I tried my hand at inventing a new soup yesterday. I'm sure plenty of other people have made something like this before, but for me, I never have, nor have I ever seen a recipe for such, so for me, I was inventing it.
I sauteed chopped onions and carrots in butter with salt, pepper, and garlic, in butter and olive oil until very soft, then combined it with veggie stock and peanut butter and pureed it with my (new for Christmas!) immersion blender until very smooth. I also spiced it up with a combination of a few different curry spice blends as well as cinnamon, dried chiles, turmeric, and a little cocoa-based chili powder.
The veggie stock I used was a little different than normal. With the various veggies and the usual bay leaf and peppercorns, I also threw in curry leaves and kaffir lime leaves, because I knew I was using that batch of stock for the curry-peanut soup, and thought those flavors would be nice. I also used extra black peppercorns for the extra spicy kick.
Anyhoo, after blending the stock, onions, carrots, and peanut butter together and adding the spices, I taste-tested the soup and thought it needed a little tang to go with the herbiness and nuttiness. I had been planning on using milk and flour to make the soup creamy, but after the taste test I thought that maybe yogurt would add the tang I thought the soup needed in addition to the creaminess. So I added a few big spoonfuls of yogurt and pureed again.
The soup came out good but I think it had a touch too much peanut butter. Dan said he loved it and ate two big bowlfuls. I definitely think it was good enough to make again, but I'll probably make just a few changes. A little less peanut butter and a little more stock. And maybe a little ginger in the soup would be good.
Happy eating!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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Thanks!
-Lairdriin
Thanks!
-Lairdriin
Veggie Pancakes
I love my mother's potato pancakes, but tonite for dinner I made a variation of them. I had only one potato, but I did have half an onion, half a zucchini, and a friggin' boatload of carrots. So I made veggie pancakes with all four of the veggies instead of just potato pancakes.
I think any ratio of the veggies would work as long as the onions are a minority. Amount-wise I ended up with mostly carrots, then potato, then zucchini, then onion. Just as with the usual potato pancake recipe, I grated all the veggies and then strained out as much liquid as I could. Then I mixed in a beaten egg and a little flour, along with salt and pepper.
I made small patties out of the mixture and sauteed them in a little canola oil on high heat on each side until golden brown. I quickly discovered that with non-potato veggies, I needed more egg and a little more flour to compensate for the lack of starch that is normally abundant in just-potato pancakes. Some of them fell apart a little while cooking. It was too late to fix this batch, but next time I do this I will add more egg and flour to hold them together a little better.
I served them as I do potato pancakes with plenty of sour cream (no applesauce though). I was a little worried that they would be too carroty but as it turns out they were delicious. Really delicious! Almost as delicious as the regular potato pancake recipe -- and in our family that is saying something. And for a bonus, these veggie pancakes have an extra nutrition kick what with the carrots and zucchini. I actually would like to try them again with mostly zucchini instead of mostly carrot next time. But for a quick throw-together based on what I happened to have in the fridge, these were definitely a success. Luckily I have plenty left over, so I am looking forward to a yummy veggie pancake snack later tonite.
My Veggie Pancake experiment DEFINITELY counts as a success. Happy eating!
I think any ratio of the veggies would work as long as the onions are a minority. Amount-wise I ended up with mostly carrots, then potato, then zucchini, then onion. Just as with the usual potato pancake recipe, I grated all the veggies and then strained out as much liquid as I could. Then I mixed in a beaten egg and a little flour, along with salt and pepper.
I made small patties out of the mixture and sauteed them in a little canola oil on high heat on each side until golden brown. I quickly discovered that with non-potato veggies, I needed more egg and a little more flour to compensate for the lack of starch that is normally abundant in just-potato pancakes. Some of them fell apart a little while cooking. It was too late to fix this batch, but next time I do this I will add more egg and flour to hold them together a little better.
