Pesto Tofu, Vegetables, and Brown Rice

No, really, hear me out.  I was going to do a stir-fry originally, but that would have involved buying a new bottle of teriyaki sauce.  Things evolved, sales on cabbage happened, and I ended up making this.

This recipe works equally well with chicken, but I had tofu on the meal plan.  Pesto drowns out everything, so it doesn't really matter what the protein is.

What struck me when it was on the plate was how inexpensive the meal was.  It looks fancy, but only cost me a few dollars on the day for four servings.  Getting every ingredient from scratch, you're looking at about $9, or $2.25 per serving, and half of that cost is the pesto.  It fills the plate and the cabbage roasts into something that feels hearty.

*1 C brown rice
1 small cabbage
3-4 large carrots
olive oil as needed
salt, white pepper, and granulated garlic to taste
*1 block extra firm tofu
*1 C pesto
lemon wedges for serving, optional

1.  First, start making the rice according to package directions.  Brown rice takes a minimum of half an hour, usually 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup and less sticking.

2.  Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut in quarters, and remove the toughest parts of the core.  Peel the carrots, trim off the top and bottom, and cut into large chunks, about 2" long and halved.  The goal is for them to roast in the same amount of time as the cabbage.  Rub with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and arrange on the baking sheet in an even layer.  Sprinkle with salt, white pepper, and granulated garlic to taste and roast until softened and the edges of the cabbage are browned, about 30-40 minutes.

3.  Drain the tofu, cut into 8 rectangles, and pat dry.  I tried getting all fancy with the pesto by putting a tablespoon on each piece, then gave up and added it all to the pan.  Warm in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little more oil if your pesto is on the dry side.  Turn over to heat both sides.

4.  Plate with a scoop of rice, one wedge of cabbage, several pieces of carrots, and two pieces of tofu per serving.  Drizzle with some of the warmed pan pesto and serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I'm always glad when I Google an idea and find a recipe from a familiar source.  Preppy Kitchen made these, and the recipe looked like what I wanted to make.

Yes, it's awfully close to Passover to be making a dozen biscuits.  In a few days, I'm going to move the turkey to the fridge and defrost the chest freezer.  The biscuits I don't have with the steak are going to be breakfast with some Lil' Smokies as the protein.  Passover eggs are going to be the most precious ingredient this holiday.

This is the first jar of home-canned sweet potatoes I've opened.  I still have a few par-steamed ones in the freezer, but I wanted to try the recipe with these.  Drained, they mashed into a cup of purée in seconds.  It was fantastic!  I'm going to be looking for recipes to use sweet potato purée now.  Because I was using powdered buttermilk, I saved the water from the jar and topped it off to be what the recipe called for.  Taking into account the extra water in the canned potatoes, I just made 1-3/4 cup total for the two ingredients.

The only issue I'm having with the original recipe is the yield.  These were 12 huge biscuits.  I usually make a biscuit or scone recipe with 2 C flour for 12, so I'm going to say you should get 18 out of a 3-cup batch.  I could have made sandwiches on these.

3 C flour
2 Tb sugar
1 Tb baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 C cold butter, cut into cubes
*1 C sweet potato purée (about 1 15 oz can potatoes, drained)
3/4 C buttermilk

1.  Preheat oven to 425º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the butter to make flakes.  You can use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers.  I like the finger option.  It's soothing to squish the butter into the flakes, and you can catch any hiding chunks.  Just don't work it too long, or the warmth of your hands will melt the butter.

3.  Stir together sweet potato and buttermilk, then add to the flour.  Stir just until it comes together into a shaggy dough and picks up all the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl.

4.  Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead lightly until uniform, maybe 10 strokes.  Don't overwork, or the biscuits will be tough.

5.  Pat into a sheet 1" thick.  You can use a 2" round cookie cutter, or do what I did and pat it into a rectangle on the baking sheet and score it into squares.  If using a cookie cutter, assemble the scraps and keep cutting out biscuits until all the dough is used.  For scoring, separate the squares slightly, so they will barely touch once they expand in the oven.

6.  Bake about 20 minutes, until the bottoms are just starting to brown and the tops are firm.  I did think the recipe might be a little heavy on the butter, but once the biscuits cooled it was the right amount that I didn't need to add more at serving.  Maybe I'll cut back by 2 Tb next time.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  You can store these at room temperature for up to two days, in the fridge for about five, or freeze for longer storage.

