Indian Tomato Rice

I couldn’t stop myself from trying- and sharing- one more recipe in Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street: The New Home Cooking book. 🙂 This recipe was inspired by Madhur Jaffrey’s tomato rice recipe in Vegetarian India.

This quick and versatile dish can be served as a side with seafood, chicken, or, as Kimball suggests, a simple fried egg. We ate it as a light meal with sautéed chard with garlic and cumin. I loved the layers of spices. I used serrano chiles instead of bird’s-eye chiles.

Yield: Serves 3 to 4

• 1 cup white Basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 T grapeseed or other neutral oil (I used canola oil)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
• 2 serrano or bird’s-eye chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. In a bowl, combine the rinsed rice with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 15 minutes. Drain the rice very well
2. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the 1 1/4 cups water and tomato paste; whisk until dissolved. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium, combine the oil, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, chiles, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the seeds begin to pop and the mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Stir in the rice and salt and cook, stirring, until coated with oil, about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the water-tomato paste mixture and bring to a simmer.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, add the tomatoes and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the cilantro, fluffing the rice with a fork.

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Chicken Biryani, Hyderbadi style

I have another wonderful Indian dish to share. I first spotted this mouth-watering dish on Safari of the Mind– the site of my like-minded blog friend, Loretta. I had to make it. 🙂

I doubled the amount of chicken in the original recipe -thinking it would be the highlight- but I was obsessed with the rice! I didn’t cut the chicken into pieces, but may opt to next time. I used 1 tablespoon of prepared Garam Masala powder but included the ingredients to prepare it below- I do think it would be even more delicious if it was prepared with the fresh spice blend. I also omitted the water in the marinade and the mint in the tempering. I baked the biryani rather than cooking it on the stove.

The recipe was adapted from Yummefy.com, via Loretta @Safari of the Mind. We ate it sautéed greens with garlic and cumin. Yum!

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

For the Marinade:

• 2 cups plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, very finely chopped (about 150 grams)
• 5 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped (about 1 T)
• 2-inch piece ginger root, very finely chopped (about 2 T)
• 4 to 8 green chillies, fresh, chopped, de-seeded and minced, to taste (I used jalapeños)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, from 1 large lime
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp coarse salt, or to taste
• 8 to 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 in pieces, if desired

For the Masala Powder:

• 4 cloves
• 1 piece cinnamon, 1 inch
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds

For the Rice:

• 2 cups basmati rice, or any other long-grain rice
• 4 cloves
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 piece cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

For Tempering:

• 4 tsp plus 1 T ghee, divided
• 2 T vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
• 3 large yellow onions, sliced
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk for 30 minutes
• 14 fresh mint leaves, for garnish, as desired
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish, as desired
• 1 tablespoon slivered almonds, blanched and toasted

Method

1. Place yogurt in a large bowl and whisk, using a fork until smooth.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies to a bowl and combine with yogurt, turmeric, lime juice, coriander leaves and salt.
2. Place masala powder ingredients in an electric grinder and process to a fine powder.  Add to yogurt mixture.
3. Add chicken and massage with your hands for the marinade to coat and penetrate the chicken.  Marinate, covered for 2 to 6 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Wash rice at least 3 times until the water runs clear.  Soak rice in water to cover by at least 1 inch for 15 minutes.  Drain.
5. Place a large pan on high heat and pour in 2 liters (8 cups) water. (I used a 4 quart pan.)  Bring to a boil and then add drained rice, stirring gently.  Toss in cloves, green cardamom pods, cinnamon, bay leaf and salt.  Stir to mix, then cover with a lid.  Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat or until half-cooked.  Drain the rice.  Set aside and allow to cool.
6. Heat 4 teaspoons ghee and tablespoons oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions till caramelized and crisp.  Set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (200 degrees C)
8. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil onto the bottom of a heavy saucepan and place the marinated chicken at the bottom, spreading it out in one layer. (I used a large enameled cast iron pan.)
9. Spoon half the rice in a layer over the chicken.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons saffron milk, 1/2 tablespoon ghee, and 1/2 tablespoon coriander leaves over the layered rice.  Top with 1/2 the onions.
10. Repeat one more layer with the remaining rice, saffron milk, ghee, coriander leaves, and onions.
11. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and then with a fitted lid.
12. Place biryani in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is 165 degrees.  Remove from the oven.  Let the biryani rest, covered for 10 minutes. (Because the chicken pieces were whole, I baked it for 45 minutes.)
13. Remove lid and foil, and garnish with mint and/or cilantro leaves and slivered almonds, as desired.  Serve hot.

