In the United States and Europe, rhubarb is known as the pie plant and in fact we tend to use it in sweet dishes. However, in Asia, it is more used in savory dishes. Today, I’m presenting a savory dish that was inspired by the following blogs: ( blog 1 and blog 2). The rhubarb gives the sour taste that is balanced out nicely with the sweet and hot Chinese sauce and the bitter bamboo shoots. I chose broccoli as the main vegetable for the dish. Traditionally, pork is used but is replaced here with the tofu. In the original recipe, the raw rhubarb is blended in the sauce but I made it more traditionally sautéed like the rest of the vegetables.
For the meat version of this dish, please, see this recipe.
Recipe
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
500 g tofu
2 tsp + 3 Tbsp honey (or replace with agaste sauce for a vegan option)
1/4 tsp five spice
chili flakes to taste
Sesame oil
3 Tbsp sake
3 Tbsp rice wine
3 Tbsp graded ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
5 large cloves garlic
200 g of rhubarb stalks (about 3 smaller or 2 bigger stalks)
2 large heads of broccoli
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 can (8 oz / 225 g) of bamboo shoots, drained
handful of peanuts, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
lime
cilantro
rice or rice noodles
Ingredients listed as used in groups
Rice or rice noodles
Marinade/tofu: 2 tsp honey, 1/4 tsp five spice powder, 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes (optional), 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 3 Tbsp rice vinegar, 3 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 500 g tofu.
The sauce: 5 cloves garlic, 3 Tbsp honey, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp ginger, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste).
Vegetables: 200 g (3 medium sized) rhubarb stalks, 1 large onion, 2 heads of broccoli, 1 can of bamboo shoots.
Toppings: handful of chopped peanuts, 4 scallions, small handful coriander, soy sauce and limes.
Directions
The rice. Make the rice of your choice. I used sushi rice.
Cut up the tofu so it is about 1 cm / 1/2 inch thick. I made triangular shapes but rectangular or square shapes are fine too.
Mix the ingredients of the marinade in a small bowl and pour it all over the tofu. Cover and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Make the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix to get a nice sauce. Set aside.
Take tofu/marinade out of the fridge and strain off marinade. Pat dry tofu with a towel. Sauté tofu slices in small amount of oil for about 5 minutes on each side. Cover and set aside.
Cut up the vegetables. Thinly slice the onions, cut up the broccoli flowers. Cut rhubarb diagonally in 2-3 inches length. If stalks are bigger, cut them in half first.
In a larger pan or wok, heat sesame oil, add rhubarb batons in a single layer and cook for about 1-2 minutes while stirring to make sure all sides cook well. Make sure you don’t over cook rhubarb, they should be firm and not mushy. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and cook for 1 minute. Take off heat and set aside.
On medium high heat, sauté the sliced onion for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add the broccoli and continue sautéing on medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until it is soft but still crunchy. Add the sauce made earlier. (Quickly whisk, then pour it into the pan). Add the rhubarb (that was set aside from earlier step) and the bamboo shoots and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for three or four minutes. Add the tofu and toss and coat well and cook until the tofu is warm.
Serve on rice with chopped cashew nuts, chopped scallions, cilantro, lime wedges and soy sauce.
I have been making lasagna recently quite a bit. It is not too hot outside yet so I can turn the oven on but we want something on the lighter side too … so this dish seems to fit the bill. Of course, you can make it any time of the year. Lasagna is an Italian specialty. Traditionally, it is made with layers of tomato sauce based ragu, cheese and béchamel sauce. In this dish, I replaced the meat with spinach, mushrooms and cheese. I served it with red wine that seemed to compliment it very nicely.
Spinach is a great vegetable for the spring, it is hardy and nourishing for the liver.
Of course, an important part of the lasagna is the pasta. The best is if it is home made but good, high quality packaged pasta will do too.
Also, the cheese is also important. Try to get the best quality you can afford. Honestly, when I was in Italy, the first thing that I noticed was how tasty the cheese was in their dishes. I like to use a mixture of cheeses, here I used fresh mozzarella cheese balls, feta cheese and Parmesan cheese.
I make my own Italian seasoning but of course any store bought mix would work too. I think this is a nicely balanced mixture of spices grown in Italy. They are carefully selected herbs so one herb will not overpower the other. Also, they all are carminative therefore will help with digestion. Historically, we can thank the ancient Greek doctors who added these herbs to dishes so people can get their benefits all year along.
The warming, aromatic oregano is the key ingredient in pasta dishes. I like to use it because it gives a nice, distinctive flavor to Italian dishes. The sweet fennel seeds are acrid and compliment the strong aromatic oregano in the dish. The delicate basil is probably the most loved and popular spice used in Italian cooking. If you can, try to use the fresh plant instead of the dried. Its aromatic flavor is a nice addition to any Italian dish. The pungent chili pepper is not a big part of the Italian cuisine but Italians enjoy adding a little to their pasta dishes. The oregano and the fennel seeds both can offset the heat of some stronger spices.
