The Taste Traveller

curried rice with celery and almonds

Served hot or cold this is an easy dish to add to a range of meals. In my case it went along with a lemon and garlic-stuffed roast chicken and sweet potato garlic mash. There is a little crunchy element with toasted almonds, and a change from plain old brown rice by using brown basmati. A generous amount of curry powder adds a little extra spice. Cumin would be another good spice with this - but you could also go a totally different direction and add basil, oregano, or parsley. Of course you'd have to call it something different then! The chopped roasted garlic adds a bit more interest, but you could skip this and it's flavourful enough. I happen to love roasted garlic with many dishes, this one included. You could add so many things to this - it is rice afterall - always a versatile starter to so many yummy recipes. 

Here's the basic recipe to get you started.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown basmati or brown rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced or chopped, and toasted lightly 
• 1 cup celery, finely diced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 ml to 45 ml) cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) curry powder
• 3 or 4 garlic cloves, roasted and chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the rice (stovetop or in rice cooker). Set aside. If you want to serve this dish cool allow enough time for the rice to cool down. 

Slice the top off of the bulb of garlic (exposing the tips of the garlic cloves), drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. Place in the oven to roast. Around 30 to 40 minutes at 375⁰ F (190⁰ C) should result in a nice soft bunch of garlic cloves! Let cool and use the tip of a knife or your finger to lift the cloves out of their skins. You can also squeeze them out (this might be a fun job to give the kids). Place them onto a chopping surface and chop. It will be quite soft, which is what you want. You are aiming to break it up more than precisely chop it.

If you don't have sliced almonds on hand, roughly chop the almonds. Heat a saucepan until warm, add the almonds and gently move them around until they get a little toasted. 

Finely chop the celery. 

Chop the cilantro.

Add the celery, almonds and cilantro to the rice mixture. 

Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Add the dressing to the rice and other ingredients. Mix well.

Serve warm or cold.

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moroccan chicken with brown basmati rice and olives

I'm diving into my Delia's Winter Collection: 150 Recipes for Winter, which I have had for 15 years! My cousin and close friend Janet gave it to me when we were both in London. I'm sure she was hoping that it would inspire me then and she'd be coming over to my flat for wonderful meals. Sadly, this was not the case. I loved it, but at that time wasn't digging into recipes books like I am now, and spent more time eating out than in. It was almost like it was too good for me, too beyond me, like I admired it but was a bit afraid to delve into it. This blog gives me a chance to showcase it a bit (along with my growing collection of cookbooks). Now I'm in Vancouver and she's in Tasmania, so it's not so easy to have her over for dinner. It's a reminder to not take having people we care about for granted when they are close at hand. The years go by and whether it's geography or life in general, people move, and sharing meals together isn't an option very often then. 

I took the recipe and used it as my starting point, my base if you like, and you can do the same here. You could easily make this vegetarian, and add a few more vegetables (next time I'm going to add eggplant and zucchini and skip the chicken). What was the standout for me? The gorgeous, lemony flavour that had me wanting to drink all of the liquid and had me eating a second serving I really didn't need. For my husband it was the olives. He liked this dish so much he finished his first serving and then was eating out of the casserole dish with his spoon. One comment he made that stuck with me was "There are slices of lemon in here!" 

The original recipe calls for green and black olives - I chose to use kalamata olives. Saffron and wine are a few other ingredients I did not use. I squeezed the lemon over the dish before mixing everything together thoroughly. I usually include some sort of dried fruit in any Moroccan-inspired dishes. Here I didn't and it didn't suffer - but next time I will. Dried apricots would be my personal preference, but chopped dates or prunes, even some raisins would be interesting inclusions in this dish. I added carrots and green lentils. Puy lentils would be another lentil that would work well here - and hold it's firmness. The green lentils were great, but got a little lost with everything else. The dark green colour of Puy lentils would add a nice visual element too. 

This makes for top-notch leftovers and for any readers that are parents, my one year old Scarlet liked this too, olives and all. 

 Ingredients:

• 8 drumsticks and thighs or a mixture of these and chicken breasts (I used half chicken thighs and chicken breasts)
• 4 oz (110 g) dried chickpeas 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• 2 to 3 carrots, chopped or sliced
• 6 oz (175 g) brown basmati rice
• 2 fresh chilies, halved, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) coriander seeds
• 2 bunches fresh cilantro
• 2 lemons (one for squeezing and 1/2 to 1 for slicing)
• 2 yellow bell peppers (or a mixture - I used yellow and orange)
• 2 large onions, peeled and cut into medium-size pieces
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 10 fl oz (275 ml) carton chicken stock (or 15 oz/440 ml if not using wine)
• 5 fl oz (150 ml) dry white wine
• 4 oz (100 g) olives (green, black, or kalamata)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

Notes: You could use canned chickpeas and lentils if you are short on time.

Method:

Place the chickpeas in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak overnight or for about 8 hours. Alternatively, place the chickpeas into a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them sit for three hours. When you are pulling the other elements of this recipe together you will need to simmer the chickpeas for 20 minutes or until they are tender, regardless of which method you use. In a hurry? You could use a medium-sized can of chickpeas. Add the lentils for the last ten minutes of the cooking time. Both the lentils and chickpeas will have more cooking time when the entire dish cooks further in the oven. 