One Year Ago: Green Curry Pork Tenderloin

Three Years Ago: Jerk Chicken with Spicy Pineapple Sauce & West Indies Roti

Four Years Ago: Indian-Spiced Chicken Stew

Five Years Ago: Indian-Spiced Chicken & Spinach

Sheet-Pan Spicy Roasted Broccoli Pasta

I have a few broccoli pasta recipes to share. I’m always buying the 3 pound bag of broccoli florets at Costco when I’m on a break from my CSA vegetables. 😉

This first dish is one of the Most Popular Recipes of 2017 from New York Times Cooking. I’m surprised that I didn’t see it when it was first published- especially because it’s a sheet pan dish! Although it has the ingredients typical of a pasta casserole, more of the broccoli and toppings get crispy by the increased surface area exposed to direct heat by cooking it on a sheet pan.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I increased the amount of broccoli and used Gigli pasta. We ate it with a huge green salad. Quick, easy, and tasty. It would be even more incredible if it was topped with fresh ricotta. Next time!

Yield: Serves 6

• 2 ½ pounds broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 12 ounces chiocciole, penne, or other tube-shaped pasta (I used Gigli pasta)
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
• finely grated zest from 1 large lemon
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces best quality, whole milk ricotta
• fresh lemon juice, for serving (optional)

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection roast.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together broccoli, 3 T olive oil, cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes.
3. Roast until tender and browned at the edges, 18 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
5. In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, panko, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the black pepper.
6. Toss cooked pasta with broccoli on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dollop with ricotta.
7. Sprinkle with Parmesan mix, drizzle generously with oil, and broil until topping is crisped and golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste, and serve.

One Year Ago: Fresh Ricotta

Two Years Ago: Spaghetti Pizza

Three Years Ago: Penne with Radicchio

Four Years Ago: Pasta Alla Norma with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Five Years Ago: Movie Night Pizza

Sheet Pan Meatballs with Chickpeas, Turmeric, and Lemon

This is a wonderful weeknight sheet-pan dish. It was full-flavored and relatively healthy too. I think I’m in love with crispy roasted chickpeas!

This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen.com, where the dish was loosely based on a New York Times sheet-pan chicken dish that I’ve also made and posted. I increased the amount of ground turkey, and meatball seasonings, size, as well as cooking time. I also used cumin seeds instead of fennel seeds.

We ate it with warm naan, brown Basmati rice, and roasted asparagus. The lemony red onions and yogurt toppings were essential and delicious.

Yield: Serves 6

Time: about 1 hour

For the Chickpeas:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 3/4 cup panko
• 6 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used 2% Greek yogurt)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a garlic press
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• heaping 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, hot paprika, or red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or mint leaves, or a mix thereof, plus more to garnish

To Serve:

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 3/4 of a lemon)
• 7 oz (almost 1 cup) plain yogurt (I used 2% Greek yogurt)
• toasted pita wedges or naan
• harissa or another hot sauce, as desired
• brown Basmati rice, for serving, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Combine chickpeas, cumin seed, cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric and half the red onion slices on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Roast for 25 minutes, until beginning to firm/crisp up. (The red onions will start to get very crispy and charred.)
5. Meanwhile, make meatball mixture. Mix all ingredients- except the ground meat- in a large bowl with a fork. Then incorporate the meat.
6. Form into 1.75-inch (about 2 T) meatballs, about 15 large meatballs. (I used 3 small cookie scoop scoops for each meatball.)
7. Remove sheet pan with chickpeas from the oven (leave oven on) and move the chickpeas to the sides of the pan, clearing a space in the center.
8. Lightly coat center with a thin coat of oil, either brush or spray it on, just to be safe. Position the meatballs in the center of the pan; I made 3 rows of 5 meatballs. Place baking sheet in oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through, about 165 degrees in the center.
9. Meanwhile, toss remaining onion slices with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
10. Combine yogurt with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
11. When meatballs are cooked, scatter remaining fresh herbs over the tray.
12. Serve with lemony onions and yogurt, toasted pita wedges, rice, and hot sauce, as desired.

Two Years Ago: Broken Pasta with Shredded Pork & Arugula

Three Years Ago: Indian Butter Chicken

Four Years Ago: Caramel Chicken

Five Years Ago: Chicken Teriyaki Plate and Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

Cauliflower Tagine

This dish was the perfect way to celebrate my beautiful CSA cauliflower. Although the base of this tagine was a bit spicy, the cauliflower and cheesy breadcrumb topping offset the spiciness and created a perfect balance. Because I didn’t have the Tunisian spice blend, Tabil, on hand, I was able to create the spice blend myself. The spiciness in the final dish could be easily modified by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes in the spice blend.

The tagine recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. I reduced the amount of olive oil to lighten the recipe. I also included a leek as well as green and yellow bell peppers from my CSA share. The spice blend recipe was adapted from Epicurious.com. It was a full-flavored and fabulous vegetarian casserole.

For the Tabil Spice Blend:

Yield: about 3 tablespoons

• 1 1/2 T coriander seeds
• 2 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 T caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Finely grind all ingredients in a spice mill.

