Naan, Cilantro Chutney, & Cilantro-Mint Yogurt

We discovered our love of Naan several years ago, & have made it a few times since. It's a rather lovely sweet flat-bread. Recently I've been longing to make it again, & I was excited to find a quite different recipe for it in

Simply in Season.

On a whim I also decided a Cilantro Chutney would be nice. However, it turned out rather spicy. So on another whim we whipped up some Cilantro-Mint Yogurt to help balance out the meal. All in all it was a revitalizing & flavorful meal.

For Naan:

1. Mix in a small bowl until dissolved:

one quarter cup water, one tbsp dry active yeast, one tbsp sugar.

2. Mix in another bowl:

one cup lukewarm water, one quarter cup plain yogurt,

one beaten egg, two tbsp oil, & two tsp salt.

3. Stir in yeast mixture & then five cups of flour. Make a soft dough.

4. Knead 5-10 minutes.

5. Put in a greased bowl, turning to grease both sides.

Cover with damp cloth & allow to rise for an hour.

6. Separate into golf ball sized portions & fry as thin as possible in pan.

For Cilantro Chutney:

Combine in food processor: two cups cilantro, three chilies, the juice of a lime, half inch of fresh ginger finely sliced, & two cloves of garlic. Blend. May also add mint. (For milder chutney, use fewer &/or milder chilies. Thai chilies are recommended.)

For Cilantro-Mint Yogurt:

Combine in food processor: one cup plain yogurt, three or four sprigs fresh mint, cilantro. Blend. Will be runny. Scoop up with Naan.

Favorite Song (originally heard on my favorite radio station website):

Nancy Elizabeth-Coriander

Veggie Stone Soup

After discovering yesterday evening that I did not have all of the ingredients required to make what I was going to make, I was forced to improvise.

I literally went on a scavenger hunt through my kitchen, discovering small amounts of leftovers along the way and putting them into the pot with our leftover veggie juice.

I found four parsnips, a can of green beans, a can of black beans, two stalks of celery, one small onion, & two small potatoes. I simmered these with Italian seasonings, garlic, cayenne & pepper. For a little over an hour.

The veggies were firm but soft, not mushy which is what we try to avoid around here. The flavors were delightful. The parsnips really came out, and paired well with the acidity of the tomato based veggie juice.

All in all, a surprise success. After we ate our fill, we felt warm & merry. With 4-6 bowls still in leftovers. We set out into the cold night to hunt down some new ice cube trays. (We had only two and one of them broke.) We came back, as well, with flowers & the ingredients for tonight's dinner (the ones I was missing yesterday).

Favorite Song (featured on my favorite radio station website):

A Hack and a Hacksaw- Cerventine

Chipotle Carnitas

Do you love tender pork? Do you enjoy the refreshing lime? Do you love the smoky chipotle peppers? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then this post is dedicated to you!

For the carnitas, buy yourself 2-3 pounds of pork shoulder goodness. Then chop it into one inch cubes.

Bring to a boil with six cups water, 2 smashed & peeled cloves garlic, peppercorns, cumin, & coriander. Then reduce heat, cover, & simmer for at least two hours.

About a half hour before you wish to eat this porky bliss, turn up the heat and brown the meat a bit more.

Serve on tortillas, with taco-like accompaniments.

For the chipotle sauce, combine two small chipotles, two anchos (minus seeds & stem), two cloves garlic peeled/smashed, one small chopped onion, & two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Then simmer for half an hour.

With a slotted spoon take out the peppers/garlic & put into a food processor. Reserve the stock.

Then combine one tablespoon unsweetened cocoa with one tablespoon cumin. Add to the food processor.

In a measuring cup squeeze the juice from two limes. Then add the reserved stock to make one cup of liquid. Add to the food processor.

Blend it all up. If more thickness is desired, reduce on the stove.

A finer meal cannot be had.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

The Boy Who Trapped the Sun- Home

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

A festive & easy dish, actually the first one I tried from Simply in Season, these quesadillas have become a household favorite. I no longer follow the recipe directly, so here's my version...

For about 8 single shell quesadillas, or 4 quesadillas like the ones we made:

1. Mix two cups shredded sharp cheddar with one half cup plain yogurt. Set aside.

2. Saute one shredded large sweet potato, two minced garlic cloves, & one diced medium onion in two tablespoons butter or oil. Season with cumin, chili powder, & cinnamon. Set aside.

3. Heat up pan and melt a pat of butter. While pan is heating spread some of the cheese mix on a tortilla, then spread some of the sweet potato mix, then fold or add another tortilla. Grill/fry until golden brown on each side. Repeat. When pan gets dry add another pat of butter.

