BACK STORY:
All my favorite things - noodles, tomatoes, cauliflower, beans - all cooked up in a big heap.
NOTES:
This recipe added flavors that didn't seem to really blend together. I liked roasting the tomatoes to get a cooked sauce, but it didn't seem to be enough to hold together the noodles, so I would like either double the tomatoes, or skip the roasting effort and go straight for a red tomato sauce jar to throw on top. The garbanzo beans were good but could use some additional cooking before being thrown in the pot. I used penne pasta instead of spaghetti and don't think that substitution mattered much. But I do wish I had used a whole head of cauliflower to hold its own with the other starchy materials. Finally the almonds seemed almost too crunch in the recipe, and I would substitute pine nuts instead next time.
STARS:
2 out of 5. Worth trying again with all the substitutions, but not the best recipe ever.
RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016073-spaghetti-with-cauliflower-almonds-tomatoes-and-chickpeas
INGREDIENTS
- 24 raw almonds (about 3 tablespoons), blanched, skinned* and chopped
- 1 small or 1/2 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-14 1/2-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Salt to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon dried oregano (to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup cooked chickpeas (canned or freshly cooked)
- ¾ pound spaghetti
- Crumbled feta or freshly grated Parmesan for serving
PREPARATION
- Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and cauliflower. Boil 5 minutes, then using a Chinese skimmer, a strainer or a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to a bowl of cold water (do not drain the pot; you’ll use the water for the pasta). Drain the cauliflower and chop medium-fine. Set aside.
- (You can do this step while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil for the cauliflower). Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wide saucepan and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in tomatoes with liquid, sugar, cinnamon, salt and oregano. Turn up heat to medium-high and stir often as tomatoes come to a brisk boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and taste very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
- Add cauliflower and almonds to the tomato sauce, along with 1/4 cup cooking water from the cauliflower, and stir together. Stir in chickpeas.
- Bring water in the pot back to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook al dente, following timing instructions on the package but checking for doneness a minute before indicated time on the package. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta, in case you want to moisten the sauce more, drain pasta and toss with the tomato and cauliflower sauce and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add water from pasta only if you think the mixture seems dry. Serve, passing crumbled feta or grated Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.
BACK STORY:
Another lazy weekend day to make a menu requiring long cooking times. I have never cooked lasagna before and when I saw this recipe with roasted cauliflower I had to try it.
NOTES:
The recipe calls for half a head of cauliflower but a full head would have been even better as a denser filler. The roasting does take about 20 minutes, and then cooking another 40-50 minutes on top of that once the lasagna is assembled, so a good 1-1:15 should be budgeted. I used no boil noodles from Trader Joes that cooked up mostly well in my rounded casserole dish. The ricotta and parmesan layers added a cheesy zing - especially the pinch of cinnamon in the ricotta - while the cauliflower was mostly tasteless. I'm not sure roasting added much flavor and think if I do it again it's worth steaming or sauteeing over the stove instead of going through the roasting effort (though you do have to pre-heat the oven so maybe the extra 10 minutes doesn't matter so much). The result was delicious but complicated!
STARS:
3 out of 5. Worth trying agan with some tweaks to make it more user friendly.
RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12477-lasagna-with-spicy-roasted-cauliflower
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ pounds cauliflower (3/4 of a medium head)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade from fresh or canned tomatoes
- 7 to 8 ounces no-boil lasagna
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut away the bottom of the cauliflower stem and trim off the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into slices 1/3 inch thick, letting the florets on the edges fall off. Toss all of it, including the bits that have fallen away, with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring and flipping over the big slices after 8 minutes, until the slices are tender when pierced with a paring knife and the small florets are nicely browned. Remove from the oven, toss with the red pepper flakes and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
- Blend the ricotta cheese, water or stock, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Oil a rectangular baking dish and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with a layer of cauliflower, then a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
BACK STORY:
From Carrie's pumpkin cookbook I won at the pumpkin party a few years ago, I made the pumpkin black bean dip for the first time to bring to the Schmieg hayride party and Cindy and Leon's.
NOTES:
It calls for 3 cups black beans but I just used one can; conversely I used half a can of the pumpkin as my one cup. I didn't have cilantro so skipped the garnish (for better or worse); the dip was great warm from the sauteed onions and peppers, but also passable room temperature or cold. I brought tortilla chips for the party but we also ate it with pita chips at Naomi's, and I think corn chips (like Scoops) would have been good too. Overall it was easy and delicious - if pumpkin is called for, this is a great dish that isn't too pumpkin-y.
STARS:
4 out of 5. Easy to make and a great appetizer with the right dipping chip.
RECIPE:
(This is not the exact recipe from the book, but it's the best I could mimic online without typing out the whole thing)
http://reedsburgutility.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Black-Bean-Dip-with-Pumpkin.pdf
1 and ½ teaspoons canola oil
1 jalapeno chile, seeds and membranes removed, minced (wear gloves)
¼ cup diced green pepper
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves, garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed, about 1 ½ cups
½ cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
½ cup cilantro, chopped, plus a sprig for garnish
Method: Heat oil in small skillet. Sauté both peppers and onion for a few minutes until starting
to soften, add garlic and continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Place beans, pumpkin, lime
juice, cumin, salt, water, and chopped cilantro in bowl of food processor. Pulse until blended, but
not completely smooth. Add sautéed vegetables and pulse again until blended, but leave a little
chunky. Makes about 2 cups. Nutrition information for 2 tablespoons: 30 calories, ½ gm fat, 0
cholesterol, 125 mg. sodium, 5 gm carbs, 2 gm fiber and 2 gm protein, as well as a good source
of Vitamin A. (Recip
BACK STORY:
Another from the article on Meera Sodha, this also caught my eye because of the lime kale - and I thought I could use the leftover kale from the salad with roasted tomatoes last week. And I knew I had cardamom pods, always a plus to actually have the real ingredients on hand.
