Recipe Review from 2/4/2013

May I present....The Barn!

Sorry, not the best pic.  The snow had just started...

Warmer weather brought our Barn guys back and they finished the outside siding and installed the garage door.  The ice and nails still need to be cleaned up on the inside floor, and I heard a rumor that they will bring some gravel for the outside of the garage door to make a little ramp - but that won't be till later this spring/summer after road restrictions are off.

More snow arrived on Sunday, nothing like they had out East, thankfully.  But enough that snowblowing and shoveling will be necessary. 

And couple new recipes last week!  Both of these are "Superfast" as in taking under a half hour from start to finish.

Browned Butter Gnocchi with Broccoli  (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2013)      Vegetarian
This did come together quickly, and could easily be halved, but I wanted leftovers so I made the full amount (thus noting, it could easily be halved).  I would have liked just a bit more butter flavor, so maybe increasing the butter while leaving the olive oil the same?  The magazine noted that alternative vegetables could be swapped out if you or your family don't like broccoli.  I would recommend staying with the brightly colored veggies and avoiding cauliflower otherwise you will end up with a dish of white.  I recommend keeping the pine nuts, they added a nice nutty flavor to the rest of the dish. For the leftovers I did add some marinara sauce. 


(Again, easily halved)

photo from CookingLight.com

• 2 (16-ounce) packages prepared gnocchi (such as Gia Russa)
• 5 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1.5 ounces shaved fresh pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/3 cup)

Preparation

1. Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions. Add broccoli during last minute of cooking; cook 1 minute. Drain.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil; cook 7 minutes or until butter browns. Add gnocchi mixture and pepper to pan; toss to coat. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups gnocchi mixture into each of 6 shallow bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts and about 2 teaspoons cheese.

Carolyn Tesini,
Cooking Light

Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice  (Ckng Light Jan/Feb 2013)        GF, Vegetarian

My second favorite Indian dish is Chana Masala, and this was a close approximation of that.  I don't like "boil in bag" stuff, so I baked my basmati rice in the oven (my version of a rice cooker).  If you are able, you could just swing by your local Indian restaurant and get a tub of basmati rice to go.  

This turned out pretty good, but I thought it could have used more in the spice department - not heat-spice, but flavor-spice.  Like some cumin or even some sweet curry.  This made about 6 servings for us, the leftovers re-heating very nicely. 

photo from CookingLight.com

• 1 (3.5-ounce) bag boil-in-bag basmati or brown rice  (I used regular basmati)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach 
• 1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro forgot to buy it...

1. Cook rice according to package directions; drain.   (I used regular basmati rice and pre-cooked earlier in the day using my favorite oven bake method)
2. While rice cooks, heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garam masala; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in yogurt and salt. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over rice.

Carolyn Tesini, Cooking Light