Recipes named after some darlings
I came up with two recipes tonight and named them after people. I took two very different approaches in the creation process.
The Bettian Spinach was born after a horribly messed-up attempt at making palak paneer without a recipe and without paneer. My tinkering went awry when the yogurt curdled and went watery, and the whole thing looked like... well, let's just say that it looked unpleasant. I managed to salvage it, and when I'd fixed the watery-ness by adding dried fruit and coconut, it turned out very well, not too spicy but with a bite. It's very sweet, so I recommend getting yogurt without sugar or sugar-substitutes if you can.
The Jenna's Understabdable Cranberry Salsa was born out of wanting to name a recipe after Jenna, wanting to name a recipe after my awesome typo, and wanting to use Jenna's suggestion for using cranberries in the mystery recipe. I made it up in my head, using flavours that I know will go well together. I haven't made it yet, but the flavours are sweet, spicy, and sour, especially sour. If sour's not your thing, replace the lime juice with orange juice, and/or add some chunks of feta immediately before serving (but remember that if the feta sits too long in liquid, it will go slimy).
Bettian Spinach
3 T oil
½ large red onion, chopped, or 1 small red onion, chopped
1 T cumin seeds
1 t mustard seeds
3 T curry paste
1 ½ c plain yogurt
4 c fresh spinach
½ c raisins
½ dried apricot, chopped
½ c flaked or shredded coconut
Heat the oil in the pan, then add the onion. Fry the onion until it starts to turn golden and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the seeds and fry until the mustard seeds pop. Add the curry paste and fry it for a minute, then add the yogurt and mix it up into one big gloppy mess. Bring the yogurt to a boil and let it bubble for about ten minutes, then add the spinach. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook it until the spinach wilts and looks very sad. Add the raisins and apricot and cook until the dried fruit is plump, around 15 minutes. Add the flaked coconut. Cook for 15 minutes more, or longer... the longer it cooks, the more the flavours mingle.
***
Jenna's Understabdable Cranberry Salsa
Add:
The juice of one lime
1 blood orange, peeled and cut up into chunks
½ cup fresh cranberries, crushed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can of corn with juice
½ yellow or orange banana pepper, minced
The Bettian Spinach was born after a horribly messed-up attempt at making palak paneer without a recipe and without paneer. My tinkering went awry when the yogurt curdled and went watery, and the whole thing looked like... well, let's just say that it looked unpleasant. I managed to salvage it, and when I'd fixed the watery-ness by adding dried fruit and coconut, it turned out very well, not too spicy but with a bite. It's very sweet, so I recommend getting yogurt without sugar or sugar-substitutes if you can.
The Jenna's Understabdable Cranberry Salsa was born out of wanting to name a recipe after Jenna, wanting to name a recipe after my awesome typo, and wanting to use Jenna's suggestion for using cranberries in the mystery recipe. I made it up in my head, using flavours that I know will go well together. I haven't made it yet, but the flavours are sweet, spicy, and sour, especially sour. If sour's not your thing, replace the lime juice with orange juice, and/or add some chunks of feta immediately before serving (but remember that if the feta sits too long in liquid, it will go slimy).
Bettian Spinach
3 T oil
½ large red onion, chopped, or 1 small red onion, chopped
1 T cumin seeds
1 t mustard seeds
3 T curry paste
1 ½ c plain yogurt
4 c fresh spinach
½ c raisins
½ dried apricot, chopped
½ c flaked or shredded coconut
Heat the oil in the pan, then add the onion. Fry the onion until it starts to turn golden and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the seeds and fry until the mustard seeds pop. Add the curry paste and fry it for a minute, then add the yogurt and mix it up into one big gloppy mess. Bring the yogurt to a boil and let it bubble for about ten minutes, then add the spinach. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook it until the spinach wilts and looks very sad. Add the raisins and apricot and cook until the dried fruit is plump, around 15 minutes. Add the flaked coconut. Cook for 15 minutes more, or longer... the longer it cooks, the more the flavours mingle.
***
Jenna's Understabdable Cranberry Salsa
Add:
The juice of one lime
1 blood orange, peeled and cut up into chunks
½ cup fresh cranberries, crushed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can of corn with juice
½ yellow or orange banana pepper, minced