Italian seasoning
2 TBSP (6 tsp) dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil or handful of fresh basil
2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp hot red pepper or to taste (optional)
RECIPE
Serves 6-8 people
Ingredients
lasagna pasta (I used 10 strips)
16 oz spinach (frozen is fine too)
4-8 oz chopped up mushrooms
olive oil
2 slices of bacon, sautéed (optional)
1 cup of tomato sauce – divided
8 oz of Parmesan cheese, divided
16 oz fresh mozzarella balls
8 oz (200 g) of feta cheese
1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning plus more for the top
handful of fresh basil leaves (if you have them)
3 cloves of garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
Bachamel sauce ingredients
5 Tbsp of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
Rosso Piceno wine. Bottled by Saladini Pilastri 2018 (optional) It is the best and not expensive!
parsley leaves (chopped)
Directions
Start boiling the water for the pasta (omit if your pasta does not need to be boiled).
Preheat the oven to 400 F and have the rack in the middle of the oven.
Start boiling the water for the pasta. Prepare according to instructions.
Making the filling: In a pan, sauté bacon (optional) and mushrooms in a little oil for 5- 10 minutes. Transfer into a larger bowl. Meanwhile wash and take stems off the spinach. (If using frozen spinach of course no need to do it). Sauté in a little oil and water. Remove and try to drain off water. Chop spinach well and transfer into the bowl. Add mashed feta cheese, mushrooms, 1 egg, garlic, 1 Tbsp of the Italian seasoning (see recipe above). Add sautéd bacon if used. Mix. set aside.
Preparing the béchamel sauce. It is not too hard, just follow these steps. I used a whisk. Use a double boiler. In the top pot, warm up 5 Tbsp of butter on low heat, when melted increase the heat to medium high and add the flour slowly, stirring continuously. Then start adding the milk very slowly, stirring after each addition and wait for a minute to let the flour mixture soak up the milk. When you start seeing bubbles, it is done. Remove it from the heat. Grate some nutmeg, add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 egg. Mix well.
Assembling the lasagna: Put half the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 3 Qt size baking dish. Place 1 layer of the pasta strips on the bottom of the pan. Put the filling on top of the pasta, followed by the fresh mozzarella balls (cut up if using the larger balls), pour the béchamel sauce and top it all with another layer of the pasta. Spread some pasta sauce and the shredded Parmesan cheese on the top.
Turn the oven heat down to 375 F and put the dish in the oven. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown.
Serve hot with a little grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on the top. I really enjoyed a glass of red wine with the dish. It felt like I was in Italy! I would recommend a bottle of red wine if you are looking for one to try (please see details above in Ingredients).
Chana masala is a delicious Indian dish that would be great for the spring. I still vividly remember the first time I had chana masala at a friend’s house. He had us over for dinner when his parents came to visit from India like 25 years ago. I did not even recognize the chickpeas … I actually thought they were chestnuts. I never got the recipe but his mother gave me some tips. (Thanks to the internet I found this recipe on line and I think it is very close to what we had that night).
Chana means garbanzo beans and is the main ingredient in the dish. The secrete to this dish is to prepare these beans properly. I remember our friend’s mother told me to cook the beans for a long time. They should be cooked for 3 hours or you can use a pressure cooker according to its instructions, of course. Cooking for this long will soften the beans and let the flavors come out. So if time is not an issue, I would recommend home cooked chickpeas instead of using the canned ones. The canned beans will not have the same results for sure.
Garam masala is the main spice in the dish. It is not just one spice but is actually a cleverly chosen mixture of a few spices: fennel seeds, star anise, mace, black cardamom. It is nicely balanced so one flavor will not overwhelm the dish. You can blend it yourself or you can just buy it. (I ended up buying it at the store).
This is a common dish that people in India make on a regular basis for lunch or dinner. It has an interesting flavor, taste and texture. It can be made less spicy, if you don’t like spicy dishes, just leave out the green chili. So chana masala is basically a chickpea curry cooked in an onion tomato sauce with the spices. I always wonder how poor people in India get by on very little money and still eat well. This dish might be one of their secrets …
RECIPE
-I doubled the recipe
serves 3-4 people
1 cup of dried chickpeas or 1 (15oz) can
3 cups of water
Ingredients for the tomato sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil/ghee
2 large onions, finally chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger piece, finally chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2-3/4 TBSP of red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
Ingredients for the chana masala gravy
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick (If you double up the recipe, you will not need to add another cinnamon stick)
2-3 clove pieces
3 green cardamom pods without the shells.
1 green chili pepper, chopped (optional)
1-1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 pinch mango powder (amchur) (optional)
fenugreek leaves (optional)
coriander leaves
Directions
Clean and soak the chickpeas for at least 8 hours. Pour off soaking liquid. Add fresh cold water and cook for 3 hours. Less for pressure cooker. Save cooking liquid. Omit if using canned beans.
