Raita

This is a recipe for a middle eastern yogurt condiment that is delicious on Curried Rice and Broccoli Pilaf. I concocted the recipe from what I remembered my friend gave me. It is simple but so completes a meal I never leave it out.

Raita

1 1/2 C plain yogurt
1 half red pepper, diced very small
1 half seedless cucumber, diced very small
handfull of chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Combine ingredients and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Curried Rice and Broccoli Pilaf

Curried Rice and Broccoli Pilaf

1 1/2 C Basmati (or other long grain rice)
2 Tb olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tb minced ginger or 1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
pinch of tumeric
2 3/4 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 large stalk brocolli, chopped into florets, stem peeled and chopped

place rice into a small mesh colander and rinse under water until the water runs clear. This step removes some of the starch from the rice, reducing stickiness in the end result. Drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat oil and add onions, garlic, ginger and spices. saute until onions are golden. Add rice and saute about 3 minutes. Add stock and stir, bring to boil. Cover and simmer gently about 12 minutes. Until liquid is absorbed.
While the rice cooks, steam broccoli until tender. Drain well. Add to finished rice and fluff with a fork. Serve with Balti Butter Chicken or as a side to any other lovely thing, and don't forget to have a bowl of Raita on the table to top off your rice and/or everything else you're eating.

Mexican Rice

Photo by Heidi

I've been making Spanish rice from a mix lately, but I wanted to try making it from scratch. I found a recipe on the All Recipes website (it's like my Wikipedia for cooking) and found a promising recipe. After reading the reviews and seeing some of the changes other people made to the recipe, I tweaked it a bit and made it for the first time tonight, as a side to our cheese enchiladas. I was too lazy to cut an onion, but it was delicious without it. It tastes like restaurant rice! Audrey, who loved the mix-version I previously made, loved this even more!

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice (I used Jasmine)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 6 ounce can tomato paste or 1/2 cup (half a can) tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Dash of dried parsley

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and seasonings.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato paste and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Lift lid and sprinkle with parsley, then quickly replace the lid. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Ricotta Dumplings

Photo by Emily Hale

This recipe is adapted from Everyday Food. My SIL Katie gave me the subscription for Christmas, and I love having it again. It is the number one source, other than family, that I go to for recipes. These dumplings taste like a pao de queijo/ gnocchi hybrid. Pao de queijo are little Brazilian cheesy breads. Served along some sausage and broccoli, my kids loved this meal. The dough is so soft and silky, you can't help but to treat it gently and dream of puffy, cheesy clouds.




Ricotta Dumplings

1 1/2 C ricotta cheese
3/4 C parmesan cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 C plus 2 Tb flour, plus more for kneading
3 Tb butter

Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a large bowl mix ricotta, egg yoke, and salt. Add 1/2 C of the flour to mixture and gently fold together. Turn mixture onto work surface lightly covered with flour. Sprinkle remaining flour over the dough and gently incorporate it with fingertips. Do not overwork. 

Divide dough into 4 pieces, and roll each piece into a log about 20 inches long. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces with a scraper or knife.

Drop pieces into boiling water in four batches. Cook until they plump and float to the top, about 2 minutes. Drain and shake off excess water. Set aside on a large cookie sheet covered with paper towels.

Melt 2 Tb butter in large saucepan until it sizzles. Add the dumplings and cook on one side, undisturbed until golden on bottom, about 4 - 6 minutes. Add the rest of the butter to the saucepan and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

This is the sweet potato recipe my family always made for Thanksgiving when I was growing up. This year we had Thanksgiving dinner with some friends and no one was going to bring sweet potatoes (because they claimed no one likes them). I brought this recipe and everyone liked them.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

3 cups cooked and pureed sweet potatoes
(I cut them into pieces and boil them just like making mashed potatoes).
2 eggs well beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Whip all together and poor into lightly greased casserole dish

Topping:

1 Cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix together, then crumble on top of potato mixture

bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until topping is brown.

Pineapple Salsa with Lime Tortilla Chips

This is a really pretty dish, perfect for spring. Making your own chips makes all the difference, and it's a lot easier than you might think. Since this recipe is from Pampered Chef it features a lot of their tools. The food chopper is a life saver for the jalapeño and the onion. The other tools aren't absolutely necessary but helpful.
I hope Julie reads this post, because it made me think of her when I made it...

