RCI: Maharashtra - Mixed Vegetable Pulao

Mixed Vegetable Pulao and Toor Dal

I've had weeks to get this done, but wouldn't you know I'd put it off until the last possible moment? In fact, I was very close to not participating in the June Regional Cuisine of India (RCI) event, which is hosted this month by Nupur of One Hot Stove. I am glad I did finally get my entry together. First of all, because Nupur is hosting it. I feel fortunate to call Nupur my friend and she has been an inspiration to me in many ways. Nupur has been hosting a weekly series called the A to Z of Indian Vegetables which I have been following with avid interest, but it hadn't even occurred to me that I might participate. When she announced that she would be hosting the June RCI and that it would focus on Maharashtrian cuisine and she provided links to sites with Mahatashtrian recipes, it seemed to me that the time had come to jump in and join the fun.

The second reason I'm glad I didn't let this event go by without joining in is that if I hadn't participated, I might never have tried this delicious vegetable pulao. I confess that my selection criteria for a recipe for this event were less than admirable - it pretty much came down to, "what looks easy?" Oh, there was one other criterion, given that I was hours from the deadline, "what can be done in one evening?" That ruled out any recipes calling for sprouts. So, in the end I picked this Mixed Vegetable Pulao, a tasty mix of rice and vegetables scented with whole garam masala (cloves, cinnamon, cadamom, peppercorns, and bay leaves). I used the suggested vegetables, but I expect you could vary them according to your tastes and what you have on hand. Oh no - I just realized I left out the peas! Oh well, it seems that is my modus operandi when cooking Indian - at least one ingredient is added late or left out entirely! Someday I will get the hang of this!

Anyway, back to the pulao. The only difficulty I had (aside from forgetting the peas) was that the recipe turned out to be more time-consuming than I anticipated. One step that I'd probably do ahead next time is deep-frying the cashews. In fact, if you can find unsalted roasted cashews, I would use those. Don't leave them out though - they add a pleasant contrast in texture and a sweet, nutty flavor. I was also surprised to see sugar as an ingredient. Since no amount was given in the recipe and I no experience on which to draw, I just arbitrarily added 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. I assume the idea is to balance flavors and not to make the dish taste sweet, but even so I have no idea how much is appropriate. If anyone can offer any insight it would be much appreciated!

I had some toor dal alongside the pulao, which was a wonderful combination. The recipe also suggested serving the pulao with a raita, but time was short and the two dishes were all I could manage. Perhaps I'll make a raita to have with leftovers tomorrow :)

So that's my entry... thank you for hosting Nupur!

Mondays with Maida - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

Page 231 in the old book / page 255 in the new book

One look at the list of ingredients and I knew this one was a contender for the "Top Ten" list: cinnamon, brown sugar, salted peanuts, peanut butter, and chocolate chips (not to mention two sticks of butter). I liked these very much, but... how do I put this... they're good in an obvious and not very subtle way. They're kids' cookies - not that there's anything wrong with that. We're all kids when it comes to cookies I suppose!

This cookie is a thumbprint cookie made from a brown sugar dough with a little cinnamon added. You roll each ball of dough in chopped, salted peanuts and then poke it with your thumb to make way for a dollop of peanut butter. Then to absolutely, positively guarantee that everyone will love them, you arrange a few chocolate chips atop each one.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love the name of the cookie. You will never get a complaint from me when the cookie has peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips. There is a certain way you need to eat these cookies since the chocolate chips are in the center and on top of the cookie. You need to eat around the chips and then put the center of the cookie with the chips in your mouth all at once. Then you get a surprise of peanut butter and chocolate chips together. Can you tell my favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Crunchy and very peanutty, with a dab of chocolate. Delish! Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Wow. Awesome to look at. They actually look overloaded and they are. Almost too many peanuts, but not really. Extra crunchy and not too sweet and the crown of chocolate chips puts them over the top. Can't think of too many better except for my Mom's. Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "These are fantastic! I could eat the whole batch! A great combination of nuts, chocolate, peanut butter and chewiness. The nuts are not ground completely, so they add to the crunchiness of this great cookie. A big winner. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.8

Next week - English Gingersnaps #1

Nutrition Facts

My Quiz Answers

1. How will you/did you spend Father's Day? Cookout, picnic, restaurant? Any special food traditions?

Our tradition of the last few years (hmmm... how old does something have to be to qualify as a tradition?) has been to play a round of miniature golf. Actually, this is my youngest brother's tradition. Originally it was just he and my dad, but now I'm invited join in the festivities along with my mom, sister-in-law and Cassidy. This year David and Stephanie spent the weekend with her parents, so our miniature golf game is scheduled for next weekend. My personal tradition, as I've mentioned before, is to make my dad a batch of fig bars (Maida Heatter's "Big Newtons"). I delivered those to him on Father's Day, had brunch with my parents, and played a few hands of Flinch. It was a very nice day and I'm looking forward to Father's Day part II next Sunday!


2. Do you know what the odds are of having more than one double-yolked egg in one carton of eggs?

OK, I have to apologize on this one. It was obviously a setup, but the least I could have done was word the question more clearly. I don't know what the odds of getting more than one double-yolked egg in a carton are - as you all guessed, they're probably quite low. What I should have asked was, if you find a double-yolked egg, what are the odds that you'll find another in the same carton? I presumed, as you might, that they would be *really* low, but that is apparently not the case. I bought a carton a couple of weeks ago and upon using the first egg, saw my very first double-yolked egg. I was amused and not at all alarmed to see one double-yolked egg, but by the time I'd cracked open the third or fourth I was a little freaked and was wondering what kind of mutant chickens were making my eggs. I was thinking of firing off an email to Jen, who is blogdom's resident expert on eggs, but decided to first consult Google. I learned that the large eggs layed by young hens are likely to be double-yolked. So, that means that if your carton of large eggs came from a young flock, there's a good chance you'll have more than one double-yolked egg. In my case, every single one of them was double-yolked. I know they're supposed to be lucky, but still... I was never so glad to finish a carton of eggs!


3. Do you have any "cooking cheats"... shortcuts you take because it's easier and no one will ever know the difference?

Now with this question, lazy cook that I am, I was really hoping to get some good tips! Using canned tomatoes is such a normal thing for me that I had never even thought of it as a cheat, but I may avoid a future emergency run to the grocery store the next time I'm a little short on milk thanks to Mari! My cheats have to do with sifting. These days I seldom sift flour before measuring, instead just fluffing it up a bit with the scoop. I used to have just the teensiest guilt pangs when I'd do this, but then one day saw Ina Garten doing the same thing. Now I know I'm in good company and the guilt is gone :) Usually, when a recipe says to sift ingredients together I'll go along with that, but if I need to put those dry ingredients in a bowl anyway, I'll just whisk them together rather than dragging out the sifter or strainer.


4. If you were to indulge in a peanut butter sandwich, what would you have with it? Strawberry jam? Grape jelly? Cheese?

Mmmm... so many possibilities! I'd have trouble picking just one. At the moment it would probably be strawberry jam, since I just made some recently. In the past I always enjoyed my homemade apricot jam and another favorite is apple butter. I love Chuck's idea of bananas and will have to give that a try soon. Here's one that might not have occurred to you, but which is (trust me) delicious: thinly sliced dill pickles. Really!

5. When loading the dishwasher, do you think the spoons and forks should go up (handle down) or down?

I think we're all in agreement on this one - handles down!


Thanks to Mari, Leigh, Zarah, Nupur and Chuck for taking the quiz - I've really enjoyed reading your responses!

Mondays with Maida - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

Page 229 in the old book / page 254 in the new book

These cookies are formed like thumbprint cookies, with a smidgen of brown sugar, sour cream, pecan, and cinnamon filling. They are firm, but not quite chewy and have a hint of cinnamon from the filling. One person who really liked these was certain they had pumpkin in them (they don't).

