Mmm… I love spinach.  One of my favorite dishes in the world is Spinach Artichoke Dip.  This is no dip, this is a soup.  That makes it healthier, right?  However, it is not far off from a spinach dip, as it incorporates some of the best parts: spinach and cheese.  This was a perfect lunch soup with a nice salad served along side of it.  The Husband is not crazy about spinach, so was similarly not crazy about this soup.  I would make this soup again, especially if I were going to a spinach-lovers convention.

I leave on my cross-country journey tomorrow so the next recipe you will get from me is after I have settled into my kitchen in East TN.  Wish me luck!

Cheesy Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 2 10-oz packages of frozen spinach
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs flour
• 1 aseptic box of vegetable broth
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

The Steps

1. Cook the spinach according to the directions on the package.  Drain the spinach well and then transfer the spinach into a food processor.  Process until the spinach is pureed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then saute the onions and garlic until the onions are tender, but not browned.  Stir in the flour.  Add the vegetable broth and spinach.  Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.
3. Stir in the milk,  light cream, nutmeg and salt.  Stir in the cheeses and continue to cook until the cheese melts and the soup is heated through.  Do not bring to a boil.  Serve the soup and garnish with the remaining grated parmesan.

I love going to Walt Disney World.  My younger years were spent playing in the parks and then during my early 20’s I worked for the Mouse.  To this day, I still can’t get enough of it.  I have slept in the hotels and eaten in the restaurants too.  It was my first visit to Boma’s at the Animal Kingdom Lodge that I tasted a savory and sweet dish called bobotie.  That was in 2001 and I have been wanting to recreate the dish ever since.  I have been back to Boma’s multiple times since that introduction and haven’t attempted the dish until now.

My search for a bobotie recipe has spread far and wide on the internet.  You can find bobotie recipes just about everywhere.  I even found two African cookbooks in the library that had bobotie recipes.  The interesting thing is that no two bobotie recipes were alike.  None!  I read more into the dish and discovered it is traditional comfort food and everyone has their own way of doing.  One way is not “right” and the other “wrong.”  It is all bobotie.

So of course I had to make my own bobotie recipe.  I took what I liked and what ingredients were available and ended up with a pretty tasty version, not too far off the one I originally had at Boma’s.  I served it with a side of brown rice and a simple green salad.  The Husband though it was delicious and taste-tester Erin said it was meat and dessert in one dish.  Trust me, it’s a complement.  Now it’s your turn.  Why not make some African comfort food of your own?

Bobotie

The Ingredients

The Meat Mixture

• 2 lbs Ground Beef
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs  vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 sweet apples peeled, cored and chopped  (same size as raisins)
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 2 ounces slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan
• 4  - 5 bay leaves

The Topping

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt

The Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree and butter a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
2. Melt oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are tender and translucent. Stir in all the seasonings (through the lemon juice) and cook for another minute.  Add the apples, apricot preserves, sultans, bread and almonds.  Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the beef and stir until well incorporated with the onion mixture.  Transfer mixture to prepared dish.  Insert bay leaves at random intervals.
3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in over for 70 - 80 minutes, until beef is cooked through.  While the beef is cooking, whisk the milk, eggs and salt until completely incorporated to create the topping.
4. Once the beef has cooked, remove the dish from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400.  Remove the aluminum foil and the bay leave.  Press the mixture flat if it has pulled away from the sides of the dish.  Pour the milk and egg topping over the top of the cooked beef mixture and place back into the over, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes until the egg mixture has cooked.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check my recipe archive.

I am always in the mood to try a different type of cuisine or a different type of food, much to the Husband’s dismay.  All he asks for are hot dogs and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.  Talk about opposites attract, right?  Well my newest attempt at a dish not normally found in my kitchen repertoire is Chicken Curry and Homemade Naan.  I also realized that this month’s Monthly Mingle is Bollywood Cooking!  How more Bollywood can you get than Naan and Curry?

This dish ended up being WAY too hot for us, so I have modified the recipe by reducing the garlic ginger paste and red pepper flakes and then adding garlic.  This should retain the flavor while still being palatable to wimpy tongues like mine!  The Husband gave the curry a thumbs down: too hot and not a flavor he preferred.  The Naan, however, got his seal of approval.  I will admit that it was pretty tasty.  Not like the real thing, but can you expect a studio apartment to come equipped with a tandoori oven?  So don’t feed this dish to picky eaters (like the Husband) but curry fans like me should be fine.  Now if only I could find the perfect recipe for Bengan Bartha…

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Curry

The Ingredients

• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bell peppers, one yellow and one red, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs ginger garlic paste
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbs cardamom
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 Tbs red pepper flakes
• 15 whole black peppercorns
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add chicken, onion, garlic, peppers and ginger garlic paste then season with curry, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the chicken has cooked through, remove lid, and cook until liquid is reduced to a thick consistency.

Naan

The Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat skillet to medium-high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil skillet. Place dough on skillet, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Inspired by recipes found at allrecipes.com

I have been meaning to post recipes and my food pictures here for a long time now. If you visit my flickr page, you might have seen some food pictures appear from time to time. I have wanted to share the recipes with you, but have just let life get in the way. However, I am taking that opportunity now!

Many of my readers may know that I use to have a blog solely dedicated to food. But as my last year in law school has been coming to a close, I find that I have had less and less time to blog. So I decided to turn that blog into my recipes archive and then add food to this blog. So welcome to my inaugural food post on my revamped blog!

I reason that I have titled this food category as “Food That Makes You Happy” is because these cookies are definitely NOT healthy. And while I don’t think that food can “make” you happy, I hope you understand my intent in such categorizing. Food like this brings a smile to your face.

But even more important, food like this brings a smile to someone else’s face. The reason that I made these cookies is because the Husband is leaving for a month long work trip to the Netherlands. He loves chocolate! While I was running some errands, he watched “America’s Test Kitchen.” Yes, I have him hooked on cooking shows. On the episode he watched today, they made Triple-Chocolate Cookies. He started drooling over them and I thought that I have everything I would need to make them. I ended up being wrong, which is why this is called Quadruple Chocolate Cookies instead of just Triple Chocolate Cookies.

I have also decided to include these cookies into Sugar High Friday#41. The theme is Sweet Gifts and is being hosted by Habeas Brulee. I had always enjoyed participating in round-ups when the food blog was up and running that I hope I can continue that participation here.

Before getting to the recipe, I also want to mention that the Husband called these a “repeat recipe.” Since I very rarely repeat a recipe, he always has to single out the recipes that he would like to eat again. They are usually all desserts.

Without further ado…

Quadruple Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 20 cookies

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, divided
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs , at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips)

1. Melt unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Stir coffee powder and vanilla extract together in small bowl until dissolved. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla-coffee mixture and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Using large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture and semisweet chocolate and remaining 1 cup milk chocolate chips into batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until batter firms up (it will more closely resemble thick brownie batter than cookie dough).
4. Meanwhile, adjust two oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 heaping tablespoon batter per cookie, place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (see photo, right). Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool cookies completely, on baking sheets, before serving.

Don’t forget: all past recipes and new recipes are also posted on my recipe archive page!