51 posts tagged “potatoes”
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
For this challenge, I was bold enough to make a savory version (Spinach, Artichoke and Potato Strudel) as well as a sweet version (the classic Apple Strudel). I had a lot of fun with the dough, rolling and hand-stretching. The delicate dough is not so hard to work with as long as you remain patient and give the dough enough time to rest before rolling and stretching. The ideal dough should be paper thin and you should be able to read newspaper underneath.
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes
15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided (I used Earth Balance)
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.
3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.
4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.
2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).
3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.
4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.
Tips
- I did not make a double batch like our kind hosts suggested, but I did make a second batch later on. The first time might be a bit trying or scary; but, letting the dough rest at least 2 hours does all of the work for you. When the dough is ready, you will not find the dough pulling back at all while you roll out.
- I used parchment paper instead of table cloth (since I don't have any) with great success.
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves.
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you need to use your whole body. And, the best way is to involve your spouse.
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible. Even rather big ones can be ignored as the dough will be rolled around and around the filling.
- Cooling for 30 minutes before cutting is critical, if you can stand it.
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 10 oz. bag of spinach, chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 red-skinned potatoes, baked and mashed
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter
1 15 oz. can water-packed artichokes, well drained and chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tsp. red curry paste
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
4 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until onion gets translucent.
2. Add spinach by batches and cook just until spinach wilts.
3. Add oregano and mix well. Remove from heat.
4. Add all the other ingredients into the pan and thoroughly mix. Set aside.
To see more delicious strudels, check out the Daring Bakers blogroll.
This time I made a very earthy porcini mushroom soup. This soup totally highlights the earthy and flavorful quality of dried porcini mushrooms. The recipe is by Heidi of 101 Cookbooks. I only added 1/2 cup of white jasmine rice for some extra texture and filler. It's a total comfort food for people who don't have too much time to prepare an elaborate meal but still desire a delish treat on a busy day.
I am submitting this soup to Souper Sundays, an excellent event started and hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. If you are interested in sharing your soup/salad/sandwich recipes with other foodies and home cooks, please see here for more details.
Crustless Asparagus and Potato Quiche (Vegan)
Adapted quite a bit from this recipe by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe
(Makes 4 servings)
3 small potatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup carrot, grated
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dried dill weeds
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 block extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. plain soy milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame tahini
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven at 350F.
1. Simmer diced potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain, and set aside.
2. Sauté carrots, garlic, spring onion, and asparagus (except for the reserved spears) for 6-7 minutes. Add the herbs and mix well. Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Blanch the reserved asparagus spears in boiling water for 15 seconds.
4. In a food processor, add everything from tofu to salt and pepper, and blend very well.
5. Mix the cooked potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and tofu mix in a large mixing bowl. Combine well.
6. Pour everything into an oiled 9-inch cake pan or a flan dish. Arrange asparagus spears on top of the mixture with cut ends in center and heads at the edge to create a star or spokes pattern.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. It is cooked when golden brown on top and firm to touch. Serve warm.
Oh, this is a wonderful day! I finally get to do my first entry for the "Eat to the Beat" event hosted by Elly, since she thoughtfully extended the deadline to Jan. 31st. I still remember wanting to create something really special for this event since more than three months ago. Maybe cooking is too emotionally charged for me. I want to serve everything with love. I want to incorporate everything nutritious into one single meal. I want to feel the calm that comes after cooking up a storm in the kitchen. I want to learn more about myself through cooking which represents all the love in the world for me. So, here I am, for the finale in 2008 of "Eat to the Beat" I have mustered up enough courage to just do my thing without thinking too much.
In this time of the year, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. When it is wintry cold outside (even in Florida), mashed potatoes, baked potatoes smothered in melted butter or cheese, potato soups, and simply fries bring us all the consolation we need. Nothing beats the all-giving love from potatoes. I have never been a potato fan. I will thoroughly enjoy the above-mentioned potato dishes without giving potatoes any merit. For me, the spices and the specific ways of cooking prevail whereas the object itself is not really special in any way (this is only in the case of potatoes). But one song changed my view. Now whenever I hear or think of this song, I look fondly at my potatoes which are patiently waiting to shine and give. This incredible song is called Potato by Cheryl Wheeler. You have to watch the YouTube video of her performance. The song is witty, hilarious, and full of simple but true praises that remind me of a reliable earthen ware that Greeks used to use thousands of years ago to make their elaborate dinner. Millions of potatoes are underground now, quietly and lovingly growing and waiting for their appearances on our dinner tables. I have to proclaim loudly and publicly now, that I love potatoes.
