Naan-tastic

 

Last night I cooked Indian food. For some reason I have always shied away from making naan and have instead opted to make chapati. I guess making pita bread recently gave me the confidence I needed to try making naan myself. Traditional naan would be baked in a tandoori oven, but since I don't have a tandoori oven I used my cast iron skillet. I was really happy with how it turned out. It was soft and pillowy. Next time I think I will brush on some garlic butter instead of plain butter.

Naan

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 oz dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons melted butter

In a glass add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. The yeast should be activated when it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Place the flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a well in the middle. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, salt and oil, mix the dough using the dough hook until the surface becomes smooth and shiny. Put dough in a bowl and cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let it rise. The dough should double in size, about 1 hour. I let mine rise while I made the rest of the meal.Next you are going to divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll into rounds.

Heat up a cast-iron skillet over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place the dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and burnt spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side.

Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm. 

Reckless Banana bread

As the weather heats up the bananas in my kitchen have started to brown a little faster. Although it is really too warm to bake I have been unable to resist the temptation to make Banana Bread.  The girls and I free styled this recipe: Guestimative measuring, reckless use of the wrong pan size, and creative ingredient substitutions made this a fun baking experience. My measuring cup broke and since we are moving in three weeks I haven't felt like buying a new one.  I've been using a coffee mug that is more or less a cup(although I have no way to measure it) and eyeballing the half cups and such. I also don't have a loaf pan so I found a basic recipe that used a cake pan. I always thought of baking as science rather than an art and so it never interested me before. Quick bread recipes, however, are the exception to this rule. You can substitute one mashed fruit for another, use a different type of oil, add nuts or chocolate chip... and as long as the consistency is basically the same and the things like baking soda are fairly accurately measured you can usually come up with something edible in the end.

Here is what we came up with (this time) but feel free to substitute, be reckless and experiment away...

 Reckless Banana Bread

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon each of vanilla extract and almond extract
• 1 cup of mashed ripe bananas (2 large or 3 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup full fat sour cream or yogurt (flavored is fine... just reduce the sugar by a couple of teaspoons)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) . In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Beat together in a mixer the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and mashed bananas.
3. Mix in half of the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the other half of the flour mixture.
4. Spread batter evenly in a greased 10x15 baking pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes, or until nicely browned and the surface bounces back when you press it with your finger.

 I hope this puts a smile on your face.

Cruising the Nile on the Christina

Tonight my husband and I are leaving the kids with a sitter and going on a boat called the Christina Yacht.  You can bring a potluck or hire someone to cater and travel down the Nile while the boat staff serves you drinks and sets up a buffet. Some of the teachers at the school set up this trip for an end of the year party so we are going to dine on the Nile and visit with friends while the sun goes down. It is a little fancier than a felucca but still a relaxing way to go. I still think that I prefer the ease and economy of sailing rather than traveling by Yacht... but there is something really nice about sipping drinks and just enjoying the view.

I whipped up a pasta salad that I'm taking.

8 ounces dry pasta
2 cups broccoli florets
3 small to medium tomatoes diced
4 medium red onion, diced
2 cucumbers, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chili paste
2 garlic cloves. minced

Directions:


In large pot with boiling water, cook pasta.

Drain, rinse pasta with cold water and let drain again. Place pasta in a large salad bowl, add broccoli, next 3 ingredients and toss well.

In a small bowl or jar with lid, combine soy sauce and remaining 6 ingredients. Whisk together or cover tightly and shake vigorously. Pour mixture over pasta and toss gently.

Here a few photos from past Christina Cruises

Egyptian Lentil Soup

Lentil soup can be found at many restaurants here in Egypt.  My daughters both love it and so I had to find out how to make it for myself.  I found several recipes online and played around with them based on what I had in the kitchen.  This is my third attempt... and my first with a blender.  The kids loved it and so I'm documenting it here. 

 

Lentil Soup

1 cup lentils

2 medium potatoes

Salt and pepper

2 cups broth

1 carrot

1 onion

2 tbsp butter

1 cup water

3 cloves garlic

1 T. cumin

Directions:

Wash lentils well and drain. Chop veggies into small-shaped cubes.

Heat half the butter in a large saucepan then add the lentils and veggies mix. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add broth and stir. Cover saucepan and cook until everything is tender.

When lentils cook, mix it in blender.  In the meantime add other half of butter and garlic to the pot.  Cook for a minute or so and then add the cumin.

Pour the lentil mixture back into the saucepan with the garlic and cumin and spice with salt and pepper.

Gradually add water until you get a desired consistency and bring to boil.

Serve in small bowls and you can sprinkle fresh herbs on top.

Posting this as part of Foodie Friday

An Indian Cooking Class in Cairo.

Last week I had the pleasure of taking an Indian food cooking class at the house of a new friend.  I met several nice women and we learned how to cook a total of 7 dishes in just a couple of hours.  We even got a goodie bag to take home with a copy of the recipes and some ingredients that can't be found at the local markets here in Cairo.

