Stir Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds

While this dish may seem somewhat ordinary at first pass with it's monochromatic hues and functional title, don't be fooled.  It packs a wonderful flavor punch without being too hot.  I craved another batch for weeks after first consumption. 

Need further convincing?  My husband, typically a cabbage naysayer, sopped it up in seconds, commenting not once BUT twice how much he was enjoying it.  Basically, get chopping and stir frying.  Top it with a fried egg for extra protein and deliciousness points.

Madhur Jaffrey's Stir-Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound green cabbage (half a large head)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Directions

• Remove outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it in half lengthwise and cut into long shreds discarding the core.
• Heat the oil in a nonstick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin, fennel and sesame seeds. As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, add the onion stir frying for 4 minutes or until the onion has started to brown.
• Add the cabbage and stir fy for another 6 minutes until the cabbage has browned. Mix in the salt and cayenne, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear caramelized and soft.
• Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Mix well and enjoy over rice, or with a fried egg.

Vegetable Chana Masala

My love for all things food is happily extending into my relationships with others as friends and family increasingly reach out to gab about cooking.  Conversations with one high school friend lately have almost exclusively been about food. "What do you think about swapping goat cheese for feta in this recipe?" "Have you seen this foodblog?" "Tonight I'm making a crumble, I will let you know how it turns out...."  It's so fun for me.

So this post is a little virtual nod to our conversations.  It's vegetarian, because she is one, and it's an Indian recipe in tribute to the many lunch buffets we enjoyed when living in the same town years ago.

While the numbers of different spices might seem overwhelming at first glance, fear not.  You basically plop them all in the pot at one time and after a quick visit to a specialty market, you have enough spices for a number of dinners. I tried a handful of different recipes before settling on a modified version from this site. I omit fancy spice grinding and ginger (hubby hates it!) with the hopes of compiling an easy go-to curry for you.

My one suggestion? The first time you make this recipe, create identical mounds of the spice base.  Seal the second heap away in a zip lock bag, and voila, you are that much closer to your next curry.

Vegetable Chana Masala

Modified courtesy of Aarti Paarti

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes, finely diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 summer squash diced into cubes  
• 2 cups of chopped greens (collards, kale, swiss chard) 
• 1 large white or red onion, finely diced
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon amchur powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons peanut oil
• Juice of half a lemon or lime 
• 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper

 Directions

• Combine all the spices, except the cumin, in a bowl
• Set a skillet over medium-high heat, and warm the peanut oil until it’s shimmering.  Add the onions,  cumin and a little kosher salt, and saute until they start to brown (about 15 minutes). If the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with water and scrub up the pan bits.
• Add garlic; saute 30 seconds.
• Add the spice mixture (“masala”), and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the tomatoes and summer squash. Cook, seasoning with a little salt again, picking up anything that’s sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes soften, deepen in colour and form a coarse sauce, about 5 minutes.
• Add the greens and chickpeas, and cover in the masala, cooking a minute or so.
• Stir in the cup of water, then gently simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and citrus juice as needed. Turn the heat off, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Curried Celery Soup

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, and in this case, that means not judging a recipe by its title.  I like celery as much as the next gal.  It's crunchy. It has has terrific hummus and peanut butter scooping propensities. I also love Indian Food.  Somehow, though, curried + celery + soup sounded, well... sorta just okay, not terribly special.

The deluge of celery in my weekly CSA and gorgeous list of accompanying ingrediants turned me onto this not-so-aptly titled soup and I am grateful for it.  Think Indian root vegetable stew, not just curried celery.

If you like Indian food and thick fall soups, this ones for you (that means you Penny!). Top with a dollop of fresh yogurt or sour cream and dig in!

Curried Celery Soup

Recipe courtesy of MyFarmShare 

4 servings 

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 cup celery leaves, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 apple, diced
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth  
• 4 teaspoons curry powder (or garam masala which is all I had on hand!)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin (omit if using garam masala)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Sauté the onion, carrot and celery in a little vegetable oil for about 10 minutes.  
• Add the potatoes, sauté for another 5 minutes.  
• Add the garlic, the apple and the spices, continue to sauté for a few more minutes.
• Add the broth, scrape the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.  
• Cook for another 10 - 20 minutes (test to make sure a potato cube is cooked) and then add the celery leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.  
• You can blend the whole batch with in a food processor or with an immersion blender, however, I'd suggest just blending half for a chunkier end product.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Coconut Vegetable Curry

While visiting my sister-in-law this winter, we enjoyed terrific Thai vegetable curry with extra eggplant. The night, like most memorable ones, was special in its own right. Blizzard induced power outages in the California Sierra Nevada mountains left us picking up take-out a few towns over and hiking it 1.5 miles via sled to a fire and candle-lit home. The eggplant, which she raved about during our hike, lived up to its fame. Not soggy or seedy, but crispy with a sweet finish.

What I love about vegetable curry is that you can use just about any veggies on hand. Here, I've used my CSA goodies, however most anything can be quickly simmered in this sauce for a easy and enjoyable meal. My husband ate in seconds... always a good sign.

Coconut Vegetable Curry

Ingredients 

• 1.5 teaspoons thai chili paste, such as this type available in international aisles  or specialty stores
• 1 - 2 teaspoons srirachi (or any hot sauce)
• Rice or cous cous
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon peeled and chopped ginger
• 3-4 cups of chopped fresh vegetables.  I used: 
• 1 small eggplant, diced in 1.5 inch cubes
• 1.5 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed and snapped in half
• 1 cup chopped napa cabbage
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• Optional: Protein of your choice. Cook chicken, sausage or tofu almost to completion in the pot as a first step. Continue with the directions below a few minutes before your protein is fully cooked. 

Directions

• Over medium flame, add olive oil and heat for about 1 minute until glassy.  Add eggplant, and let cook for 4-5 minutes until almost brown. Toss in the green beans, pepper and any other sturdy vegetables (i.e. onion, broccoli etc.) you might be using.  Mix in the ginger and cook for another 4 -5 minutes.
• Pour coconut milk over vegetables, stirring the pot.  
• Add in the cabbage and/or any other softer veg (i.e. tomato, leafy greens). Spoon in srirachi and chili paste, stirring well to dilute in the broth.  Add more paste to up the desired heat factor.  Simmer over low-medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook rice or cous cous according to package. Serve curry over preferred grains with a generous heaping of sauce.

About Eggplant

Believed to be domesticated in Southeast Asia, eggplant is also known as aubergine. Its initially uses were likely medicinal, and due to its seeds it's actually botanically classified as a berry. Surprisingly perishable, eggplants are best used within 3-5 days of acquisition.  For a variety of eggplant recipes, including a pepper relish and three cheese, check out this link to allrecipes.com.