4. Serve with salsa & a dollop of plain yogurt.

Sometimes we cut these quesadillas with a pizza cutter. Usually we just eat them whole with our fingers & forks.

Last night I also made a hot sauce to go with them. Since we were woefully out of both salsa & cholula. I took some tomato paste and added some milk to it. Then I warmed it up slowly on the stove with cumin, garlic powder, coriander & our extra hot chili powder.

It was truly a surprise success. Sweet & creamy with a kick. Quite the nice complement to the quesadillas.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Breathe Owl Breathe- Dragon

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes

These pictures do not do justice to the sweet oatmeal goodness, that existed in pancake form last night. Yep. Pancakes & eggs for dinner! The pancakes were nice & crisp on the outside, & creamy oatmeal on the inside. And the eggs were light & fluffy.

So. Just how was this all accomplished?

4 Simply in Season hearty oatmeal pancakes:

1. About ten hours before you want pancakes, combine two cups of rolled oats with two cups plain yogurt. Then cover and let sit in the fridge.

2. When ready...Lightly beat two eggs & one quarter cup oil. Then add to the oatmeal mixture.

3. In a small bowl combine one cup of flour, two tbsp sugar, one tsp baking powder, one tsp baking soda, cinnamon, & salt. Then add to the the oatmeal mixture.

4. Fry in a hot skillet!

For the eggs I used an Alton Brown's Scrambled Eggs Unscrambled Recipe. Except I didn't have fresh parsley so I used dried parsley instead. I also added a bit of Italian Seasoning.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Alela Diane- The Pirate's Gospel

Everyday Oatmeal Bread

That's right! Simply in Season also features baking recipes! Though, I am generally more interested in cooking, there are some days that something bread or something sweet are so fulfilling to make.

I am pleased to say the bread recipe was as simple as most of the other recipes I have tried. Granted, it takes a bit more time/physical effort, but the results are worth it.

The whole project cost next to nothing. All were ingredients I had sitting in the cupboard, but they also were purchased rather cheaply to begin with.

So here goes...

1. Boil one and one half cups water. Add one cup rolled oats. Let sit for half an hour.

2. Stir into oatmeal 3/4 cup molasses, 3tbsp butter or oil, & two tsp salt.

3. Dissolve one tbsp of active dry yeast in two cups of lukewarm water. Add to oatmeal mixture.

4. Work in six cups flour & two cups wheat flour. Make a medium-soft dough, adding flour if needed.

5. Turn onto a floured surface & knead for nine minutes or until smooth.

6. Put into a greased bowl & turn over to grease both sides of the loaf. Cover with a damp cloth & allow to rise until doubled, about an hour.

7. Punch down & separate into two loaves. Put into greased 9x9 bread pans, cover with a damp cloth, put somewhere warm until doubled, about forty-five minutes.

8. Bake in preheated oven at 400 for five minutes. Then lower temp to 350 and bake about forty minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

We had ours with Dijon mustard, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, & basil. For dessert we tried some with butter & Lingonberries.

It's a sweet bread, but not overly so. With a nice wheat taste & a smooth texture. Perfect for sandwiches of any kind.

And you can't beat the smell of bread baking. Or the feel of pulling it from the hot oven. Or the joy of eating it still warm.


Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

Emily and the Woods- Never Play

My Husband's Type of Chili

One of the great things about chili, in my opinion, is that every person has their own ideal & every batch is different. Even if you use the same exact recipe every time, the vegetables tend to vary season to season. But as for me & our household, we do not bide by recipes when it comes to chili.

My chili tends to have many vegetables, feature tomato, & be rather spicy. My husband's chili is all about the meats, the beans, & tangy-barbecue-brown-sugar decadence. This time I made up a batch of chili in my husband's style, while at my brother's apartment this past weekend.

For an approximation:

1. Brown one pound ground beef & one finely chopped large onion.

2. Add five or so garlic cloves (peeled & smashed), three finely sliced Serrano peppers, two cans of country style baked beans, two cans stewed tomatoes, & 3-4 cups of vegetable juice. I also added about one cup of kidney beans, and one cup of corn.

3. Season with (approximately & to taste) three tablespoons chili powder, one tablespoon cumin, one teaspoon pepper, one tablespoon red pepper, & two tablespoons Dijon mustard.

4. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours to allow chili to reduce & flavors to incorporate.

His style of chili is thick & sweet & spoon-lickin' good. Eat up me hearties!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

woodpigeon-7th Fret Over Andres