Ground Beef Curry (Keema Kari)

Adapted from Chow Times

http://www.thecreativepot.net/2010/02/ground-beef-curry-keema-kari.html

Serves 6

1/2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 onions, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed (or powdered)

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (or powdered)

1/2 tsp chilli powder

500g (17.6 oz) extra lean ground beef

4 medium firm potatoes, (skin on), cubed (I prefer peeling the potatoes)

1 x 400g can diced tomatoes (good with the kind that have peppers -- spicy!)

1 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch of spinach, washed, stalks removed and shredded -- or use frozen peas

Saute onion over medium heat in oil until soft. Add garlic, ginger and spices, fry for 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant.

Add beef, and brown over medium to high heat.

Add potatoes, tomatoes and beef stock, turn heat down and allow to simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. (DON’T SALT at this point! The potatoes will never cook.)

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir spinach through. Turn heat off and allow to rest for a few minutes for the spinach to wilt into the curry.

Serve warm, with rice or rotis.

Zucchini Bread

This makes a great bread -- moist but not super sweet. I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

 Cool for 15 minutes in pan, then remove from pan to completely cool.

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

Crunchy Granola

This is my homemade granola recipe -- well, its actually Bittman but I adapted it. The original recipe had the oven at 350 but I found that the granola burned so I do it at 250 for a longer time. You must use unsweetened coconut -- the sweetened stuff will burn. My favorite combo is 1 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients
6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews
1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit, optional

Method
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sweetener. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.

 2. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

Yield About 8 cups (at least 16 servings)
Time 40 minutes

Source: The New York Times

Our Daily Bread in a Crock

Our Daily Bread in a Crock - Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread
Yield: 4-5 Loaves of Bread

Ingredients
24 fluid ounces hand warm water (3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried fast rising yeast ( Or, 1 oz fresh yeast, added to a little warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar); a packet is about 2-1/4 tsps
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 3/4 lbs unbleached white bread flour ( 6 1/2 US Cups)

Directions
Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl - the water should be tepid or hand warm - NOT too hot, as it will kill the yeast.

Add the yeast to the water and then the salt, mix well.

Add ALL the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a dough hook until all the ingredients are amalgamated - NO need to over knead.

Leave the bread dough in the mixing bowl and cover loosely - I use a shower cap to cover my dough! (That is NOT used as a shower cap anymore, I hasten to add!).

Allow to proof for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

The dough can now be stored in the fridge or you can use the dough to make a loaf of bread immediately.

If baking a loaf of bread now, pre-heat the oven (450º) and place a baking sheet or pizza tray in there. Tear off a large ball, about the size of a small melon, and knead it for about 1 minute with floured hands and on a floured board, Shape it as desired (Rolls, Boule, Baguette or Bannette) or place it in a greased and floured loaf tin. Allow to prove (proof) and rise for a further 20 to 30 minutes. Slash the surface with a sharp serrated knife if you wish, see photos. You can add a glaze or special finish at this point.

Bake at 225C/450F for 30 minutes or until well risen, brown and the loaf sounds hollow when it is tapped on the underside. (If you wish, you can add a bowl of boiling water as soon as you put the bread into the oven – this steams and bakes the loaf to give a good chewy texture and keeps the inside moist.).

Remove the bread when baked and cool on a cooling rack.

Store the excess dough in the mixing bowl, loosely covered, in the fridge or somewhere cool until needed – this will keep for 2 weeks, but I find it has all gone by 7 to 10 days! This amount of dough will make between 4 and 5 loaves of bread, depending on the shape and amount of dough you use.

http://www.food.com/recipe/our-daily-bread-in-a-crock-weekly-make-and-bake-rustic-bread-340621

