Getting Ready for Xmas

Living in Australia, I'm learning to take joy in the small traditions I can claim as my own during the Christmas season. You see, this Chicago native is having a very hard time adjusting to Christmas in the sun. Last year on Boxing Day, I closed the curtains, put on Christmas movies, and pretended it wasn't warm out. Christmas eve and day had just about killed my holiday spirit, so it was time to get back to basics. This year, on top of the Wassail and Rum cake I made last year, I'm going to make a few of the meals my family traditionally makes for Chrissie. Xmas eve we'll be having homemade pizzas.

"Red" pizza
Spread some pizza sauce on crust (jar or can from the store)
Add pepperoni slices and any other ingredients you desire
Top with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella and some romano cheese
Bake according to directions on pizza dough

"White" pizza
Spread crust with olive oil
Spread diced garlic on top
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, perhaps a little oregano
Top with mozzarella (not as thick as you do on the red pizza; more like a sprinkling)
Bake according to directions on pizza dough

On Boxing Day, pasta!

Baked Ziti
1 pound of ziti
1 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan if that's what you like, or half and half)
2 cups grated mozzarella
16 oz fresh ricotta (if you can't get this use a 15 oz container from supermarket)
1/4 cup fresh or 1 TBS dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
egg
salt and pepper

Put all the above in a bowl and mix it up - except for the pasta. Cook pasta very al dente - almost to the point of being hard as it will cook more when you bake it. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan, add a bunch of sauce to it and mix it up. Then add cheese, spice, and egg mixture and mix it all up.

In the bottom of a lasagna pan, or other large pan (13x9) pour 2 ladels of sauce, or as much as it takes to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. Then add more sauce to the pasta mixture so it's really moist because after it's baked the sauce will soak into the pasta, making it dry, mix it up and put it inot the pan you coated with sauce. Pour more sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese (mozzarella or romano or parmesan - whatever you have) cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350F. When you serve it you can always add more sauce and cheese.

Aunt Rose's Spinach Pie

My Aunt Rose was a fantastic cook. This is a simple recipe, but I wish I had some more of her more complicated ones. My mom sent it to me this week in hopes it would be something soft and edible, until I get my teeth fixed, so will give it a go tonight.

1 (16 oz.) tub cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever you have on hand)
1 pkg (10 oz.) chopped spinach (frozen)
3 eggs
2 tbspns flour
2 tbspns melted butter
½ cup chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and put in a greased pie plate.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for an hour.

Chana Pubjabi, with Liver

This could be a vegetarian main, but we had leftover liver, so thought it would be worth using. I'm using garam masala for the first time as well, and fresh jalapenos from the father-in-law's garden. Thank you Wednesday Chef!

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained

In medium saucepan, heat oil and saute onion until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick.

Chickpea Salad

Trying to go veggie at least once a week, and also trying to use up leftover veg before I head to Central Market tomorrow, so this will be dinner tonight.

Lettuce
Carrots, sliced
Tomatoes, chopped
Broccoli
Chickpeas
Kalamata olives
Capers (optional, will be on hubs half, not mine, as too salty)
Ground pepper
Dried oregano
Rice Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Sesame oil

(Last three ingredients to be mixed for dressing)

Tofu and Vegetable Green Curry

2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup (75g) green curry paste
4 spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 sm-med pepper/capsicum
1 sm eggplant
400ml can light coconut milk
1/2 tsp coriander, or to taste
100g green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
300g firm silken tofu, drained, cut into thick strips
2-3 basil leaves or a dash ground basil leaves
steamed rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a large deep frypan or wok over medium heat, then add the paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the spring onion, fish sauce, sugar, broccoli, red pepper, green beans, coconut milk, basil leaves, coriander and 1 cup (250ml) boiling water. Stir to combine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then gently stir in tofu. Serve over rice.
*Variations on veg are always acceptable in a curry. I'm skipping the green beans and using plum tomatoes, as they were on sale today;) My only warning would be don't overload on the veg or you won't have enough 'sauce'
Pssst, if anyone has a favourite suggestion for green curry paste please recommend!