Directions for the tomato sauce
Sauté the onions in oil or ghee until golden. Add the chopped ginger for 1 minute, stir.
Add red chili powder and turmeric. Stir for 1 minute. Add garlic quickly, stir.
Quickly add chopped tomatoes and little salt, stir. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until there is a nice sauce. The onions should not taste raw.
Let this mixture cool. Add 1 tbsp liquid from the beans. Make a thick gravy with a blender. Set aside.
Directions for the Chana masala gravy
Dry heat the spices (cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamom, clove) in a pot for 1 minute until you can smell the aroma of the spices. Stir. I grind the cardamom as some people don’t like them in their foods whole.
Pour the blended tomato sauce mixture from the previous step back into the pot, the chopped green chili pepper, coriander and garam masala powders and the spices.
Mix and cook for a few minutes until ingredients are mixed nicely.
Add the cooked chickpeas and the cooking water. You might have to add more water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Taste the mixture and see if you need more garam masala. Boil and simmer for 2 more minutes if spices were added.
Take out the larger spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves.
I also added salt here.
Keep it covered until served.
Serve hot with cilantro, yogurt, lemon, rice, vegetables and roti.
This tasty soup is a fun twist to the regular chili soup. The difference is that the beef is replaced with turkey or chicken and the chili beans are replaced with white or black beans but otherwise it is very similar to the well known beef chili soup. Of course, you can add all your favorite ingredients that you would otherwise add to a chili soup.
The biggest change in the recipe is the meat. Many people prefer the lighter turkey or chicken meat. The chicken or turkey is very nice here, the thigh gives more flavor and is cheaper but the breast would work well too.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to call this soup black and white chili soup. The white makes sense with the white meat but I used black beans instead of white beans because I think it has more flavor. Of course, you can use either.
I decided to post this recipe now because beans especially black beans are great in the winter. The warming black beans have a sweet flavor and nourish the kidneys. They are antibacterial, anti-parasitic, detoxifying and have high levels of disease fighting antioxidants, numerous vitamins and minerals, protein and fiber. In addition, it has heart, skin protecting and anti-cancer properties. It also improves digestion and is great for overall health. It is native to the Americas and have been used for thousands of years. No wonder the natives ate it with almost every meal.
I like to make up my own chili spice, please follow the recipe below or buy it in a store already made.
You can experiment with the vegetables of course, I added corn, carrots and green beans. In the summer, I like to add zucchini too. But please feel free to add whatever you would like.
Vegetarian readers might be wondering if this soup could be made vegetarian. The answer is yes! – you can take out the meat and just use vegetarian stock and I also added eggs. I have made it without meat, it is tasty.
Surprise your guests at a party or just treat yourself. Honestly, we believe that this version is even tastier than the original soup.
RECIPE
Ingredients
1 large onion
vegetable oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 medium sized carrots, sliced
2 strips of bacon (optional)
1 lb ground chicken or turkey thigh or breast
2 large tomatoes or 29 oz canned chopped tomatoes
5 tsp of chili seasoning (please see recipe below)
2 garlic cloves
8 cups chicken stock
4 oz corn (frozen)
8 oz vegetables. I used green beans. Also zucchini would be fine
2 cups of uncooked black beans or 28 oz of canned beans
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
yellow cheddar cheese
chips
sour cream
cilantro
Chili seasoning ingredients
1 Tbsp (3 tsp) chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Preparation
Wash and soak beans in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Pour off the liquid and wash well. Add cold filtered water and cook for 2 hours or until soft but not falling apart. Omit if using canned beans. The home-made beans are well worth the extra effort though, they taste so much better.
Make the stock. Omit if using ready made stock.
Heat oil in a large pot with a large surface area. Sauté the chopped onion for 5 minutes. Mix. Add the celery. Sauté for 10 more minutes.
Render the bacon.
Add the chili seasoning and the crushed garlic cloves for 1 minute. Stir.
Quickly add the tomatoes, stir. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes make a nice sauce.
Add the carrots, vegetables and jalapeño pepper. Add enough stock so the liquid covers the soup well. Cook for 1 hour or until the carrots are soft.
Add the black beans with its liquid and more stock if needed to cover everything.
Hope you all had a lovely Holiday and got to eat lots of delicious food. Now I feel that it would be nice to eat something refreshing, more cleansing though … and turnip is a tasty vegetable that could be used. I always think of the Russian folk tale, The Giant Turnip when I hear the name, turnip. In fact, turnip is an important staple in the Northern countries like Russia. So let’s go to Russia and get their famous recipe for stuffed turnip.
This is a very simple dish at its best. The main ingredients are the nutty buckwheat, the earthy mushrooms and the pungent turnips that mainly create this special dish. There are no exotic ingredients or spices. Honestly, I only used thyme, salt and pepper to flavor.
