10-Minute Tuna-Pasta Casserole, Besan Roti, PB&P, Matar Mushroom, Green Cheese?

 10-Minute Tuna-Pasta Casserole
Yes -- a dinner casserole in the time it takes to cook the pasta.  Hard to beat that!  Here's how.

1/2 box shaped Pasta
1 can White Albacore Tuna in Water (never oil)
3 oz sliced Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 jar Artichoke Hearts
1/4 cup Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing
14 cup Shaved Parmesan,  grated would work too but not as well
Sazon Complete or 24/7 spice blend to taste
Medium Paprika to taste

Start a large pot of water to cook the pasta and everything else in.   While it's coming to a boil assemble and prep the other things you're going to add.  Plenty of room to substitute or add favorite veggies here...

Cook the pasta about 6 minutes (normally 9 minutes to finish).  Add to the boiling water everything else except the cheese, dressing and spices.

Bring the pasta water back to a boil for 3 more minutes, then drain.  Transfer to your serving bowl and fold in the salad dressing, and cheese.  Dust with the spices, and serve.

Besan Roti
Besan is the Hindi word for chickpea flour, and Roti is a kind of griddle-cooked flatbread common to India.   You can think of these as more or less savory pancakes which can be topped or filled with a variety of sweet or savory accompaniments.  The following makes 6 roti.

1 cup of Besan --  Chickpea  Flour -- readily found on megamart shelves today
1 tsp each Baking Powder and Baking Soda... yes, both of them
1 Egg, beaten
1 cup Hot Water
Optional flavorings:  I used 1/2 tsp each of ground Green Cardamon and Culinary Lavender
Other possibilities:
Garam Masala
Cumin, paprika, saffron, fenugreek, jaggery, any of the common Indian spice blends you like 

Whisk all of the above together well and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes to hydrate, then whisk again for a minute or so.

Heat a non-stick or cast iron griddle or pan over medium-low heat -- I used 4 on a 10 scale.  You don't want the pan blistering hot.  

Drop a half tsp of butter or Oliviotm in the hot pan and -- swirl off the heat -- while it melts.
Pour 1/3 cup of the batter on the center of the pan and let it spread like a pancake.

Like a pancake, let it cook until the bubbles stay broken over most of the surface (1-2 minutes) then flip and cook another minute on the second side.   

Remove to a plate and repeat the process, cooling the pan a minute or so between pours so it doesn't get too hot.

The roti are best hot from the griddle, topped with a chutney or pickle, or just slathered with butter.  A hint of jaggery or crude sugar makes a sweet roti; or you can use a marmalade.  You can also top with slices of avocado, cooked lentils (dal) or any number of other things to make these an appetizer or a meal.

Here I've topped my roti with a spoonful of our favorite Indian condiment -- Brinjal Pickle also called Aubergine or Eggplant Pickle.  Sweet and tart at the same time, we love Brinjal Pickle on all sort of things.  Now I'll fold in half and enjoy!

The cardamon and lavender were present and pleasant but not plentiful.  Net time I'll double the amounts.

Roti can be stored in the fridge, cooled, in a zip-top bag, and re-heated in a microwave with just a few seconds on High.


PB&P... DP that is
The subject of Peanut Butter and Pickle (PB&P) sandwiches came up the other day, and although nearly everyone favored white bread over whole wheat, and smooth over crunchy PB, a lively argument ensued over the choice of pickle -- sweet or dill.  

The PB&P sandwich was a child of the Depression, featured on lunch counter across America.  Cookbooks of the 30s and 40s wrote of using pickle relish as a way to save money and stretch the pickle-ness.  Food fashions come and go, of course, and this one surfaced again in the New York Times during Covid lockdown, as a tasty way use pantry staples and avoid going to the grocery store another day... 

I'll say right off that I'm a proponent of the dill pickle for this application.  PB has a rich unctuousness which a bit sweet.  To my taste buds the sharpness of a good dill (kosher or otherwise) is the perfect balance of that unctuousness.  I also favor the flavor burst of a good multi-grain bread.  The one I get from local German bakers is 20% WW, 75% AP, and 5% other grains.  

I also favor whole dills or dill spears over thin slices of pickle.  As you see above, I roll my PB&B in slightly warmed bread rather than using two pieces of bread and making an ordinary flat sandwich.   PB&P roll-ups as it were.  That one features a whole mini dill. Perfect as a snack, or as an appetizer on a buffet spread.

Matar Mushrooms
Matar, also spelled 'Mutter' is the Hindi word for "green peas",  So this is basically a green pea and mushroom curry.  Since we love both of those vegetables, it seemed like a logical choice to make, to share Sally's odyssey.  As I type, she's touring India with a retired MD friend who was born and raised there.  The two ladies are having blast while I keep the home fires burning.

This recipe makes a "semi-dry" family-style dish not a cream-gravy restaurant-style curry.

