for my nagging sister

from: veens, her email@yahoo.com

to: archie p., my email@gmail.com

date: fri, may 9, 2008 at 3:50 pm

bunker,

please please give me the cabbage/egg curry recipe!

love,

veens 

from: archie p., my email@gmail.com

to: veens, her email@yahoo.com

date: sat, may 10, 2008 at 10:12 am

ok veens, it's not rocket science.

just start with some minced garlic and ginger (1 tbsp all together) sauteed in some oil (veggie/olive), add (one diced) onions and garam masala (1 tbsp) and let them cook together until they are brown and the garam masala is kind of smoky - then add the chopped cabbage (half a head of napa cabbage) and cook until almost tender. meanwhile in a different pan, soft scramble some eggs (3-4 depending on the size you are using), and then add them to the pan with the cabbage, add salt, sugar and lemon to taste, and you're done. 

see you tomorrow,

arch

(p.s. i love you veens!!)

homemade tv dinner.

during my undergraduate career, there was a period of time where i lived on stouffers. yes, nothing comes closer to the pseudo americana home that i always wished for growing up. ok, maybe i didn't wish for it THAT much - but i always wondered what meatloaf and pot roast and thanksgiving turkey tasted like.  after all, i ate huli, chapati, saru, and curry for the greater part of my childhood.  i'd sprinkle in some mcdonald's chicken nuggets for good measure.

now the problem with most meatloaf is that it's made with beef.  and noone likes that, and by noone i mean me.  and the ones with turkey are usually fancy schmancy italian types, with basil and marinara.  when i want meatloaf i want it slathered in ketchup you hear me!! if im going to eat bland american food, i want it blanded up right!  here's my answer, (featuring the last of the turkey "chameleon") - 

meat bread (what?! it is!)
turkey meatloaf - serves 4

ingredients
1 1/4 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion, plus thinly sliced onion for garnish
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch dice
3/4 lb button mushrooms finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup 1% milk
1 whole large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1)  preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.  start with the ground meat in a large mixing bowl.  add the onion, mushroom and red pepper and combine.  add the bread crumbs, half the ketchup, oil, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and parsley and combine again.  add the bread crumbs, combine then add the wet ingredients - the beaten eggs and milk and combine until the mixture forms a dough like consistency.  

2) form the mixture into a loaf and place in a oiled casserole dish.  liberally brush the remaining ketchup on the top of the loaf and around the sides, then sprinkle the finely sliced onion on top.

3) bake in the middle of the oven for about 50 minutes until a fork stabbed through the middle comes out clean.   allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing.

i served this with blanched haricots verts with lime zest and sliced baked yukon gold potatoes tossed in olive oil and seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.  yum and a great leftover next-day lunch treat!!

i love me the turkeys.  ben franklin had it right, the turkey should have been the national bird - they might be dumb but they are delicious!  

cutlets cutlets...

riffing on that ever so lovely la times article, i bought a package of turkey cutlets along with my ground turkey at ralphs that fated day.  cutlets are very thin cuts of lean meat: the pro is that they cook up really fast, the con is that they can therefore be very dry.  what does one do for dry meat? you can't uncook it?  so you slather it in sauce.  

i took a lot of inspiration from other sources, i must admit -as the cutlet is a new toy for me.  but these recipes are solid.  the first is rachael ray's recipe for everyday thanksgiving fare - turkey, gravy and stuffing spruced up with a bit of fresh sage and prosciutto.  the one that follows it is a unique but very quick recipe from december 2007's gourmet mag - turkey cutlets in anchovy butter.  

thanksgiving today!

turkey cutlets with sage and prosciutto cornbread stuffing and pan gravy - serves 4

ingredients

1 package turkey cutlets, about one pound, 10 pieces.

2 tsp thyme

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

for the stuffing:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tsp sage
4 sprigs fresh sage (2 tbsps) chopped
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 pound prosciutto, deli sliced like bacon, then chopped
3 corn muffins, crumbled
1 cup chicken stock 

1) heat a large skillet over medium high heat. season turkey with thyme (crumble it between your fingers), salt and pepper. add 1.5 tbsp of the olive oil to the pan. brown 6 cutlets 2 minutes on each side, remove to a plate and repeat with remaining pieces of turkey. 

