Spaghetti al Pomodoro (Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce)

from The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed

1 lb. spaghetti
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 14-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes
1 sugar lump (1 teaspoon)
salt and black pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil and gently fry the chopped onion and garlic until softened.  Cover the pan to prevent browning if necessary.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and cook over high heat, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the sauce is reduced and thick, check the seasoning, then pass the sauce through the medium disc of a food mill (or use a blender or food processor as I did, though the cookbook author says that's "not authentic").
Cook the pasta, following the directions on the packet very carefully to avoid overcooking.  Drain the pasta and add half the freshly grated cheese, stirring thoroughly.  Then add the sauce.  Stir well, add the rest of the cheese, and serve.

If you've been reading this blog off and on since 2013 started, you may remember this "Year of Food" thing that's going on here.  A little refresher: last Christmas, my gift to the Mister was a year of cooking international cuisine in three-month chunks.  We ate a lot of Indian food from January to March, ate crepes and sprinkled herbes de Provence on everything from April to July for the French block, took August off (we were travelling, after all), and made a few beans-and-rice dishes in September and called it Ethiopian (that was a little bit of a failure.  I need to do more research next time).

Which brings us to October, where we are finishing the year with Italian food.

Already, I can tell I am really, really going to like this fourth quarter.

I did a little internet search for an Italian market near me, and I found this gem: D and D Market, in South Hartford.  I walked in, and immediately saw a giant display of tomatoes.  I'm naive, I know, but that started this place on the path of authenticity for me.

I rounded a corner of the market with my cart (and two kids) and I almost took out someone's dear old nona (who couldn't have weighed more than 85 pounds, and had a sweet kerchief).  Again, call me crazy, but this place was really feeling legit.

Two of the four walls were taken up by deli displays - one of cured meats and all kinds of cheeses with more "c"s and "i"s than I know what to do with, and the other with fresh sausages and meats.  Of course (because this has to be the case), one of the three butchers had a thick accent.

Also, there was a lot of frozen ravioli and tortellini.

And did you know that Romano cheese can come grated in three different ways?  Apparently it can.  That cheese alone took up a quarter of the dairy case.

I'm off to a roaring start thanks to these two cookbooks - Sicilian American Pasta by John Penza and Tony Corsi, and The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed.  I figure that I need to work on my basics here (sauces and dishes using short lists of fresh ingredients) before going big.

Do you have any tips for me?  What cookbooks (websites/chefs) do you reference when making Italian food?

Buon appetito!

Choroko Sauce (Ugandan Vegetarian Stew)

tomatoes, onions, and garlic

1 1/2 c. dried lentils*
2 Tbsp. oil
3 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/2 c. water

Place beans in a medium saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook for 20-25 minutes or until beans are very soft, adding more water if needed to keep the beans from sticking.
Drain beans in a colander and place in a medium bowl.  Mash well with a fork.
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, onions, and garlic and saute until onions are transparent.  Add mashed beans, seasoned salt, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup water; stir.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Getting ready to make choroko sauce

*Traditional choroko sauce calls for mung beans.  I don't have any, nor do I know where to get them.  My cookbook says I can substitute split peas ... which are similar to lentils.  So that's how I made choroko with lentils.  It's a little stretch, I know.  But it worked for us.

Rice with Choroko Sauce and a Boiled Egg

It seems that no matter how hard I try, I cannot figure out how to make beans look pretty in a picture.  They are mushy.  They are brown.  They look yellow and unappetizing on camera.  So, if you need to, disregard the picture that I took, and go make yourself the real thing.  As I've said before, this isn't a photography blog, so I'm over it.

Ya'll may remember a year-long project I've been working on called the Year of Food.  Basically, the Rhymeswithsmiles are making the rounds in cultural cuisine.

We started off the year learning about and cooking Indian food (I even have a favorite curry recipe now, and can talk about a vindaloo as if I really know what's going on).  

Then we spent a number of months sampling French food: a lot of omelets and crepes, herbes de provence lavishly sprinkled on everything from potatoes to fowl, and a new covered dutch oven.  Oh, and cheese, baguettes, and wine.  Mustn't forget that.

Now we're transitioning from French food to Ethiopian food ... sorta.  It's been challenging to find cookbooks to fit the bill, so instead we're going to make it "East African food."  This is a flexible experiment.  We make the food rules, so we can change them if we need to.