Now that I love potatoes, I can put them into a pie - one of my favorite food of all time. The warm creamy texture of potatoes and their earthy flavor are finely combined with the flaky and wheaty crust. And why not throw in some fiery grilled peppers? So here is my wonderful Grilled Red Pepper and Potato Pie waiting to be devoured.
Grilled Red Pepper and Potato Pie
(Makes one 10-inch pie)
Inspired by and adapted from Baking History's recipe
What you need:
Filling:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grilled red peppers (homemade or packed in oil, or roasted peppers), roughly chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
3 tsp. dried coriander
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Crust:
1 1/2 plus 2 Tbsp. cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (scant) canola oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/8 cup ice water
What you do:
Put potato cubes in a pot and cover with water. The water should come up to 1 1/2 or 2 inches above the potatoes. Cook over medium high heat and come to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 7-8 more minutes until potatoes are getting softer. Drain well and set aside. (The timing depends on the size of your potato cubes. Since the potatoes will continue to cook in the oven later, you don't want them to get mushy now.)
Make the Crust: In a food processor put flour and canola oil, and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand and gets pebbly. Dissolve salt in the ice water. With the machine running add water in batches for the dough to come together. Do not overprocess. (You can do all this in a big mixing bowl with a fork.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
Filling: In a large skillet, sauté onions, garlic, scallions and grilled red peppers in oilve oil for 10 minutes until the onions get translusent. Add rosemary, coriander and chipotle chili pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now pour in the half-boiled potato cubes and mix well. Cook for 4 minutes. Now, remove from heat and add enough salt and pepper according to your own preference. Add in nutritional yeast and soy milk and thoroughly mix. Set aside.
Roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness and line a deep pie dish, letting the extra pastry hang over the sides of the pan. Put the filling mixture into the pie plate lined with pastry. Fold over the pastry so that the filling is partially covered. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve warm.
Serving suggestions:
You can serve this with a spinach and walnut salad with a cranberry sauce on the side.
I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that I do not feel ready for the shift between day and night. There seems to be a constant shortage of time. When the night comes, I only get anxious and wish I could fast forward to the next day without having to actually lay down and close my eyes and let my mind go on a ridiculous trip. When the day emerges, I have invariably left behind my resolve, my revelations and my new goals. Maybe it is just the first month of the new year that has made my knees shake. I so want to hold on to each and every moment that I hold on to almost nothing at all. Thus the first 15 days went by and I have done absolutely nothing extraordinary.
Enough complaining. I have lost some of the enthusiasm for cooking lately, so I resort to risottos again. It will get better in time, I suppose.
Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Risotto
(Makes 4 servings)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar roasted red peppers in olive oil, or two large roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups white jasmine rice or arborio rice
4 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups warm vegetable stock
1 jar water-packed artichokes (or roasted artichokes packed in oil), drained well * (see notes)
4 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onions, garlic and roasted red peppers over medium heat for about 7 minutes until onions are slightly golden.
2. Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes until the rice is completely coated with oil.
3.
Add parsley, paprika and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Keep stirring to make sure
the rice does not get burned or stuck on the bottom of the pot.
4. Pour in the wine and let cook until it is all absorbed.
5.
Ladle in the warm vegetable stock and stir well. Cook until the stock
is absorbed. (Keep stirring when the rice seems much drier to prevent
it from being burnt on the bottom.)
6. Ladle in hot water by batches. 1 1/2 cups each time. Cook until the water is completely absorbed. Stir frequently.
7.
When the water is all used up and the rice is completely cooked, remove
from heat. Add nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and mix well.
Serve warm.
* If you use marinated artichokes in a jar, it is OK too. But do not use any marinated artichokes with a very strong vinegary taste. Make sure you drain really well, and you can probably rinse a bit in a bowl of water and drain again.