2) add the butter to the pan. when it melts, whisk in flour and cook a minute, making sure the flour doesn't clump. whisk in stock or broth and bring up to a bubble. reduce heat to simmer, and season the gravy liberally with pepper, and salt if needed. slide turkey back into pan to finish cooking in gravy.

3)to a second skillet over medium high heat, combine the oil and butter. when butter melts into oil, add celery and onions and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. saute 5 minutes until just tender, add sage, parsley, prosciutto and stir to combine. crumble muffins into the pan. moisten stuffing with broth and heat through. remove from heat.

4) use an ice cream scoop to mound stuffing on plates and top with 2 cutlets and a small ladle of gravy. proceed to be thankful, any day of the week.

turkey cutlets in anchovy butter

serves 4

ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets
3 tbsps olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsps anchovy paste
3 tbsps unsalted butter
2 tbsps chopped chives

1) stir together flour and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper on a plate. pat cutlets dry, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

2) heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sautee turkey in 2 batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. transfer to a plate and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

3) brown shallot in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. remove from heat and whisk in anchovy paste, butter, and chives until incorporated. return cutlets to skillet with any juices from plate and turn to coat.

voila! both these recipes are super quick and deliver loads of flavor.  i served the latter (to myself) with prosciutto wrapped blanched asparagus spears that i baked off at 400 degrees for 10 minutes to get the prosciutto and asparagus tops nice and crispy.

after following both of these recipes almost to a tee, i decided to craft my own good eats out of my remaining cutlets.

balsamically wiser turkey cutlets.

sauteed turkey cutlets in sage infused olive oil with a balsamic mushroom relish, and garlic-roasted fingerling potatoes and cherry tomatoes - serves 2

ingredients

half a carton of cremini mushrooms - chopped into meaty slices

half a carton of button mushrooms,-diced finely

one small red onion, finely juilienned

1 sprig fresh sage, chopped

1 tsp thyme

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp good balsamic vinegar 

kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp brown sugar

for the cutlets-

half a package of turkey cutlets - about 6 cutlets in all

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

6 leaves of sage

for the potatoes:

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6-8 fingerling potatoes

a generous handful of cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1) preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.  toss the potatoes and cherry tomatoes in the olive oil and minced garlic. spread the mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and season liberally with salt and pepper.  bake for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and the tomatoes are shriveled.

2) season the cutlets liberally with salt and pepper.  to a large sautee pan, add the 3 tbsp olive oil and the sage leaves and wait until the oil heats up and the leaves are crisp.  move to the side of the pan.  add the cutlets, browning on each side for about 2 minutes until fully cooked.  drain on a paper towel, cover and set aside.  

3) fish out the crispy sage to save for garnish and set the heat at medium.  add the onions to the pan, cooking until translucent.  add the mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, thyme and sage.  cook until mushroom release their juices then add the butter to the pan and combine. once the better is melted, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and allow the liquid to reduce by half.  taste and season accordingly.

4) serve cutlets topped liberally with the mushroom relish, alongside the potatoes fresh from the oven.  

each of these recipes really came through on flavor and i made them three consecutive nights in a row without getting sick of turkey - because none of it actually tasted like "turkey," persay.  i bet turkey cutlet milanese would be awesome, or turkey piccata, or even turkey scallopini would be delish.  experiment!  these babies are so quick cooking that you can play mad scientist in the kitchen every day without feeling like you wasted your life slaving over a hot stove.  yay for...cutlets!

 

keen, huh? no. keema.

i will live on keema in graduate school, i am pretty darn sure. why? cause its super easy to make, and its delicious and it features (my version, anyways), the chameleon!

no, not lizard. TURKEY! ground turkey to be exact.  traditional keema is made with ground beef or lamb - it's a dry spiced meat curry that is impossible to wreck.  seriously. foolproof.

i refuse to pictorialize keema for you cause its so easy you can make it and look at it all by your lonesome.

let's get to it.

peachy-keen keema

ground spiced turkey curry - serves 4

ingredients

1.5 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp cayenne pepper (if you're a wuss, 1/2 tsp)

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 inch ginger piece, finely minced

1 onion, minced

half a cup frozen baby peas

1/2 pound ground lean turkey

salt, sugar, lemon juice to taste

1.  warm up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large sautee pan on medium high heat.  add ginger and garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add the garam masala and the onion and sautee until onion is soft and translucent.

