Sayyadieh - Lebanese Fish and Rice with Onion Sauce

One of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants in Houston is Fadi's. The food and the quality is impeccable and I never turn down an offer to have lunch there. My husband attended a party recently and had a to-go box of a fish and rice dish that he brought home for the rest of us to sample (read GORGE on). I have never had this particular dish at the restaurant and couldn't place it on their menu - it definitely was not paella - it was some kind of simple rice pilaf, with pieces of cooked white fish fillets on top. But it was rich, buttery and heavenly!

On my next trip to the library, I ransacked all the Mediterranean cookbooks I could find to see if there was a recipe that sounded the same - and I found this recipe for Sayyadieh in Claudia Roden's cookbook Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon. She describes a rice dish cooked in an onion broth and served with pan-sauteed fish.  That sounded about right, and I set to work reproducing the recipe to suit our palettes at home.

While the final outcome was not exactly what we had sampled from Fadi's restaurant, it still comes in close and is definitely a keeper chez nous. There are three components to the dish - first onions are caramelized and blended into a broth. Rice is then cooked in the broth and served with sauteed fish, and the two served together with any remaining onion gravy.

Sayyadieh - recipe adapted from Claudia Roden's Arabesque

Fish
4 fish fillets - use any firm, (preferably) white fish fillets, skinned and de-boned. (I used salmon!)
1 heaped teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Rub the ginger-garlic paste, salt and pepper over the fish fillets and add lemon juice. Slice the fillets into pieces to facilitate cooking.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, and pan/shallow fry the fillets till done (add oil as needed). Remove from pan and reserve.

Onion Sauce
3 large yellow onions - sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 fish/chicken/vegetable boullion cubes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp allspice, 7-spice or garam masala powder
4 1/2 cups boiling water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat about 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet, add onions, reduce heat to medium-low and cover skillet. Let the onions cook till they become soft and translucent. Occasionally stir.
2. Remove lid and let the onions caramelize and attain a deep brown color. Do not burn, so keep stirring frequently.
3. Remove the onions from the pan, add to a food processor or blender and add a cup of boiling water and puree the onions.
4. Return the puree to the skillet, add the remaining water and add all remaining spice seasonings and boullion cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes on medium heat. Pour out the onion sauce and reserve.

Rice
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in water for about 30 minutes
Onion sauce prepared above
Splash of oil

1. Add oil to the skillet used to fry fish and heat. Drain the soaked rice, and add to the skillet. Stir fry the rice until you see the grains getting dry, about 2 minutes.
2. Pour 2 1/2 cups onion sauce into the rice and let the mixture come to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and let the rice cook for approx 15 minutes. Different brands of Basmati rice have different cook times, so make sure you keep an eye on the rice. It may be best to use a non-stick pan to avoid the bottom layer of the rice from burning. Try not to stir the rice as it cooks as it can cause the mixture to become clumpy or break the grains.
3. Remove the rice from heat after it is cooked to your liking. Arrange the rice on a platter with the fish on top and garnish with toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds. Serve with the remaining reheated onion sauce or drizzle the sauce on top of the rice.

A 30th Wedding Anniversary Menu and A Winner for the Giveaway!

So I don't date myself too much here, not MY 30th wedding anniversary, but rather a 30th wedding anniversary party that my parents and I hosted for my aunt and uncle who got married on the same day as my birthday. I was a bratty flower girl at their wedding, and as a surprise to me, they rolled out a birthday cake onto the reception floor which I got to cut, and then I graciously returned the favor by throwing a tantrum for all their wedding gifts.

My aunt, the young bride, who was probably exasperated with me at that point for stealing their thunder, steely bartered one gift to me in exchange for good behavior. Thinking I had won the duel, I smartly marched up and selected the largest and shiniest gift box, only to open it up and find a three speed metal blender.

Defeat.

As pay back, I threw them an impromptu little party last week because my parents were in town unseasonably and my mom always complains how she never gets to do anything for her little sister's anniversary.
Since I now pretty much exclusively cook out of all your blogs, this turned out to be another installment of I Ate Your Food, and since I needed to post my giveaway winner..I rolled it all into one post! Scroll down for the winner...yes, I am evil that way.

Here is the menu that my mom and I drummed up for the party. Our idea was to re-create their wedding reception menu, which none of us could actually remember. Yes, I remember my STEEL BLENDER but failed to remember other details of the evening. My dad vaguely described roast chicken, potatoes and salad and so we ran with it:

Lentil Soup With Sauteed Scallops

Garlic Rolls

Hearts of Palm Salad With Cilantro Vinaigrette

Flavors of India Roasted Cornish Hens With Carrots, Celery and Leeks

Hasselback Potatoes

Broiled Salmon with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Saffron Rice

Lemon Coconut Cake with Raspberry Preserves

As is the case with all meals, as the dinner progressed, I got caught up and couldn't take pictures of all the items, so I'm just leaving a link to the master recipes that I used =(.

