Archive for the 'Recipes' Category

Bend it Like Aloo Gobi

August 17th, 2004

I was browing the bonus material on the Bend it Like Beckham DVD recently (good movie, go watch it) and found a cool unexpected bonus: a recipe for my favorite Indian dish, aloo gobi. During this short 10-minute clip, the director of the movie (a British Indian woman) prepared the dish for us just like a cooking show. I prepared it, and it actually tasted very good…not bad for a recipe found on a DVD. Anyway here it is for everyone…

  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the chopped onion and one tablespoon of cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until onions become golden.
  3. Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt. Add chopped chilis (according to taste).
  4. Stir tomatoes into onion mixture. Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few teaspoons of water, ensuring that the mixture doesn’t stick to the saucepan. Make sure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
  5. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
  6. Add two teaspoons of garam masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

    7. Enjoy.

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    Entrecote Steak

    March 26th, 2005

    I was trying to think of a meal to make at home, since I’ve been eating out so much lately, when I remembered the steaks I ate almost daily while in Paris a few years ago (at the brasseries). After a brief search on the web, I found a recipe that sounded pretty similar to what I remember. It’s quick to prepare and tastes pretty good.

    • 2 sirloins (6-8 oz)
    • Salt and pepper
    • 6Tbsp unsalted butter — softened
    • 2tsp parsley — minced
    • 2 shallots — minced
    1. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Grill over a hot fire. While it is cooking, mix–over very low fire in a small pan, with a fork — the butter with the chopped herbs and shallot until creamy.
    2. Just before serving, place half the butter on two hot serving plates.
      Place the cooked steaks on top and the rest of the butter on the top of the steaks.
    3. Serve very hot (if you want it super authentic, serve with fresh fries)

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    Peanut Butter and Banana Shake

    October 14th, 2005

    Here’s another one

    • 2 scoops protein powder
    • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
    • 2 cups skim or low-fat milk
    • Half a banana
    • 1 table spoon honey (optional)

    Blend all the ingredients in a blender and drink away. If you like peanut butter and bananas, you’ll find it’s a great-tasting shake. If you don’t, you’ll probably find it gross.

    (I personally haven’t tried this yet with the protein powder, but I plan to buy some and start incorporating it into my meals.)

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    Korean-style Pepper Steak

    October 23rd, 2005

    Courtesy of Men’s Health, this is pretty tasty.

    • 1/2 lb sirloin, sliced diagonally into thin strips
    • 1 cup bite-size pieces red or green bell pepper (or 1/2 cup of each)
    • 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
    • Plus: 1 tsp sugar; 1 1/2 tsp olive oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 tsp red-pepper flakes
    1. Dump all the ingredients into a large ziplock plastic bag. Go James Bond on it–well shaken, not stirred . No, really throttle it. You want the soy sauce and oil to permeate everything in the bag.
    2. Pour the meat, sauce, and vegetables into a medium-hot cast-iron skillet, stirring frequently until the meat is seared and the vegetables begin to lose their water (about 2 to 3 minutes).
    3. For a more authentic Korean-style flavor, use toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and add 1 Tbsp rice-wine vinegar.
    4. Eat with whole grain brown (Men’s Health recommends Uncle Ben’s — the kind you can microwave in 90 seconds)

    Makes 2 servings.

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    Thai Fried Rice

    April 16th, 2006

    This is a quick and simple recipe for Thai fried rice that I put together from a few separate recipes. The only thing I have to say is make sure your stove gets hot enough!

    • 3TB oil
    • 1/2 lb. chicken
    • 1 egg
    • 1tsp fish sauce
    • 2tsp soy sauce
    • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1tsp Thai curry paste
    • 1-2 cups of sliced vegetables
    • 1 cup rice
    • 1 lime
    • Pinch of ground pepper
    1. Place a wok or pan on the stove and turn up the heat as high as possible. Once it is fully hot, add the oil, then add the chicken and stire quickly. If the chicken starts juicing up, the stove isn’t hot enough. It should be hot enough so that things are smoking.
    2. Remove the chicken and add the egg into the wok. Scramble it quickly. Then either move it to the side of the wok, or just remove it.
    3. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and paste. Then add the vegetables. Then add the rice and the chicken back. Stir quickly.
    4. Add freshly ground pepper and the lime. Be sure to add them, as they add lots of flavor.

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    Siga (Beef) Wat

    June 16th, 2006

    If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food, you should. It’s tasty and fun to eat since you use your hands. Siga wat is one of the standard dishes, and it’s best eaten with injera (traditional spongy Ethiopian bread; your best bet is to buy some at an Ethiopian market/restaurant, if there is one nearby, since I have no idea how to make it.)

    This recipe is adapted from here, but modified in a way I like.

