Author Archives: Sweet Artichoke

Happy news and a Leek & Sea Vegetable quiche – Des nouvelles et une quiche aux algues et poireaux

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(en français, plus bas)

It’s been a few months that I have been blogging sporadically, and seldom visiting my favourite blogs… Believe me, I am sorry about it because I do miss blogging and my passion for cooking has surely not disappeared! In general, during winter, my energy is pretty low and I always wish I could hibernate, but this time my silence and apparent hibernation have another reason…  Actually, it is a very happy and exciting news that I now want to share with you, dear readers:

Mr Artichoke and I are expecting our first baby very soon! So, as you can imagine our life is  changing a lot and we are pretty busy preparing everything for the arrival of our little angel.

I just wanted you to know that I am not abandoning Sweet Artichoke, I am just taking it slowly because, after all, blogging is a fun activity and should not be taken with pressure and stress, that is why I will try to post new recipes but it will be at irregular intervals…

All is going well, but I have been super tired since the beginning of pregnancy: I have also tried to listen to my body and I turned to very simple foods and most of my pregnancy cravings were healthy ones… among them: oat porridge, chickpeas, and you surely don’t want to hear about my chicory and walnut salad addiction, do you? It’s been my staple lunch and dinner for a few weeks!! Most of them were really not very interesting to blog about… However, what amazed me most is that I discovered that most of my healthy cravings were actually providing the important nutriments needed by the baby at that time…

One of my recent addiction is sea vegetables  (I do not like to call them “seaweeds”, because given all the good nutriments they are packed with, “weeds” seems an unfair name) and I think this quiche is so good, that it is worth sharing it with you…

Leek and Sea Vegetable Quiche

Ingredients for a 22cm diameter baking tin
(2-3 servings as main course or 4-5 servings as starter)

 a medium size leek (about 250g), finely chopped

2 medium size potatoes (about 300g), peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons hot madras curry powder

200g tofu

½ cup dried mixed sea vegetables

1 dried red chili (optional)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3-4 tablespoons water

Salt and pepper to season

1 ½ tablespoons chia seeds, soaked in 0.5 dl warm water or 1 egg

1 ready-rolled puff pastry (or short-crust pastry)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven at 190°C.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the curry powder and fry it for a few seconds. Add the chopped leek. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and sauté for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The leek should not become brown, you only want to pre-cook it. When it is done, keep aside.

In the meantime, put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, add ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain well and keep aside.

Rehydrate the dried sea vegetables in warm water, according to the instructions. The ones I use take 5 minutes to rehydrate. Drain them well and put them in a food processor, with the tofu, dried red chilli, soy sauce, pepper, chia seeds (or one egg)  and 3-4 tablespoon water. Pulse until it becomes a smooth paste. If it is too thick, you might add a little bit more water, but not too much as it should not be liquid.

Add the leek to the preparation and combine well.

Place the pastry crust in the baking tin. Prick a few times the bottom of the pastry crust with a fork, which will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes. Bake the crust for 5 minutes and take out of the oven.

Fill the bottom of the crust with the potato slices. Garnish with the leek-sea vegetable-tofu mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Quiche aux algues et poireaux

Cela fait quelques mois que je n’ai plus été très présente sur ce blog et que je n’ai pas rendu visite à mes blogs préférés … Croyez-moi, c’est quelque chose que je regrette beaucoup parce que ma passion pour la cuisine n’a pas bien évidemment pas disparu. En général, pendant l’hiver, mon énergie descend en flèche et c’est un peu comme si j’hibernais…  mais cette fois mon silence et mon apparente hibernation ont une autre raison… En fait, il s’agit plutôt d’une heureuse et belle nouvelle que j’aimerais maintenant partager avec vous :

M. Artichoke et moi attendons notre premier bébé pour très, très bientôt!

Je n’ai donc pas l’intention d’abandonner Sweet Artichoke, mais comme vous pouvez l’imaginer, notre vie est en train de beaucoup changer et même si j’adore mon blog et le « blogging » en général, je considère que cette passion ne doit pas s’accompagner de stress pour les délais à publier de nouveaux posts… Je vais toutefois essayer de continuer à publier de nouvelles recettes, mais à intervalles irréguliers …

En général, ma grossesse se passe bien, si ce n’est que je suis super fatiguée depuis le début ! Et comme j’ai essayé d’écouter mon corps et j’ai privilégié des aliments très simples et la plupart de mes fringales étaient plutôt saines … par exemple : bircher avec de l’avoine, pois chiches, plusieurs semaines de folle passion pour la salade d’endives aux noix… donc pas vraiment de quoi alimenter un blog… Cela dit, ce qui m’a le plus émerveillée, c’est que j’ai découvert que la plupart de mes envies « saines » contenaient les nutriments correspondant aux besoins les plus importants pour la croissance du bébé, à ce moment particulier.

