Potato Curry with Tomatoes

I hope everyone is getting ready for the first major holiday of 2010. Yes, Halloween counts. I'm actually going to an evening group meditation sit tomorrow so I won't get to see the cute neighborhood kids dressed up. What are you all up to?

The Indian cooking continues with oohs and aahs from the family. I'm hearing that my bread and Indian food are causing weight gain. I think it's because they are over eating. I just cook. I don't provide portion control services. That's extra!

I've been making recipes from my little Indian cook book on a weekly basis with lots of success. So far, all the recipes I've tried (all three of the 1001) have been great! Easy, tasty and complete within 45 minutes. This one too. I love the potatoes and tomatoes together. The spices are amazing together in this combination. You could use this spice combo and vary the vegetables (and the cooking times accordingly). Thus, far this has become the family and friends favorite.

Serve with your favorite Indian bread or whole wheat tortillas, like I did. I promise you yumminess.

Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes
- 4 T oil (I use half the amount called for in recipes, otherwise it is too much!)
- 2.5 tsp mustard seeds
- 2.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2.5 tsp ground red chili
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- salt to taste
- 14 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 2/3 c water
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 T chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preparation
1. Boil the potatoes in their skins then drain, peel and cut in 1/4 inch diameter. I would boil until a knife can pierce the potato easily, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a heavy-based pan and fry mustard seeds over medium heat until the start crackling. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds until lightly browned. Stir in the potato pieces and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, chili, turmeric and salt.

3. Stir in tomatoes and cook until the water has been absorbed. Pour in the water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Note: I took the pictures after I followed the above recipe to a T. I found that the sauce was rather thick and a little chalky so I thinned it out with additional water, making it as saucy as I wanted, sort of medium thick. Add water to your desired consistency.

Happy Halloween!

Tomato Curry Frittata

I know, it seems like all I blog about are eggs and bread. It seems to get boring but it doesn't. There are so many different ways to make eggs and it tastes different every time, really. My folks were visiting this weekend and they're kind of a tough crowd. Both like spicy food, deeming anything not spicey, blah. One is vegetarian +. By plus I mean low or no sugar, no fat, no egg yolks, no fruit, no this no that. At times I find these restrictions excruciating. I'm mostly vegetarian and know how to cook vegetarian very well but all these other complexities it makes me throw my hands in the air. Then I came to the grand conclusion that I would do my best. If they want to eat it, great and if not, then they're on their own. After all, my being mostly vegetarian (I eat seafood) doesn't stop my family from serving chicken when I visit. And I eat it, without complaint.

The inspiration for this dish came from my mom, who would use this filling to make omelets. The filling is extremely satisfying, exceptionally savory, and not overwhelmingly spicy. Rather than make individual omelets I decided to make a frittata so I wouldn't have to stand at the stove. It came out pretty well but the bottom burned a little. Not sure why since I made this a few weeks ago without the burning. Even with the burned bottom, it still tasted great. The mom was pleased with the results, and she's an exceptional cook.

Ingredients

- 2 T olive oil

- 6-12 eggs

- 1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes

- 1 medium or large onion

- 1 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp mustard seed

- 1/4 tsp chili powder

- chopped cilantro to taste

- 1/8 tsp asafoetida

-1/2 tsp

To make filling, see below. The filling can be made in advance and stored for 3 days in the fridge.

1. While heating 1-2 T olive oil in medium to large skillet over medium heat, roughly chop onion and tomato. Add mustard seeds, cover with lid until the popping sound subsides. Add asafoetida, cumin and chili powder. Let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Add onion and sautee until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add chopped tomato. Simmer with lid on until tomatoes are really soft and skins come off, about 20 to 30 minutes (passive cooking). You don't really have to watch this too closely. Add salt to taste, approximately 1/2 tsp. Start with 1/4 tsp and increase in 1/4 tsp increments to find your appropriate salt level. If you like tomato chunks then you're done. My mom likes more of a puree so I mashed the tomatoes a bit. Add chopped cilantro to taste. Don't worry if the filling has kick. It will mellow out with the addition of eggs.

At this point you can use the puree to make either omelets or frittatas. For omelets, just beat 2-3 eggs (for 1 serving), add as much tomato filling as you like, beat some more, pour into heated skillet (kind of like an egg pancake), and then cook with a little oil. For omelets, I like having more filling to eggs so I may add as much as a 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling.