I got this recipe from a website called http://www.Russianrecipebook.com but I made some minor changes. I cooked the buckwheat in stock instead of just water. In addition, when cooking, you need to be careful with the turnips as they cook fast. They need to be boiled for only about 10-12 minutes to get the right consistency. Otherwise, it is a very easy and quick recipe. This dish is more like the everyday people’s food.
Wonder if we had cooked tasty dishes like this in my Russian classes, I would speak Russian now …
Turnips have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. A cold climate loving vegetable, it is native to Northern Europe and is still popular today. Turnips have many beneficial properties. They are great source of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber and may be used among others for indigestion, detoxification, diabetes, jaundice. In Chinese Medicine, they have a neutral thermal nature and have pungent, sweet and bitter flavor at the same time. They are considered to be useful for their dispersing abilities in lung ailments; however, this quality is only available in its raw form. They are also used for improving circulation and remove damp conditions in the body. The green top is also valuable.
RECIPE
Serves about 2-4 people. – I cooked 1 cup of raw buckwheat to have some on the side (adjust other ingredients accordingly).
Ingredients
4 smaller-sized turnips or less if bigger
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used crimini)
1/4 cup uncooked buckwheat (1/2 cup of cooked buckwheat)
1/2 cup of bone or vegetable broth or water
1/8 cup shallots or half of a small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated cheese (mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, or Parmesan for extra flavor)
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil and/or butter
1 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
Directions
Preparing the buckwheat
Clean buckwheat kernels and soak for a couple hours.
In a medium sized pot, start boiling the stock or water. Add the buckwheat to the boiling liquid and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes or until they are soft but not mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aide.
Preparing the turnips
Clean well and peel the turnips. Boil them for about 10 – 12 minutes or until they are just soft enough to scoop out the insides. The bigger ones will take more time. This is the most difficult part of the recipe. You really need to keep an eye on those turnips, they should be slightly cooked. Try not to overcook them. When done, take out turnips and let them cool. You can put them in cold water.
Cut off enough of the bottoms to create a flat surface that will allow them to stand upright on a baking sheet. Save the cut portion. With a spoon and/or a small knife, scoop some of the flesh out of the top end to form a cup. Save the scooped flesh as well, they are so tasty. (You can scoop the inside of the turnip out with a watermelon scooper or a measuring spoon).
Preparing the stuffing.
Sautee the onions or shallots in some oil for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile thoroughly clean the mushrooms and chop them up. Add them to the onions and continue to sauté them for about 10 more minutes or longer for some wild mushrooms and then let them cool.
Add the cooked buckwheat, bread crumbs, grated cheese and the saved chopped turnip pieces. Mix well. I would like to invite you to take a bite of the stuffing, try to see if you like how it turned out.
Stuffing the turnips
Preheat oven to 375°F.
On a well-greased baking sheet, arrange the turnips in an upright position with the scooped-out wider portions facing up (like cups). (I used tomato sauce for the bottom of the pan). Fill the turnips with stuffing. Ideally the stuffing should be above the surface of the turnips, although this will depend on the size of the turnips, and the amount of stuffing.
Put a small piece of butter on top of each turnip and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, until the turnips are heated through and crusty on top. The turnips should not be raw but nicely baked. If it is still raw, just bake it a little longer.
Mushroom sauce recipe
Ingredients
4 ounces of mushrooms
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp dried sage or 2 fresh leaves
1/4 tsp of dried rosemary crushed or 1 fresh spring
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup of stock
1/4 cup of creme
Directions
While the stuffed turnip is baking, prepare the mushroom sauce. In a saucepan, warm oil over medium heat, add rosemary for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and mushrooms are well browned. Stir frequently. Add thyme, sage and let cook for one minute. Add stock, stir, and let simmer for 10 minutes and reduce heat to low.
Transfer half of gravy to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Add pureed mushrooms back into mushroom mixture and stir. See if you like the consistency. If not thick enough, puree a little more of the mixture.
Serve turnips hot, with sour cream and mushroom sauce. Decorate with parsley. I also made additional stuffing to serve on the side.
I love this savory dish … it has a lot of the quintessential foods that I enjoy eating in the fall. The tasty squash is filled with wild rice, lentils and cranberries and mixed with the melted cheese. It is wonderfully aromatic and tasty.
Squash is one of the main foods in the fall. We are so lucky to have all these different varieties available in the US. They are sweet and have a neutral flavor that make them ideal to go along with fall dishes.
Squashes are native to the Mexico region and may have been around for 10,000 years. Their flesh is usually used for cooking. They tend to be high in natural sugars, carbohydrates and vitamin A. In general, they all are mildly sweet, have a luscious nutty flavor and have a creamy texture. However, each variety comes with a unique characteristics and with different vitamin and mineral contents. Ancient Chinese Medicine considers them to be highly nourishing and warming for the digestive system with anti-inflammatory properties.
