Jack is Cooking Hurricane Curry

Well Hello Internet!

Last night as Hurricane Irene bore down upon new york city, we hunkered down and made some curry!  It was the perfect thing to eat while eagerly waiting for the storm.

Otherwise known as a Navratan Korma, this was my own twist on a delicious creamy vegetable curry.
as always with my curry recipes i will divide the spices into groups depending on when they need to be added.  This particular curry has lots of separate steps to take in order to prepare your mis-en-place, but otherwise the actual steps taken are quite simple.

Heres what you will need:

Spice Group A:
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

Spice Group B
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
1/2 teaspoon salt

The Rest of the Ingredients:
1 potato cut into 1 cm cubes
2 large carrots sliced
1/2 cup green peas
1 large head of broccoli (with as much stalk as you can get) cubed

1/2 lb paneer (cubed)
2 tomatoes (cubed)
1 onion (grated)
2 cloves of garlic (finely grated)
1.5 inches of ginger (finely grated)
1 can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons ghee
olive oil.

The Preparation:

1.  Prepare your spice bowls.
2. Cut all vegetables to equal sized pieces and parboil them.  these will be cooked more later, so don't overdo it now.  strain and set aside in a colander.
3. Cube the tomatoes, grate the onion, grate the ginger and the garlic.
4. Heat the ghee and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.  fry the paneer until it is golden brown on all sides.   pour the paneer with ghee and all over the vegetables in the colander.  While its still hot sprinkle some garam masala over them and toss.

Boiled Veggies and Paneer sprinkled with Garam Masala

Now that everything is prepared we can get onto the cooking of the actual curry.

1.  In a medium sized pot, heat some olive oil, and add in Spice Group A.  fry for about 30 seconds, and then add in the onions.  fry these together for about 4-5 minutes.  Add the Ginger and the Garlic, and fry for 30 more seconds.

2.  throw in Spice Group B and fry together for about a minute.  add the chopped tomatoes, and fry for 3-4 more minutes:

Spices and Tomatoes

3.  Add the vegetables and paneer, and toss until they are all nice and coated in the spice-tomato mixture.

4.  Add the can of coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are just tender.

simmering curry

Serve with rice, and sprinkle a little cilantro on top for added effect! 

and that's about it!  you can make this during a hurricane no problem, as long as your gas stays on.... or you can make it any other day and its just as good!

mmmm mmmm delicious!

Jack is Cooking Mattar Batata... Or something Similar

Well Hello Internet!

as part of my continuing experimentation in learning to cook indian food, i made a tomato based curry with potatoes and green beans.  The Recipe i started with called it Mattar Batata, and was made with potatoes and green peas (Green Peas are called Mattar).  However i didn't have any green peas, and instead i had beans.  So the name Mattar Batata is not really correct and this should really be called something else, probably with the name Aloo in it (Aloo is potatoes).

Anyhow its very easy to make.

Heres what i used in my made up curry based off of Mattar Batata.  As with my other recipes for indian food i will divide the spices into groups, for when they need to be added to the mix.

3 Tbspns Olive Oil

(GROUP A)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 dried red chillies (broken)
1/2 teaspoon asafetida

1 lb Potatoes (cut into one inch cubes)
2 Carrots (diced)
1/2 an onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (diced)

(GROUP B)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar

A Handful of green beans (put your two hands together and however many beans fit in there.  thats how many you need!! )

1 tomato (finely diced)
1 80z can crushed tomatoes

So first!

Organize your Spices into two bowls, and have them ready.

Heat up the oil in a medium sized pot, and add in Spice Group A:

SPICE GROUP A

 Cook for about 10 seconds, and then add in the onions, garlic, and carrots.  stir and cook until the onions are a little wilted, and then add the potatoes.  fry the potatoes until they start going brown.  don't worry if they are sticking, let them stick.  This will add to the flavor!

Once the Potatoes are browned add in Spice Group B:

SPICE GROUP B

Stir them together and then add half a cup of water (it won't cover it completely).  Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes (or until the potatoes are soft).  The water will mostly boil off at this point, but some should remain.

At this point you can add in the beans, the tomato, and the crushed tomatoes, and simmer for a further 5-7 minutes - or until the beans are tender, but still a little crunchy (As good beans should be!)

Everything in the Pot

and that's it!  Serve it with some Rice.

YUMM!

