Artichoke and Feta Tarts with Tomato Salad

This is a recipe from Donna Hay.  It's a nice starter for a small dinner party.  I also think it's suitable for spa food.

 

 

Simply cut a sheet of puff pastry into four 4" squares and score about 1/4" around the edges. 

 

 

Mix the feta and chopped artichoke on each square.  I actually had quite a bit of this mixture left over and it made for a great dip for Lovey.

 

 

While the pastries are baking toss together your salad of peas, tomatoes and mint and dress it with the olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.

 

 

When the tarts come out of the oven top each tart with the salad and serve immediately.

 

My puff pastry didn't puff as much as I thought it should but I'm sure it's because I should have put it back into the refrigerator before putting it into the oven.  It got a little warm while working with it.

 

Bottom line about this recipe is that I did like it.  It was easy to put together.  Had a nice light flavor with the sweetness of the tomatoes & peas are a nice contrast to the cheese and artichoke.  The chiffonade of mint finishes it off nicely..  I think it more appropriate for Spring or summer so I probably won't visit this again until it gets warmer.  All in all a nice starter. 

 

 

Artichoke and Feta Tarts with Tomato Salad

A recipe by Donna Hay

Serves 4

 

 

Ingredients:

1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed

9 ounces marinated Persian feta

4 marinated artichoke hearts

1 egg

3-1/2 ounces mixed cherry tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 mint leaves

olive oil & white balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

 

Mise en place:

•  crumble feta
•  chop artichokes
•  lightly beat egg
•  halve tomatoes
•  rinse peas and allow to thaw
•  chiffonade the mint leaves

Method:
Preheat oven to 400° F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut the puff pastry into four - 4" squares.  Score  a 1/4" border around each square.  Place on the baking sheet and top each square with the feta-artichoke mixture.  Brush the borders of each tart with the lightly beaten egg.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

In a small mixing bowl toss the tomatoes, peas and mint.  Drizzle with enough oil and vinegar to lightly coat.

Top each tart with the salad and serve immediately.


I'm sharing this recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

 

Punjabi Lamb Kebabs

 If there is one thing I have come to appreciate about Indian cuisine is the amazing spices and spice combinations that are used and the aromas that now radiate from my spice drawer.

We are going Kebab Krazy at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  I've been scarce at IHCC lately but when I saw what this week's theme was I new I could find a kebab recipe I would like.

I love lamb.  Lovey doesn't like lamb.  When I read this Madhur Jaffrey recipe I thought it would make for great lunches at work this coming week.  Since I knew Lovey wouldn't be eating any of these I didn't hold back on the spices called for; primarily the cayenne that I usually have to leave out of recipes because Lovey is not a fan of heat either.

The recipe can be started the night before; in fact I would think it best so the lamb has some real personal time with the marinade; which is what we start with.  First order of business is allowing the yogurt to drain in a cloth-lined strainer.

While the yogurt is draining make a paste of the garlic cloves.  I mince the cloves very fine and then begin scraping the garlic back and forth with the edge of the knife blade at a slight angle.

These photos aren't very good and it's hard to take photos performing a technique that I use both hands.  Anyway, keep scraping back and forth until your garlic looks somewhat like a paste.

 

Here are all of the ingredients that are whisked together for the marinade.  The drained yogurt, grated fresh ginger, cayenne, garam masala, garlic paste and salt.

Since I was making this recipe for myself I halved it (but I did not half the marinade).  I purchased a little over one pound of boneless leg of lamb.

Once trimming up the lamb it was cut into one-inch cubes.  Although, let it be said there is no way to get every piece all the same size so please don't stress over the size of your pieces of meat.  Sorry for that little globulin of blood attached to one of the pieces of meat;  that's not very appealing is it?

 Whew!  Speak of  not a very appealing photo!  But don't let it fool you.  This marinade is so aromatic I can only imagine at this point how it will flavor the lamb.  Now, cover your bowl and stick in the refrigerator.  Mine marinated for about 24 hours.



