If Yotam says asparagus goes with capers and almonds, who am I to disagree.
Trim and asparagus tossed with olive oil, salt and peper at 425 for 5-10 minutes.
Fry 1/4 c slivered blanched almonds in 2 tbsp butter, fry 3 tbsp capers in 1 tbsp butter. Add to asparagus along with butter
Add dill (or not- I didn’t)
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019264-roasted-asparagus-with-buttered-almonds-capers-and-dill
In my meat-eating past, my favorite Chinese dish was the crispy honey chili chicken. This is better. The glaze is not goopy but clings perfectly to the tofu.
Tofu: 1 pack of tofu (the recipe specifies soft, I had only firm) cut into 3 inchx1/2 inch long fingers. Dredge in a dry mixture of ¾ c cornstarch and ¼ c cornmeal, salt and pepper. I dredged them twice. Shallow fry in a nonstick skillet till light golden on all sides (about 10 min). Empty oil from pan
Sauce: whisk ½ c water, ½ c rice vinegar,1/3 c sugar, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2-3 tsp Asian chili garlic sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch together. Cook till they form a slurry (about 2-3 min)
Add tofu back to glaze, garnish with cilantro serve with rice
I stir fried the rice in some sesame oil and soy sauce but that isn’t really necessary.
Like many vegetarians, I’ve tried many many recipes for Mushroom Bolognese. This is the best and the easiest recipe I’ve found. I love recipes that start with the food processor and then cook without too many interventions. The soy, the porcini, the tomato paste all add so much umami flavor. The dish is meaty and heartening and also paradoxically refreshing and delicious. I generally halve this- 2 small boxes of crimini mushrooms make up one lb
Step 1: food processor ! 1 lb crimini mushrooms, half a carrot, half an onion, approximately 6-7 rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Chop in batches, dump in pot
Step 2: add 2 tbsp of butter and the porcini water (hate to waste that) and cook till browned (15-20 min) but not burnt
Step 3: add ½ tsp sugar, 1 tbsp tomato paste – cook
Step 4: deglaze with ½ cup red wine. Cook wine off till mixture is dry
Step 5: add ½ tbsp soy sauce, ¼ cup vegetable broth and 1 small can (14 oz) tomatoes with 2 cloves of garlic (use food processor for tomatoes and garlic too) and salt and pepper
Let cook for 10 min too – don’t let this dry out. Finish with 2 tbsp of heavy cream off heat
Cook pasta , add sauce thinned out with some pasta water. Add Parmesan !
Tofu Chorizo: inspired by a purple carrot recipe I read today. Start with some oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 onion, ½ a pepper, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 packet of crumbled firm tofu. Stir and roast on medium high heat till nice and brown. The original recipe added 11/2 tbsp chili powder. I added a Brazilian barbecue rub which I found in my pantry. It was a good choice – the sugars caramelized and everything turned toasty.
While the tofu was browning I
1) opened a bag of angel hair slaw
2) made my favorite slaw dressing- ¾ cup yogurt, 1 clove garlic, a handful of cilantro, half a jalapeño, 2-3 tbsp olive oil , 1 lime and my secret ingredient – 2 tsp of tahini. Give it a whir in the vitamix and season
3) opened a can of veg beans in tomato sauce
4) sliced some onions
5) toasted some tortillas
6) left the coleslaw “deconstructed” because of a fussy 9 year old
7) opened up some sour cream (for same fussy 9 year old)
Took about 30 min total and I have leftovers for lunch! The tofu chorizo technique is outstanding – I will definitely use it again perhaps with some barbecue sauce
My version of Spinach pasta. I start with an old favorite modified Sanjeev Kapoor saag planner base.1tbsp cumin, Olive oil, crushed whole garlic, one dried red chili- heat and then wilt 5 oz of spinach (I always cheat and use the pre washed baby spinach- I know, it’s horrible for the environment). Then add 2 cups of veg broth, boil for 15 min. Whiz through the vitamix, add 1tsp of cumin powder and 4 tbsp of heavy cream. For protein -I’ve used tofu in the past, today I fried up some vegan sausage pieces (I like smart dogs from lightlife). Boil spaghetti, toss with sauce, garnish with fried capers (my favorite garnish for pasta). If you don’t have capers, add a squeeze of lemon. Parmesan optional to top it off. My 9 year old took seconds 🙂
ETA: works just as well with one dried lime (pierced) and I’ve started adding a tbsp of sugar in this chutney as well
I am Indian and I make many different kinds of chutneys and sauces with tomatoes.
This is my 15 min version
2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, asafetida pinch, 1 red chili- add one can of tomatoes blizted through the food processor with 3 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger and half a preserved lemon. Cook for 15-20 min. Add 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and salt to taste (it needs lots of salt). Cook till the tomatoes are shiny and glistening.
So very good ! The vinegar comes from ketchup recipes and the preserved lemon gives the chutney it’s sour fermented umami flavor
Of all the street food in Mumbai, my favorite is the spring roll dosa
Here is my version of it
Filling: use a cast iron skillet – it’s the only thing that can potentially mimic the high BTUs of a professional kitchen’s wok. Oil, onions (1 large), 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garlic, 1 red pepper- stir fry, add cabbage ( one packet of angel hair slaw). Stir fry for a minute till cabbage is heated through. Top with my favorite sauce of 3-4 tblsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp butter (remember not to salt this dish- the soy is plenty salty). Top with toasted sesame
Made dosa, add stuffing – so delicious
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Vegetarian pizza pot pie or upside down pizza : as I read through my new cook book (Sheet Pan Suppers – thanks Veggie Mom Docs), I thought of a vegetarian pot pie because I then get to use my pretty … Continue reading
My favorite sheet pan recipe: based off a Melissa Clark NYT recipe. Roast cauliflower with cumin, salt and pepper – 450 for 20 min, add pasta , dollops of ricotta, garlic, capers and breadcrumbs with melted butter- back in oven for another 10. Serve with a squeeze of lime. A weekly regular at our house
Original recipe :https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018580-spicy-roasted-broccoli-pasta
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My take on Orzo salad – otherwise defined as “dinner when you return home late and are bored of eating left-overs” Put water with salt to boil – once it’s boiling, add orzo (or any small pasta ) and cook … Continue reading
Delhi Girl Meets Food 