Spa Vinaigrette

I have jumped on the "salad in a jar" bandwagon. I was recently piqued with this concept by a photo I saw on Photograzing which was submitted by Skinny Girl Trapped in a Fat Body.

I take my lunch to work everyday because it is easier, quicker, healthier, cheaper, and much, much tastier. Normally, I take leftovers from whatever I cooked for dinner and I pack it as I clean the kitchen. Every now and then, I don't have any leftovers and will make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Even peanut butter crackers and an apple. In a pinch, even a can of Campbell's cream of tomato soup. Anything from home is better than facing a fast-food-drive-thru.  And I don't have to get in my car and fight traffic just to get some hideous "food". I can sit in the breakroom, read, chat with coworkers about things other than work, make personal phone calls, and relax.  

In my next post, I will show you some of the different salads I have made for work and share some strategies.  For now, I will talk about dressing. 

Homemade salad dressing is a must for me. It is easy to make and admit it, salads are a bit of work to put together. Why spoil all the freshness with commercial, heavy dressings?  I especially like this very light, yet super flavorful dressing for spring.

Spa Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sparkling mineral water (I like Perrier)

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. (more to taste) grainy mustard

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1/4 tsp. each, salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar with tight fitting lid. Shake to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasonings. Makes 1 cup of dressing.

Enjoy.

Steak and Fresh Vegetable Soup

I made this soup over the course of a dismal and rainy Saturday afternoon. It was soothing for me,  repeatedly going to the kitchen, checking and stirring, and adding additional ingredients every few minutes, while doing other things around the house. Plus, the aroma of simmering soup brought cheer into our home.

Because I built this soup in layers, over some length of time, I found no need to add commercially prepared, canned broth to add "cooked all day" flavor. The soup made its own all day flavor. In the beginning, I added a cup of strongly brewed fresh coffee and otherwise I just used water to coach the flavors from the steak and vegetables to make a satisfyingly flavorful broth.  I seasoned the soup simply, using only Celtic sea salt, freshly ground tellicherry peppercorns, and fresh parsley to let the flavors of the individual vegetables shine through.

Steak and Fresh Vegetable Soup
Olive oil or other oil, to saute
3/4  pound sirloin steak
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jumbo onion, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 portabella mushroom, chopped
1 cup strong, freshly brewed coffee
Water as needed
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pound new red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1/2 pound fresh green beans, snapped
1/2 small head cabbage, sliced
Salt, pepper, and parsley, to taste

In a large soup pot, heat a little oil over medium high heat. Sear the steak, which has been salted and peppered on each side. Once the steak is very well browned, remove from pan and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary and saute the garlic, onion, celery, and mushroom until beginning to soften and brown. Add a cup of hot coffee, stirring to deglaze the pan and loosen all the brown bits from the bottom. Add the steak back to the pot, add some water and salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and simmer for an hour or more until the steak is very tender and the vegetables are breaking down to form a rich gravy.

Remove the steak from the pan, shred the meat then return to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables, as you prep them, seasoning each new addition and adding more liquid as needed. Cover and simmer until everything is tender. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Very Cheesy Garlic Toast
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 clove garlic, crushed
Thick slices of rustic bread
Slices of sharp cheddar cheese

Mix together the butter and garlic. Spread on slices of bread. Top, generously with cheese slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is starting to brown.

Curry Palooza #10: Saag Paneer

The Curry-Palooza event my friend, Grapefruit, of the blog Needful Things, and I started with much enthusiasm last April, has flagged. 

I am determined, however to keep this event going. After much deliberation, we will re-launch the event in the spring with a different format and start with an exciting GIVE-AWAY! So stay tuned. 

Meanwhile, here is another curry dish I made.  Saag Paneer is one of the things I order when visiting Indian Restaurants. When I decided I wanted to make it, I started by Googling and kept getting directed to Palak Paneer. So I asked my Indian Food expert, Grapefruit, what is the difference between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer because both recipes seemed the same to me. She told me Palak is spinach and Saag is mustard greens. 

When I shopped for greens for this dish, my regular grocery store had the most beautiful and amazing winter greens. I selected spinach, mustard greens, and turnip greens. The resulting dish was absolutely delicious! I looked at several recipes and this is what I came up with.

