Culinary Events Round Up

It has been a busy food month.

Cooking for the week over the weekend is going well. It really takes the pressure off weeknight cooking. I make a stew/soup, casserole and an Asian dish every week. Fettucini in spinach and cream cheese sauce was fantastic. I roasted several root vegetables I got from my CSA - rutabagas and turnips with paprika, potatoes and sweet potatoes with rosemary. Ate this root veg hash with eggs in the morning. It was DELICIOUS!

Volunteered for two classes at Salud. Meatless Meals and Salute to Julia II. It feels good to be back in the swing of things. I am teaching a hands on class on vegetarian sides on May 23rd.

Stopped by Winter Wanderland event at Elmington Park this weekend. Enjoyed the red curry with tofu from Deg Thai. Then bean and cheese empanada and abuelita's hot chocolate from The Coffee Company. I plan on going back next weekend.

I picked up my CSA this week and got a bunch of baby carrots. Spring is here! :-)

CSA from Avalon Acres

I have joined a winter CSA (community supported agriculture) with Avalon Acres. Today I got

3 white radishes
4 turnips
5 small rutabagas
a jar of clover honey from Avalon Acres
a jar of tomato sauce
a container of goat cheese from Noble Springs Dairy
1 lb whole wheat pasta from Troyer's Home Bakery

The root vegetables aren't among those I typically buy so I had to look through some recipes to decide how I am going to use them. My thoughts so far

Radishes, known as mula in Marathi and mooli in Hindi. Growing up we ate mooli raita and mooli paratha. I will try to recreate these recipes. Radish and Sesame Soy Noodle Salad sounds good, but I will probably embellish it with carrots and edamame.

Turnips and rutabagas will probably be roasted and mashed to be enjoyed with a side of plant based protein rich food - tofu or mushrooms. I might get some mock crab cakes from Whole Foods to supplement this meal.

I am sure the honey, tomato sauce, pasta and cheese will be used well and used quickly. :-) I was hoping for some greens, maybe next time.

If anybody has radish, rutabaga and turnip recipes to share, I am all ears.

Fennel, wine and mascarpone cheese...hmmm

I am a spontaneous, off the cuff cook. I don't look at recipes, I don't cook the same way twice and generally the final product is the result of questions like - what produce looks good or what do I need to use from my refrigerator.

Rigatoni in Cream Sauce is a recipe that came together because I needed to use fennel, mushroom, carrots and mascarpone. But I tell ya, it is a keeper. There is a good chance I will make this again the same way. Here is the recipe - of course feel free to modify it to suit your taste.

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 small carrots, julienne or ribbons
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay, because that is what I had)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Olive oil
Salt

1. In a saucepan, heat oil, saute fennel and garlic on medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add red pepper flakes, saute for another minute.
3. Add mushrooms and salt. Saute until mushrooms start releasing moisture.
4. Add wine and bring to simmer. Let the alcohol cook off a bit. Taste.
5. Reduce heat and add mascarpone.
6. Cook pasta (I used rigatoni) per directions and toss in the cream sauce when warm.

EAT!

Let me know if you try this recipe.

12 Hours of Cooking and Eating

As some of you may know, I started working on my PhD last year. Being a full time graduate student has left me with limited time to cook and entertain, but it looks like I might finally have some "study-cook" balance in my life. And was my first day back, although I think I over indulgued just a little bit.

It started with a 5 hour (8:30-1:30) stint at Salud cooking school at Whole Foods, volunteering for a hands-on class - Salute to Julia! The menu was great - very French - pastry with real Roquefort cheese, spinach souffle, scalloped potatoes and upside-down apple tart. This tart was probably the best dessert I have had in a very long time and it didn't even have chocolate.

After the class I shopped at Whole Foods and sampled the holiday menu. The squash casserole was noteworthy. Finished up my grocery shopping at Kroger and got back at 3:30. Now at this point, any sane graduate student would start working on that 20 page paper that is due in a couple days. Don't worry, I know what I am going to write, it is just a matter of putting finger to keyboard...(yeah right!)

