Challow (White Rice)

 

Ingredients 2 1/2 cups of Basmati rice 1/4 of a cup cooking oil  11/2 tbsp cumin seeds whole (to taste) 1 tbsp of salt 11/2 tbsp cardamom (finely ground) 6 cups of water Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 About 30 minutes before you want to start cooking place the rice into a large bowl and fill with cold water. Scrub all of the grains of rice and carefully drain the water off. Repeat 3 times or until the cold water is clear. After the last rinse, fill the bowl over the level of the rice with the cold water and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. In a large ovenproof deep pan with a tight-fitting lid, add the water and sprinkle the water lightly with salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and then drain the water from the rice and add to the boiling water. Stir all the rice once and then let it come back to a boil or about 7 minutes or until the rice is soft when you bite on a piece. Drain the water from the rice in a strainer and in a separate glass, take 1/4 of a cup of hot water and dissolve 1 tbsp of salt into the water. Add 1/4 of vegetable oil to the hot water and salt and mix well. Add this mix to all of the rice in a back and forth motion until the top of the rice is covered. Next add the cardamom and cumin to the rice. With a wide flat spatula mix this into the rice by lifting a section and shaking the rice back into the pan. Repeat until the whole pan of rice is mixed and covered with oil (it will look slightly shiny) and the spices are dispersed throughout the rice. Pile the rice into a mound in the middle and with the back of the spatula, in a circle pattern make 5 "holes" for ventilation in the mound (four around the circle and one in the middle of it). Place the top on the pot and place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn the oven off and leave for 20-30 more minutes to let the rice set up. When you go to serve the rice first separate it by taking a portion and shaking it back into the pan, repeat until all of the rice is separated. by Christi Qazi / May 22, 2007

Multigrain Side Dish

Use any or all of the following grains and cook according to their directions:

quinoa
pink or red rice
wild rice
faro

For 4 cups of cooked grains (2 cups uncooked):

Cool the cooked grains on a cookie sheet to prevent further cooking.
Sauté 1 sliced onion in some olive oil. Set aside.

Prepare uncooked ingredients by combining:
  grated zest and juice from 1 orange
  2 tsp lemon juice
  1/3 cup olive oil
  4 green onions, thinly sliced
  3/4 cups dried apricots, coarsely chopped
  1/3 cup shelled and toasted pistachio nuts
  salt & pepper

To serve combine the cooked grains, cooled onion and uncooked ingredients in a large serving bowl.
Serves 6

Spoonbread - corn pudding

1 can cream corn
1 cup Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
8 oz sour cream
1/3 cup corn oil
2 eggs

Mix all together and pour into a greased 5" x 11" loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Joyce Kline gave me this recipe - very tasty and very easy.  It's a little sweeter than my mother's recipe.

Roasted Vidalia Onions with Blue Cheese

2 Vidalia onions, unpeeled, each cut into four 1/2-inch thick slices
1 1/2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces blue cheese (e.g., Roquefort, Cabrales)
1 TBS lightly-toasted pine nuts
1 tsp chopped chives

Vinaigrette:
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 large egg yolk
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the vinaigrette and set aside.

In a small roasting dish, rub olive oil all over the onion slices.
Roast for 30 minutes.  Onions should be soft and a little brown.
Remove pan from oven and allow the onions to cool, remove the outer skin.

Place onions on a serving plate.
Crumble the cheese over the onions and sprinkle with pine nuts and chives.
Drizzle with a little dressing and serve.  Serves 4.

Note:  You can have a bed of dressed lettuce underneath the onions if desired.

From one of my favorite restaurants- Jaleo by Chef Jose Andres

Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic Oil

Toss large, fresh mushrooms caps (shiitake preferred but I've used all kinds) with a generous amout of garlic oil, sea salt , and fresh ground pepper.  Put them in one layer on a sturdy sheet pan or caste-iron skillet and roast at 450 F in oven for 10 minutes, or golden all over, slightly crispy on the edges, but still juicy inside.

Instant Spinach

1 pound spinach leaves (e.g., Savoy, tough stems removed)
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Pile the spinach in a large bowl that will fit in the microwave oven. Cook it on HIGH for 25 seconds, until it is warm but not wilted.  Toss the spinach with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for 30-60 seconds until the spinach is wilted and its volume reduced less than half.  It should be hot, but not so cooked that it starts to throw off liquid.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Olive oil, for pan
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch nutmeg
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Kosher salt

Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil and add the shallots, garlic and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, remove from the pan and discard. Add the Swiss chard stems and the stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated. Add the Swiss chard leaves and nutmeg. Saute until they are slightly wilted. Season with salt.

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine any of the following vegetables in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, and red pepper flakes.

Baby carrots
Quartered parsnips
Small or cut onions
Shallots
Small or cut potatoes
Garlic cloves
Brussell sprouts
Corn on the cob (hunks)
Quartered beets

Line a shallow baking dish with aluminum foil, pour in the prepared vegetables (one layer if possible) and roast at 425 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

Potato Hash Brown

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup bacon lardoons
1 medium shallot, sliced
1 egg white
4 green onions, roughly chopped
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Peel potatoes and wash. Use a mandolin, or food processor with the grater attachment to finely shred potatoes. Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry.
Take a 9-inch oven proof skillet and add bacon and sliced shallots. Set over medium heat and render fat, 4 to 5 minutes. Shallots will caramelize. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and shallots and put in a large mixing bowl (reserve the bacon fat and pan) with potato slices, egg white, green onions, and thyme leaves and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Spoon mixture into the hot pan with the bacon fat. Pack it in well pressing down with a large spoon to compress the mixture a little. Drizzle the top with some extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When it starts to get golden brown and crispy around the edges flip the hash brown over and pop into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before running a knife around the edges and then inverting the potato onto a cutting board. Slice into wedges, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and serve.

I found this at Food Network. Serves 6

Aloo Stuffing

Heat 2 tsp canola oil in pan.
Add 1 pinch cumin seeds and ½ cup frozen peas (thawed)
Cook for 5 minutes and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash 3-4 baked potatoes.
Mix in 1 tsp salt
1 tsp mango powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs fresh cilantro
1 pinch black salt
Fold in the cooked peas.

Form into patties and fry.
Or wrap into wonton wrappers and fry (Samosa).
Or place into a flour wrap and flatten and fry (Aloo paratha).
Serve with cilantro chutney.

Pineapple Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Stir together 1 cup sugar
6 Tbs all-purpose flour
Gradually stir in 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Add drained 2 20-oz cans pineapple chunks

Pour mixture into a prepared casserole dish.

In another bowl, combine 1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs and
1 stick melted butter

Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Blanch 3 bunches of broccoli in boiling water and drain.

Mix : 3 cans Campbell’s cheese soup
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 lb Velveeta cheese

Combine and place in greased casserole dish.

Crunch 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers with
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Hash

SWEET POTATO, CORN AND BLACK BEAN HASH
1 tsp oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
¾ cup water
¾ cup corn (frozen, canned, or leftover)
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
1 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet.
Add onions and sauté until browned in spots, 3-5 minutes.
Add sweet potato and cook, stirring until it starts to brown, 5-7 minutes.
Stir in garlic, jalapeno, cumin and salt. Sauté for about 30 seconds.
Add water and cook, scrapping up any browned bits until the liquid is absorbed,
3-5 minutes.
Stir in corn and black beans. Cook until heated through.
Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with lime wedges.

Potato Salad

Boil 6-8 red potatoes, then skin
Hard boil 2-3 eggs, then chop
Chop ½ red onion and 3 stalks celery
Stir ½ jar Marzetti’s Slaw dressing
Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste
Cover and chill.

Potato Casserole

Mix together and place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan:
2 lbs frozen hash browns
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup onion, chopped
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese

Add topping of :
2 cups corn flake crumbs
¼ cup melted butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pickled Carrot Salad

2 lbs carrots – sliced or baby kind
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 can tomato soup
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
½ cup vinegar

Slice carrots and cook for 7-10 minutes in salted water. Drain and mix with peppers and onions. Mix soup, sugar, oil and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over vegetables and allow to cool in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Zucchini Fritters

6 small zucchini, grated
Salt
½ lb feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup fresh dill
¼ cup fresh parsley
6 green onions, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup flour
Black pepper
Oil for frying

Place grated zucchini in colander, sprinkle with sat and let stand 20 minutes, or until it looses its juice. Squeeze dry and place in large bowl. Add cheese, dill, parsley, onions, eggs, flour, and pepper and mix well. Adjust seasonings. If batter is too runny, add more flour.

Heat oil in a heavy fry pan. Drop batter by tablespoons into oil and fry until golden brown on all sides but still moist inside- about 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and serve with cilantro chutney.

Ful Imdammas

(Middle-eastern bean salad)

1 can fava beans
2-3 cloves garlic, mashed
½ tsp salt
½ cup lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped
¼ cup olive oil

Mix together and chill, just before serving add
½ cup parsley, finely chopped

Fried Green Tomatoes

Evenly slice 3 green tomatoes.
Dredge in cornmeal and flour with salt and pepper.
Fry in a little bacon grease until brown on both sides.

Tomato Pie

Prepare Crust:
1¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup sour cream
½ cup margarine

Combine all ingredients and work with hands until smooth. Mold dough into a 9-inch pie pan.

Filling:
Dip about 5 tomatoes in boiling water. Peel, slice, and layer tomatoes into pie crust. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Topping:
¾ cup mayonnaise
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbs chopped onion

Spoon over tomatoes. Bake at 375 F for 30-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.