Me, Myself and Indian Cuisine - White Mushrooms (Kumbh)

So, the other day I was thinking to Myself, "Self, you never cook anything from India".  Normally, and I use that term loosely, when "I" think to "Myself", Myself ends up traveling down some strange culinary rabbit hole leaving unsuspecting "Me" sitting in the aftermath thinking, "Whahappened?"   Yes, when "I" think to "Myself" it begins to worry "Me".

But Me being Me, the more inclusive of the three and spurred by some desperate need for "Self" preservation, as well as being more detail oriented than "I" or "Myself", piped in with "Ya know, for all the array of spices and herbs that We DO have, We are always missing something to execute a decent Masala."

After which "I" thought back, quite simply and succinctly, "Chicken".

"Don't bait Me"

"I'm just sayin'... Though "I" could really go for some Mushrooms, Myself"

And there it was....   White Button Mushrooms cooked in Spicy Butter and Milk.  Simple, elegant, and not requiring a full pantry full of the harder to find ingredients like Black Cumin, Nigella Seed, White Cardamom, Fenugreek and Curry leaves (yep, Curry is an herb too, not just a spice mix) or Mustard oil.  All We really needed was the contents already contained within the panty..... Cumin, Coriander and a little White Pepper.

Honestly, this dish tastes better with Cremini, Baby Bella, Champignon, Italian Brown, Brown Button, Chestnut mushrooms or whatever the current marketing BUZZ word is calling them right now.  They are all the same.  The original button mushroom (Agaricus Bisporus, mentioned above by the litany of names) mutated in 1926 while being cultivated in Pennsylvania, resulting in a "White" mushroom.  At that point in time, white foods, like white bread, were considered to be more healthy because they were "Pure".  (sigh) As if.  Anyway, all the white button mushrooms on the market are decedents of that original Pennsylvania mutation.  Me, Myself and I really prefer the flavor and texture of the Brown ones though.  The white ones have a rubbery texture and seem to be, almost, slimy on the outside after being cooked.  That's just Me.

White Button Mushrooms (Kumbh)

1 lb White Button Mushrooms (Cremini "Brown Button" are better)
4 oz Unsalted Butter (definitely NOT low fat)
3/4 cup Onion, minced
1 tsp Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1 tsp Cumin, ground
2 TB AP Flour
1 cup Whole Milk
Salt to Taste
2 tsp White Pepper

Remove the stems from your Mushrooms and save them for another purpose.

Set the Mushroom caps aside.

Place a large skillet over medium flame and allow the butter to melt.

Add the Onion and Garlic and Sweat for 5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the Coriander and Cumin, cooking until fragrant.

Remove the skillet from the flame and add the Flour, stirring to combine.

Return to the flame and cook until the color darkens slightly.

Slowly stir in the milk.

Once thoroughly combined, add the mushroom caps.

Cook for 5-7 minutes, stir every once in awhile... (The mushrooms should begin releasing liquid to mix in with the sauce)

Remove from the heat and season with Salt and White Pepper.

Serve, over Brown Basmati rice.

Now if you will excuse Me, Myself and I need to have another chat.  :)

Mangia!!
~~

Verdant Victuals - Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

No foray into Southeastern Asian cuisine would be complete without Thai Green Curry or, as it's known in Thailand, Gaeng Kiaw Wan. (Sweet Green Curry)  True, I tend to be a bit of a hot head when it comes to the spiciness of my food, and as a result I am usually more drawn to Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phet), but I find Green Curry to be quite refreshing on occasion.

Green curry, unlike it's tawny and vermillion siblings (being both Yellow and Red curry pastes) is made with fresh green bird's eye chiles, instead of dried red ones.  This gives it a "fresh" flavor more befitting it's verdant countenance.  Green curry is considered to be a "sweet" curry, so I suggested that you remove the seeds and membranes from the chiles before giving them a serious pounding with your pestle.  If you REALLY want it to be hot, go ahead and leave them, just realize that you will loose some of the subtle nuances of the paste due to the increased heat.  (everything in balance)

Speaking of Pestles....  I highly recommend forgoing the use of a food processor in lieu of the more traditional mortar & pestle.  Food processors simply chop things up while a mortar and pestle grinds, smashes and crushes, releasing more flavor and yielding a far superior result.  Sadly, sometimes technology is a hindrance.

One a final note, I do not fry my Green Curry Paste (as I do with the Red) so I toast the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed ahead of time.

Go forth and make awesome curry!

Thai Green Curry

(Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

15 fresh Green Bird's Eye Chiles
1 TB Coriander Seed, toasted
1 tsp Cumin Seed, toasted
5 White Peppercorns
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)
1 bunch of Green Onions, chopped
1 bulb of Thai Garlic
2 TB freshly grated Galangal
1 stalk Lemongrass, sliced thin
1 tsp Kaffir Lime Zest
3 TB chopped Coriander (Cilantro) Stems

1 tsp Shrimp Paste

Cut the tops off the chiles and roll the chiles between your fingers and the membranes and seeds should fall out.

Place the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed in a small skillet and toast them over low heat, until fragrant.

