Leftovers are not enough

This will be a short posting, but I had to stop by and tell you about this new recipe I found, tried and enjoyed so much!  Last week we had a lot of leftovers, especially the delicious Chicken Korma, which, it has to be said, got better with every day.  I will have to make it again and soon.  

But somehow, I felt that we needed something more, that the leftovers were not enough.  We haven’t had soup in a while, so I decided that a warm comforting soup would do the trick.  And I was right.  As I mentioned before, this turned out to be a Jamie Oliver week. 

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

·         2 carrots

·         2 celery stalks

·         2 medium onions

·         2 cloves of garlic

·         1 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes

·         7 ounces chorizo sausage

·         A small bunch of fresh parsley

·         1 ¾ quarts chicken or vegetable broth

·         Olive oil

·         1 heaped teaspoon curry powder

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

To make your soup

Peel and roughly slice the carrots.  Slice the celery.  Peel and roughly chop the onions.  Peel and slice the garlic.  Peel and chop the sweet potatoes.  Slice the chorizo.  Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks. 

Put a large pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients with the curry powder and mix together with a wooden spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.  Add the broth to the vegetables.  Give the soup a good stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potato is cooked through.

To serve your soup

Season with salt and pepper.  Using an immersion blender or liquidizer, pulse the soup until smooth.  Divide between your serving bowls and tuck in.

The soup turned out to be smooth, silky, smoky, sweet and totally yummy!  The chorizo also gave it a subtle hint of spice.  It was definitely a great way to welcome fall.  Enjoy!

A bake sale

Today, Adrian had a bake sale at work.  People brought all kinds of baked goods, they sold them for $1 apiece, and the money was donated to a charity.  I couldn’t let my darling husband go empty handed, so I decided to bake something lovely. 

Thus, yesterday morning at 9:00 AM I was already baking away my carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting before I went to my weekly racquetball workout.  (After you satisfy your sweet cravings you’d better do some cardio).  By 10:00 AM the entire apartment was infused with warm aromas of cinnamon, carrot, ginger and vanilla.  However, the combination of aromas was brought to glory by the rich smoky bouquet of my hot French press coffee that was impatiently waiting for me on the coffee table.  Suddenly, I realized I was surrounded by autumn scents.  I guess autumn is just around the corner anyway.  

The cupcakes looked gorgeous in their colorful polka dots paper liners, smelled amazing, and, most importantly, were delicious.  I couldn’t help myself, so I tasted one before my workout and enjoyed it with my cup of French Roast coffee.  Yum!  The carrot cupcakes were moist, crunchy, and scrumptious.  They were ready for the bake sale.  There was a little bit of leftover frosting, but I was generous enough and left it for Adrian.  Just as I expected, he cleaned up the bowl.
 

Carrot Cupcakes

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (June 2011)

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

·         1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         ½ cup sliced almonds

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon ground ginger

·         1 ½ cups grated carrots

·         2/3 cup vegetable oil

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         3 large eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

·         2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

·         8 ounces cream cheese, softened

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

·         1 teaspoon lemon juice

·         ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes

Raise the oven temperature to 350°F.  Line one 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.  Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, grated carrots and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Fill each paper liner with the dough three-quarters of the way.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely.

To make the frosting

Beat the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.  Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Pipe or spread on the cupcakes.
 

My carrot cupcakes were sold out before noon.  They were a total hit at the bake sale!  I hope you will enjoy making and especially eating these superb carrot cupcakes.

A Tale of Two Chickens

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Jamie Oliver.  Well, with his food to be more precise.  I am more of a Giada De Laurentiis and Barefoot Contessa kind of girl when it comes to food.  But my best friend Rachel gave me Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook when she visited me a few months ago.  I never really thought much of him or his food until I got his book.  I think of him as a very unconventional chef.  Also, he is quite entertaining on camera and his show is one of the most popular cooking shows in Romania.  Even my grandmother loves him. 

However, over the past few weeks I’ve been trying several of his recipes and I was not disappointed.  I love how he uses cilantro in almost anything he makes whether it is Indian food, chili con carne, or a simple ginger and parsnip soup.  One of my favorites so far was his Chicken Tikka Masala.  I have to tell you, dear reader, that my husband and I are deeply in love with Indian food.  We have never ever had Indian food until we came to the States.  We didn’t even know what kind of food Indians ate or what their traditional dish was.  Nada…  But little by little we learnt about it and now we are Indian food aficionados.  In fact, I think that the best Indian restaurant in the US is in Boston, but that’s a different story for another time.  So, coming back to Jamie’s Indian food recipes.  Well, I think that I will have to try them all eventually, and last night I was on track with Chicken Korma.  One word – DEVINE!  It’s not your usual restaurant style Chicken Korma with raisins and tons of cream, but rather a lighter and more delightful version of the traditional dish.  So far, we loved both chicken recipes and it’s my pleasure to share them with you, and hope that you will enjoy them too.  Sit tight, I think we’ll have a Jamie Oliver week!

