Mushroom And Bell Pepper Tart

This savory tart along with a side of roasted potatoes was our dinner yesterday. I’ve used a combination of onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers here since that’s what I happened to have on hand; you can use whatever vegetables you’d like as toppings for the crust. I took the easy way out and used a can of store-bought pizza dough for the base, but if you’re feeling particularly enterprising, you can go ahead and make your own.
Straight out of the oven, this is one of those meals that brightens up a cold winter’s night, and we’ve certainly had our share of those this year!

Ingredients:
1 can (11 oz) refrigerated thin pizza crust (I used this)
1-2 Tbsp oil
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped chives
1 10 oz pack mushrooms, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
¾ Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves/ kasuri methi

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and cook the onions over medium heat. Add the garlic, chives, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried fenugreek leaves (do not omit the kasuri methi- it lends a wonderful flavor to the tart). Add mushrooms and cook until they are tender and all the liquid has evaporated.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease a cookie sheet. Unroll the dough on the cookie sheet. Starting at the center, press out the dough into a rectangle.

Prebake the dough (required only if you want a crispier crust) for 5-7 minutes.

Spread the onion-mushroom mixture on the prebaked crust and sprinkle the bell pepper slices evenly over it. Top with cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Slice and serve warm.

Gouda Macaroni And Cheese

I have a lot of recipes that have been sitting in my “drafts” folder for over a year now, which I’m hoping to clear out in the coming months.
This is a recipe I first tried out last winter inspired by what I saw here.

Ingredients:
1 cup pasta (pipette/elbow macaroni)
1 Tbsp butter
½ onion, chopped finely (optional- I only used this since I had a small piece in the refrigerator)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped up
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk (I only buy 2%, so that’s what I used)
A sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup Gouda cheese, freshly grated (I used this)
½ – ¾ cup breadcrumbs

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with foil and grease with oil/butter.

I had a lot of stale Italian bread and decided turn some of it into bread crumbs. For this, just place bread in a food processor, and pulse a couple of times to get coarse crumbs.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain off excess water and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in another pan over medium heat. Add garlic, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook till onions soften.

Add the flour and cook till its raw smell disappears. Gradually add milk, chopped rosemary, some more salt and pepper, stirring constantly until blended. Cook on medium heat for a while until the roux thickens Add cheese; stir until melted.

Add cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° F for 12-15 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

Zucchini Gratin

This is my adaptation of an Ina Garten recipe. I was watching Ina’s show on television recently and saw her use zucchini to make a gratin. For once, I had all the ingredients on hand and was able to try it out immediately. According to Ina, this gratin can be assembled a day in advance and baked just when needed.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
4 tsp all-purpose flour
½ to ¾ cup milk (I use 2%)
¾ cup grated mozzarella (I kept the block of cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes to make grating it easier)
½ to ¾ cup bread crumbs

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and cook the onions till soft. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg followed by the zucchini and cook until tender.

Stir in the flour and then add the milk. Mix well to remove any lumps that may be present. Cook over low heat until it thickens to form a sauce.

Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish. (I used a 9-inch pie dish for this.)

Mix the bread crumbs with the grated cheese and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture.

Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is all bubbly and the surface develops a nice brown crust.

Notes: I think I’ll try grating the zucchini (instead of making rounds) and squeezing out the excess water from it when I make this gratin the next time. There was something not quite right about the texture here. I’ll also use another kind of cheese- the Mozzarella here gave the gratin a slightly chewy and almost rubbery texture. Ina recommends Gruyère cheese for this recipe.

Lemon Rice

It has been a while since I posted a South Indian dish here. Here’s something simple and quick that I made for dinner yesterday.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked basmati (or any other long-grain) rice
2 Tbsp oil (gingelly/sesame oil would be ideal here)
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 red chillies
A pinch of asafoetida
½ tsp turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies, minced
4-5 curry leaves
½ onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp ginger paste
A good handful of coriander leaves, chopped up
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 large and juicy lemons)
Salt
Sugar

Method:
Cook the rice. (I always use the microwave for this.)

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan. Add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies asafoetida, turmeric powder, green chillies, and curry leaves. Next add the onions, ginger paste, and salt. Cook till the onions soften.

Add the hot rice and mix well. Turn off the heat; add lemon juice to the rice. Add a touch of sugar too if you so desire. Keep for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the rice to absorb the lemon juice and all of the other flavors.

