Palak Paneer/ Cottage Cheese in Spinach Sauce

There is no fun in blogging anymore. Once upon a time, there were few blogs and there were few bloggers and being food crazy was frowned upon. Hence there was this thrill in writing lustily about a particular recipe, as if you just stumbled upon its virtues,as if it changes your life (it may have!!),  as if you were the only one in the world who could make it well and photograph it like never seen before, tempting lots and lots of readers who still haven't discovered the secret.
What secret, you ask? Well the secret is that dear readers, anybody can cook and just like any other skill, the more u cook, the better you become....But now there are sooooooooooo many blogs.. that there is no need  for me to blog anymore.

 I can spend my days surfing on others blogs and see and enjoy the thrill in the younger blogs while I secretly miss the old hats whose blogs lie still and dead, gathering dust like the empty tharavadus in Kerala.  I wish all these bloggers would wake up and blog once more, just to see some new words from them..just for a new line of conversation... not for the recipes which abound everywhere.
Between the frozen aisle which imports everything u miss, to the multitude of new bloggers, there is no recipe left to cover now. Its just versions and versions...which is really what a recipe is... a version of a food played out in your family, customized to your family's tastes.

Rant apart, an old standby which is the best way to get spinach into my kids, though my better half refuses to touch it..:) Palak Paneer, which is fried cubes of cottage cheese in a spiced up spinach gravy. Some fry the paneer, some toss it with tandoori spices and grill it, some put in bland... it works any way..just don't add cream to the final gravy , Ala restaurant style.


Paneer cubes - 15-20 .
Onion - 1 small onion
Garlic Clove-3
Coriander Powder-1 Tsp.
Cumin Seeds -1/2 tsp Tsp.
Turmeric- 1/8 tsp
Asafoetida- A pinch
Red Chili Powder-1/4 tsp
Garam Masala- A pinch.
Oil -2-3 Tbsp.

For Gravy Base :
Spinach- 1 bunch.
Ginger small-1/2 inch
Onion- 2 tbsp chopped
Green Chilies(Small) 2-3 Nos
Salt to taste
Cream (Optional) 1 Tbsp

Preparation:
1. You could use fresh or good quality frozen spinach. Since this is one leaf that soaks up all the insecticides and stuff sprayed on it, use organic as much as possible.  Spinach if bought as fresh bunches from the farmer’s market or the Asian stores has a lot of sand on it. Soak the spinach in a large vessel with water for 10 minutes and rinse each leaf well under running water. Do not stint on washing it well. The sand can destroy all your hard work! If you are using pre-washed spinach, you could cook it as it is. Wash & drain the water from Spinach. Chop them coarsely.

2. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in a non stick pan and sauté the paneer pieces till light golden on all sides. Take care not to leave the pan unattended as it gets burnt quickly. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Drain onto paper towels and keep aside.

3. Cook the spinach with the ginger, green chilies, ½ cup water and one clove of garlic in a pan till soft. If using a pressure cooker, cook for one whistle only.
When it cools down, blend the cooked spinach to a coarse paste using a hand blender or food processor. Use quick pulses to avoid blending it to a paste.

4. In the same wide pan heat the remaining oil, fry the chopped onions till translucent. Add the remaining garlic and sauté. Add the spice powders, 1 tablespoon of water and sauté for a minute. Take care not to burn the spices. Add the yogurt and when the liquid in it dries up add the blended spinach paste and salt.

5. Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes and add the paneer cubes. Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes to combine the flavors, check seasoning and add the tablespoon of cream. It should be slightly tangy and spicy. Add a pinch of garam masala before serving.

Tips to Note:
Do not add any additional water for blending. The spinach should be coarse but should not be fibrous.
Do not add any water while cooking the gravy. The gravy has to get thickened on medium heat so the more the water, the more time it will take and it will dilute the flavor of the spinach.
Add tomato instead of yogurt in the first cooking of the spinach for the tanginess.

Roasted Cauliflower..Indian Style.