This was the first of our East African meals.  It was delicious, comforting, and filling.  Yeah, it was simple, but simple is a good thing to work on.

Here's to the downhill slope of the Year of Food!

Easy Vinaigrette for a Green Salad

1/2 tsp. French mustard
1 tsp. sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
10 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
chopped fresh herbs, optional

Mix the mustard with the sugar, then add the seasonings and vinegar, mixing well.  Add the oil, whisking in, and use immediately or whisk again before using.  It will keep in a screw-topped jar in the fridge, ready to be shaken for use.

So, this "Year of Food" thing that I'm doing in 2013 means that every few months or so, we dive into a new regional cuisine.  On a recent post, I shared our fancy Indian dinner we had that wrapped up the first culinary experiment.  That means that we are now in French mode around here, and this little cookbook is already helping us out!  While I have yet to tackle any of the fussier dishes that French cuisine is known (and feared) for, I've been enjoying what this cookbook has to offer.  And, it really is little ... it's literally the size of a postcard.

I'm a fan of the homemade salad dressing.  This recipe makes a subtle and tasty vinaigrette - here's a note in the book about it:  The traditional vinaigrette is one part vinegar to three parts oil with only salt and pepper for seasoning.  For many people that is slightly too acidic and the following version uses more oil and a touch of French mustard and sugar.  The only essentials are to have a first class wine vinegar and oil.  Only sufficient dressing to gloss each salad item should be used; apply and toss immediately before eating.

I got this cookbook from a new book site I joined recently called PaperBackSwap.  It is a useful book exchange program where you "earn" credits for offering books, and "spend" credits when you request books from others.  If you're interested, I'll put in a shameless plug here ... I get credits for referring people.

A Special Indian Feast: Mughlai Chicken with Almonds and Raisins

Don't let the long ingredient list or the instructions scare you away.  If you're looking for something delicious and a little different, this is worth a try!  It's not hard ... just a little involved.  Invite a friend over to cook it with you!  Or work on it during nap time (the kid's nap time, that is - not yours).

Bay leaves and whole cardamom pods

Serves 6

1-inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
8-9 cloves garlic, peeled
6 Tbsp. blanched, slivered almonds
4 Tbsp. water
7 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 lbs. chicken pieces, skinned
10 cardamom pods
1-inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
7 Tbsp. plain yogurt
10 oz. light cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. golden raisins
1/4 tsp. garam masala

Put the ginger, garlic, 4 tablespoons of the almonds, and the water into a blender and blend until you have a paste.

Put the oil in a wide pot or deep frying pan and set over medium-high heat.  When hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pan will hold in a single layer.  Let the chicken pieces turn golden brown on the bottom.  Now turn all the pieces over and brown the second side.  Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl.  Brown all the chicken this way.

Put the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and cloves into the same hot oil.  Stir and fry them for a few seconds.  Now put in the onions.  Stir and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes or until they are lightly browned.  Put in the ginger/garlic/almond paste from the blender and the cumin and cayenne.  Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes or until the oil seems to separate from the spice mixture, and the spices are lightly browned.  Add 1 tablespoon of the yogurt.  Stir and fry it for about 30 seconds.  Now add another tablespoon of yogurt.  Keep doing this until all the yogurt has been incorporated.

Put in the chicken pieces, any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl, the cream, and salt.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover, turn heat to low, and cook gently for 20 minutes.  Add the raisins and turn the chicken pieces.  Cover and cook another 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender.  Add the garam masala.  Stir to mix.

Put the remaining almonds on a baking pan under the broiler and lightly toast them, tossing frequently.  Sprinkle these almonds over the chicken when you serve.  Note: the whole spices in this dish should not be eaten.

Do you remember this "Year of Food" thing I blogged about in January?  Basically, we're trying new ethnic cuisines in 2013 - tackling recipes and ingredients that are not in our normal repertoire so that we can learn about and enjoy other cultures through food.  The first three months of this year we ate Indian food about once a week.  This delicious dish was our last in the Indian series.  We'd been talking with a friend who is quite a fantastic cook how great it'd be to try some dishes together.  He brought some ingredients and we spent a couple of hours cooking together.  The final product what such a feast that we all ended up with full bellies and enough leftovers for another meal or two.

This is a Madhur Jaffrey recipe (she has a few cookbooks out there - can't remember exactly which one this comes from).  I don't have the recipes for the other dishes we ate, but there was a simple dal, a spiced potato and cauliflower dish, yogurt with walnuts and cilantro (and some surprisingly bold serrano peppers), and naan bread.  For a dessert, I made Malai Kulfi, which is an Indian ice cream dish, with cardamom and cinnamon.  It was a very rewarding way to end our first culinary experiment!