But as is always the case, many thanks to all the talented bloggers out there whose recipes I use with much success.

Lentil Soup and Sauteed Scallops - sourced entirely from Chicho's Kitchen with very little adaptation at all.

My only note would be to serve this soup piping hot. I tried to use a soup warmer thingy seen in the pic that I had bought, and it ended up not working right, so my soup reached the table barely warm, a point my loud guests noted quickly. Grrr....

Garlic Rolls - the detailed and step-by-step instructions on Suhaina and Nag's Edible Garden blogs are testament enough. These were killer rolls, perfect in every way and my favorite part of the meal!

Hearts of Palm Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette - adapted from Food and Wine magazine Recipe by Carolina Buia and Isabel González.

Dressing:

2/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped (subst. for shallots) 
juice of 1 lemon 
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave nectar (subst. for honey) 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

Salad:
2 clementine/oranges, peeled and sliced into segments (pith removed) 
1 14-ounce jar of hearts of palm, drained and sliced 
2 bunches Romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried and chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
a few grape tomatoes, halved
 
1.In a blender, combine the ingredients for the dressing except olive oil and salt and pepper. With the machine on, add the olive oil in a steady stream and blend until smooth. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
2. Toss together all ingredients for the salad, serve immediately with dressing.


Flavors of India Roasted Cornish Hens With Carrots, Celery and Leeks - I adapted this recipe from Whole Foods website.
I substituted Cornish hens (one per two guests) and the recipe came out perfect.  I added 2 cups each chopped carrots, leeks and celery to the roasting pan with the hens and served the veggies alongside the meat. They still took a good 1.5 - 2 hours to cook, but came out moist and flavorful.


Broiled Salmon with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Saffron Rice - again entirely sourced from Bong Mom's Cookbook.
I've made this recipe several times now, and I love the mushroom sauce that goes with the easy to bake salmon.

Hasselback Potatoes - these truly deserve their own post, but here is some eye candy to enjoy in the meantime. I adapted the recipe from Seasaltwithfood and added flavored ranch butter to the potatoes as they baked.
They need to be served right away, which I made a mistake on, I made them well in advance, so they lost some of their appeal when sitting out and growing cold.

..and finally dessert. I had to make them cake, in honor for my cake all those years ago, so I chose Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, which truly was perfect in every single way. What a keeper of a recipe. I ran out of time with this item, so instead of buttercream icing, I just used whipped cream both in the filling and to cover the cake.

Apologies for zero pictures, I kick myself for not grabbing my camera before everything was chopped up and eaten!
And now for the winner of my first ever blog giveaway. The $40 Amazon.com gift card goes to comment #....

........1! As pronounced by random number generator - that is Divya all the way in India who blogs at Easycooking. Congratulations Divya, and thanks to all who participated!

To be honest, I always though the first and last comments were unlucky as they stood no chance against all the other numbers, but I guess that proved my theory wrong! Bang, the first comment got selected, early bird gets the worm...in the form of a gift card =).

Ruby Tuesday's Sonoran Chicken Pasta with Spicy Black Beans

Heard of Ruby Tuesday's? They are a chain restaurant in the USA offering super-sized plates of good ol' American fare, usually smothered in some highly calorie intensive sauce or fried and battered up more than is good for you. I found it mildly funny that our local Ruby's was located right outside the entrance to the Cardiovascular unit of our local hospital. Strange coincidence?


So I spotted this dish on Noor's site, for those of you who don't know her, Noor is a native of the beautiful Southern US state of Tennessee who now resides in Saudi Arabia with her family and blogs at Ya Salaam Cooking. And moving from the gorgeous state of TN hasn't dampered her cooking prowess, she has some of the most innovative and international dinners in town, thats for sure. I love seeing what she whips up for her family, and I took a particular fancy to this dish when she re-created it at her home.


The pasta dish consists of seasoned, grilled chicken in a heavy cheese sauce that has mild American Southwest flavors courtesy of a liberal dose of salsa, alongside a nice serving of black beans. Since I've never actually had this dish at Ruby Tuesdays, I thought I'd play around with the ingredients and make "my" version. Even though there are three components - pasta, chicken and black beans, it doesn't take too long to whip up each part, and you can always go the short-cut route and use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.