Masala -- Spice Blend

1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Coriander Powder
3/4 tsp Red Chile Powder (not flakes)
1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/8 ground Fenugreek Seed

Ingredients
1/2 tsp Cumin Seed
1 cup Diced Red Onion
2 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
3/4 cup Chopped Fresh Tomatoes -- I used quartered yellow cherry tomatoes
Pinch of Salt
1 cup Frozen Peas
2 cups Sliced Mushrooms of choice  (can be pre-cooked if you choose)

• Heat a tablespoon of oil to medium high in a large skillet, and add the Cumin seed.  cook until they start to pop.
• Add the onion and continue cooking until it starts to soften.
• Add the tomatoes continue cooking until they start to get mushy.
• Add the spice blend and continue cooking.
• Add the peas and mushrooms.  Reduce heat, cover and cook until the mushrooms are done to your liking are cooked through.  
  

Serve with rice or roti.  I made self-rising flour Roti this time, having already eaten the Besan Roti I made above.

Green Cheese x 2
Soft or Farm cheese, like boursin,  is easy to make at home, inexpensive, and you can flavor it anyway you like.  The basic recipe dates back to medieval times when it was  called Green (meaning not ripe or aged) Cheese.  Now you know where the phrase "the Moon is made of green cheese" comes from!   

These cheeses are European versions of the Indian cheese called Chenna or Paneer.

Unlike ripe or hard cheeses that require weeks to months of aging, Green or Farm cheese can be made in an afternoon.  Unless you really love the stuff, have a large family, or are planning to feature this as part of a big dinner party, the following Quart/Liter batch is going to be plenty to experiment with.  You can of course double or quadruple the recipe to use a half or whole gallon of milk.

#1  Tasting History 
This recipe comes from Tasting History by Max Miller:  http://tinyurl.com/mr4av4n8  I've made his recipes before.  They are very well researched and presented.  This recipe makes a fairly firm soft cheese...
 
1 Quart/Liter of Whole Milk*; sheep or goat milk is really medieval authentic

1-2 tsp Salt
1/8 cup of half Lemon Juice and half White Wine Vinegar
Optional -- herbs to flavor the cheese -- chives, dried onion and dried garlic are traditional
Cheesecloth
Colander
Mixing Bowl
Quick Read Thermometer
Slotted or Strainer Spoon

* Pasteurized Whole Milk is fine, but not "super pasteurized" or irradiated shelf-stable milk. You can't use any plant-based "milk" either.

Line the colander with several layers of cheesecloth, set it on top of the mixing bowl, and set aside for the moment.

Stir the salt into the milk, plus any optional herbs,  and in a large pot bring it up to 185F (85C), stirring to prevent sticking/scalding.  Keep it at that temp, for ten minutes.  I used my electric soup kettle but an ordinary pot on the stovetop works just fine (see #2 below).  This step kills any bacteria laying around in the pot or wherever.

Take the pot off the heat, stir in the Lemon/Vinegar mix, cover and let it cool to room temperature (70F or so). 

During this time the proto-cheese, called Curd, is congealing from the chemical reaction with the lemon/vinegar.  The remaining mostly clear liquid is called the "whey" as in the nursery rhyme "curds & whey".  Whey is a superfood/probiotic and can be used for all sorts of things, so don't just discard it.  

Use a slotted or strainer spoon to transfer the curd to the cheesecloth covered colander, to drain. 

How long to drain?  Anywhere from an hour to overnight.  I drained about an hour then gathered up the cheesecloth and squeezed to remove excess.  The longer you drain the firmer your final product will be.  

To flavor my batch of cheese I used 1/4 teaspoon of powdered garlic, and a finely minced 4" piece of leek greens (I keep the green from a trimmed leek frozen in a zip top for just such applications).  Waste not, want not!  The quart of milk -- 32 oz, made 6 ounces of cheese.

#2  St. Môret French Style Green Cheese
http://tinyurl.com/4mv8d475 is a  French blogger who calls herself One Day, One Recipe who us a creamier, softer Green Cheese in a French style.  Same quart/liter of milk, but slightly less hassle. 

Add flavorings to the pan of milk, bring it to a boil (no thermometer hassle), then remove the pan from the heat.  

Add 3 Tbsp of White Wine Vinegar, and wait about 20 minutes for the curds to form. 

Scoop and strain as in #1 above, then wring dry in a tea towel. 

Put the wrung-out cheese in your food processor and add a bit of salted butter (1 Tbsp in my small batch) and whirr together.

Remove to a container.  Makes about the same amount of cheese as Method#1 (surprise, surprise).

I went 'wild' with the flavorings this time, and I'm much happier.  I used two minced leek leaves, a whole tablespoon of garlic powder, plus a whole tablespoon of fresh cracked pepper.  Now the flavors shine but don't over-power!

I didn't have any crackers to schmear with cheese, but this toasted left-over roti  made a nice St. Môret cheese and vegetable flatbread appetizer: