The Cookbook Game #7

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I realise that I haven't added my mushroom curry to the thread.

Recipe - Mushroom Curry

I made it on Thursday or Friday of last week, running into one or two little issues along the way. Firstly I didn't have the correct chilli in the freezer. I had to use a substitution. Second I take to purchase coconut milk, using only coconut cream. With the brand I purchase, the only difference is added water! I can do that at home if needed and in this recipe it wasn't needed. Finally, I can't get blanched sliced almonds, so had to make my own, plus I couldn't get the weight right between the American cup and metric grams. It was roughly 3 times out! I just went with 75g of almonds and accepted it.

I'll put a copy of our recipe write up here as well.

Ok, my thoughts on the recipe.

Hubby thought it was too spicy which is unusual for him. I thought it was ok but close to what we manage but I was also aware that my substitute chilli may have been to blame. It was very tasty and one hubby said he would have again. The apple, almond and sultanas mix reminded me of the smell of homemade Christmas puddings, what with the mix of everything going on and although the spice mix was lengthy, it wasn't actually difficult even if one or two had to be ground especially for this recipe.

I needed to add water whilst the ginger chilli and garlic was cooking because they started to catch on the bottom of the pan. I didn't have the heat that high, but do have a thick stainless steel bottomed casserole pan which could have been the problem but water quickly resolved that issue. However, this would possibly be the cause of hubby thinking the sauce was too thin. It would easily be thickened.

Overall it was a really tasty dish that worked well over rice or jacket potatoes. It is most certainly one I'd make again and one we enjoyed.

Mushroom Curry

• SatNavSaysStraightOn
• 7 Nov 2019

 

[Elawin]

This meal is made up of four different Syrian mezzes from the cookbook Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi. They can be eaten separately or as part of one complete meal.

Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin (Zahra wa Kamoon)

Recipe - Beetroot Dip (Mutabal Shwandar)

Recipe - Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)

Recipe - Spinach with Sumac (Spanekh wa Sumac)

I used dried herbs throughout and substituted a mix of smoked paprika and hot chilli powder for the Aleppo pepper, and an ordinary onion for the red onion. I omitted the pomegranate seeds. I parboiled the potatoes for a few minutes and then roasted at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 so all the vegetables could be roasted (in separate dishes) at the same time. I wilted the spinach down until it was like velvet, but I think the dip could have done with a bit longer in my liquidiser although it was perfectly satisfactory even if not quite as smooth as I had hoped - but this was my fault and not the fault of the recipe.

All the flavours went together very well. I quartered all the ingredients as I was the only one eating it, and served it with two flatbreads. It was very filling.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

View attachment 34653

This meal is made up of four different Syrian mezzes from the cookbook Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi. They can be eaten separately or as part of one complete meal.

Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin (Zahra wa Kamoon)

Recipe - Beetroot Dip (Mutabal Shwandar)

Recipe - Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)

Recipe - Spinach with Sumac (Spanekh wa Sumac)

I used dried herbs throughout and substituted a mix of smoked paprika and hot chilli powder for the Aleppo pepper, and an ordinary onion for the red onion. I omitted the pomegranate seeds. I parboiled the potatoes for a few minutes and then roasted at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 so all the vegetables could be roasted (in separate dishes) at the same time. I wilted the spinach down until it was like velvet, but I think the dip could have done with a bit longer in my liquidiser although it was perfectly satisfactory even if not quite as smooth as I had hoped - but this was my fault and not the fault of the recipe.

All the flavours went together very well. I quartered all the ingredients as I was the only one eating it, and served it with two flatbreads. It was very filling.

Thank you. 4 recipes in one go.
The cookbook sounds really interesting. Is it a dedicated vegetarian cookbook?

 

[Elawin]

Thank you. 4 recipes in one go.
The cookbook sounds really interesting. Is it a dedicated vegetarian cookbook?

No, it is not vegetarian, although it does give suggestions for vegetarian alternatives in some of the recipes. These recipes are all copied "as is" but I have made some of the other recipes in the book substituting potatoes, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash for the meat.

 

[Morning Glory]

View attachment 34653

This meal is made up of four different Syrian mezzes from the cookbook Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi. They can be eaten separately or as part of one complete meal.

Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin (Zahra wa Kamoon)

Recipe - Beetroot Dip (Mutabal Shwandar)

Recipe - Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)

Recipe - Spinach with Sumac (Spanekh wa Sumac)

I used dried herbs throughout and substituted a mix of smoked paprika and hot chilli powder for the Aleppo pepper, and an ordinary onion for the red onion. I omitted the pomegranate seeds. I parboiled the potatoes for a few minutes and then roasted at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 so all the vegetables could be roasted (in separate dishes) at the same time. I wilted the spinach down until it was like velvet, but I think the dip could have done with a bit longer in my liquidiser although it was perfectly satisfactory even if not quite as smooth as I had hoped - but this was my fault and not the fault of the recipe.

All the flavours went together very well. I quartered all the ingredients as I was the only one eating it, and served it with two flatbreads. It was very filling.

A great entry for the game Elawin. with 4 delicious looking recipes.

 

[Elawin]

A great entry for the game Elawin. with 4 delicious looking recipes.

I've still got the Italian one to write up - two hospital appointments and several optician's appointments are taking up more time than I thought.

 

[Elawin]

This meal is made up of a risotto with two side dishes from the book Gino's Italian Escape: A Taste of the Sun by Gino D'Acampo.

Recipe - Simple saffron risotto (risotto allo zafferano)

Recipe - Roasted tomatoes with balsamic vinegar (pomodori al forno con aceto balsamico)

Recipe - Savoy cabbage with pancetta and white wine (verza con pancetta e vino bianco)

I used a very mature Cheddar cheese in place of the Parmesan in the risotto recipe and dried basil and a regular onion in the cabbage recipe. I also omitted the pancetta in that recipe. The tomatoes were a mixture of large ordinary tomatoes, baby plum tomatoes, and orange cherry tomatoes. The plum tomatoes and the orange cherry tomatoes were quite small so I merely crushed them slightly instead of cutting them in half.

This was the first time I had ever cooked risotto and I was very surprised how it turned out although I had to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. It was very creamy. I felt it was a mistake to use dried basil leaves with the tomatoes mainly because you could barely see them, but you could certainly taste them! I was a bit sceptical too about cooking the cabbage for so long - memories of smelly boiled cabbage sprang to mind! - but it was beautiful. There was hardly any liquid left at the end of the cooking time and the cabbage and the onion were soft and silky.

All in all I was very pleased with the way the meal turned out, although I must add it was very filling and extremely tasty.

 

[Morning Glory]

View attachment 34927

This meal is made up of a risotto with two side dishes from the book Gino's Italian Escape: A Taste of the Sun by Gino D'Acampo.

Recipe - Simple saffron risotto (risotto allo zafferano)

Recipe - Roasted tomatoes with balsamic vinegar (pomodori al forno con aceto balsamico)

Recipe - Savoy cabbage with pancetta and white wine (verza con pancetta e vino bianco)

I used a very mature Cheddar cheese in place of the Parmesan in the risotto recipe and dried basil and a regular onion in the cabbage recipe. I also omitted the pancetta in that recipe. The tomatoes were a mixture of large ordinary tomatoes, baby plum tomatoes, and orange cherry tomatoes. The plum tomatoes and the orange cherry tomatoes were quite small so I merely crushed them slightly instead of cutting them in half.

This was the first time I had ever cooked risotto and I was very surprised how it turned out although I had to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. It was very creamy. I felt it was a mistake to use dried basil leaves with the tomatoes mainly because you could barely see them, but you could certainly taste them! I was a bit sceptical too about cooking the cabbage for so long - memories of smelly boiled cabbage sprang to mind! - but it was beautiful. There was hardly any liquid left at the end of the cooking time and the cabbage and the onion were soft and silky.

All in all I was very pleased with the way the meal turned out, although I must add it was very filling and extremely tasty.

It looks like a very filling plateful. I always thought (MypinchofItaly will know) that risotto should be served as a single course and not on a plate with other things. Of course, there is no reason why you can't serve it however you wish! It looks fantastically 'creamy'.

 

[Elawin]

It looks like a very filling plateful. I always thought (MypinchofItaly will know) that risotto should be served as a single course and not on a plate with other things. Of course, there is no reason why you can't serve it however you wish! It looks fantastically 'creamy'.

Saves on washing up besides I did only cook one portion sizes. I think my days of eating a full umpteen course meal are long gone.

 

[Morning Glory]

A big thank you to everyone who participated in this round. It was fascinating to see two members (Mountain Cat and SatNavSaysStraightOn) cooking from the same book! Elawin smashed all previous records with no less than 7 entries, all of which looked delicious.

Please note that the next round will have revised guidelines and timescale to encourage more members to participate.