Indian Potato Curry Recipe

Published
by
George
on June 26, 2009
in Curry, Diples, Entree, Indian and potato
. 0 Comments


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This is a very simple reciepe to make a delicious potato curry or sabji. This sabji can be slightly modified to be made with or without a gravy. With a gravy, this dish goes great with rice, roti or even some toast. Without a gravy, this dish makes a great replacement for roasted or mashed potatoes usually had with dinner. Today we will be making this potato sabji with a tomato based gravy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 large potatoes peeled and cubed
1 tomato diced
4 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 chunk jaggery (see video for visual)
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp shredded ginger
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp ground corriander and cumin powder mixture
handful cilantro
pinch asofotedia powder (Hing)

Steps

  1. In a pot, heat oil on high.
  2. Add the mustard seeds into the oil and allow them sizzle. Turn the stove down to medium.
  3. Add the asofotedia powder and turmeric.
  4. Add the potatoes and water (Note – I have estimated 4 cups, ideally, you want enough water so that the potatoes are almost completely covered). Turn the stove up on high.
  5. Add the salt, jaggery, chilli powder, ginger, corriander/cumin mixture and tomatoes. Stir.
    Leave the stove on high and the pot uncovered, bring to a boil.
  6. Once at a boil, turn the stove down to low-medium, bring it down to a simmer and partially cover. Allow about 20 minutes to pass, stirring occassionally.
  7. Pick up a piece of potato with a spoon, and check to see that it is tender and cooked through.
  8. Turn off the stove and add the lemon and cilantro to garnish.
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Wedding, Charity Event, Engagement, etc. Back Next Week!

Published
by
George
on June 11, 2009
in Coffee
. 0 Comments

chair_up

This has been a busy couple weeks. There was a wedding last weekend, a charity event we’re organizing on Saturday and an engagement on Sunday. We’ll be back next week with a fresh video!

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Baked Eggplant (Melitzanes) Parmesan

Published
by
George
on May 30, 2009
in Baked, Eggplant, Eva, Greek, Parmesan and Sidedish
. 1 Comment


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Eggplant Parmesan makes a wonderful vegetarian side dish. Rather than fry the eggplant, Eva prefers to bake them in the oven with a little olive oil for about 20 minutes. It is delicious and a much healthier alternative to the traditional recipe.

To prepare the eggplant:
4 eggplants (Eva uses the long slender eggplant, but you could use the larger type if you prefer)
Salt
1/3 cup of olive oil
About 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (shredded)
About ½ a cup of parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of breadcrumbs

To prepare the sauce:
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup of tomato juice
½ teaspoon of basil

Clean the eggplants well and cut them in ¼ inch slices. Salt the sliced eggplant and allow the bitter juices to sweat out. Wash the eggplant under running water and drain them well. Place the sliced eggplants on a pan and brush each piece with olive oil. Bake the eggplant in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup of tomato juice. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to thicken (about 10 minutes). When the sauce is just about finished add the basil.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To assemble the dish, begin by putting a small amount of sauce on the bottom of your pan. Spread a layer of eggplants on the sauce, and add another small spoonful of sauce. Add a handful of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some parmesan cheese. Add another small spoonful of sauce on the cheese. Repeat until you have used up all of the eggplant slices. Add the remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Allow the dish to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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Enjoy the great weather [Back next week with a tasty video!]

Published
by
George
on May 23, 2009
in Coffee
. 0 Comments

venice

A ton of work and the great Toronto weather have teamed up to prevent us from putting a video up this week. We’ll be back next week with a great video!

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Green Beans w/ Potatoes, Wine, Tomatos & Onions (Fasolakia me Patates)

Published
by
George
on May 15, 2009
in Beans, Entree, Eva, Greek and Vegetarian
. 3 Comments


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Green Beans with Potatoes or ‘Fasolakia me Patates’ in Greek is a vegetarian village classic Eva (and other Greeks) grew up with. As with many of Eva’s dishes, this recipe requires only a few simple ingredients and makes a great meal or side dish. Keep in mind the length of time the beans need to cook depends on not only your beans, but also how soft (or crunchy) you want them, so be sure to sample them as this delicious dish is cooking.

Flat green beans
2 medium sized potatoes
1 cup crushed tomato or tomato juice
1 medium sized onion
1/3 cup of water
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 table spoon of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 cup of white wine

Cut the edges off the green beans and slice each down the middle leaving the ends still connected. If your green beans are narrow, there’s no need to slit them down the middle. In a separate bowl, peel the potatoes and chop them into fours. Chop the onion and fill a cup with either crushed tomato or tomato juice.

Preheat a large pot on the oven at a high temperature. Once sufficiently heated add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Allow the oil to heat up and add the chopped onion. Saute the onions slowly till they receive a light brown color. Once ready, add the beans to the pot. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium and allow the beans to cook for roughly 5 minutes.

At this point add a table spoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and 1/3 cup of water. The water is necessary to allow the beans to precook before we add the tomato juice. Cover the pot and allow the beans to cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. During this time stir the beans periodically until the water has completely evaporated.

At this point add 1/2 cup of white wine, the potatoes and the crushed tomato (or tomato juice). Work the ingredients together and cover the pot. Turn the heat on the stove to low and cook the beans till they become soft. This should take approximately 20 minutes. That said, periodically come back stir the contents and test to see how the beans are coming along. When the dish is ready all the juice should have evaporated with only the oil remaining.

