Ma Niche : spinach

Showing posts with label spinach. Show all posts

27.4.14

Green-as-Spring Veal Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook Green-as-Spring Veal Stew. We do not eat veal, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and cooked a green chicken stew instead.... I almost followed Dorie recipe, except that I left out the tarragon and returned the veggies into the pot of simmering green sauce along with the meat. I thought the orange of the carrots and the greens of the leaves and herbs presented a pretty contrast. Husband disagreed. He did not like the green at all.. though he thought that the soup was nice. I thought it was lovely. The dill and the lemon was very refreshing and the stew as a whole paired wonderfully with plain rice and Aloo bharta, a Bengali style mashed potato, that we had made to go with it. I guess the toddler felt the same way for he ate his chicken and rice without any fuss.

From experience I have learnt that chicken recipes do not need as much lemon juice as veal ones. So I reduced the amount of lemon juice in the stew and added slices of lemon as garnish. That way I could squeeze in the extra juice I wanted and husband could steer away from it.

Green-as-Spring Chicken Stew

Recipe by Tanusree Khandai

Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 2 hours
Serves : 4 adults + 1 kid

Ingredients

2 Chicken legs
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 small carrots, trimmed, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
1 onion, quatered
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 + ½ tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 cups arugula leaves
2 cups spinach leaves
⅓ cup fresh coriander
⅓ cup fresh dill fronds
½ cup heavy cream
2-3 tsps fresh lemon juice*
lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

In a large vessel, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Drop the chicken legs, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the vegetables along with the chicken legs for 45 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chicken legs and vegetables, cover and keep them warm while you make the sauce.
Toss in the arugula, spinach, coriander, dill and ½teaspoon of dried thyme in the liquid that is left in the pot.
Cook the greens till the leaves wilt.
Switch off the heat, let the mixture cool down slightly, then puree them in the blender.
Return the green sauce to the pot, stir in the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, adjust the salt and pepper and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, pull off the meat from the chicken legs and slice them into bite-size pieces.
Finally return the cooked vegetables and the chicken pieces into the pot, simmer everything for 5-7 minutes.
Switching off the heat. Then garnish with lemon slices and serve with rice or noodles.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this stew. You can find Dorie's recipe for Green-as-Spring Veal Stew here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at some of these parties

Monday
Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands
Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,
Meatless Monday : Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,
Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,
Hearth and Soul blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen,
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen,

Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain,
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday,
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl,
What I Made @ Creations by Kara

Thursday
Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs,
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,
Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating, Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie,
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm,
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts,
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipe

16.4.14

Barley Risotto with Mushrooms & Spinach

Growing up I always identified barley with sickness. You have barley soup when you are sick, that is the way I have always known the grain until I came across Dorie's Vegetable Barley Soup with taste of Little India. It was a revelation. Who knew root vegetables, garam masala and barley could team up so well to create such a hearty bowl of soup ! So I realized that barley could be interesting... even tasty provided the recipe is good.. But barley risotto ??? That seemed like a completely different story. I wasn't too sure how it would be until I sampled some on Sunday. And frankly speaking was taken by surprise at how good it turned out !

Okay. Barley is one of the healthiest grains in the world... but that is not why I thought of cooking it risotto-style. It was the photograph of Toasted Barley Risotto with Spinach and Herb puree in the April Issue of Bon Appetit that attarcted me... and the fact that "Barley Risotto" sounded weird and healthful at the same time... I spotted the recipe while flipping through the latest magazines and soon enough was on my feet cooking my version of barley risotto with mushrooms and spinach....

26.2.14

Spinach, Red Grapes and White Turmeric Smoothie

Remember I told you about the Grape Must Syrup a while ago. The syrup that the Greek bakers from Athens dip their Koulouri dough rings in before coating them with sesame seeds.. Well I did say back then that you may skip the ordeal of making the grape must syrup if you wish and replace it with honey. However. In case you baked some Koulouri and ignoring my remark made some grape must syrup, then you are in for a treat right now. Today I have for you a super refreshing healthy detoxifying drink that will instantly set you in the mood to sing... Spinach, red grapes, and white turmeric smoothie..

O.. Oh.. Did I intimidate you with that last ingredient ? Oh. Please. Hear me out... White turmeric is actually good for you and you cannot really taste it in this smoothie. It is there in the background and does not bother the taste buds at all... So get over your mental reservations and give this smoothie a try. I promise.. you'll love this one.

