if you make a smaller calzone; roll it out to about ¼-inch thick rounds; spread some sauce or pesto, add the filling on one half, fold it over and pinch the edges with a fork or fingers; brush with milk (some prefer brushing with egg-wash, but, i prefer milk - for a nice glaze)

Bake in 375°F oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and the dough is cooked through

I usually sacrifice one to make sure they are ready to come out of the oven :-)

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Salad Greens with Spicy Peanut-Sesame Dressing


home garden lettuce greens sesame dressing vegetarian salad


We harvested the first bunch of salad greens from our garden this year. I wanted to make a spicy version of sesame dressing for the salad. The dressing is quite rich, so I used just a little to wet the greens before serving.

Ingredients for the dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 Tbsp chunky peanut butter
1 tsp soy sauce or ponzu
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Habanero sauce (or any favorite hot sauce)
1 clove of garlic, put through a garlic press
¼ cup hazelnut oil (or olive oil, or just canola oil, if you prefer)

Whisk all the ingredients together. Adjust to taste. Save unused portion in the fridge for up to a week.


home garden lettuce greens sesame dressing vegetarian salad

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Saturday, June 09, 2007

Pippali Rasam



I got introduced to Long Pepper (Piper longum) as Thippali/Pippali (alternately, Thippili/Pippili) when I was in my teens. My mom's kitchen is usually well-stocked with peppers of all forms, and now, so is mine.

Long Pepper was not a staple in my mom's kitchen, though. It only made an appearance when my mom was preparing special post-partum diets for my aunts and other relatives. I was terribly curious, naturally, and tasted some of my aunt's post partum diet back in my teens. It consisted of pipplai rasam, vegetable+lentil koottu, some roasted garlic and some sautéed sprouted fenugreek (as a galactagogue). I simply loved the aroma and the distinctive taste of pippali in the rasam.

But of course, there ended my affair with the pippali. Pippali didn't make an appearance in my life again until two years ago, when my mom put me on my very own post-partum diet. And boy did I love it! So much so that even now I make pipplai rasam on and off. And while on the subject, sprouted fenugreek is quite an incredible thing for a lactating mother - it not only stimulates lactation, but, takes care of any nagging digestive issues as well.



To use pippali, I simply crush it in a mortar and pestle, just like I would any black or green whole pepper. Sprinkle it on fresh goat cheese, or over scrambled eggs, or even as part of rub for meats. If used in large quantities it tends to numb the tongue with its intensity. It is not much hotter than black pepper, but, it has a special aroma and pleasant sweet pungency in addition to the medium heat that has to be experienced...

And, Pippali, aka Long Pepper is my post for Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Küchenlatein.

Here is a simple recipe to make pippali rasam. This rasam can be had as an appetizing soup, or served with rice and poduthuval as a meal.

Ingredients:
1 ripe medium tomato, finely chopped
4-6 pieces of pippali (start with lesser if preferred)
1-2 clove of garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup cooked and mushed toor dal
water as needed
salt to taste

Tempering: 1 tsp home-made ghee or canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4-6 curry leaves (optional)

Preparation

in a mortar and pestle, crush the pippali, cumin seeds and garlic; keep handy

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves; throw in the crushed pippali+cumin+garlic mixture, a pinch of salt, and sauté till spices bloom a little

add about 5-6 cups of water, chopped tomato, tamarind concentrate (add half the quantity first, stir well, then add more to taste), brown sugar and let it simmer on medium low till tomato is cooked and flavors meld

adjust salt to taste, add the cooked and mushed lentils, chopped cilantro (reserve some for garnish, if preferred), stir well and let it simmer till lentils are well-incorporated

Serve it piping hot as a soup or with South Indian style meal of rice and vegetables.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Taro root: grated and pan-fried

Taro-Root-pan-fried-1


Taro root, while not quite the substitute for potatoes, usually lends itself to be cooked up like potatoes. This is a very simple recipe, similar to my old Chaembu recipe, but, this time I decided to grate it, just like for hashbrowns. Except, I wanted it rather flaky and crispy all over, not lumped inside and crispy outside like hashbrowns ...