Ruby Tuesday's Sonoran Chicken Pasta with Spicy Black Beans - adapted from RecipeLink and Ya Salam Cooking


Sonoran Cheese Sauce
4 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3 small clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup hot water (*Adjust based on how thick you want the sauce)
2-3 tbsp chicken stock
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
3/4 cup prepared salsa (medium hot)
2 Tbsp sour cream


1. Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is transparent.
2. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown.
3. Mix the half-and-half, hot water*, and chicken stock. Add mixture slowly to roux, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Add cheese, cayenne pepper, hot sauce to sauce. Stir to blend until cheese is melted. Do not allow to boil.
5. Add salsa and sour cream to sauce and blend.
*Start with small quantities of hot water and chicken stock. If the sauce is too think, you can always thin it out with more hot water or chicken stock.

Spicy Black Beans
1 large can black beans, pre-cooked or soaked (~10 or 11 oz)
1 Tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Salt to taste
Optional - 1 green chilli, chopped or 1/2 tsp chilli powder


1. Rinse black beans in water and drain. Reserve.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add onion and garlic, fry till onion is softened. Add bell pepper and chilli (if using). Saute and then add spices.
3. Add in black beans and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt and spice seasoning to taste.


Pasta and Chicken
1 bag cavatappi (or any medium sized pasta like penne) ~ 16 oz/1 lb
2 cups chicken breast


1. Prepare pasta as per package directions (boil in salted water, drain and reserve. Keep warm).
2. Season chicken with salt, pepper and any preferred spices e.g Cajun seasoning or a combination of chilli,coriander and onion powder and grill till done. Slice and reserve.


To Garnish
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 stalks green onion, chopped


Assembly
In a large serving bowl, toss pasta and sauce while pasta is warm.  Add chicken and toss.
I usually add in the black beans as well, or you can serve those on the side.
Garnish with tomatoes and green onions.

I am sending this dish in to Presto Pasta Nights , a long-running blogging event that celebrates PASTA! PPN is the brainchild of Ruth, and is being hosted this week by Bellini Valli of More Than Burnt Toast.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Book Review - And Duchess Potatoes on the side..

I've returned to This Book Makes Me Cook, a delightful little Internet "Cooking The Books" reading group that I chanced upon a while back, after a lazy summer where I neglected everything blog wise.
I'm glad I picked this month to return, else I would have missed out on reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which had been on my back burner for a while as it had come heavily recommended by two of my enthusiastic reader friends.
 So I picked up the book late on one of those blissful rainy weekends where the stage has practically set itself up for a good read, thunder rolling outside, rain pelting the windows, the amorous glow from a well positioned lamp, the bed covers drawn just high enough to not interrupt the frequent page turning.


And then I thought "What on earth is this book on about?".


I couldn't figure it out for the first five pages. The text was in the form of a series of letters back and forth between people that hadn't even been introduced to me and I felt a little lost. I put the book down, bemoaned the choice, but returned later that night and gave the book one more try. Darn it, if anything, I had to unearth what the Potato Peel Pie was about!


And that was when the magic happened.


The characters grew on me, the letters started to make sense. New characters came and went, but their stories lingered on. The protagonist Judith, an authoress with an independent feminist streak frowned upon by society and her era, is stuck mulling about what her next novel should be about as she is hounded by publishers, friends and editors. She chances upon a book club filled with haphazard characters. They have formed a reading group in Guernsey as a ruse to avoid detection by the Nazis that they were feasting on hidden, contraband foods, namely a roasted pig. She is drawn by their story of hardship, friendship and perseverance and inevitably travels to meet them at the expense of some of her personal relationships and commitments.


The story telling is gentle, humorous, sad and poignant and Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (yes, two authors wrote this book!) effortlessly transport us from our comfortable suburban confines to the windswept, rugged Channel Islands. Your heart winces at the stories of hardship and the fate of some of the characters and you manage to crack a smile or two at the witty dialogues that are intermittent in the story. If you are a fan of British writers of the Wodehouse and Blyton ilk, then this book will probably appeal to you as it did to me.


Now onto the cooking part of this book club!


Unfortunately, the Potato Peel Pie described in the book was as awful as it name suggests, Potato Peels layered with a smattering of beet juice. Can I get a collective Eeeewwwwww.....


To turn the gist of the book completely on its head, I chose to serve up the rather royal and decadent Duchess Potatoes which I ogled for a very long time at Cynthia Nelson's brilliant Tastes Like Home.