6.2.14

Palak Pakoda (Spinach Fritters) guest post by husband

It does not snow in India, it rains... and in some states the rainy season is simply crazy. It just does not stop. It keeping pouring for days together until one fine day the sky clears and the sun decides to show up again. Indians are used to it . Unless the rains came down just when they put their heaviest bedspreads out to dry or their locality got flooded away by the continuous showers, they are cool with it. In fact they enjoy it and take it all with a plate of pakoda and a cup of chai....... Pakoda , chai and a good chat with the girlfriends is just about everything that an Indian lass needs to perk her up on lousy, lazy rainy day.

Here, sitting in our New York apartment, I often get nostalgic for such days.. Here, an impromptu chat session with your girlfriends is unthinkable. Everyone and everything is so formal. Even to visit a friend, you have to make plans atleast a day in advance. A gloomy snowy day is not an excuse good enough to knock at the neighbors door and say hello..

On such dreary days when I loathe the relocation, my husband sometimes helps me get out of the blues by putting on my favorite music while he fries some pakodas to go with the chai.. They do not clear the sky or set me singing.. but they definitely help me get back to my life here with husband and our son in our little apartment in New York.

Spinach Pakoda

Recipe by Nishi (my husband)

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp dhana-jeera powder
¾ cup chickpea flour
salt to taste
⅔ cup water
2 green chillies finely chopped(optional)
2 packed cups green spinach
vegetable oil for deep frying
garlic salt

Cooking Directions

Mix the first five ingredients to make a smooth batter.
Add the spinach and chopped chillies to the batter, mix well and keep aside till you are ready to fry.
When ready to fry, pour oil in a frying pan so that it is 1½ deep. Heat the oil to 325 ° F and drop handfuls of the batter-spinach mixture into the oil.
Fry the spinach fritters until the batter looks golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, turning once or twice in between.
Remove from the hot oil and transfer the fritters into a plate spread with paper towels.
Once the excess oil has completely drained away sprinkle some garlic salt on top and serve with tea.

I shall be sharing these fritters in all these food parties.

7.1.14

Vegetable Croquettes

I wouldn't really call my toddler a fussy eater..but there are times when hot dog and pizzas are the only things he opens his mouth to... such phases though short-lived get me worried and that is when I consult my most trusted recipe book First Meals by Annabel Karmel. I had bought the book at the local library sale and till date consider it as my best buy from the library. It has a wonderful collection of quick and easy kid-friendly meals and at the end of a clean plate, courtesy First Meals, I always wonder why had I not thought of the recipe earlier.

Anyway, these vegetable croquettes were born during one such fussy phase of my little toddlers life. The original recipe had carrots, sweet corn and broccoli, which I traded for spinach and greens peas The result was delicious. Both daddy and son approved of it and recently even the toddlers aunt certified it as a simple and tasty snack.

7.12.13

A Green Detox Smoothie...

Today we are travelling to Texas. Husband has a conference to attend, so son and I tagged along to visit my cousins who live there. With all the packing, cleaning, etc yesterday was pretty hectic. So much so that sitting down for lunch was not an option. Of course I could skip lunch altogether.. but thats not so good... right ? So I hopped over to to Swathi's, Zesty South Indian Kitchen for inspiration .. and minutes later blended up this gem of a smoothie for myself...

Made with Baby Spinach, cucumber, orange juice, apples and pomegranate, this Green Smoothie can come in quite handy when you are looking for a quick antidote for your holiday decadence. The recipe is inspired by Swathi's Green Goddess Smothie. I did not have most of her ingredients in hand so I made a concoction of my own and was mighty pleased with the blend. I do not know why I do not make smoothies more often. They get done so quickly and if made with the correct ingredients they can be so satisfying and refreshing ...

9.7.13

Spinach Fatayer

Off late I have been cooking a lot of Middle eastern food. All from Sally Butcher's book The New Middle Eastern Vegetarian, the: Modern Recipes from Veggiestan. I borrowed it from the library a month ago and have been meaning to tell you about it but didn't know where to start. The book is divided into ten broad sections. bread, salads, soup, rice, vegetables, pickles and so on.. and i have been religiously cooking my way through them throughout the month. while the rice dishes and the street food sections are our favorites, we also fell for this stuffed bread last night. Spinach Fatayer.

In the book Butcher credits the recipe to Mrs Haddad who is her Lebanese bread supplier. Apparently it is Mrs Haddad's family recipe. While the original recipe with sumac and pomegranate paste must be brilliant, I had to make do with substitutes like capers and chana masala in my version. Nevertheless we loved it. It made a happy meal along with a bowl of Mediterranean Chickpea Salad and yogurt seasoned with mustard and green chillies. Think Mr MN liked them much for he even took some for lunch today. I suppose the little one also liked them for he kept juggling between his kichudi and the Fatayer throughout dinner last night.

