Category: Main Dishes

Greek Style Beans with Onions & Spinach

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I found this recipe by The Doctor’s Kitchen, aka Dr Rupy Aujla, on the BBC website. I was incredibly skeptical about these flavors combined, but I have to say I am totally won over.

It’s super satisfying – a very solid healthy main dish, and very quick and easy to make. I made some tweaks, since he uses some ingredients less easily available in the US.

It uses mostly pantry ingredients, but tastes super fresh and delish. Kumy and I had it with naan and we totally devoured it! It’s also great with toast.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (red’s fine, too)
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz)
2 tsp honey
1 small dry red chilli, deseeded and broken into chunks
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 14.5 oz (Can use any white beans.)
8 oz baby spinach (really big handful)
Feta cheese, crumbled for garnish

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened.

Add the tomatoes, honey, chilli, cinnamon, paprika and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the beans and the greens. Toss the spinach to help it wilt.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve sprinkled with Feta.

Cajun Gumbo Recipe

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For Mardi Gras this year, I made a wonderful Gumbo from thekitchn.com.

Both Kumy and I thought it was one of the better Gumbo recipes I’ve tried. The key is to take your time with the roux – it really does need to get nice and dark to get the best flavor.

I used a home-made Emeril’s Essence mix that has plenty of heat, so you may want to leave out the red pepper flakes. Serve over hot rice, with fresh scallion rings on top – it’s just amazing, and even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS
1 green bell pepper (2 if small)
1 yellow onion
3 stalks celery
1 heaped Tbsp garlic powder, or 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp dried parsley. or 1/2 bunch (½ cup) fresh parsley, roughly chopped.
1 1/2 Tbsp Emeril’s Essence (see note) or other salt-free Cajun seasoning, divided
2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (leave out if you don’t like too much heat)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1″ cubes
1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
14 ounces smoked sausage cut into ½’ long rounds (Can use Andouille)
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups chicken broth, at room temperature (Can also use water if you’re using chicken thighs.)
4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp File powder (optional – I didn’t use and didn’t miss it.)

FOR SERVING:
½ bunch medium scallions
3 cups cooked white rice

Directions:

Cut the vegetables and put in a bowl.

In another bowl, add garlic, parsley, 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper; stir to combine.

In 3rd bowl, season chicken with kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning.

In a large dutch oven, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned – about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate

Add 1 Tbsp oil to pan, and brown chicken. Cook 10 minutes stirring often until chicken is browned. Remove to sausage plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add butter, 1/4 cup oil and flour. Cook stirring constantly until roux is nicely browned, for 10-20 minutes.

Add veggies, increase heat to medium-high and cook about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add garlic mixture, sausage and chicken and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add 6 cups chicken broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until gumbo is thickened, about 35-45 minutes.

Check seasoning and serve over white rice with fresh green onions.

Note: Use a salt-free Cajun Seasoning or make your own with this Emeril’s Essence recipe from Emeril Lagasse.

Shepherd’s Pie

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I’ve been on an Alton Brown kick lately. His Southern biscuits are heavenly and super easy, and so I was inspired to try his Shepherd’s Pie. (Really Cottage Pie since it’s made with ground beef, but let’s not quibble.) I halved Alton’s recipe, since it serves 8, and I used bacon drippings instead of olive oil, since the ground beef we had was super lean, and I added a tiny bit of maple syrup. Crazy delicious!!!

For the mashed potatoes:
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ½” chunks
1/8 cup half & half
3 Tbsp butter, cut in chunks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the meat filling:
1 Tbsp bacon drippings or olive oil
1 medium chopped red onion
2 carrots, washed well and diced small
½ tsp garlic powder
1 lb ground beef
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp tomato paste
½ cup chicken broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried rosemary, roughly crumbled
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
½ tsp maple syrup
handful frozen corn kernels
handful frozen peas

Boil potatoes with a good pinch of salt in a large pot of water. Turn down to a simmer and let cook 15-20 minutes until very tender. Drain, add butter and mash. Stir in half & half, salt and pepper and check seasoning.

In another large pot, add bacon drippings or olive oil. Add onions and carrots and cook over medium heat 5-6 minutes, until onions are a translucent and carrots are softening. Add garlic powder, ground beef, salt and pepper and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid at the bottom of the pot has dried up and the meat is browned. Add the flour and stir well. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and maple syrup, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until everything has thickened up a bit. Stir in corn and peas, and check seasoning.

Spread in a 9×11 baking dish. Drop the mashed potatoes by heaps onto the beef and spread to cover completely.

Bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest for a bit before serving.

You can dab the top with butter, and if you want the top with browner bits, you can put it under the broiler for 2 minutes.