While everyone else in the Book Club rightfully made intellectual attempts to imagine what meagre offerings the characters of the book had to endure, I decided to cook something that they NEVER would have had the chance to eat.

Duchess Potatoes (entirely sourced Cynthia's recipe which was featured in the Stabroek News and her Taste Like Home website)


4 large potatoes


Salt and pepper to taste
1 heaped Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sour cream (optional)
¾ cup grated cheese (I use my personal fave Monterrey Jack)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon water
Parsley - to garnish (optional, I omitted)


1. Wash and peel potatoes. Slice into big pieces and add to salted, boiling water. Boil till potato pieces are cooked and are fork-tender. Drain from water and mash potatoes in a bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Add butter, sour cream and cheese to potatoes while it is still hot. Mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning (add salt and pepper to taste).
4. Mix in beaten egg. At this point the potatoes must have a very soft consistency, like thick porridge.
5. Pour the potato mixture into a Zip-loc bag or clean cellophane or wax paper cone, and snip off one end of the bag to form a piping spout.
6. Pipe the potatoes into oven proof ramekins going in a circular motion. Transfer the bowls onto baking sheet/tray.
7 Sprinkle paprika mixed with water and stir into a paste. Brush or spoon onto the tops of the potato mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden-brown.

Roasted Spinach and Potato Cake

Desperate for something starchy, but bored of the same-old same-old mashed potatoes, I found this little gem of a recipe on Whole Foods website yesterday. An added incentive to make it was the chance to break in my almost one-year old brand spankin' new never-been-used-before (OK, we GET it!) Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet.

This is my second piece of Lodge cookware and I'm pretty impressed and tickled pink at the very reasonable price. I held out for Le Creuset for the longest time, and realized

a) I'll never afford it, except for their one set of salt and pepper shakers that always seem to be on sale and

b) I ain't winning no Le Creuset giveaway ANYTIME soon.

The original recipe called for roasting Swiss Chard, but I could not get my hands on any ('tis not the season?). My eyes fell on the next green looking vegetable in the grocery aisle, and it was baby spinach!

Superbly simple - a layer of potatoes, spinach and cheese, enhanced with some caramelized onion and garlic, thrown into the oven in a skillet to produce a wholesome, earthy, bubbling "cake" with a gorgeous golden crust.

I think I could make a meal of it by itself now. Move over, Mr,.Steak....

Roasted Spinach and Potato Cake (recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market)

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp EVOO

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin circles

salt and pepper to taste

a large pinch oregano,rosemary and dried mint

4-5 cups baby spinach, washed ( or 1 whole box pre-washed salad baby spinach found in US groceries)

1 cup grated cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and spicy habanero cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Heat butter and oil in a seasoned cast iron skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook till onion turns translucent.

3. Add baby spinach, the spinach will wilt rapidly, toss lightly with a little salt and pepper and the dried herbs if using, Cook for about a minute. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer spinach to another dish and try to keep most of the onions and garlic in the skillet.

4. Layer half of the potatoes in the skillet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Top with the cooked spinach. Scatter half of the cheese on top.

5. Complete a third layer with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

6. Cover skillet tightly with lightly oiled aluminium foil, bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife (about an hour). Remove foil and return skillet to oven and bake till cheese is bubbly and golden-brown.

7. Set aside to rest, slice into wedges and serve.

Irish Potato and Leek Soup

Spring Break has come and gone. After a visit to the seaside and then to a rental by Lake Conroe, the kids are back in school, the weather has suitably warmed up and I have just recovered from a lovely bout of food poisoning.

*record player comes to a screeching halt*

Just the thing to mar an otherwise lovely few days. And food poisoning puts you off food completely, let alone food blogging. But the right antidote was a lovely cup of the simplest of soups. To boot, after the weather unexpectedly got chilly last weekend (in the middle of SPRING!), I reached for this warm and comforting potato and leek soup from a cookbook called Irish Pub Cooking.

Just the thing for when the weather is awful outside.

Or when solid food makes you want to hurl.

Take your pick.......

Leek & Potato Soup (adapted from Irish Pub Cooking)

Small tender leeks are better than the huge ones. In either case, remember to seprate the stalks and wash the leeks thoroughly, there is usually dirt trapped in every crevice.

2 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

3 leeks sliced

2 medium sized potatoes cut into small cubes

3.5 cups vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic mashed with a little salt

1/3 cup light cream (for garnishing)

2 Tbsp fresh chives or parsley (for garnishing)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil, and then saute onions, garlic and leeks for 2-3 minutes or till they become soft, but not brown.

2. Pour in stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and pulse in bursts for a hearty texture, or process until smooth.