Spinach Fatayer Adapted from New Middle Eastern Vegetarian, the: Modern Recipes from Veggiestan
ingredients for the dough 1 1/8 tsp bread machine yeast 1/2 tsp sugar 2/3 cups warm water 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp, olive oil 2 tsp lemon juice for the filling 10 oz spinach(i used frozen) oil for frying 1 medium onion chopped 1/4 cup pine nuts, chopped 1 tbsp capers, chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp chana masala salt and pepper to taste for glazing 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tbsp olive oil salt to taste - what i did for the dough, i stirred in the yeast and sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and set it aside for 10 minutes. once the yeast solution became foamy, i sifted the flours and salt into a big bowl, added the yeast solution and 1 tbsp of oil to it and tried kneading with my hand. at this point the flour mixture flour mixture felt very dry. so i added the remaining water and oil to the bread machine pan along with the flour mixture and set the machine on dough cycle. 15 minutes later, when the dough looked smooth and felt soft, i switched off the bread machine and turned the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. then covering the dough with a plastic cling wrap i put the bowl in a warm corner of the kitchen and let it double itself. it took the dough about an hour and quarter to double. in the meantime, i made the filling. for the filling, i heated the oil in a saucepan and added the onions to it. once the onions softened, i added the spinach (thawed and drained), capers and the nuts to the pan and cooked for about 4-5 minutes. i then added the chana masala and lemon juice to the spinach, seasoned it to taste and let it cook for a few minutes more till the spinach was well cooked. switching off the heat, i then set it aside. once the dough doubled, i preheated the oven to 375 degrees F, lined 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and working with little portions of it at a time, i rolled it into a 1/8 inch thick ovals. the dough was soft. so to ease the rolling process i dabbed it with enough flour before rolling. then using an upturned glass i cut out 7 cm circles off the dough, placed 1 tbsp of the filling in each of them and folded the sides to meet in the center like a pyramid pastry. then placing the pyramids in the lined baking trays i baked my first batch of small Fatayers for 22-25 minutes, until they were lightly browned. the Fatayers did not grow too much in size after baking, so using a upturned bowl, i cut out 10 cm circles out of the remaining dough, placed 2-3 tbsp of the filling in each of them, then folding them as before and glazed them with the solution of lemon juice-oil and salt and baked them for 28-30 minutes, until they were lightly golden. then transferring the Fatayers to a bread basket, i covered them with a cloth and left it that way till dinner time.

Spinach Fatayer
Adapted from New Middle Eastern Vegetarian, the: Modern Recipes from Veggiestan

ingredients

for the dough

1 1/8 tsp bread machine yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 cups warm water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp, olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice

for the filling

10 oz spinach(i used frozen)
oil for frying
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, chopped
1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp chana masala
salt and pepper to taste

for glazing

1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

what i did

for the dough,

i stirred in the yeast and sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and set it aside for 10 minutes.
once the yeast solution became foamy, i sifted the flours and salt into a big bowl, added the yeast solution and 1 tbsp of oil to it and tried kneading with my hand.
at this point the flour mixture flour mixture felt very dry. so i added the remaining water and oil to the bread machine pan along with the flour mixture and set the machine on dough cycle.
15 minutes later, when the dough looked smooth and felt soft, i switched off the bread machine and turned the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. then covering the dough with a plastic cling wrap i put the bowl in a warm corner of the kitchen and let it double itself.
it took the dough about an hour and quarter to double. in the meantime, i made the filling.

for the filling,

i heated the oil in a saucepan and added the onions to it.
once the onions softened, i added the spinach (thawed and drained), capers and the nuts to the pan and cooked for about 4-5 minutes.
i then added the chana masala and lemon juice to the spinach, seasoned it to taste and let it cook for a few minutes more till the spinach was well cooked. switching off the heat, i then set it aside.

once the dough doubled, i preheated the oven to 375 degrees F, lined 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and working with little portions of it at a time, i rolled it into a 1/8 inch thick ovals. the dough was soft. so to ease the rolling process i dabbed it with enough flour before rolling.
then using an upturned glass i cut out 7 cm circles off the dough, placed 1 tbsp of the filling in each of them and folded the sides to meet in the center like a pyramid pastry. then placing the pyramids in the lined baking trays i baked my first batch of small Fatayers for 22-25 minutes, until they were lightly browned.
the Fatayers did not grow too much in size after baking, so using a upturned bowl, i cut out 10 cm circles out of the remaining dough, placed 2-3 tbsp of the filling in each of them, then folding them as before and glazed them with the solution of lemon juice-oil and salt and baked them for 28-30 minutes, until they were lightly golden.
then transferring the Fatayers to a bread basket, i covered them with a cloth and left it that way till dinner time.

