This is more an idea than a recipe. Once you learn how to marinate and cook the curried tempeh, you can vary this grilled cheese sandwich however you like.  If you are in hurry, see the shortcut method in the recipe below. Serve with a salad and my Indian spiced potato chips, and this is an easy, tasty meal any time of the day!

You can marinate and saute the tempeh for extra flavor like on the left. Or if you are in a rush, just toss the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and make the sandwich like the picture on the right.

I like to marinate the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder, so that the tempeh soaks up some of the flavors. I used Frontier Indian curry powder. It contains turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon peel, black pepper, lemon powder, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic and cayenne. Its mild, the lemon peel gives it a fresh pop, and it works well for the curried tempeh.

Remember, curry powders vary vastly in taste depending on the brand. So use my recipe as a guideline. Make a single grilled cheese sandwich, taste it, and adjust the curry powder accordingly.

A weight on top of the grilled cheese (panini style)- like a garden brick or cast iron skillet covered with foil – will ensure even cooking, and melt the cheese quickly. Use medium heat and a weight on top of the sandwich and you will have perfectly golden grilled cheeses every time! 

Love grilled cheese and paninis? Check out my friend Kathy’s fun panini blog!

Curried Tempeh Grilled Cheese with Mango Chutney Recipe

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
For curried tempeh
Half an 8 oz package of tempeh
¼-½ teaspoon curry powder*
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon oil

For the sandwich
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 tablespoon or to taste sweet mango chutney. Substitute with apricot preserves
4 slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese
Handful of fresh arugula or baby spinach leaves or kale leaves, torn
1 teaspoon butter
*curry powders vary greatly in their poteny and spiciness. So I really cant give you an exact amount.

Method
For the curried tempeh
1.Slice the tempeh lengthwise into ¼ inch thin pieces. You will need 6-8 slices, about 4 oz
2.Whisk together the curry powder, soy sauce and water in a bowl. Add tempeh to the bowl and gently toss so the marinade is coated well on the tempeh.
3.Cover and marinate the tempeh in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
4. Heat oil in a medium skillet and add the marinated tempeh. Also add any remaining marinating liquid. Cook on medium heat, flipping the tempeh occasionally, till all the liquid has boiled away and the tempeh is brown on both sides.
Now proceed with making the grilled cheese.

Shortcut curried tempeh: If you are in a hurry, skip the marinating and cooking of the tempeh. Leave out the water and oil. Simply toss tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and continue with the recipe below.

For the grilled cheese
1.Use a small cast iron skillet or a garden brick as the weight for the grilled cheese. Cover the cast iron skillet or bricks with aluminum foil
2. Take 2 slices of bread and slather about 1/2 teaspoon (or more) mango chutney on both the bread slices
3. Place one slice of cheese on top of the mango chutney. Top it with 3-4 slices of curried tempeh and 6-8 leaves of arugula or baby spinach or kale
4. Cover with another slice of cheese, and the other slice of bread, chutney side down
5. Heat ¼ teaspoon butter in a non stick skillet on medium heat. Place the sandwich on the skillet
6. Put the foil covered weight (cast iron skillet or brick) on top of the sandwich. Make sure it is balanced sitting on the sandwich. Let the sandwich with the weight on top cook on medium heat  till the bottom side is golden, about 2 minutes
7. Then remove the grilled cheese sandwich using a wide spatula, add 1/4^th teaspoon more butter to the pan. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side, with the weight on top, till it is golden.

Serve immediately with a salad and Indian spiced potato chips.

When I received a review copy of my friend Michael Natkin’s new cook book Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes, I was so thrilled and so hungry. Thrilled because Michael is my favorite vegetarian blogger and his site is full of creative vegetarian recipes. Hungry because Michael’s book is one of the best vegetarian cookbooks around, and all the recipes look delicious. Whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you are going to love this book. And it has plenty of vegan and gluten-free recipes as well.

Michael and I, with Michael holding the very first copy of his cookbook! Exciting!

Michael has been a vegetarian since he was 18. When his mother fell sick, he started cooking her macrobiotic meals at home. Since then, Michael has been a devoted vegetarian. And his passion for food is so evident in his uber successful blog, Herbivoracious (same name as the cookbook!).

The blog is an encyclopedia of information, filled with recipes and tips. How does polenta with pan roasted porcini, tomato confit and chevre sound to you?! My personal favorite Herbivoracious blog recipe is the chickpea, spinach and tomato soup – simple yet packed with flavor.

When I received Herbivoracious, the cookbook, I had great trouble deciding what recipe I should make for this post. The chickpea and olive tagine with ras el hanout ( a North African spice mix) sounded yummy. As did the blackbean soup with orange jalapeno salsa, 10 minute chickpea salad with feta and basil, grilled tofu and pepper tacos, red curry delicata squash, and..well..pretty much all the recipes in the book!

I finally decided to make the triple smoky mac and cheese. Because its cheesy, spicy and comforting – exactly what I needed on a cold, wet Portland evening. It’s the best mac and cheese I’ve had. It was easy to make, and tasted like it came from a high end restaurant. Meat lovers are sure to love this vegetarian mac and cheese. It has so many great smoky flavors going on, my husband thought it had bacon in it! Michael says you can either use smoked cheddar or smoked mozzarella in this recipe. The smoked cheese, plus smoked paprika and chipotle peppers make this mac and cheese wonderfully smoky.