4. Return the soup to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste, reheat and serve in warm soup bowls.

5. Add a little swirl of cream and garnish with snipped chives or parsley.

This recipe heads off to Joanne who Eats Well With Others and is hosting Regional Recipes - Ireland. Slainte! Boy, do I need some of that...

And it will also be making an appearance at Souper Sundays hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

Lamb Kabouli - Cuisine of Oman

A month ago, the Walima group explored the country of Oman as part of the Middle Eastern Cooking Challenge and this layered rice and lamb dish was the featured Omani dish.

I will plead ignorance on Oman, I only knew of it as a tiny country in the south of the Middle East, I had heard of its capital city Muscat through a cousin who used to live there....And that's about it. When reading up on it recently, I was fascinated to find out that Oman actually used to rule Zanzibar (and parts of East Africa) and as a result was a strong player in the lucrative spice trade that emanated from that region.

But far more pressing issues were on my plate. As in, where the heck do I get lamb?

Fearless readers, I have never sourced, procured or cooked lamb before. In.My.Life.

So this was a supreme challenge for me, because I couldn't find this meat. Not at the local grocers. Not at Whole Foods. (Shock! Horror!). Not at the Asian meat market, where I got into an elaborate discussion complete with hand gestures with a fellow customer who insisted lamb was goat. He refused to believe lamb was potentially from the same animal that his wool sweater was from. I hear 'ya. especially with that sweater, dude.

So who came to the rescue?
Super Target. Tarzhay.
Yes! The same place where you can pick up socks, garden hoses and an Isaac Mizrahi dress offered me a tiny portion of lamb.
And the challenge ensued...

I followed Yasmeen's preparation to the T, because I much fancied her way of cooking the lamb in oil with the spices and onions, as opposed to cooking the meat in seasoned water as originally suggested. Which may have technically transported this Lamb Kabouli from Oman to the Northern plains of Moghul India.
Much apologies....

Thanks to Arlette of Phoenician Gourmet for spearheading the challenge! I will definitely make this dish again....Now that I know where to get lamb from....

Lamb Kabouli (adapted for quantities and method from Yasmeen of Health Nut and Walima Challenge)

Step 1: Prepare Omani Spice Mix (Omani Bizar A’Shuwa)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, crushed
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
1 heaped tsp cardamom seeds
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
About 2 Tbs distilled vinegar

Combine all ingredients in an electric food processor and process until a thick paste is formed, use vinegar sparingly as it can make the overall taste too acidic Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Step 2: Prepare Lamb
1 lb lamb, cut in small pieces, visible fat removed
1.5 cups white Basmati rice
2 cups (Medium size can) cooked chickpeas
Whole Spices:
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cardamom pods
3-4 cloves
1 tsp peppercorn, lightly crushed
1 large onion, chopped fine
Omani Spice mix (above)
1/2 tsp saffron strands
Salt (to taste)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup stock or water

1. Heat oil in non-stick pan.
2. Saute onions and half of the whole spices. When onions start to brown, add the prepared Omani spice mix.
3. Add lamb to the pan and mix with all the spices. Add 1 cup stock or water, cover pan and allow to cook till meat is tender. Depending on the cut of meat, it may take up to 30 minutes on medium heat.
4. When meat is done, add in chickpeas and incorporate.

Step 3: Cook Rice and Layer Meat1. Rinse and drain Basmati rice.
2. Bring 3 cups of water (add a large pinch of salt and remaining whole spices) to boil in another large pan. Add in rice and cook till rice is fluffy.
3. When rice is done, add lamb and chickpeas into the pot. Cover and remove from heat. After about 10 minutes, open pan and carefully mix together the meat and rice.
4. Serve.

Curried Couscous - A Repost

Trust Jaya of Desi Soccer Mom to come up with an original event - The Repost Event.
Take one of your older posts that is stuffed in the back of your blog somewhere, the one with the horrid photo, and no comments.
Yes, that one exactly.
Take it, jazz it up, brush off the dust and repost it!

Thanks to her event, I found my Curried Couscous post which ironically, has one of the first comments from Jaya herself, albeit lightly admonishing me for not "cooking" the spices in the recipe even though the recipe called for them to be used raw!

Here is the old picture:original recipe from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).

I love this side dish with any Mediterranean main dish, and it really gives you freedom to stuff it chock full with nuts and veggies of your choice, because, as I had earlier said in the original post, couscous can sometimes have the personality of beach sand. Couscous has been crying out for a makeover, and this should do the trick.