About 30 minutes before you plan to broil the kebabs, soak your skewers.  The recipe did not mention this but anytime I use bamboo skewers for broiling or grilling I soak them first; for about 30 minutes.

Once you are ready to load up your skewers, lay them out on a towel.

Push meat cubes onto the skewers; I got about 7 cubes per skewer.  I ended up with 7 skewers with a little over one pound of meat.  The recipe stated that it served 4 to 6 people (using 2-1/2 pounds).  The recipe also mentioned using 4 skewers for the cubes of meat.  In my opinion, there is no way 2-1/2 pounds of meat would fit on 4 skewers.  I used 7 skewers for 1 pound of meat, so determine for yourself if 2-1/2 pounds of meat is really necessary.   

Before placing them under the broiler brush both sides of each kebab with melted butter.

Broiling should be at least 5 inches from the heat source.  My broiler is very hot (500°F) so I placed my broiler pan a little further away, in the middle of the oven.

Broil for about 7 minutes on each side.

You know, some say that the smell of cookies baking in the oven will serve as an aide when trying to sell your house; I think you should broil a batch of these kebabs.

 

Punjabi Lamb Kebabs
Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
8 ounces whole-milk yogurt (preferably Greek)
6 Tbsp. mustard oil or extra virgin olive oil
1-1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
2 tsp. garam masala (or store bought)
1 pound boneless lamb from the leg
3 Tbsp. butter
 
Mise en place:

• put yogurt in a cloth-lined strainer or colander and set in sink
• mince garlic and crush to a paste
• peel piece of ginger by scraping with a spoon and grate
• measure out the oil, salt, cayenne and garam masala and place in large bowl
• add yogurt, garlic and ginger to the bowl
• cut lamb into 1 inch pieces

Method:
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients in the bowl.  Add the lamb pieces.  Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight or 24 hours.
 
Thirty minutes prior to broiling, soak skewers in water.  Remove skewers from water and lace meat cubes on each skewer.  Place each skewer on a broiler pan.  Melt the butter and brush both side of each skewer with the melted butter.
 
Preheat your oven to the broiler setting.  Place the tray about 5 inches from the source of heat.  Broil 5-7 minutes on the first side and another 5-7 minutes on the opposite or until the kebabs are done to your taste.

I'm sharing this recipe at IHCC.

 

 

 

 

 

Garam Masala

An aromatic spice blend used in many Indian dishes, it's said that there are as many recipes for Garam Masala as there are dishes that it goes in.

It's pot luck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and I'm taking an easy path by preparing a small batch of this popular spice blend.

This simple recipe is by Madhur Jaffrey.  Her recipe makes about 3 Tablespoons, which is a nice small amount to keep on hand.  Its name translates literally as "warm spice mix."

I didn't have cardamom seeds on hand so I had to crack the pods I had in the spice drawer.  If you can't buy the seeds then buy cardamom pods and shell them yourself.  A bit tedious but by fingers smelled great afterwards.

I keep a small coffee grinder dedicated for spices alone.


Garam Masala
A recipe by Madhur Jaffrey
Yields approximately 3 Tbsp.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp black cumin seeds (you can use regular cumin seeds if black aren't available)
1 tsp whole cloves
1/3 of a whole nutmeg (you can break a whole nutmeg by placing it on a cloth and bashing it with a meat mallet or rolling pin)
a medium sick of cinnamon, about 2 - 3 inches, broken up into 3/4 pieces.

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a clean coffee grinder or other spice grinder and grind as finely as possible.

Store in a tightly lidded jar, away from heat and sunlight and use as needed.


I'm sharing this recipe at IHCC

Turmeric Rice

I was a little hesitant in making this side dish.  Primarily because Lovey is so used to his brown rice cooked in broth and lightly buttered.  That's how he likes his rice, plain and simple.


I wanted to try this because I am trying to broaden my appreciation for Indian food.  I Heart Cooking Clubs is providing a good outlet for me to try things and this week it's all about rice.