Basic Vegetarian Curry

This curry does not include a particular curry paste or curry powder, but spices instead. I was worried it might be a bit bland but it was really tasty. Serving over rice is optional, especially if you are warming it up for leftovers, as all the juice will cook off 2nd time around. You can also leave out the chickpeas and simply add a couple more potatoes. Another option is to take a bit out and pop it in the blender if you like a creamier curry.

1 package frozen vegetables of your choice
1 can chickpeas
2-3 small potatoes, chopped into small pieces & cooked
2/3 c vegetable stock
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger or powder
1 finely sliced clove of fresh garlic
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a non-stick fry pan and fry the onions, garlic, cumin and coriander for five minutes. Add potato, frozen veg, chick peas, ginger, turmeric and chili powders, vegetable stock, salt & pepper. Cook on medium heat for fifteen or twenty minutes. Serve over rice.

Tofu & Vegetable Red Curry

1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, sliced up
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp bottled red-curry paste
1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 (1-lb) package frozen mixed vegetables (or fresh to your preference)
1 (14- to 16-oz) block firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
rice, to serve

Cook onion in oil in a wok. Reduce heat, then add garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, salt, and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in vegetables and return to a boil. Cover pot, then reduce heat and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Gently stir in tofu and simmer curry, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt to taste. Serve curry with rice.
*Usual modifications: I skipped the tofu and used broccoli, plum tomatoes and a can of chinese veggies

Eggplant with Tofu & Red Pepper

You can either use tofu or just throw in a package of frozen veg if you're not keen on tofu.

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
10 oz tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
chili powder, to taste
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
rice, to serve

In a bowl, mix oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil; set aside. Heat tbsp olive oil in a large pan or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Sauté tofu about 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to low and add remaining tbsp olive oil, and garlic; sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and eggplant. Raise heat to medium. Stir-fry 10 minutes, flipping eggplant after 5 minutes to cook on each side. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir well. Add tofu to pan and mix. Serve over rice.
*You can also use fresh chiles instead of chili powder
**I also used plum tomatoes as I had them

Spanish Rice

Veggie meal #1 for 101 of 1001

We're having Pork Chili Verde and Black Bean burritos from Chili Mojo (watch the video) for dinner tonight, so I was just going to make some rice and refried beans as a side, but decided to try some Spanish rice instead. I've never been a huge fan of it but that's most likely due to the fact that it's typically not cooked that well at restaurants. I combined suggestions from a few different recipes, including The Homesick Texan's recipe.

1 cup of rice
2 cups of chicken broth (or veggie stock)
butter
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
ground pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes (with chillies, if you can find them) -or- 1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can kidney beans (optional)
lime juice and cilantro to taste (optional)
avocado and sour cream to top (optional)

Add rice, chicken broth and butter to pot. Bring to a boil on high, stir once and cover. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, then remove from heat and keep covered for 5 to 10 minutes longer. In the meantime, cook onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, pepper and cumin and cook for approx one minute. Mix in cooked rice, lime juice and cilantro. Serve!

P.S. You could also add some capsicum/pepper to the onion mix, and use as a burrito filler along with some cheese and lettuce (and meat optional if you are a carnivore)

Gourmet Mac 'n 3 Cheese

Macaroni
50g butter
1/4 c all purpose flour
2 1/2 c milk
1/2 c double cream
1/2 c dry white wine
1/4 c swiss/emmenthal cheese
1/4 c fontina cheese
1/4 c blue cheese
1 cup grated parmesan
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook Macaroni. Melt butter in pan. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add milk a bit at a time, whisking vigourously after each additon, then stir in cream, then white wine. Cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add cheese (only 1/3 cup of parmesan) and stir well to mix, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in macaroni and pt mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over and bake for 25-30mins on 180C.

