Biryani, Eggplant-Mushroom Pasta, Almost Baked Beans

Biryani My Way
Hundreds, if not thousands of Indian Biryani "curry" recipes -- an "all in one" dish of vegetables and/or meat (even fish) spiced and cooked separate from spiced rice before being folded together. Not to mention at least half a dozen different ways to cook the dish! After perusing quite a few variations on the theme, I've come up with my own way to prep and cook this tasty dish. BTW -- although this dish has a LOT of spices in it, it is only moderately hot-spicy. Chances are you'll have most of this in your spice cupboard and refrigerator. Don't leave anything out!

Spices for rice:
1 whole Star Anise
4 whole Green Cardamon pods – black cardamon will do, but use only 2 pods
4 whole Cloves
10 whole Black Peppercorns
2 Bay leaves

2 cups Basmati Rice – extra long grain if you can find it. This type of rice is the key to good Biryani.  

3 Tbsp ghee or oil, divided
1 large Onion – thinly sliced, divided

Spices for Vegetable Marinade:
½ Tbsp Ginger, grated
½ Tbsp Garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground Turmeric
¼ tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 cup Greek Yogurt or Icelandic Skyr

Vegetables
1 cup Carrots cut into 1” x ½” strips
1 cup Green Beans cut into 1” pieces
1½ cups Mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
half the sliced Onion
½ cup Red Bell Pepper cut into 1” x ½” strips
½ cup kernal Corn
½ cup Golden Raisins
½ cup raw Cashews
1 cup Paneer cut into ½” cubes – or Queso Fresco cheese

Queso Fresco cubed

Mix the vegetables  (minus half the onion),  spices and yogurt, and marinate them for at least 30 minutes to several hours (if you have the time). Reserve.

Rinse and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain. Cook the rice in its spices. Reserve.

                                

Saute half of the onion in oil or ghee until lightly caramelized. Reserve for garnish.

Slow-cook (covered) the marinated vegetables, the remaining ghee or oil, and any marinade sauce, covered, until just coming tender. I cooked them at 300F in my electric skillet for about 30 minutes, addin a little water to prevent sticking. then letting it cook away at the end. 

Add the fluffed cooked rice and fold to combine. Last, add the paneer/cheese.

Cook covered another few minutes to heat everything through. Serve with a garnish of caramelized onion at show at the top of the page..


Mushroom-Eggplant Pasta
We got all these big beautiful mushrooms from the SW Florida Produce Co-op, and were gifted a huge batch of Japanese eggplant from Sally's friend Wendy.  Plus I got a BOGO deal on some good chickpea pasta, and here you go!

Banzatm Chickpea Cavatappi pasta
3 cups Mushrooms - Quartered
3 cups Japanese Eggplant
3 oz cubed Feta or Queso Fresca cheese

2 cups diced fresh Tomatoes
Italian Seasoning to taste

1/2 cup Water or Vegetable broth

Cook up the pasta to package directions.  Saute the other ingredients together with a splash of EVOO and when tender add 1/2 cup or so of water or vegetable broth.  Toss with the pasta and serve.

Almost Better Than Baked Beans
And they take less than half the time!  This started out as a "best baked beans" recipe from Food Network, to which I added diced bell pepper.  Then I simmered it in my electric soup pot for 2 hours instead of heating up the whole house and baking it for 4-6 hours. 

If you're not vegetarian/pescetarian like we are, add 8oz of cooked smoky bacon.  I used a Tbsp of Liquid Smoketm instead.

1 pound dried Kidney Beans
1 large Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced

3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1+ tsp Smoked Paprika
15oz Pomitm Tomato Sauce
1/3 cup Molasses
1/4 cup Bourbon
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke – I like Mesquite, but Hickory is better here
2 teaspoons prepared yellow or dijon Mustard
Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

If you're using bacon start by cooking it in your soup pot. Add the beans and 6 cups of water, and cook, covered,  for about 45 minutes @ 325F until the beans are getting tender.  Now add onion and garlic and everything else. Cook uncovered @250F another hour or so until the beans are completely tender and much of the liquid has reduced to a more gravy like consistancy. 

