Madhu Knits and Cooks

Ginger Shortbread - As Delicious as It Sounds

madhuknitsandcooks — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:40 -0500

Cook's Illustrated has inspired me again despite the missteps of late. This go-round, I made a ginger shortbread, which was an online variation to the "best shortbread" from the Nov. 2009 issue. The variations I made to this recipe were simply to correct for my lack of proper baking accessories. First, I substituted a hand mixer for using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, so had a little bit of nervousness about whether I would know when the dough was "ready" but after blending the ingredients for slightly longer than called for in the recipe, I think I achieved the proper texture. Second, I messed up the forming of the dough by using a springform pan that was open instead of closed, so later when the recipe said to "open" the collar, I couldn't really make that adjustment. Third, I didn't have a biscuit cutter, so instead to remove a center circle from the shortbread, I used what I thought would be an appropriate substitute - a Storm Trooper cookie cutter. Maybe not the best idea (that cookie was pretty overbaked as it was smaller than a 2-inch diameter), but it seemed to be fine at the time. Finally, because the cookie cutter is not oven safe, I did not put it back in the middle of the cookie dough during baking, so the consistency was probably off from both the lack of a middle holder and from not opening the springform collar. (Oh, and when I propped the oven door open with a wooden spatula, when I removed the spatula, of course it fell into the oven door so the door had to be disassembled to retrieve it.)

Regardless of these technique changes though, the shortbread turned out pretty well despite potential overbaking. The shortbread was generally pretty moist (particularly in the middle - the edges near the springform collar were noticeably drier), and the flavor was really outstanding with the crystallized ginger of course being the star. I look forward to making this recipe again!

My First Cowl -- A Cashmere Delight

madhuknitsandcooks — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:03:23 -0500

It's rare that I actually design a project around using up yarn in my stash - particularly yarn that has been in my yarn "collection" for years. I bought the yarn in question several years ago at School Products in NYC simply because I thought it was just beautiful - a multi-strand cashmere in which the colors just seemed perfect together. I had no idea what I would use it for (a hat? a scarf? both, as the salesperson recommended?), but I am definitely glad I purchased it as it ended up being the perfect yarn for what has become my favorite accessory this winter, my new (and first!) cowl. Hopefully, completing this project will help me embark on a year-long stash-busting effort? Maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself...in any case, project details follow the first two pictures!

Madhu's Cashmere Cowl

Pattern: I just did a broken rib (1 row of k1, p1 followed by a knit row), in the round, casting on 144 stitches for an ideal 44-inch cowl (approx. 13.5 stitches for 4 inches in my gauge swatch).

Yarn: Multi-Strand Cashmere from School Products, used approx. 2/3 of the 290-yard skein.

Needles: One US9 circular

Measurements: The pre-blocked cowl was 44 inches long and 6 inches wide. The post-blocking cowl was 52 inches long and 5 inches wide. After almost daily use for one month, the cowl has grown slightly further to approx. 53 - 54 inches long. Although the cowl is longer than I would like, I am still quite warm when I double wrap it around my neck (so it's not TOO loose double-wrapped, which is good to know for future cowls).

Kadai Tofu -- Recreating a Restaurant Meal with Success!

madhuknitsandcooks — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:54:13 -0500

I have never had "kadai paneer" before, but recently chose to order it from a local Indian restaurant for take-out one night. Although I had relatively low expectations (I thought it would be overly creamy, and light on flavor), the dish was surprisingly tasty -- rich flavor that really complemented the chunks of sweet bell peppers and paneer in the dish. Even though I had leftovers that lasted me for at least two additional meals, I decided later that week to recreate the dish at home. I found a few recipes online to guide my attempt at this dish - which I decided would include tofu in place of paneer - and adapted them to suit the flavor I thought I wanted. My first attempt at this dish was pretty fantastic -- it really felt that I was eating the restaurant dish again, and I didn't really notice the substitution of tofu for paneer. The only change I will make the next time I make this is to omit some of the crushed red chiles I added during the cooking -- I found myself eating a little too much rice and bread to help cool my mouth, and I'd prefer to enjoy more of the dish without those bland fillers.

Kadai Tofu

For approximately 2 - 3 servings.

Ingredients:

4 small tomatoes
3/4-inch piece of ginger, coarsely chopped
2 green chiles
pinch of hing (optional, available at Indian stores)
1 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 hand-crushed dried red chiles (optional, will likely omit or half next time)
2 tbsp. dried kasturi methi (available at Indian stores)
1/2 package of extra firm tofu, cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 - 3/4-inch pieces
Salt to taste

Directions:

Blend tomatoes, ginger, and green chiles in a blender until smooth - I was skeptical of this technique from Manjula's Kitchen, but it really seems to work in the end, so don't let the pale red color worry you!
In a large saute pan, melt butter on medium heat. When melted, add cumin, minced garlic, and hing, and coat with butter. Cook for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
Stir in onion, and cook until translucent.
Add tomato mixture, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric and cook down for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the crushed red chiles and kasturi methi leaves and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tomato mixture should have a gravy-like, not soup-like, consistency.
Add tofu and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until warmed through, stirring occasionally. I think I may have covered the mixture at this point, but don't remember :-(.
Stir in the bell pepper, and continue cooking until tofu and bell pepper cooked to taste. Add additional salt to taste.

Homemade Vegan Noodle Soup

madhuknitsandcooks — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:43:01 -0500

I have had a hankering for a good vegetarian noodle soup for some time, but surprisingly, it can be really hard to find a restaurant that will serve a vegetarian noodle soup (as opposed to chicken noodle soup). And most prepared soup mixes at the grocery store have MSG or other equally undesirable ingredients. Because I still had a good amount of celery and carrots in the fridge from the Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice attempt, I finally decided to give this idea a go. I ultimately put together a recipe based on my personal tastes, the Food & Wine Emeril Lagasse Vegetable Noodle Soup, and the Food Network Kitchen's version.