Makes 18 biscuits 

Difficulty rating  π

Millet and Pumpkin Kasha

I have wanted to make this since I first saw the video on Tasting History with Max Miller.  It has taken me this long to find the millet.

Millet is a lot less common in the stores than it was the last time I bought it, which was 2018 according to my blog posts.  You can order it on most of the grocery apps as a ship to store, and of course you can order it on Amazon or Bob's Red Mill.  Whole Foods carries it, but I know it isn't supposed to cost what they're asking.  Finally, I found one Sprouts still carrying it in their bulk grains section, for $1.99 per pound.

That Sprouts happened to be down the road from Super Sun, so I stopped in.  Ended up not buying the favas.  For that price, I'm just going to use the big limas.  They did have the dried tabouli in a box I like and thought had been discontinued.  When I'm more in the mood, I'll go back with a cooler and stock up.

Squash is a lot easier to come by.  I had roasted pumpkin from last year in the freezer, so that's what I'm using here.  Any yellow-fleshed winter squash will work for this recipe, including acorn, butternut, and kabocha.  Theoretically, if you cut them the right size, they will cook in the same half hour as the millet.  Mine was already cooked, so I skipped to the "add millet" step once it was warmed up with the milk.

Max wrote this as a one-pot meal, but I don't think my pot is oven-safe and transferred it to a casserole.  That was fine, since I needed a pot to cook my side greens.  I have enough chard to start harvesting!  Not frequently, but more than zero.  I don't think I'll have enough to serve at Seder, but hope springs eternal.

I chose to make mine with brown sugar, and add a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon.  When I reheated the leftovers, I drizzled date syrup on them to pick up different notes.  This isn't a dessert, but it makes a decent porridge for breakfast.  I happened to have it as a vegetarian main.  And after some of the more heavily seasoned recipes I've been making lately, my Eastern European stomach really needed this dish of its homeland.

1 sugar or pie pumpkin; or kabocha, acorn, or butternut squash 
3 C milk, whole preferred
1 C dry millet
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Dashes of nutmeg and cinnamon, optional

1.  Cut the pumpkin into quarters, peel, and scoop out the seeds.  Weigh out 1 lb of the flesh and find something else to make with the rest of it.  Chop it into 1" cubes.

2.  Place the pumpkin in an oven-safe pot at least 2qt in size and add the milk.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  I would stir frequently to avoid scorching the milk.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

3.  While the pumpkin is cooking, rinse the millet until the water runs clear.  Add to the pot with the sugar and salt and stir to combine.  Cover and simmer until the millet is softened, about 15-20 minutes, stirring often.  The pumpkin should be breaking down by the time the millet is done.  You will notice that it is absorbing the milk, but it's still soupy.

4.  Preheat the oven to 275º while the stew is simmering and place a rack on the bottom rung.  Transfer the covered pot to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until all of the milk has been absorbed.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Part XVI: The Frugal Pantry

I haven't changed topics in a couple of years, mainly because I'm still focusing on lower-carb, Mediterranean-style dishes.  There are so many out there, from over a dozen cultures, and I've barely scratched the surface.

Still, I've noticed an evolution in my tactics related to the economic times we live in.  I've also been rereading the Little House books.  I read them every ten to fifteen years, and get something different out of them every time.  This time, I appreciate the homesteading aspect and how scary it must have been when you couldn't rely on a fully stocked grocery store.  We all faced that for a few months in 2020, and North America is on the verge of that again.

As a single-person household, what I purchase lasts far longer than it would for a large family.  The principles I use to stock what I need are the same as someone who manages a household of 10.  Just far less of it.  I also may keep very different items than some others, based on what I like and dietary needs.

In this section, I'll go into the elements of food storage and creative ways to use pantry staples.  There will be ways to use less expensive ingredients in fancy-looking dishes and how to use the sales to stock items you know you will go through.  I'm constantly learning new tricks and figuring out how much I actually use.

Again, this is what works for me.  I don't feel like I can go back to the four day supply of groceries I kept pre-pandemic.  Planning meals a month ahead seems to be how I personally feel I can best take advantage of sales and product availability.  It won't be the same for everybody.  My pantry is large enough for a family of 4-6, so carrying that much inventory of non-perishables is easy.  The fridge is rarely more than half full, and I've been working on the freezer ahead of the annual defrost.  I had too much meat in there anyway, for someone who eats vegetarian half the time.  But that's another post.

