In the Kitchen with Naan

The smell of Indian food is intoxicating. It’s one of my favorite things my husband prepares. Last night he made dahl and chicken kebabs. I made cucumber raita and—inspired by our new countertop pizza oven—I also made naan from scratch.

I made the naan dough with a mixture of bread flour (to which I added some whole wheat pastry flour), milk, yogurt, egg, salt and yeast. I used our standing mixer with the dough hook attachment to knead the dough and then let the dough rise in front of the fireplace for an hour or so.

Once the dough had doubled in size I cut portions and rolled them out on a floured surface. I brushed the naan with a little butter and then into the pizza oven they went. I turned the naan every few minutes until both sides were crispy. Simple, fast and delicious. I won’t purchase store-bought naan again.

Revision note: I plan to make my next batch of naan with more whole wheat flour and roll the dough much thinner.

Corn Chowder – By Request

 

I have a confession: Chowders kind of overwhelm me. Sure, they can be delicious, comforting and hearty. But that’s just it. They’re usually too filling, heavy and high in fat.

Not this chowder. Two servings included only 1 cup of low-fat milk and just enough oil to sauté some vegetables. We never missed the taste of heavy cream or butter. Here's how I did it.*

Warm about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot then sauté a chopped onion until translucent, stirring frequently. Add one stalk of diced celery and about a cup of diced potatoes (I used a combination of yellow and red fingerlings, which is what I had on hand). Season with thyme, salt and pepper and sauté until potatoes and celery are slightly softened, stirring frequently.

Add 2 cups of corn (I used frozen, fire-roasted) a bay leaf and 1.5 cups of stock (I used chicken, but you could use vegetable stock). Cover the soup pot and simmer gently until potatoes and celery are soft (15 to 20 minutes).

Remove the bay leaf and carefully ladle about 1 cup of the soup into a blender. Add 1 cup of low-fat milk and puree until smooth. Add the pureed mixture back into the soup pot and heat through, stirring to combine. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

I served the chowder topped with chopped dill, chives and crumbled bacon.

*Recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.

 

 

 

Origami Dinner

October kicks off soup season in our house. Last night we made a simple  dinner with store-bought wonton wrappers and a quick homemade soup stock.

Wontons can be filled with anything from shrimp to tofu to a variety of vegetables. We used a mixture of porcini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms. We also added ground pork, carrots and shallots. All ingredients should be finely minced and well combined.

We did not add much seasoning to the wonton mixture since we planned to use them in a well-seasoned broth (and my husband would be adding plenty of sriracha sauce).

The instructions on the wonton package were easy to follow. Lay out your wontons and add about 1 teaspoon of filling to each:

 Use egg white or water to brush the edges of each wonton...

...then fold diagonally. (Be careful the filling remains sealed in the wonton. If the wonton tears or the filling is bursting through the seam, the wonton will not stay intact when it is boiling.)

Once the wontons are folded, bring the corners together then overlap one corner and brush with egg wash or water to seal.

Meanwhile, simmer soup stock of your choice (homemade, veggie, chicken, etc.). We used chicken stock and added some thinly sliced carrots, celery, and shallots. Season the broth with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger and a good grinding of Szechuan peppercorns.

For extra protein and texture we added an egg to the broth. Beat the egg lightly then add to the broth in a thin stream—the result will be more of an egg-drop soup.

While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully add the wontons and boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the wontons. Place them in a bowl and cover with broth. We served ours scattered with sliced scallions—delicious!