Madhu Knits and Cooks

My First Deviled Eggs - Not a Bad Inaugural Attempt

As dedicated Madhuknitsandcooks.com readers know, I've had a slow introduction to the world of eggs.  I only just started making frittatas and hardboiled eggs a year ago, and I made my first scrambled eggs a few months ago.  But now the dam has broke, and I find myself increasing turning to eggs for more than just baking.  

My latest egg recipe was definitely the most complex - deviled eggs.  I decided to go with the pros at Cook's Illustrated for this recipe because even though their approach was the most complicated, I thought it would probably not only yield the best results, but also help inform my egg-cooking techniques moving forward.

Thankfully, I was right on the second point - their approach of boiling eggs and then letting them cool in a ice bath produced a great hard-boiled egg.  Unfortunately though, that didn't make peeling the shells off the eggs easier than the traditional, non-ice bath approach, but that's fine.

I ended up doing that under running water in the sink, and I covered the eggs by approx. 1 inch of water while bringing them to a boil.

After the eggs cooled, I sliced them in half.  As instructed, I discarded (into my mouth) the two egg white halves that didn't look the best so that the remaining 12 half-whites would be overflowing with filling.

I then mixed together the egg yolks with the remaining ingredients - cider vinegar, (vegan) Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise and mustard.  Instead of using a grainy mustard though, I used dijon mustard which I had in my fridge.

When I tasted the mixture, I thought it has too much mayonnaise flavor so moving forward I will probably reduce the mayonnaise amount by 1 tablespoon.  For this attempt though, I tried to offset that flavor by adding in more Worcestershire. 

That seemed to do the trick as the result was very good - tangy, slightly sweet, smooth, and a bit of umami flavor from the Worcestershire.  I look forward to make these eggs again!

Another Attempt at Dal Makhani - Not the Best, Not the Worst

With whole urad dal in my cupboard, leftover heavy cream in the fridge, and the Two Sleevers Indian Instant Pot Cookbook on my counter from the library, all signs pointed to making dal makhani on a recent chilly night.

The result wasn't the worst dal makhani I've made, nor was it the best.  I again used slightly too much cream.  And while the flavors from the tadka of cumin, onion, green chili, and the splash of lemon juice at the end came through, I was still underwhelmed by this too-beany dish.  It just wasn't enough flavor to stand up to the bland rice, nor enough flavor to stand on its own.

Some technical details are that I used approx. 2/3 cup of urad dal and rajma, which was probably  1/2 cup of urad dal and 1/6 cup of red beans.  I soaked the beans together overnight.  I cooked the beans in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 20 minutes, and did some light mashing, which I could have done more of.   I used 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Black Eyed Pea Tacos - A New Mexican-Inspired Side or Tortilla Filling

I've had a can of black eyed peas in my cupboard for some time (so much time that I think this can was part of an apartment move last year).  And while the can hadn't yet reached it's 2020 expiration date, I decided that enough was enough and I should finally remove it from its perch on the cupboard shelf high above.

The resulting improvised sauteed black eyed peas were a perfect filling for tacos, and I think they would also be good as an enchilada filling or one their own as a side dish.  They had a nice kick from the spices, a hearty yet soft texture, and a nice tartness from the tomato and onion.  And while the spices initially seemed to overwhelm the flavor of the black eyed peas, as the mixture cooled a bit, you couldn't mistake the unique flavor of the peas in this dish.

And of course, this recipe also met a critical criteria for me - it was incredibly easy to prepare.  Took just 15 - 20 minutes to get a great filling meal for two on the table.  

I will definitely be making this again and again.  In fact, I just bought a 2-lb. bag of dried black eyed peas because I was so happy with this recipe.

Mexican-Inspired Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients

• 1 14-oz. can black eyed peas (or equivalent cooked beans from dry)
• 1.5 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1 plum tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh jalapeno
• 1 pinch of garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
• 1 pinch of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. minced cilantro
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat
• When hot, stir in onion and jalapeno, and saute until the onion becomes translucent (approx. 4 minutes)
• Stir in the chopped tomato, oregano, and garlic powder / minced garlic, and cook down for 2 - 3 minutes or until tomato is heated through and starts to break down
• Add in the black eyed peas and 1/4 cup of water.  Cook on medium-high heat until the beans are heated through (approx. 5 - 7 minutes) and the water mostly evaporates. 
• Garnish with cilantro, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
• Serve immediately on it's own, or place a desired amount into heated tortillas for tacos or enchiladas

Roberta's Pizza Dough - Followed the Directions This Time, But Still a Lackluster Result

Five years ago, I made a sort-of attempt at the famed Brooklyn restaurant Roberta's pizza dough.  As documented on this very blog, this fake attempt was declared as such because I didn't use the right flour, nor did I have a scale at the time to properly measure the ingredients.  The result matched the lackluster effort - a hard-to-shape, sticky dough that produced a poorly shaped and blandly flavored pizza.  