Alright, farewell Indian food!

Next up: France.  I am more familiar with French food than I was with Indian food, but there are still some techniques that I will have to work on ... like how to end up with an omelette that looks like an omelette, and not like scrambled eggs with stuff in it.  Here's to trying something new!

Potato, Cauliflower, and Chicken Vindaloo

I am claiming this as a rhymeswithsmile original.  I was inspired by this recipe from Family Circle magazine, then combined it with another recipe in a cookbook a friend loaned me.  I tweaked the two recipes, added some spices, changed the cooking methods, and came up with the sauce.  So, this is from ME!

A picture of the ingredients is nice.
And it works if I've already eaten what I cooked up.

Serves 4

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, cut into 6-7 chunks
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 c. chopped cauliflower (about 1/2 a large head)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp. curry powder (less to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less to taste, especially if your kids don't like spicy)
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder (optional)
1 1/2 c. water with 1 tsp. salt stirred in
1 large tomato, chopped
2 c. cooked rice or quinoa
Naan bread cut into quarters

Sauce:
1/2 c. plain yogurt, stirred until smooth
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Season chicken with salt.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, searing the chicken to get a nice, brown layer.  (This was inspired by this guest post method.)  Remove chicken to a plate.  Reduce heat to medium; add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan if necessary.

Meanwhile, dice the onion and set aside.  Combine the curry powder, cayenne pepper, and turmeric; set aside.  Place cauliflower and potatoes in a medium bowl, set aside.  (All this setting aside is so that you have your ingredients READY when it's time to dump them in.  It goes quickly)

Saute onions in the pot over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until they just start to go from translucent to brown.  Throw in the spice mixture and stir until the onions are coated, about 1 minute.  Add the potatoes and cauliflower.  Stir until the vegetables are coated with the spice mixture too, about another minute.  Pour in the water/salt mixture and add the chopped tomato; stir and bring to a boil.

When the mixture is simmering, return the chicken to the pot, nestling it down in the sauce.  Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are just tender, and chicken is cooked through.

For yogurt sauce, whisk together yogurt, garlic, and salt until smooth and combined.

To serve, spoon chicken mixture over rice or cooked quinoa.  Top with yogurt sauce, and eat with naan bread.

This is one of my final meals in the first installment of my "Year of Food" project.  Though I haven't posted many of recipes we've had (because while sometimes they turn out great, other times they're forgettable), I have been learning techniques that I've really enjoyed that I'd like to pass on.  This vindaloo recipe is a great example of a couple of things I've learned that I have already begun to translate into other dishes I prepare.

First, many of the deep flavors that come from delicious ethnic cuisines are built around the sauces and spices. Most of the Indian recipes I've been trying involve "toasting" some sort of spice mixture with sauteed onions and/or garlic.  Apparently, heating spices in oil like this brings out more complex flavors than simply adding spices to sauce would.  You can see in this vindaloo recipe - sauteing the onions, tossing in the spices, and stirring to coat the onions is the "toasting" step.  I can attest to the fact that it really pays off in flavor!  Then adding some liquid (water, chicken broth, white wine, etc) builds it into a sauce.  Simmering vegetables and meat in that sauce not only cooks those ingredients, it adds another layer of depth to the flavor.

Another thing I have learned is that I do not photograph Indian food well.  It's typically greenish, brownish, or yellowish.  While it tastes awesome, I don't present it or capture it well.  So a picture of the ingredients makes a good substitute for lousy photography skills!

Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny soup

from my friend Rebecca over at down the rabbit hole
(absolutely worth your time to visit over there)

Yield: 4-6 servings

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. curry powder
4 c. chicken broth
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/4 c. rice, uncooked
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Saute chicken breast on stovetop until just cooked; some pink in the middle is fine.  Remove from heat and dice.  While chicken is cooking, heat butter and olive oil in separate pot.  Add onion and carrot and cook until softened.  Add flour, curry powder, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add apple, rice, chicken, and thyme.  Simmer 15 more minutes or until rice is soft and chicken is cooked through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Rebecca's extra notes:
"Some versions add half and half or coconut milk at the end; this version is hearty enough for us without.  For the crockpot savvy, this recipe can be adapted.  Leaving out the butter, olive oil, and flour, combine all ingredients in crockpot except apple and rice.  Simmer 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and pulls apart easily.  Add apple and rice 45 minutes (or less) before the end."  (my note: I went the crockpot route, and wished that I had used a Granny Smith apple instead of the softer mealier one I used that didn't contribute much of an apple taste at all.)