En ce moment, je suis complètement accro aux algues ! Et franchement, cette quiche est si bonne, que je la partage sans hésitation avec vous … L’avantage d’y ajouter des poireaux (ah oui, un autre de mes chouchous du moment…) est que ceux-ci masquent un peu le goût des algues, pour celles et ceux qui y sont sensibles.

Ingrédients pour un moule de diamètre 22cm

(pour 2-3 personnes en plat principal ou 4-5 personnes en entrée)

 un poireau de taille moyenne (environ 250g), émincé finement

2 pommes de terre de taille moyenne (environ 300g), pelées et tranchées

1cuillère à soupe d’huile

2 cuillères à café de poudre de curry Madras

200g de tofu

½ tasse d’algues séchées mélangées

1 piment rouge séché (facultatif)

1 cuillère à soupe de sauce soja

3-4 cuillères à soupe d’eau

Sel et poivre pour assaisonner

1 ½ cuillères à soupe de graines de chia, trempée dans 0,5 dl d’eau chaude ou 1 œuf

1 paquet de pâte feuilletée

Préparation:

Préchauffer  le four à 190 ° C.

Chauffer l’huile dans une poêle. Ajouter la poudre de curry et la faire frire pendant quelques secondes. Ajouter le poireau émincé. Bien remuer et réduire à feu doux. Couvrir avec un couvercle et faire revenir pendant environ 15 minutes, en remuant de temps en temps. Les poireaux ne doivent pas brunir, ils doivent juste pré-cuire. Lorsque cela est fait, les mettre de côté.

Pendant ce temps, mettre les pommes de terre dans une casserole, couvrir d’eau, ajouter ½ cuillère à café de sel. Porter l’eau à ébullition. Laisser mijoter pendant 10 minutes. Bien égoutter et mettre de côté.

Réhydrater les algues séchées dans de l’eau chaude, selon les instructions du paquet. Celles que j’utilise ont besoin de 5 minutes. Egouttez-les bien et mettez-les dans un blender, avec le tofu, le piment rouge séché, la sauce soja, le poivre, les graines de chia (ou un oeuf) et 3-4 cuillères à soupe d’eau. Mixer jusqu’à ce que la préparation devienne lisse. Si elle est trop épaisse, vous pouvez ajouter un peu plus d’eau, mais pas trop car elle ne doit pas être liquide.

Ajouter les poireaux et bien mélanger.

Mettre la pâte dans un moule et piquer plusieurs fois le fond avec une fourchette, ce qui va empêcher la pâte de gonfler pendant la cuisson. Cuire la pâte pendant 5 minutes et la sortir du four.

Garnir  avec les tranches de pommes de terre, puis ajouter le mélange poireaux-algues- tofu.

Cuire au four pendant 30 minutes et servir chaud.

MLLA 44 round-up

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With my apologies for the delay, here is the round up of My Legume Love Affair no. 44 (February 2012).

I would like to thank Susan for her patience and for giving me this great opportunity to discover some new blogs and so many tempting recipes!

Now, let’s check all the delicious and healthy dishes prepared for this month and let’s meet at the bottom of this post to discover the lucky winners of the random drawing :-)

Anne from Anne’s Kitchen : Spinach, Mushroom and coconut dal

Claire from Chez Cayenne: Black Bean Portobello Burger with Gluten-free option

Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe: Nicki’s Vegetarian Dumplings with Fried Rice

Lisa from Food and Spice: Puy Lentil soup with spinach

Kalyani from Sizzling Tastebuds: Safed Vatanyacha Usal – Mumbai Street Food with Tangy Gravy of Soaked White Peas

Janet from the Taste Space: Iraqi Pomegranate Stew

Heather from Girlie Chef: Red Beans and Rice

Esther from Frugal and Kosher: Carrot and Red Lentils Soup

Kalinda from Wheat Free, Meat Free : Vegetarian White Chili

Rachel from the Crispy Cook:  Creamy Black Bean Soup with Roasted Fennel

Valerie from City Life Eats: Spicy Lemon Hemp Hummus

Denny from Oh Taste and See: Italian Style Tofu Bake

Sravani from Srav’s Culinary Concepts: Methi and Chickpeas Pulao

And your Sweet Artichoke: Moong Dal Soup

For the drawing, I assigned a number to each eligible entry (Previous winners were omitted from the list) and then used randomizer.org

The first number to come out was assigned to Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe, who is the winner of the book “Low Budget Shooting: Do It Yourself Solutions to Professional Photo Gear” by Cyrill Harnischmacher. This book is offered by Susan.

