By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Perry and I have both been in the kitchen with squash soups, his using buttercup and mine using butternut. In the fall, squash soups are popular as these hearty winter vegetables hold up to a myriad of flavors.
I wanted a savory, curry soup. Many of the squash soup recipes call for cubing the uncooked squash and then simmering in stock. Since I like the sweet flavor that roasting brings to vegetables, I roasted the butternut squash first. I pierced two medium size butternut squash and roasted on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until a knife could pierce the squash and come out easily. Then I cut them in half and let them cool.
While they were cooking, I sauteed:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced, in
3 T olive oil
As the vegetables softened, I added 2 t of curry powder and stirred for a minute (the fragrance that comes from the pan is amazing!). To this pan, I added 1 cup of water and brought to a simmer.
I scooped out the cooked squash and pureed in a food processor. To the squash, I added the water/garlic/curry/water along with 2 1/2 c of water and 3 t of chicken base (Penzey's). Puree until smooth adding more water, if desired, for a thinner soup
Back to the pot went the puree with some salt and pepper and it simmered on low heat for 15 minutes. The soup was served with a dollop of sour cream. Wow!
Showing posts with label Curry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curry. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Friday, October 23, 2009
Curried Ground Beef Served on Grits! Another $6 dinner
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
My intent was to grill hamburgers outside but pouring rain forced a menu change. Since I was creating butternut squash patties with curry, I stayed with the curry theme. And the result will be repeated again--it was a winner!
This was a quick and simple dish that used only a few ingredients. I served it on grits, yes, grits! We love grits and I made them with milk so that they were thick and creamy--a perfect fit with the curried beef. If you haven't discovered Anson Mills organic heirloom grains, you're in for a treat. www.ansonmills.com
For this dish, I used:
1 lb ground beef
1 T olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T curry powder--more if you are a curry fan
2 tomatoes, chopped into pieces about 1" in diameter--1 red,1 orange because I still have heirlooms from my garden
1/2 c water
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish
And here's how to put it together:
Saute the beef until slightly pink--not completely cooked. Remove to another bowl, drain the beef fat, add the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the beef and remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. My heirloom tomatoes are watery so this took about 15 minutes. In the winter when I don't have fresh tomatoes and don't want to pay $2 each for the cardboard tasting ones in the stores, I will use canned tomatoes.
This is not a dish that is based on the tomatoes; they are an addition and using only a small amount really works well.
For this dinner, the meat was $2 (on sale) and the other ingredients were about $1, a bit more if I didn't have my own tomatoes so add another $1 for canned tomatoes. This could be served with rice or pasta but it was particularly great with the creamy grits. Another $1.50 for the grits and milk and adding in $.50 for the butternut squash pancakes, this was another under $6 dinner for the two of us and I had leftovers!
My intent was to grill hamburgers outside but pouring rain forced a menu change. Since I was creating butternut squash patties with curry, I stayed with the curry theme. And the result will be repeated again--it was a winner!
This was a quick and simple dish that used only a few ingredients. I served it on grits, yes, grits! We love grits and I made them with milk so that they were thick and creamy--a perfect fit with the curried beef. If you haven't discovered Anson Mills organic heirloom grains, you're in for a treat. www.ansonmills.com
For this dish, I used:
1 lb ground beef
1 T olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T curry powder--more if you are a curry fan
2 tomatoes, chopped into pieces about 1" in diameter--1 red,1 orange because I still have heirlooms from my garden
1/2 c water
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish
And here's how to put it together:
Saute the beef until slightly pink--not completely cooked. Remove to another bowl, drain the beef fat, add the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the beef and remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. My heirloom tomatoes are watery so this took about 15 minutes. In the winter when I don't have fresh tomatoes and don't want to pay $2 each for the cardboard tasting ones in the stores, I will use canned tomatoes.
This is not a dish that is based on the tomatoes; they are an addition and using only a small amount really works well.
For this dinner, the meat was $2 (on sale) and the other ingredients were about $1, a bit more if I didn't have my own tomatoes so add another $1 for canned tomatoes. This could be served with rice or pasta but it was particularly great with the creamy grits. Another $1.50 for the grits and milk and adding in $.50 for the butternut squash pancakes, this was another under $6 dinner for the two of us and I had leftovers!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Savory Butternut Squash Patties with Curry
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
I had some leftover butternut squash that I wanted to use in a savory pancake version. What I came up with is a real winner--these were outstanding.
