Sunday, March 14, 2010

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

Adapted from World Vegetarian Classics. This is an aromatic, tomato-ey dish that goes really well with couscous. Resist the urge to use a pre-made spice mix, a home-made one is really worth the extra flavor.


Ingredients

Spice Mix

1 t cumin
1 t ground ginger
1 t turmeric
1 t salt
3/4 t ground cinnamon
3/4 freshly ground pepper
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t cayenne powder
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground cardamom (optional)

Stew

1 small turnip, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 celery heart, chopped finely
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 t spice mix
1 t ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 t salt
1 14oz can chickpeas, drained
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 T honey

Instructions

1) Heat oil over low-medium heat, add the onion and cook until soft. Add spices and salt, then stir in vegetables and coat with spices.
2) Add chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato paste, and honey. Pour enough water to barely cover vegetables and stir. Cover, bring to a boil, and leave to simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.

Serve ladled over couscous, garnished with fresh yogurt.

Simple Thai Curry

You can make this with any vegetables you want, you just need to adjust the cooking times. Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.


Ingredients

2 (14oz) cans coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 T (for spicier curries use more) curry paste
2 T fish sauce
2 T brown sugar
vegetables, chopped into bite-sized pieces (sweet potato, green beans, red peppers, eggplant, tofu, etc.)
fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

1) Spoon off about 1 cup of the solid layer of coconut cream at the top of the can. Heat cream and curry past in a large skillet and simmer on med-high heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture separates into colored oil and coconut solids and the curry paste is frying and aromatic.
2) Stir in rest of the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Stir in vegetables and cook until done over med-low heat. (A good order is potatoes/turnip/carrots, then eggplant/beans/pepper, and lastly things like brocolli/mushroom.)

Japanese Pizza

This is basically a Japanese-style frittata. You can throw any vegetables in that you like, and it's delicious with any combination of sauces (sweet chili, hoisin, spicy black bean, sriracha, etc.) Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.


Ingredients

2 c cabbage, sliced thin
1 c leeks, sliced thin
2/3 c flour
3-4 T soy sauce
1/4 green onions, sliced thin
2 eggs, beaten
1+ T olive oil (for frying)

Instructions

1) Combine cabbage, leeks, green onions, flour, salt, and toss to coat evenly. Mix in eggs and soy sauce, and stir until everything is well dispersed.
2) Heat oil on medium-high in large nonstick pan. Flatten cabbage mixture into a large, thin pancake in the bottom of the pan.
3) Cook on the first side 4-5 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned and crisp. To flip, (spray the uncooked side with olive oil spray if you have it), slide the pizza onto a plate, place another plate on top, flip, and slide the pizza back into the skillet. Press into the plate, and cook another 3-5 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

This is far and away the best crumble topping that I have ever found. It challenges the Moosewood Apple Krisp as my favorite easy-to-throw-together recipe. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen. This recipe can also be made with any fruits that you might have laying around - just remember to adjust the amount of sugar that you use in the fruit filling.



Ingredients

Topping

1 1/3 c flour
1 t baking powder
3 T sugar
3 T demerara or raw sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Fruit Filling

1.5 c rhubarb, chopped
~4 c strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/2 c sugar
3 T cornstarch
pinch of salt

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 375F. To prepare topping, mix flour, baking soda, and sugars, then combine with butter until the texture is like clumpy, wet sand.
2) Toss together fruit, cornstarch, salt, and sugar.
3) Spread fruit mixture evenly in a pyrex dish, then sprinkle with the topping. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is gold brown, 40-50 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

The Ultimate Fudgy Brownies

It's kind of surprising that you can make such delicious brownies with cocoa powder. I always though you had to use high-quality baker's chocolate. But I stand corrected. Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.


Ingredients

10T butter
1 rounded cup sugar
3/4c + 2T cocoa powder
1/4t salt (if not using salted butter)
1t vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2c flour
your favorite chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 325F. Melt butter, combine with eggs and sugar, then add vanilla.
2) Combine cocoa powder, salt, and flour.
3) Combine wet and dry ingredients, then stir in chopped chocolate.
4) Pour batter into a greased 8x8" pan. Bake brownies 20-25 minutes, until a knife or toothpick emerges slightly covered in batter. (This cooking time varies from oven to oven, so make sure to check your brownies often to make sure they are not overcooked.)