One Pot Wonder: Persian Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

As the chill of fall begins to set in, we begin to crave warmth and cozy sustenance. What better way to celebrate the autumnal equinox than to prepare a delicious pot of stew or chili, the kind that will fill your home with a divine bouquet of spices. The last two times that I prepared dinner, it was a "one pot wonder" kind of meal. These wonders usually consist of a bunch of savory (or sometimes sweet) ingredients thrown into a big pot and left on the stove to simmer and blossom into hearty, filling bowls of awesomeness. Today’s entry will focus on the Persian stew, or what I like to think of it as, Christmas in a bowl.

On Thursday night I made Persian stew, or khoresh, with sweet potatoes and spinach. I retrieved the recipe from Mollie Katzen's website, which is quickly becoming my go-to for great vegetarian recipes and ideas. Before I could prepare the stew, I first had to blend the Persian Allspice. I can say, without a doubt, that this is one of the most divine things I have ever smelled in my life. The spices, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, cinnamon, turmeric, ground ginger, cloves, and black pepper, had to be condensed into one ground format. To make these happen, we threw everything into our coffee grinder (now part time spice grinder). It worked fabulously, as the end result was a golden-colored dust of aromatic spices.

After the spices were made, it was on to prepping the vegetables, which actually wasn’t a lot of work. The onions and garlic needed to be chopped, along with peeling and chopping of the sweet potatoes. I also chopped the nectarines that I was using as a substitute for plums. I have found, thus far in my cooking experience, that it is best to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time. This prevents you from running around the kitchen like a mad woman (or man), trying to get everything together to throw in at just the right time. Veteran cooks probably know this, but this is something that I have had to learn the hard way.

After everything was prepped, I heated olive oil in my pan over medium heat and threw in the onions and the Allspice to sauté together. Again, the bouquet of this mixture was heavenly. I actually ended up having a coughing fit because I was just standing over the pot, inhaling the spices. Don’t inhale when standing over such an intense mix of spices.

After the onions were sautéed, I added the sweet potatoes, garlic, 2 cups of orange juice (1 cup fresh squeezed, 1 cup store bought), and the remaining salt. The stew was to now simmer for 30 minutes. Just imagine the scents now, as the pungent spices mixed with the sweet orange juice. Our house smelled amazing! It reminded me of Christmas, with a zesty, sweet scent hanging in the air.

The smell is unbelievably good! 

At the last few moments of cooking, I added the spinach and the nectarines and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. The end result was a thick, spicy stew that tasted like winter with its cinnamon and orange aromas. I served it with leftover chapatis, although basmati rice would have been a fantastic compliment to the meal. Ashwin claims it is one of his most favorite things that I have made for him so far.

So tasty!

Recommended wine pairing: a lush, fruit-forward California Pinot Noir. I specify a California (preferably coastal) Pinot because Oregon pinots (while amazing) tend to be more on the earthy, spicy side and you don’t want to take away from the spice component of this dish.

Cheers and happy eating! 

First Homemade Indian Curry = Mastered!

Ashwin and I take turns cooking dinner 1) to share the responsibility and 2) because we both love the fun art of cooking. Last night was my turn and Ashwin challenged me to make an Indian dish. I have (once) made an Indian chaat, or snack, called Bhel Puri, which was mostly just putting a bunch of yummy ingredients together in a semi-dry mix. It's my favorite chaat, actually. It turned out pretty well and I actually made myself sick from eating almost the entire bowl for dinner.

Bhel Puri that I made in February, along with a bottle of Domaine Carneros Chardonnay

Last night I ventured into my first curry with a recipe for Olan, which is a pumpkin curry from the southern Indian state of Kerala. I found the recipe in a cookbook that was given to me as an engagement present by a family friend. The book is huge and full of delicious, incredible recipes. Being that it is fall now, I felt the urge to create a warm, cozy curry and pumpkin was the winner. I, of course, was going to pursue this dish from scratch with bare, raw pumpkins and all.