Though this recipe was fairly simple to work through, I kept longing for the ladies in the house while i was stuffing the dough. because, somehow even a tedious task as stuffing the dough becomes fun when you do it midst your sisters and friends..

I am sharing the Fatayers with Bread Baking Day #61. Bread Baking Day is a monthly event created by Zorra of 1x umrühren bitte aka kochtopf and Anusha of Tomato Blues is hosting it this month and she has chosen Stuffed Breads. as the theme for the month.

Also Yeastspotting this and sharing it at the following weekly food events

These nibbles were featured in...

Recipe Sharing Monday #57

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop 160: 7/15/2013

Made with Love Mondays , Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Meatless Monday @Veggie Mama's, Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory, Just Another Meatless Monday @ Hey What's for Dinner Mom, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Mop It Up Monday, Mealtime Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party

Tuesday Food: Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with Grace, Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home, Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked Mom, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain ,  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2, Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network
Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes

30.3.13

Stuffed Whole Wheat Naan

I made these whole wheat naan a week back. Had planned to put it on the blog sooner.. but this week everything just went out of sorts. anyway... now that i am here let me quickly tell you what i did. how they were. and how well they compared to their bread flour(BF) counterparts.

Adapting the recipe from Beth Hensperger's Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook, I made the dough for the naan in my bread machine and stuffed it with mashed potatoes and spinach. then buttered them generously and baked them in the oven. even though wheat is considered a healthier choice, in our opinion the BF ones taste much better. however with the stuffing these taste pretty good with a side of dal and yogurt. like their BF counterparts these are quite heavy, so unless you have a big appetite you'll probably not manage beyond one and a third for a meal. at least i find it difficult to have more, though Mr MN chomps down at least three every time i bake them..

13.3.13

Spinach-Artichoke Dip With Sweet Potato Mayo

I grew up in a small industrial town in West Bengal, India, where, in the 80's Mayo was a fancy ingredient to cook with. in fact as far as i remember the Mayo bottles did not make their appearance in the featured cupboards of our grocery store till the mid 90's. but that never stopped my mom from trying out the dishes using Mayonnaise which she used to bookmark from her collection of cookbooks and magazines. she simply made her own fresh mayo every time she needed it. and that was the only mayo that i knew of while i was growing up. her mayo with boiled potato, eggs, mustard sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and a FULL cup of oil. MMM...mmm it was delicious and made her dishes, specially her macaroni so special... so.. even when the commercial Mayo started flooding the local stores, at home we stuck to her recipe. it was that good. and i am sure you'll do the same once you have tasted it..

anyhow when i started cooking, to cut down on the calorie count, i substituted a thing or two and made my own mayo recipe. which is, if i may say so, as delicious. substituting potatoes with sweet potatoes helped me cut down on the added sugar a bit, replacing eggs with Greek yogurt changed the taste but made it an eggless mayo which i could serve to my MIL and i heavily cut down on the oil for i thought 1 FULL CUP was way too much.... so that is how the Spinach-Artichoke dip with Sweet Potato Mayo came into being... We had it in our sandwich along with cucumbers and olives and it tasted darn good. Even Mr MN who has a thing against Artichokes said it was good. and believe me he is not one of those who are loose with their compliments. so a dish really has to be good to score points with him... and this one did :)

since this was my first experience of cooking with artichokes, i found this pictorial tutorial of how to prepare artichoke hearts useful. the rest of the recipe was a mere simple adaption from this one. now over to the recipe...

Recipe Adapted from here.

ingredients

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 artichoke hearts, chopped

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 cloves of garlic, grated

homemade sweet potato mayonnaise

for the Sweet Potato Mayonnaise

1/2 cup boiled sweet potato

2 teaspoons mustard sauce

3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 teaspoons of sugar

salt to taste

5 teaspoons olive oil

what i did.

i preheated the oven to 375 degrees F.
then adding all the ingredients for the mayo, except olive oil, in the blender i pureed them. then whipped the mixture while gradually adding the olive oil into it until it achieved a creamy consistency. that was my mayo.
i then combined the mayo with the rest of the ingredients and put the mixture to bake for 20-30 minutes.

now that the dip was ready, i diced my olives and cucumber...