Tomato, Spinach & Broken Wheat Stew or Tzavarabour

Tzavarabour, frankly I don’t even know if I am pronouncing it right but I’ve spelt it right. This is a traditional Armenian recipe (Republic of Armenia is a country near Turkey) which I happened to randomly hit on the web from George’s cookbook, http://www.georgefamily.net/cookbook. I was looking for a tomato-spinach soup and this recipe was quite interesting and so I picked it up. I replaced samba wheat rava for bulgar wheat which is used in the authentic recipe. It was a wholesome and light supper that I opted for yesterday; we both liked it.

Serves:  2

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Tomato – 2 large

2.    Spinach – 7-10 leaves

3.    Bulgar wheat (samba wheat – broken or rava) – ¼ cup

4.    Garlic cloves – 3

5.     Butter – 1 tbsp

6.    Salt to taste

7.     Pepper crushed – ½ tsp

8.    Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp chopped

Method:

Step 1: Put the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute and peel them when cool enough (I skipped this and found the small bits of tomato peels disturbing a bit while consuming); chop the peeled tomatoes and spinach into fine chunks. Peel and mince garlic cloves.

Step 2: Melt butter in a deep vessel and sauté tomatoes in it, add wheat to it, and then add stock if you’ve or add 3 cups of plain water & salt. Let it boil in simmered heat until the wheat is well cooked and soft.

Step 3: Add chopped spinach and cook further for 3 minutes by stirring occasionally. Add pepper now and turn off heat.

Step 4: Garnish with fresh coriander leaves; stir & serve immediately.

Potato Corn Soup

Ever since I fell in love with the Potato Leek soup that I had in a restaurant sometime back, I wanted to try out potato soup at home. After reading a lot of recipes I created my own version for Potato soup; it definitely tasted way different from the restaurant style one but it was good enough.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Fresh corn – 1

2.     Potatoes – 3

3.     Onion – 1

4.     Garlic – 1 cloves

5.     Butter – 2 tbsp

6.     Milk – 1 cup

7.     Fresh cream – 2 tbsp (optional)

8.     Salt to taste

9.     White pepper crushed – 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Boil the potatoes, peel and chop them into small dices.

Step 2: Shave the corn kernels form the stalk, peel garlic and chop onion.

Step 3: Melt butter in a pan and sauté garlic, onion, corn and potato cubes in it.

Step 4: Add a cup of milk and cook on simmered stove until corn kernels are soft.

Step 5: Cool it, strain the milk and grind the vegetables into smooth paste such that bits of corns remain.

Step 6: In the same milk mix the paste and bring to boil, adjust consistency with water and season with salt and pepper.

Step 7: Serve hot or warm garnished with fresh cream along with garlic breads.

Cornmeal Porridge

Cornmeal porridge is a simple healthy Jamaican recipe that I tried for breakfast today. Eating cereals every day has become the most preferred first meal for its ease of preparation and nutrient richness;  porridge is the next common dish and cornmeal porridge offers another good choice in this category. My husband liked this though I personally felt that it tasted bit like a baby food - smooth and sweet.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: Nil

Cooking Time:  10 min

Ingredients:

1.       Cornmeal – 1 cup

2.      Milk – 2 cups

3.      Water – 2 cups

4.      Salt – 1 pinch

5.      Sweetened condensed milk -  4 tbsp (can be replaced with sugar)

6.      Nutmeg grated – 1 pinch

7.      Cinnamon powder – 1 pinch

8.     Vanilla essence – 4 drops

Method:

Step 1: Mix cornmeal with water and bring it to boil with a pinch of salt.

Step 2: Add milk and boil in simmer by stirring continuously.

Step 3: Spoon in the condensed milk or sugar and mix well.

Step 4: Sprinkle nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder and drop in vanilla essence; mix well and turn off heat.

Step 5: Serve hot garnished with cinnamon powder.

TIPS:

* I had used the corn puttu flour that I had at home. A coarse cornmeal is generally flavorful.

Zuppa di Minestrone

Zuppa is 'soup' in Italian and the class of soups with pasta and veggies are called 'Minestrone' (pronounced as minis-troney) which is the most popular soup in Italy. I had some leftover pasta and coming across this recipe was very coincidental. I had made this zuppa (I like the sound of this word itself) last night; both of us liked it. Most recipes from internet had almost same recipe and I had given a small twist by adding Szechuan sauce to make it spicy which you can avoid if you prefer to follow the authentic recipe.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1.     Cooked pasta – 1 cup

2.     Carrot – 2 medium

3.     Bush beans – 6

4.     Shallots – 6 (Can replace with 2 small onions)

5.     Tomato – 2 small

6.     Garlic – 4 cloves

7.  Bay leaf – 1

8.     Italian seasoning – ¼  tsp

9.     Crushed pepper – ¼ tsp

10.  Salt to taste

11. Olive oil – ½ tbsp.

12. Stock – 3 cups (if unavailable use water)

13. Szechuan sauce – 1 tbsp (Optional)

Method:

Step 1: Clean and dice the vegetables; if cooked pasta is not there, cook it in parallel while cutting vegetables.

Step 2: In a handi, pour oil and add bay leaf, minced garlic and onions. When the onion softens add all other vegetables and toss for a minute with a pinch of salt.

Step 3: Now pour in the stock and add enough salt. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Now open and dissolve a spoon of Szechuan sauce (if you are using); sprinkle Italian seasoning, crushed pepper and put in pasta.

Step 5: Let it cook open for another 5 minutes.

Step 6: Serve hot with bread sticks or relish it as is.

Jowar Stew with Garlic Bread

Jowar is nutrient rich grain that is generally consumed in countryside than in cities. I had tried preparing a stew with this and other ingredients available at home along with some garlic bread. The combo made a good  wholesome dinner for us.