If we talk about squash, we have to mention its seeds as they are equally valuable for health. They are rich in heart friendly dietary fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, and in addition, protein, minerals, and vitamins. They contain tryptophan that is responsible for increased motor decision speed and blood sugar regulating effect. The seeds are also used for remedying intestinal worm problems. They can be roasted in the oven on low heat at 250 F.
RECIPE
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
2 medium sized squash – (Choose squash that has a firm outer shell with a scoop friendly inside like acorn, delicata, carnival, sweet dumpling).
1 cup of uncooked wild rice (Wild harvested preferred).
3 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken)
1/3 cup of shallots, finally chopped
vegetable oil (sunflower)
handful of earthy mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, portabello)
1 celery stalk
1 slice bacon (optional)
couple of fresh thyme sprigs or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup of uncooked lentils
1/4 dried cranberries or raisins
2 Tbsp of chopped pecans
100 g or 4 oz of feta cheese
1/2 cup of hard cheese like Gruyere or Parmesan cheese (more for the top)
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red hot pepper to taste
little freshly ground nutmeg
Preparation
Turn oven on to 375 F (190 C). Bake cleaned squash on a baking sheet for 40 – 60 minutes or until you can easily put the blade of a knife through the flesh of the squash. When done cut in half and scoop out the seeds. The seeds can be saved and roasted.
Clean and soak lentils for an hour. Place lentils in a medium pot, add 3 cups of water, thyme spring and bay leaves. Cook for about 45 – 60 minutes or until they are done, soft but not mushy. When done let it sit in its steam for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Heat the oil on medium high heat. Sauté the shallots for 5 minutes. Then add the sliced bacon, sliced celery for -10 more minutes, stir frequently. Add 1 cup of wild rice, 3 cups of stock, sliced mushrooms, thyme and bring to a boil. Stir. Simmer over low heat with lid partially closed for a 35 – 55 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy and tender.
If using regular rice, cook rice separate, follow the cooking directions for the rice of your choice. Prepare the vegetables as written above. When ready combine.
In a bowl mix the lentils and the rice mixture. Add the feta crumbles and the hard graded cheese. Add the salt, pepper, hot red pepper and freshly graded nutmeg to taste. Mix. Also you can sprinkle salt, nutmeg and pepper inside the squash. Put the stuffing in the inside of the squash. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake them in the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Serve with other fall vegetables like brussel sprouts, beets, cranberry sauce etc.
Enjoy this delicious and easy vegetarian eggplant dish. The eggplants are browned and cooked with some tomatoes, pungent spices, onions, and garbanzo beans. They are then served with rice or couscous and yogurt sauce. I also added sweet mama squash that complemented the dish nicely and made it more suitable for this ‘going from the summer into the fall’ time period. With the warming spices and the baked squash, it will be a great meal for this time of year. Not only that it suits the weather but it is delicious … honestly my family can’t get enough of it. I might have to go back to the farmers’ market tomorrow to get more eggplants.
Garbanzo beans. Soak overnight and discard the soaking liquid. Add enough cold water to cover the beans. The water should be about 1 inch above the beans. Cook the beans for 3 hours. (You can use a pressure cooker, just adjust the time). They need to be cooked slowly for a long time until they are nice and soft. They can take up liquid after they are cooked so add more water if needed. Add 1 tsp salt when done.
Preparing the eggplants. Wash and cut eggplants into cubes. Salt them and put them into a colander for 30 minutes to let the liquid drain. Pat dry.
Frying the eggplants. In a wide skillet, on medium low heat, slowly brown the eggplants in some olive oil for about 20- 30 minutes or until soft. They will not cook any more so make sure they are soft and well cooked before you add it to the sauce. Stir frequently. Make sure they don’t burn. Set aside.
Caramelize the onions. Brown the sliced onions in a separate dish in oil with care, it takes about 30 minutes. Stir frequently. Set aside.
Making the sauce. Crumple the saffron between your thumb and index finger and add hot liquid, stir well (optional). Otherwise you can just put whole saffron strains in the dish. Set aside. On medium high heat warm up 1 Tbsp oil and add the ginger for 5 minutes. Then add the paprika, cumin, garlic and stir for 1 minute to activate the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. You can add a little water here too. Cook the tomatoes for about 5 minutes until they have become ‘saucy’. Add the saffron, cinnamon stick, freshly graded nutmeg and hot pepper. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat. Cook for 10 minutes on low medium heat. Add a little water if needed. Add the browned onions, eggplants and garbanzo beans from earlier. Cook for 5 more minutes covered. Let the dish sit for 15 minutes so the flavors can come together. Take out the cinnamon stick and the hot pepper pieces. Add salt and pepper or anything else that needs to be adjusted.
Serve with cilantro, rice or couscous and yogurt sauce. I also added some baked sweet mama squash slivers and they nicely complemented each other.