I planned on baked chicken breasts with Moroccan preserved lemons so I thought this recipe of Madhur Jaffrey's would pair well.

Basmati rice naturally has a wonderful aromatic flavor to it.  This recipe provides even more flavor with the addition of bay leaf, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, cardamom pods, garlic, salt and, or course, turmeric.

These spices were what had me concerned about whether Lovey would like it.  My gut feeling would be that his reaction would be something to the tune of "Hey, what's this in my rice?".

Before the rice and liquid are added to the pan, the spices and garlic are tossed into extremely hot vegetable oil.  I wish I knew how to describe the aroma that came from flash cooking them like that.  I wasn't even able to take time to snap a photo of it I had to move so quickly.

After 20 minutes a fluffy, aromatic and wonderfully flavored rice emerged from the pot.  The turmeric gave it a slight yellow tint.

My husband has been surprising me a lot lately.  I held my breath when he began to eat and the first thing he said, after thank you, was how much he really, really liked the rice!!  I believe 'fantastic' was the word he used.  He may be expecting this more and more!  Which is just fine with me.


Turmeric Rice
A recipe by Madhur Jaffrey
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
2 cups long grain basmati rice
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
4 cardamom pods
1" piece of cinnamon bark
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. salt
22 ounces water
chopped chives as garnish (optional)

Mise en place

• put rice in a bowl and wash in several changes of water.  Drain & leave in a strainer set over a bowl.
• place the cloves, bay leaf cardamom and cinnamon bark in a small prep bowl
• peel & finely chop the garlic and set aside in a small prep bowl
• measure turmeric & salt into a small prep bowl and set aside
• measure out water

Method:
Put the oil in a heavy based saucepan and set over a medium high heat.  When the oil is hot and beginning to bubble, put in the cloves, bay leaf, cardamom pods and cinnamon.  Stir once or twice and add the garlic.

As soon as the garlic turns medium brown put in the rice, turmeric and salt.  Stir gently for a minute.  Now add the water and bring to a boil.

Cover tightly, turn the heat down to very, very low and cook for 20 minutes.  Stir the rice with a fork to separate the grains and serve garnished with chives.

I'm sharing this recipe at IHCC.  Go check out the other Madhur Jaffrey rice dishes people are sharing.

Cod Baked in a Yogurt Sauce

It has taken me several weeks to get off high center about I Heart Cooking Clubs' selection for chef and cookbook author being highlighted for the next 6 months.  Quite frankly I am not a big fan of Indian cuisine.  Chalk that up to eating a lot of really bad Indian food in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Some has been disgusting and other, though it may taste OK, has been extremely visually unappealing. 

But....if I really want to learn something about Indian cooking Madhur Jaffrey is the one person I would want to learn from; like gravitating to Marcella Hazan for Italian, Rick Bayless for Mexican or Julia Child for French.

So, off the couch I come to cook outside my normal realm of comfort.  This week's theme is yogurt and I selected a fish dish baked in a yogurt sauce; a recipe from Indian Cooking.

Everything was easily combined in a baking dish, covered and baked.

sliced onions

fish - I used cod instead of the suggested haddock.  Halibut was another suggestion that would work here.



Topped off with a yogurt sauce flavored with ginger, cumin and coriander.  The sauce was a little bland but only due to the fact that I left out the cayenne and garam masala (which is a blend of cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns and nutmeg).

The fish turned out delightfully light and healthy.  We served it with brown rice and sliced tomatoes.  The recipe halved well and surprised me as being the first Indian food that I actually liked.  Lovey was too!  But I didn't tell him what I was making him until he ate it.
Let's go see what they have for us to do next week (now that I have my feet wet).