Irish Stew

I really wanted to make a whole meal in the large Crockpot.  I wasn't in the mood for corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day and found this to make instead.

What I found around the interwebs was that Irish stew is commonly made with either beef or lamb.  What makes it "Irish" is the beer.  I've never had Guinness, so I just bought a single bottle and felt guilty about it.  The checkers at the grocery store don't care.  They don't even check ID on me anymore.  (Thanks, grey hair and eye bags.)  I did not buy Worcestershire, since the last thing I want right now is another condiment in the fridge I can't use during Passover.  I subbed soy sauce.

The lamb came from Western Kosher, a surprising development.  I was in there for hamantaschen filling, but they didn't have the prune.  Does no one like it anymore?  Hoping the stop wasn't a waste, I went looking for lamb stew meat or shanks, and found neck bones for $2.99 a pound.  Had to get three pounds to have enough meat off them, but that still came out less than the two shanks I had expected to buy at Pavilions, and they would make their own protein-rich broth.

I'm starting a new broth bag.  I still have plenty of chicken stock left, but the veggie is out.  Beef may end up being cheaper to buy unless I find a killer deal on bones again.  All the mirepoix veggies I've been using the past couple of weeks are adding up fast, so I might as well.

I'm using the slow-cooker recipe from Seeking Good Eats.  The biggest change I made was using half as much thyme and salt.  Oh, and I added half a bag of green beans at the end because it's all root vegetables.  You can do the same thing in a pot on the stove set to simmer or in the oven at 225ºF for about four hours.  I needed something to cook all day and be ready when I got home.

1 lb lamb stew meat, 2 lamb shanks, or 3 lbs lamb neck slices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1 lb red potatoes, peeled if desired, cut in chunks
*1 Tb Worcestershire or soy sauce 
*1 Tb tomato paste
*2 tsp dried thyme
*1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp kosher salt (one if using salted broth)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tb parsley flakes or 1/4 C fresh chopped parsley
1 Tb flour, optional
1-1/2 C water or broth
1 C Guiness

1.  Spray or line a large slow cooker.  The fatty meat is going to be hard to clean off.  Arrange meat in the bottom of the crock.  Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper.  If using flour to thicken the sauce, sprinkle on top so it mixes with the fat off the meat.

2.  Add onion slices, carrot chunks, Worcestershire, and tomato paste.  At this point, you are at the make-ahead stage and can refrigerate everything overnight.

3.  When ready to cook, chop up potatoes and add to the crock, along with the water and beer.  All the alcohol will cook off.  I did this part at 3am in less than 5 minutes.  It's very easy.

4.  Cover and cook on the low setting for about 8 hours, stirring halfway through if able, to make sure the potatoes are cooking.  The onions are going to disappear into the meat and lower the level of the stew, but the potatoes may still not be in the sauce.  I did this when I got home from work, dumped in the green beans, and let it finish while I took a shower.

5.  Serve in a bowl with plenty of juices and bread or noodles on the side.

Difficulty rating  π

Passover Cleaning Update

Here we are, post-Purim, and the cleaning has begun in earnest.  I don't generally go into this here because this is a cooking blog.  This year, I want to share why a lot of my recipes are on the simple side this month.

My first project was actually cleaning behind and under the California king bed.  I've never done it, and the layer of dust has bothered me for years.  One day, I finally realized how to make it light enough to move.  I had to take off the mattress, which probably weighs more than I do, and put the headboard feet on pieces of wood which could slide on the carpet.  Yes, that was the easiest way.  After wiping down the walls, cleaning the baseboards, peeling the dust off the back of the headboard, and emptying the Dyson four times, I was happy with the results and put everything back.  This is not going to become a yearly thing.  If I'm still strong enough to do it in five years, maybe.  I definitely now appreciate how easy it is to roll the other bed on the hardwood floors.

The next week, I worked six days and also threw out my back somehow, so I barely did the basic cleaning.  That was frustrating.  I mean, it's a big list.  I just couldn't scrub three bathroom floors with a lower back spasm.

The week after that was Purim, and time to really start focusing.  All I did Tuesday was sweep out the garage and start my tomato seeds.  One cherry tomato has sprouted so far.  I was so behind on routine things that even that and making dinner felt like an accomplishment.