The Pampered Chef ® Fresh Pineapple Salsa Recipe

2 plum tomatoes 1/4 small red onion 1 4-in. piece seedless cucumber 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves 1/4 jalapeño pepper 1 medium pineapple 1 lime 1/2 tsp salt Lime Tortilla Chips (optional, see below)

Hull and remove seeds from tomatoes using Core & More. Dice tomatoes, onion and cucumber using Santoku Knife. Chop cilantro. Combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber and cilantro in Classic Batter Bowl. Cut jalapeño in half lengthwise with Utility Knife and remove seeds using Core & More. Finely chop jalapeño using Food Chopper; add to batter bowl. Slice top and bottom off of pineapple using Santoku Knife, creating a flat base. Stand pineapple upright; use Pineapple Wedger to core and peel. Set aside half of the pineapple for another use. Dice pineapple flesh. Juice lime using Juicer to measure about 2 tbsp juice. Add pineapple, lime juice and salt to batter bowl. Mix thoroughly until combined. Serve with Lime Tortilla Chips, if desired.

Lime Tortilla Chips 1 lime 8 (7-in.) flour tortillas 1/4 tsp Coarse Sea & Himalayan Salt or coarse salt 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Juice lime to measure 2 tbsp juice. Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with lime juice; sprinkle lightly with salt. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges using Pizza Cutter; arrange half of the tortilla wedges in a single layer on Large Round Stone with Handles. 2. Bake 10-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from oven. Remove chips from baking stone to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool completely. Repeat with remaining tortilla wedges.

My Favorite Rice

My friend Fabiana taught me how to make this Brazilian way of making rice. It's simple:

Add enough oil in a heated sauce pan to cover the bottom.
Saute some chopped onion (to your taste) until soft, a couple minutes.
Add rice and cook for a minute or so longer until slightly golden, stir to keep from burning.
Then put water and salt, according to the rice package, and cook as directed (usually two cups water and 1 tsp salt for every 1 cup of uncooked rice, brought to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. I always use my Rice Cooker in the microwave.)

Soy Rainbow Veggies

This is a good Asian side dish that I served with OJ Soy Pork Udon. Rainbow salad is a premixed coleslaw in the salad section made with cabbage, carrots and broccoli stems. You can also buy broccoli slaw which is the same thing sans cabbage.

1 Tb raw sesame seeds
2 tsp olive oil or toasted sesame oil
1 bag Rainbow Salad or broccoli slaw mix
1 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb lime juice

Heat oil in large pain over medium heat and add slaw mix and sesame seeds and cook for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and lime juice and cook 2 minutes, until vegetables soften to desired tenderness. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Sweet Corn Muffins

This is very similar to the cornbread at Austins, a restaurant in Fort Collins. It was the first one we went to on our first visit here, and we loved the cornbread. Theirs has green chiles in it, but this recipe doesn't call for them. Next time I might add a few. I made half this recipe and it made 10 muffins. And I used canned corn, because that's what I was trying to get rid of.


Sweet Corn Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the honey, eggs and salt. Mix in flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Fold in corn. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tops of muffins are lightly browned.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY EXTRAS

Whether you are serving corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, salmon, or any other Irish favorite tonight, here are some recipes to accompany whatever you serve. All three are authentic Irish recipes. I've made them all and they are delish! Slainte!

PAN BOXTY

6 medium potatoes
a handful of flour
salt
butter
fresh herbs (optional)

Scrub the potatoes well, but don't peel. Line a bowl with a cloth. Grate the potatoes into it, then squeeze out the liquid into the bowl and allow it to sit for about 20 minutes until the starch settles.
Drain off the water and leave the starch in the bottom of the bowl. Add the grated potato and a handful of flour and some salt.
Melt a nice bit of butter on a heavy iron pan and pour in the potato mixture. It should be 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cook on a medium heat. Let it brown nicely on one side before turning over and then on the other side, about 30 minutes depending on the heat. It's much better to cook it too slowly rather than too fast. It should be crisp and golden on the outside. Cut the boxty into four patties and serve.


SWEET WHITE SCONES

8 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
12 T. butter
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 475

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and work in the butter. Beat the eggs with the milk, add the liquid all in one go and mix to a soft dough. Turn out on to a floured board. Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about 1 inch thick and cut into desired shape. Brush the tops with egg wash and dip in granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve the scones split in half with butter and homemade jam or strawberry fluff.


STRAWBERRY FLUFF

1 lb strawberries
superfine granulated sugar
whipped cream

Crush the berries roughly, sprinkle with superfine sugar and fold in the softly whipped cream.