Cauli-Quinoa Strata, Biryani, AB Pesto, Tuna Casserole, "Soda" Biscuits

 Cauli-Quinoa Bake

This one's not a casserole because it has no binder to make the mass cohesive.  Technically it's a "strata" -- things in layers.   Regardless of the technicalities, it's pretty darn tasty.

1 head Cauliflower, disassembled
2 cups dry Red Quinoa -- regular tan quinoa is OK but the red has more flavor
3 cups Vegetable Broth or water with your choice of spices
1 cup Onion, diced
6 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning -- I like the Olde Thompson  Everything Italiantm  blend
1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
3 cups Pasta Sauce of your choice -- we like the Paul Newmantm brand sauces
1 cup Frozen Peas
1-2 cups cooked Garbanzos
18-24 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 cup of Shredded Cheese to top before baking.

Cook the quinoa in the broth in a pot or rice cooker, to package directions.  While that's happening, saute the cauliflower, onion, garlic, vinegar and Italian seasoning in a skillet until the cauliflower is just starting to soften.  Reserve.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork, then spread it in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.   Spread the pasta sauce over the quinoa.  Now layer on the cauliflower mixture. Lastly, top with the peas, beans, tomatoes and cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes until the cauliflower is starting to brown a bit, and serve.

Biryani

I posted the recipe for this Mughal dish back in early February:  Fooding Around With The Kilted Cook: Search results for biryani (foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com)  It was so good I had to do it again!

Now that I'm cooking for 5 in post-Ian times, this is a great way to make very tasty, filling supper for a large 'family'.  The recipe easily feeds 6 although this photo shows only two servings.

A&B Pesto
Pizza night, with my chickpea crust. Instead of tomato-based sauce under the toppings, we like pesto. So I made a batch of AB Pesto. That's Asparagus & Broccoli Pesto. The parts of A & B you normally throw away -- the tough stems and ends. Chop them up (fine chop the asparagus stems especially), nuke in the microwave for 6 minutes or so if you like (we do, some folks like it raw) then spin in your food processor while adding garlic, herbs & spices (I had some fresh basil), nuts (I used walnuts), and drizzle in EVOO to make it smooth out into a paste. Schmear this on your par-cooked pizza crust before adding toppings! Also great as a toast or cracker topper, or a pesto pasta dish.

Tuna Casserole My somewhat healthier take on a classic casserole. I use Banzatm brand pasta made from garbanzo flour, real made-from-scratch white sauce (not salt-laden condensed soup) with Oliviotm not butter, milk and broth, mushrooms and assorted other veg. 8 oz Banza brand Rotini made from chickpea flour 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms -- I used Crimini 1-1/2 cup Frozen Mixed Veg 1 Onion, diced 2 cans Albacore Tuna in water, drained and flaked Olivio & Flour to make a roux 1 cup Milk for the roux 1 cup Broth for the roux Paprika, Black Pepper and other spices of your choice, to taste 1 cup Topping -- I used a mix of crushed multigrain chips and 1/2 cup fine grated cheese Cook the pasta to package directions, rinse and reserve. Thaw the frozen veg. Saute the onions and mushrooms in a bit of butter, reserve. In the same pan make your roux and reserve it. In a bowl fold together the pasta, tuna, frozen and sauteed veg, and the roux. Season to taste. Pack into a 9x12 (2 qt) baking dish. Bake at 375F for 20-30 minutes until GB&D. Breakfast Pita Here's an interesting breakfast idea if you're tired of the same-old, same-old. Instead of an omelet, scramble your ingredients and pop them in a warmed split pita, then drizzle on something like Sweet Chile Sauce or your favorite salsa.

3-Ingredient "Soda" Biscuits It's been awhile since I last wrote about these quick-to-make-quick-to-bake delights!  For my UK friends, this recipe is the easiest way to understand what we Americans mean when we say a biscuit is a biscuit not a cookie.  TRY 'EM!     Makes 6+ biscuits.

2-1/2 cups Self Rising Flour or AP flour with added baking soda
1/2 cup Sour Cream or plain Skyr or Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Lemon-Lime Soda or Ginger Ale (or even hard cider)

Stir together the flour and dairy.  Slowly fold in the soda so you don't lose all the fizz.  

Roll the dough out about 3/4" thick on a floured surface and cookie-cut your biscuits about 3" in diameter.  Lay out on a parchment/or foil covered tray and bake at 450F (220C) for 15 minutes until GB&D.  

The smell of these baking is divine -- try not to burn your mouth when you pull them from the oven and slather them with butter. 

Here's the buttercup squash and sweet potato soup I served them with.  Spiced with Chinese 5 spice and extra cinnamon.