Congratulations, Johanna!

The second number to come out was assigned to Valerie from City Life Eats, who wins a  case of six bags of her choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean.

Congratulations, Valerie!

The 45th edition of MLLA is hosted by Heather from the blog: Girlie Chef.

Announcing My Legume Love Affair – 44 / Light Mung Dal Soup – Soupe légère aux lentilles moong

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This month, I have the honour to be hosting the 44th edition of My Legume Love Affair (MLLA). Do I need to introduce this popular event that has already started its fourth year? MLLA is the brainchild of Susan (The Well Seasoned Cook) and it is putting the spotlight on…

…legumes.

By legume, we refer to pulses, beans, lentils, fenugreek, peas; some legume grow in a pod, such as tamarind and carob; peanuts are considered as legume; derived products, such as lentils or chickpea flour and tofu are considered as legume, too.

The main ingredient of your dish has to be one or several legume(s); please note that a spoonful of legume is not enough!

The dish can be any course, sweet or savoury; although this is a vegetarian blog, I will also accept non-vegetarian recipes.

Your recipe should be a new post or if it is a post from your archives, it should be re-posted for the occasion. You can submit the recipe to other events as well, and you can send me more than one post.(only one submission will be counted towards the random drawing described below).

The post must include a link to this announcement and also to Susan’s post containing the host lineup. The use of the beautiful logo (above), designed by Susan, is optional, although much appreciated.

The following prizes will be awarded to one winner via random drawing:

(Note: Susan’s family and friends, as well as mine, aren’t eligible to win.)

1)  Low Budget Shooting: Do It Yourself Solutions to Professional Photo Gear by Cyrill Harnischmacher.
This prize is offered by Susan without influence at her expense, and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges.  F.T.C. Notice: Susan does not receive any compensation from Amazon.

2) Hurst Bean Box – A case of six bags of the winner’s choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean. (Due to shipping restrictions, this prize can only be awarded if the winner is a U.S. resident.) F.T.C. Notice: In May 2010, Susan, at her request, received two Hurst Bean complimentary products which are not available for purchase in her local markets. Susan does not generally accept free products from Hurst Bean nor is she financially compensated by them.

3) Drawing Structure – If the winner is a U.S. resident, she/he will be the recipient of both Prizes 1 and 2 above.  In the event that an international winner is drawn, a second drawing will be conducted from the U.S. pool of entrants to ensure that the Hurst Prize is awarded every month.  In these instances, the international winner will receive the book, and the U.S. winner will receive the Hurst Prize.

To submit your post, send an email to: sweetartichoke[AT]gmail[DOT]com with MLLA 44 in the subject and containing the following information:

  1. Your Name
  2. Name of your Blog
  3. Title and URL of your recipe
  4. Your location
  5. Photo of the dish, if possible of a maximum 500 pixel wide

If you don’t have a blog, you can submit your recipe by sending me an email as described above with the recipe.

The deadline for sending your recipes is Wednesday 29th February.

Please note that I will acknowledge receipt of your email by answering your email or posting a comment on your post. If you don’t receive one of these confirmations within 3-4 days of sending me the email, please send it again.

Here is my first recipe for the event:

Light Mung Dal Soup

ingredients for 4 servings:

150g mung dal

50g basmati rice

1 tablespoon oil

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

2cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Salt to taste

1 medium size tomato, diced

1 teaspoon of fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

Rinse the dal until the water is clear; drain well. Rinse the rice until the water is clear and drain well.

Bring about 1 liter of water to the boil.

Heat the oil in a thick-bottom pot. Add the cumin seeds and fry for one minute, stirring constantly.

Add the mung dal and stir well. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the water and turmeric. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, so that it simmers gently.

Simmer until the dal is cooked (about 30 minutes), the grains should be tender, but not mashed. Add the rice and grated ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer until the dal becomes mushy and the rice is cooked.