Cod Baked in a Yogurt Sauce or Dahi wali macchi
Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking (as Haddock Baked in a Yogurt Sauce)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 medium onion, peeled
2 pounds (900 g) 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick fresh cod fillets (or haddock or halibut)
2 cups (450 ml) plain yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2  to 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp peeled, finely grated fresh ginger
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces


Mise en place:

• rinse and dry fish fillets; cut the fillets into 3 inch (7.5 cm) pieces and set aside to dry
• slice onions 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick slices and line a large baking dish with them.
• place the dried, cut fillets onto the onions in a single layer
• pour yogurt into small mixing bowl
• squeeze lemon juice and grate the ginger and add to yogurt
• measure out the spices and add to yogurt
• measure vegetable oil and add to yogurt mixture
• cut cold butter in small pieces and hold in the refrigerator until ready to use

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F /190°C
With a whisk mix the yogurt mixture and pour over the fish, making sure some of the sauce goes under the pieces of fish.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 30 minutes or until the fish is just done.

Remove fish to a plate and keep covered in warm oven.  Meanwhile, pour all of the liquids from the baking dish into a small saucepan.  It will seem very thin and separated.  Bring the sauce to a boil and boil rapidly until there is about 1-1/2 cups (350 ml) of the sauce left, about 5 minutes  Take the saucepan off the heat.  Put in the cold butter and beat in with a fork or small whisk.  As soon as it has melted, pour the sauce over the fish and serve.

NOTE:  you may also serve the dish cold, after it has been refrigerated overnight, with a green salad.

I'm sharing this post at IHCC - go on over and see if there's anything you like

Mexican-Style Granola

We're on our next to last week cooking up recipes by Rick Bayless over at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  With this week being "What's in your lunchbox?" week, I selected a granola recipe of Rick's that would be perfect for a kid's school snack as well as easy to take to the office to munch on during the day (a word of caution...this has peanuts in it if your child has an allergy).

My big 'child', a.k.a. Lovey, doesn't have to worry about that and he has really taken to this snack.  He has been enjoying it with his cappuccino in the morning.

We have our nuts:  blanched almonds, raw peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and raw cashews.  I couldn't find whole almonds that were blanched, nor could I find raw peanuts without the brown papery skins on them.  No worries.  I can improvise without stressing; hey, it's granola.

We have our grains:  old-fashioned rolled oats and amaranth.  The amaranth called for in the recipe was puffed amaranth.  Not only did I have to educate myself on what amaranth is I also could not, for the life of me, find it puffed.  I found numerous boxes of amaranth flakes but no puffed.  Once again, no worries, it's still granola.

According to my favorite online food dictionary, amaranth was once considered a weed but is now acknowledged as a nourishing high-protein food.  The seeds are used as cereal (puffed or flaked) or ground into flour.

Finally, we have our coating and binding agents:  vegetable oil and honey

Gently combine the nuts and grains, right on your baking sheet.  Make sure your baking sheet has sides.  This mixture will be baked for a short time before adding your coating.

Thoroughly combine the oil and honey and pour over the warm granola mixture.

Stir to coat all of your ingredients.

Bake it up

Pack it up
Eat it up


Mexican-Style Granola
Makes about 3 cups
Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless'  Mexico - One Plate at a Time

Ingredients:
1 - 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup peanuts (the kind with the reddish skin removed), preferably raw
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, preferably not toasted
1/2 cup puffed amaranth or amaranth flakes
1/4 cup cashews, preferably not toasted
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

Method:
Heat the oven to 300 ° F.  On a baking sheet with sides, combine the oats, peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, amaranth and cashews.  Bake for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the oil and honey, stirring to thoroughly combine.  Drizzle over the warm mixture, then stir until everything is evenly coated.  Return to the oven and bake, stirring every few minutes, until the mixture is a rich golden brown and the nuts smell toasty - about 20 minutes.  Cool completely then store in a tightly closed container.

I'm sharing this post at IHCC

Sangria Mexicana ~ Red-Wine Cooler with Fresh Lime

September 16 is Mexico Independence Day.  It's similar to our July 4th.  In honor of our friends' to the South special day I made Mexican Sangria.  The recipe is from Rick Bayless' Season 6 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.

A refreshing  and sparkling drink, it's a little different from the Sangria I'm accustomed to where lemons, limes and oranges are used.  This recipe focuses on only the lovely lime.