Pumpkin Soup

Although the Australian need to roast pumpkin waaay too often is killing my like of pumpkin, this soup is still a winner. It's also very simple.

1 large pumpkin, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 can coconut milk or cream (depending on how heart healthy you're feeling, and of course how thick you want your soup)
coriander leaves to taste, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pumpkin chunks in boiling water until soft. Drain and reserve cooking water. Process chilli, garlic, half the coriander, salt & pepper in blender. Put pumpkin in blender with chilli mix and blend. Put mixture back in saucepan, add coconut milk or cream and simmer. If too thick, add some of reserved water. Serve with remaining coriander for garnish.
*Optional: Serve with crusty bread

Vegetarian Chili

I usually just modify my normal chili recipe, but decided to have a google this time and see what extras I could come up with. Look what I found!

But what I suggest for a good veggie chili is:
cumin, cayenne, chili powder, and cinnamon, to taste
3 cans of beans (for example, 1 pinto or black, 1 white, and 1 spicy kidney)
1 can corn
1-2 cans diced tomatoes
1 eggplant, chopped
1 capsicum/bell pepper, chopped (red, orange or yellow)
1 sweet potato, diced and slightly cooked
1 bottle of beer (1/2 for the chili and 1/2 for the cook! Use any beer you prefer.)
1 tsp or so of olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and cook until veggies are tender, either on the stove or in a crock pot.

*Sour cream and cheese to top of course!

**Other optional ingredients to heat up or spice up Chili are Worcester Sauce, Hot Sauce, BBQ Sauce. Other spices I've seen used in recipes but not tried yet are Paprika and Mustard.

Finally...

I couldn't for the life of me remember my password so I had to create a new one... Here are a couple risotto recipes y'all might like:

Mushroom Risotto

Servings: 2
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

40g unsalted Butter
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 litre hot chicken stock
125g Carnaroli rice
5 tbsp Red wine, (preferably Italian)
175g mixed fresh Mushrooms, such portobello, closed-cup and porcini, sliced
50g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Heat a knob of the butter and the olive oil in a shallow pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and gently fry until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile put the stock in a separate pan, and bring to the boil. Keep it simmering while you make the risotto. Add the rice to the onions and cook for a couple of minutes until glossy, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Add a ladleful of the hot chicken stock and the soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms to the rice mixture, and continue to cook over a medium heat until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, stirring all the time. Continue to add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next ladleful, until the rice is tender but still retains a bite (this will take 15-20 minutes). Use as much of the stock as necessary to cook the risotto. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a separate frying pan over a medium heat, add the fresh mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, stirring, until lightly cooked. Stir the fried mushrooms into the risotto along with the parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Risotto

2tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
5 cups stock (increase if needed)
1/2 butternut squash, roasted and cubed
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp cold butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute until fragrant. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until rice is slightly translucent. Reduce heat to medium/low and stir in wine and stir until wine is absorbed. Begin adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly with each addition, until the rice is half tender but still surrounded by stock. Stir in the squash, sage and butter. Continue cooking over low heat until the stock is mostly absorbed, but rice has a bit of a bite (if you need to add more stock to get the rice to the right consistency, then do so. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rice & Fruit

Smells fantastic cooking!

1/4 c. unsalted butter
small yellow onion, minced
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
3 1/4 c. water
3/4 tsp. salr
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. dried apricot halves, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. pecans, toasted & coarsely chopped

In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions & saute until soft (about 10 mins). Add rice, water, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, raisins, cranberries and apricots. Bring to boil. Reduce to low, then cover & cook without stirring for about 20 minutes. Add pecans, stir & serve.

Ratatouille

½ cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups cubed, peeled eggplant
1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼ inch slices
Small can cut up tomatoes
¾ cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 medium pepper) [optional]
3 tablespoons dry white wine or water
1 tablespoon fresh basil

In large pan, cook onion and garlic in hot oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet pepper, wine, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Uncover and cook about 5 more minutes until mos of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Stir in basil.