Archive for the ‘Side Dishes’ Category
An Easy Recipe for Naan
To go along with the tagine I served last night, I dug out an old recipe for naan that I made during a cooking class at the ICE (Institute for Culinary Education) several years ago called “Indian Feast”. Traditionally naan is baked by slapping the dough on the inside of a giant clay oven (the tandoor) but this recipe can be made easily at home with just a skillet and an oven.
Pita Chips: Make Your Own
My last post was for a tangy yogurt cheese dip, which should be served with pita chips. Here’s how to make them!
Black Olive and Yogurt Cheese Spread
Earlier this week Tina over at Choosy Beggars put up an intriguing recipe for making your own yogurt cheese spread, which of course involves making your own yogurt cheese. Since I have never made yogurt cheese before, I had to give it a shot. It was surprisingly easy, and the results were pretty amazing. I think that technically this is more of just a concentrated yogurt rather than a “cheese”, but the end product is a tangy, creamy dip that is great with some home made pita chips.
Shrimp and Avocado “Ceviche” Risotto
When I read that risotto was this week’s Food52 theme, I knew that I wasn’t going to submit something that was “Italian”. I’ve made plenty of mushroom, seafood, and veggie risottos that are great standbys, but it’s not my favorite thing to cook. Too much constant attention is required for one dish, and I lose patience for risotto rice very quickly. I decided to put together a dish that was original, and used a flavor profile that I really enjoy (and have been craving recently): ceviche. A traditional risotto with a few tweaks: avocado and sour cream for smoothness, lime-cured shrimp for some acidity, and an adapted gremolata of cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime zest complete the “Italian/Latin American” crossover.
Fresh Ricotta in 5 minutes. Yes, really.
I have a soft spot for white pizza, calzones, manicotti, and anything else that is laden with ricotta cheese. I like to cook these dishes, and in order to do so I find myself buying the only brand of ricotta that I can find in the store: Polly-o. And I am consistently disappointed with it. It simply doesn’t taste anything like what you get from a good pizzeria or Italian restaurant. And I have tried making it before, and failed miserably. I wound up with a lump of crumbly, vinegar-scented “cheese” that reminded me more of wet sawdust than ricotta cheese. So I gave up. And kept buying Polly-o. And kept making mediocre dishes with my mediocre ricotta.
Today I stumbled upon an article on SeriousEats that details one man’s quest to find the perfect balance of simplicity and taste for making ricotta at home. What he came up with is a method that takes 5 minutes, uses 3 ingredients, and gives consistent results.
Spinach and Walnut Bisque with Parmesan Chili Croutons
This week’s Food52 competition gave me an excuse to cook up an old favorite of mine: Spinach and Walnut Bisque. This recipe, believe it or not, came from our dining hall in college. No joke. Admittedly the food at Dartmouth was far above average, but specifically the food at Collis Hall was what I wound up living on for breakfast and lunch during my freshman year. Collis was about 50 feet from my dorm room, and while small, had an excellent selection of food. An omelet station, smoothies for the morning, a great sandwich and wrap area, an ever-changing array of soups to go along with the sandwiches, and the requisite coffee for early morning classes (“early morning” being “10 a.m.”). Back then I was still in the “fledgling chef” phase, but as soon as I tasted this soup, I knew that it was one that would be added to my quiver. The nice thing about this particular dining hall was that since it prided itself in “health” and “nutrition”, the ingredients for each soup were listed on a card in front of the soup station. Thus I was able to take quick crib notes on the ingredients of the soup, and from there I experimented to come up with the proper proportions. Along the way I added a freshly toasted crouton to the dish, and now I can make it in my sleep. I figured that there was no better way to showcase spinach as an ingredient than in this unique, creamy bisque that takes no time at all to make. Back in the day I used to cut corners and make it with canned spinach (for shame!) but now I use fresh. Because everyone would laugh at me if I posted a recipe with canned spinach, obviously.
Mussels with “Oriental Sauce”
I love mussels. I don’t remember exactly when they went from being a shell I picked up on the beach as a child to something that was good to eat for dinner, but like most shellfish it was an acquired taste in my teens. As most children do, I went through a “picky eater” phase in which all foodstuffs that were not plain pasta with butter, hot dogs, or cereal were definitely off my plate. I distinctly remember hatching a plan to numb my tastebuds with ice cubes (something I had read in an Encyclopedia Brown book…anyone remember those?) before eating my Grandmother’s meatloaf one night because I would not be allowed to leave the table until it was gone. In retrospect I think that I may have insulted my Grandmother’s cooking, but at the time it seemed like a clever plan. In any event, that “picky eater” phase passed. Seafood and meatloaf were back on the menu.
Pig’s Head Torchon: A Momofuku Cookbook Feature
Ever since I picked up the Momofuku cookbook, I have been wanting to procure a pig’s head and make the pig’s head torchon that is laid out on page 200. I have made my way through most of the “easier” and “more practical” recipes, and have found myself eying the “Mt. Everest” of the Momofuku recipes: the one that requires a whole pig’s head. This weekend I finally got everything together, called up my friend Cody, and went ahead and did it. I think it goes without saying that there will be rather graphic pictures of a pig’s head in this post, so don’t say that you weren’t forewarned. If that doesn’t scare you off, kindly join me as we journey to the outer boroughs, tackle a crux of a recipe, and convert a part of the pig that usually gets thrown away into a refined and composed dish that you won’t see everyday.
Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Ok, so I know it’s the middle of winter, and we’re all in the mood for warming, comforting food. However, this week’s Food52 contest asks us to combine feta, blood orange, and mint. The combination of these three ingredients screams for a crisp, juicy, tangy summer salad. So that’s what I made. I paired it tonight with a spicy shrimp and rice dish, and I think it worked out very well. I make watermelon salads with mint quite often in the summer, and I worked in a few extra components to compliment the grab bag of ingredients that we were given this week. The beauty of this salad is how easy it is to make, and how tasty and unique it is.
Mark Bittman’s Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo: Minimalist Cooking
Every once in a while I will be perusing the internet, looking for new recipes, and stop at Mark Bittman’s blog “Bitten”. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times’ food section, and generally has interesting recipes that can be cooked with very few ingredients (hence the column “The Minimalist“). I generally try to push myself to cook complicated, involved dishes, but there is always room for a simple “I’m too tired to spend 2 hours in the kitchen” and “I want something simple and tasty” meal. I have my fair share of those dishes, the type you make for yourself, or when you just want to take a break and go for simplicity. Of course, these dishes also have to satisfy the taste buds. I decided to give Mark Bittman’s Spanish and Indian Chickpeas a try to see if they’d become a go-to dish for me.