Jack is Cooking Pea Souffle

Well Hello Internet!

the other day (actually a couple of weeks ago... this post got lost somehow) i made a pea souffle with my newly learned knowledge of making souffle.  

apparently souffle's are very easy to make!

all you need is to make a bechamel, and egg whites, with whatever filling you want!

heres what you will need:

flour 1 tablespoon
butter 2 tablespoons
milk 3/4 cup
salt and pepper
a little nutmeg

frozen peas
garlic
an onion (chopped up)
salt and pepper
paprika
olive oil

6 egg whites
a pinch of salt

pepper jack cheese (grated)  you could use cheddar, or any other cheese of your own fancy.

preheat the oven to 450°

So First!  i sauteed the peas, garlic, and peas, in a little olive oil and flavored them with some salt and pepper and some paprika.  when they were all done i put them in my blender and blended it until it was a fine mush.  or one might say a purée...

Next!  i made my béchamel.  that's pretty easy.  first you melt the butter.  then you add the flour to the butter, and mix it together.  then you add the milk stirring constantly.  when it comes to a boil it should be a pretty thick mixture.  yum yum!  this is an important base to lots of different recipes.  i like to add a little nutmeg for flavor.  after it was done i mixed the pea purée into the béchamel.

then i took my egg whites and whipped them up until they were nice and stiff.  after that i took the egg whites and folded the béchamel purée mixture together.  really really fold these!  no mixing!  you must keep the fluffiness of the egg whites or it won't work!

after that i filled some ramequins half way, then put a nice little bit of cheese into each one, and filled them up to the top with more of the mixture.  and then a nice coating of cheese on top!

into the oven, and cook them until they have puffed up and gone nice and golden brown on top!

mmmmm mmmmm delicious!

Jack is Cooking the Best Damn Pasta Sauce You Ever Ate

Well Hello Internet!

over the weekend i made this super delicious pasta sauce.  i have to say it is probably the best damn pasta sauce i ever ate.  and i say that because i really don't like plain tomato sauce all that much.  i don't know why but i find that people spice it wrong and over cook it.  i don't know why they do this, because tomatoes are awesome!  why all the spices and all the cooking for hours and hours and hours until there is nothing left but tomato paste?!

first off, i have to say that this is most definitely not my recipe.  i saw this made on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations the other day in his episode about techniques.  i did some tweaking here and there but the recipe is essentially from Chef Scott Conant from Scarpetta restaurant.

Heres what you'll need:

5 ripe plum tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

an onion

a bunch of fresh basil

1 cup of olive oil

pasta

butter

cheese

First i blanched the tomatoes in hot water for like 15 seconds, and removed them immediately.  (i saved the water so i didn't have to boil more, to cook the pasta in)

after the tomatoes where blanched i skinned them, cut them open and squeezed out the insides into a bowl (save this bowl for if the sauce gets too dry.  then you can add this juicy pulp into the sauce).  i put the remaining part of the tomatoes into a pot with 1 quarter of the olive oil (1/4 cup) and i mashed them with a potato masher until they were pulpy.  i let this simmer for like 30 minutes until it became pretty saucy (mashing from time to time)

in another pot, i put the rest of the olive oil, all the garlic (whole cloves) the onion (chopped up) and maybe 10 fresh leaves of basil, and i let this simmer in the oil for the entire time that the tomato sauce cooked.

when both of these things were done i took a strainer and i strained the oil into the tomato sauce (giving it all the flavor but none of the bits! genius!  this is the most genius part, and what makes it the best damn sauce you ever ate!)  then stir it up real good.

( but wait!  don't throw out all that delicious onion and garlic and basil!  its good for other stuff!  like a quiche!  which should be in a post very soon!

then in a frying pan i sauteed up some pancetta (this is where i moved on from the scarpetta recipe) 

i spooned some of the sauce into the pan to reduce it in a small amount (instead of letting the sauce sit for like 2 hours:

I then tossed in the pasta  and put a pat of butter in it.  this is the final step in the deliciousness!  it made it all nice and super creamy!  yum!!

I then served it with a grating of gruyere cheese (which is a nice alternative to parmesan), and some more fresh basil on top for colour!

mmmmm mmmmm delicious!!!

Jack is Cooking Dandelion Salad

Well Hello Internet!