Wednesday of last week, I buckled down and made the calendar.  Yeah, I'm not getting to everything I wanted to.  More went on it after I took the photo.  The cabinet painting and organizing the office will probably happen during Passover week.  I simply don't have enough buffer days.  The ones I left blank are because I have closing shifts and know I won't feel like doing any cleaning.  At best, I can catch up for 15 minutes after dinner.  I also have to squeeze in a couple of hours one day to do my taxes, since I'm a huge procrastinator.  This also presumes that I stay in good health and don't have muscle spasms, tired days, or catch a cold.

Some of the things on the calendar I really do only once a year, like checking every corner for cobwebs.  If I notice any at other times, I clean them up, but the full check is once a year.  I rarely hose down and clean the outside of every window except during Passover cleaning, because it's a lot of work for something you don't notice.  I put routine bathroom cleaning on one day just so I don't forget to do it shortly before the big night, but I obviously clean them more than once a year.  Dusting is on there twice, because dust.

I love how clean the house is on Seder night.  For a few hours, everything is perfect.  It also gives me motivation to do deep cleaning projects weekly for several months afterward.  I just hate getting it done.

Grape Leaf Pilaf (Dolmadakia)

I could have made dolmades for my Purim feast side, but they're quite a bit of work.  This deconstructed version is popular among cooks who feel the same way.  This rice salad has the same ingredients as the appetizer rolls.  You chiffonade the grape leaves and toss everything together, creating the exact same taste with a fraction of the work.

It still didn't use up all the grape leaves in the jar.  I'm running out of ideas.  Should have bought the more expensive small jar.  Remind me never to buy them again unless I'm making rolls for a party.  I bet I could make Asian spring rolls with them.  They're just camped out on the pickle shelf of the fridge with the kimchi.

I'm using the recipe from Dimitra's Dishes, which seemed the most basic and what I was looking for.  I did substitute dried parsley and mint, which means dividing the amount by three.  This is when I prefer tablespoons to grams, because you just change word to teaspoons and you're done.

*1 C grape leaves
1 small onion, diced
1/4 C olive oil
1 C Basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes (I used Jasmine because I prefer it, close enough)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
*1/4 C fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 T fresh parsley, minced, or 2 tsp dried flakes
2 Tb fresh mint, minced, or 2 tsp dried
*1 tsp dried dill

1.  Rinse leaves well.  I prefer to soak them in hot water first for a couple of minutes, then rinse.  Cut off any stems, then roll them up and slice thinly.  What looked like a cup when I pulled it out of the jar was a giant pile once shredded.

2.  Cook the onion in the oil over medium heat until softened.  Add the chopped leaves and a pinch of salt and cook until the leaves are softening.

3.  Drain the rice and add to the pot.  Add 1 C water, 1 tsp salt, the pepper, and the lemon juice.  Stir together and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook on low until the rice is done, about 15 minutes.  I ended up adding a little more water, but I like mushy rice.  The grains do get an odd gel-like appearance from the oil in the dish.  It's fine.

4.  Remove from the heat, add the herbs, and fluff with a fork.  Can be served hot or chilled, garnished with lemon wedges if desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbasi)

YouTube doesn't know what to make of me.  Watching Spanish recipes led to other Mediterranean cuisines, and even Ramadan iftar spreads.  I can't pronounce this one, but thought I'd give it a shot for Purim.

What really intrigued me was the presentation in many photos.  I wasn't sure I could pull off the fancy drizzle until I saw it's just olive oil heated with paprika.  Easiest part of the dish.

I'm going with the Simply Lebanese version, with an assist from Days of Jay, and scaling it down to 4 servings.  The red pepper paste sounded intriguing, but I didn't want to upset my stomach and subbed an extra tablespoon of tomato paste.  You can absolutely make this as spicy as you want with Aleppo pepper or any other kind of chili flake.  I'm also not sure why a vegan-sounding recipe has chicken broth in it, so there will be other options listed.  I'm sure it tastes great and gives a wonderful mouth-feel, but it wasn't what I wanted that day.

You will notice an annoying trend of "one onion", "one carrot", and "one potato" if you go looking for variations of this soup.  I guessed, without weights or cups to go by.  Half pound for the potato sounded right, since it's there for thickening and not flavor.  Onion is a matter of personal taste, the same way people usually put in more than the recommended amount of garlic.  Also, whether you blend the soup fully or leave it a little chunky is up to you.  I went for smooth.  And one day, I'll get a new immersion blender so I don't have to duck and cover when I run the regular blender for a hot soup.

