Salmon with Thai Curry Spinach

I had salmon on the menu schedule for this week and found this delicious, easy recipe online:

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/01/pan-seared-salmon-on-thai-curried.html

It took about 15 minutes to make, start to finish. I should have started the rice earlier, because although I started it before I even got out the other ingredients, it wasn't finished cooking by the time the salmon and spinach were done.

We all really liked it, and salmon and spinach are both so good for you, that this is a keeper.

(This is for one serving)

Ingredients:
1 serving salmon (de-boned)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon red Thai curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (grated or sugar)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Directions:
1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the butter in a pan.
3. Sear the salmon on both sides, about 5 minutes on the skin side followed by 2 minute on the other side.
4. Heat the coconut milk in a pan.
5. Mix in the curry paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice.
6. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
7. Place the curried spinach on a plate and top with the salmon.

Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

After spending the day shoveling on Sunday after the big snowstorm, some friends managed to make it over to share some food for a "Superbowl" party. It wasn't easy for them, since our alley was impassable and there was no parking on the street. Not much football watching got done. It may be the first time I've ever watched the Superbowl when the Steelers weren't playing. Anyway - good food, good friends. This new recipe from foodandwine.com was my personal favorite of the night:

Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

1 large butternut squash, in cubes
10 oz. can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 Tbs. mild curry powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, toss the butternut with the chickpeas, olive oil, curry and cayenne and season with salt and pepper (I did this in a gallon bag the day before and kept it in the bag in the fridge). Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until tender. The butternut should start to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the yogurt with the cilantro and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the squash and chickpeas onto a platter and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the yogurt sauce, serving the rest on the side (I just served it all on the side).

Paneer Masala

In a word: Yum! This is one of my all time favorite dishes. I always double it so that I have leftovers to freeze for another night. For a simple meal, I serve it with just some toasted naan (rubbed with butter and sprinkled with kasuri methi). Or for guests I make some other Indian dishes, like the fabulous roasted butternut squash and chickpea recipe I tried the night we had this (look for it in a future post - I didn't get a picture of it, though). I have sometimes made the paneer from scratch, but it's much easier to get the pre-made fried paneer at the Indian grocery store.

Paneer Masala

2 Tbs. butter
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 pkg fried paneer cubes
2 big onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
3 Tbs. cashews
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
8 fenugreek seeds (if you don't have the kasuri methi)
1 Tbs. garam masala
1 tsp. salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 pinch nutmeg
3 Tbs. heavy cream
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped, to garnish

Heat butter in pan. Add bay leaf and cloves, then add the onions and saute until light brown. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Add spices, tomatoes and salt to taste. Stir and simmer for some time. Remove cloves and bay leaf and puree the mixture (a hand-held blender works well for this). Return to pan, add the paneer and simmer 4-5 minutes. Add a small cup of water and cook on medium until you get the desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Garnish with cilantro.

Valentine Birthday Waffles

Ok, here's proof that my daughter is the sweetest thing since that lemon cheesecake she made for my birthday. Here is a photo of the waffles she made for breakfast the next morning - complete with heart-shaped slices of strawberries and flower garnish.

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

These come from Fine Cooking magazine issue no. 86. Zoe made them for my birthday "cake" this year. Delicious! Allow at least 5 hours to chill. The article says they travel well for summer picnics, wrapped in flattened muffin liners and kept cool.

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

9 graham crackers (about 5 oz.)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 lbs. cream cheese or neufchatel, at room temperature, cut in 1 in. pieces
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest (from 1-2 lemons)
2 large eggs
1 recipe Lemon Curd:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the crust: Cut two 8x16 in. strips of parchment. Put in an 8x8 baking pan (preferably straight-sided) so that they cross each other and the excess hangs over the pan's sides. Heat the oven to 325. Break the graham crackers into a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles damp sand. Transfer the crumbs to the lined pan and press them firmly and evenly into the pan. Set aside.

For the cheesecake: Rinse, dry and reassemble the food processor. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping halfway to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and process until perfectly smooth and blended, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary, about another 20 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until sides are slightly puffed and the center is dry to the touch, about 40 minutes.

For the lemon curd: Set a fine strainer over a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whish the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs until thoroughly combined and most of the sugar has dissolved. Pour the lemon mixture into a small, nonreactive saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the curd is steaming but not boiling, thickened, and registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 3-7 minutes. Take the curd off the heat, add the butter, and stir until melted. Pour through the strainer and set aside.

To finish: When the cheesecake comes out of the oven, pour all of the curd onto the cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. When thoroughly chilled, lift out of the pan using the parchment handles and onto a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the cheesecake into quarters, then each quarter into 4 squares. Wipe the blade between cuts.

Curried Chicken Salad

This recipe I made up myself, based on a dish I had at a cafe once. I don't actually ever measure the ingredients, but just judge by look and taste, so feel free to adjust the amounts based on your personal preference. This is my best guess as to the proportions I use. This is one of our favorite ways to eat leftover roast chicken and it works with turkey breast as well. I like to have this with some spring greens and a piece of toast, and Zoe loves it in her school lunch with a croissant.