2.  add ground meat, breaking it up with the back of your spoon and mixing it in to the onion mixture.  when about halfway cooked, add the peas and the cayenne pepper.  continue to stir the meat until fully cooked.

3.  season with salt, sugar and lemon juice to taste.  there. you're done.

serve this with some hot flat bread, preferably indian chapati or naan.  i love eating it mixed with basmati rice cooked with some whole cumin seeds and topped with plain yogurt.  sometimes i add a mixture of pureed tomato, cream, and mint to the mix with the peas to vary it up.  once you have the basic recipe down, it's easy to improvise.  if you like spicy, easy indian food - this will surely become a staple at your house.  it is at mine!

the all-white meat chameleon.

turkey is great. it really is.  

i know what you are thinking...of course turkey is great...on thanksgiving with all the fixings! but really, its great all the time BECAUSE:

(a) its a really lean ground meat substitute for ground beef (which is, of course, haram on this blog)

(b) it can be flavored in any way to taste like anything -chicken, veal, pork - this chameleon can morph!

(c) it's relatively inexpensive and frickin healthy. that's right, FRICKIN healthy!

so these next few posts will be a part of a TURKEY BONANZA. tananana!

(mostly because ralph's had a two for one sale on jennie-o products, partly because this old la times article inspired me, but also because really, turkey is yum.)

get ready to gobble gobble folks, cause these eats are delish!

i am, indeed, indian.

indian from india.  dots not feathers.  aloo gobi not acorn mush.

i have failed in terms of this blog to bring my heritage into the mix.  so here it is, the first of many (inshallah) recipes for indian food, the many cuisines of my multi-ethnic people.  i know indian food can seem intimidating because it involves so many different spices, and a innate ability to time the adding of ingredients...but its more just a question of practice than talent.

some basics:

1) you need to stock some staples in your pantry before you can start attempting to cook indian.  the first is garam masala, which i've mentioned here before.  cumin seeds, as well as ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, indian chili powder (packs a bigger punch than its other ethnic counterparts), whole cloves, whole cardamom, whole mustard seeds.  having ground ginger around helps too, if you are too lazy to pick up fresh.

2) most north indian - specifically punjabi dry curries like the recipes that follow are made with the same set of spices, so learning how to make them is very much like learning how to make stir fry - and therefore easy.

3) have PLAIN yogurt around, it tempers the spices if you get carried away.  i also keep frozen layery indian flatbread - parathas they are called - in my freezer at all times, you can get these at any indian grocery store - but store-bought tortillas are an adequate substitute. oh and trader joes tandoori masala naan ain't so bad.

4) necessary fresh ingredients: serrano chilies (or fresh jalapeño if your a wuss), cilantro, ginger.

5) relax. its not scary, i promise.

and now...taNA NA NA! the easy guide to making an entire vegetarian indian meal!!

clockwise from the top: benghan bhartha, methi paratha, jeera chaval, saag aloo

benghan bhartha

oven-roasted eggplant curry - serves 3

ingredients

1 large italian eggplant

1 medium sized onion, quartered

1 roma tomatoes, small diced, seeds removed

1/2 inch knob of ginger, diced finely

2 whole cloves

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp ground cumin 

1/2 tbsp ground coriander 

1/2 tbsp indian chili powder

2 tsp lemon/lime juice

handful of chopped cilantro

salt and sugar to taste

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.  wash eggplant and cut into quarters.  place on lightly greased cookie sheet and add 2 tbsp of water to the pan.  roast eggplant in oven for 20-30 minutes until very tender.  after eggplant is cooled, chop into small dice and put aside.

2. add the onion, ginger, turmeric and cloves to a blender or small food processor and grind to a paste.