This time of year, I love various squashes. I am a fan of spaghetti squash baked and tossed with just olive oil and garlic. I picked up a large butternut squash for about $1 at the farmer's market and baked it--pierced with a knife, baked on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until a knife easily pierced through it.
Next, I cut open the squash, let it cool, scooped out the seeds and strings, and then scooped out the cooked squash, tossed with butter and salt and pepper. Easy and good. But I had about 2 c leftover and was looking for something different. So this is what I put together:
2 c cooked butternut squash
1/2 t garlic powder
2 t fresh chopped parsley
1 t curry powder
2 T flour
salt and pepper
I blended the ingredients into a thick mixture. I debated adding an egg as Grandma Washburn always did with mashed potato cakes (oh, those were tasty) but decided against it as the consistency of the mixture was nice and thick. My intent was to add some panko bread crumbs to the mixture but it didn't need any extra filler. I was a bit skeptical of this mixture minus the egg and panko but what did I have to lose--I was working with leftovers!
I formed the mixture into patties--not too thick--and sauteed in hot oil, turning twice until each side was a crispy brown. Amazing flavor. The savory patties will definitely appear again in our kitchen.
I had some leftover butternut squash that I wanted to use in a savory pancake version. What I came up with is a real winner--these were outstanding.
This time of year, I love various squashes. I am a fan of spaghetti squash baked and tossed with just olive oil and garlic. I picked up a large butternut squash for about $1 at the farmer's market and baked it--pierced with a knife, baked on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until a knife easily pierced through it.
Next, I cut open the squash, let it cool, scooped out the seeds and strings, and then scooped out the cooked squash, tossed with butter and salt and pepper. Easy and good. But I had about 2 c leftover and was looking for something different. So this is what I put together:
2 c cooked butternut squash
1/2 t garlic powder
2 t fresh chopped parsley
1 t curry powder
2 T flour
salt and pepper
I blended the ingredients into a thick mixture. I debated adding an egg as Grandma Washburn always did with mashed potato cakes (oh, those were tasty) but decided against it as the consistency of the mixture was nice and thick. My intent was to add some panko bread crumbs to the mixture but it didn't need any extra filler. I was a bit skeptical of this mixture minus the egg and panko but what did I have to lose--I was working with leftovers!
I formed the mixture into patties--not too thick--and sauteed in hot oil, turning twice until each side was a crispy brown. Amazing flavor. The savory patties will definitely appear again in our kitchen.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Chicken Dumplings in Green Curry
By Perry Washburn
My son Daniel rang me midday from college. "I'm coming home tonight to get winter clothes. Let's cook."
After much debate, and on a quest for something "new", he found this recipe for dumplings - perhaps better called meatballs - in The Complete Asian Cookbook. Luckily we have one great and several good Asian groceries in town. As I teach Thai classes, I keep more basic Asian ingredients on hand than most people, and know where to find the rest. Daniel marveled at my fav Asian grocery, and the Asian ladies pulling lively blue crabs out of a bushel basket, barrel-full-o-monkeys style. (Double Dragon on 2nd Ave. for Des Moines locals.) The lemon, lemon grass, curry and basil flavors in this dish were stellar.
Here's the recipe, with my additions or changes in parentheses.
1 lb chicken minced
3 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, finely diced
1 tsp chicken stock powder (I used 1 tsp Penzey's chicken soup base)
1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 egg plus one egg white (I used 2 whole eggs)
(1/2 cup bread crumbs)
2 Tbs oil
2 Tbs Thai green curry paste
3 cups coconut milk (or 4)
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup basil
1 Tbs lemon juice
Mix together the chicken mince, spring onion, cilantro, lemon grass, 2 Tbs fish sauce, the stock powder (I mixed in the Penzey's soup base with the fish sauce before adding), and some pepper. Add the rice and mix well with your hands. (I found my "dice" or "mince" was not fine enough, so I threw it all in the food processor. Much easier.)