    • 2-3 onions
    • One head of garlic
    • 1 cup olive oil
    • 1 Tablespoon berbere (Ethiopian spice; if unavailable use cayenne)
    • 1 Tablespoon salt
    • 1 Tablespoon curry powder
    • 1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
    • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 teaspoon sweet basil
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 1/2 pounds sliced or cubed beef
    • 1 can tomato paste
    1. Chop the onions and the garlic cloves. Put them into a heavy dish without oil or water. At high heat, stir constantly until the onions appear translucent.
    2. Add olive oil. Lower heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for a few minutes and then add beef. Stir for about 15 min.
    3. Add all spices.
    4. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
    5. Add tomato paste and stir until completely blended. Simmer 15 minutes.
    6. At this point, the sauce should be thick and dark red/brown. Serve with injera and enjoy.

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    Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli

    November 16th, 2006

    Another recipe taken from the magazine Fine Cooking.

    • 10oz. broccoli crowns, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, skinned and crumbled into 1-inch pieces
    • 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips
    • 1 Tb chopped fresh thyme
    • 3/4 lb. dried orecchiette
    • 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
    • 3 Tb grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
    1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens (1-2 minutes) and then transfer broccoli to the bowl of cold water.
    2. Heat 2 Tb of the oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add sausage until it browns (about 6 minutes). Remove.
    3. Put the pasta in the water.
    4. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low and add remaining 2 Tb oil and garlic. Flip pieces until they start to brown (3-4 minutes).
    5. Raise heat to high and add the drained broccoli. Cook until everything is heated (1 minute). Stire in sun-dried tomatoes and thyme.
    6. Finish cooking pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Raise heat to high and toss well for 30 seconds. Add some pasta water if it appears dry.
    7. Stire in lemon juice, parmigiano, and scallions. Add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste.

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    Fettuccini with Creamy Tomato Sausage Sauce

    March 25th, 2007

    This is a very simple Italian dish that can be prepared in less than an hour and is best eaten with wine. This recipe is taken from Simple Recipes, which adapted it from an old issue of Bon Appetit.

    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 3 shallots, chopped
    • 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
    • 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
    • 1/2 pound spicy or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
    • 1 cup whipping cream
    • 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
    • 1 Tbsp dried sage
    • 3/4 pound fettuccine
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add sausages and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up the sausages a bit, about 5 minutes.
    2. Add cream; simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices. Add sage. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
    4. Return pasta to same pot; add sauce. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry.
    5. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with cheese and serve.

    Serves 6.

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    Seared Tuna with Basil Oil

    August 19th, 2007

    This one is from the website of the Food Network — which, by the way, has a lot of great recipes. Make sure that the middle of the tuna is nearly raw, otherwise it’s not  properly seared.

    • 4 quarts water
    • Salt
    • 2 cups packed basil leaves
    • 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 4 (6-ounce) sashimi grade tuna steaks
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
    1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil and add 3 tablespoons salt. Set up an ice bath. Blanch basil for 2 minutes in boiling water, then transfer immediately to an ice bath. Cool for 2 minutes, drain, then squeeze excess water from basil. Blend basil and 1 cup olive oil in a blender until well mixed. Strain in a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
    2. Heat cast iron pan over high heat until very hot. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Brush lightly with olive oil. Place steaks in pan and cook until bottom is brown and crusty, about 3 minutes. Flip tuna and cook for 1 minute. (Tuna will be just seared on the outside and raw in the middle.)
    3. Remove to a plate. Drizzle with basil oil and garnish with lemon juice and zest.

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    Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

    April 10th, 2008

    This is another great recipe taken straight from Simply Recipes. It is actually very simple to make. Just make sure you have two big pans, with one of them cast-iron ideally.

    • 1/2 pound penne pasta
    • Salt
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
    • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • Dash red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 pound (16% fat) ground beef
    • 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
    • 2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (almost one 28-ounce can)
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
    1. Boil a pot of water, add the pasta to the pot, and cook until al dente. Drain.
    2. Once you’ve started to heat the water, start working on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
    3. Heat a large cast iron pan on medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot, break up small chunks of ground beef and add them to the pan, without stirring. You want the meat to get well browned, not burned. Once the meat is browned on one side (a couple of minutes), flip the meat over to brown on the other side. At this point you can remove the pan from the heat.
    4. Use a slotted spoon to lift the meat from the cast iron pan and add it to the pan with the seasoned onions. Add tomato sauce and break up the bigger chunks of meat into smaller pieces. Add basil. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer on low heat, let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
    5. Adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste, add a little more sugar if the sauce is too acidic, and add more tomato sauce if the sauce is a little dry. Stir in the cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve

    Serves 6.

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