Palak Paneer

This is loosely based on how I made Palak Paneer, aka Indian spinach and cheese, not too long ago, but the recipe isn't perfected yet. Putting it here so Mike can try to make it.

What you'll need

2 Tbsp butter or ghee or coconut oil

3 bags chopped frozen spinach (not sure the ounces on these) (update: four 12 or three 16 oz bags work for this)

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic

1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

2-3 chili peppers such as jalapenos, seeded or not to your tastes (Mike, when I made it last I did 3 jalapenos, 2 without seeds and one with seeds)

1 package paneer cheese, which I believe is 16 oz. or equivalent homemade, cut into cubes

3-4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp turmeric

a few cups water

1/2 cup heavy cream

2-3 tsp salt
pepper

1. Melt butter/ghee/oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent.

2. Meanwhile, with your super duper handy little food processor, chop the chili peppers, ginger, and garlic together. When the onion is ready, add this hot gingery mixture to the pot and cook for a minute or two.

3. Now stir in your spices and let them cook for a minute (I find it is easiest to put all the spices together in a bowl before hand and add them all at once so nothing burns).

4. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir well. Add your frozen spinach. Cover the pot and cook until the spinach is thawed completely. If it looks like you need more water to reach the consistency you like, add some. Mike says about 2 to 2 and 1/4 works for him.

5. Take your trusty and indespensible immersion blender and start going at it with the thing. Vroom vroom. Get it as smooth as you like. Now let all this cook together at a light simmer for 7 minutes or so. Do it on about medium or medium low heat and stir occasionally. I just picked 7 out of my arse. Five will do in a pinch.

6. Now you can add your cubed paneer. Continue to simmer for about 7 more minutes or until you think it's done.

7. Take it off the heat, stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. You're going to need a lot of salt - all that spinach! But be careful (Mike) not to over salt it.

Now you have to eat it, what a chore. Poor you.

I really feel bad for you.

Cheesy Biscuits made with Coconut Flour

I've adapted this recipe from Heavenly Homemaker's Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits. It's a low carb and gluten free recipe. You can make it with either butter or bacon grease. These are fairly eggy, with a slight dried coconut texture and hint of coconut flavor that is barely noticeable. I've served the butter version to my parents and they loved them even though they aren't on any special diet. Mike is now infatuated with the bacon grease ones. This recipe can be halved (I doubled Heavenly Homemaker's recipe because Mike goes through these really fast). These goes really well with breakfast.

1/2 cup melted butter or bacon grease (really recommend bacon grease!)
2/3 cup coconut flour
8 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup mixed shredded cheese such as sharp cheddar and mozzarella (you can add more cheese if you like)

You can add other seasonings to these as well, like garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, or herbs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
In a large bowl, whisk together everything but the cheese. Make sure there are no lumps. This will take a few minutes. It should look thoroughly blended. Then, with a spoon or your hands, mix in the cheese. Form batter into 12 biscuits, placing on a parchment lined baking sheet as you go. Bake for about 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown in spots. Enjoy!

Borani Bademjan - Eggplant with Tomato and Yogurt

I used to have a hard time with eggplants. I was never sure what to do with them. Other than ratatoille and eggplant Parmesan, I suppose. I do like those. This might be better. There's a Afghan restaurant in Charlottesville that Mike and I go to for their excellent lunch buffet. It's called the Afghan Kebab Palace. They always seem to have this dish out. I tried it and fell in love. I looked up recipes online and only found two that seemed close. This is my version. Instead of frying the eggplant, which I tried and found difficult since eggplant seems to love to suck up oil, I opted to brush the eggplant with olive oil and broil, which seems a much easier option. This dish does have a lot of oil in anyway though, but that's how it's supposed to be. 

If you like, you can halve the recipe since this makes a 9 x 13 inch pan worth. But it's so good, leftover too. Just be sure to wait to add the yogurt to the whole batch so you can reheat the eggplant part of the dip before serving.

Borani Bademjan - Persian/Afghan Eggplant with Tomato and Yogurt

1 cup Greek yogurt

3 cloves minced garlic, one kept separate

2 large eggplants, sliced into about a 1/2 inch thick rounds

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing eggplant (or more if needed), plus 1 Tbsp

1 28 oz can tomatoes, crushed or chopped - or - 3 or 4 tomatoes (peeled if desired and chopped)

1 Tbsp dried mint (or 2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Immediately, mix the yogurt with the separate one clove minced garlic and set aside to to let meld in fridge.

Brush the eggplant slices on each side with extra virgin olive oil and place on a baking sheet (or two if needed). Broil on high for 5 minutes or until golden on top, then flip and broil another 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, checking frequently to avoid burning and removing finished ones as needed.

Once all the eggplant has been cooked, set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion until soft. Add the 2 remaining cloves minced garlic and cook 1 minute or so. Stir in the spices except mint. Cook briefly, about a minute, then add the crushed or chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened somewhat, 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in mint and remove from heat.

Place the eggplant slices in a glass or ceramic baking dish in several layers. I use a 9 x 13 inch pyrex caserole dish. Pour over the tomato mixture and spread to cover the eggplant. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until the eggplant slices break apart when stirred gently. It can take longer. Remove from the oven, let cool some, stir to break it up into a dip consistency, and transfer to a serving bowl if desired. Then swirl in the yogurt and serve while it is still warm (do not mix all the way). Or you can wait and add the yogurt later if you plan to reheat the dip.

Serve with rice or pita, lavash, or other bread or chips, and any other Afghan or Persian fare.

