Category: Small bites

Rolled Cabbage Latke with Goat Cheese

When it comes to latke, don’t battle with nostalgia. Sometimes, one man’s greasy is another man’s gratifying!

Chaya egged me on to make a healthy Hanukkah posting. I experimented over two weekends during Hanukkah to finally produce the response to Chaya’s challenge. On the first weekend, I used root vegetables and on the second I used cabbage. Both the results were finger-licking good, as endorsed by my tasters, and off-the-meters on the health-o-meter: very little oil and chock-full of veggies. Believe me, a very very palatable way to consume your vegetables. Not sure how to interpret this but I was constantly hearing “can’t believe this is cabbage” 🙂

I wanted a different presentation, so I went for this roll. It has many advantages. Firstly, you don’t need to make individual latke hovering over a hot plancha (like I did last year at a friend’s Hanukkah party).  Secondly, you can fold in goat cheese (or any other filling of your choice) right into the body.

Instead of eggs, I used besan (chickpea flour) as a binder.  It imparts an interesting taste, lends a light-crispy bind of the veggies and keeps the vegetarians in your guest mix even happier. Also, Chaya assures me that besan is kosher. Enjoy the oblong latke!

Special tools:

Parchment paper or silicone silpat; Food processor or grater.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups shredded cabbage + 2 julienned turnips +  1/2 sliced onion
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder + salt to taste + pepper
  • 1/3 cup besan
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese for filling
  • sour cream or drained homemade yogurt for serving

Mix all the ingredients well. The vegetables have a natural moisture that will wet the dry flour (besan). If that does not work for you, then add 1-2 tbsps of water and lightly mix. Line a baking tray with parchment or silpat: you need this to help you roll.  Make a mat of the mix on the parchment, about 1 cm in thickness. Loosely pat it down and level off the edges, make sure the edge is not very thin as it may cook much faster than the rest. Bake in the middle rack, at 400 F for 25 mins.  Check on it for the last 10 minutes, to rotate the sheet or pull it out of the oven if already done.

Rest the baked vegetables for 10 mins or so till it is cool enough to handle but not complete cold.  Dot the top with little blobs of goat cheese. Then holding down the parchment sheet with one hand roll the vegetables (like you roll the mat for sushi rolls). The parchment paper will be completely on the outside. Tighten and shape the roll and let rest for a few minutes. Then remove the parchment and discard. Cut the cylinder diagonally with a sharp knife and serve with sour cream or yogurt.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. If you have a silicone silpat, you should use that. In fact, it is very convenient as well as effective.
  2. Besan is available at Asian (Indian) groceries, or you can simply order over the internet.
  3. You want to create a loose mat of vegetables; so do not press down too hard, only lightly.
  4. You can use root vegetables (celeriac, sweet potatoes, turnip etc instead of or in addition to cabbage). If you use a fine shredder in your processor, you can use about 4 (loose) cups on the silpat mat: for example, 1.5 cups shredded brussel sprouts + 1.5 cups shredded sweet potato + 1 cup shredded turnip.
  5. You could also add shredded potatoes, then you don’t need to any further binder, since the starch in the potatoes will hold the mat together.
  6. Cutting the log diagonally gives more volume to each latke; but, feel free to cut them into round disks.  Use a sharp knife. I tried to first use a serrated bread knife, but found that a regular sharp chef’s knife was a better choice.

Minimalist Taro Latke: This has only 3 main ingredients- taro, onions and jalapeno. Of course some EVOO and salt to taste. But that’s it. Peel the taros and coarse grate in a processor. Add a little sliced onions and 1-2 jalapenos. Mix in salt and a little EVOO. Line a baking sheet with parchment generously oiled with EVOO. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes.

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Larb-inspired Salad with Baby Beet Greens & Macambo

 

I may alienate my Thai friends by designating Larb as Laotian. Indeed, many Thai restaurants in the US offer Larb on their menu. Irrespective of the origin (after all Laos and Thailand share a border and history), all will agree that the rest of humanity is grateful for this éclat of a salad from Southeast Asia.  Moreover, it can be simply put together in ten minutes in your kitchen!  But you need to stock your pantry with a trip to your South-East Asian grocery (lemongrass, fish sauce).