As the fall season is arriving, I feel like a little squirrel trying to get ready for the colder months: eating the great variety of fruits and vegetables, storing up foods, making last minute repairs and just mentally getting ready. By now we are aware that summer is gone and a new season is coming with all its beauty and challenges. It was the Autumnal Equinox a couple of days ago, when the days and nights are equal and from now on the days are going to get shorter and colder as well.
Warm up to the fall with this delicious squash soup. My recipe is made with a little Midwestern twist. I added wild rice, a Midwestern staple but it can be served with some hearty bread like rye bread instead. I enjoy squashes in all shapes and forms. Many of us think of squashes when we hear the word fall cooking so I will start off my fall recipe collection with a squash dish.
The warming sweet butternut squash is simmered with the white onion, garlic, potatoes and is balanced with the bitter celery root and the lovely pungent spices. At the end, it is topped with cream and the sweet almond slivers for a bit of crunchiness.
RECIPE
Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash- about 3 lbs
1 medium sized Russet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 finally chopped large onion, white is the best
vegetable oil (sunflower)
2 slices smoked bacon (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, about 1 inch long
1 tsp of sweet Hungarian paprika (make sure it is authentic)
1 smaller celery root, peeled and chopped up into 4 pieces
5 cup stock (vegetable or chicken)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 thyme spring
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper
red hot pepper to taste
1 cup almond slivers
1 cup uncooked wild rice or rye bread to serve
Directions
Preparing the squash. Peel and cut squash lengthwise, take out the seeds. Cut them into cubes. Warm up some oil on medium high heat and brown the cubes for a good 10-15 minutes.
Make the soup base. Have 1/2 cup of cold water ready. Warm up the oil. Sauté the onion, and the bacon(optional). When translucent and you can smell the aroma of the the onions and the bacon, add the chopped ginger for a few minutes, stir. Add the crushed garlic and 1 tsp paprika, stir for 30 seconds to activate. Add the little cold water that you had set aside earlier, stir.
Put the browned squash, potatoes, thyme spring, the freshly ground nutmeg and the celery root in the pot. Add the stock, enough to cover by about 1 inch above everything and cook for 30 minutes.
Cooking the wild rice (optional). Cook 1 cup of wild rice with 3 cups of water, partially covered for about 20 minutes or until the rice is soft and crunchy.
Roast the almond slivers. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the almond pieces evenly on the sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Serve on top of the soup.
When ready, let the soup cool for about 10 – 20 minutes. Add the cream and black pepper. Stir.
If you want the soup to be a little chunky, set aside about 20% of the cooked squash pieces. Use a hand held blender and puree the rest of the soup. Make sure you blend the celery chunks. Transfer the whole pieces back to the rest of the pureed soup. (If you prefer a smooth soup, just puree everything).
Check to see if more salt, black pepper, red hot pepper are needed.
Serve with wild rice/bread and the almond slivers.
I am excited to present my new recipe for a vegetarian moussaka. It is a vegetarian dish but is not only for vegetarians! I have to admit I was a bit nervous before I started experimenting but it was a fun challenge at the same time. I really like how nicely the soft polenta works with the mushrooms, the lentils and all the other ingredients. This recipe instantly became a family favorite as if it had been in the family for years!
We are going to venture into Europe again on our virtual journey. We think of Greece when we hear the word moussaka but most likely it originated somewhere in the Middle East. It is a popular dish across all the Balkan countries and can be easily made in the Midwest of the United States or anywhere. Well, I have to admit I have never been to Greece or the Middle East for that matter but have eaten traditional moussaka before… I can say moussaka is a very tasty dish!
When we were in Croatia last summer, we happened upon a fabulous vegetarian moussaka dish in Pula at the restaurant Konoba Bocaporta. It sounded really interesting so my husband and I both had to try it, while the kids ate something with seafood from the Mediterranean Sea. We don’t have the exact recipe, I was just inspired by this dish so I tried to recreate it here at home. I really like how it turned out.
The original recipe had polenta, eggplants and mushrooms in a vegan sauce. I am guessing the vegan sauce might have been made with cashews. I don’t have their recipe so for now I make it with Béchamel sauce and think it works well. The dish at the restaurant had polenta so instead of using potatoes that are usually used in moussaka dishes, I used polenta. I also did some research and found in fact polenta is often used traditionally.
This vegetarian moussaka is a complete vegetarian dish and all the ingredients seem to work well together. Often, when meat is taken out of a dish, the substance and the flavors are removed as well, so when I created this recipe, I tried to make sure that the substance and the flavors were both kept. The meat is replaced with the lentils, mushrooms and the cheese. Mushrooms are traditionally used with polenta and they complement each other nicely … and everything is pulled together with the fragrant spices of the region.
This recipe can easily be made gluten free. Instead of the Béchamel sauce use the yogurt sauce. This is a pretty authentic replacement as Croatians use a yogurt sauce for the top. Béchamel sauce is not Greek but is in fact French. The Béchamel sauce was added to Moussaka by the Greek chef Akis Petretzikis in the 1920’s when he was trying to Europeanize Greek cuisine. I actually use this yogurt sauce quite regularly to make simple lentil dishes but the Béchamel sauce is a nice treat for sure.