I normally use rice that has been left over from the previous day to make preparations like tomato rice, tamarind rice, ghee rice, etc. In the case of lemon rice though, I have found that it tastes best when the rice used is fresh and steaming hot.

Mushroom And Spinach Quiche With Potato Crust

I recently watched an episode of Cook Yourself Thin where a quiche was made using a potato crust. It seemed like a great idea and one that I couldn’t wait to try out.

A crust made up of shredded potatoes is definitely a healthy alternative to the usual fat-laden pastry crusts I’ve seen used in most quiche recipes. I followed the recipe very closely and did not make too many changes. I had a crisper full of vegetables in the refrigerator, and so I used a little bit of everything for this quiche.
Here’s what I did…

Ingredients:
For the crust:
3 potatoes peeled and grated (I used Russet)
2 tsp oil
Salt
Pepper

For cooking in a pan:
2 Tbsp oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ onion, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼- ½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
4 cups sliced mushrooms,
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped asparagus
2 cups baby spinach

For the custard:
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
Salt
Pepper
3 Tbsp freshly grated Gouda cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish/plate (I used glass) with some oil. Squeeze all the excess water out of the grated potatoes. Toss grated potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper. Press into an even layer in pie dish, up the sides like a crust. Bake until golden brown at the edges and dry, about 20-22 minutes. Then broil for 2 minutes or so. Watch the crust carefully here so that it does not burn. Let cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid and most of the liquid evaporates. Stir in the chopped asparagus and red bell pepper pieces. Cook till the vegetables soften. Add spinach and cook, stirring, just until spinach wilts, let cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer in the pie dish. I used all but one cup of the cooked vegetable mixture here since I thought it would be a little too much for the quiche. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the vegetable mixture. Carefully pour in egg mixture.

Bake until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tomato Rice

I had a day off from work today and not much to do around the house. With most of the chores having been taken care of over the weekend, I decided to spend some time reading. I settled into my favorite spot on the couch with one of the books that I’d borrowed from the local library a couple of days back. A few hours later, it was time for lunch and I had to put something together very fast before hunger took over and I began eating anything in sight. So, I decided to make something that was quick, simple and tasty, something that I make every now and then with leftover rice- tomato rice.

Considering the amount of rice we consume, I’m really surprised that I don’t have too many rice-based dishes (except for this and this) on this blog.

I have listed the ingredients for the recipe in the order in which I had used them. The list looks like a long one and it probably is, but most of them are just common seasoning ingredients and spices that are used almost daily in most South Indian kitchens.

Ingredients:
For seasoning:
3 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
A pinch of asafoetida
1 stick cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves
¾ tsp powdered cloves
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
½ inch piece ginger, grated
4-5 green chillies, finely chopped
A sprig of curry leaves

Other ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, cubed
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tsp coriander powder
1 ½ sambar powder
4-5 cups, cooked rice
Salt as required

Method:
Heat ghee in a large pan. Add all the ingredients for seasoning followed by garlic, ginger and chillies. Fish out the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves.

Sauté onions, and then add tomatoes followed by coriander and sambar powders. Cover and cook till tomatoes turn mushy. Add the tomato paste and cook.

Add cooked rice to the pan and mix well. Serve hot with a raita or just plain yogurt, and pickle.

>Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

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I’m not quite sure if this one’s a soup or a pasta dish. All I know is that it made for a very delicious and satisfying meal. It’s great on a cold (or any other) day and works for lunch or dinner.
I found the recipe here and came up with this after tweaking the original a bit.

Ingredients:
(For approximately 3 servings)
¾ cup of any kind of small pasta (I used pipette), cooked till almost al dente

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ can of stewed tomatoes (the one I used had small amounts of onion, celery & green pepper too)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp dried rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil
1-2 cups water (I used the pasta water)

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic followed by salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and crushed rosemary. Cook until the onions turn soft and translucent.

Add the canned tomatoes, breaking up the large pieces with the back of a big spoon.

Add half the chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Blend everything in the saucepan together. Add some water if it’s too thick. I used my handheld immersion blender here but a regular blender is fine too- it’s just that it’s a pain to have to wait for the whole thing to cool a bit, then transfer to the blender and then back again to the saucepan.

Simmer, stirring occasionally. The pureed chickpeas give the soup a very thick and creamy texture. Add the remaining chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as required.

Add the cooked pasta and cook for a minute or two for all the flavors to come together. The longer the soup sits, the thicker it gets. Serve hot.

I’m sending this across to Vaishali for It’s A Vegan World: Italian.