Last night as part of my dinner i made a dandelion salad.  Dandelions you say??  YES!!! indeed dandelions.  what everybody thinks is normally just a weed is actually pretty delicious as long as its the spring time and they haven't grown to gargantuan proportions.  (when they get very big they get very bitter)

This delicious recipe was introduced to me by Nicole - Julie's Mom.  i am ever so grateful she introduced me to this, i wish i could eat it all the time, as it is super super delicious!

now then, dandelions grow everywhere.  but you should be careful that they are not in a cow field or something as the cows will probably have pooped on them, if there are any left... cows know all about how delicious dandelions are and so eat them all up!!  also, since they are technically a weed, you need to get them from a place that hasn't put poison all over them... cuz that's just gross...

Heres what you will need:

Dandelions!
boiled eggs
bacon
an onion
balsamic vinegar
an oil (a not very strong olive oil, or grapeseed oil, or other light oil)

so the first thing to do is to pick yourself a whole lot of dandelions.  the next thing is to not pick the flowers, you just want the leaves.  about 4-5 inches in length.  bigger than that and they are too big.  i have seen dandelion in the supermarket, but they are normally really really big, and when they are that big they really are way too bitter.

so after you pick yourself a nice basket of dandelions, take them home and start washing them.  wash them good, and pick out all the grass and flower buds and anything else that may have found its way into your basket:

After you have cleaned everything very well, take a knife and chop everything up real well:

Then take your hard boiled eggs and slice them nicely and put them in the salad:

add a splash of balsamic vinegar, and some of your choice of oil.  give it a toss!

take the bacon and chop it up all nice and small, and also take an onion and chop it all up nice and small.  if you want you can serve this on the side, or you can mix it in.  this adds a nice bit of extra flavor!

and serve away!!  

mmm mmm delicious! 

Jack is Cooking Mostly Macro Banh Mi

Well Hello Internet!

its been a couple of weeks, and i have a few posts lingering that i have to put up! but heres a quick one in the mean time.  Last night for dinner i made some Mostly Macrobiotic (almost but not quite) Vietnamese Sandwiches (otherwise known as Banh Mi)

i made them with tempeh instead of the roast pork that is normally in these delicious sandwiches, but i tailored this tempeh to be just as delicious.  

heres what you'll need:

for the carrots:

2 carrots julienned

1 daikon julienned

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons rice syrup

some salt

for the tempeh:

1 package of tempeh

2 tablespoons of ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 inches of ginger

2-3 cloves of garlic

half a lemon 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon hot sesame oil

for the sandwiches:

baguettes

spicy mayonaise (mayonaise + sriracha)

cilantro

cucumbers

onion

So First make the carrot slaw

to do this put the water, vinegar and rice syrup in pan and bring to a boil.  transfer to a bowl and let it cool down.  put in the carrots, and the daikon with some salt.  i put in some dried cranberries for some extra goodness too.  let this sit for 30 minutes to an hour, turning every now and then.

While these are festering we can cook the tempeh.  first its good to steam it.  Tempeh is always better steamed first.  so while its steaming, prepare the sauce.  put the ketchup, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar together in pan and stir and cook until it boils.

yay!  this is an awesome BBQ sauce, good to put on any kind of meat, or tempeh to make it taste more like BBQ.

 when the tempeh has steamed for 20 minutes or so, pour this sauce all over it, and then cook it in a skillet for about 15 minutes at a medium heat.  now the tempeh is all done!

now all to do is to make the sandwich! so toast the baguette, slather on some spicy mayonnaise (you can make it more or less spicy by the amount of sriracha sauce you put on)  put some tempeh on the roll, then the onions, the cucumbers, some of the carrots and daikon, and top it off with a bunch of cilantro!

the word is that this is as good or better than any of the sandwich places!  (except Nicky's of course.  that place is the bomb.  but they should make a tempeh sandwich for a veggie option instead of a portabello...)

mmm mmmm delicious!

Jack is Cooking Root Vegetable and Leek Soup

Well Hello Internet!

This past sunday, julie and i decided to make a Root Vegetable and Leek Soup!

its very easy to make.

heres what you need

1 leek

1 potato

1 rutabaga

3 carrots

3 parsnips

1 onion

2 inches of ginger

parsley

chicken stock (3-4 cups)

salt and pepper (1/2 tablespoon each- more pepper if you want)

cinnamon

half and half (1/2 cup)

first chop everything up into 2 inch cubes (except the ginger.  chop that up pretty finely)

then with a little butter sauté the carrots, onions, ginger, and parsley for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start getting a little clear

put the rest of the vegetables in the pot with the chicken stock (enough that all the vegetables are covered)

cook for about 45 minutes.  at this point all the veggies should be nice and soft.  take a potato masher

and mash them all together.  i prefer the masher to an immersion blender, because i like it still a little chunky.  then add in the half and half, the salt and pepper, and the cinnamon (just a dash)

cook it for 15 more minutes, then serve.  i served it with a spoon of greek yogurt, some chives, and a dash more cinnamon

mmmm mmmm delicious

Jack is Cooking Pizza!!