Toss them into your Mortar with the White Peppercorns and Kosher Salt; allow to cool.

Meanwhile, chop the Green Onion, peel the Garlic, grate the Galangal, slice the Lemongrass, zest the Kaffir Lime and chop the Coriander (Cilantro) Stems.

OK, you are now ready to proceed... but don't forget to place a towel under your Granite Mortar and Pestle to protect your counter tops.

Crush and grind the Coriander/Cumin/Salt into a fine powder, then remove from the mortar to a small bowl and set aside.

Place Lemongrass and Galangal in the mortar and pulverize it.

Once it is crushed well, add the Garlic cloves and grind and crush everything together.

Add the Chiles and pulverize them.

Add Green Onion, Lime Zest and Coriander Stems; continue beating, crushing and grinding to a fine paste.

Once you have achieved a nice paste (a little rustic looking is OK) mix in the ground Coriander/Cumin/Peppercorn/Salt mixture

Now work in the Shrimp Paste.

Spoon into a small bowl and wrap with Plastic wrap....

or store in a jar with a well sealing lid,

and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Next up.....  Curried Chicken and Thai Eggplant.  YUM!

Mangia!!
~~

The UN-Potato - Cauliflower Puree with Greek Yogurt and Chives

Cauliflower tends to be one of those strange vegetables that gets overlooked.  I myself ignore it many times simply because of it's size.  Oh, I see bits and pieces packaged neatly in the grocery store for sale, but they really should be avoided.  The problem is, that once a cauliflower head has been cut up, it begins to degrade rather quickly through oxidation.  Oxidation = Nasty bitter brown cauliflower.   YUCK!  Thus is is that when cooking cauliflower one should always cook an entire intact head.  Which is where the matter of size comes into the picture.  Let's face it, an entire head of cauliflower is a rather large dinner time prospect for a family of less than 6.

But there are times when I must throw caution to the wind and embrace my love of cauliflower, for it must be satiated.  This is one such time.  Just look at that pristine, snow white goodness!

There is a very important consideration to take into account when cooking cauliflower.  Sulfur compounds.  Being a member of the cruciferous family, cauliflower is high in phytonutrients.  In cauliflower's case, some of these break down during the cooking process and form phenylthiocarbamide.  (The particular sulfur compound responsible for the smell" as well as the bitterness that some people taste when eating it.)  I do not taste this bitterness myself, since I am not genetically sensitive to PTC (the same sort condition that causes some to smell" the after effects of Asparagus... It's in the genes)  However, though I cannot "taste" the PTC, I can sure smell it when it's cooking.

This chemical is responsible for another strange phenomenon.  Discoloration.  Thus, one should NEVER cook cauliflower in an Aluminum or Iron pot/pan.  Aluminum react with the PTC and turns cauliflower yellowy brown, while Iron turns cauliflower a sort of sickly bluish-greeny brown.  Totally unappetizing.

One of the cures to reduce the sulfur output is to soak the cauliflower in salt water for 30 minutes before cooking.  This leaches out some, but not all of phytochemicals responsible. In my experience, this seems to work fairly well.  Also, if you are boiling your cauliflower, add 1 cup of milk to the water.  The calcium reduced the sulfur output and sweetens to cauliflower.  If steaming, throw in some walnut shells.  Odd as it sounds, walnut shells absorb sulfur.  (doesn't kitchen science rock?)

OK, science part is over now.....  On with the recipe......

Back in the day... Can I say that?  The Atkins diet was UBER popular, maybe it still is, but I don't know anyone who is currently on it.  So as I was saying... back in the day (8 years ago) there were about 5 people in my office who were religiously following their ketone levels while on the Atkins diet.  For those who don't know, the Atkins diet means death to carbs.  As a pasta lover I find this to be EXTREMELY disconcerting, but that is beside the point.  So while discussing with one of the dieters what they did when they craved mashed potatoes they gave me a recipe for mashed cauliflower.  I tried it, just out of curiosity, and it was all soupy and gross.  Mainly because it called for steamed or boiled cauliflower.  Which made it WAY too watery and thus created a mass of goo when I ran it through the food processor with the cream cheese. 

Now that I am older and wiser, I have come to understand that I should have "roasted" the Cauliflower.  This method produces a much drier curd, thus giving the finished dish more body.  That being said, you can use Greek Yogurt instead of cream cheese and drop the calorie count a little bit.  Add a few chives and you have a very delicious sour cream and chive-esque replacement for mashed potatoes....  even if you aren't on the Atkins diet.  ;)

Greek Yogurt and Chive Cauliflower Mash

1 Cauliflower Head (about 3 lbs)
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
A non-reactive baking dish
Foil
1 cup (8 oz) Greek Yogurt (though this is even better with Crème Fraîche)
White Pepper
optional Chives

Fill a large pot with cold water and add 2-3 TB of Kosher salt and begin removing the leaves from the underside of the cauliflower....

Plunge the cauliflower head (aka: "curd") into the salted water and allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Remove to a plate and allow to drain for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rub down a ceramic, glass or Corningware dish with olive oil.  (No metal - though Stainless would probably be OK) and begin preheating the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the curds from the stem and place them in the baking dish.