They're quite easy to make, but don't be alarmed if you wind up with lots of extra filling. Well, maybe I should qualify that... I had lots of leftover filling and I think the cookies were just fine. In fact, I'm not sure where all that filling was supposed to go. Perhaps if I'd chopped the nuts more finely I might have been able to fit more into each cookie. If you do end up with extra filling, I found a great way to use it up: spread some on a piece of bread and put it in the toaster oven or under the broiler. Yum!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie was good, not great, but good. I would have liked the cookie a little bit softer, but I did enjoy the taste of the brown sugar and pecans. I didn’t really taste the sour cream topping since it was mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon. Rating - 3.5"

Laura: "Sweet and tasty cookie with a very yummy bit of pecan-pie type dollop in the center. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent. Subtly flavored but really good. I'm not sure why I like them so much, but I do. I'd give them a 3 after -1 no chocolate deduction. Rating - 3.0"

Drucie: "These cookies are moist and chewy with a flavor that is subtle yet delicious. I don't usually like cookies with nuts in them, but these have made me see the light! I really like these cookies. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

Nutrition Facts

The Sunday Quiz

The Sunday Doodle

Just curious, wondering, need to know...

1. How will you/did you spend Father's Day? Cookout, picnic, restaurant? Any special food traditions?

2. Do you know what the odds are of having more than one double-yolked egg in one carton of eggs?

3. Do you have any "cooking cheats"... shortcuts you take because it's easier and no one will ever know the difference?

4. If you were to indulge in a peanut butter sandwich, what would you have with it? Strawberry jam? Grape jelly? Cheese?

5. When loading the dishwasher, do you think the spoons and forks should go up (handle down) or down?

Leave your answers in the comments... I'll post mine on Tuesday. Have a great week, and happy Father's Day!

My Quiz Answers

1. Do you know the difference between "Crushed Tomatoes" and "Ground Peeled Tomatoes"? Muir Glen sells both and to my eye they look exactly the same.

I've been wondering about this for quite some time, but it didn't occur to me until just a couple of weeks ago that I could email my question to Muir Glen. I got a speedy, albeit to-the-point, response: Thank you for contacting us. Because of the higher solids content (higher Brix), the Crushed product is a thicker product. If there is anything else we can do concerning this matter, please let us know. I wasn't familiar with the term, Brix, but I've now learned that it is a measure of dissolved solids, or more specifically dissolved sugars. I compared the nutrition labels on the Muir Glen site and the crushed tomatoes are indeed higher in calories (25 calories per serving vs. 20 calories) and sugars (3 grams vs. 2 grams).


2. Do you eat breakfast cereal? For breakfast? Do you have a favorite?

Cereal is my breakfast mainstay. In warmer weather I have cold cereal with milk and (usually) fresh fruit just about every morning. In cold weather I switch to hot oatmeal with a little brown sugar. My favorite cold cereal seems to change every few years, but for the past several years it has been Nature's Path Multigrain Oatbran Flakes. I like the taste and I like that it's slightly sweet, so I don't need to add sugar. Bonus - the flakes are very sturdy and don't get soggy in milk. :)


3. You're channel surfing and come upon the Food Network. Who would you stop for? A. Emeril, B. Bobby Flay, C. Giada De Laurentiis, D. Ina Garten, E. Alton Brown, F. Oh please, I'd be on the next channel so fast...

Like so many others, I'm of the opinion that the Food Network has gone seriously downhill (it started when they took Sara Moulton's Cooking Live off the air), but hope springs eternal, so I still check the line-up from time to time. I used to really enjoy Alton Brown and didn't mind Giada De Laurentiis, but sort of can't be bothered with either any more. I still stop for Ina Garten though.


4. How much time do you typically spend fixing dinner (not including clean-up) on a weeknight?

Except on very rare occasions, 15 to 30 minutes, tops. It's rare that I do much more than heat up some leftovers on a weeknight. If I'm out of leftovers, it's got to be something I can throw together pretty quick because I'm usually ravenous by the time I get home.


5. I recently came across a recipe that calls for "4 to 5 fresh sage leaves, peeled and finely chopped". Any ideas on how to peel a sage leaf, or do you think it's a mistake?

I was hoping one of you would know the answer to this. I have plenty of sage out in my garden, so gave peeling sage a shot and failed miserably. I can't imagine that it's worth the trouble, even if it is possible, but I'm still curious to know. I'm thinking about sending a letter off to the publisher to see if I can get to the bottom of this.

Thanks to Rachel, Stephanie, Nupur, and Anonymous for playing along! See their answers here. Unfortunately, no one came up with a way to peel sage :) but they had some good guesses on crushed vs. ground tomatoes and I enjoyed comparing notes on cereal, food TV, and preparing weeknight dinners.