I was in hibernation as the wind turned cold and the days got short, making each day a mad dash from one warm place to another. Packed, moved, unpacked yet again and in between all this my poor blog lay neglected, without a kind glance..
Today is Ground Hog Day, so I definitely had to post.. a day made memorable for me by the classic movie of the same name wherein the Bill Murray gets stuck in Punxsutawney, PA and relives the same day over and over over again till he... Well..watch the movie if you can. This is the day when a poor ground hog in Punxsutawney, PA comes out of its hibernation and see a mass of people waiting to see his reaction..
 " According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks."
Apparently, spring is coming early.. the days are already getting longer..
So why am I so excited..?
Well, for one.. this signifies the beginning of the end of the frosty day!! Yahoo!!This has been a relatively mild winter with intermittent spates of freezing cold.. to think positively, if there was no winter, where would I wear all those sweaters and scarfs?
And also for me the last one year has been like reliving the same day over and over again..Get up, pack lunch, drive, work, cook, clean, eat... all verbs, with no fun adjectives to sprinkle around it.  Like a scene from the movie when the hero finally knows the day and road so well that he automatically dodges a pothole and avoid getting splashed on, have fine tuned the day activities to a  semi-automatic form.
 So have to pay homage to the movie and day that I use as a analogy for what our routine sometime becomes!! Is it like that for everyone?

And what's better in this weather than to turn on the oven and roast something with the pretense of cooking while in actuality you just want to heat up the house further. The warmth and the aroma both make this a quick reach for in our house.
I grew up three recipes for cauliflower.. Alu Gobi (Potatoes and cauliflower curried together), Gobi Parantha( Flatbread stuffed with cauliflower) or Cauliflower thoran (Shredded cauliflower steam cooked with coconut).  Spouse refused to espouse the Alu Gobi and over time I forgot how to make it, much as it is a favorite for most. But this roasted cauliflower was adopted with open arms and since it doesn't involve cooking, gets made more often.
It is a healthy vegetable , a cousin of the broccoli family.. its known to lower your risk of cancer, and it is  full of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties and is loaded with fiber.

You will need:
1 medium cauliflower torn into florets
1 Onion cut into dices
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 whole cloves of garlic (optionally with skin on)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chlli powder( or paprika)
2-3 tablespoon chopped cilantro


How to do it:
Cut the cauliflower into florets and wash the florets and drain well.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a large roasting pan or tray pan with foil. Place the cauliflower florets and onion dices in it. Pour  the olive oil all over the cauliflower, and sprinkle the salt, turmeric, sesame seeds, chili powder, cumin powder and cilantro and mix well with your hand. Add the garlic cloves too. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, checking and stirring to ensure even roasting. Garnish with more chopped cilantro and serve immediately while still warm.

Variations:
Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala if you like.
Use only salt , pepper and finish off with parmesan cheese.
Use only sambar masala and salt.
Tell me your variation.

Pasta with simple tomato sauce

0:08 Prep

 

0:15 Cook

 

4 Servings 

 

Capable cooks

This recipe is vegan friendly.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 800g can Italian diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 400g Barilla Penne Rigate

• METHOD

  • Step 1
    Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, uncovered, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until it softens slightly. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
  • Step 2
    Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, for 6-7 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.
  • Step 3
    Stir in the parsley and sugar. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Step 4
    Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
  • Step 5
    Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

  • NUTRITION

    • 1894 kj
      ENERGY
     
    • 7g
      FAT TOTAL
     
    • 1g
      SATURATED FAT
     
    • 7g
      FIBRE
     
    • 14g
      PROTEIN
    • 56.96mg
      SODIUM
     
    • 8g
      CARBS (SUGAR)
     
    • 80g
      CARBS (TOTAL)

    All nutrition values are per serve

  • NOTES

    microwave tip: Place the oil, onion and garlic in a medium, heatproof microwave-safe bowl. Cook, uncovered, on High/800watts/100% for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, uncovered, on High/800watts/ 100% for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, on High/800watts/100%, stirring every 3 minutes, for 6-10 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Storage: The tomato sauce (and variations) will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Alternatively, freeze serving-size portions in separate airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight. To reheat, place the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. ((( Variations ))) Pasta with tomato & chilli sauce: Add 1 small chopped fresh red chilli with the garlic in step 1. Replace the parsley with fresh basil. pasta with tomato & bacon sauce. Add 2 bacon rashers, rind and excess fat trimmed, finely chopped with the onion in step 1. Pasta with creamy tomato sauce: Stir 2 tbs of cream into the sauce with the parsley in step 3.
•