I served them as I do potato pancakes with plenty of sour cream (no applesauce though). I was a little worried that they would be too carroty but as it turns out they were delicious. Really delicious! Almost as delicious as the regular potato pancake recipe -- and in our family that is saying something. And for a bonus, these veggie pancakes have an extra nutrition kick what with the carrots and zucchini. I actually would like to try them again with mostly zucchini instead of mostly carrot next time. But for a quick throw-together based on what I happened to have in the fridge, these were definitely a success. Luckily I have plenty left over, so I am looking forward to a yummy veggie pancake snack later tonite.
My Veggie Pancake experiment DEFINITELY counts as a success. Happy eating!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Laurie's Famous Eggplant Parmesan
I have been making eggplant parm in my own way for years now... 13 or 14, I think. When I first started making it, I copied my mother's recipe for the most part, but I liked things a little different, so I played around with options and it didn't take very long until I had the method that I use now. The first time my sister Julie tried it - 11 years ago or something - she went home and raved about it to my parents, and then they asked me to cook it for them, too. I know it's the best, because honestly, if something you are making isn't your favorite, then why are you making it that way? But it's gotten many accolades from many different people over the years, and since I recently mentioned it in my post about lasagna, I figured I would share my recipe here, in case anybody else wants to have the best eggplant parm in the world.
"Parmesan" means in the method of Parma. Veal parmesan, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, whatever. It includes breading and frying the whatever-you're-having, and usually baking it with sauce and cheese. I don't like the baking it part, because after the frying you have this nice, crisp exterior, but if you drown it in sauce and bake it for a while, it obviously loses it's crispness. This omission is one of the three ways I differ from regular parmesan. The other two ways are that I cut the skins off the eggplant; and that I cut the eggplant thick and then cook it only lightly, so that it's not a thin mushy pile of ... well, mush.
Here is an actual recipe, although this is the first time I have EVER attempted to suss it out in recipe form, literally. I just go into the kitchen and do my thing, so if any of these amounts don't work out for you, please just change it. It's all approximate, k?
Laurie's Famous Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium-sized eggplant, fresh, firm
3/4 c bread crumbs (Italian style or plain plus seasoning)
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (kraft in the can is best; actual parmaggiano-reggiano doesn't work well for this type of application)
2 eggs
canola or other veggie oil
tomato sauce of your liking (I like something simple and w/o chunks, lightly seasoned)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
more parmesan or parmaggiano-reggiano (for the finishing element, real parmaggiano DOES work great)
1. Cut off the very top and bottom of the eggplant and slice the eggplant into discs, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice off the skin of the eggplant trying to cut off as little flesh as possible and keeping the eggplant in basic disc shape. Lay the eggplant discs out on a tray or plate in one layer and lightly salt all the discs. Set them aside for about 10-15 minutes. The salt will pull some moisture out of the eggplant.
2. In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl combine equal parts grated (canned) parmesan and bread crumbs. (If using unseasoned bread crumbs, add a pinch each of: dried basil, dried parsely, and granulated garlic.) Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, crack two whole eggs and whisk well.
4. Heat a half inch of canola oil in a non-stick sautee pan on medium heat. Near the pan, line up the egg, breadcrumbs, and a plate or tray that has a few paper towels on it.
5. With paper towels, dab the eggplant discs dry. One by one, dip a disc into the egg, shake off excess, then dip into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat well with the breadcrumbs, then drop carefully into the hot oil. The oil should sizzle a little; if it doesn't sizzle, heat it up before continuing; if it really pops and screams when the eggplant goes in, turn down the heat.
6. Don't overcrowd the pan with eggplant; leave a little space between each one. Cook each disc until it is golden brown on one side, then turn it over carefully with tongs. As you pull discs out, place them on the paper towel plate. If you are making a large batch, you can transfer some to a very low oven while you continue the rest.