Curried Couscous - (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water/chicken stock (using stock adds more flavor!)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt (reduce based on whether you used stock to cook couscous)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup small-diced celery

I've made this side-dish countless times over, each time adjusting it slightly here and there and its now long departed from the

1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1/4 cup dried currants/craisins/raisins (optional)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1 tsp chopped parsley, mint or cilantro

Directions
1. Place the couscous in a medium bowl.
2. Melt the butter in the boiling stock/water and pour over the couscous.
3. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
4. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add vegetables, nuts (I like to saute the almonds or you can use them as is for garnishing), onion, garam masala and turmeric. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Lightly saute.
5. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork.
6. Garnish with parsley/mint/cilantro, currants, scallions and season to taste if necessary.

Pistachio Rouille

So I have ooh'ed and aahh'ed about Chef Marcus Samuelsson before, and this recipe comes from his cookbook "The Soul of A New Cuisine".
Rouille is a garlicky younger cousin of mayonnaise or a tarty sister-in-law of aioli, to be used as a condiment with grilled fish and white meats.

I also read about peoples spectacular failures at homemade attempts at it, since it involved emusifying olive oil into raw egg.

Oooops, wait, did someone say RAW EGG?

So when I saw Samuelsson's recipe had no trace of raw egg in it, and instead, utilized a big happy potato, I was ALL FOR IT.

Potatoes or Po-TAH-toes and I, you see, have NO problems getting along.

And as a sidebar, this is really supposed to be a CONDIMENT. But in our house it translated into full-on Gravy status, knocking the poor little salad into the background, and quite possibly usurping the main dish as well.

Rouille is typically used in Provencal cooking , as a garlicky side note for dishes like bouillabaisse and grilled chicken. It is extremely tart and the garlic will pack a punch, so be warned. A little goes a LONG way, but I loved how it kicks up the dish a notch. And again, kudos for the cheftastic genius in adding pistachios into this dish, which adds another note of elegance.

I'm also seeing a lot of potato being used as a substitute for egg based dishes, and I wonder why. If anyone knows the science behind it, do let me know....

Pistachio Rouille (adapted slightly from Soul of a New Cuisine , Marcus Samuelsson)

2 Tbsp pistachios
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 cup EVOO
salt and pepper

1. Toast pistachios till fragrant. Cool.
2. Transfer to blender, add all remaining ingredients except oil, blend on low speed.
3. With blender running add oil in a slow steady stream.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
Use immediately. (I found the rouille didn't keep very well over the next few days, so it's best used fresh, else the oil startes to separate out and the texture changes).

Indian Cooking Challenge - Moong Dal Halwa (Split Mung Bean Dessert)

The ICC (Indian Cooking Challenge) is the brainchild of Srivalli, and her aim is to get all who are interested to attempt heirloom Indian recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. However with our increasingly modernized lifestyles, some of these recipes are being side-stepped or forgotten, so there in itself is the challenge!

I'm a sucker for Internet food groups as can be seen by my growing blog sidebar (and waistline!). This month's challenge was Moong Dal Halwa, a North Indian specialty dessert or sweet treat made with moong dal (split mung beans), clarified butter, milk and sugar. I found it interesting that this dish is apparently only made in winter months, since it has such a high protein and fat content, it actually helps to keep the body warm!

Challenge - I've never tasted, let alone seen, this dish. But following along with Srivalli's exact recipes, I took to the kitchen.

Moong Dal Halwa (Recipe Version 2 With Milk from from Srivalli, with help from Lata and Simran)

Split (Yellow) Moong Dal - 1 cup
Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cups to 1 cup (as per required sweetness)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cashews/ Raisins roasted in ghee for garnish.

Method:

Make sure you get the right dal. I first bought split mung beans WITH skin (green in color) and came home to realize this recipe is made with split mung beans WITHOUT skin (yellow in color). Return to store and get the right dal before beginning =).

1. Dry roast the dal in a dry saucepan over medium heat till the lentils are heated through.

This is a melt-in-your-mouth dessert, you can really taste the richness of the clarified butter/ghee in this dish, I don't think I even used the full amount called for in the recipe. I love the taste of the cashew nuts and raisins with it, I think they are an integral addition, rather than optional. Thanks ICC for letting me in on this challenge!

2. Soak the dal in water overnight.

3. Next morning, grind dal with a little water to a paste. I forgot to take a picture of this.4. Heat a non-stick saucepan, take only 1/2 of the ghee called for and heat it.

