The Green Blog Project

L.G. at Ginger and Mango has started the Green Blog Project to encourage food bloggers to grow some of their own ingredients. Participants simply post a recipe with a homegrown main ingredient before September (when the winter round starts). Yes, container gardening is okay (phew).

I’ve been planting containers lately and have two big planters (tomatoes and herbs) and two little pots (more herbs) so far. If I get my act together, I might try some strawberries in hanging baskets and potatoes (I love new potatoes), and of course, there will be a pot of garlic. I’m also going to try growing lemongrass indoors from seed, since it’s hard to find locally and stays fresh longest while alive. I’ve been wanting to start a food garden lately, but it doesn’t make much sense in the current living situation, so containers it is. I’ll post some photos later.

Hooray for spices!

Today I went to the Savory Spice Shop in Denver, and finally acquired some grains of paradise, which I’ve been wanting for a while. Grains of paradise (aka Guinea pepper, Melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, or Guinea grains) are a pepper-like berry commonly used in medieval European cooking, but somewhat hard to obtain now. I’ve seen them described as peppery with flavors of cardamom, ginger, and coriander–they’re actually part of the ginger family.

Anyway, a while back I made a medieval English stew (which actually came out as a soup, since I can’t get stews to stew to save my life), but I didn’t have grains of paradise. I ended up substituting a mixture of black pepper, cardamom, ginger, and coriander, but I’ve been itching to play with real grains of paradise ever since.

I aso bought some ground Ceylon cinnamon (true cinnamon, not cassia)–it loses its flavor quickly when ground, but I use cinnamon a lot and my Ceylon cinnamon sticks have languished unused so long in my pantry they’re probably like sawdust–pomegranate molasses (Kevin the housemate is into medieval Mediterranean cooking), honey granules (for backpacking), mild yellow curry powder, ras el hanout (“top of the shop,” a Moroccan herb/spice blend), and dried orange zest (for baking).

Sadly, they did not have cubebs, the other medieval pepper.

Savory is a really great spice shop with a wide, wide selection. They grind their spices and mix their blends weekly, so you’re ensured of fresh stock. Even their dried curry leaves and kaffir lime leaves are dried weekly. They also sell extracts, sauces, and high-quality demi glazes (which can be diluted to make stock). They do mail order, and their prices and selection are comparable to World Merchants, a similar Seattle-based spice retailer. Sometimes one will carry something the other doesn’t (World Merchants carries cubebs and Savory carries curry leaves, for example). World Spice also has a large selection of teas and different spice blends (incuding some fun-looking medieval ones). I recommend both highly for freshness, quality, selection, and price–and I have an impressive (if disorganized) spice cabinet.

Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes

When I was in Russia last spring, my host mother taught me to make blini (Russian crepes). She used sour milk, which is difficult to make in the U.S. (pasteurized milk doesn’t sour right), and when I’ve tried making them here they came out pretty much as regular pancakes. At some point I’ll play around with her recipe again, but until then, here’s the buttermilk pancake recipe that evolved out of it. These were the first pancakes I’ve ever loved, for what that’s worth.

Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 c. buttermilk
1 c. all-purposes flour
2 tbl. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, whisking or beating vigorously to remove lumps.

2. Fry in a nonstick pan OR a cast-iron or regular frying pan (with fat, oil, or cooking spray). I assume pancake cooking is pretty self-explanatory.

Serve with honey, syrup, fruit, whipped cream, or other toppings. You could also add fresh or frozen berries, citrus zest, and other goodies to the batter.

Spinach Basil Pesto

When I was growing up, my mom used to make “Presto,” which was a lot like pesto, but without the pine nuts and made with spinach and dried basil. It’s milder than regular pesto, cheaper to make if you don’t grow basil, and can be made when basil is out of season.

I’ve been meaning to make some for a while, and fresh basil was on sale for $1.99/bundle (pretty large bundles) at the store today (I have three Genovese basil plants waiting to be potted, as well as five other varieties already growing, but none of them are very big yet). So I decided to substitute fresh basil for some of the spinach and leave out the dried basil.

So I modified the recipe a bit. I don’t own a full-sized food processor, only a miniature one, so this was a little tricky, but it worked okay–I find in general that a $35 mini food processor does almost everything I would do with a full-sized food processor, and takes up a fraction of the space.

Spinach Basil Pesto

Makes about 1 1/2 c.

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c. olive oil, divided

2 c. packed fresh spinach leaves
1 c. packed fresh basil

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. grated parmesan (preferably fresh)

Instructions:

1. In a frying pan or wok, saute the garlic and onions in 1/4 c. olive oil until soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.

2. Put garlic/onions/oil in the food processor. Add salt, spinach, and basil and puree until finely chopped (if you use a mini food processor, you will have to do this in stages). I find that processing in bursts works better than continuously.

3. Add the remaining 1/4 c. olive oil (through the feeder hole while running, if you have this option) and process for a moment.

4. Add parmesan cheese and process until mixed.

Note: Pesto can be stored in the fridge or frozen. You could also add ground pine nuts for a more traditional pesto flavor. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can use 3 c. spinach and 2 tsp. dried basil, but the flavor will be different.