I use the Mediterranean capers to deepen the citrus accent and Amazonian macambo nuts for texture (& ‘superfood’ factor). These nuts are somewhat large and I compare that to the size of a quarter in the photograph (do NOT use the coin in your recipe!).  All the ingredients are easily accessible (over the internet) or have simple substitutes. But the result is incroyable, as they say. Do give it a try.

Larb
Larb
Baby Beet Greens
Macambo Nuts

Special tools:

None.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground meat (lamb or chicken or turkey)
  • Greens: 2 cups of lightly packed baby beet greens + 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 pods of garlic crushed and cooked lightly in 2 tbsp oil, till fragrant
  • Seasoning liquid:  juice of 1 lime +  2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 large shallot thinly sliced + 4-5 scallions finely sliced + 2-3 serrano chilies + white part of 1 lemon-grass stalk very finely minced  + 1 tbsp capers OR zest of one lime
  • 1/2 cup Macambo nuts lightly toasted and coarsely crushed

Method

Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add the oil from the crushed garlic mix, add the minced meat and saute, breaking up the lumps, till granular and cooked. This takes about five minutes. Mix the rest of the ingredients, except the greens, till well mixed.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Then fold in the greens.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. You can use any other light greens, including cilantro leaves.
  2. Instead of greens folded into the salad, you can serve it with butter lettuce leaves (in the Korean way) or cabbage leaves, cut into wedges.
  3. The lemon grass is very hard and you may need to use a processor if your knife is unable to handle it.
  4. You can use any nuts: peanuts is traditional. But feel free to use your favorite.

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A genetic story: Honeynut Mousse

This posting is a meeting of two genetic stories.  Legend has it that the intensely sweet and  small butternut squash (named the honeynut) was the result of a challenge thrown by the Chef of Blue Hill to a plant geneticist at Cornell.  Row 7 seed company is evidence of their success story.  I really appreciate the challenge of concentrating flavor, since I myself have dabbled in the genetics of food sources (TED talk).

The second genetic story is that of me: I am genetically disposed to dentist visits. But my dentist does not get it- he constantly rebukes me for unhealthy habits like soda and sugar, though I entertain no such inclinations.  Nevertheless, after one such dental procedure, I was resigned to soft bland food. After a day of mashed potatoes and yogurt, the honeynuts came to my rescue.  Not a soup, a mousse:  a high temperature roast intensifies the flavor even more.  I call it a mousse but it is not a dessert, unless you want it to be one. In any case, the result was so delicious that my Pavlovian-self  now even looks forward to the dentists’ eeky interventions!

A final note: yes, I am a “genetic” activist.  I believe that indeed most of phenotype-of-the-living is explainable by its genetics alone.

Special tools:

Blender.

Ingredients

  • 3 honeynut squashes halved lengthwise and the internal pulp and seeds removed
  • 3-4 pods of garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
  • liquid: 1/2 can of coconut milk + 1 cup almond milk
  • Topping: blue cheese of your choice

Method

Place the halved honeynut squash with the cut side up on a baking tray. Brush with EVOO. Add salt and pepper and the whole pods of garlic. Roast at 425 F for 30 mins.

With a pair of kitchen shears cut the squash into small pieces (with the skin on; but not the stem! ) directly into the blender. Peel the garlic by simply pressing gently to get the interior pulp out. To accentuate the sweetness, you can add the maple syrup.  Add the liquid and run the blender till it turns into smooth thick paste. Serve with the cheese topping.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. If  the squash is hard to cut, microwave for 2 minutes or so till it just softens enough for the knife to run through.
  2. The immersion blender will not work here since I keep it very thick (albeit with the skin on) and a minimal amount of liquid. The shattered skin in the mousse gives an appealing texture.
  3. I believe the magical mainstay of this recipe is squash, coconut milk and blue cheese.
  4. To melt the cheese, you can place each serving bowl in the microwave for 20-25 secs.
  5. I used a Stilton style artisanal blue cheese (with Roquefort mold).

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Sardine Croquette

In my recent trip to Portugal, my memory of the Indian version of croquette (widely called “cutlet”  or the Bengalee  “chop”) was rekindled.  I remember the laborious long drawn-out process of  braising, sauteing, breading and deep-frying in my mother’s kitchen.  They were primarily with vegetables or even garbanzo and the results always addictive.