Chicken Korma

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Yields 4-6 servings

 

  

·         1 ¾ - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         2 medium onions

·         Optional: 1 fresh green chile

·         A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

·         A small bunch of fresh cilantro

·         1 x 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans

·         3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 Tablespoon of butter

·         ½ cup korma or mild curry paste, such as Patak’s (I used Patak’s mild curry paste)

·         1 x 14-ounce can of coconut milk

·         About ¼ cup sliced almonds, plus extra for serving

·         2 heaped Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         Optional: 2 ½ teaspoons of sugar (the recipe doesn’t call for sugar, but I personally love that hint of sweetness)

To prepare your curry

Cut the chicken into approximately 1-inch pieces.  Peel, halve, and finely slice the onions.  Halve, seed, and finely slice the chile if you’re using it.  Peel and finely chop the ginger.  Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks.  Drain the garbanzo beans.

 

To make your curry

Put a large casserole-type pan on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add the onions, chile (if using it), ginger, and cilantro stalks.  Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.  Keep stirring it enough so it doesn’t catch and burn but turn evenly golden.  Cook for around 10 minutes.  Add the curry paste, coconut milk, ¼ cup sliced almonds, the drained garbanzo beans, unsweetened shredded coconut, and sliced chicken breasts.  Half fill the empty can with water, pour it into the pan, and stir.  Add the sugar and stir again.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes with the lid on.  Check the curry regularly to make sure it’s not drying out, and add extra water if necessary.  When the chicken is tender and cooked, taste and season carefully with salt and pepper (and more sugar if necessary).

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Yields 4-6 servings 

·         1 ½ - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         2 medium onions

·         A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

·         A small bunch of fresh cilantro

·         3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 Tablespoon of butter

·         ½ cup tikka masala or mild curry paste, such as Patak’s (I used Patak’s mild curry paste)

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes

·         1 x 14-ounce can of coconut milk

·         A small handful of sliced almonds for serving

To prepare your curry

Cut / slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes or ¾-inch-thick strips.  Peel, halve, and finely slice the onions.  Peel and finely slice the ginger.  Pick the cilantro leaves and put to one side, then finely chop the stalks. 

 

To make your curry

Put a large casserole-type pan on medium heat and add the oil and butter.  Add the onions, ginger and cilantro stalks.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, until soften and golden.  Add the curry paste and the chicken.  Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk.  Fill one of the empty cans with water, pour into the pan, and stir again.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes with the lid on.  Check the curry regularly to make sure it’s not drying out and add extra water if necessary.  When the meat is tender and cooked, taste and carefully add a bit more salt and pepper.   

I served the chicken dishes with fluffy basmati rice.  I used Kohinoor Authentic Basmati Rice.

Yields 4-6 servings

·         1 ½ cups basmati rice

·         2 1/3 cups water

·         2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         Salt and pepper

Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes before cooking.  Drain the rice.  Put a pan on medium heat and add the oil.  Add the rice and water, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes with the lid on.  Do not remove the lid while cooking.  Remove the pan from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

What is interesting is that I made the Chicken Korma before my husband and I went to our weekly Yoga class.  I didn’t realize it when I chose to make this dish, but I have to say that Yoga and Indian food go very well together.  Of course we ate after our Yoga class.  And it was delicious!  Namaste!

Let’s get this rolling

I don’t really know what it is that I’m doing here, but I guess that even knowing what you don’t know is a good start.  So, here we go – a lot of things to write about and a lot more to learn about.  Welcome to Dana’s blog, dear reader; yet another food blogger you might say, but who cares?

I’ve been thinking of starting a food blog for six months now.  You know how they say that if you want to start a blog you should do it today, not tomorrow, not next week.  Well, six months later, I finally decided to take a shot at it.  And here’s, in a nutshell, what I want to do.  Writing this blog is my opportunity to share with you my favorite recipes from my favorite famous celebrity chefs, cookbooks and food magazines, as well as my grandmother’s specialties, which filled my childhood with amazing flavors and fun memories in good old Transylvania. 

But this is not all I’m going to share with you.  Both my husband, Adrian, and I are foodies and we love to travel.  Although we love our beloved Steel City, we also love exploring different places, restaurants and cuisines in the US, Canada, Europe and anywhere else our curiosity takes us.  Last year, we went on 14 different adventures.  This year, we are on track with 7 new ones.  At the end of the day, I hope that with the help of my blog you’ll get some good ideas on what to make or where to go for dinner tonight.

So, this is it.  I hope you’ll stop by and enjoy the ride!  I know I will!