Carving, gutting, and peeling the pumpkins was the hardest task of all in this process. I was worried I would cut my hand when I was trying to split the pumpkin in half in order to gut it. After a little recon online, I came across a source that helped me out in this time of need and I was able to split the pumpkins open, revealing their fleshy, raw smell and soft, silky flesh. 

One pie pumpkin and one white pumpkin, conquered! 

After the fresh pumpkins were quelled into obedience, I had to peel the suckers. The white pumpkin was fairly easy and its skin came off when I used the potato peeler. I did manage, however, to also peel a bit off of my left thumb, breaking my prep rhythm and putting me in First Aid mode. My newly bandaged thumb and I moved onto the pie pumpkin, which was not able to be dominated by the potato peeler. Thankfully, my gallant husband arrived home from work and was able to help me chop the skin bits off of the pumpkin chunks. In hindsight, I would have baked the pumpkins ahead of time because they were going to be mashed into submission anyway.

While the pumpkins hit the stove to soften, I prepped the remainder of the recipe which was fairly easy. I cut a green chili, which I used instead of the three that were required by the recipe. I decided to go a bit light on the spice side of the recipe, apprehensive of the assault on my tongue that it may cause. Once my coconut oil was hot and the mustard seeds jumping, I threw in the chili and curry leaves, which filled our home with a vibrant, distinctive smell that transported me back to my in-law's home in Bangalore. I then mixed in the now-mashed pumpkin to finish cooking and boy, what an aroma that concoction had. The color of the cooking curry was a vivacious yellow, speckled with the green of the chili and curry leaves.

The Olan is almost complete - we can't wait to devour it!

We decided to serve the luscious curry with chapatis, in lieu of the recommended basmati rice, just in case the dish was too heavy. Nothing is worse than being over stuffed with rice when you have a delightful curry you should be focusing your fork (or fingers) on.

The finished Olan - oh, what a dish!

The Olan was phenomenal, full of flavor, and perfect for a semi-chilly fall evening. The skinned finger and pain in the rear pumpkin domination was completely worth it. The curry tasted velvety, creamy, and a bit zesty. The fresh coconut that was added after it was cooked added a depth of flavor that transported me to a tropical locale. We cleaned every last nibble from the skillet and our plates. Poor Ashwin didn't even have any to take to work with him today...but it was a fantastic evening meal. I plan on preparing this dish to go along with our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Suggested wine pairing: I recommend a sparkling wine or a dry white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc. Since it's also a tad sweet, a sweeter, dry white, like a Reisling, would work as well. 

Cheers and happy eating!

Recipe Review: Eggplant and Almond Enchiladas

A little over a week ago I was able to catch a broadcast on our local public radio station, KQED, that was featuring Mollie Katzen, a well-known Jewish chef and writer of all things vegetarian. To be honest, prior to the radio program, I had never heard of Katzen. After hearing her tantalizing talk of whipping vegetables into palatable pleasures, I did some research of my own on her website and discovered some alluring recipes. The one that spoke to me the most was "Eggplant and Almond Enchiladas," and I tried my hand at it this weekend.

I prepared the enchiladas over the course of the weekend, making the Mexican red sauce on Saturday morning and refrigerating until Sunday evening for dinner. The red sauce portion of the recipe was easy to follow and its robust, zesty smell filled the whole house. Next time I make it, however, I will be modifying the level of spice, as it was just a little too powerful for me. Ashwin, of course, loved the spice level.

The enchiladas themselves were easy to prepare with the simple steps provided in Katzen's recipe. I rolled the enchiladas, which were bursting with the succulent filling. They were then heavily doused with the piquant red sauce, sprinkled with Jack cheese, and then baked in the oven for 30 minutes. We decided to serve them with Ashwin's lime and cilantro rice.

The enchiladas blanketed in the homemade red sauce served with lime and cilantro rice

The enchiladas were scrumptious, velvety, and completely satisfying. They exceeded my expectations, as the spices and various textures danced on my tongue. My only regret is not garnishing them with a bit of cilantro on top to add some color to the muddled red of the sauce. Ashwin took a small dish of the enchiladas to work for lunch and returned home with an empty vessel, every last morsel (probably) licked clean.