Note: The remaining spice blend can be reserved in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the Tagine:

Yield: Serves 6

• 8 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, cut into half moons and rinsed
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons Tabil (recipe above)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2-pounds cauliflower (about 1 to 1 1/2 heads), cored and cut into 2-inch florets
• 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 3 ounces, 1 cup,  Gruyère cheese, shredded
• 5 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400°, preferably on convection.
2. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and leek and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, bell pepper, paprika, Tabil, tomato paste and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper softens, about 7 minutes.
5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and water and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Spread the cauliflower in the baking dish.
7. In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the Gruyère and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the beaten eggs; spread the mixture over the cauliflower.
9. Cover with foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling around the edges.
10. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes longer, until browned and crisp on top.
11. Let the tagine stand for 10 minutes before serving.

One Year Ago:

• Fried Eggs with Greens & Mushrooms
• Arugula Salad with Corn & Burrata

Two Years Ago:

• Simple Caesar Salad
• Clams Casino #2

Three Years Ago:

• Roasted Zucchini with Thyme

Four Years Ago:

• Warm Lentil Salad with Seared Tuna & Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
• French Green Lentil & Beet Salad with Orange-Mustard Vinaigrette

Five Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto
• Pad See Ew

Pork Chile Verde

As I love sharing recipes, I am also thrilled when someone shares a recipe with me! 🙂 My son’s swimming coach texted me the link to this wonderful dish after she made it for her family. What fun! She knew we would enjoy it too.

This recipe was adapted from Today.com, contributed by Padma Lakshmi. I doubled the garlic, reduced the pork, used large onions, and seeded the jalapeños. We ate it over brown Basmati rice with cornbread on the side. Full-flavored and absolutely fabulous!

Yield: Serves 6

• 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 4 jalapeños, seeded
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, divided
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 to 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 shot tequila, preferably Alejo
• 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 lime, juiced, optional
• rice, for serving, optional

1. In a blender (I used a Vitamix), combine the tomatillos, avocados, jalapeños, four cloves of garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, salt, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Puree until smooth. (Side note: This makes a great salsa verde sauce on its own; you may want to buy double the ingredients and use the extra as a dipping sauce for other savory treats!)
2. In a heavy soup pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Slice remaining four cloves of the garlic in half, and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the onions, oregano, cumin, remaining sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
4. Add the ground pork and cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
5. Add in the shot of tequila.
6. Add the tomatillo sauce, beans and water or stock to the pork mixture.
7. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
8. Stir in the lime juice just before serving, if desired.

One Year Ago:

• Chorizo-Potato Tacos

Two Years Ago:

• Corn Queso Fundido
• Dark Meat Chicken Chili

Three Years Ago:

• Chicken Chili with Chipotle and Poblano Chiles
• Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole

Four Years Ago:

• Chipotle Chicken & Rice
• Enchiladas Suizas

Turkish-Spiced Halibut Skewers With Yogurt Sauce

Many people grill year-round, but our grill hibernates during the winter. 😦 Thankfully, it is unseasonably warm here this week (Yay!), so I am going to share a couple of belated grilling recipes.

This first recipe is an adaptation of a Turkish dish typically made with local swordfish and fresh bay leaves. This version, from David Tanis of The New York Times, uses firm-fleshed halibut with thinly sliced lemons and onions. The fish is only marinated for an hour, grilled, and served with a wonderful and fresh cucumber-yogurt sauce.

We ate the skewers with hummus, warm naan, Israeli couscous, and steamed spinach on the side. If grilling season is over for you, this dish can easily be replicated using a broiler. Great!

• 1 ½ pounds boneless halibut or other firm-fleshed fish
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 garlic clove, grated or smashed to a paste
• 8 bay leaves
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 small cucumber, about 2 ounces, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Cut halibut into large chunks of equal size and thread onto skewers. You should have 4 kebabs weighing about 6 ounces each.
2. Lay them in a shallow dish. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. In a mixing bowl, put cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, onion, lemon, minced garlic and bay leaves. Add olive oil and stir together.
4. Spoon mixture over fish skewers and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
5. Put yogurt in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add garlic paste, cayenne and cucumber.
6. Mix mint, dill and parsley together, add half to yogurt mixture, and reserve the rest. Stir to combine. Set aside.
7. Heat a grill or broiler. When it is hot, cook skewers for about 2 minutes per side, until just opaque. (Leave some lemon, onion and bay leaf clinging to fish, so they char a bit.)
8. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining herb mixture, if desired. Serve with yogurt sauce on the side.

One Year Ago:

• Thai Pork Tenderloin Salad with Napa Cabbage

Two Years Ago:

• Rick Bayless’ Classic Ensenada Fish Tacos

Three Years Ago:

• Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Four Years Ago:

• Pad See Ew