Add the chopped tomato, season with salt and cook for 5 more minutes.

Garnish with coriander before serving.

Note: the soup can be prepared in a pressure cooker, in that case, you might need to reduce the quantity of water, given that there will have no evaporation.

Soupe Légère aux Lentilles Moong

Ingrédients pour 4 personnes:

150g de moong dal (lentilles jaunes)

50g de riz basmati

1 cuillère à soupe d’huile

¼ cuillère à café de curcuma

½ cuillère à café de graines de cumin

2cm de gingembre frais, pelé et râpé

Sel pour assaisonner

1 tomate de taille moyenne, coupée en dés

1 cuillère à café de coriandre fraîche, hachée

Préparation:

Rincer les lentilles jusqu’à ce que l’eau soit translucide; bien égoutter. Rincer le riz jusqu’à ce que l’eau soit claire et bien égoutter.

Porter environ 1 litre d’eau à ébullition.

Chauffer l’huile dans une casserole à fond épais. Ajouter les graines de cumin et les faire frire pendant une minute, en remuant constamment.

Ajouter les lentilles et bien mélanger. Faire revenir pendant 30 secondes.

Ajouter l’eau et le curcuma. Porter à ébullition, puis réduire la chaleur, de sorte que la préparation mijote doucement.

Laisser mijoter jusqu’à ce que les lentilles soient cuites (environ 30 minutes), les grains doivent être tendres, mais pas encore en purée. Ajouter le riz et le gingembre râpé. Porter à ébullition et laisser mijoter jusqu’à ce que le dal soit comme écrasé et le riz soit cuit.

Ajouter la tomate coupée, saler et faire cuire pendant 5 minutes de plus.

Garnir de coriandre avant de servir.

Remarque: la soupe peut être préparée dans un autocuiseur, dans ce cas, vous devrez certainement avoir besoin de réduire la quantité d’eau, étant donné qu’il n’y aura pas d’évaporation.

A little note…

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First of all, let me wish you a wonderful New Year!

May it be as happy and colourful as sugar cookies…

… as exciting as the discovery of new foods…

… as peaceful and serene as a delicious cup of green tea…

… as sweet and smooth as your favourite dessert…

… And full of good surprises !

Thank you for making 2011 an amazing blogging year! Thanks for your friendship, your visits and your sweet comments. They all mean a lot to me and make me very happy to be part of the food bloggers community!

I can’t believe it has been so many weeks that II have been away from blogging…I’ll be back soon, I promise.

In the meantime, take care and happy cooking!

*   *   *

Tout d’abord, je vous souhaite une merveilleuse Nouvelle Année!Puisse-t’elle être aussi joyeuse et colorée comme des biscuits décorés…… aussi passionnante que la découverte de nouvelles recettes…… aussi paisible et sereine qu’une délicieuse tasse de thé vert …… aussi douce et sucrée que votre dessert préféré …… Et surtout, puisse-t’elle être pleine de bonnes surprises!2011 a été une très belle année pour ce blog ! Merci pour votre amitié, vos visites et vos gentils commentaires. Je suis vraiment très heureuse de faire partie de la communauté des blogueurs culinaires!

J’ai du mal à croire que le temps passe si vite et que cela fait plus de deux mois que je n’ai rien publié sur ce blog…

Vegetarian Biryani with spicy paneer

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(la traduction en français arrive sous peu…)
My quest for the perfect biryani recipe has started a few years ago. After tasting the best biryani ever in a restaurant in Dubai, I wanted to be able to eat in my own home the delicate and delicious taste of the spices, and the perfect texture of the rice… I tried many recipes, even bought some ready made spices-mix (a total heresy for me!) but it seems I never managed to get it right… Eventually, I gave up, I even gave up eating biryani in restaurants here in Geneva, as they usually turned out even worse than my attempts…
However, when my dear Heavenly Housewife challenged us to prepare a biryani, I decided it was time to try once more… And I did well!
The result was beyond my expectations! Of course, it is far from the perfection of the biryani I ate in Dubai, but seriously, it is pretty close to it…
The list of ingredients is quite long, and the preparation might seem lenghty, but fear not, it can be done in… let’s say about 2 hours (not counting the cooking time in the oven) and the preparation can be spread on two days (pls see my note at the bottom of the post)
…
By the way, what is a biryani?

