Archives for the 'rice and other grains' Category
Buckwheat galette …WHB
This post should actually be called “what I learned on my vacation, part 1″. That’s because I never ate a buckwheat galette until going to Paris and now it’s all I think about. Wow, do I have some ground to make up. But isn’t it always the case…you’re chugging along through life, you go on vacation and BAM, you learn all kinds of new things and return home wondering how you can possibly live anywhere that doesn’t have a crepe stand or creperie restaurant at least every five blocks… or whatever it is you become obsessed with. Obviously I’m currently obsessed with crepes…since I’ve been home I’ve made nutella and banana crepes for the guys every morning and last night I turned my attention to the savory side…a buckwheat galette.
First off, my crepes aren’t round, they’re rectangle because I have an electric griddle that is perfect for this and it’s a rectangle. Secondly, buckwheat crepes aren’t called crepes, they’re galettes and they can’t be made on a whim…the batter has to age overnight in the refrigerator…I’m just telling you up front because I didn’t know that until I read the instructions (duh!). Third, you need buckwheat flour…and that’s where we get to the good part.
Buckwheat isn’t a grain at all…it’s a seed and it’s related to the rhubarb family. The seed is similar to the sunflower seed in that it’s a single seed within a hard shell. The inner part of the seed is white, the outer layer is green or tan, and the hull is brown or black…which explains the appearance of buckwheat as a dark, rather coarse flour with a nutty scent and flavor. All of which makes it the perfect post to add to Weekend Herb Blog, hosted this week by Kalyn herself.
My recipe for the buckwheat galette comes from David Lebovitz and while I didn’t change it this time I think I’ll add more butter and salt the next time. I filled it with cheese, bacon, chunks of potatoes, creme fraiche, red onions, and parsley. The inspiration for the filling was a galette I ate in Paris that had that exact same combination. Served with a side salad, a glass of vin rouge, well it was almost parisian.
There was leftover batter and filling ingredients so this morning when I was cranking out the banana nutella crepes for Alex and Dex I whipped up another galette for GH and topped it with an egg. That’s another thing I learned on vacation…the french put eggs on lots of things like galettes, croque monsieur (which turns it into a croque madam….funny, huh?), salad, pastry…etc. It does have the way of making a nice sauce…the broken yolk pouring down into the gooey fillings.
It’s time for some linky love. Erin over at Cooking and Eating in the Windy City recently gave me the “You Make My Day” award (hereinafter referred to as the Clint Eastwood Award) and while I’ve not had the time to pass it on, nor have I had the time to catch up to the memes that have been sent my way, I do appreciate the attention. Erin has a killer picture/recipe of Braised Chicken with Shallots, Garlic, and Balsamic vinegar that I’m hoping to try out next week.
Chimichurri chicken, rice, and artichokes
This is geek fast food ala Trader Joe’s. But unlike drive-thru fast food, nothing here will make you queasy, it’s all good for you, it costs less than drive-thru fast food, and you can enjoy a bottle of two buck chuck while you prepare it. Ooops….before I forget, it’s delicious. Also, save all the trim from the artichokes and make a vegetable stock with it…perfect for a spring risotto.
What you need:
1 box of baby artichokes
2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of chimichurri rice
salt, paprika, cumin
splash of white wine
Olive oilPrep the artichokes according to these instructions.
Blanch them in boiling water for about three minutes, then drain.Slice the chicken into bite-size strips. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chicken in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of cumin. Once the chicken is browned add the artichokes, and the bag of rice. Toss in about a 1/4 cup of wine or water, stir, cover, and cook for about 8 minuted or until fully heated through. Serve.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes…I appreciate each and every one of them. I’d write more now but I want to go play Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. It’s a kick-ass game!!!!
Grinding my own garam
Spicy food is something I love, but even though I have a cabinet full of spices I’ve never actually made my own garam masala before. This is mostly because I’m incredibly lazy but it’s also because we have a Penzeys Spice Store here in town…I always assumed that their blends are as good as fresh. Holy cow…I can’t believe how stupid I was. Penzeys is good, but fresh toasted and ground is fantastic…it’s like fireworks in your mouth…like spicy pop-rocks, like a mini-vacation to a warm and loveable land.
I guess you can tell I’m enthusiastic about this…it’s like someone who just quit smoking, or lost 30 pounds, or found god….it’s all they can talk about, and every single conversation eventually turns to their obsession. That’s me baby…I’m a grinder and toaster now…never to go back to my lazy, idle ways of sloth and less robust flavor.
Besides being filled with that aforementioned fabulous flavor, it was super easy (btw, I said “super” with a french accent…as in “soup-per”). I searched the interwebs and found lots of recipes for garam masala and they all pretty much used similar spices while noting that garam masala is perfect for customizing to your personal taste. I used black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black cumin seeds. I toasted them in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until they were fragrant, the aroma flitting about the house like a spring breeze, and then I tipped them into the grinder that I use for spices. I pulsed them until they were ground well…but not too fine and then I made the best garam masala curry I’ve ever, ever made.
Garam Masala Spice Blend
printer-friendly recipe
1 1/2 Tbs black peppercorns
3/4 Tbs black cumin seeds (kala jeera)
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
4 large green cardamom pods
2″ stick of cinnamon
1/2 a whole nutmeg
2 star anise
Gently roast all spices and grind everything to a fine powder in a coffee or spice grinder. Makes enough for two batches.
Garam Masala Curry
1 onion
1 potato
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 chicken breast
canola oil
Peel and dice the onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy pan and toss the onions and half of the garam masala spice mix into the pan. Stir and cook over medium heat.
While the onions are cooking peel and dice the potato. Add it to the pan. Segment the cauliflower into small florets and add it to the pan too. Lastly dice the chicken and add it to the pan. Add salt. Add just a bit of water or chicken stock to come up about halfway on the ingredients. Cover and allow the ingredients to heat up to a boil and then immediately lower the heat to a simmer.
Let the covered pot simmer until the potatoes begin to get tender then remove the lid and adjust seasonings. Maybe add more salt, more garam masala (just a bit). Check the liquid level and adjust by adding more water, stock, or cream or allowing it to cook down. When the ingredients are all tender and the seasoning and consistency is right then you are ready to eat. For me it cooked for about 30 minutes total…20 with the lid on and 10 with it off.
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