The final product was pretty solid -- not great, but definitely good. It was noticeably better (even great) the day after (perhaps as the water evaporated a bit more in the microwave?), but I'll probably continue to tweak it to get a richer flavor (which unfortunately, does not seen to be found with adding bouillon cubes). One alteration though that I would not suggest though - or at least the way I approached the alteration - is substituting arborio rice for the pasta. I made this soup a second time, and substituted nearly 3/4 cup of dry arborio rice for the pasta. I definitely used WAY too much rice -- it definitely sucked up much more liquid than I thought it would, and the rice was also just bland (definitely did not absorb the soup flavors). So at least for now, my future experiments with this recipe will involve pasta instead of rice.

Homemade Vegan Noodle Soup

For approximately 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot or 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup pasta (I may increase to 1 cup the next time)
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or a few garlic cloves minced - I didn't have any at the time though, so substituted powder)
2 cubes vegan bouillon (I may reduce to one cube the next time)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro or other fresh herbs
3 tsp. lemon juice (to taste)
1 tsbp. olive oil
Kosher salt
Water

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, and add onion, celery and carrot and saute for 3 - 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.
Add the thyme and garlic (powder), and saute for one minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add 5 cups water, bouillon cubes, bay leaf, and maybe 1 tsp. salt. Bring mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, add pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender.
Lower heat, add the herbs, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Vegetarian Times Horseradish Smashed Potatoes -- Really Easy and Flavorful Alternative to Standard Mashed Potatoes

madhuknitsandcooks — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:47:12 -0500

I recently went to a get-together where I was requested to bring a side dish if possible. I wanted to use the opportunity to try something new, so I flipped through some of my winter editions of the Vegetarian Times and Cooks Illustrated to find a good, holiday/winter side dish recommendation. The Dec. 2011 Vegetarian Times had what seemed like a few good options, including what I ultimately settled on, the Horseradish Smashed Potatoes. The recipe required all of four ingredients, and for the seemingly most difficult to obtain -- fresh horseradish root -- there was a simple substitute of prepared horseradish, which can be found almost anywhere. Not only was this dish a hit at the get-together I went to, it was also so good that I used the leftover creme fraiche and prepared horseradish from the first go-round to make the potatoes again this past week with scallions serving as an excellent substitute for chives. The dish takes maybe 5 minutes of active time to prepare (the longest non-active time is waiting for the potatoes to boil and cook for a few minutes), so I definitely recommend it as an incredibly easy, and flavorful side dish for any get-together.

New Orleans-Style Red Beans and Rice (Well, Red Beans and Quinoa) - With Some Tweaks, This Recipe Will Be a Keeper!

madhuknitsandcooks — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:03:34 -0500

I haven't always been a proponent of red beans and rice, but over the past few years -- especially with my recent trips to New Orleans -- this Louisiana staple has been becoming a meal I think (and talk) about more and more. I attempted my own version by taking a look at a few different recipes on the Internet (thanks Carlos for the recommendations!) and trying to make alterations to fit what I thought would best fit my tastes and requirements - particularly that the dish be completely vegetarian. The recipes I ultimately followed the closest were from the Gumbo Pages, Emeril Lagasse, and Fat-Free Vegan.

My first attempt turned out pretty well though the red beans were a little too spicy, and I definitely should have just gone with rice instead of the quinoa. Unfortunately the quinoa didn't complement the red beans as wonderfully as I thought it would. Also, something else seemed like it was "missing" but I am not quite sure what -- perhaps the dish was not just too spicy, but also just plain over-spiced with my use of too many spices? Maybe some lime juice or something would help bring out the flavor? As you can tell, I need to give this recipe another go - with less spice - and will report back with any updates!

Completely Vegetarian New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

3 ribs celery, or 3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 large green bell pepper and 1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped or 1 cup chopped bell pepper in total
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound red beans, soaked in cold water for 6 hours
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped, or approx. 2 tsp. chopped pepper and 1 tsp. adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. Chef Paul Prudhomme Vegetable Magic seasoning
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
Cayenne
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Red chili powder
Water
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pot on medium-high heat, and when hot, add celery, onion and bell pepper. Add a pinch of cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper, and saute vegetables until the onion is translucent.
Add bay leaves, thyme, and garlic, and saute for two minutes.
Add the rinsed, soaked beans to the pot with three cups of water and the Chef Paul seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for one hour.
After one hour, add another 1/4 cup of water (or to maintain a thick, but soup-y consistency), chipotle in adobo and Tabasco.
Cooked for another two hours, or until beans are creamy, stirring occasionally. At end, add, salt, pepper, chili powder, and Tabasco to taste.
Serve with cooked rice (preferably not quinoa!).

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes - Great Out of the Oven, But...

madhuknitsandcooks — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:53:54 -0500

Unfortunately not so great the next day even after being sealed in an airtight container in the fridge, per the instructions. Just a little too dry to be enjoyable the next day, though the very rich flavor of these Dark Chocolate Cupcakes were really amazing out of the oven. In hindsight, maybe I slightly overbaked them (21 minutes instead of 18 - 20, and particularly important because these cupcakes were slightly smaller than what was called for in the recipe. I made 13 instead of the envisioned 12). I also used regular cocoa instead of dutch-processed, but I don't think that made a difference. In any case, I don't think I'll be returning to this recipe anytime soon. On to the next one...