Now onto some stuff I made in the last few days. A tempeh cassrole, recipe by Jessy of "happyveganface". I added half a fennel bulb simply because I had it laying around in my fridge for ever. I thought it was pretty good, but my hubby did not like it as it is. Too bland, he says. But he loved it after he fried it up a bit and added some curry sauce to it.
And a loaf of spelt white bread, recipe by Nicole of Baking Bites again. Great bread! The texture and consistency were really excellent.
I have been cooking but it has become rather hard to keep up posting more often. We always seem to have many things piling up onto the to-do lists. "It's always something" has been such a cliche in our household now. I didn't have time to come up with any new recipe. Nor did I participate in any cooking contest like I planned. I cooked from cookbooks and my recipe collection. Alas! 'Tis life. We ought to be grateful for what we have though. My husband and I have begun our little "self-compliment" group, inspired by LaidOutInLavendar. It is not easy at all. Gosh, I never knew it could this hard to say a few nice things about ourselves without feeling weird or discouraged. But we are trying. It's much easier to compliment each other, but when it comes down to the self-compliment... I guess we just don't know ourselves well enough.
Anyway, here comes the food porn, as usual. The first thing is from VwaV, page 28, "Fronch" Toast. It was great, but next time I will definitely add some cinnamon and nutmet to make it more traditional.
The second thing is Bryanna's Hunan Tofu. I made this before, a long while ago that I can't even remember. This time I didn't even fry the tofu beforehand because I wanted more of a soft and juicy texture. It turned out even better than I remembered. Surely a keeper!
How was everybody's Thanksgiving? I hope that you all had fun and lots of really nice food. Did you overeat like last year and the year before last year...? Here are a couple of things that you can eat when you're so sick of food or thinking about cooking anything.
Scrambled Tofu with Cauliflower and Green Beans
(makes 3-4 servings)
1 large yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
7-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
9 large button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
4 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite size
4 cups green beans, ends discarded and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 blocks extra-firm tofu, pressed beforehand and cut into cubes
4 tsp. thyme
3 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onions, garlic, green onions, mushrooms and cauliflower over medium heat for about 12-13 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and mushrooms release some juice.
2. Add green beans and tofu cubes. Mix in well and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add spices except for the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes until green beans are fully cooked. I like them crispy. If you want them to be soft, cook for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add in the nutritional yeast and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I bought a few too many sweet potatoes so I decided to finally hit the "Knish Madness" recipe (page 76) in Vegan With A Vengeance. I have no idea what I got myself into. I don't know why the recipe says the baking is altogether 70 minutes while I spent almost 4 hours baking the potatoes at a higher temperature too. I mean I made other pies and baked other things so it seems that my oven is that off. I really don't know what happened. Then the kneading completely wiped me out. By the time I put the knishes into the oven to bake, I was so glad that it was all over I didn't even care if I ever got to eat them. And I didn't make any potato-spinach knishes after all that preparations. But the final products were really good. I think I still said that it was worth the effort - 6-7 hours of working in the kitchen.
Moonstruck (1987) is definitely my all-time favorite movie. I guess by now I've seen the movie like 20 to 25 times. I've tried watching this movie every day for 10 days straight and I'm still not tired of it. Nowadays there is almost no chance of seeing such a cute, lovely and family-friendly movie that makes you drool over the Italian food and feel all so romantic like a high-school kid. Therefore, I made my Moonstruck Minestrone to commemorate all the happy feelings this movie has instilled in me.
D's Moonstruck Minestrone
(makes 6-7 servings)
1 large yellow onion, halved and then sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
3 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite size
2 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped and juice reserved
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 medium cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces
7-8 cups water
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1/2 cup canned red kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots and cauliflower over medium heat for about 9-10 minutes until they soften a little.
2. Add tomatoes and cover. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Uncover, add water and cabbage. Turn heat to high to reach a slow
boil and stir in the tomato paste and herbs. Mix well and reduce heat
to simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.
4.
Add beans to the stock and heat through. Cook another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm (and now you can watch one of your favorite movies while eating it).
Besides the minestrone which I really love, I'm also extremely fond of coconut pies. This time I made the V'con basic single pastry crust again and made the Lime Sucker Coconut Pie (Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, page 200). This pie has the perfect balance of sweetness of the coconut and fresh tanginess from the limes. It rendered me completely defenseless.
