Saffron and Tarragon flavored Tortellini Soup: Weekend Herb blogging

It's been a long time I posted a proper post. Been crazily busy, nevertheless, the things in the kitchen been interesting as ever although a bit efficient :-) All this cooking should improve something, right? ;)

We could feel Fall temperatures yesterday night and a hearty soup is totally called for. It was an impromptu thing, which I made before and was not very impressed about the flavor. So, this time, after a quick search thru my spice and herb stash, found two great ingredients - saffron, tarragon - that can make any chicken dish come alive...in any season.

So, here it is. My entry for Weekend Herb Blogging # 307  brainchild of Kalyn and graciously hosted this week by Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu. I cannot believe WHB is in 300's now. Wow!! Kudos to both Kalyn and Haalo
 

What you need to make this satisfying and healthy soup:

1/2 lb tortellini - I used Barilla spinach and cheese
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped (remove the rough veins before chopping)
1/2 yellow squash or zucchini, roughly slices (optional)
1 Quart low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
a pinch saffron
1 tablespoon fresh  or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed

How to make the soup:

• Heat oil/butter on medium-high, add onions, carrot, celery, saffron and a little salt. Saute for a minute. Add tarragon, black pepper, saute for 30 seconds

• Add chicken broth, bring to boil. Adjust salt if needed, add tortellini. Cook for the time mentioned on the package. Add squash, cream and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to revive all the flavors). Simmer for 2 minutes
• For croutons: Instead of using store-brought bread croutons, I just removed the outer layer of a jalapeno bagel, chopped into cubes, pan-fried in a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Serve the soup topped with croutons and enjoy!

Note: This soup can be doubled, just double the ingredients. A pinch of saffron goes a long way...it is not necessary to double that.
Also, pieces of left-over rotisserie chicken (white-meat) can be added with squash pieces.

Pasta with favabeans

Found these babies among other interesting items like green almonds, various fruits & veggies that are prominent in Mideast cooking at the local specialty store. 

Steps:

• Open 2 lbs of pods to get the beans, blanch them quickly in sales boiling water, shock them in cold water, peel outer layer, keep aside
• Cook 1 lb pasta per instructions on the package
• Meanwhile, heat 2Tbsp evoo, add about 15 - 20 cherry tomatoes and 5 cloves of garlic, minced, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add fava beans, salt, pepper, sauté for a minute. Add cooked pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Take out from heat, add 2 Tbsp basil pesto and mix gently.
• Serve with shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of evoo. Enjoy!

Cilantro crusted Salmon with Spinach-Cheese Ravioli

This weeknight dinner is made under 30 minutes and is delicious, healthy.

What we need to make this:

2 servings Salmon (I asked the fish monger to cut me two one-serving pieces)
4 teaspoons dry cilantro
Salt and fresh ground pepper to coat the fish
2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Extra-Virgin olive oil
1 package refrigerated ravioli (any vegetable kind will do. I used Spinach-Cheese filled ones)
Any pesto that suits taste. I used my Cilantro Pesto: 3-4 fistfuls fresh cilantro, 1 green chili, a teaspoon of toasted pine nuts, a fistful grated Parmesan cheese, one clove garlic, salt, and some olive oil -- grind coarsely in a food processor or in a mortar and pestle.

How to make:

-Clean Salmon, pat dry. I removed the skin as the non-veg eater in the house does not like it. -Rub turmeric powder on both sides. I do this in order to 'clean' the fish.
-Rub in salt and pepper on both sides. sprinkle dry cilantro on one side, rub well.
-Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Place the fish with cilantro coated side down. Do not disturb the fish pieces for next 4 minutes and turn carefully. Cook for 3-4 minutes on this side.
-Meanwhile, cook the ravioli according to the directions on the package.
-Remove ravioli and some ravioli water (in which the ravioli was cooked) into a mixing bowl.
-Add the pesto and a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix gently.
-Serve each of the Salmon pieces over 5-6 pieces of ravioli

Artichokes - Genovese style - from Food TV

My love for artichokes is blind :-) Why blind? Because, I can't decide what I love about them. May be its the after taste or may be its their ability to absorb other flavors while their own flavor stands out. Being so smitten about artichokes, how can I pass on a recipe that is shown by Giada De Laurentis on her Everyday Italian show. In this recipe, the artichokes are trimmed, stuffed with sauteed mushroom mixture and then cooked whole in white wine. She cuts the intensity of wine with a cup of water. I've followed the recipe for most part, except, I have not used prosciutto. I've substituted the meaty flavor by using baby Portabello mushrooms than regular white button mushrooms. The result was, very delicious!! Once done, its was fun eating it. Best thing to eat while watching movie! Oh, yeah!
But, making it takes some patience and time. Check the recipe out and you'll know. But, the reward was worth the effort.

For people familiar with Indian food, Artichokes resemble a little in taste with drumsticks, but Artichokes has more complex flavor than drumsticks. The similarity also extends how these are eaten. Artichoke leaves can be chewed just like drumsticks.

What you Need to make this superb dish
4 good quality fresh artichokes
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb baby bello mushrooms, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tsp dry parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups drinking quality white wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Note: Using drinking quality white wine enhances the flavor of artichokes.
Prep Work:
Trim Artichokes by cutting top off. And trim the leaves by snipping the top half of the edge.