UK Travels and Hurri-cooking -- Lentil Tart, Cheesy Polenta & Roasted Squash, Whatchagot Soup

                                       

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We spent a month in  various parts of the UK, from Steyning in the south of West Sussex to the Orkney Islands far beyond the "mainland" of northeast Scotland.  Absolutely fabulous time seeing old friends and family and even older stone-age monuments.  The Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar were erected between 3100BC and 2000BC (probably older than  Stonehenge). 

The Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney

We also got to meet the new 16th Lord Home and his lovely family as well as Home/Hume clansmen and women from around the world at the Clan Home Gathering in the Scottish B0rders, where I cooked Tortillas de Español for the 20 of us staying at four nights at Wedderburn Castle, one of the Home ancestral castles/stately homes.  My Hulme bunch are descended from the Homes of Wedderburn.

We were over there when the Queen passed away and King Charles III was sworn in, and watched -- in real time but not in person -- the funeral processions of Queen Elizabeth while in the Black Country around Birmingham.   Two of my clan friends spent hours in line to view HRH lying in State at Windsor.   

Then everyone here decided to throw us a Welcome Home -- Hurricane Party as a welcome home!   

Lincolnshire Slaw
When we visited Sally's childhood friend Fiona and her husband Toby in the tiny village of North Cockringham, Lincolnshire, they had a tree full of hard green pears and another of apples.  One afternoon we decided to try to make a fruit-not-cabbage slaw to accompany that night's dinner.  This was the result:

1 large hard green Pear
1 large firm-ripe eating Apple -- Fuji, Gala, etc.
1 medium Carrot

1/4 cup Sultanas or Raisins, or even currents

1/4 cup Walnut pieces
1/4 cup Mayo or Bleu Cheese Dressing
1-2 Tbsp Malt Vinegar
A few cracks of Black Pepper

Use the large side of your box grater and shred the apple, pear and carrot.  Don't bother to peel them (lots of nutrients in the peels), just wash well before cutting.  Toss the shredded fruit, nuts and sultanas together.  Fold in the mayo and the malt vinegar and chill before serving. Add pepper as desired.

Hurri-cooking

With a generator  (no mains electric), using my electric skillet and soup pot, and a rice cooker -- no oven, stove, toaster, microwave, food processor or Ninjatm Airfryer (they draw too much power and bog down the generator).  

Lentil Tart with Rice-Crunch Pastry

This one comes to us from our friends Joan & Mick who live in Canterbury House in Hampden-in-Arden near Birmingham.  She made hers a bit smaller and deeper.  I used a standard 9" diameter fluted tart pan with its floating bottom, and added half a can of chickpeas to the cooked, cooled filling.   Hot or room temperature, this is delicious!

For the Pastry
6oz AP Flour

1 tsp Salt

2 oz Ground Rice (long grain rice spun in a coffee grinder to sugar-grain course-ness

4 oz softened Butter -- room temp or slightly melted, with 
1 Tbsp warm Water

Combine the ground rice, flour and salt.  Cut in the butter and stir to make a warm dough.  Pat the dough out and press it -- evenly -- into the bottom and side of the tart pan.  Chill in the fridge while you cook and cool the filling.

For the Filling

1 Onion diced small
6 oz Lentils  -- I used green lentils
2 cups Water or Milk or 1 each
1+ tsp Chile Powder or Paprika
Optional -- other spices to taste

1 Egg + 1 white, beaten

4 oz Cheese, divided -- Sharp Cheddar is best

Combine the onion, lentils, spices and liquid,  and cook at least 30 minutes until the lentils are mushy, being careful not to burn them.  In hurricane conditions I used my electric skillet for this and added water as needed.  Drain and remove to a bowl, adding additional species as desired.  Mash but don't puree the mixture, you want texture here. Fold in the chickpeas the chickpeas.

Assembly & Cooking
Spoon the filling into the crust and top with half the cheese.   When nearly done, top with some additional spice and the remainder of the cheese and finish baking.  

Cool for 15 minutes or so before removing from the baking tin and slicing.

Rice Cooker Cheesy Polenta with Butternut Squash
No more standing at the stove and stirring!  This was as big of a revelation to me as the baked risotto I wrote about last month!

1 cup dry Polenta

4 cups Water

2 Tbsp Butter -- I used Oliviotm
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup Mixed Mozzarella and Provolone
1 Butternut Squash

Tex-Mex spices to taste

In your rice cooker combine the polenta, water and butter, and set it to cooking.  While that's happening, peel the squash, cut into 3/4" thick rounds and grill with your chosen spices until tender.  Fold the cheese into the hot cooked polenta.  Serve the squash rounds on a bed of polenta.

Sweet 'n' Sour Whatchagot Soup

I cooked this up the afternoon that Hurricane Ian arrived.  We had a hot meal while the storm raged outside.  Difference here was I added a good shot of Lime juice to the finished soup, just before serving.  It gave the result a nice sweet 'n' soup kick.  Potato, black beans, corn, carrot, onion, sweet potato,  unsalted cashews, bell pepper, tomato and spices were the major players in this version.