Tangy Soy Dipping Sauce

Tonight I fried/steamed some frozen gyoza, Sister’s Pantry Classic Pork Dumplings. I used chicken broth instead of water (not sure if it made a difference), but the dipping sauce didn’t appeal to me, so I made my own.

Tangy Soy Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients:

Minced garlic
Minced ginger
Soy sauce
Mirin (rice cooking wine)
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil

Green onions if you have them.

Intructions:

1. Mix in proportions that seem fitting to you (go easy on the vinegar–a little goes a long way).

Quick and Easy Chicken Curry

Bog Grogan asked about quick and easy Indian, although I suspect our definitions of “easy” may be a bit different. Here goes, anyway.

Traditional Indian food requires the use of freshly ground fresh spices, and certainly they do have more of a kick than spices that have been sitting in your cupboard for three years. But I have a job and don’t always have the time to cook authentic Indian food, so I’m not opposed to fresh pre-ground spices, or even spice mixes. I buy my pre-ground spices in small amounts bulk from natural food stores with rapid turnover, so they’re as fresh as you can get without grinding them yourself. I also use Indian spices mixes from the local Indian grocery when I’m really in a hurry.

This was my first attempt at improvising a curry, and I have only guessed at the measurements (I don’t normally measure ingredients unless I’m baking). Experiment with the spices to arrive at your own flavor balance.

Although the ingredients list is long, this is quite simple and quick to make if you prepare all the ingredients before adding them to the pan. I prefer to provide detailed instructions rather than short instructions.

Quick and Easy Chicken Curry

Serves 3

3 chicken breasts, thighs, or legs
2-4 small potatoes, chopped and pre-cooked

Marinade
1 – 1 1/2 c. plain whole milk yogurt (here’s why)
1 tsp. MDH* Chicken Curry Masala
1/2 tsp. MDH* Garam Masala
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. coriander
sprinkle of paprika
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbl. tamarind paste (optional; could substitute more lemon juice or some amchur powder)
juice of 1/2 lemon

Sauce
1 c. diced tomatoes, drained and pureed
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/4-1/2 onion, diced
many cloves of garlic, minced
vegetable oil (I used light olive oil, because it’s what I had)

garam masala to taste

Instructions

1. Mix marinade ingredients and cover chicken. Marinate as long as you like (if overnight, put in fridge), if no longer than overnight (yogurt and lemon juice tenderize the chicken, and you don’t want it to get mushy).

2. Place diced potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid and a little bit of water. Microwave on high for about 6 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through but firm. Set aside. (This step can also be done on the stove, but it takes longer.)

3. In a wok, saucepan, or large frying pan, fry onions in the oil until carmelized deep brown. Add the garlic.

3. Add chicken pieces and fry until browned.

4. Add tomato puree, chicken broth, and remaining marinade (gradually!) and mix.

5. Add potatoes. Cook until chicken is done.

6. Sprinkle with garam masala shortly before removing from heat. Serve over basmati rice.

*If you can’t find MDH masalas (try your local Indian grocery), you could substitute other brands, but you’d have to experiment with amounts.

Thai Sweet Chili Noodles

Lately I have been craving limes, which means I’ve been making a lot of Thai food (Mexican not being a cuisine I’ve tackled yet). I find something very refreshing about savory dishes with fresh lime juice squeezed over them, especially in summer. This dish uses primarily Thai ingredients, but it’s not authentic. The combination of lime, chili, and peanut flavors is distinctively Thai, however.

I’ve made this dish a couple of times, with shrimp and beef. It would also be good with tofu, vegetables, and/or chicken. It only takes about twenty minutes to throw together, less if you use shrimp (no chopping required). It makes a good light meal, but one would probably want to use it as an appetizer for a more formal dinner.

Thai Sweet Chili Noodles

Serves 3

Ingredients:
4.5 oz rice vermicelli (thin rice noodles)
1/2 lb protein source (beef, chicken, lamb, tofu) or 24 medium shrimp (cooked or raw) or 1/3 c. baby shrimp
1/2 c. chopped vegetables

4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp lemongrass paste*
1 tsp sesame oil
Thai sweet chili sauce, to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced
peanut oil for frying

2 small (or 1 large) limes
Crushed unsalted roasted peanuts

Instructions

1. Cube tofu or slice chicken/beef/lamb very thinly. If using shrimp, skip this step.

2. Mix together soy sauce, fish sauce, lemongrass paste, sesame oil, and sweet chili sauce.

3. Add protein source to sauce and stir to coat. Set aside.

4. Set water on to boil in a large saucepan. Mince garlic.

5. When water is boiling, add rice noodles and cook until done (this takes a minute or less). Drain cooked rice noodles and run under cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside.

6. Heat peanut oil in wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry until fragrant.

7. Add protein source and fry until mostly cooked (unless using cooked shrimp). Add vegetables partway through and cook until brightly colored and crisp-looking.

8. Add cooked rice noodles (and cooked shrimp, if using those) and stir until coated with sauce. Remove from heat.

9. Serve with ground peanuts and lime wedges for garnish.

*I imagine one could substitute finely chopped fresh lemongrass, or perhaps fry some larger pieces with the garlic and then remove them. I’ll experiment with this if I ever find a local source of fresh lemongrass.