COOKING TIPS
Seasonings, seasoning and seasoning!!!! This dish needs a lot of seasoning and salt added. Don’t be alarmed when you see the amounts.
The smaller portobello mushrooms are nicer … they are easier to cook and will be tastier in the meal. The crimini mushrooms are very nice too.
Also I find the smaller/medium sized eggplants are easier to cut and are tastier in the dish as well.
This is not a quick dish, it takes a long time to make like any casserole dish but it is not difficult. It is usually made for occasions because of the complexity of the dish but you can treat yourself/family/friends to it anytime.
This is my version but please feel free to experiment and let me know what you did. If you post it, please reference this blog.
FUN FACT: One thing all the countries in the Balkan region agree on is that Moussaka is a fabulous dish.
I developed this recipe so if you would like to post it you will have to contact the author at twincitiesherbs.com.
RECIPE
Author: twincitiesherbs
Serves 4-6 people
INGREDIENTS
Quick overview of the ingredients as a group
LENTILS: 1 cup of uncooked lentils, oil, 1 large tomato, 3 cups of water, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp all spice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 fresh thyme spring, 1 tsp salt and red pepper flakes (optional).
POLENTA: 1 cup of polenta, 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, 1 tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1 thyme spring, 1 cup of graded hard cheese ( 1/2 cup of Gruyere, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese), 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil and 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
EGGPLANTS: olive oil, 1 medium sized eggplants, 1/4 cup of tomatoes sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp oregano, salt and black pepper.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE: 1/4 cup of butter, 1 /2 cup of flour, 2 cups of warm milk, 2 egg yolks, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt and ground pepper, 1 thyme spring, 1/2 cup hard cheese. Omit if using Yogurt sauce).
YOGURT SAUCE: Yogurt sauce in place of Béchamel sauce: 1.5 cups of yogurt, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 garlic clove, cucumber slices. (Omit if using Béchamel sauce).
DIRECTION
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Wash the polenta removing any foreign particles. Soak in cold water overnight.
Wash 1 cup of lentils and soak in cold water for a few hours hours.
Cooking the lentils. Remove soaking liquid. Discard. Add 3 cups of cold water. Cook covered for 1/2 hour or until lentils are soft. Turn off heat and let lentils stay in covered pot for about 15 minutes so they can soak up more liquid. Set aside.
Prepare the tomato sauce for the lentils. Chop up 1 large tomato. Warm up some oil, sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add 2 tsp oregano, fresh thyme springs, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp all spice and the crushed garlic. Stir well for 1 minute and quickly add the 1 chopped tomato. Cook for 5 minutes or until tomatoes become ‘saucy’. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium heat and add the cinnamon stick. Cook for 10 more minutes covered on low medium heat. Set aside.
Cooking lentils. Drain the cooking water off the lentils. Discard. Combine the tomato sauce with lentils. Take out all the larger spice pieces. Set aside.
Preparing the eggplant. Slice the eggplants and pan fry them. Please, check my previous recipe for cooking Eggplant Parmesan for directions. (You can also bake the eggplants in the oven if you prefer). Set aside
Preparing the polenta. Discard soaking water. Bring 3 cups of stock to a boil. Add the drained polenta slowly while stirring constantly. Add 1 thyme spring and cook for about 20 minutes or until the polenta is creamy. Stir frequently because it can burn easily. When done add 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil, 1 tsp salt, cheese, thyme and stir. Set aside.
Preparing the mushrooms. Slice up mushrooms. Warm up some oil and sauté the mushrooms until soft on medium high heat. At the end, add a little crushed garlic and saute for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add freshly ground pepper and 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Stir. Set aside.
Preparing the Béchamel sauce. It is not too hard just follow the steps. I used a double boiler and a whisk. Warm up 1 stick of butter on low heat in the top portion of the double boiler, when melted increase the heat to medium high and add the flour slowly, stirring continuously. Then start adding the milk slowly, stirring after each addition to let the flour mixture soak up the milk. When you start seeing bubbles, it is done. Take off heat. Grade some nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup of Gruyere cheese, thyme, salt and 2 egg yolks. Mix well. Set aside.
Yogurt sauce in place of the Béchamel sauce. This recipe can easily be made gluten free if you you prefer. Instead of the Béchamel sauce use 3 cups of yogurt, 3 lightly beaten eggs, garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2-1 cup cheese. Follow instructions for Béchamel sauce.
Mix the polenta and the lentils.
From here, everything is easy! Preheat oven to 350 F. I used a 2 QT size baking dish (8×11.5 x 2 in). Coat the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Start layering: polenta with the lentils, mushrooms, eggplants, the Béchamel sauce or the gluten free yogurt sauce and 1 cup Parmesan/Gruyere cheese on the top. Put the dish into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Wait for at least 1 hour to let the flavors melt into each other. The dish should not be runny so you might have to wait longer until it sets.