Embarrassingly, the moment I returned, I unpacked the cans of fish (cod, sardine, ..) purchased at the Lisbon airport and whipped up my version of the croquettes with pantry ingredients.  Using cod, I baked the croquettes instead of deep-frying.  A delightful way to fight your jet-lag.

But I share here a recipe that uses sardines. My friend assured me that sardines could never be converted into delectable croquettes. Here is my proof of contradiction. Yes, he conceded. But you can try them for yourselves. Neither will you miss the deep-frying nor will the sardines throw you off-balance.

Special tools:

Baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients

  • 1 can of sardines in olive oil (120 gm)
  • I large potato, cooked in its jacket, peeled and mashed
  • Seasoning: salt to taste + 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • Flavoring layer:
  • 1 tbsp extra light olive oil (ELOO)
  • 1 cubanelle or frying pepper, finely diced
  • 2 pods of garlic, skinned and crushed
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • Breading:
  • egg wash: 1 egg + 1/2 cup water, mixed
  • about 1 cup (Italian) bread crumbs
  • Serving: arugula

Method

Mash the potato while it is still warm; add the sardines along with the oil and the seasoning ingredients.

Flavoring layer: Heat ELOO. Saute the diced pepper till soft and fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Add the crushed garlic and saute till softened (about 30 seconds). Add the curry powder and stir till fragrant (about 30 secs).   Add to the potato-fish mix.

Breading: Pinch off  the mix into 16 (small lime sized) pieces and shape into cylinders.  Place breadcrumbs in a flat platter as a thin layer.  With your right hand dip the cylinder in the egg wash; shake off excess. Then using your left (dry) hand roll the croquette in the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process again (i.e., two layers of breading) and then place each croquette on the parchment lined baking tray.

Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.  Flip each croquette. Then bake for another 10 mins.

Serve in a bed of arugula.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. Believe me that this baked croquette is indistinguishable from deep-fried ones. The crisp skin comes from the double breading.
  2. Sources of very good quality canned fish exist over the internet, such as Matiz Espana, King Oscar and such.
  3. The frying-pepper is thinner than regular pepper and works well in the recipe. If using regular pepper, dice them finely. But you can also use onion (half a medium sized) instead of pepper.
  4. The amount of curry powder used here is enough for a subtle je-ne-sais-quoi but if you prefer a strong curry flavor,  then use 1 to 2 tsps of curry powder.
  5. You can also add very finely chopped cilantro leaves or other greens to the mix
  6. While most of the steps can be done in a jiffy, the breading needs a little bit of patience– factor in 15-20 minutes for this meditative process.
  7. Once I  (accidentally) used canned eel Portuguese escabeche. I was apprehensive, but the result was delightful. I can only say that this croquette treatment is quite robust!

Pantry Croquette.  What do you do when you don’t want to step out of your comfortable abode but feel famished?
I realize one can make sardine croquettes just with pantry ingredients (ok, cellar too- potato from the root cellar). This time I also used flaxmeal slurry in place of the eggs– out of respect for soaring egg prices and thus not wasting precious eggs as a mere, pedestrian binder. I also threw in some thinly sliced cabbage (in place of the pepper in the above recipe). Turned out wonderful, irrespective! 

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Frugivore’s Delight

I thought I was hitting most of the notes in the food pyramid, until I realized that chocolate/cacao dominated my sweet palate.  I started looking for interesting, but simple, ways to tempt the appetite with seasonal fruits. If there is anything that can beat the produce as they tumble out of the farmers’ baskets, it is grilled fruits with some tantalizing accents.

Here, I also include the savory cucumber and zucchini which are still too timid to join the big-boys’ grill-troupe of meats, burgers and potatoes.

Special tools:

Stove-top grill pan.