3. heat 1 tbsp of oil (vegetable or olive will do here) in a large skillet pan.  add the paste and fry or 5 minutes until it sizzles.  add the ground cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder and fry for another 5 minutes.

4. add the tomatoes, and simmer until mushy - about 8 minutes.

5. add eggplant with 2 tbsp of water and simmer until eggplant is mushy.  add salt, sugar, lemon juice, and more chili powder in necessary.  garnish with cilantro.

saag aloo

spinach and potato curry - serves 3

ingredients

4 small boiling potatoes, cleaned and peeled

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 roma tomatoes, pureed in a food processor/blender

1/2 lb fresh and frozen spinach - if fresh roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece ginger, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp garam masala

salt and sugar to taste

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 handful chopped cilantro

1. add the potatoes to boiling water and let then cook for 5 minutes.  remove and cut in quarters. set aside.

2. fry the onion in a large sautee pan with the garlic and ginger for 2-4 minutes.  add the garam masala and cumin.

3. add the tomato puree and cook for another 5-6 minutes.  then add the spinach and potatoes, the chili powder, salt, sugar and lemon juice.  cook until potatoes are tender.  garnish with cilantro.

jeera chaval

cumin spiced rice - serves 3

ingredients

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp butter

1. melt butter in a small sauce pan and add the cumin.  toast cumin until fragrant and add the rice.

2. add turmeric and toast rice in butter and cumin mixture until grains are white but not translucent.

3. add 1.5 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil.  reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water to the pan if the rice dries out.  the rice should be cooked through without the grains sticking to each other.

relax! relax! it's easy.  try it and let me know how you fare.  it's worth the price!

get it? fare; price. oh i'm a comic genius.

rabe, rapé, raapini, what's in a name?

i was in my favorite neighborhood market in la habra heights on my weekly grocery excursions with my father.  "food gathering" he calls it.  i was minding my own business, picking out my fresh herbs from their exquisite selection (huge bunches of basil, dill, rosemary, thyme, mint!) when i saw something that cause me to exclaim in glee.  was it really there or was it my imagination?  before me, in generous la habra ranch market sized bunches was broccoli rabe...a vegetable i had been hunting for the greater part of three years.  

alias raapini, or rapé, broccoli rabe is a thin stalked leafy green with miniature broccoli trees up top.  taste wise its a bit like collard greens, a little bitter but hearty and full flavored.  it's used in both italian and asian cooking - in the former its usually sauteed and used either as a pizza topping or as a vegetable side - in the latter it is cooked up alongside chicken or pork.

needless to say, i love rabe, and rabe loves me.  cleaning the vegetable and slicing it up is a bit tricky, its a bit like asparagus, a good chunk of the bottom part of the stalk is fibrous and virtually inedible, and therefore must be cut off.  the stems must be picked clean of any yellowing leaves, then they can be cut in about 2 inch long pieces. 

 

i like to divide my rabe among its two cultural affinities.  giada has a great recipe for sauteed broccoli rabe which i love.  the following is its chinese(ish) counterpart.

spicy chicken and broccoli rabe stir fry

serves 2

ingredients

1/2 inch knob of peeled ginger, diced finely

3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

half a bunch of broccoli rabe cleaned and cut in the aforementioned way

half a carton of mushrooms thinly slivered

one uncooked chicken breast, cut into thin 1 inch slices and seasoned lightly with salt and white pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chinese chili paste

1 tsp garlic sriracha

1 tsp sesame oil

salt and white pepper to taste

toasted sesame seeds as garnish

1.  add the broccoli rabe to a pot of boiling water and allow to cook for 2 minutes until the color brightens.  strain and rinse with cold water.

2.  heat the vegetable oil in a large sautee pan over high heat until the oil is very hot.  reduce the heat to medium and add the mushrooms.  allow them to become slightly tender and then add the chicken.

3.  toss the ingredients in the pan until the chicken is almost done.  add the blanched broccoli rabe, soy sauce, chili paste, and brown sugar.  cook for a few minutes.

4. add the sriracha and sesame oil and coat the chicken evenly.  add salt and white pepper to taste.  

5.  turn off the heat and plate.  garnish with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and serve with steamed long grain white rice.