The name “biryani” come from the Persian word beryān/biryan which means “fried” or “roasted“. There are many kinds of biryanis and it is a festive dish both in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. The origin of biryani in India comes from the Moghol dynasty (originally from Persia) who brought many delicate and eleborated dishes to the already rich Indian cuisine.  Biryani is made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice, meat or vegetables and yogurt.  Unlike pulao in which all ingredients are cooked together, the main components of biryani are cooked separately, then layered and finally slowly cooked in the oven.

And before sharing the recipe, I can only advise you to visit these talented bloggers for more biryani-love:

Vegetarian Biryani with spicy paneer

Recipe adapted from IndiaCurry (here)
ingredients for 4-5 servings:
…
  • Spiced water
8dl water
2 cm fresh ginger, chopped
6 black cardamom pods, crushed
10 black peppercorn
4 cm cinnamon stick, broken in half
4 whole cloves
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
…
  • Spiced milk

2 dl milk
2 cardamom pods, crushed
a pinch of Saffron strands
1 teaspoon rose water

  • Rice

150g (1cup) Basmati rice
2 cups spiced water
a few saffron strands
1/2 teaspon salt

  • Vegetable Layer

1 tablespoon Ghee (or neutral oil, such as sunflower)
1 medium onions,chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ cup green peas
salt to taste
¼ cup yogurt
½ cup spiced water

  • Paneer Layer

200g paneer, cubed
1 tablespoon Ghee (or neutral oil, such as sunflower)
1 medium onion,chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1cm ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder

  • Garnish layer

1 tablespoon ghee (or neutral oil, such as sunflower)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
3 tablespoons cashews
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped fresh peppermint leaves

  • Chapatti dough to seal the pot

2 cups wholemeal flour
Water to knead the dough (about 1/3 cup)

Method:

1. Prepare the spiced water: put the water and the spices indicated under “spiced water” in a pot and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat. Drain and keep aside.

2. Prepare the spiced milk: put the milk, cardamom pods and saffron in a pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Let it cool, remove the cardamom pods and add the rosewater.

3.Prepare the paneer:Heat the ghee in a pan, add the onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes, add the spices. Fry for 2-3 more minutes. Add the paneer. Stir well to coat it with the spice and fry for a few minutes. Keep aside.

4. Prepare the vegetable: Put the ghee in a pan, add the onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes, add the spices. Fry for 2-3 more minutes. Add the vegetable, season with salt and pepper and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, add 1/2 cup of spiced water and the yogurt. Simmer until the vegetable are nearly cooked (about 10-15 minutes).

5. Prepare the garnish layer: Heat the ghee in a pan, add the onions and fry them until golden brown. Add the cashew and almonds. Fry for 2 more minutes. Keep aside and add the chopped herbs.

6. Prepare the rice: Rinse the rice until the water is clear. Put in a pot and add 2 cups of spiced water and 1/2 a teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil Reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let is stand for 10 more minutes.If there is water that has not been absorbed, drain it.

7. Prepare the chapatti dough: slowly add a little water to the flour until combined. Knead for 2 minutes. Keep aside.
8. Layering the biryani: Preheat the oven to 210°C. Spread one layer of rice in a pot. Sprinkle about 2-3 teaspoons of spiced water and 2-3 teaspoons of spiced milk on the rice.
Add the vegetables, spreading them evenly. Cover with one thin layer of rice, sprinkling about 2-3 teaspoons of spiced water and 2-3 teaspoons of spiced milk on the rice.
Add the paneer, spreading it evenly. Add a thin layer of rice, sprinkling about 2-3 teaspoons of spiced water and 2-3 teaspoons of spiced milk on the rice.

Add the garnish ingredients and finally, top it with a final layer of rice. Sprinkle with about 2-3 teaspoons of spiced water and 2-3 teaspoons of spiced milk on the rice

Take 1/3 of the dough and roll it in a 1 cm diameter log. Place it around the edge of the pot. Roll the rest of the dough in a circle, a bit bigger than the diameter of your pot. Cover the pot with it, pressing the edges on the log, so that it is well sealed.


Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.Then, reduce heat to 180°C and cook for 20 more minutes.


When serving, cut off the bread lid and stir the biryani with a spoon to combine all the flavours.

notes: 

1. If you are short of time, you can prepare steps 1 to 5 the day before and keep all the items in the refrigerator.

2. It is not necessary to seal with a chapatti. You can seal the pot with a tight lid or with foil, tightly wrapped around the pot.

3. You can add cauliflower and/or other veggies. Similarly, paneer can be omitted or replaced by boiled eggs.