NOTES:
This says it will take 55 minutes but it was almost an hour and a half by the time it was done - I made it on a Saturday to allow plenty of time to cook. Soaking the lentils made the water frothy so I'm glad I did it, though I don't know if they soaked enough. I used ground mustard instead of seeds and skipped the chilies since I didn't have any fresh. The onion fry mix was delicious and could be eaten with just the kale and no lentils, frankly. The lentils are delicious but the real stand out was the lime kale, which added the right zing to the dish. I would make that part again for a warm salad in the winter.
STARS:
2 out of 5. Time intensive and other than the kale, not much different from other dals I've made, but requiring more ingredients.
RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018939-sri-lankan-dal-with-coconut-and-lime-kale
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound red lentils
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 small white onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¾ inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 green finger chiles or Serrano chiles, stemmed and finely sliced
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 large bunch kale (about 9 ounces)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 lime, juiced
- 7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) canned coconut milk
- Yogurt, for serving
- Rice, for serving
PREPARATION
- Wash the lentils in a strainer in cold water until the water runs clear, then place in a medium bowl, cover with water and set aside. Bash the cardamom pods with the side of a knife so they crack open.
- Put 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil into a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and cloves. Fry for a minute, then add the onions. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are browning and soft. Add the garlic, ginger and green chiles and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove a third of the mixture from the pot and set aside. (Leave the cinnamon stick behind.)
- Drain the lentils and add to the pot, along with the turmeric and 4 1/4 cups of hot water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once they are boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and creamy.
- While the lentils are simmering, chop the kale into thin strips and discard the thicker stems. Put the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil into a lidded frying pan (keep the lid off for now) over medium heat and, when hot, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, add the reserved onion mixture and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale, shredded coconut and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir-fry for 1 minute, add 1/4 cup of hot water and put the lid on to steam the kale for 2 minutes, or until soft and tender. Add the lime juice and stir.
- When the lentils are soft and creamy, add the coconut milk and remaining salt and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and pick out and discard the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. To serve, ladle into bowls and divide kale over the top. Serve with a side of yogurt and rice.
BACK STORY:
In an article in the New York Times (the actual paper, not my daily digest) about Meera Sodha's new cookbook "Fresh India." I thought both the broccoli and dal recipes sounded delicious.
NOTES:
This was quite good but I think I had too much of the cheesy filling and not enough broccoli. I only used one head but 2-3 would be just right to balance the heaviness of the cheese. I ate this both warm (from the oven) and cold (as leftovers at my desk) and it was divine. I would make it again and use it as quesadilla filling or a side with tofu or eggs.
STARS:
4 out of 5. Once I make it again with more broccoli I may change the rating!
RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018935-roasted-broccoli-with-almonds-and-cardamom-malai-broccoli
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⅔ pounds broccoli florets (from 2 to 3 heads of broccoli)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated whole nutmeg
- ¾ cup ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
PREPARATION
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Break the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Place all the other ingredients into a large bowl and mix well, using a spatula, spoon or electric mixer to combine. Add the broccoli and mix using clean hands, making sure the mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies of the florets.
- Divide the broccoli between the 2 baking sheets and roast for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces over and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender, crunchy and charred in places. Pile into a bowl and serve.
BACK STORY:
Despite the heavy presence of kale, this seemed like a pretty easy recipe to make and I had all the ingredients. Plus anything with fresh tomatoes this time of year is perfection!
NOTES:
I did not roast the kale and coconut separately; I layered them on top of the tomatoes and let it all wilt and cook together. (I figured it would all be going together later in the bowl anyway.) The dressing calls for a lot of ingredients I didn't already have - tahini and miso for starters - but the blended flavors were fantastic and I'm glad I actually followed the recipe instead of trying to make an alternative. I did use a brown miso paste from a bag instead of the white the recipe calls for - but since I don't know the difference in flavors, it was still delicious.
STARS:
3 out of 5. Incredibly delicious but rather time-consuming to roast the tomatoes and kale and make the dressing. Worth it for the flavors, but not an every-day meal.
RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018114-warm-kale-coconut-and-tomato-salad
INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, approximately 1 pint basket
- 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 limes, well scrubbed if waxed
- 12 ounces green or purple kale, approximately 2 heads, lower stalks removed and leaves torn into pieces
- ¼ cup unsweetened dehydrated shaved coconut
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated, approximately 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 red serrano or jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
PREPARATION
- Heat oven to 425. Rinse the tomatoes well, dry with paper towels and cut them in half, then place on a sheet pan. Dress with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 of them. Roast the tomatoes until just blistered and beginning to take on color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the kale, coconut shavings and soy sauce, and place on another sheet pan. Roast these in the oven next to or below the tomatoes for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, or until the kale has begun to crisp at its edges.
- Make the dressing in a small bowl, combining the grated ginger root, the miso, the tahini, the honey, the pepper, the juice of the second lime and the remaining olive oil. Adjust seasonings to your liking – you may wish to increase the amount of lime juice with a third lime, to thin the dressing.
- Put the tomatoes and kale into a large serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing over the top, a few tablespoons at a time; you may not need all the dressing if the tomatoes are particularly juicy. Serve warm.