Beat the egg and the white (or in my case both eggs) with a mixer until thick and creamy, then fold into the chicken mixture. (I had NEVER tried to beat whole eggs. Didn't know it would work. A revelation! You don't quite get to soft peaks, but close. Because I used the extra yolk, and Penzey's paste, these may have been slightly more soupy than normal. I wanted the binding power of the extra yolk. But they were too loose to roll, so I added bread crumbs to get to meatball consistency.) With floured hands (I used lots) roll tablespoon sized balls, and place on a tray. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. (I cheated, and we put them in the freezer for 15 minutes).
Heat the oil in a large frying pan (I used my 18-inch cast iron skillet for this, and needed all of it). Add the green curry paste, and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. (I added some of the thick cream from the coconut milk at the beginning, as this is the traditional way to start a curry. Make sure you DON'T shake the coconut milk, or you will mix it all up. It naturally separates; use the thick part first. Don't ever buy "light.") Gradually stir in the remainder of the coconut milk, and reduce to simmer. Add the lime leaves and the dumplings, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I used a stiff spatula to turn them. I found in my cast iron skillet, these actually browned; I had to get under them to turn them. They would have broken with a spoon. I turned them often.) (If the sauce gets too thick, add more coconut milk. As the cans are commonly 19 oz each, you will have extra.) When the dumplings are done, stir in the basil, remaining fish sauce and fresh lemon juice. Serve over rice.
My son Daniel rang me midday from college. "I'm coming home tonight to get winter clothes. Let's cook."
After much debate, and on a quest for something "new", he found this recipe for dumplings - perhaps better called meatballs - in The Complete Asian Cookbook. Luckily we have one great and several good Asian groceries in town. As I teach Thai classes, I keep more basic Asian ingredients on hand than most people, and know where to find the rest. Daniel marveled at my fav Asian grocery, and the Asian ladies pulling lively blue crabs out of a bushel basket, barrel-full-o-monkeys style. (Double Dragon on 2nd Ave. for Des Moines locals.) The lemon, lemon grass, curry and basil flavors in this dish were stellar.
Here's the recipe, with my additions or changes in parentheses.
1 lb chicken minced
3 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, finely diced
1 tsp chicken stock powder (I used 1 tsp Penzey's chicken soup base)
1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 egg plus one egg white (I used 2 whole eggs)
(1/2 cup bread crumbs)
2 Tbs oil
2 Tbs Thai green curry paste
3 cups coconut milk (or 4)
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup basil
1 Tbs lemon juice
Mix together the chicken mince, spring onion, cilantro, lemon grass, 2 Tbs fish sauce, the stock powder (I mixed in the Penzey's soup base with the fish sauce before adding), and some pepper. Add the rice and mix well with your hands. (I found my "dice" or "mince" was not fine enough, so I threw it all in the food processor. Much easier.)
Beat the egg and the white (or in my case both eggs) with a mixer until thick and creamy, then fold into the chicken mixture. (I had NEVER tried to beat whole eggs. Didn't know it would work. A revelation! You don't quite get to soft peaks, but close. Because I used the extra yolk, and Penzey's paste, these may have been slightly more soupy than normal. I wanted the binding power of the extra yolk. But they were too loose to roll, so I added bread crumbs to get to meatball consistency.) With floured hands (I used lots) roll tablespoon sized balls, and place on a tray. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. (I cheated, and we put them in the freezer for 15 minutes).
Heat the oil in a large frying pan (I used my 18-inch cast iron skillet for this, and needed all of it). Add the green curry paste, and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. (I added some of the thick cream from the coconut milk at the beginning, as this is the traditional way to start a curry. Make sure you DON'T shake the coconut milk, or you will mix it all up. It naturally separates; use the thick part first. Don't ever buy "light.") Gradually stir in the remainder of the coconut milk, and reduce to simmer. Add the lime leaves and the dumplings, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I used a stiff spatula to turn them. I found in my cast iron skillet, these actually browned; I had to get under them to turn them. They would have broken with a spoon. I turned them often.) (If the sauce gets too thick, add more coconut milk. As the cans are commonly 19 oz each, you will have extra.) When the dumplings are done, stir in the basil, remaining fish sauce and fresh lemon juice. Serve over rice.
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