Spring has sprung and there are two fellows in my yard right now filling up my gardening boxes and spreading topsoil for new sod, so I’m feeling pretty positive this morning! And this lovely weather has put me in the mood for lighter, healthier food (but something that still tastes like a treat). I received this recipe in an email from Cooks Illustrated just a couple days ago and managed to hold off for about 8 hours before making it. Cha-ching! It was exactly what I was craving.
I had a really bad day at work today. I started a new job about a month ago and it’s a struggle learning a new culture and new job, and to top it all off, I screwed up and wasn’t paying enough attention. I showed up for a meeting this morning at the wrong place and as a result, I was 15 minutes late for the real meeting at a different location. My new colleagues were very understanding and my attendance wasn’t even required, but I elected to go to learn more about the business and, as a result, made a not-so-good impression (in my mind at least… as I said, my colleagues appeared not to be phased but no one is harder on me than myself.
I worked late tonight and emailed my husband to say he was on his own for dinner but on my way home, I decided something. I love to cook. I love to cook with loud music and a beer. So I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few supplies, came home and got into some comfy clothes, popped myself a beer, turned up the music, and started cooking. And do you know what, I FEEL GREAT! No matter what happens during the day, I need to do what I love to do. So today’s post isn’t a recipe. It’s really me… cooking, dancing, and singing!
So go do it yourself! xo
I have been making a version of this recipe for a long time. I first found it in a cooking magazine (I think it was Food and Wine) almost 20 years ago and it was one of Husband’s favourites. About 10 years ago, I lost that magazine when I took it to my sister’s to make dinner for family. That dinner was a bit of a disaster in any case because the brush I used to butter the phyllo was defective and we spent the entire meal picking out teeny tiny little bristles from within the cooked pastry. I promptly forgot about the dish until about a year ago when Husband requested it. The magazine was long gone but I found a similar recipe on Epicurious here http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/curried-chicken-and-wild-rice-strudel-10983. I’m not sure if this is the exact recipe I used all those years ago, but close enough. I’ve made it a few times in the past year and it’s a very nice, satisfying meal when served with a simple salad (last night it was arugula and thinly sliced apple with a lemon vinaigrette and some grated pecorino pepato).
After 2 weeks of basically eating and drinking almost anything I wanted, it’s time to get back to healthy. Vacay is over, and it’s time to put on my big-girl pants. But it’s pouring rain today and I don’t feel like salad. I need a “food hug”. Something warm and comforting, but easy. Curry? Yes, please!
This dish is based on some loosey-goosey verbal instructions given to me by a work colleague a number of years ago, which I’m sure is no longer anything like the original, but it’s perfect for a rainy Vancouver day.
This recipe feeds 4, or 2 people for 2 meals (yay leftovers!).
Lentils:
2 cups split lentils or peas (red, green, yellow, white, etc.)
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 scant tsp turmeric
Curry:
glug of vegetable or canola oil
2 tsp whole coriander, roughly ground with mortar and pestle
2 tsp whole cumin, roughly ground with mortar and pestle
pinch (scant 1/4 teaspoon) asafetida powder (optional)
1 large onion (small dice)
2 TBS finely chopped or grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
sprinkle of hot pepper flakes (to taste)
1 28-oz can good quality tomatoes
Garnish:
Sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, or chopped arugula to finish.
In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to boil with salt and turmeric. Add lentils or peas and simmer, occasionally skimming any foam that gathers on top, until just tender. Do not cover.
As the lentils are boiling, warm oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat. Add coriander, cumin and asafetida powder (if using) and cook until until fragrant (30 seconds).
Add onion and saute, stirring regularly, until light golden brown (about 10 minutes). Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and continue to cook for another minute.
Add tomatoes and adjust heat to let simmer for 10-15 minutes. When lentils are just tender, add to tomato curry. I like my curry a little bit “loose” at this stage (it will continue to thicken) but if you think there is too much water left in the lentils, drain them first. Continue to simmer until the lentils are tender and the curry has thickened to your liking. This usually takes another 5-10 minutes for me. Adjust seasoning; I find I usually have to add a bit more salt and if my tomatoes weren’t very sweet, a sprinkle of sugar.
Garnish with green onion, chopped cilantro, arugula (or just about any green you have in the fridge). Serve with bread or pita.
Husband says to finish the meal with cake.
I am not having cake.
My niece and a couple of friends came for dinner on Sunday but instead of a traditional roast chicken dinner, I was craving pasta. Such a difficult decision… so why not do both?!?! I roasted a couple of lovely little free-range chickens which I first stuffed with lemon and parsley. When they were done I removed them from the roasting pan leaving the delicious juices behind to use later in the dish. Once the chickens were cool enough to handle, I pulled the meat and crispy skin into chunks and set the bones and flabbier parts aside to make stock. I tossed a handful of golden raisins, toasted pinenuts, and some chopped rosemary into the pan juices, added the chicken meat and crispy skin back, threw in a pound of hot cooked pasta, and tossed it all up with a handful of chopped parsley. It was a very satisfying non-traditional roast chicken dinner.