7. When you are ready to serve, plate the eggplant discs, spoon a little very hot sauce alongside the eggplant, and sprinkle the whole thing with room-temp shredded mozzarella and a little parmagianno-reggiano. This way you get melted cheese for the top of your eggplant without having to bake it and lose the crispness. Serve it right away. Or better yet, serve all those components at the table (piping hot of course) so that everyone puts it together themselves and the eggplant stays crisp even longer.
I like to serve eggplant parmesan with pasta on the side. Sometimes I go nuts and I also make veggie Italian sausage with peppers and onions. Then the plate is eggplant parm, pasta, sausage, peppers and onions, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. It's a lot of food, but it's YUMMY.
There you have it. That's how I do eggplant parm. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it.
Happy eating!
"Parmesan" means in the method of Parma. Veal parmesan, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, whatever. It includes breading and frying the whatever-you're-having, and usually baking it with sauce and cheese. I don't like the baking it part, because after the frying you have this nice, crisp exterior, but if you drown it in sauce and bake it for a while, it obviously loses it's crispness. This omission is one of the three ways I differ from regular parmesan. The other two ways are that I cut the skins off the eggplant; and that I cut the eggplant thick and then cook it only lightly, so that it's not a thin mushy pile of ... well, mush.
Here is an actual recipe, although this is the first time I have EVER attempted to suss it out in recipe form, literally. I just go into the kitchen and do my thing, so if any of these amounts don't work out for you, please just change it. It's all approximate, k?
Laurie's Famous Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium-sized eggplant, fresh, firm
3/4 c bread crumbs (Italian style or plain plus seasoning)
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (kraft in the can is best; actual parmaggiano-reggiano doesn't work well for this type of application)
2 eggs
canola or other veggie oil
tomato sauce of your liking (I like something simple and w/o chunks, lightly seasoned)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
more parmesan or parmaggiano-reggiano (for the finishing element, real parmaggiano DOES work great)
1. Cut off the very top and bottom of the eggplant and slice the eggplant into discs, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice off the skin of the eggplant trying to cut off as little flesh as possible and keeping the eggplant in basic disc shape. Lay the eggplant discs out on a tray or plate in one layer and lightly salt all the discs. Set them aside for about 10-15 minutes. The salt will pull some moisture out of the eggplant.
2. In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl combine equal parts grated (canned) parmesan and bread crumbs. (If using unseasoned bread crumbs, add a pinch each of: dried basil, dried parsely, and granulated garlic.) Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, crack two whole eggs and whisk well.
4. Heat a half inch of canola oil in a non-stick sautee pan on medium heat. Near the pan, line up the egg, breadcrumbs, and a plate or tray that has a few paper towels on it.
5. With paper towels, dab the eggplant discs dry. One by one, dip a disc into the egg, shake off excess, then dip into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat well with the breadcrumbs, then drop carefully into the hot oil. The oil should sizzle a little; if it doesn't sizzle, heat it up before continuing; if it really pops and screams when the eggplant goes in, turn down the heat.
6. Don't overcrowd the pan with eggplant; leave a little space between each one. Cook each disc until it is golden brown on one side, then turn it over carefully with tongs. As you pull discs out, place them on the paper towel plate. If you are making a large batch, you can transfer some to a very low oven while you continue the rest.
7. When you are ready to serve, plate the eggplant discs, spoon a little very hot sauce alongside the eggplant, and sprinkle the whole thing with room-temp shredded mozzarella and a little parmagianno-reggiano. This way you get melted cheese for the top of your eggplant without having to bake it and lose the crispness. Serve it right away. Or better yet, serve all those components at the table (piping hot of course) so that everyone puts it together themselves and the eggplant stays crisp even longer.
I like to serve eggplant parmesan with pasta on the side. Sometimes I go nuts and I also make veggie Italian sausage with peppers and onions. Then the plate is eggplant parm, pasta, sausage, peppers and onions, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. It's a lot of food, but it's YUMMY.
There you have it. That's how I do eggplant parm. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it.
Happy eating!
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