Curried Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked and coarsely chopped and/or shredded chicken
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs. light sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1 1/2 cups red grapes (cut in half if you have the time)
1/3 cup toasted pecans (to top when you serve it)

Mix it all together, adding the pecans when you serve so they don't get soggy. The rest keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Chicken Chilaquiles

There are lot's of versions of this out there. I like this one from Leanne Ely because it's easy and good, but I haven't often had one I don't like. I also like the addition of black beans. I usually split this recipe into two 8" square pans and freeze one to bake later. One of these smaller pans is just the right amount for the 3 of us. If I line the pan with foil before freezing it, then it slides out easily into a gallon bag and I can use the pan in the meantime. I also often use a little less chicken and more tortillas. More tortillas require more sauce, though, so keep that in mind. This is very flexible and I often substitute diced green chiles and green salsa for some or all of the enchilada sauce.

This is good with baked winter squash as a side dish - it cooks at the same time as the chilaquiles. I cut it in half, seed it, then turn it upside down in an oil-sprayed baking dish and bake until soft. then I top it with a little butter, brown sugar, and cardamom. Get the squash in the oven before you assemble the chilaquiles.

Chicken Chilaquiles

2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. garlic powder (opt.)
12 corn tortillas, cut into pieces
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 lb. cheddar, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Combine sauce and salsa with the cumin and garlic powder. Start layering in pan, starting with just enough sauce to cover bottom, then tortillas, then chicken, beans, and a little cheese. Repeat until you end with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered 30-40 min. Let it rest 10 minutes, then dig in.

Tortilla Soup

After a day shoveling snow and a few runs sledding down our steepest steps (2 feet of snow made it a pretty good luge), soup was just what we wanted for dinner. I have two versions of tortilla soup that I like. Someday I'll have to taste test them side by side and figure out which is faster to make. If I had to tell you now, I'd say that the one from Rick Bayless is tastier and the one from the Moosewood is easier. The one we ate last night is adapted from Sundays at the Moosewood Restaurant. I made a quadruple batch last time and froze it in quart baggies. I added the full amount of lime it called for, which made it a little too limey, so when I thawed the soup last night, I thinned it with a little chicken stock I had in the freezer and it was just a little more than the three of us ate. With the soup base already made, all I had to do was assemble the toppings, which went much faster than the time it took to thaw and heat up the soup.

Tomato, Lime and Tortilla Soup

1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (to taste - probably 1/4 cup is about right)
salt to taste

Toppings:
tortilla chips
cheese (queso fresco is best, but cheddar and jack are also good)
chopped cilantro
cubed avocado
pasilla or chipotle hot sauce

In a medium soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the chiles, cumin, and oregano, and saute for a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the pot and cook gently. Stir occasionally. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and salt to taste.

I prefer this soup pureed. It's easiest if you have a hand blender to do it right in the pot, but if you don't, then do the tomatoes and onions in the blender in batches, adding just enough stock to thin. Put it back in the pot and simmer.

Serve with the toppings. When we really want to make it more authentic and delicious, we make our own tortilla chips. Cut 6 tortillas in 1/2 inch strips 2-3 inches long, let them dry out a bit, then fry them in 1/2 inch of hot oil (I use canola) until they are crispy and lightly browned. The browning gives them a delicious flavor, so I try to push it until they're golden, but not brown (somewhere in the middle range).

Sushi Bowls

Clay measured with a yardstick - we got 20 inches of snow last night and it's still coming down. I've never seen so much snow. Apparently our back alley is impassable because one of the trees has so much snow on it that the branches are hanging down and touching the ground where the road is.

Last night, after a dinner of Sushi Bowls, we built a big fire and sat around it. Clay had to finish up (FINALLY) reviewing 286 applications. Zoe played her violin for us and I read a bit. What a cozy, lovely evening!

This recipe is a recent discovery - sushi that's so quick and easy you can make it on a weeknight. The rice requires a little advance preparation, but the actual assembly takes about 10-15 minutes. We love sushi, and this is basically sushi taste without the time-consuming rolling. It's nothing like as fancy as real sushi, but it has it's own beauty (and, look, I have my first food pictures!). Family style sushi.

Sushi Bowls
(makes enough for 3 very generous servings)

2 cups sushi rice
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (scant)

optional toppings: veggie options:
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and julienned (or thinly sliced at an angle)
green onion, sliced thinly at an angle
tiny strips of nori (the stuff you usually make sushi rolls with)

protein options (choose 1-3):
2-3 eggs (mixed with about 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. sugar - just eyeball it)
tofu - cut in strips and fried if desired
sushi quality raw fish, in strips
cooked shrimp
imitation crab
fish roe
other toppings/condiments:
furikake seasoning (comes in a shaker at the japanese store - I got one with sesame seeds, dried egg and seaweed bits)
soy sauce
wasabi paste
pickled ginger
sesame seeds

Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Let it drain for at least 15 minutes. Put it in a pot with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn it down to the lowest heat setting you've got, cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam for about another 15 minutes. Resist the temptation to stir it at any point. If you have a rice cooker - lucky you! Turn it out into a large bowl , pour the vinegar over the top and stir it gently, fanning to cool it quickly, until it is room temperature. Fanning helps bring out the gloss and the right texture in the rice. Warm rice is ok for this dish (and actually was quite satisfying last night in the snowstorm), but you NEVER want warm rice when you're making sushi rolls because it makes the nori chewy.