Prior to having made this recipe, I pre-ordered Katzen's latest cookbook, the Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation. After this gastronomical feat, I am looking forward to diving head (or mouth) first into enticing recipes such as Cumin-Scented Black Bean Burgers, Spiced Carrots in Thick Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette, and Caramelized Onion and Lemon Marmalade. 

Now go wipe your mouth and get cooking, if you haven't already. Happy eating!

Baby, Light My Fire (With an Outdoor Pizza Oven)

Last night Ashwin and I had the pleasure of attending a casual dinner party at a colleague's beautiful, older home in a cozy neighborhood on the bay in Alameda. It had been raining most of the morning and afternoon but the skies cleared just in time for the soiree. Homemade pizza was on the menu so I brought a bottle of 2010 Chalone Pinot Noir (Monterey, $18.99 at Bevmo), as red wine and pizza always go well together.

The atmosphere was warm and inviting and we were in love with the beautiful kitchen she had; however, we were more in awe of the grand outdoor pizza oven that was the center piece of their backyard. The wood fire was already going in the oven and the dough was being made for the made to order wood-fired pizzas that would be coming later. We learned that the oven can get up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and can cook more than just a superb pizza. Glancing through a cookbook that was produced by the same maker of the ovens, I saw stunning pictures of full Thanksgiving dinners made in the outdoor wood-fire oven. Ashwin and I are now predicting an outdoor wood fire pizza oven in our home-owning future.

A different model of the wood-fire pizza oven from the same importer

The stunning oven is imported from Italy by Mugnaini Imports, located in Watsonville, CA. The company sells various different sizes and specs of indoor and outdoor wood-fire ovens. They also offer classes at different locations on wood fire cooking techniques and how to perfect the art of wood-fired pizza.

Back to the pizza. It was crisp, golden, delectable, and done in no more than 3 minutes! We had various pizzas with a multitude of toppings, the next one outdoing the previous one. Peppers, prosciutto, tomato, zucchini, olives, mushroom, pepperoni, etc. We also tried our hand at Indian-style pizzas, with homemade naan baked in the oven and topped with goat cheese and cilantro. With the remaining dough, our hostess made wood-fired oven baked foccacia bread. Can you imagine anything tastier than that?

Always the Patron, Never the Chef...until Now

My passion for the finer things has often lead me to new and enticing restaurants, featuring great menus and even greater wine lists. Before my husband and I were married, we spent many dates at a highly-rated restaurant, wine bar, brunch locale, etc., eager to try out their fare. Lately, however, we have been practicing our culinary skills in our own little kitchen here in Mountain View. When I first started cooking for us, it would take me forever to even just do the prep work and often resulted in a minor cut or scrap to the hand. I was also concerned about needing to cook vegetarian, as Ashwin is mostly a veg eater. Sure, I could get by with baking a couple of chicken breasts in the oven and throwing a green salad together. I had also managed to bake a few items but nothing astounding.

I've managed to create some tasty dishes lately (husband-approved) and am getting more comfortable in the kitchen. I love the feeling of creating something myself from scratch in my own kitchen, albeit small. The smells, the tastes, and just the energy of the kitchen is sublime. We often have a great Pandora station going while we cook - usually Michael Buble or Madeline Peyroux - and open a great bottle of wine, which makes any occasion even better.

Last week's menu consisted of lots of yummies, the main ones being tofu parmigiana and kale and black bean tacos. Both of these recipes were found on allrecipes.com, which is a wonderful resource for all things food and cooking.

Kale and Black Bean Tacos

Tofu Parmigiana with green salad and my own balsamic vinaigrette

This week's menu features delights such as eggplant and almond enchiladas, Olan (Indian Pumpkin Curry) and a Persian stew made from spinach, sweet potatoes, and peaches. Yum!