8-25: Indian Approximation

It is hard for me to imagine a time when I had not yet discovered the wonders of Indian cuisine, yet I know that for the first 18 years of my life, I had not yet tasted what is now one of my go-to comfort foods… It was not until I left the small town in which I grew up (cuisine choices: pizza, greasy chinese, and mexican) that I was truly able to explore my culinary options. (This does NOT say anything about my parents or family, who are all adventurous eaters who will try anything and everything – rather, about the limited options available in rural NH)

Living in NYC, I love having the option of picking up my phone and getting tasty Saag Paneer delivered to my door, or putting on pants and wandering outdoors to sit in a booth scarfing down Aloo Gobi. But? Since I like to cook, I also enjoy chopping up my vegetables and trying out various recipes to see if I can re-create the deliciousness myself. (In fact, I have a 5 pound cookbook titled, simply, “Indian”)

What I have found, however, is that try as I might – follow the recipes EXACTLY as I might (which is a real feat for me to manage) – I CANNOT truly re-create restaurant-style Indian dishes at home. Now, this might have to do with me using less butter (or ghee) than they do in their kitchens (a real possibility); it might also be the recipes I try. But, you see, Indian cooked by me? Is delicious, true, but all the vegetables are still… hmmm… distinct. They are chunks. They are yummy yummy chunks, but they are not molten smooth sauces that run into my rice and flavor everything so deliciously.

So? Today? When I was cooking “Indian” (in quotes because I wasn’t following a recipe, just throwing things together that I had in the kitchen)? I thought – “Hmmmm… Smooth? Sauce-y? Why don’t you stick it in the blender, you dolt?!?!” And so that’s what I did. I took half my creation and pureed it like a mad-woman, then re-combined with the remaining veggies for the perfectly textured meal, with plenty of vegetable chunks to sink my teeth into, and plenty of sauce to coat my rice and flavor up every bite!

I don’t have a recipe, per se, for this one – but my tips for re-creating Indian? Use butter. And turmeric. And, for me, I almost always use peas and cauliflower and potatos. And ginger. Add whatever you want to this mix, simmer for a long time, blend half, throw over rice – and while it is in no way authentic Indian, it sure is delicious!

8-24: Stocking Up + Cheesy Veggie Soup

Over the weekend, whenever possible, I like to make a few things to put into tupperware for easy lunches, snacks, etc during the week. “Whenever possible” usually means every other week, but this was that week!

First, I made a large batch of pesto:

Next, I made something that I absolutely adore and the husband doesn’t touch (so – perfect for me! The “leftovers” will remain around for MY consumption, as opposed to me craving something I think we have in the fridge, only to find he has eaten it all… Which has happened, oh, FREQUENTLY) : Cheesy Vegetable Soup

This picture? Does nothing to show you the amazingness of this soup. Especially because it just shows you piles of tupperware (with some leftover couscous in the front) which is really not how this BESTEST SOUP EVER! should be presented. But I forgot to take a picture while cooking… Whoops.

The original recipe is from one of my oldest cookbooks (Moosewood – such fabulous cookbooks!), though I have deviated many times from the recipe and it always comes out amazing. Which, to my mind, makes it a fantastic dish – good as it is, good as it is not, easy, and always yummy

Anyways, here is the original recipe, but I’ve made many different vegetable substitutions. The only things I leave alone? I always keep the onions, garlic, potatos, and cheese! From Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium potatos, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

pinch of turmeric

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt to taste

Directions:

Saute the onions (and garlic – I always add garlic) in oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in potatos, carrots, squash, pepper, and turmeric. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the milk and cheese. Puree in a blender or food processor (I like to leave some veggie chunks out, but mash the majority together…) Gently reheat. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!

August 14 – Tortellini

Another rough day, but at least I got 5 minutes in the kitchen… To make one of the simplest comfort foods I know: tortellini. Frozen, to be exact. Tossed with some vodka sauce, and then devoured. Mmmmm… Delicious!

August 10 – Mac ‘n Cheese

aka “Pasta and Vegetable Gratin” if you want to get all fancy…

This is one of my go-to recipes – easy, yummy, and oh, so delightful! A mouthful of comfort with every bite…

Ingedients:

1 pkg pasta (rotini, macaroni, ziti, shells)

Vegetables: recipe recommended: 1 yellow squash, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 scallions, sliced

Z recommended: cauliflower – the BEST veggie in Mac and cheese EVER! ; pepper of any sort ; a whole nunch o’ scallions ; and any other veggie you enjoy!

1 cup or package of grated cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I’ve used salted before, though, too)

1 tablespoon flour

2 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/7 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp dill

black pepper to taste

(And, this being me – any other spice to taste! I like red pepper flakes, myself…)

Cooking instructions:

Dice vegetables first (I tend to forget this part); also preheat oven to 400 F.

Make sauce (while also boiling pasta): melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and let bubble, whisking constantly until it turns beige. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and then add parmesan, dill, and pepper.

Cook pasta then drain; pour into pan. Stir in vegetables, then sprinkle on cheddar cheese and mix.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until brown on top.

Eat and ENJOY!

August 8 – snack happy

So, yesterday was one of THOSE days… You know, a day where you wake up at 5am, are at work by 7am, and have an 11 hour experiment to do? Yeah, one of those.

Needless to say, I didn’t make myself lunch; I figured I deserved a treat and bought it instead. A nice salad, roll, and juice – YUM! Except… a little bit later… not so much. Nothing to make a long day better than a touch of food poisoning.

And so, last night was a cop out. Though I was feeling better – just tired – I was in no mood to cook. What I really wanted? Goldfish. They are one of my go-to comfort foods, and relatively innocuous enough that I knew my poor insides could handle them.

And so, yes, my dinner yesterday was goldfish. Recipe? Go to the store and buy a box

August 4 – Nachos

So, it’s been a rough 24 hours. First the puppy was attacked (no worries, he’s fine. And has discovered a new love of sitting on my lap when I am at the computer, making it really difficult to get anything done…) ; then, due to that and my poor skills at figuring out how long data analysis will really take, I didn’t get through all the analysis I needed to last night… So it was back to Excel and Photoshop and pictures of yeast bright and early this morning, to try to be ready for my 10am presentation on – yup, you guessed it! – my data analysis (that wasn’t done). So, presentation went … OK … and now it is done. But still – it’s been one of those days.

And so tonight? I needed some comfort food. But also something that didn’t require a lot from me, since I didn’t have a lot to give. And so… NACHOS!

Because chips! And cheese! And guacamole!

One plate o’ veggie nachos for me, one plate o’ chicken for the husband… Lots of fresh veggies, some beans and sour cream, lots of guac = lots of happiness.

And one very hungry looking puppy trailing after us giving us his sad face, begging “Me? Please? Me too? Please?”

I don’t have a guacamole recipe I stick to, I just kind of make it up as I go along (as, you will find, I do for most of my cooking…)

What I went with today was:

1 ripe avocado

1/4 fresh tomato, diced/mixed/mashed

2 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 1/2 lime

fresh cilantro

1 chile pepper, cut reallllllly fine

Mixed everything together in a bowl, took one look, and then mixed it all again REAL GOOD in my tummy. YUM!