While the rice is cooking, cook the eggs and/or tofu if using and assemble the toppings. It doesn't really matter how you cook the eggs, but I sprayed a little oil spray in my nonstick pan and cooked them in a solid, thin layer, turning once, and then I cut it into strips.

Divide the rice into 3 bowls and arrange the toppings on top. Serve with the condiments.

A note about doubling the recipe: I haven't had luck with cooking more than 3 cups of rice at a time - it always ends up undercooked in the middle and overcooked around the edges. For 3 cups rice, use 3 1/2 cups water and a little more than 1/4 c. of seasoned vinegar. I would recommend cooking the rice in 2 batches if you need more than that.

Update: larger amounts work fine in a rice cooker or instant pot.

Oven Caramel Corn

Deep winter. Cloudy skies, cold, a big storm coming in that might dump as much as 6 inches of snow. I am SO ready for the skies to lighten a bit in the mornings and green things to start appearing outside. This calls for a batch of something really indulgent, like Oven Caramel Corn. I've been making this since I was about 12, and I have never had caramel corn I like better. Zoe agreed to help me make it yesterday afternoon, and then promptly went to the basement and started composing something on the keyboard for her music class. I did make her come up and help me stir the caramel into the popcorn. And she's always happy to help with the eating!

Oven Caramel Corn

Boil 5 min:
2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. salt

Then add and stir well:
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. butter flavoring (or vanilla, if it's what you have)

Quickly stir into 6 quarts of air-popped corn (if you don't have an air-popper, you can do it in the microwave: 1/4 cup popcorn in a lunch bag, fold the top over a few times and microwave about 2 minutes. You'll have to do this several times to get enough popcorn). You'll need help stirring, because if you wait until you've scraped all the hot caramel out of the pot, the stuff on the popcorn will be getting stiff. Don't panic, though, you can blend it in better during the baking time. Bake at 250 for 45 min. to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It's done when it's crispy instead of chewy. After it cools, put it in sealed bags or containers to store. It will last a long time if it doesn't all get eaten too fast.

Quinoa with Butternut

My husband teases me that I remember my life through food. And he's right. "Remember when we were in that little town in Mexico and we ate the fish almondine in the palapa on the beach," I'll say. Or, "was that the time that we ate the tacos de mariscos with the baby octopi? All of my memories seem to be centered around food.

I've been considering starting a blog for a while now, but I haven't known which aspect of my life to focus it on, and I think that the best blogs often have some kind of recurrent theme or focus (not to mention good writing, the development of which is part of my motivation here). I've thought about writing about my pottery, but it doesn't seem like enough of a constant. Given the fact that I structure my memories around food, it makes sense to do the same with my blog. And I'll always have something to write about. After all, I'll always be eating, if not cooking.

I thought dinner last night was going to be fairly simple to make. Tilapia and a side dish of quinoa and butternut squash. It ended up being more complicated than I'd anticipated, though that was surely compounded by the fact that I also grilled chicken (that wasn't going to keep much longer) for a chinese chicken salad today. Oh, and I made a big batch of Oven Caramel Corn, which I avoid making more than once a year because I have absolutely no restraint when it comes time to eat it. As we were eating our dinner, I mentioned that it took a bit more time than I had thought, and Clay said, incredulously, "You read 'Coconut-crusted tilapia with apricot dipping sauce' and thought 'easy'??"

The fish was not as good as I'd hoped, but we all loved the side dish, which was quinoa with roasted butternut squash, parsley, and walnuts. I adapted it from a recipe for butternut squash in Fine Cooking Magazine which I have in the past mixed with pasta for an awesome main dish. This version is delicious and so healthy that in spite of all the caramel corn I ate yesterday, I still managed to score an "A" on my nutritional intake on Calorie Count.

Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Parsley and Walnuts

1 cup quinoa
1 butternut squash
1/3 c. chopped parsley
1/3 c. toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper
zest from one lemon

Preheat the oven to 450. Peel, seed, and cube the butternut. Toss it with the olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Put it on a rimmed baking sheet or pizza stone. Roast for 20 min., stir, then continue roasting about 10-15 min. more, until tender and lightly browned. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the quinoa, put it in a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook about 15 minutes more, until tender and the germ that curls around the edge starts to spring out. Gently toss together the quinoa, the parsley, walnuts, lemon peel, and squash, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Last night I didn't have a lemon, so I used orange peel, which was also delicious.