I decided to continue cooking and cook for the week. On the menu for the next week:

1. Roasted Beet Borscht (check on vitamins, minerals and colorful food)
2. Red Swiss Chard with Garlic and Onions (great by itself, but I intend to eat it with creamy, cheesy polenta on Tuesday night)
3. Mac and Cheese in a Spinach Alfredo (I had to make peace with the amount of cheese I wanted to add, so the spinach is there to increase its nutritional value, while maintaining the comfort value.)
4. Banana Walnut Bread (to take to study group on Monday)

I still have some leftover Bulgur and Lentil stew, kheer and a couple methi parathas. This should keep me well fed and prevent any unnecessary food expenses, allowing me to focus on my assignment. 20 page paper here I come!

Let me know if anybody wants any recipes. I will probably photograph the swiss chard and polenta and post the recipe.

It is not almost 8:30 and I am going to enjoy my mac and cheese with a glass of wine.

Bon Apetit!

Another Hands On Class at Whole Foods

I taught another hands on class at Whole Foods yesterday. Great menu of celebration foods, cooked by a wonderful group of students with the assistance of FANTASTIC volunteers.

Here is one of the more popular recipes from the class.

Vegetarian Koftas in a Mughlai Sauce

Ingredients:

For the meatballs

2 large Yukon gold potatoes

½ cup carrots and peas, canned or parboiled

¼ cup raisins

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

salt to taste

For the cashew sauce

2-3 cloves

4 cardamom pods, shelled

2 1-inch sticks of cinnamon

4-6 peppercorns

2 large onions, chopped

½ cup cashews, plain

1 targe piece of ginger, peeled and julienned

½ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Method:

For the vegetable meatballs

1.Cook potatoes in a pressure cooker. Peel when hot and grate immediately.

2.Add the ginger, garlic, carrot, peas and salt.

3.Combine until the mixture forms a ball of dough.

4.Divide into small balls and pan fry.

5.Drain on paper towels and set aside.

For the cashew sauce

1.Soak cashews in warm water.

2.Roast the spices in a pan or microwave and grind to a powder in a spice/coffee grinder.

3.Saute chopped onion, turmeric and ginger on oil.

4.When the onion is translucent, add cashews and sauté.

5.Transfer to blender, add some water and puree/

6.Transfer the puree to the pot, add the freshly ground spice mixture.

7.Adjust salt.

8.Add the “meatballs” and let simmer.

I am open to doing some small scale catering for dinner parties or cooking parties so contact me through the blog or at cookingwithuma@gmail.com.

Hands On Class at Whole Foods

I taught a hands-on class at Whole Foods yesterday. We made 8 different vegetarian sides all with an Indian twist. The menu was

• Spinach in Cashew Sauce
• Red Swiss Chard with Garlic
• Cumin Scented Potatoes and Cauliflower
• Beetroot Slaw
• Spicy Mushrooms
• Green Beans with Coconut and Chilies
• Beans in Tomato Sauce
• Cucumber in Yogurt Sauce

I had a wonderful group of students and volunteer helpers. The class went very smoothly and the food was delicious.

The most rewarding part was to know that the people taking the class were trying vegetables they typically don't eat or cook this way. And there is a good chance that they will try to make at least one of those recipes at home.

Cooking can be fun, if you are willing to just give it a try. If what you aim for doesn't turn out right, there is always pizza.

Here's to flavorful and colorful vegetables!

When Inspiration Strikes

So you all saw that we bought 10 lbs of red potatoes in November. We ate all of those. Then we bought 8 lbs of fingerling potatoes and have enough left for one meal. Recently we bought 15 lbs of yukon gold potatoes. I used some to make potato patties for chaat and then some here and there.

The other night I felt inspired and made potato soup! This wasn't your same old bland potato soup - it was very colorful and healthy. It was a root vegetable soup with relish.

Potato Soup with Corn Relish

For the Soup:

2 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1/2 small onion, sliced thinly

In a stockpot, heat olive oil and saute the onion and fennel. Then add the carrots, saute. Last, add the potatoes and saute for a couple minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add water just enough to cover the vegetables. Cover and let cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, puree the vegetables using an immersion blender. Season to taste, add some dried thyme and let simmer.

For the Relish
1 can sweet corn niblets, drained
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all three ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Serving suggestion.
In a bowl, spoon in a mound of the corn relish. Pour the hot soup around the relish and top with a dollop of sour cream.

We really enjoyed this combination and we will definitely try some other ones soon. Will keep you posted.