We started our class by making dahi raita.  This is a salad of yoghurt, cucumbers, carrots, and a selection of seasonings tempered in oil (this is called a tadka).  A version of this basic salad is served with almost every Indian meal.

Raita along with a\the special ladle used for the tadka

After that we made a tomato omelet.  This isn't an egg omelet, but a vegan dish made out of a lentil flour.  I use the same flour when I make vegetable koftas.  You mix the flour with water, onion, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and cumin. Then cook it in a non stick pan.

Next we moved on to raajma poori (kidney bean sauce with fried bread).  This was a quick dish that used a can of kidney beans to speed the process along.  The fried bread is  made by simply mixing wheat flour with water and frying it in oil.

We also roasted eggplant on the stove and made one of my favorite Indian dishes, baingan bharta.  Our teacher's version was made without cream, but with the option to add it at the table. 

And of course what Indian meal would be complete without a dal? The version we made for this class used a small yellow lentil called moong dal. We cooked it for just a couple of minutes in a pressure cooker.

Probably my favorite dish of the day was the potato parathas. This is a bread that is stuffed with potatoes and spices.   I really enjoyed the simplicity of it.

Potato Parathas

First you make a stuffing by mixing 3-4  boiled and mashed potatoes, 2 t. cumin powder,1-2 green chilies, 2 T. coriander leaves (cilantro), 2 t. minced garlic, 1 small minced onion, 1/4 t. turmeric, and salt.
 After that you make a simple dough with wheat flour and water.  You do this by adding water to the flour until it is soft but firm enough to handle.  I think that the bread started out with about 2 cups of flour and 1/2 C. water.  Our teacher mixed it in a blender and then just added water ( a small amount at a time) until it was the right consistency.  After that, form it into small balls, dip them in flour, and roll them into 5 inch circles.

You place two spoons of filling on the circle and then fold the bread around it... sealing it in. Dip it in the flour again and roll it out into a 7 inch circle.

Next you cook it on both sides in a non stick pan  until it is cooked through.

The first time I had this bread was when Verna (our teacher) invited me up to her apartment for an Indian breakfast.  She served it with Chai (tea) and a lovely yogurt dip.  It makes a fantastic breakfast or wonderful addition to any meal.

After class it was time for the part that everyone was waiting for...  LUNCH!  I had a lovely time cooking and eating with a wonderful group of ladies.  I hope to do again some time soon.

Cheers,
Jenn

I love Zucchini

I'm a little embarrassed to write this but... I love zucchini!

I always thought that it was a cucumber featured in this famous scene, but according to Spinal Tap A to Zed it is most certainly a zucchini... because "A cucumber is all pimply."

I also discovered on a site called Witchipedia (who knew that such things existed) that "zucchini resonates with earth energy" and "is feminine in nature." Zucchini is apparently used in "spells for increase and fertility" because of it's prolific nature. So you might want to be careful next time you serve this dish at a dinner party.

What other vegetable do you know that can be used as "Trouser Helper" while resonating with feminine earth energy? Some might call it the perfect food!

When it is not doubling as trouser make up or being carved into fertility charms by Wiccans zucchini also makes a wonderful addition to any summer meal.

Sauteed Italian Style Zucchini

1-2 zucchini
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
fresh herbs (or if none are available dried will work fine... you can either use a combination of basil and oregano or just use a sprinkle of Italian seasoning)

Saute diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the zucchini and cook until it is just tender. Stir in the herbs (I like to use basil and oregano from my garden) and cook until just wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garden Fresh Potato Salad

Over the weekend some friends gave me potatoes and onions from their garden. What better way to use them than to make this fresh potato salad with herbs from my own backyard. I grew up eating potato salad in a dressing of mustard and mayo. I love it, but I prefer this vinegar based version. It is lighter and really shows off the character of the garden fresh vegetables.

Marinated Potato Salad

This dish is very easy to make. If you have any leftovers they are great to fry for breakfast the next day.

10 medium red potatoes

1 C. red wine or balsamic vinegar

5 C. water

6 (+) cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half

1 C. red onion diced

salt and pepper

a handful of chopped fresh herbs

Heat the potatoes, vinegar, water, garlic and salt until potatoes are soft, but not mushy. Drain potatoes (Do NOT rinse) and mix in onions and pepper. Add the fresh herbs. I like to use basil and oregano. Sometimes I drizzle this salad with olive oil. Other great additions are: Olives, cherry tomatoes, and roasted peppers.

We had this wonderful salad with a selection of sliced pears and Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers topped with Tzatziki Sauce. I adjusted the spices a bit on the turkey burgers because I was out of paprika... but it came out wonderfully. The tutorial on making the tzatziki provided in the link is super cool... I used mint instead of dill and the taste was fabulous. This meal could easily be made vegetarian by opting for a veggie burger instead of the turkey. I still have a cup or two of the tzatziki sauce leftover and I'm trying to figure out how to use it in tonight's meal. I'm thinking about using it as a yogurt based marinade for chicken (like tandoori chicken in Indian food). I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cheers,
Jenn

52 weeks of happiness... Pizza with my daughter.

