Recipe: Cauliflower and Carrot Puree

I know it's been a long time since my last post - but I've admittedly been traveling so much I just haven't been able to take the time to get back into my cooking. This is a very simple recipe that I've made many times before, but this is the first time I've ever written it down. This is best as a side dish with other simple comforts like grilled chicken or fish.

Cauliflower and Carrot Puree

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, pulled apart into coarse florets

6 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 large sweet onion, cut into chunks

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of water

6 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp black pepper

Directions

Place all the vegetables, chicken broth, and water into a large 6 quart saucepan. Bring heat to high and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the vegetables are all fully tender. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add butter, salt, and black pepper. Return to low heat and cook, stirring frequently, another 10 minutes until butter is thoroughly incorporated and mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes then serve.

Makes 6 - 8 side dish servings.

Recipe: Cauliflower and Parsnip Gratin

This recipe is a fusion of knowledge and flavors from several southern casserole recipes that have been favorites in my family throughout my life with some classical French ingredients and technique. One of the things I've concentrated on over the past several years of cooking is technique - and that has led to great improvements in many of my recipes. This recipe is admittedly quite rich and is best served in as a side dish. As you can see, I served it recently with a grilled New York strip steak seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

Cauliflower and Parsnip Gratin

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, florets separated

3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4" chunks

1 1/2 cup of milk

2/3 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or similar)

1 cup of grated gruyere cheese

2/3 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

4 tbsp of unsalted butter

2 large shallots, minced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp Wondra flour (or well sifted all-purpose flour)

2 tsp white sugar

1 tsp of fresh lemon zest

1 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 sleeves of Ritz crackers (or other butter crackers), crumbled (approx. 3 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9" x 13" casserole dish with cooking spray.

Fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with water and heat until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. Add chopped parsnips. Simmer parsnips for 5 - 7 minutes. Add cauliflower and continue simmering for 4 - 5 minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is fully melted, add the shallots. Cook the shallots until they begin to brown and are softened, stirring frequently (approximately 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic. Using a whisk, add the Wondra flour and mix into the butter, onion, garlic mixture until fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and the white wine. Whisk until any flour lumps disappear. Continue to whisk constantly for approximately 3 - 4 minutes. Add remaining milk and all of the heavy cream. Raise heat to medium high. Continue whisking fairly frequently until the mixture begins to bubble and simmer. Reduce heat to low and add all shredded cheeses, the sugar, lemon zest, and all dry spices. Continue to whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and all the cheese is melted and incorporated (approximately 6 minutes).

Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/2 of the crumbled Ritz crackers. Put vegetables into the casserole dish and spread out into an even layer. Pour cheese sauce over all of the vegetables, coating evenly. Use the back of a spatula to smooth out the mixture as much as possible. Spread the remaining crumbled Ritz crackers all over the top. Place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the top crust has browned and the casserole is very bubbly. Take out of the oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 16 - 20 servings as a side dish.

Recipe: Roasted Curry Vegetable Soup

This was just so darn good, especially as the weather has gotten chilly around here...

Ingredients:

1 large rutabaga, peeled, cut into chunks

1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into chunks

1 large fennel bulb, fronds removed, cut into chunks

1 large cauliflower, separated into florets

1 large red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

1 large leek, ends removed, chopped finely

3 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder

1 tsp. ground white pepper

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. dried mint

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. ground black pepper

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry vermouth

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place chunked rutabaga, potato, fennel, cauliflower, and bell pepper into a large roasting pan. Drizzle 1/2 of the olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle evenly with the kosher salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to mix the vegetables well and ensure they are coated evenly with olive oil. Roast the vegetables for 35 minutes.

In a large stock pot, melt the butter in the remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Add the leeks and garlic, cover, and saute for about 10 - 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all the roasted vegetables to the stock pot. Add all of the remaining spices, chicken broth, heavy cream, and vermouth and stir well to combine. Raise heat to high and cook, uncovered, until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and recover and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Makes about 10 servings.

Restaurant Review: Dosa

I have been wanting to go to this restaurant ever since it opened for two reasons - 1) I love South Indian food as it is much lighter and more veggie-heavy than the more creamy and heavy North Indian food that dominates Indian restaurants here and 2) The reviews from other people I know have been raving. So, my good friend Mistress Paulina picked this for our weekend get together last night.

It was a 45 minute wait (WARNING: they do not accept reservations for fewer than 5 people) and we were surrounded by the people I love to hate - invaders from the Marina. The attitude these people throw make Lady Bunny look like an angel! But I digress...

The wine list is great - lots of selections by the glass, and, as you would expect from a restaurant specializing in spicy food, selections leaned primarily on Pinot Grigios, Sauvignon Blancs, dry Rieslings, Gerwurztramminers, and dry-style Chardonnays. I chose a 2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling (from Mosel Valley in Germany) that was just fabulous. Mistress Paulina had a beer... like she always does...

The pappadum they brought out as a snack was very good... some of the best I ever had. For a starter, I ordered these fried lentil dumplings that came with sambal (spicy lentil soup), tomato chutney, and coconut chutney for dipping. They were quite good... like little sourdough donuts... and the sambal was just divine. I ended up eating all of that stuff even when I ran out of the little donuts. Paulina had little lentil cakes that were stuffed with spinach and cauliflower and also served with the same chutneys. She liked them, although she wished they had more taste of the vegetables than of the lentils.

Now, this place is known for their “dosas” - huge crepes made of lentil flour dough and stuffed with various vegetable ingredients. We actually skipped over the stuffed dosas because their curries looked more interesting. I ordered the baby eggplant in a sesame, peanut, ginger, and onion curry with a side of uttapam for dipping (uttapam is similar to the spongy flatbread you get in Ethiopian restaurants... the lentil flour they use makes it taste like sourdough). Mistress Paulina ordered the peppered chicken curry with a plain dosa on the side for dipping. One thing of note - service here is quick once you get seated, but you don’t feel rushed. Our server was wonderful and timed things perfectly to our mood for the evening.

Both entrees were quite tasty - however, I was expecting to be bowled over given all the raves about the place and the fact that is always difficult to get in there, and I just wasn’t. I was disappointed in the portion size of my eggplant dish - it only had like 5 or 6 baby eggplants in the whole dish and a lot of the curry sauce. Mistress Paulina’s chicken dish was more properly sized. And the uttapam was a bit too sour for my tastes - good, but, Paulina’s dosa would have been the better accompaniment to the dish for my tastes. Also, prepare for spice - the dishes here are quite spicy, as they should be for South Indian cuisine, but it’s not overpowering.

Netting it all out it was a very pleasant meal, very pleasant service, but it just didn’t have the “wow” factor that we both were expecting after all we had heard about it. It was tasty and unique, but, admittedly I wouldn’t choose it again for a weekend meal - I’d wait for a weeknight and go back, and next time try the dosas.