Ingredients:

1. Jowar - 1 cup

2. Whey water - 1lt

3. Salt to taste

4. Carrot chopped - 1 cup

5. Bush beans chopped - 1 cup

6. Tomato chopped - 2

7. Onion chopped - 1 cup

8. Potato chopped - 1 cup

9. Fresh beans - 1/2 cup

10. Oil or butter - 1 tbsp

11. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

12. Spinach - 5 leaves

13. Coriander - 4 sprigs

14. Lemon - 1/2

15. Pepper crushed - 1 tsp

16. Chili powder - 1 tsp

17. Garam masala - 1 tsp

 For garlic bread:

1. Bread - 4 slices

2. Olive oil - 2 tbsp

3. Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp

4. Salt as per taste

5. Dry Italian spice mix - 1/4 tsp (If available)

6. Garlic - 4 cloves

Method:

For Jowar stew:

Step 1: Wash and soak the jowar over night; you can also sprout them which is what I did. Then before preparing the stew, pressure cook it with salt for about 7 whistles.

Step 2: In a handi, heat the oil/ butter and splutter cumin seeds in it; then saute onion and add other vegetables one by one. 

Step 3: When they become glossy, add the cooked jowar and add the stew. Cook on simmer for 20 minutes.

                                      

Step 4: Now add the dry spices: chili powder, garam masala, crushed pepper and adjust salt.

Step 5: Tear the spinach leaves and throw into the stew, stir well and switch off the heat.

Step 6: Now squeeze in juice of a lemon and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

For Garlic bread:

Step 1:  Grate the garlic cloves finely. 

Step 2: In a small cup, take olive oil mix in it the grated garlic and italian spice mix.

Step 3: Brush this mix onto both the sides of each bread slice.

Step 4: Stack the bread slices and cut them into 4 quadrants.

Step 5: In a heated tawa, roast the bread pieces in simmered heat until brown and crisp.

Step 6: Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and serve with the hot stew.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Actually, this is an uncomplicated thick soup probably would fall under bisque category. I prefer accompanying this with light or no dinner. There are few dishes I like to add cooked carrots and this is one of them that brings out a wonderful flavor, taste and color of carrots.

Ingredients:

1. Carrot - 5

2. Ginger - 2" piece

3. Milk - 1/2 cup

4. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

5. Pepper crushed - 1/2 tsp

6. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Peel and slice the carrots and ginger.

Step 2: In a pan, toss sliced vegetables with  olive oil in medium heat. 

Step 3: Saute them until tender. Let it cool down.

Step 4: Grind them fine in a mixer jar with some water as required.

Step 5: Heat milk in the same pan that is used to saute, stir in the pureed veggies and season with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency with water or milk.

Step 6: Garnish with fresh cream and serve it hot or warm.

Beetroot Soup

Beetroot has a lot of health benefits like lowering blood pressure & cholesterol, it is said to produce anti-oxidants and they call it enemy of colon cancer. But for me I simply love the color of beetroot. Soup is one very nice way of relishing beetroot. Here, I share my simple version of beet soup that serves two people.

Ingredients:

1. Beetroot - 1

2. Tomato -1

3. Salt to taste

4. Pepper to taste

Method:

Step 1: Blanch the roughly chopped beetroot and tomato in a cup of water for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Let it cool a bit and then blend together finely in a mixer jar.

Step 3: Add required salt and pepper.

Step 4: Serve warm or heat it to have it hot or refrigerate to have it cool. 

TIPS:
*This is the simplest version. You can try one of the alternate options as mentioned below
*Skip tomato and add juice of lemon
*Saute in some butter or olive oil instead of blanching beetroot
*Add more herbs & seasoning
*Add more vegetables and top it with caramelized onion.

Corn Chowder

I got to know of corn chowder after randomly hitting some blog on web and this recipe is a hybridization of the various source recipes. Both I and my husband love this soupy dish for dinner if we are not extra hungry to eat solids; it is wholesome with nutrients though you can accompany it with salads for filling.

Ingredients:

1.       Fresh maize – 1

2.       Onion – 1 extra finely chopped

3.       Coriander stems chopped finely – 2 tbsp

4.       Milk – 2 cups

5.       Salt to taste

6.       Oil 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Peel the maize and separate the corn kernels by cutting vertically as in the picture. Save 2 tbsp for adding texture to the chowder and grind the rest of the kernels in a mixer.

Step 2: Heat oil and sauté the chopped onions until translucent; add milk and let it come to boil. Put in the maize stalk and a bay leaf; this is the notch flavour of corn chowder.

Step 3: Discard the bay leaf and maize stalk. Add corn paste and corn kernels and simmer the stove for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Now throw in coriander stem and serve piping hot. This is a wholesome, exotic and simple dish.

Roasted Squash Soup

Both my husband and I are not great fans of pumpkin or the acorn squash, but I don't like to avoid any vegetable for lack of our liking because every other vegetable is unique in nutrients and taste. Luckily, any vegetable is passable for both of us in form of soups or stews; so here comes the creamy squash soup.

Ingredients:

1. Squash - 1 wedge

2. Milk - 1/2 cup

3. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

4. Nutmeg - 1 pinch grated

5. Salt to taste

6. Pepper to taste

7. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

8. Pumpkin seeds - 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: In a non-stick pan, take olive oil and saute the roughly chopped squash in medium heat until they are roast and soft

Step 2: Let it cool and then blend it smoothly with milk.

Step 3: Bring it back to the same pan and heat on low flame.

Step 4: Sprinkle cumin powder, nutmeg grated, salt, pepper and mix well.

Step 5: Pour into soup bowls, top with crispy salted pumpkin seeds and serve immediately. This is another soup that you can have the temperature you like piping hot or warm or cold.