 Fresh lime juice, sugar, dry red wine and sparkling water are all you need.


Sangria Mexicana
From Season 6 of Rick Bayless' Mexico - One Plate at a Time
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 wines)
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups dry, fruity red wine (I used a Pinot Noir); you can also use Beaujolais or Zinfandel
1 cup sparkling water + 1/4 cup to use for the lime syrup
4 to 6 wheels of lime, with a cut made on one side, for garnish

Mise en Place:

• chill wine
• juice limes
• measure out sugar
• measure out sparkling water, divided

Method:
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, 1/4 cup of the sparkling water and the lime juice.  Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

Just before serving pour the wine into a pitcher and stir in the sparkling water and lime syrup.  Serve over ice in tall glasses, each garnished with a wheel of lime slipped onto the rim.

I'm sharing this post at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Hop on over and see how everyone else is celebrating!

Fresh Cheese with Papaya-Chipotle Salsa

On the way home from running all our errands Saturday, it started raining; and raining hard.  We are so thankful for this liquid refreshment from heaven.  That was around 2:30 in the afternoon and it didn't let up much throughout the evening.  This is such a blessing for us since we have been so hot and dry in the DFW area.

Lovey and I enjoyed  the pitter patter of the rain and the soft rumbling of thunder all afternoon.   We threw open a couple of windows and kept the music and TV off while we read and relaxed.  Lovey read and for me, relaxation was puttering around in the kitchen.  Since we had a heavy burger lunch we decided to go light for this evening.

It's Beach Bum week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and although it was far from beach-y weather in Fort Worth yesterday, I threw together this cheese and fruit salsa snack for dinner since we had a heavy lunch.


I saw Rick Bayless create this dish beachside on his PBS show.  I made it last month when I hosted our neighborhood book club and decided then it was definitely one I'd make again.  So I did.

Here's what we're working with.  Whole milk panela cheese, Mexican papaya, avocado, red onion, cilantro, chipotle in adobe sauce and lime juice.

Slice the cheese and shingle the slices on a serving platter.

Dice up the papaya, avocado, onion, cilantro and chipotle.  If you are an observant individual you will have noticed that the chipotles are not in this mixing bowl.  If you are a really observant individual, you will recall from past recipes that Lovey does not like the heat of chiles.  So, I left them off today.  But let me tell you, it is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S with the chipotle.  The heat of the chipotle just knocks the flavor of the avocado and papaya up to a whole other level.  So, please, use the heat!

Gently toss all of the ingredients and mix in the lime juice.  I would suggest doing this by hand as the ripe avocado and papaya can be bruised being tossed around by a spoon.  Taste and season with a little salt if you feel it needs it.

Spoon the salsa down the center of the cheese and serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Notes:  This serves more than 6 people when you serve it as hors d'oeuvres (you can also slice the cheese down the center after it's shingled on the platter. Because of the avocado, it doesn't do 'leftover' very well.

Fresh Cheese with Papaya-Chipotle Salsa
Serves 6
Adapted from Rick Bayless' Season 8 Mexico - One Plate at Time

Ingredients:
12 ounces whole milk panela cheese
1/4 of a ripe Mexican papaya
1/2 small red onion
1 ripe avodado
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro
1 to 2 canned chipotle chile en adobo
Salt
Crisp-fried corn tortillas

Mise en place:

• slice the cheese in 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices
• peel and seed the papaya and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (you should have about 2 cups)
• chop the onion into 1/4-inch dice
• cut off the thick bottom stems of the cilantro and chop
• seed and finely chop the chipotle (you might want to use food gloves)
• pit the avocado and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Method:
Place the slices of cheese on a serving platter, shingling them on top of another. In a bowl, gently mix together the papaya, onion, avocaod, cilantro, chipotle and lime juice.  Taste and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon.  Spoon the salsa down the center of the cheese.  Serve with tostadas.


I'm sharing this at IHCC