Serve by themselves, with hot cornbread on the side, or over baked potatoes like this:

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.

Biryani, Stir Fried Prime Rib, and Scones

Biryani

You could think of this as Indian lasagna. It's a simple dish with a simple mild curry layered between strata of flavored rice.

Biryani is most often served as a side dish, but you can make it a main course by using multiple layers, perhaps a layer of curried meat like a mild Butter Chicken, and another layer of curried vegetables separated by layers of rice. This version makes a vegetarian side dish for a potluck, or dinner for 3-4.

2 cups long grain Rice

1 tsp powdered Cumin

1 tsp ground Cardamon (black or green)

&&&&&

2 cups Broccoli florets

2 cups Cauliflower florets

1 cup sliced Mushrooms

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 diced White Onion

1/2 cup sliced Carrots

1 cup plain Yogurt

1 lozenge S&B Golden Currytm Mild spice paste

Paprika for dusting

Cook the rice and spices and reserve.

In a large skillet saute the vegetables until they are starting to soften. Add the yogurt and the spice lozenge (cut into small pieces). Stir to combine and make the gravy; add a 1/4 cup of water if necessary. Cook until the gravy is thickened.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put a layer of rice in the bottom of an oven safe bowl. Top with the vegetable curry, and then lay the remaining rice on top. Dust the top with paprika – I used a combination of Hot Hungarian and mild Smoked Paprikas. 

Bake for 30 minutes before serving.

Rib Roast Stir Fry

After our Boxing Day feast, I had a pound or so of roast left, so the next day I turned it into stir fry! 

 Yep Stir fried Prime Rib. Assorted Asian vegetables and a stir fry sauce concocted from Soy sauce, toasted Sesame Oil, rice wine, rice wine vinegar, and a dollop of Hoisin sauce. Yum-my!

Strawberry Scones

Holly asked for lesson on making scones, as her friend and roommate Kari is strongly enamored of them, and Holly's tired of buying. This was her first lesson and they came out darn near perfect!

2-1/2 cups AP Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, cut into chunks

1 cup chopped fresh Strawberries

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Whole Milk (a "scant" half cup, so the dough isn't too moist)

Sugar for dusting

Flour for the bench

Preheat oven to 400F.

A few hours before making the scones, chop the strawberries and put them in a bowl with some sugar and a splash of water to make a syrup. This helps give the dough a bit of flavor, rather than just having bits of berry stuck in.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut-in the butter (pastry cutter or fingers) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently toss in the strawberries. Make a well in center of the mixture; set aside.

In another bowl beat together eggs and milk until well combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture a bit at a time, gently stirring with a spatula until the flour mix is just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead 5 or 6 times by folding and pressing until the dough comes together. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat or lightly roll the dough into a 3/4” thick disk. Slice disk into wedges and pull apart slightly. If dough is too soft, bake for 15 minutes, then cut the disk into 8 wedges.

Brush wedges with milk and sprinkle with sugar if you want to make the scones extra special. Bake about 30 minutes until golden.

Welsh Currant Scones

I also taught Holly how to make these stove-top scones, which can be ready to eat in 20 minutes! Stove top rather than baked recipes are much desired in hot/humid South Florida especially in summer time or this massively hot holiday season!

2 cups AP Flour

½ cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp ground Nutmeg

1 stick Butter

1 cup fresh Blueberries, or Currants or Raisins, etc.

1 large Egg

1/3 cup Milk

If using dried fruit, soak it in water (or wine) for half an hour or more, until the fruits plump up.

Start heating large skillet or griddle to medium low heat or 350 F if you have an electric skillet. NO OIL!

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir to mix. Cut in the butter until the result looks like fine crumbs. Add the fruit.

Beat together the egg and milk Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until you get a soft dough.

Turn out on a floured surface and knead 10-12 times. Roll or pat dough into 3/4” disk. Cut disk into wedges and place on the hot skillet/griddle. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, turning once, until medium brown. Alternatively you can form the dough and use a 3” or 4” cookie cutter to punch out the scones. Serve hot or not.