1 C red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and large diced
1 small-ish potato, peeled and diced 1"
*2 Tb tomato paste (or 1 Tb each tomato and red pepper paste)
1/4 C olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth, or water
2 tsp dried mint
2 tsp paprika, for the garnish
any optional red pepper flakes, chopped or whole chilis, etc

1.  In a soup pot, heat 2 Tb oil over medium heat and cook the onion until softened.

2.  Add diced carrot and potato and cook a few minutes, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant.

3.  Add lentils and broth and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and cook on low 20 minutes, until the lentils are done.  Remove from heat.

4.  Add in the cumin and white pepper.  Blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a standard blender.  Stir in crumbled dried mint after blending.

5.  Return to the heat and bring back up to a simmer.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  While that's happening, combine other 2 Tb oil and the paprika in a small pan and heat until uniform.  To make it spicy, add chili flakes or hot sauce to the oil.

6.  Serve the soup hot, garnished with a drizzle of the paprika oil and sides of lemon wedges.  Squeezing fresh lemon juice into it at serving brings a little acidic zing that enhances the flavors.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chicken Curry #2 (pre-cooked chicken version)

I reread my original chicken curry recipe, and it was so much simpler than how I do curry now.  I have matured as a cook to use a greater number of spices to create a more complex flavor profile.  It really isn't much more work than the first one.

This was made even easier by opening a jar of ugly chicken.  Whole chicken pieces are prettier, but I felt like I could take more care with the sauce if I wasn't also cooking the chicken.  Canned chicken is under-rated and often relegated to chicken salad.  You could also pull apart a rotisserie bird and use the shreds in this dish, or any shredded leftovers.

Ok, long ingredient list because most of it is seasonings.  I totally cheated and got tomato paste, garlic, and ginger out of the freezer.  That's what they're there for.  Since my greens were cabbage, and that takes a long time to cook, I measured everything else out while it was wilting.  This recipe took roughly five minutes longer than the rice.  It goes faster if you use a tender green, like spinach.

1 Tb olive oil
1 C diced onion
*4 C greens of choice
*2 Tb tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 tsp grated ginger
1-1/2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seed, or ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 15 oz can coconut milk (lite ok)
2-3 C shredded or canned chicken
1 C chicken broth, or to taste

1.  In a large skillet or soup pot, heat the oil over medium.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and spices and cook until a fragrant paste forms, 2-3 minutes.

2.  If using a tough green like cabbage or kale, stir in now and allow to cook down until softned.

3.  Stir in coconut milk and chicken.  Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, for flavors to meld.  If you want a thinner sauce, add broth to desired consistency.

4.  If using a more tender leafy green, like spinach or chard, add that last and continue to simmer until wilted.  Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary, and serve hot over rice.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chickpea Polenta

The continued quest to use canned beans marches on.  This Mediterranean-inspired dish actually comes up with a lot of ideas when you search it.  I was originally going to make it with chickpea flour, but most of the recipes I found use corn polenta and I ended up liking the idea of a mildly contrasting color.

I didn't actually buy polenta meal because I have quite a bit of corn meal I rarely use.  I've also been in the mood for cornmeal mush at breakfast lately, especially after picking up some Lil' Smokies for a breakfast protein.

I'm topping it with roasted vegetables tossed in pesto and a sprinkle of parmesan.  A tomato sauce would be a good option, or tahini.  I'm considering this a pasta-like starch, just with a soupy consistency.  If you're having this with a simply seasoned side like chicken, steak, or just vegetables, go ahead and add sautéed onions, garlic, and/or herbs to the polenta.

*1 15 oz can chickpeas
*3/4 C corn meal or dry polenta
*2 C vegetable stock
1 C milk, water, or more stock
salt to taste

1.  Drain and rinse chickpeas.  Place half in a medium saucepan and mash.  Reserve the whole ones to add at the end.  I don't use the Visions pot much, but everything else is non-stick and I didn't want to scratch the coating when I used the potato masher.

2.  Add dry cornmeal, stock, and a pinch of salt to the saucepan and stir to combine.  Allow to sit 5 minutes, until the meal turns to sludge and the lumps are gone.

3.  Turn on the heat to medium-low.  Bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently at first and constantly once you feel some resistance.  This could take 15 minutes or more.  Once thickened and starting to spurt when you stop stirring, add the other cup of liquid.  Continue to stir until it thickens again.  Carefully taste (it's hot!) and add salt as needed.

4.  Stir in reserved chickpeas, bring to temperature, and serve in bowls before it cools into a corn brick.

Difficulty rating  π