Chop the garlic cloves, set aside. 

Slice 1/2 to 1 whole lemon. Set aside. 

Slice the chilies in half, deseed and chop. Set aside. 

Measure the rice. Rinse well and set aside

Place a small saucepan or frying pan over medium heat and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Toss them around for approximately 3 to 4 minutes until they start to change colour. Transfer them to a pestle and mortar and crush them coarsely. 

Season the chicken breasts, legs or thighs. Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in a saucepan, Dutch oven or flameproof casserole of your choice, over medium high heat. When it's hot, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.

While the chicken is browning, slice the peppers in half. Remove the seeds and pith. Slice the halves into large pieces. 

Slice the onions in pieces about the same size as the peppers. 

Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in the same saucepan, Dutch oven or flameproof casserole dish as you used for the chicken. When this is hot again, add the onions and peppers and cook them until soft, about five minutes. Turn the heat to medium. 

While the peppers and onions are cooking, slice the tops of the cilantro off and set aside. Finely chop the stalks. Add the stalks to the peppers and onions. 

If you will not be cooking this in the oven with the same casserole dish you used for the stovetop cooking, transfer the peppers, onions and cilantro stalks to the dish that will be going into the oven now.

Add the garlic, chilies, coriander and cumin, chickpeas and rice. Stir thoroughly.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into a bowl or measuring cup. Pour into the casserole dish with the other ingredients, using a colander to catch the pits. 

Add the stock and wine (if using). Stir well. 

Add the lemon slices and olives (sliced or whole) on top. 

Place the chicken on top. 

Cover with a lid and place in the preheated oven for one hour (or until the rice and chick peas are tender).

Remove from oven and add the cilantro leaves on top. Serve.

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healthy baked macaroni and cheese with spinach

Comfort food at it's best, macaroni and cheese isn't a meal generally thought of as lean and healthy, never mind interesting. But, with a few adaptations it's easy to take this dish to a new level without complicating things. This recipe was inspired by one I found on Vegetarian Times, but I wanted to add some more flavour and up the greens aspect even more. How much spinach are we talking about here? Almost an entire box of fresh spinach (about 280 g) which when measured was about 16 cups. I had used some the night before so in this instance I used about 10 cups of uncooked spinach. 

I added a significant amount of seasoning - which you could easily personalize. My choices were oregano, basil, nutmeg and roasted garlic. This was my third round on this recipe, and I'm still working on the process, getting the preparation time down - but I would say you could pull it together in about a half hour. We find this will last us two meals as a main course, with very generous servings, but if you serve it with something else you could stretch it further. Last night I served it with chicken breasts sprinkled with paprika, garlic and pepper, and about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon rind. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) 1% or 2% milk
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (500 ml) grated cheddar cheese (medium or aged)
• 1 cup (250 ml) 1% or 2% cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried basil
• 4 to 6 cloves, garlic, roasted (slice the top off of the bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 400⁰ F (200⁰ C) for about 30 minutes or until soft)
• 10 to 15 cups fresh spinach, rinsed well (and stemmed if you have time)
• 1 cup (250 ml) plain, dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni (try whole wheat or vegetable)

Method:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400⁰ F (200⁰ C). Coat 8-inch square or other suitable baking dish with oil. I prefer to sprinkle several drops of olive or vegetable oil into the dish and spread with a small piece of paper towel. 

Whisk 1/4 cup of the milk and the flour together in a small bowl or measuring cup. You will end up with a fairly thick, smooth mixture. 

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the rest of the milk (1 1/2 cups) over medium heat, until steaming. Stir frequently. Add the flour milk mixture and stir or whisk as it thickens. This will take 3 to 5 minutes approximately. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Add the cottage cheese, stir until melted. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, basil and nutmeg. Stir. 

In another pot or steamer, cook the spinach until just wilted. Stir the spinach so it evenly steams. Remove from heat after 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Press out excess moisture and transfer to a cutting surface. Chop and set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, oil and paprika. 

Add macaroni to boiling water, stirring to prevent it from sticking. Cook, stirring frequently for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. 

Remove 4 to 6 garlic cloves from the roasted garlic. (squeeze out or lift out with the tip of a knife). Chop the garlic. 

Add the macaroni to the saucepan with the cheese mixture if the saucepan is large enough. Otherwise mix the macaroni and the cheese mixture in a large bowl. Add the chopped roasted garlic to this mixture. Use a spatula to mix evenly and thoroughly. 

Spread half of the macaroni cheese mixture evenly in the baking dish. Spread the chopped spinach on top of the layer of macaroni and cheese. Add the second half of the macaroni cheese mixture. Sprinkle the paprika breadcrumb mixture on top. 

At this point you could cover and refrigerate the dish overnight or for a day. 

Cover the baking dish with a lid or foil and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the bread crumb mixture is crispy. You may want to adjust the timing according to your preference to have the dish more liquidy or drier. Remove from oven and serve. 

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