5. Add the dal and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form. This part is very tricky as the dal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee. Well they did say tricky, and I obviously got it wrong. My dal turned into a giant lumpy mess. This dessert started looking like the McClump Special.6. Turn heat low and keep stirring even after the dhal becomes thick. No luck for me, still clumpy.
7. Add the rest of the ghee intermittently and cook the dal until aromatic and the ghee starts oozing out. Still no luck...At this point, even the cherubic baby on the ghee jar is strarting to laugh at me. Look at him! he's trying so hard to stifle his grin...

8. Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/ milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add this slowly to the dal. I thought perhaps this step may redeem me, maybe, oh just maybe the milk would dissolve my lumps?

9. Keep the heat on low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix. Cook until the ghee surfaces or the mixture becomes shiny. Yes! We have shiny!!!10. Garnish with cashews and raisins. OK, this part I could do! * triumphant*

Yellow Bell Pepper and Corn Rice

This quick and easy recipe came from the delightful cookbook "The Soul of a New Cuisine" by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. I have been drooling over this cookbook for the past month and it has earned an esteemed place right on my bedside table.

The cookbook is a well-researched and exotic collection of recipes from different regions of Africa. I was thrilled to see this cookbook in the library as I've always found it hard to find a definitive source of authentic and good recipes from the African continent. I believe the Berber and North African countries have been well represented in the cookbook arena to date, but the Central and Southern African countries have not.

Well, not until I came across this gem! Whilst the collection of recipes and Samuelsson's interpretive take on many regional delicacies is brilliant, it is the beautiful photography of the dishes and this spectacular continent that made me go out and purchase it outright.
 This is a simple accompaniment dish for a spicy meal. Samuelsson literally douses the rice in turmeric, I opted not to as I personally find turmeric to have quite a pungent after-taste when used in great quantities. I was startled but impressed to find the clever addition of golden mango and yellow tomatoes in this dish too, carrying forward the "yellow" theme. I opted not to add them, but should I find them in season, I will definitely be revisiting this dish again!
 Yellow Bell Pepper and Corn Rice (loosely adapted from "The Soul of A New Cuisine")

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
1 heaped tsp turmeric (original recipe uses 1 Tbsp!!)1 tsp cumin powder
1 cup long grain rice
1 small red chili, finely chopped
salt to taste
2 cups yellow corn
2 1/2 cups stock
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and cored, diced
1 Tbsp chopped green onion
(Original recipe also included 1 yellow tomato and 1 peeled yellow mango, chopped)

1. Heat oil in large saucepan.
2. Add onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin and saute till onion is translucent.
3. Add rice, chili, bell pepper, corn and ~1/2 tsp salt (or to taste). Stir fry rice, stirring continuously to ensure it does not burn.
4. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover saucepan and let it cook till all liquid is absorbed.
5. If using tomato and mango, fold into rice, adjust salt to taste and remove from heat. Garnish with scallions and serve hot.


This post has been dusted off and is now heading over to Padmajha at Seduce Your Tastebuds for the A.W.E.D African Event April 2010. The A.W.E.D Culinary Journey event was originally created by DK of Chef In You.

Leftover Shepherd's Pie

Surveying the scene, I sized up the repeat offenders.
- The Turkey.
- A few clumps of mashed potatoes.
- Almost all of the cornbread, scowling angrily at the mashed potatoes and bread rolls that jockeyed them out of their league.
- Multi-colored Vegetable Crudites strewn across their appetizer tray. Their dip long gone, they now lay stark naked and cold with nothing to blanket them.
- A bowl of gravy fighting back its tears at the thought of being unceremoniously dumped in the trash, when hours before it had been the Queen of the table, passed down the table like Cleopatra on a palanquin.

Have no fear my little leftovers - I will resurrect thee!

The following one-pot dish will wipe out all your leftovers, and can easily be thrown together the day after Thanksgiving, or after any party with similar menu items. It is absolute comfort food for cold days, I almost climbed into the casserole dish and lived there for 2 days straight, eating nothing but it.
But lets get out of that visual...Update! No shepherds were hurt during the making of this dish. I was wondering why Hannibal Lechter showed up several times to view this page and after I gave the title to this post more thought, I felt the need to clarify that actual shepherds were not used in the recipe either.

Shepherd's Pie using Leftovers (slightly adapted (and using my version of leftovers) from the Good People at Good Housekeeping)

2 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flour
1 can (14.5 oz) stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups leftover cooked white meat (turkey or chicken), diced
2 cups leftover vegetables (I steamed celery, carrots and red bell pepper)
1 cup crumbled cornbread (or leftover stuffing)
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
3. In a large sauce pan, melt butter and add oil. Whisk in flour until smooth, cook for a minute.
4. Whisk in stock and Worcestershire sauce, heat until boiling.
5. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in cooked turkey (or other white meat) and pre-cooked vegetables. Heat through and then remove from stove top.
7. Make a layer of cornbread or stuffing in the casserole dish.
8. Top with turkey mixture. Spread mashed potatoes on top and finally sprinkle with cheese.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole is hot and bubling on the edges. 10. Serve with gravy, if she doesn't mind....