Well Hello Internet!

So the other night, julie suggested we make pizza.  i thought that was just a FANtastic idea, so we did!   i used the a little dough i saved from making bread on monday night, and then also some other leftover ingredients i had in my fridge.

Making pizza is LOTs of fun!  you can put almost anything on it that your heart desires.  Also, if you can't make your own dough its easy to buy.  some supermarkets have ready made dough, but also most pizzerias (at least here in NYC) will sell the dough pretty cheaply.

heres what we used:

as you can see in the above pictures the ingredients are:

Mozzarella

Red and Green Peppers

Some Chopped up Ham

Some Gouda (grated)

Diced Tomatoes

and also we caramelized some onions to put on after the pizza was cooked:

Theres the dough rising a little in the upper left corner of that last picture!

So after the dough rose for like 1.5 hours we spread it out and put the diced tomatoes all over it:

Then i got some new lights in my kitchen, so i could take better pictures!  haha

anyways, after the tomatoes, we put on the sliced mozzarella, red and green peppers, ham, and gouda cheese.  plus a little salt and pepper.

We baked it in the oven for 20 minutes at 450°.  after we took it out of the oven, we put the caramelized onions on it, cut it up and ate it!

I was hoping for some leftovers for lunch today, but the thing was so damn delicious we ate the whole pizza!

Jack is Cooking Penne Alfredo with Sausage

Well Hello Internet!


For this recipe you will need:

Pasta
half an onion
two cloves of garlic
some sausage - i used Sweet Italian Sausage from Herondale Farm (www.herondalefarm.com)
Parmesan Cheese (3/4 cup)
Light Cream (half-3/4 cup)
Butter
Parsley (optional. i didn't have any, but its good if you have just a little)

Jack is Cooking Fried Rice

Well Hello Internet!
Tonight I very quickly whipped up some Thai fried rice.
I plan on making this again with the method on video

Here's what I used
Green and red peppers
Carrot
Onion
Garlic
Tomatoes
Ham
Egg
Rice
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Lime juice
Sugar

Instructions:

Cook the rice

In a wok - or skillet -  over medium high heat fry up the onions and garlic and the carrots for one minute. Add the peppers and chopped up ham. When everything is soft - but still retains a slight crunch - move everything over to one side of the pan. In the now clean side of the pan, scramble and egg. When the egg is 2/3rds of the way cook mix back in the vegetables. Once the egg is incorporated, add the rice. Mix well and add the soy sauce (to taste), fish sauce (to taste), and sugar. (instead of sugar you can also use sweet chilli sauce).  Stir fry for 5 minutes or so, until it's cooked. Turn off the heat. Add the chopped up tomatoes, and the juice of half a lime, mix and serve.

Chop the other half of the lime into wedges, and serve along side individual servings.

Jack is Cooking Pasta with Sausage-Tomato Sauce

Hello Internet!  


For this pasta sauce you will need: 
one large can of diced tomatoes
2 onions chopped 
garlic (i didn't have any but it would be good) 
peas 
sausages  




Pasta  




Thanks to O T O for the additional camera work at the end!

Jack is Cooking Spaghetti Bolognaise

bolognaise sauce

1 1/2 pound ground beef
4-5 tomatoes
1 red pepper (optional)
onion
garlic
cellery
carrot is good too if you have some. i didn't have any but i usually put some in
salt
pepper
oregano
basil
other italian type spices

Jack is Cooking some kind of beef noodles

so, i completely made this one up, and have no name for it. then i decided that it was kind of like lo mein, but not. but its good. here's what you'll need

1 lb ground beef
2 packets ramen (preferably oriental flavour, but chicken or beef will work fine)
ginger
onions
carrots
green onions
olive oil
soy sauce
chinese 5 spice (go easy with this)
paprika
saracha hot sauce (or other)

Jack is Cooking Fettucini Alfredo

tonight i am cooking fettuccini alfredo. here is an approximate list of ingredients in case you want to make it to. for instructions, watch the video

2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 cup half n half (or heavy cream)
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
3/4 cup frozen peas