Plum gnocchi brings back some very sweet childhood memories … delicious plums wrapped in soft, pillowy dough with a hint of bread crumbs spiced with a little sugary cinnamon. In Hungary, it is often served as a second dish after a heavier soup but it t can also be a dessert. Late summer is the time when plums are ready so I’m so excited to have them again.
Plum gnocchi is made in many countries of central Europe: in Italy (Gnocchi de susine), Hungary (szilvás gombóc), Croatia (Knedle sa sljivama), Austria (Zwetschkenknödel), Romania (Galuste cu prune), Slovenia (Slivovi cmoki), etc. Supposedly, it originated in the region of Trieste that has a colorful history being part of different countries. Trieste is in Italy today but was part of the Astro-Hungarian Empire for some time. Oh and all those other countries that Plum gnocchi is made have some affiliation to Hungary …
Gnocchi (pronounced nyow kee) is an Italian word that means knuckle or knots. Gnocchi is a mixture of flour and water. In this recipe potatoes are also added.
So what nationality is Plum gnocchi? Today, people in any of those above mentioned countries would argue that it is theirs but please read on … If you know European history and how countries have changed, this recipe might reflect the ever changing times. Also, remember potatoes came from the new World …
It doesn’t matter who invented it, indeed it is a fabulous dish. The main ingredient is the plum. Plums are slightly cooling with a sweet and sour flavor, so it will need the pungent cinnamon! Try to get the Italian or the Hungarian purple plums but other sweet, great tasting plums will work too. In addition to its vitamin and mineral content, plums are also a great source of fiber. So take a bite of this intriguing history …
RECIPE
Makes about 18 balls plus the little gnocchi pieces
INGREDIENTS
about 1 lb russet potatoes (4-5 potatoes
2 cups flour or more depending on the dough
1 Tbsp semolina flour (optional)
1 egg
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice or cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
18 sweet plums – depending on the size of your plums
Cooking the potatoes. Add cold water to the pot, bring the water to boil. Place the potatoes with the skin on in a large pot. Turn heat down and continue cooking on medium low heat covered for about 45 – 60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Peel them while they are still hot but you can handle. Mash the potatoes while they are warm. I like to place the potatoes onto a metal steamer with ‘feet’ so the vitamins and minerals don’t leach into the water and so they don’t soak up too much water. If the potatoes are too wet, the dough will need more flour and will be harder. (Please see picture below).
Puree the potatoes. Puree the potatoes while they are still warm, I was able to do it as soon as the peels were taken off. I used a potato ricer. I put the potatoes through the larger holes of the ricer, then the smaller ones. It is worth investing in a potato ricer if you want a nice and soft dough. Potato masher can also work. Let the potatoes cool completely.
Kneed the dough. Mix in the flour, salt, egg, 1 Tbsp of butter, potatoes and start kneading the dough to make a ball. Do not over do it. Make sure your potatoes are at room temperature. If they are warm they will take up too much flour. You can use the fridge for 5 minutes if needed.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
Start boiling the water for the plum balls. Fill a 5 qt pot with about 3 qt water. Bring to a boil with a little salt. This will be used for the plum balls.
Meanwhile, prepare the plums. Wash them, cut them in half and take out the pits. Set aside.
Make the bread crumb coating. Melt the butter on low heat and add the crumbs stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or until the crumbs soak up the butter and become golden brown. Use lower heat so the butter doesn’t burn. When heat is turned off, add the cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts. Mix. This will be used to coat the balls.
Sugar filling for the inside of the balls. Mix the 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt for the stuffing.
Preparing the dough. After 1 hour, place the dough on a flat, floured surface and start stretching it to 1 cm thickness until it is a squarish shape. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut out 9 squares. Don’t worry about getting the shape perfect because we will use the left overs for the mini gnocchi, Hungarian nudlis.
Assemble the dumplings. Place one of the dough squares into your palm. Put a plum piece along with the cinnamon sugar in the dough. Fold corner by corner gently tucking the stuffing inside and then roll it to make a ball. Do this with each square. Coat them in flour.
Making the nudlis. You can take the left over dough and start rolling long strips with them. Cut short little pieces off, coat in flour. You will cook them with the balls. If you don’t want to make these, use this left over dough to make more plum balls.
Cooking the plum balls. When the water starts boiling, you can drop the dumplings in the water one by one with a slotted spoon. Also, add the little gnocchi strips in this water. Try to gently stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
When the dumplings come to the surface, cook them for about another 5 minutes and remove them with a slotted spoon.
Coating the plum balls with bread crumbs. Put the dumplings into the bread crumb coating mixture that you prepared earlier and roll them around until they are well coated.
Serve warm with a little vanilla sugar or honey.
Oh and you might want to double up the recipe or triple …
Twin Cities Herbs 