One Vegetable Five Ways
I'll be co-leading this demonstration class with popular Sacramento Foods Co-op chef Shankari Easwaran. We'll show you how to use fresh, tender spring spinach in five different international recipes. The dishes you'll get to see and taste are:

• Greek leek and spinach pie
  
• Squash and corn enchiladas
  
• Spicy pureed spinach with red potatoes
  
• Mung bean and spinach turnovers
  
• Lentil soup with spinach and sausage
  

Sign up now at www.sacfoodcoop.com or call 916-455-2667. It's $39, or $29 for co-op owners. You'll also get copies of all of the recipes so that you can make them at home. Also check out the other exciting classes coming up at the Co-op at their Web site above.

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I apologize for the long absence, I am now really using my Hands-Off recipes because I'm a hands-on mom as of October! The first work-related thing I did after Miss Eva was born was a cooking demo for Sac Loco Parentis. They're a fun group of women lawyers who are also moms. I showed them three of my recipes and then we ate. I made the Pumpkin Lasagna, Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemonade Sauce, and Pomegranate-Almond Chicken. That's the lasagna in the photo above (thanks, Daniela, for taking pictures!). It's a great recipe for this time of year with the cold weather in many places and it's a great vegetarian option that doesn't taste bland. I'll post the recipe below.

Also, I was on ChefsLine radio this past week, talking about how to jazz up basic ingredients. I have a little bit of a condiment and spice obsession, so I always have a million different flavor options for chicken, rice, vegetables, and pasta. Spices aren't that expensive, and you can get try out new flavors by taking a chance on unfamiliar spices. Go to a nearby ethnic grocery and have a blast. You can hear the interview here: (click on 1/10/08).

Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna
Hands Off: 35 minutes

I love lasagna, but it takes a long time to make and bake on a weeknight. So I developed this quicker version, based on a recipe for pumpkin tortelloni by Sonoma, California, chef Carlo Cavallo. The sliced almonds add a buttery crunch, but you could substitute other chopped toasted nuts, depending on what you have on hand and your family likes.

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup (4 ounces) sliced almonds
One 8- or 9-ounce box no-boil (oven-ready) lasagna noodles
One 29-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) mixed shredded Italian cheeses

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet (jelly-roll pan). Place the pan in the oven while it heats to toast the almonds for 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Put the noodles in a 9 x 13–inch baking dish and pour hot water over them to soak.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, Parmesan, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted almonds.

5. Remove the noodles from the baking dish and drain; discard the water. Pour 1/4 cup of the broth into the dish. Layer in 4 noodles, then half of the pumpkin mixture, smoothing it to make it even. Put in another layer of noodles and the remaining pumpkin. Top with the final layer of noodles, then sprinkle on the cheese and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup stock over the top.

6. Bake the lasagna for 25 minutes, or until it is browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Variation: Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Prepare as directed through step 4. Spray the baking dish with oil and pour in 1/4 cup of the broth. Laying each noodle flat on a work surface, spread it with pumpkin filling and roll up like a jelly-roll. Place the rolled noodle seam-side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling. Sprinkle on the cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup stock over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting each roll into 1-inch pieces. Serve hot.

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This past Saturday, I taught a Hands-Off Indian cooking class. I made my Aloo Cholay (Chickpea-Potato Curry) and Raita (Yogurt-Dill Sauce). In addition, I made a recipe from my favorite new Indian cookbook, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices. I copyedited the book, and have been using the fantastic recipes ever since. Now you can buy it too! You can also learn about Ruta's cooking classes, held in the Bay Area, at her Web site.

The recipe I demonstrated on Saturday was the Corn with Mustard Seeds. I've never seen corn used in Indian food in this way and it's very fast to put together. Not exactly Hands-Off, but quick, simple, and flavorful. As promised, here's the recipe:

Corn with Mustard Seeds
From 5 Spices, 50 Dishes (Chronicle Books, 2007) by Ruta Kahate

5 ears fresh or frozen (thawed) yellow corn
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 or 2 small green serrano chiles, sliced thinly into rounds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt
1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves

Slice the kernels off the corn cobs; you should have approximately 4 cups of corn. [Note: I used a 1-pound bag of frozen corn, thawed, and it worked well.]

Make the tadka [spiced oil]: Heat the oil in a medium wok or saute pan over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the chiles and stir until they are well toasted. Lower the heat to medium and add the turmeric, stir, and add the corn and salt to taste. Toss well, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook the corn until soft and tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro and serve warm or at room temprature.