This also goes to Susan for the eighth edition of My Legume Love Affair.

Buon appetito!

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

I’m not quite sure if this one’s a soup or a pasta dish. All I know is that it made for a very delicious and satisfying meal. It’s great on a cold (or any other) day and works for lunch or dinner.
I found the recipe here and came up with this after tweaking the original a bit.

Ingredients:
(For approximately 3 servings)
¾ cup of any kind of small pasta (I used pipette), cooked till almost al dente

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ can of stewed tomatoes (the one I used had small amounts of onion, celery & green pepper too)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp dried rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil
1-2 cups water (I used the pasta water)

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic followed by salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and crushed rosemary. Cook until the onions turn soft and translucent.

Add the canned tomatoes, breaking up the large pieces with the back of a big spoon.

Add half the chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Blend everything in the saucepan together. Add some water if it’s too thick. I used my handheld immersion blender here but a regular blender is fine too- it’s just that it’s a pain to have to wait for the whole thing to cool a bit, then transfer to the blender and then back again to the saucepan.

Simmer, stirring occasionally. The pureed chickpeas give the soup a very thick and creamy texture. Add the remaining chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as required.

Add the cooked pasta and cook for a minute or two for all the flavors to come together. The longer the soup sits, the thicker it gets. Serve hot.

I’m sending this across to Vaishali for It’s A Vegan World: Italian.

This also goes to Susan for the eighth edition of My Legume Love Affair.

Buon appetito!

Potato Gratin

A few days back, I prepared a potato gratin to go with our salad. It’s pretty simple to put together and extremely tasty too. This is, perhaps, one of the most satisfying dishes that I’ve posted on this blog.

Potato gratin is known by various names. In North America, the dish is referred to as scalloped potatoes. In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as pommes de terre au gratin. The dish may also be known as gratin dauphinois, pommes de terre dauphinoises or potatoes dauphinoises depending on where it’s from. (Source: Wikipedia)

Here’s my recipe for a low-fat potato gratin dish that is rich in flavor, but not in fat and calories.

Ingredients (recipe adapted from here)
In a skillet:
1 Tbsp butter
1 big onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped finely
Salt and pepper

In a pan:
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (approximately 1/4 inch rounds)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8×8 inch baking dish.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly until caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in another pan, prepare the bechamel sauce/white sauce by melting the butter, blending in the flour & adding the milk gradually while stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Add salt, pepper and red chilli flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Arrange half of the potato rounds in a layer, in a slightly overlapping fashion in the baking dish, and season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Spoon half of the onion mixture over the potatoes. Repeat to make a second layer with the remaining potatoes, season, and sprinkle the rest of the caramelized onions over the top.

Pour the white sauce as evenly as possible all over the potatoes.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, potatoes are tender and the surface is golden/lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The gratin had a wonderfully rich and creamy texture even without any cheese or heavy cream. This one’s definitely a keeper!

This is my entry for Dhanggit’s Perfect Party Dishes.

Potato Gratin

A few days back, I prepared a potato gratin to go with our salad. It’s pretty simple to put together and extremely tasty too. This is, perhaps, one of the most satisfying dishes that I’ve posted on this blog.

Potato gratin is known by various names. In North America, the dish is referred to as scalloped potatoes. In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as pommes de terre au gratin. The dish may also be known as gratin dauphinois, pommes de terre dauphinoises or potatoes dauphinoises depending on where it’s from. (Source: Wikipedia)

Here’s my recipe for a low-fat potato gratin dish that is rich in flavor, but not in fat and calories.

Ingredients (recipe adapted from here)
In a skillet:
1 Tbsp butter
1 big onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped finely
Salt and pepper

In a pan:
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (approximately 1/4 inch rounds)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8×8 inch baking dish.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly until caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in another pan, prepare the bechamel sauce/white sauce by melting the butter, blending in the flour & adding the milk gradually while stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Add salt, pepper and red chilli flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Arrange half of the potato rounds in a layer, in a slightly overlapping fashion in the baking dish, and season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Spoon half of the onion mixture over the potatoes. Repeat to make a second layer with the remaining potatoes, season, and sprinkle the rest of the caramelized onions over the top.

Pour the white sauce as evenly as possible all over the potatoes.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, potatoes are tender and the surface is golden/lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The gratin had a wonderfully rich and creamy texture even without any cheese or heavy cream. This one’s definitely a keeper!

This is my entry for Dhanggit’s Perfect Party Dishes.