Ethiopian Doro Wat

My dad lived in Ethiopia for a while and my grandfather has a huge connection to that country. I grew up eating Ethiopian food from DC area restaurants as a kid, but only ever the vegetarian options. The spicing and flavors were always great, taking something that seemed simple and elevating it to a new level. I started eating meat a few years back and now am happy to eat and try new meat dishes. When I visited my dear friends Tyler and Kate in Washington State, they cooked for me a version of doro wat that just plain rocked. It was incredibly hot and delicious. This version is based off of their recipe which came from the Penzey spice company. Beware - this recipe is quite an undertaking and takes several hours of attentive cooking to make. But it is so worth it!

Doro Wat:

10 chicken thighs or equivalent drumsticks or mixture with bones and skin
one lemon or lime cut into wedges
1.5 tsp salt (to taste)

6 large red onions, chopped or about 2 bags medium and small onions
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus one T berbere and 3 T cayenne
water
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup minced ginger or 1-2 tablespoons powdered
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt to taste
10 hard boiled eggs pricked all over with a fork or sliced somewhat with a knife 

Recipe:

Put chicken in large bowl, add enough water to cover it. Add lemon or lime slices (squeeze them) and salt, marinate for 2 hours or so (or overnight). Cook onions over medium heat until browned (yes, dry with no oil). This step usually takes about 1 hour for me. Add the olive oil and stir in the berbere and cayenne. Cook for 30 mins, adding a little water gradually (two tablespoons at a time), only enough to keep it from burning. Drain the marinated chicken and add it to the pot, stirring in some water with it, up to about 2 cups (or skip this). Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring some (Add small amounts of water like before if you skipped adding the extra 2 cups water). Add the butter, garlic, cardamom, and ginger. Cook for 20 more minutes or so, adding water like before if needed. Lower the heat, add the nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, and salt. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat to very low and add the hard boiled eggs and let it rest, covered, for an hour or so. Serve warm with rice or injera and shiro wat, an Ethiopian chickpea and spice gravy like dish, and, as we have taken to doing, coleslaw. This is a moderately spicy dish that has been toned down for company. Feel free to increase either the berbere or cayenne for more traditional flavor.

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Feta

So recently I have been trying the Mediterranean diet at least part time. I have become particularly intested in recipes and the lifestyle of the Greeks before they were introduced the the American way of eating. The diet is rich in vegetables, olive oil, and even red wine. For the most part I don't find it too hard to follow. However, lately I have been eating a few too many sweets like vanilla ice cream in my coffee and homemade cherry pie, which the diet would not allow. The only sweetener I want to be eating is good local honey. Here is a recipe I came up with a while that makes a great breakfast. It is gluten free, low-carb, aaaand Mediterranean diet friendly and the flavors work really well together. Spinach and feta together reminds me of my momma's spanikopita, which I haven't been able to eat since I had to start eating gluten free for health reasons. Boy, do  I miss that.

Here goes. This serves one but is easy to increase.

1. In a medium non-stick skillet, sauté 1/2 a chopped onion or one small onion in about 1 T olive oil (or butter) over medium heat until quite soft and even a bit golden.
2. Meanwhile, lightly beat with a fork 2 eggs with a touch of herbs if desired (such as oregano, mint, or marjoram) and some salt and pepper. Don't add very much salt because you will also be adding feta which is quite salty.
3. When your onions are cooked, take a large handful of fresh baby spinach and either tear it or roughly chop it and add it to the pan, stirring some.
4. Stir in your egg mixture, then cook stirring occasionally.
5. When the eggs are almost set, stir in about 1 or 2 heaping Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese and finish cooking the eggs.
6. Serve hot.

Arugula and Pine Nut Greek Salad

This is just lovely. After a night of watching Yotam Ottolenghi visit the Mediterranean and cook there on Youtube, I spent a day shopping and concieving of this salad.

For one serving:

Take a bowl and fill it with arugula. I used and somewhat peppery baby arugula, but a more mature spicier one would be even better. Slice one small tomato and arrange over the greens. If you want, add some sliced and quartered cucumber and a handful of kalamata olives for sheer perfection. Then crumble a fine Greek feta over top, preferably a sheep and goat milk variety. Sprinkle with pine nuts, about 1 or 2 Tablespoons. Drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and a touch of fine wine vinegar or lemon juice. Lastly, a hint of salt and plenty pepper.

This is excellent served with mussels cooked in a little white wine with plenty of garlic and parsley.

Also, if you enjoy travel cooking shows, Rick Stein has some nice ones that are posted on youtube such as French Odyssey.

Cauliflower Clam Chowder

A gluten free, low carb New England style clam chowder with plenty of flavor. Nice and chunky, but overall lighter tasting without the potatoes and flour thickener. If you don't have cajun seasoning or don't want to use it, maybe try a bay leaf, celery salt, and a little paprika and cayenne.


1 head of cauliflower, chopped and steamed for about 14 minutes
3 cans chopped clams, drained and the juice kept separate
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped small
2 tsp minced garlic
1.5 tsp cajun seasoning
1 T fresh thyme
2 T chopped fresh parsley
3 thick slices bacon, chopped (I used a thick sliced pepper bacon which was excellent)
5 cups water (approx.)
1 to 1.5 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper

In a soup pot, cook the chopped bacon until done over medium heat. Drain on paper towels. Leave most of the bacon grease in the pan, or all if desired, and add in the onions, peppers, and celery. Cook until quite soft, about 15 minutes. Add in the garlic and cajun seasoning, stir, and cook about 1 minute. Then add in the clam juice and water. Let come to a simmer. Meanwhile, take about 3 or 4 cups of cooked cauliflower (maybe about half the cauliflower) and purree in a blender or food processor with the heavy cream until nice and creamy like riccota. Then add it to the pot. When it is simmering, add in the rest of the cauliflower pieces, the fresh herbs, the reserved bacon, and the chopped clams. Simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes, allow to cool slightly and meld, taste and season with salt and pepper, then eat.