Realizing a few years later that I now possessed the required missing elements - proper flour and a scale, I finally re-attempted this dough (recipe courtesy of Serious Eats) a few weeks back.  

And just to make sure I didn't mess it up the first re-attempt time, I tried it again a few days later using a room temperature rise instead of a fridge one.  Unfortunately, both attempts resulted in a baked pie that just wasn't too my taste.  Maybe I didn't bake the pies at the right temperature, but they were simultaneously very chewy and cracker-like as if both under and over-done.  The slices took a few too many chews to swallow, and the flavor wasn't as developed as some of my other cold-rise pizza doughs.

Oh well.  Back to the drawing board!  But at least with a scale, this recipe was relatively easy to construct.  Combine dough, rest, knead, rise, roll, and then bake!

As I mentioned above, I did one rise in the fridge (the above images) and then let the dough come to room temperature (pictured immediately above this text).  The other rise (pictured immediately below) is from doing a single rise at room temperature on my kitchen counter top.

Milk Street Cauliflower Dengaku - Using Up That Miso for a Sweet-Savory Dish

It's really hard to use a tub of miso.  At least for me.  And the best / worst part is that miso can stay in the fridge for a year without spoiling, so in addition to being difficult to use up, the tub constantly taunts me because there is no reason to throw it away after a few weeks (or months).  

My latest miso-based recipe was Milk Street's Cauliflower Dengaku, a sweet-savory roasted cauliflower dish that also features a nice crunch and sharpness from loads of fresh, chopped scallions and cilantro.

As I was looking at my recipe notes, one of my first entries was "probably won't make again" followed a few lines later, "actually will probably remake."  The difference was that when the cauliflower cooled, more of the flavors came out - from the grated ginger, the rice vinegar, and the honey.  The cauliflower consumed immediately post-ingredient-tossing was a bit more one-note, with the white miso and the scallions being the dominant flavors. 

I also found the recipe a bit mild, so I added some of the Japanese 7-spice chili pepper for more spice and flavor, which I think will be a must add for me moving forward.  I also slightly reduced the amount of scallions to what I perceived to be an appropriate amount, and omitted the pistachios and sake, which I didn't have on hand (instead increased the rice vinegar to make up for the sake exclusion).  I may potentially reduce the amount of sauce moving forward, because some of the sauce pooled at the bottom of the dish post-tossing as well.

The recipe felt more complicated than I would have liked while I initially made it, though in hindsight it really wasn't that bad.  I think the key moving forward is to make sure I am not hungry will preparing the dish :-)

Basically you cut and roast cauliflower in the oven, and then prepare the sauce while the cauliflower is roasting.

Also chop the scallions, cilantros and pistachios while the cauliflower is still in the oven.

Finally toss everything together, cool a bit to get the most nuanced flavors, and serve.

Summer Corn, Radish and Tomato Salad - and to Pull it All Together, Add Tortilla Chips!

While I subscribe to the online version of the Washington Post, I don't think I receive any emails from them about cooking, nor do I regularly check their lifestyle or food sections.  So I am not quite sure how I found their Corn, Radish, Tomato and Tortilla Chip Salad recipe, which looked so fantastic that I was determined to make it before summer produce past its prime. 

So in late August, I made sure to pick up the required ingredients at our local farmers market; boiled and chopped the ingredients; and then mixed everything together in heavy anticipation of what the result would be.

Thankfully the salad lived up to my high expectations - sweet from the tomatoes and corn, spicy from the scallions and radishes, and crunchy from the radishes.  And when I added the final ingredient addition to my portion - crushed tortilla chips - I got a wonderful saltiness in each bite.

I will definitely make this recipe again and again, particularly for large summertime gatherings, because even though I used fewer ingredients than called for in the original recipe, I still ended up with approx. 4 servings.  

I specifically used 3 corns of corn, which I brought to a boil before stripping off the kernels; one bunch of radishes, and one container of sunburst cherry tomatoes.

The only other ingredient modification I made was to increase the amount of apple cider vinegar to get the right level of tang I was looking for.

Summer 2020 can't come soon enough!

Nailed It - At-Home Creamy and Mild Paneer Makhani

Learning from a past blog post, I've finally found success with a recipe I have long wanted to master at home.  Paneer Makhani, this rich North Indian-inspired dish can be mine, all mine!  And this version is probably much healthier than whatever you get at restaurants to boot.

This recipe produces a creamy, smooth light tomato sauce with a nice and unexpected tang from the inadvertent idli podi that I added, thinking it was chili powder.  I'll report back if the podi is a necessary ingredient, or just something that helps mix things up. 