Drizzle with more Olive oil and season with Kosher Salt.

Cover with Aluminum foil (make sure it's not touching any of the curd pieces or they will discolor) and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. (It almost seems a shame to process them up)

Remove the baking dish from the oven and scoop the curds into a food processor or a food mill.

Process or mill until smooth, then add the Greek Yogurt and process to combine.

Season with White Pepper and as many Chives as you want.  :)

Serve with hazelnut crusted chicken and mixed greens. 

Mangia!!
~~

All Thai'ed Up - Thai Red Curry Paste

A significant amount of time has past since my last post.  Sorry bout that, but I have had to re-prioritize a few things due to my study schedule for one of my Microsoft Certifications.  Basically, I needed to be certified "yesterday",  so I am attempting to cram copious quantities of technical data into my already overtaxed brain.

As a result, dinners are devoid of forethought and resemble a haphazard conglomeration of whatever happens to be in the refrigerator. 

Then "it" happened while I was deeply involved in the creation of SharePoint's Feature Event Receivers.  I had this undeniable craving for Thai food. 

Normally, I steer far and wide of Pan-Asian cuisine, simply because it requires a completely different, and somewhat foreign, pantry full of ingredients.  This can involve a significant amount of financial outpouring to accomplish, but I wanted Thai food REALLY REALLY bad.  So, I decided that since I am "turning a page" in my career, it would be fitting for me to turn a page in my culinary pursuits as well.

Luckily, since my appetite was focused on Red Curry, the list of "special ingredients" is fairly short.  Well, it was short for me at least.  I always have Kaffir (Makrut) lime leaves in the freezer (I use them in my Saffron sauce) and I usually have Cilantro floating around the refrigerator, and Galangal (which is Ginger's more robust cousin) as well as Sesame oil, multiple types of Garlic, Coriander Seed, Cumin and Peppercorns.  In fact, in order to make a fairly passable Red Curry, the only ingredients I needed were Dried Thai Chilies, Lemon Grass and Shrimp paste (though I have been told that you can use Fish sauce or Soy mixed with brown sugar)

So grab a large mortar and pestle, cause I have tried this in a food processor and the results were less than stellar to say the least, and follow along, cause Thai Red Curry is a snap to make... with a little elbow grease.

Thai Red Curry

(Gaeng Phet)

1 bulb of Thai Garlic (or 7 peeled cloves of American garlic)
1 TB Minced Shallot (if your using the American garlic)
2 stalks of Lemon Grass (peeled and thinly sliced pale parts only)
2 inch chunk of Galangal (chipped - this stuff is tough)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 TB Cilantro (Coriander) Stems (though Cilantro root is better)
4 tsp Coriander (Cilantro) seeds, toasted
1 TB Cumin Seeds, toasted
1 tsp White peppercorns
10 Kaffir (Makrut) Lime leaves (middle stem removed and thinly sliced) or zest of 1 Kaffir lime
For Red Curry - 20 Dried Red Thai Chilies (prik haeng is their name I believe)
2 tsp Shrimp Paste 
2 TB Toasted Sesame oil for cooking everything together.

OK, let's prep first.
Now as far as the dried chilies go....

If you like a "medium" heat, I suggest that you cut the stem end off of 10 of them, and remove the seeds.

Thus reducing the Scoville burn potential of your final paste mixture.

Soak your chilies for about 15 minutes in a little boiling water, then drain.

Meanwhile, peel the Garlic (Please note that the Thai garlic on the right is significantly smaller than the normal American garlic, it also has a slightly milder flavor and a much thinner peel)

Thinly slice the Lemon Grass (Lemon grass has very long fibers so the thinner you slice it the less fibrous your paste will be)

This is Galangal (on the left) and Ginger (on the right).  Galangal's flavor is similar to Ginger, but without the warm "heat" usually associated with Ginger.

Hack thin chips of Galangal (with a VERY sharp knife, this stuff is tough)

Toast the Coriander Seed and Cumin in a dry skillet over medium flame for about 4 minutes (until fragrant)

This is a Kaffir lime leaf.  (it kind of tastes like lime zest but it's more perfume-y)

Remove the stems from the lime leaves,

then slice the leaf lobes thinly.

On a happy note, now you have something to do with the cilantro stems after you have picked off all the leaves.

Chop the stems fairly finely.

Don't forget to grab your shrimp paste....

OK, lets get to smashing and mashing.... 
In a large Mortar and Pestle (preferably a granite one, not a molcajete like I used) smash everything together until it forms a sloppy paste.

Finally, stir in the shrimp paste.
Heat the Sesame oil in a skillet set over medium heat.

Add the curry paste and cook it until it has absorbed all the oil and becomes extremely fragrant. (about 5 minutes)

Remove from the heat and your ready to jar it and store it in the refrigerator for 2 months.

Me, I have some immediate plans for about 2 TB of this curry.  But you will have to check in over the next couple of days to see what it is.   :)

Mangia!!
~~