Serves 4

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As I demo the recipes from the book more and more, I find lots of delicious variations on the written recipes. Recently, for instance, I substituted phyllo dough for the puff pastry in the Greek Leek and Greens Pie. That was to reduce the fat since I was teaching the class with a dietitian. But the funny thing is that the recipe I based mine on originally WAS made with phyllo. I just thought it was more difficult to work with than puff pastry for the average home cook.

But if you make sure to thaw the phyllo completely in the refrigerator and then keep it covered with a towel or plastic wrap while you work, you'll do fine. I simply unrolled the phyllo, removed one sheet, and covered the rest. Then I laid the phyllo sheet on top of the leek and greens filling and sprayed it with olive oil spray (or you could used melted butter, which is more traditional). I repeated this with three more layers of phyllo and oil, then sprinkled the top with some sliced almonds and additional fennel seeds. It took less time to bake (only about 30 minutes), until the phyllo was crispy golden brown and the filling was heated through. Delicious!

I've also gotten some great tips on recipe variations from readers. Mary Hoyle, from Georgia, wrote to me that she's been making the Rosemary Yorkshire Pudding in a lot of different ways. She says, "I've made this recipe in every imaginable shaped pan and served it with countless different meals. Twice now, I've made the recipe in a large round skillet, and once out of the oven, I plated it on a beautiful serving platter and filled it with herbed scrambled eggs. All it took was some nice sliced cheese and fresh fruit with a good bottle of champagne and the brunch guests were mightily impressed!" She has even baked the batter in a sheet pan with sides (like a jelly-roll pan) and used the resulting flatbread to wrap around chicken for a sandwich. She just substituted chopped oregano for the rosemary, but you could use whatever fresh herb you have on hand.

So once you get the hang of the Hands-Off recipes, feel free to try variations as you please. The idea is to make your time in the kitchen more delicious and less stressful!

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Have you heard of ChefsLine? It's a great online resource for home cooks. You can call a chef directly and ask food and cooking questions, sign up for a video or a class by podcast (just download it to your mp3 player), or learn how to cook like the rat in the new movie Ratatouille!

I'm one of the consulting chefs, and you can read my profile and see my menu suggestions for a great outdoor party or picnic. I'm developing a 30-minute class in Hands-Off techniques now that should be available soon. You'll learn neat tricks like cooking the pasta and sauce together for Meatballs and Marinara, and making a flavor-packed Thai Beef Curry without standing over the stove.

Or, you can book a one-on-one consultation with me by clicking the green "Schedule One-on-One" button on my profile. There's also a link to my Tandoorish Chicken--a great oven-baked chicken dish flavored with yogurt and Indian spices. It's great hot or cold.

Check it out--and tell them I sent you.

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Well I just got back and resettled after a whirlwind tour of the Mid-Atlantic. I did three bookstore events, three house parties, and one radio interview in the two weeks I was there. The picture above is from Browseabout Books in Rehoboth, DE, where the staff made at least ten of my recipes for people to taste! We had a good crowd and sold quite a few books. It was fun to see family and friends and parents of friends whom I hadn't seen in a while.

And at one of the house parties, I made a bonus Hands-Off recipe that didn't make it into the book. It's a really zesty Indian-inspired lamb burger, although I made the mixture into meatballs and sauteed them until they were browned and cooked through. Even my unsuspecting 6-year-old niece liked them! I served them with the Raita (Cucumber-Dill Sauce) from the book. Here's the recipe:

Lamb Vindaloo Burgers
Hands off: 10 minutes

Vindaloo is an Indian sweet and sour stew, often made with chunks of lamb. Here, I use ground lamb, which is more available now in regular groceries than it used to be. You can certainly substitute ground beef or pork though. Serve these on toasted buns with Raita (yogurt sauce; page 17), tomato chutney, or even plain ketchup. I learned the trick of dimpling the burgers from copyediting Bob Sloan’s book Great Burgers. It helps the patties to cook evenly and prevents them from getting too rounded as they bake.

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed ginger from a jar
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 500° F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together well the lamb, onion, curry powder, vinegar, cinnamon, salt, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Form the mixture into 4 patties, approximately 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick. Use 2 fingers to slightly depress the middle of the patties.

3. Put the burgers on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. Bake them for 8 minutes, until they are still slightly pink in the middle (or 10 minutes for fully cooked). Serve them immediately (although leftovers reheat well and the flavor becomes more complex), on buns with condiments.

Note: Or, form these into 1-inch meatballs and saute them, covered, over medium heat until browned and cooked through.

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Recently in the Sacramento News & Review, my friend Kate Washington asked me which cookbooks (of the hundreds that I have) do I use the most? My answers were off the top of my head, but it turns out that I was pretty accurate. When I came home, I looked through the shelves to which were the most thumbed. Here was my reply to Kate, and then I'll add on a couple more that I think are indispensable.