For frittata, read below.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet, and turn heat to medium. While it's heating, beat together eggs, 2 cups tomato filling (1 cup for 5-6 egg frittata, 2 cups for 10-12 egg frittata), salt and pepper. When oil is hot, pour eggs into skillet and turn heat to medium low. Cook undisturbed for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm. FYI, I made a 10 egg omelet and it really filled up the 10-inch skillet.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Then check every 5-10 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny. Garnish with more cilantro and serve hot or at room temperature. Total bake time is about 30 minutes.

Tomato Tart

Isn't it frustrating when your own family does not want to eat a meal that you would lovingly prepare because they would prefer to eat meat. Really?! Meat! Especially something as delicious as tomato tart. So forget it, I won't. I will make it for some one who does, like friends. We loved it; along with another friend, we devoured it! Everything tastes better when it's shared, doesn't?

I love Sunset magazine. Love it! Every recipe works so well including this (click on title of entry fro recipe). I've never worked with phyllo and thought this would be an easy way to work with it. It was! You just have to work quickly because phyllo dries out quickly, even when covered with a damp cloth.

This is so light, tasty and flaky. It's light on the cheese and oh so flavorful. I highly recommend it as an appetizer.

Creamy polenta with wild mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes

I loved this recipe which is straight out of Light and Healthy 2010 by America's Test Kitchen. It was earthy, warm, comforting. The one thing I didn't like was how juicy the dish became. Some juice is necessary but this was a lot, and I think it may have to do with the first part of cooking the mushrooms covered. When I make this again, I will cook the mushrooms on high heat w/out salt until they are softened and browned and then add salt at the end.

Serves 4

For the topping:
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if large
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, minced after being reconstituted
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces baby spinahc
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Black pepper

For the polenta:
4 cups water
salt
1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1/2 cup Parmesan, divided
1 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
black pepper

For the topping, compile cremini mushrooms, onion, oil, porcini mushrooms, rosemary and 1/4 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stir occassionally, until the vegetables are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until just softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside off the heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, whisking constantly in a circular motion to prevent clumping.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often and vigorously, making sure to scrape the corners of the pot, until all the polenta becomes soft and smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, vigorously stir in half the cheese and all the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among bowls, arranging it on top of the polenta. Sprinkle each portion with remaining cheese and serve.

Red Peppers Stuffed with Corn and Fresh Mozzarella

Bell peppers are naturally abundant in August which inspired me to make this dish which I found in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I went to my local farmer's market where I spent a rather leisurely Saturday morning perusing all the produce twice before making purchases for this dish. It's amazing the little tidbits you learn about produce and the farms they grow on. I love the stories people have to share. I also love all samples; I was stuffed by the time I finished shopping.

When I read the recipe it seemed like a lot of stuffing for just 2 peppers but I used almost every single morsel of stuffing. Those peppers have bottomless pits. There was probably about a half a cup left after stuffing all the peppers. The stuffing alone could be a meal in of itself. Quick, simple, easy, and delicious; this recipe uses some of summers finest ingredients (except the garlic pictured).

My taste tester and I disagreed on the salt level of the dish. When I tasted the filling, I felt that it had enough salt from the cheese so I didn't add any as Madison's book suggests. But after eating one of the peppers in the final stage, I felt that I should have added a bit of salt to enhance the flavor. But the taste tester thought the salt level was perfect. I say add the salt but taste the filling first, after it's cooled a bit.

Makes 2-4 servings
Cooking Time: 30 minutes, Prep is about 15

Ingredients
-2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise
-2 T butter
-1 bunch scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
-2 1/2 to 3 cups kernels from 5 ears of corn (common on, Deborah! Too much work. I used frozen)
-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (skipped the peeling, etc.)
-1 fresh mozzarella cheese, 4 to 5 ounces, finely diced, or 1 cup grated Cheddar or Jack (used Jack)
-2 T finely sliced basil leaves
-2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
-Salt and pepper
-Paprika

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the peppers. If the red peppers won't stand upright, slice them lengthwise in half, leaving the stem end intact. Steam them for 5 minutes and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the scallions, corn, and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn of heat and stir in the cheese, basil, and half the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the peppers and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Set them in the prepared dish, add a few tablespoons water to the dish, cover, and bake until the corn is hot and peppers are cooked, about 25 minutes. Uncover and brown the tops under the broiler. Dust with paprika and serve.

Now get out and enjoy your local farmer's market.

KM, you were "by my side" while I shopped. Te pierdo.