Otherwise though, the below ingredients produce an evenly spiced dish, not the too-often harshly flavored North Indian recipes one finds on the internet or in books.

Ingredients

• 1/2 block of store bought paneer, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 thai green chile, sliced lengthwise
• 2 green cardamon pods, left whole
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp idli podi or chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• ~1/4 cup heavy cream (eyeballed amount)
• sea salt
• olive oil

Directions

• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet or sauce pan on medium-high heat.  When hot, add the paneer and saute, tossing every minute or two, until all of the sides are lightly browned.  Transfer paneer to a plate or bowl.
• In a blender, puree the onion, garlic and tomatoes until smooth.  
• In the same skillet, add another tbsp. of olive oil and heat until warm.  Add the chile, cardamon, cinnamon stick, podi, cumin and turmeric, and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant.  
• Then stir in the tomato mixture, reducing heat and simmering the sauce for 10 minutes or until lightly reduced.  
• Then mix in the heavy cream and the paneer, and cook until the paneer is re-heated through.  Season with salt to taste. 
• Remove the whole spices before serving.

Samin Nosrat's Basil Pesto - The Deepest Flavor Pesto I've Ever Had

My first attempt at a Samin Nosrat "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" authored recipe was a flavor explosion.  Deep flavors and a distinct, thick texture transformed standard sauce or pasta accompaniment into the main feature.  

This salty, earthy (from the lightly broken down basil) pesto felt almost like a dip that I would spread on toast or vegetables because adding it to pasta actually seemed to overwhelm the noodles.  The contrast in textures - a coarse, nut-based sauce with smooth pasta also led to a slightly weird mouth feel, so I don't think I would make this again for pasta (I tried this pesto on both spaghettini and cheese tortellini). 

My aversion to this pesto-on-pasta recipe also may come from my tradition of making nut-free pesto to accommodate my pine nut and walnut allergies, so I am just not used to nut-based pestos as a rule.

The sauce was though quite easy to prepare.  Although I have a mortar and pestle, I decided to use my food processor instead.  I substituted toasted sliced almonds instead of pine nuts due to my most-nut allergies, and exclusively used parmigiano-reggiano instead of adding in a bit of pecorino as well.  It took just a few minutes to prepare the pesto, taste it to adjust flavors, and season to my preference.

So while I don't think this will be a recipe repeat, unless I made this as a party dip, I am glad to have finally experimented with Samin Nosrat's acclaimed cookbook!

Improvised Red Bell Pepper and Chevre Frittata

I've been on a real frittata roll of late!  Using the successful Broccoli and Feta Frittata recipe as a base, I recently improvised a new frittata with the leftover ingredients in my fridge - red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and herbed chevre / goat cheese.  

The specific ingredient portions I used were 2/3 of a bell pepper, 1/3 of an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 1.5 oz. of herbed goat cheese, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

This improvised approach resulted in a truly delicious frittata.  Great creaminess and tang from the herbed goat cheese, subtle sweetness from the onion, and a bright, slightly bitter crunch from the red bell pepper pieces.  I can't wait to have a fridge full of similar leftover ingredients again to make a great weekend brunch frittata!

Sichuan-Style Eggplant - Third Time was Almost a Charm!

Eggplant is perhaps my top cooking enemy, and Sichuan-style eggplant in particular is a feared foe that out masters me every time.  I have tried and tried again, but my homemade eggplant always has a tough, unappealing consistency.  It's almost like eating something that isn't actually edible - simultaneously overcooked and raw.

So when some eggplant arrived in a recent vegetable delivery, my heart stopped a bit.  What was I going to do with these rotund evil bulbs??

Not so much driven by determination to vanquish Sichuan-style eggplant as just a lack of creativity on my part, I re-opened the Madhur Jaffrey World Vegetarian cookbook and turned to the Hot and Spicy Sichuan-Style Eggplants recipe.   And instead of trying to improvise this recipe - at least in terms of technique - I set out to chop and steam the eggplant as directed, an approach I haven't tried before.

Surprisingly the texture was soft and almost melted in my mouth, without having a stringy or tough texture!  Yay, I have mastered eggplant or so I thought to myself.

Unfortunately the disappointment came with the flavoring mix, which resulted in an overly tangy recipe that lingered on my mouth, followed by a slight stomach upset hours later.

My unvetted theory is that inclusion of red wine vinegar in the recipe was particularly problematic, as it most likely caused the over-tanginess of the dish.  However, the whole dish seemed off - slightly sour, somewhat spicy, nothing quite coming together, and just completely unappealing for my palate. 

But at least I mastered an eggplant preparation technique!  I'll take that as a win after years of trying!