Ingredients: taro root, salt, chili powder; tempering: 1-2 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds

Peel the skin and grate the taro root. Heat oil in a pan, add the tempering - when mustard seeds pop, add the cumin seeds, then add the grated taro root and toss it around to coat in oil well. I usually don't add any water as it tends to clump up. Add salt and chili powder. Keep stirring like for scrambled eggs over medium high heat till taro root is cooked and crisped. Serve warm with rasam and rice.


This Taro root, grated and pan-fried, is my 'T' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.

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Monday, June 04, 2007

potato "fingerling" gnocchi in cabbage sauce


easy recipe vegetarian low-fat healthy potato fingerings cabbage sauce meatless tofurkey kielbasa


The Other Half has imposed a ban (read: requested a temporary hold) on desserts, sweets, and fried foods. Not that I make desserts and fried foods often anyway.

Fortunately, I'd like to believe that my recipes are usually hearty, predominantly vegetarian, mostly balanced and nutritious, and typically low-fat. I don't think I can go fat free in the near future... anyway, so, this ban is not quite the bummer, really; I simply continue to cook what I normally cook and everybody is happy.

This potato "fingerlings" in cabbage sauce recipe is inspired by a Bavarian dish I recently sampled during my vacation, and quite surprisingly approximated the taste, even though I don't quite know what the chef put in his original recipe.

Very simple and wholesome dish, easy to prepare: the potato "fingerlings" are not really the heirloom fingerling potatoes but just an adaptation of potato gnocchi, made without eggs.

Gnocchis are fun to do, but the trick is to make sure the dough has just enough flour or the whole thing will either disintegrate in the boiling water, or get pasty and gummy, or even end up like lead shots. Unfortunately I got carried away and didn't measure closely for this recipe (so what's new, right?), but, as a rule of thumb, I use about 1:3 for flour:riced-potato, by volume. The potatoes have to be flaky and dry, not moist and mushy; putting them through a grater or ricer after they are steamed is better than trying to beat/mash them for this recipe.

Ingredients
for gnocchi:
2 potatoes,starchy kind (I use the Idaho or Russet)
about 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (maybe less)
salt
water as needed

for the cabbage sauce:
3 cups finely minced green cabbage
1 cup 2% milk
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
water as needed

Preparation

start heating a pot of salted water to boil the gnocchis in

steam the potatoes with the skin on, taking care not to overcook and turn them mushy; on a work surface, put the potatoes through a ricer or grate them when still hot (discard skin)

fan out the riced potatoes, season with some salt and pepper, and gradually knead in the flour; just add a little flour at a time, incorporate it well till the dough is no longer sticky and can be shaped

shape the dough into a long rope, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, and then cut them to even-sized "fingerlings"; i went with fairly big fingerling potato size, but smaller the better as it cooks faster and more evenly

drop the shaped gnocchis into the salted boiling water in small batches; they will drop to the bottom and then rise to the top; fish them out when they rise to the top and keep them handy

cabbage sauce: heat the oil in a sauce pot, sauté the cabbage, season with salt, pepper, marjoram and oregano (or any other herbs/spices), add the water and milk and cook till cabbage is well done; adjust flavors; add more water if the sauce is too dry; this is a fairly thick sauce

warm up your favorite meatless sausage**, or Wiener Würstchen or Frankfurter Würstchen and serve them on the side, or garnished as in the photo.

**home-made wheat-meat sausage or bean sausage would be good too

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Saturday, June 02, 2007

Swiss Rösti

swiss-rosti-1


Kartoffeln (Potatoes) was a common theme for me during my recent vacation while eating out, and the non-vegetarian ones I daringly tried were Huhnbrust (Hen breast), Perlhuhnbrust (Guinea fowl breast) and Lachs-Fisch (Salmon).

Fondue usually springs to mind when thinking about Swiss food, but, I was hooked on Rösti during my brief vacation in Switzerland.

As D jokes, Swiss Rösti is almost a glorified hashbrown dish, served with seasonal vegetables and eggs on the side.

Recipe is fairly simple, I have of course modified it a bit to cut down on fat. The authentic recipe uses a ton of butter apparently...

Procedure is simple: grate the potatoes and cook them (or, cook them and then grate them); heat some oil in a pan, add the grated potatoes, press down, season with salt and pepper, cook till it browns on the underside; use a plate to flip it and cook the other side if desired; serve hot with roasted vegetables and eggs.

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