Ingredients

  • Sweet fruits:  2 one-inch thick slices of cantaloupe;  2 doughnut peaches slice in half and pitted
  • Sweet glaze:  1/4 tsp of saffron threads crushed in pestle and mortar + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) + 2 tbsp honey + juice of 1/2 lemon + a pinch of salt
  • Green fruits: 2 small cucumbers halved lengthwise; 2 tender zucchinis halved lengthwise
  • Flavored salt: 1 tbsp porccini flavored salt + 1 tbsp Sicilian salt with lemon & mint
  • Sweet garnish: lavender + lemon zest

Method

Brush the cut sides of the fruits with sweet glaze. Brush cucumber and zucchini with EVOO and sprinkle the flavored salt on it. Heat a stove-top grill pan. Place the sweet fruits in one half and the green fruits on the other half; each with cut side down.  Brush the top of sweet fruits with the glaze and the green fruits with EVOO and salt.  Grill on each side for two to three minutes.  Let cool slightly. Chop (or, not)  and serve.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. An alternative sweet garnish is to use pollen grains (yes, pollen that you can order online or from the farmer’s market) instead of the lemon zest.
  2. Use any flavored sea salt of your choice, or even make your own.
  3. An option is to serve the grilled fruits with yogurt.
  4. You can add the grilled green fruits to your regular salads.
  5. If in a rush, you can simply dry-roast the sliced stone fruits in a non-stick pan for 2-3 mins on each side. As the sugar caramelizes, it gives an unmatched  depth of flavor. Here is a pluot (a cross between a plum and apricot) and some peaches without the whole shebang of glaze and garnish.
    dry-roasted fruits

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Dalma-Dip

What is an event that one out of eight on planet earth is following, irrespective of the time of day at each location ? The World Cup (soccer).  I am not the one to miss out on such a momentous occasion. I immediately signed up at my favorite watering hole.  It only seemed fit to come up with a fusion dish for such a unifying, fun event.

Inspired by the ubiquitous middle-eastern hummus, I convert a regional Indian dish dalma into a dip to serve with tortilla chips. Dalma is a lentil-based dish from eastern India (Odisha; Bengal; Assam) which is oooh-so mildly flavored without drawing attention away from the staple ingredients.  I used a garam masala from Eastern India. Garam masala, which literally means “warm spice”, is actually very regional: it is a melange of carefully picked spices (such as cinnamon, cloves, mace, cardamom etc) which not just varies from region to region but also from vendor to vendor, each vying to outdo the next. The quintessential ingredient of the Eastern garam masala is crushed toasted cumin seeds. If your spice merchant does not stock this garam masala, pester them for it or simply use cumin.

Lentil is also touted as a vegetarian’s “meat” and does live up to this reputation. There is a spectrum of Indian lentils much like the Mexican beans. I use the skinned moong here for its creamy consistency. It’s classic use in Indian cooking ranges from dals to fritters (vada) to even desserts (halwa). In case you are horrified to see its use in confectionery, recall that the Japanese anko is simply azuki beans, and all of us have delighted in Japanese pastry sometime in our dining experiences. Yes, red beans that could have been in your chilli or your dessert simply by a flip of the chef’s coin. Oh, the versatility of legumes!

The final touch of the dip comes from the mustard oil (as a dressing) that gives it that unmistakable eastern Indian touch. Enjoy!

dalmaDip
Lentil dip dalma

Special tools:

Pressure cooker, wire whisk.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup skinned moong lentils (yellow) soaked in plenty of water for 1 hour
  • 2 cups of greens (chard) chopped fine -without bruising– and dry-toasted on a skillet or wok for 1-2 minutes
  • 1 large pod of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • a pinch of turmeric powder + a dash of red chilli powder
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Eastern garam masala or crushed (toasted) cumin seeds
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Method

Place all ingredients, except the garam masala and oil, with just enough water till all  are just immersed and pressure cook till soft. Mix in the garam masala and stir with a wire whisk.  Add the oil when ready to serve.

Serve with flaxseed-soy tortilla or regular tortilla chips.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. If you dont have a pressure cooker, no worries. Just cook in a large pot till the lentils are soft enough to be mixed.
  2. Use mustard oil if you are brave enough! It is the most widely used oil in the eastern part of India. And, yes, it can be used as a dressing oil.
  3. This treatment of the greens (dry-toasting) not just makes the greens more appetizing but also reduces the amount of salt needed for the dish.  In fact, you can store this in the refrigerator and use in a variety of dishes, from omlette to pilaf to fritters.
  4. The moong lentil can be replaced with any other lentils of your choice.
  5. How do you know when the lentil is adequately soaked: it is soft to the bite (and can possibly be used in a raw lentil salad). But a pressure cooker can power through unsoftened lentils without missing a beat.

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