Not only did I get to have a fabulous pampering experience with my little L on Thursday... but I had a wonderful time after school making pizza with my big girl. She loves pizza and she asked me to make her night to cook pizza night.

She started out by preparing all the ingredients. She cut up olives and helped me get the other ingredients that we'd be needing out on the table so that we were ready to construct the pizzas.

While she cut olives and gathered things I started on the crust. To make things simple I bought a crust mix.... but I think next time I'm going to try and make the crust from scratch. My daughter was sad that I didn't know how to toss the dough like you always see in the movies. Maybe next time I'll try that.

Next we spread on the sauce. My daughter went with a classic tomato sauce... and I decided to get fancy and mix pesto and tomato sauce on mine.



Next we spread on the cheese. We used a mix of grated mozzarella and Parmesan. By that time the oven was and hot and we needed to get those pizza's in soon so that we could start cleaning up our mess and setting the table for dinner.

As for toppings we decided to go vegetarian this time. My daughters LOVE black olives so they wanted to keep their pizza simple. Simplicity isn't part of my vocabulary, however, so for my pizza I used olives, garlic, onions, and fresh basil from my garden.

The pizza's came out lovely and they made the whole family smile... except for my little one who was in bed with a fever instead of enjoying dinner with the family. Thankfully we had leftovers and she had some for lunch the next day.

This will be the tenth post in my 52 weeks of happines project. Please stop by Leigh vs. Laundry and join the fun!

Another reason to be happy this morning...

I have the pleasure of being Avant Garde Parenting's parent of the week. Thanks!

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is probably one of Thailand's most famous dishes worldwide. While it is certainly popular in Thailand, it is even considered by some to be their national dish, it has it's origins elsewhere. It probably first appeared in Vietnam and was brought by merchants and popularized in the 30s in 40s... To find out more about the history of Pad Thai just follow this link. But enough about the origins of Pad Thai... Let's get serious and start cooking!

Pad Thai

12-16 oz rice noodles
oil
4 cloves garlic
1 container firm tofu, cubed
6 T. lemon juice
6 T. fish sauce (there are many recipes and ideas for vegetarian options available... just google it!)
2 T. sugar
3 eggs
4 oz. bean sprouts
6 T. roasted peanuts, crushed
8 green onions, sliced thin
4 T. cilantro, chopped finely

It is important to soak the rice noodles first. The package I bought contained 16oz of noodles so I just soaked the whole package. I didn't end up using it all... but I wanted to make sure I had enough. In the past I've had some difficulty with rice noodles... this time, however, I found this helpful tutorial and they came out just right. Just soak them in hot (not boiling) water for about 15-20 minutes and then drain. They will seem a bit tough at this point... but once you add them to the wok with the sauce they will soften up and become a wonderful texture.

Next you will need to assemble your ingredients. Mix together the fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar in a small bowl. Dice the tofu and chop the garlic. I also prepared the bean sprouts, peanuts, green onions and cilantro and put them all in a bowl to add at the end of the cooking time.

Now it is time to cook. First you will cook the garlic until it is golden. Next gently stir in the tofu. At this point I also added in a couple of handfuls of chopped up celery, cabbage and carrots to add color. You can add whatever you like.

Reduce the heat and then add in the sauce mixture. Stir until the sugar is totally dissolved. While this cooks you are going to want to scramble the eggs. I made a small omelet in a separate pan and then rolled it up and sliced it into thin strips.

Add your noodles at this point and stir until the sauce is absorbed and the noodles seem fully cooked (but not mushy). Now all you do is add the sprouts, peanuts, green onions and cilantro and stir gently to mix. Top with eggs and garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Jenn

Kiss My Grits-- Hominy and Soul

Last week the prompt for the Sunday creative was soul... I immediately thought about grits. Not only are grits part of the soul food tradition, but grits are at the very soul of Southern cooking.

My mother doesn't like grits, so even though Texas is on the edge of the grits belt (it stretches from Texas to Virginia), I didn't grow up eating this tasty treat. I don't think I had my first serving until I was in high school... and while I didn't dislike the flavor I didn't fall in love with it either. I cooked some the other day, however, and I glad I did. Grits are great! They are warm and gritty... They lend themselves to almost any flavor, savory or sweet, and they could be a side dish any time of day.
I like mine with butter, salt, and pepper. It was nice how the maple syrup from my pancakes surrounded them giving them just a little sweetness without overwhelming their simple flavor.

Grits are either made of corn or hominy. They can be served as a porridge or they can be formed into blocks and pan fried. You can serve them with cheese, bacon, onions, garlic, sugar, syrup, honey... just about anyway you can imagine. How do you like your grits?