Husband and I had a great time in Seattle last weekend. A belated birthday dinner for me at an amazing restaurant and some shopping. The deals aren’t so great for Canadians anymore with our slumping dollar but the selection is still so much better than I can seem to find here. When the airlines started charging for checked luggage, I bought myself a new (very small) piece of carry-on luggage. I am not sure how I am going to travel in Europe this summer with about 6 square inches of clothing but that is a hurdle I have yet to cross. My most recent hurdle was finding the perfect “personal item” to go with my new (very small) carry-on luggage. It needed to be big enough to fit my purse, book, iPad, airplane snacks, plus any items that don’t fit into my regular (very small) carry-on luggage (for me, this usually means a couple more pair of shoes), while still maintaining the size parameters of a “personal Item”. It also needed to be expandable in case I bring anything back from my travels that don’t fit into my (very small) carry-on luggage. It’s a tall order but I finally found the perfect bag in Seattle.
This was my first try at a white mushroom lasagna, using Sam Sifton’s New York Times recipe as a base. I replaced the bitter note (radicchio) with healthier kale, cut back on the truffle oil significantly (I wanted it to play a bit in the background rather than have it smack you in the face), and fooled around with the cheeses. As well as adding a few touches of my own (love those chilli flakes!).
The flavour was very good, but for me, I want it a little less dense and a bit more… ummm, “full”. I’m thinking about adding a ricotta layer. Perhaps flavoured with something herby to accentuate the mushrooms, like thyme or sage? Or maybe something unexpected and light, like mint? Perhaps something more traditional, like basil? Or even something other than a fresh herb… something crazy, like za’atar, for example? (Yup, that’s me… craaaazy town ;) ).
I didn’t notice the kale at all. I think I could bump that up another 50% without negatively affecting the texture or taste. I’m not sold on the non-cook lasagna noodles, though. If I use them again, I might add an additional cup of milk to the bechamel and then set aside part of it as a coating for the top layer before the final layer of cheese. Or perhaps par-boil those “no-boil” noodles (just until they’re bendy) to give them a bit of a head start.
For finishing, I’m thinking about adding some lemon zest to the final layer of cheese, just to add a clean fresh note.
Anyhooooo, this is how it starts. A decent attempt at a recipe with a few ideas on how to make it great. Stay tuned… (but in the meantime, I encourage you to try my first go below, which was delicious, and then give it your own twist).
Oh Lordy. The construction of the new garage/studio is going to be the death of me. It has been more than a year since our contractor told us he was ready to start, and 10 months since the plans were approved by the City. “How long will it take?” I asked, naively. “Oh, not more than 6 weeks” he said. “Great”, I said… “It needs to be finished for our annual summer party the third weekend of August”.
“No problem”.
…
It’s a bold claim, I know. The best? What makes this recipe the best? I’m not a huge fan of fish…
Note: I know I keep telling you about things I’m not a huge fan of. I really really don’t like chicken breasts (dry and tasteless), I don’t like all fish (some of it can be very dry, but that is sometimes rooted in bad preparation… fish is easily overcooked), and I can live without legumes (but I eat them anyway because they’re good for me). Oh, and not a huge fan of kale except for one salad which I will tell you about someday. But truly, other than that, I’ll eat almost anything. Pass the bone marrow, please!
Aaaaanywaaaay, as I was saying, I’m not a huge fan of fish but this is my absolute favourite way to cook white fish. It’s aromatic, zesty, fresh, unusual, and easy. All good reasons to call it the best. The original recipe was first published in Madhur Jaffrey’s cookbook An Invitation to Indian Cooking circa 1973. Food & Wine published it in 1980 and then again in 1998 as part of their Best 20 Recipes Of All Time collection.
That’s where I picked up on it and have been making it ever since, although over the years it has morphed into something healthier (such as omitting the butter) and easier (using store bought coconut instead of grating my own fresh coconut!!). Ms. Jaffrey recommends using halibut. I like using (sustainably caught) sea bass, but any white fish would be delicious. As with most of my recipes, this serves 2, but can easily be doubled or tripled.
I am not particularly fond of sweets (I know, right?!?! Weird.) For dessert, I much prefer some lovely French cheese and a few frozen grapes. But don’t think that makes my life any easier. Eating healthy is still an effort. I would love nothing more than to scarf down a huge bag of potato chips every night. But because I can’t (le sigh), I am always searching for a healthier alternative. Enter… hummus. Who knew that blechy, healthy legumes could be whipped into something light and creamy, or earthy and salty, and made to taste altogether indulgent. And even though the carrot sticks I use as a hummus delivery system aren’t quite the same as a potato chip, they do provide a sort of crunch.
I have many more hummus ideas I’d like to try… like one with feta and fresh oregano or basil. Or how about sundried tomatoes and some sort of sausage or bacon?!?! I suspect you’ll be hearing more from me on that front. In the meantime, let’s do this!