Ecuadorian Chicken Fried Rice - Chaulafan de Pollo

I had to post about chaulafan de pollo that I made recently and which I found on Laylita's blog. Do check out her site, what an assortment of recipes and regional delicacies from South America!

This chicken fried rice is found commonly in Ecuador, and y'all know how I love me some of that innernationaw food. So, I was splitting my sides when I further read her post and discovered that this dish is commonly prepared in Chinese restaurants (known as chifas) in Ecuador!

But even Chinese food takes on regional differences, this fried rice was a generously spiced and flavored mix of vegetables, chicken, bacon and rice. The best part to boot was that I also got three cups of homemade chicken broth out of the recipe as well.

aji criollo (Ecuadorian hot sauce) using another of Laylita's recipes. The aji is a hot chilli, garlic and cilantro condiment. This completed the dish for me, but the jury is out on that. My mom, for example, loved the rice by itself and didn't want the aji on it as she felt it detracted from all the flavors already in the rice. Which is odd, because she is the type of person who douses her pasta with Tabasco.

There is quite a bit of work involved in getting this dish ready, but it is so worth it. I also made an

I really did not deviate at all from Laylita's original recipe so I am not re-posting it here. The only change I made was to use paprika because I could not get my hands on achiote, which is a South American spice that is called for in the recipe. I stared down the international aisle of my local grocery store, and despite enlisting the produce manager, the store manager, the lady from the bakery and a random guy in a blue shirt, none of us could find it. (Though I later found out that Amazon.com carries it, if anyone knows which brand is best, please drop me a line!)

Taste of Kerala - Potato Mussakhan (Fried Spicy Potatoes)

So the whole blogging trip is to educate myself and increase my repertoire so that my family is not eating the same chicken dish everyday.
OK, that was an exaggeration.
We eat the same food every other day.

So I made up a little do-lally here called Taste of Kerala where I wanted to personally explore dishes from God's Own Country - other than the three dishes that I currently know of. So why Kerala? I grew up eating typical Kerala fare because my parents were born there, however I have never lived there and have only gotten to visit on several short vacations. The food I had experienced as a child was a slightly watered down version of the original, given the lack of authentic ingredients and the gradual adaptations to the recipes that my parents would make.

The picture above was taken last year when we went on a houseboat tour down the backwaters of Kumarakom, Kerala - a recent tourist draw (some may call it a trap) - which I always refuse to take part in, but end up going on and enjoying anyway.
But I digress....

I've gotten a little excited about trying my hand at other dishes from Kerala and wanted to record them here, hits or misses.

So announcing Potato Mussakhan, a dish from the Malabar region of Kerala which has a heavy Arabic/Muslim influence.

The name of the dish itself sounds very Muslim, so I asked my colleague, a Mr. Khan himself, if he knew what it meant. Other than having an uncle who was actually named Mussa Khan (!) - he couldn't quite figure it out, and then proudly announced that it must be derived from the Urdu word for "complicated" or "difficult".
So I had just made "Potato Complicated"?

Far from it.
This is a simple tangy side dish of par-boiled potatoes doused in lime juice and lightly fried with some piercing spices and fragrant ginger, garlic and shallots. This is no ordinary potato bhaji to be callously stuffed into dosas or lopped up with bread. This potato has attitude.
Potato Bada$$.

Potato Mussakhan (adapted from "Malabar Cuisine" - Rasheed, Roshna Khader, Reshmi Joseph, Salim Pushpanath)

3 medium-sized potatoes
1 Tbsp grated/crushed ginger
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
4-5 medium-sized shallots - chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp oil (coconut or vegetable - I used vegetable)
Optional - 2 small green chillies, sliced

1.Peel and cube potatoes. Boil in water to which salt and a pinch of turmeric has been added. When slightly cooked (should not be mushy), remove from heat and drain.
2.Make a paste of red chilli powder and turmeric in lime juice, pour onto potatoes, mix to ensure potatoes are coated.
4.Heat oil in a frying pan. Add shallots, followed by ginger and garlic. Fry lightly.
5.Add curry leaves and green chillies (if using), followed by potatoes. Fry on medium heat till potato cubes get a golden crust or color. Add salt to taste if necessary.