Method:

• Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a skillet at medium-high heat. Add garlic before the oil gets heated. Once the oil is hot enough, add onions and parsley saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown in color, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, keep aside and let it cool.
• Once cooled, add grated Parmesan, salt and pepper, mix well. Keep aside.
• Pull apart the leaves gently and stuff mushroom mixture between the leaves.
• Once all the artichokes are stuffed, place them in a wide, heavy bottomed, high-sided saucepan. The artichokes should sit tightly so that they would not fall apart once cooked.

• Pour wine and water (not on top of the artichokes, but, in the gap between them). Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil over them. Cover and bring it to boil on a medium-high heat. Once comes to boil, reduce the heat to 'low' and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the artichoke leaves are tender.
• Serve while they are still hot.

Kashmiri Dahi Baingan

(Eggplants in Kashmiri style yogurt sauce)

The ingredients and the deep frying part may make calorie-conscious people gasp with horror, but, it is not that bad. The eggplants do not absorb much oil if the oil is kept at right temperature. This dish is going to take your palette on a tantalizing journey! Enjoy!

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

What you need to make this curry:
4 medium sized long eggplants (Indian or Japanese variety)
4-5 cardamoms
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 cup fresh yogurt
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil plus for frying



Prep Work:
Wash eggplants, slit into quarters lengthwise. Place them in salted water.
Pound fennel seeds to a coarse powder.

Method:

• Heat 1/2 to 1 cup cooking oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
• Take few pieces of eggplant, dry them by blotting with kitchen towel. Fry for 2 minutes or until the pieces are light brown in color. Remove and place them on a paper towel.
• Repeat until all pieces of eggplant are done.
• In a deep skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp cooking oil, add cardamoms. Saute for 15-20 seconds. Carefully add yogurt, start stirring immediately. Add salt, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add fennel powder, ginger powder, red chili powder, mix well. Cook, stirring continuously for 3 minutes or until the yogurt breaks down.
• Add eggplant pieces, adjust salt, mix gently. Cook for another minute, remove from heat.

This tastes great with vegetable pulao or biryani or steamed basmati rice.

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

Guthivankaya (with Thai eggplants)

(Stuffed eggplants in poppy seed-peanut sauce)Ask a group of four people from Andhra how to make guthivankaya, you'll be bombarded with at least 25 recipes. Brinjal, the way eggplant is referred in India, is very dear to a person from Andhra. Since old times, at least one variety of brinjal dish would make appearance in small or large feasts. "Pappannam", playfully referred to wedding lunch/dinner, is incomplete without a brinjal dish. Such is importance of eggplant in Andhra.
It is a delight to know that this month's JFI vegetable is eggplant. JFI, started by Indira of Mahanandi, hosted by Sangeeta of Ghar ka Khana
This dish is made by my sister, LP, who is visiting me at present; and, is my entry for JFI-Eggplant.


What you need to make this dish:

8 Thai eggplants
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
1 medium tomato, chopped finely
2-4 green chilies, slit
Salt to taste
tadka items: 1tsp each of chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves from one sprig
Fresh cilantro, for garnishing

To be ground into paste:
1 fistful peanuts/groundnuts
4-6 dry red chilies
1 tsp coriander/dhania seeds
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
2 tbsp khuskhus/poppy seeds
1 + 1/2 tbsp raw tamarind or 1 tsp tamarind paste
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Prep Work:
Soak Tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for 10-15 minutes. Mash little bit before adding it to the blender.
Soak poppy seeds in 1/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes. Discard the water.
Dry roast peanuts. Remove skins if any. Keep aside.
Dry roast dhania seeds, jeera seeds, red chilies until done.
Take all items listed for the paste in a blender, blend to get a semi-smooth thick paste. Do not add too much water. Add only the amount required for the blender to move (this includes the tamarind water).

Method:

• Wash eggplants, cut into quarters without separating. Place the cut eggplants in a salted water bowl to keep them from discoloring.
• Take one eggplant out, squeeze well, stuff it with the paste made. Keep aside. Repeat this with rest of eggplants. Keep aside the remaining paste.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add eggplants, stir carefully to coat them with oil. Cover and cook until the eggplants are almost done, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the eggplants from the skillet, keep aside.
• In the same skillet, add remaining oil, heat it to medium heat. Add tadka items one by one. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chilies, little salt (keep in mind that the paste has salt too). Saute until the onion is cooked to light-brown color.
• Add tomato pieces, cover and cook for 3 minutes or until done.
• Add the remaining paste and 1/4 cup water. Return the eggplants to skillet. Mix gently. Once the sauce starts simmering, reduce heat, simmer for 7-9 minutes or until the eggplants are completely done.
• Remove from heat, garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with steamed rice or roti.

Served with rice

Shopping Notes: Choose young Thai eggplants with thick stems. The ones with thin stems are old ones, which are bitter and have tough seeds, not suitable for this dish. The color of the stems should be dark green, not brown with fungus :-)

Baked Mushroom Ravioli....yummy!

Recipe follows......