Mondays with Maida - Austrian Walnut Crescents

Page 228 in the old book / page 253 in the new book

Tender and buttery little cookies in a pleasing crescent shape - you'll get no complaints from me! Well, perhaps one teeny weeny quibble... they need a bit of salt. But these cookies are easy to like even without the salt.

The dough is slightly crumbly (and seemed to become more so as time passed), but still relatively easy to handle. The shaping takes a little time, but is quite doable. Maida tells you to roll the dough between your hands, but I found it easiest to first shape the dough with my fingertips into the shape you see at the top of the picture below - sort of like two back-to-back cones. This shape must then be thinned out and lengthened. You can do that either by rolling it between your hands, or by rolling it on a flat surface with both hands. I found that this second method was better for getting evenly tapered ends, but sometimes resulted in the cookie caving in. Fortunately, the dough can be easily pinched back into shape with your fingers. The final step is to bring the ends around to form a crescent shape.



Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Yum! The taste reminded me of a similar cookie that’s round with walnuts in them and is covered with powdered sugar. The Austrian Walnut Crescents didn’t crumble when you ate them and were not as heavy as the round cookie. The crescent shape with the powdered sugar was attractive. I loved the walnut taste of the cookie. I could eat them all. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Yummy, tasty and crunchy... but just a little drier than I like. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "A very nice little cookie, but a little bit on the bland side. Crunchy and tasty with a bit too much powdered sugar. Even with the -1 chocolate deficiency, I'd give them a 3.0. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These are outstanding! The walnuts are finely ground and the buttery flavor is delicious. These would be an excellent choice to serve with a chocolate type cookie Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

Nutrition Facts


Ghosts of cookies past

The Sunday Quiz

The Sunday Doodle

Just curious, wondering, need to know...

1. Do you know the difference between "Crushed Tomatoes" and "Ground Peeled Tomatoes"? Muir Glen sells both and to my eye they look exactly the same.

2. Do you eat breakfast cereal? For breakfast? Do you have a favorite?

3. You're channel surfing and come upon the Food Network. Who would you stop for? A. Emeril, B. Bobby Flay, C. Giada De Laurentiis, D. Ina Garten, E. Alton Brown, F. Oh please, I'd be on the next channel so fast...

4. How much time do you typically spend fixing dinner (not including clean-up) on a weeknight?

5. I recently came across a recipe that calls for "4 to 5 fresh sage leaves, peeled and finely chopped". Any ideas on how to peel a sage leaf, or do you think it's a mistake?

Leave your answers in the comments... I'll post mine on Tuesday. Have a great week!

Mondays with Maida - Cracker-Barrel Raisin Cookies

Page 226 in the old book / page 252 in the new book

Just out of the oven, these cookies had a nice little crunch on the outside and were soft on the inside, but a day later that nice contrast of textures had disappeared and what was left was a dryish, soft cookie. Happily, lots and lots of soft raisins add moisture and chewiness to what otherwise might have been a rather unremarkable cookie.

There are two ways to shape these cookies. Since this is the "Hand-Formed Cookies" chapter, I went with the first method: chill the dough, roll it into balls, then make crisscross markings with a fork. However, if I were to make these again, I think I'd use the alternate method - drop the dough (without chilling it), then press with a fork. This second method would certainly save time and having seen the results of the first method, I don't think the extra effort is necessary.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Cathy tried in vain to pick out the cookie with the least amount of raisins for me since she knows I’m not a raisin fan. I do like raisins if they aren’t cooked. I think I’ve figured out why I don’t like raisins in cookie. Somehow they loose their sweetness and become bitter tasting. Even though I like a crunchier cookie, I didn’t mind the soft texture of this cookie. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Moist and yummy cookies. Very plump raisins, with a hint of lemon in the cookie. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "These were OK. Not crunchy enough for me, raisins were a little too plump for my taste. That suggests to me that someone might even really like these a lot, just not me. Minus one for lack of chocolate, so I rate them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These cookies are definitely for raisin lovers! Each cookie has about 6 raisins and they remind me of a raisin bran muffin. I like the slight lemony taste - they may be a bit dry, but very tasty with morning coffee! Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.6

Next week - Austrian Walnut Crescents

Nutrition Facts