Saag Paneer

2 pounds fresh winter greens, thoroughly washed, chopped

12 ounces paneer, cut into cubes

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp. chopped ginger

2 tsp. coriander powder

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp. oil plus more for frying the paneer

1 tsp. cumin seeds

Pinch of asafetida (hing)

1/2 tsp., to taste

1/2 cup cream, as needed

Blend tomatoes and ginger to make a puree. Stir in coriander, turmeric, and cayenne and set aside.

Pan fry the paneer cubes, in a little oil, until golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. after the seeds crack, stir in the tomato puree mixture, and let it cook a few minutes to reduce and thicken.

Add the greens, and let it cook, covered, on low heat for about 10 minutes  Add cream and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Gently fold in the paneer and add more cream, if necessary, for desired consistency. Cover and simmer for 4 - 5 minutes.

Prosciutto Parrano Portabella Pizza

I am always so tickled when my husband goes grocery shopping--especially when he shops at an incredible store like Harris Teeter. He always buys the most beautiful food.  These buying trips of his inspire me, especially when I am in a slump, food-wise.

Last night, he came home with some prosciutto, parrano cheese, two balls of pizza dough from the deli, portabella mushrooms, among other things.

I decided to work with the the whole wheat dough and froze the white pizza dough for another time. The dough was quite sticky so I kneaded it a bit on a lightly floured board. I then placed it in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp tea towel and let it rest/rise in a very warm place for about an hour. After that it was very easy to shape and press into a black iron skillet.

The Parrano cheese was new to us and it was delicious! It has a sharp taste like Parmesan but has a buttery, creamy texture much like Gouda.  It wasn't real melty, but I also included some fresh mozzarella, so that took care of the melty, stringy business.

I loved making this pizza and we really enjoyed eating it.

Prosciutto Parrano Portabella Pizza
1 lb. pizza dough
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
4 oz. Parrano cheese, grated
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
2-3 large portabella mushrooms, sliced or chopped as desired
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
Fresh or dried oregano, to taste
Salt and red or black pepper, or both, to taste

Stretch and press pizza dough into a lightly oiled black iron skillet. Layer ingredients as desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, until crust is done and cheese is bubbly.

Black-Eyed Pea Curry (Lobia Tariwaala)

 Curry-Palooza #9

When I saw this recipe, I knew it was the way I was going to make my traditional New Year Black-Eyed Peas this year. The recipe comes from a small cookbook I got for Christmas, which is part of the "Quick & Easy Indian" series, called Simply Vegetarian. 

I love the way this turned out and I'm so glad I made it. The beans are cooked in the pressure cooker along with spices. They turned out perfectly and tasted delicious even before finishing the recipe. 

The recipe calls for the spice, Asafoetida (hing), which I have never seen locally. Years ago, I could get it from the bulk spice jars at a Natural Foods store in another town. Some of the workers in the store would start griping and gagging about the strong aroma of this very pungent spice. In other words, many people think it stinks. I find the scent enticing and earthy and the flavor it imparts is reminiscent of onions and garlic. I order it from Savory Spice Shop. 

Black-Eyed Pea Curry

2 cups black-eyed peas

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. asafoetida (hing)

6 cups water

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1 cup chopped onions

2 tsp. chopped garlic

2 tsp. chopped ginger

Dried red chilies, to taste

1 cup finely diced tomatoes

1 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. red chili powder

2 tsp. cumin powder

2 tsp. coriander powder 

1 tsp. garam masala

Pick over the black-eyed peas and discard any stones, clumps of dirt, bad peas. Rinse thoroughly and place into pressure cooker along with the turmeric, salt, and asafoetida. Add 6 cups water, cover and bring to pressure, then cook for 20 minutes. 

Heat the ghee in a wok; add onions, garlic, ginger, and dried red chilies. Saute until light brown.

Add the tomatoes, cumin seeds, red chili powder, cumin powder, and coriander powder. Fry until the tomatoes turn soft.

Pour in the cooked black-eyed peas along with the cooking water. Add the garam masala, stir well and heat through.

Serve hot with Basmati rice or Naan bread.