Cabbage, Leek and Toasted Walnut Pasta

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This is based on a great recipe from Hetty Lui-McKinnon in the New York Times. I’ve made it three times in the past month or so, and every time it is really good. I love sautéed cabbage and when you add leeks, cheese, walnuts and pasta, it’s practically perfect!

I usually have Romano Cheese in the fridge, but tonight I had a couple of other hard cheeses I needed to use up, and they tasted good, too. So it’s very forgiving about what kind of cheese you actually need.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1½ tsp whole cumin seeds
3 medium leeks, halved, cleaned and cut into 1″ lengths
1 lb. cabbage, cut into 1″ cubes (about 1/2 of a good-sized cabbage)
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ pound spaghetti or any other pasta
1 cup grated Romano Cheese (or other hard cheese) plus a little more for a garnish
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven for 5 minutes or so

Directions

Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and stir for 10-15 seconds. Add leeks, cabbage, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Cook stirring from time to time – about 10 minutes or until you can see the cabbage has softened and it’s starting to brown on the bottom of the pan just a bit. 

This is really delicious as is – and you could stop here for a simple side dish. But keep cooking it, so it caramelizes just a little and really brings out the sweetness in the cabbage.

Meanwhile, set a pot of salted water boiling and cook the pasta for the time recommended on the package. When it’s done cooking, save ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest of the pasta.

Add pasta, pasta water and cheese to the cabbage mix and stir well. Squeeze lemon juice over and stir in walnuts, saving a few for a garnish. Check seasoning and serve hot with extra walnuts and cheese sprinkled over. So delicious!

Bhuta ka Salen (Corn Curry)

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This is the first dish I ever learned to cook when I moved to Karachi. I learned it from Kumy’s sister and mom and it remains an all-time favorite. I love to fish out the rounds of corn and dip them in the curry, but it can be messy! If you’re squeamish, cut the corn off the cobs before you cook it.

When sweet corn is in season, there is nothing better.

Ingredients:

6 ears sweet corn, cut into 1½” wide rounds
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and about 2″ of stems, rough chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded (if desired) and rough chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 large clove of garlic (or 2 small)
1/2 cup corn water
3 Tbsp gram flour (check online for substitutes)
1 can coconut milk
½ lemon

Boil water (do not add salt!) in a large pot and cook corn pieces for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and drain, saving a cup or so of the corn water.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and add onion. Sauté on medium heat for several minutes until onion is soft and transparent. Let cool a bit.

Add cooked onions with cilantro, jalapenos, turmeric, salt, garlic and water, and buzz with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. Then pour back into frying pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

In a little cup, stir together a couple spoons of the corn water with the gram flour until smooth. Add gram flour slurry into the frying pan and cook a few more minutes to thicken, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and add coconut milk. Stir well and finally add the sweet corn, tossing to coat with the curry.

Just before serving over rice, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the dish. Yum!

Mushrooms with Brown Butter & Sage

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This is such a delicious dish – mushrooms sauteed in brown butter and sage, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic with a little spinach and a dollop of Mascarpone cheese. These flavors always feel very woodsy to me and I love that it feels meaty and satisfying, but not heavy.

Ingredients
8 oz pasta, any kind
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried Sage, crushed
1 ½ lbs mushrooms (Costco package), washed and halved
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
3 cups baby spinach
2 Tbsp Mascarpone cheese (Cream cheese is fine, too.)
Romano cheese grated as a garnish (Just a little)

Start a pot of salted water boiling, and add Pasta. Cook until done – but not mushy.

Meanwhile, rinse the mushrooms well. I know you’re not “supposed” to do that, but rinsing is so much quicker and any little water that they absorb cooks off anyway. For washing larger quantities of mushrooms, a basket strainer like this works great:

In a large frying pan on medium heat, melt the butter and continue cooking and stirring until the butter gets a nice brown color and smells nutty. Takes about 5 minutes or so.

Add the Sage and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms and toss well. Continue cooking and stirring until the mushrooms release their water, and then add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Continue cooking and stir occasionally, until only about a half cup of liquid is left. Add the baby spinach and stir to wilt. Take off the heat and add the Mascarpone cheese, stirring gently to combine.

Taste a mushroom and add a little salt, pepper or garlic powder if needed. Sprinkle a good-sized pinch of rubbed sage over the top, and grate a little Pecorino Romano cheese over.

Serve over pasta. Delish!

Cheesy Spaghetti Pie with Mushrooms, Onions, Peppers and Sausage

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My Mom used to make Spaghetti Pie and I always loved it. I recently stumbled across this recipe, loaded with mushrooms, peppers, onions, Italian sausage and tomatoes, all on a spaghetti “crust” and decided to give it a try. It was amazing and makes a lot – so it’s good for a larger group. For a couple or small family, I’d halve it.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
Kosher salt
4 oz dried spaghetti
1 Tbsp butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, removed from casing, or lean ground beef (90 percent lean or higher)
4 cups sliced fresh button mushrooms
1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 Tbsp dried Onion Flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated, or 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
One (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce, or 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup cottage cheese, drained (could also use yoghurt cheese*)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Step 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, then drain. Return the spaghetti to the pot and stir in the butter until melted. Stir in the egg and parmesan cheese until combined.