Enjoy!

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Back next week with fresh video! (Wedding)

Published
by
George
on May 7, 2009
in Greek
. 0 Comments

updatepic

We had a wedding this past week in the States and only got back a couple days ago. We’ll be back next week with a great video!

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Puff Pastry Spinach & Cheese Pie (Spanakopita) (Lahanopita)

Published
by
George
on April 24, 2009
in Cheese, Eva, Greek, Pastry and Spinach
. 6 Comments


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Spanakopita makes a wonderful side dish at a family meal and it also makes a perfect appetizer for parties. In this video, Eva shows us her take on the traditional Greek dish. Instead of using phyllo, Eva uses puff pastry, which you can find in the frozen section of your local grocery store. It is a lot easier to use and makes a delicious spanakopita.

1 package of frozen spinach
1 cup of chopped green onions
½ cup of chopped red onions
½ cup of chopped dill
½ cup of chopped parsley
1 cup of feta cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese
Pepper to taste
3 eggs
1 package of puff pastry
Flour to work the dough
1/3 cup of butter melted
About 2 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Allow the frozen spinach to defrost and squeeze out all the excess water. Coarsely chop the spinach and place it in a large bowl. Finely chop the green onions, red onions, dill, and parsley and add this to the spinach. Add the feta cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs to the mixture and season with freshly ground pepper. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients together.

Allow the puff pastry to defrost and separate it into two equal parts. Flatten the pastry with a rolling pin (the same way you would with pizza dough) to fit the size of a medium size pan. Butter the pan and lay out half of the puff pastry on the pan. Brush some melted butter on the dough and add the spinach mixture on top.

With your fingers, lightly dampen the top edge of the pan with a little water.

Place the second half of the puff pastry on top of the spinach and cheese mixture. Fold in the edges. Use a fork to help you fold in the edges. Butter the top layer with butter and brush a little bit of milk on top as well.

Cut the dough into squares (but don’t push your knife all the way down, just pierce the top layer).
Allow it to bake in the oven for 1 hour. Afterward allow the spanakopita to cool for a few minutes before you serve.

Enjoy!

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Kalo Pasxa! (Happy Easter)

Published
by
George
on April 18, 2009
in Greek
. 1 Comment

egg_up

We are Greek Orthodox and this weekend is our Easter. For those that celebrate we say Xristos Anesti (Christ has Risen). We’ll be back next week with a new video! Take care.

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Asian Style Corn Noodle Soup Fusion

Published
by
George
on April 3, 2009
in Asian, Corn, Dipali, Fusion and Soup
. 1 Comment


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This soup is a twist on traditional corn soup. It is very common to see soups like this on restaurant menus in India. Instead of just salt and pepper, we will also use grated ginger and green chilli. In addition to this, we will add some noodles, to give the soup a heartier feel. I am choosing to use vermicelli noodles, however, you may also use Asian style dinner noodles. This is a great dish to pick you up after a long day!

Ingredients

  • 9 cups water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 ½ cup peaches and cream corn kernels
  • 1 heaping tbsp salt
  • ¾ tsp grated ginger
  • ½ tsp grated green chilli
  • 1 ½ tbsp corn starch
  • pinch black pepper
  • 3 spirals vermicelli noodles

Directions

  1. Using a food processor or chopper, blend the corn kernels. You can buy a bag of frozen corn kernels from the grocery store. If you cannot find peaches and cream corn kernels, any will do, but peaches and cream would be better because of its natural sweetness.
  2. Boil the water.
  3. Once boiling, add the blended corn, ginger, green chilli and salt. Keep the stove on high until boiling, once boiling turn the stove down to medium and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. In a bowl, mix the milk and cornstarch. Ensure that no lumps remain.
  5. Add in the milk and cornstarch mixture.
  6. Turn the stove on high and until the soup is boiling. Now turn the stove down back to medium and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes.
  7. Add the pepper and noodles. Using your hands crush each spiral as you add it in.
  8. Mix and allow the soup to simmer on medium for another 10 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally so that the noodles do not stick.

Enjoy!

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Greek Souvlaki (Souvlakia) (Shish-Kebabs)

Published
by
George
on March 27, 2009
in Chicken, Eva, Greek, Pork and Shish-Kebaba
. 4 Comments


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Souvlaki has become the quintessential Greek dish. You may prepare souvlaki with pork tenderloin, chicken breast, lamb, as well as pork shoulder. It is wonderful in a pita, or served with a side of rice, Greek salad, and tzatziki sauce. If you are planning to serve this dish, be sure to marinate the meat at least 24 hours before you start the barbecue.

2 to 4 pounds of pork tenderloin (depending on the number of people)
1 clove of garlic
½ cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oregano
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of wine
wooden skewers

Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl. Combine the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice, and wine together in a small bowl and mix well. Pour this mixture over the meat, making sure that all of the meat is equally coated. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Skewer the meat, placing about 4 to 5 pieces of meat per skewer. Fire up the barbecue! Once you’ve placed the souvlakia on the grill, lower the heat to medium and allow the meat to cook, turning the meat over periodically. Allow the souvlakia to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked to taste.

Enjoy!

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