About This Recipe
"Make up a large batch of rustic artisanal bread dough, store it and then bake a loaf each day you need fresh bread, amazing but true! This is a hodge podge of old fashioned English and French rustic bread recipes; the bread dough is made up ahead of time and stored (in the old days) in an earthenware crock or bowl, with a lid. You tear a piece of the dough off as and when you want to bake a loaf of bread. Easy! I use this style of bread dough regularly in the B and B, so I can always have fresh bread or bread rolls on hand for breakfast. You can add other types of flour to the basic white batch, as long as the ratio remains the same - you can mix rye or wholewheat flour with the white, or add herbs, onions, seeds, fruit and other flavourings. The dough can be used as soon as the initial proving has finished, but it will keep in a cool place or a fridge for a week or two - I do not recommend longer than 2 weeks however. The dough can be used for free form bread loaves, in bread tins, as rolls or other shapes. I have kept this technique and recipe to myself for a while, but I have decided to share it on Zaar now, mainly as my daughter keeps asking for the basic dough recipe! I notice that this type of long-term or long-life bread dough has made a revival in a new book called “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”; this recipe however, is a very old technique and method, dough was always made up for the week and then kept in the cold room or pantry for daily baking. My grandmother who lived in a 600 year old cottage in Northern England, used to have a stone slab in the Pantry where she kept her crock and dough, I remember sticking my finger in it!! This amount makes about 4 to 5 loaves of bread, depending on the weight and shape of the bread that you bake."

Korean Beef Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups raw rice
1 pound beef (see headnote)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks (or 1 cup matchstick cut carrots)
1 small zucchini, diced
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.

2. For the beef, if using flank steak: Cut the steak into very thin slices ACROSS the grain. If using other steak: Cut the steak into very small cubes, about 1/2-inch. If using ground beef: leave as-is.

3. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let marinate while you prep the vegetables. Steps 1 and 2 can be done ahead of time up to 1 day before.

4. Heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. When hot, swirl in the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and give it just a few seconds to heat up. Add in the beef, spreading the beef all over the surface of the pan, tossing with the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until just barely pink.

5. Add in the carrots, zucchini and toss. Cook for 1 minute. Toss in the spinach and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Servings: 4

You can use many types of beef, including ground beef, sirloin, flank steak, tenderloin trimmings -- or change this recipe to include other meats such as ground pork, ground turkey, chicken. If you want to go vegetarian, use very firm tofu, cut into cubes.

http://steamykitchen.com/10802-korean-beef-rice-bowl.html

Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients
FOR THE RICE:
⅓ cups Brown Rice, Uncooked
Vegetable Broth Or Water (Amount Specified By Package Directions, To Boil Rice)
_____
FOR THE MASHED POTATOES:
1 whole Large Sweet Potato, Peeled And Cut Into 1" Pieces
2 Tablespoons Butter Or Margarine, Or More To Taste
1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
_____
FOR THE BLACK BEANS:
1 can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed (15 Ounce Can)
3 teaspoons Lemon Juice, Fresh Or Bottled
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
3 dashes Cayenne Pepper
1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 whole Medium Yellow Onion, Diced
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Green Chili, Deseeded And Minced
_____
FOR ASSEMBLY:
4 whole Large Burrito Sized Flour Tortillas
1 cup Grated White Cheese (i.e. Gouda Or Monterey Jack)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Optional Toppings
Chopped Cilantro, Sour Cream

Preparation Instructions

RICE:

Cook the rice according to package directions until tender (using the required amount of liquid – either broth or water). Drain, then fluff with a fork and let it rest with the lid closed while you make the rest of the fillings.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES:

Boil the sweet potatoes until very tender, then mash or whip with the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SPICY BLACK BEANS:

In a bowl, mix the beans with the lemon juice and seasonings. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onions, garlic and green chili pepper about 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the bean mixture and warm through.

BURRITO ASSEMBLY:

Layer the warm ingredients down the center of each tortilla in this order: cheese, rice, beans, sweet potatoes. Fold the tortilla at the top and bottom of the filling in, rotate and roll the burrito up so that all the ends are closed. Place it on the baking tray seam side down. Brush with vegetable oil and place under the broiler until crispy and golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes in my oven. Serve with sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon of ground coriander or chopped fresh cilantro!

Ratatouille

Delicious warm or cold. I eat this cold in the summer and warm in the fall. Good for you, too!

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced (OK, I often skip the peel part)
3 smallish zucchini, unpeeled and sliced
1 medium size eggplant, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, trimmed and sliced
2 onions, sliced
2 (or more) cloves garlic, chopped fine
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
thyme
lemon

First prepare all of the vegetables and garlic. Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large pan (I use a Dutch oven) over high heat. Add the onions and brown lightly. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon; cook about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, green peppers and garlic; mix well.

Season with salt and pepper; add about1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or to taste.

Cook over high heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Then, cook, uncovered, over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. It should have the texture of a chunky tomato sauce.

Pour into a covered dish and refrigerate 10 to 12 hours. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice and more olive oil if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.