Step 2
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage or beef, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring, until the meat is browned and the onion and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and oregano and heat through, about 2 minutes.

Step 3
Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the prepared pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides of the plate, forming a crust. Spread the cottage cheese over the pasta mixture and top with the meat mixture, followed by the mozzarella.

*Yoghurt Cheese is just plain whole fat yoghurt with a bit of salt, that’s strained in the refrigerator overnight in a muslin cloth or coffee filter, letting the whey run off into a bowl. It’s a bit like cream cheese but tangier.

Napa Cabbage & Noodle Salad

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This is a tangy and delicious cabbage and noodle main dish salad, based on Hannah Che’s recipe from The Vegan Chinese Kitchen Cookbook. It’s perfect for a late summer evening supper, because it’s easy, super fast and has a dressing that is unbelievably good – plus it’s gluten-free and vegan. If you can’t get Napa cabbage, Romaine lettuce works, too.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 head Napa cabbage, cut in half lengthwise
1 small cucumber, seeds removed and julienned, or cut into little bite sizes
1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups fresh rice vermicelli noodles (Pho noodles) 1 1/2 cup dried noodles.

1 medium carrot, julienned
1 scallion, cut into 1/8″ rounds (both white and green part)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 chopped cashews or peanuts
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded, halved and cut into thin slices

Dressing:

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar (cider vinegar would also be fine, I think)
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce (or Hoisin Sauce for a vegan version)
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, crushed

DIRECTIONS

Cut cabbage lengthwise a few times, then cut very thin slices. Add cabbage and cucumber into a colander and toss with the salt. Leave to drain.

Start water boiling in a small saucepan, add noodles and cook 5-10 seconds. Drain and rinse with cool water. Cut noodles into smaller sections with a scissors. If you are using other noodles, cook as directed on the package, then drain and rinse with cool water. You want to end up with about 1 1/2 cups cooked noodles.

Mix dressing ingredients well in a small bowl. Taste and add more soy sauce if you think it needs it. Add dressing to noodles and toss to combine.

Gently press cabbage and cucumber to remove some of the water. You can also squeeze it gently in your hand. Place in a large bowl, and add noodles, carrots, scallions and cilantro. Toss in a large bowl and top with nuts.

Serve immediately. Yum.

Salad with Warm Pasta and Balsamic Vinaigrette

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With all the great fresh veggies available right now, we’ve been eating lots of salads. Having a warm element in a salad some how makes it feel like a main dish, and tonight it was Spinach and cheese Tortellini.

That contrast of temperatures, textures and colors takes an ordinary salad to something really quite amazing. I also had some lovely baby radishes from my friend Gene, so with a good drizzle of my favorite balsamic vinaigrette, it was a perfect summer supper!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. fresh Tortellini (any kind)
1 tsp olive oil
Good pinch kosher salt
Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of garlic powder

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 1/4 cup)
8-10 baby radishes, halved (if larger, quartered)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (Costco’s is amazingly good)
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2/3 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 tsp honey
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cook Tortellini as directed on package.

Chop lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and radishes, and mix gently in a large bowl.

Mix all ingredients for vinaigrette in a mason jar and shake like crazy.

When Tortellini is cooked, drain water and toss pasta in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

To serve, place salad in a wide flat bowl, sprinkle with several warm Tortellini and drizzle everything with dressing.

Yum!

Baked Eggplant & Tomatoes with Pesto

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This is a delicious dish that looks gorgeous, but is very easy and really ticks all the boxes for me! The eggplant gets all creamy and the cheese gets all melty, and the pesto gets all… pesto-ey. Well, you get the point.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, stem end removed and sliced lengthwise in 1/2″ slices (save end pieces for another use)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Pesto
4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/2″ slices (Any tomato is actually fine.)
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper the sliced eggplants and place in a bowl, leaning on the edge so the water can run off a bit from the eggplant. Let drain for at least 15 minutes.

Lay the first slice of eggplant in a 9×12 baking dish. Spread about 2 tsp of Pesto on the first slice. Top with a layer of tomatoes, and sprinkle on a spoonful each of Mozzarella and grated Romano. Slide the layer over until it is at an angle leaning on the side of the dish.

Repeat for the second layer, sliding eggplant over to partially overlap the first layer.

Continue with all remaining slices of eggplant. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 20 minutes.

Serve hot – it’s so good!