1. "Joy of Cooking, for basics.” [Note that I have three different editions!]

2. “Lately, I’ve been using The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest (Mollie Katzen's Classic Cooking) a lot again--I’ve always loved that one. [I have an original, well-stained copy.] I use the Apple and Cheddar Souffle, though lately I’ve been putting blue cheese in it, because it’s my favorite cheese in the world. I reworked the recipe to make Apple-Cheddar Quiche for my cookbook, with attribution.”

3. “What else? Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking. We make the Red Split Lentils with Cumin Seed and Spicy Green Beans at least once every two weeks. That book is how I started learning to cook Indian food.”

4. “Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate At A Time. I make his mole sauce by the double batch, to put some of it in the freezer.”

PLUS: I use the Food Lover's Companion practically daily, although it's not a cookbook. Instead, it's a great compendium of food terms and ingredients for those times when I don't know the definition of a palacsinta (thin Hungarian crepe) or how to spell muffaletta.

I also love Susan Purdy's book A Piece of Cake, for no-fail baking recipes. It's out of print now, but re-released as The Perfect Cake: 150 cakes for Every taste and Occasion. Do yourself a favor and put her Anna's Swedish Butter Cake on regular rotation.

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Hands Off: 15 minutes

My cousin Dan got married in Charleston, South Carolina, and they served a delicious chicken-pecan salad with apples at the reception. It inspired me to make this recipe, which uses canned chicken, much like tuna salad. I usually like a chunkier chicken salad, with lots of roasted or grilled chicken. But the canned chicken and smoother consistency are more like the original in Charleston and make it easy to spread on bread for sandwiches; try Irish Soda Bread. This also makes a good hors d’oeuvre spread on crackers or bread rounds.

Serves 6 as a sandwich spread

Three 5-ounce cans chicken breast meat without salt, drained, or about 10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 Granny Smith green apple
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup Miracle Whip or similar salad dressing (zestier than mayonnaise)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, including 4 inches of green parts
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1. If using chicken breasts, poach them in simmering water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until just opaque throughout. Drain and cool briefly, then finely chop the meat in a food processor.

2. Using the large holes of a box grater, shred the unpeeled apple down to the core.

3. In a large bowl, combine the apple, chicken, pecans, dressing, scallions, lemon juice, and mustard. Mix well to break up the chicken and distribute the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. Let stand for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to come together, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Spread on slices of bread and serve as sandwiches.

Note: I made a great batch of this recently using Trader Joe's 12 1/2-ounce cans of chicken. I used two cans and the following other ingredient amounts: 1 apple, 3 ounces pistachios (toasted), 2/3 cup mayo, 3 scallions, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, about 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard. Delicious!

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If you missed me today on "Good Day Sacramento," I demonstrated the Backyard Campout Dinner of mahi mahi, leeks, and tomatoes in a balsamic-wine sauce. This is a great recipe for lazy days in the backyard or pitching a tent with your kids and "camping" out back. You can make the packets ahead of time and then have them ready in the fridge until you want to cook. This also makes it really helpful for a large party. No last-minute assembly needed--just sit them on the grill and set a timer. For variations, use veg or chicken stock instead of wine, and halibut or boneless chicken breast instead of the mahi.

To see video of the demo, go to the "Good Day Sacramento" site. You'll also find a copy of the recipe there (if you don't already have the book!).

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This past Tuesday in San Francisco, I did the first of the Tuesday market chef demos, which will be held every other week through the summer. Using lots of produce available now in the market, I demonstrated Enchiladas Suizas with chicken and spinach and a creamy tomato sauce and Indian-flavored Dal (lentil stew) with market tomatoes and chard. The dal recipe calls for "crushed ginger from a jar" in my book, but that day I used fresh ginger since one of the farmers had it for sale.

Coincidentally, a reader from Omaha, NE, sent me an email asking what "ginger from a jar" was. It's a great product that comes in small jars like those that hold minced or crushed garlic. I often find both the ginger and garlic products in my produce section at Safeway or other large markets. Even Trader Joe's now has crushed garlic in a jar, although I prefer the minced product. But ginger in a jar is a great thing to have on hand. It retains its flavor well and the peeling and getting rid of the fibrous strands are already done.

However, if you have fresh ginger root, you can peel it (use the tip of a spoon to just take off the papery skin) and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Freeze them in a resealable bag and then grate them directly from the freezer using a Microplane or rasp grater. That way, the root won't get dried out or moldy, as it sometimes does in the fridge when you keep it for too long.

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