It's a safe bet that a soup coming out of Rebecca's kitchen is delicious, well-thought-out, and interesting.  She's one of these folks who loves fall and winter (I envy that) and seems to have a different soup for every cold-weather milestone.  She uses cool spices and fun root vegetables and is the kid of person who makes homemade granola and brews loose-leaf tea.  We met through a mutual friend when Rebecca moved to my town; I had my biggest culinary goof-up the first time she and her husband came to dinner; we were pregnant with our first children at the same time and our daughters were born just three weeks apart.  Even though we no longer live close to each other, I'm thankful as always to have her influence in my kitchen!

Indian Chicken, Spiced Broccoli, and Simple Bread

You know I don't typically do the whole meal in one post, but since this is what we had all together, I figured I should share it all at once.  Those of us at dinner decided that each part of this meal complemented the other parts, so I was glad that at the last minute I had chosen to do the broccoli and bread (originally I was just going to serve the chicken over rice).  Don't be intimidated by the ginger-garlic paste in the broccoli recipe ... I had some of the paste leftover, which I will use to make more broccoli soon!

Indian Chicken (adapted from the recipe found here)

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp. garam masala

1/2 c. plain yogurt

Place all ingredients in the crockpot minus 1 tsp. of the garam masala and the yogurt.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  30 minutes before serving, shred the chicken.  Stir in the yogurt and taste.  Add more garam masala if desired.

Spiced Broccoli (adapted from The Everything Indian Cookbook by Monica Bhide)

1 1/2 - 2 c. broccoli florets

2 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (recipe following)

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2-1 tsp. salt

oil for frying

In a bowl, toss broccoli florets with ginger-garlic paste, flour, and salt until evenly coated.  Let florets marinate for 15 minutes.  Heat 1 inch of oil over medium heat; when hot add the broccoli in batches.  Cook on each side until pale brown in color.  Remove to a paper towel to drain.  Continue until all the florets are fried.

Ginger-garlic paste: In a blender, combine 1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves with 1/2 cup peeled fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon of water.  Puree into a paste.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Simple Indian Bread/Chapati (from The Everything Indian Cookbook by Monica Bhide)
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. warm water
vegetable oil for greasing
2 tsp. melted butter

Combine flour and salt.  Add the water slowly, kneading as you go.  Make a soft dough, kneading for at least 10 minutes.  The final dough should be soft and pliable, not sticky.  Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.  Cut the dough into 12 equal portions and cover again.  Roll each ball of dough into a 5-6 inch circle and cover with a damp cloth again.  Heat a dry griddle on medium heat.  After about one minute, small blisters will appear on it.  Flip it to the other side for about one minute until dough is cooked and dry.
Brush with melted butter and serve warm.

A Year of Food

For Christmas this year, I gave the Mr. something that I am (somewhat selfishly) very excited about: A Year Of Food.  Instead of buying him a gift and putting it under the tree, I wrote him a note that went something like this:

Merry Christmas Sweetheart!  You know as much as I do that international travel is not in the cards for us as a family this year.  We've got two little ones, and a dog, and a budget.  But you know how we've always talked about traveling and living in one place for a few months, taking cooking classes, and learning about regional cuisine?  My gift to you this year is somewhat of a spin on that.  2013 is going to be a "Year of Food."  I'm going to give you four different ethnic cuisines this year, once a week for 3 months apiece.  I'll try to go as authentic as possible by actually following recipes.  I'll do some research, shop at the local ethnic stores for supplies, and we'll have ourselves an international culinary experience without the jet lag.  [Insert other sweet/kind/loving things here].  Love, The Mrs."

Fun, right?  I'm so excited!  I decided on cuisines from these four countries: India, France, Ethiopia, and Italy.  We had our first Indian meal last week, and I'm not going to lie - it was awesome.  We had Indian chicken, spiced broccoli, and simple bread (chapati).  We'll get to eat Indian food January through March.  I am allowing myself some grace in the learning process - like, I put the main dish in the crockpot since we've got an unpredictable newborn around.  You know how much I'm into the crockpot these days ...  

I'll post the recipes soon!