Enjoy Michael’s recipe, and then make sure you enter the giveaway. The book will be out in May and the publisher, Harvard Common Press will send out a copy to one lucky winner as soon as Herbivoracious is published! You can also get your own copy on Amazon through this link Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes

Triple Smoky Mac and Cheese Recipe

A recipe from Herbivoracious Cookbook. Reproduced with permission.
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni (Sala’s note: I used penne because thats what I had on hand)
6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
Half an onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, or
1⁄4 cup Frontera brand chipotle salsa
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
8 ounces smoked cheddar, grated, or substitute regular cheddar if you can’t find smoked cheddar
8 ounces mozzarella (substitute smoked mozzarella if you’re using regular cheddar), grated
Kosher salt
1⁄2 cups Homemade Bread Crumbs made with 2 cloves minced garlic added. Recipe in the book.

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the macaroni according to package directions, draining when it is just becoming aldente. This will bake more in the oven, so don’t overcook it. Drain, transfer it to a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. (Sala’s note: I baked the mac and cheese in a cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish)

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk pretty constantly for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Add the onion, smoked paprika, rosemary, chipotle, oregano, and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep cooking, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring each addition of cheese until melted. It is important to do this gradually, to avoid graininess.

5. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your preference. It will probably need just a little salt, depending on the cheeses. Add more chipotle if you’d like it hotter. Remember that the sauce should be pretty intense, because it needs to flavor a full pound of pasta.

6. Stir the macaroni into the sauce. Pour the macaroni into the baking dish. Scatter the bread crumbs evenly over the top.

7. Bake until you can see bubbling around the sides and the bread crumbs are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

A Chance to Win Michael’s Herbivoracious Cookbook!

Be One of the First to Receive a Copy!

The awesome people at Harvard Common Press are giving away a copy of Herbivoracious to one lucky Veggie Belly reader!

To enter the contest, just leave a comment and tell me why you’d like to be the one to win this book.

Contest ends Wednesday, April 4th 2012. US & Canada shipping only.

One randomly picked lucky winner will receive a copy of this book when it is published in May!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! The randomly picked winner is comment #7, Cat!

I always enjoy the time I spend with my cousin Meena. She is such a pleasant and genuine person, and the time we spend together is always special. When we met last week (after more than a year!), we spent lazy afternoons gossipping, playing pallankuzhi, and cooking.

 This delicious vegetable, pasta and paneer bake recipe comes from Meena. She makes this vegetarian bake recipe for her post-swim meal. It is filling, and delicious without being heavy.

Meena didnt use cheese in this recipe, to keep it on the lighter side. But you can add some cheese on the top before baking. Vegans can use soy milk and tofu cubes instead of paneer (althought, I havent tried making the vegan version of this bake).

Meena microwaves the bake, which makes things very quick and easy. You can bake it as well, see instructions below. Remember, all the ingredients here already cooked – you only want to bake or microwave this dish just till the sauces bubble and the mushrooms cook.

Thanks meena, for your precious friendship, and for this delicious recipe that I know I will be making again and again.

There are multiple steps in this recipe, but dont let that put you off. Its well worth the effort. And you can make a big batch of this vegetable, paneer and pasta bake and freeze it.

Watch a step-by-step on how to make vegetable paneer and pasta bake

Vegetable Paneer and Pasta Bake Recipe

3 cups fresh spinach, tightly packed
3.5 oz white button mushrooms (about 15 medium sized mushrooms)

Method
Cube the paneer and set aside.

Wash the spinach, and chop it. Place the washed, chopped spinach on a small wok. Cover it with a lid. Heat the wok on low heat, just untill the spinach wilts. Then remove from heat and sprinkle a little salt. Set aside.

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel. If the mushrooms have too much dirt, wash them in water, and drain well.

If the mushrooms are large, cut them in 4, if they are small, cut them in half. Set aside.

Ingredients for the pasta
1 1/2 cups cooked pasta*, such as elbow macaroni, shells, fusili, or penne
*Make sure the pasta is cooked al dente – it should not be over cooked or mushy.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce
4 small tomatoes
1 small onion (1/4th cup when chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt & cracked pepper

Method
Core the tomato, chop it roughly and puree it in a blender.

Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat till the onion gets translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the pureed tomatoes and 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Now add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let the sauce gently boil, till it thickens a little, about 3 minutes.

Ingredients for the white sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour (maida) or wheat flour
1 cup room temperature or cold milk, preferably whole milk
1/4 teaspoon or to taste, dried Italian seasoning
Salt and cracked pepper

Method
Place the oil or butter in a non stick sauce pan (without heat). Sprinkle the flour over the oil or melted butter. Using a whisk, stir the flour into the oil or butter to incorporate. Place the pan on a stove over low heat. Immediately, pour in milk. Whisk again till the flour dissolves.

Increase heat to medium. Cook the sauce, whisking constantly, till the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Now add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat.

To assemble and cook the vegetable paneer and pasta bake

Take a medium baking dish, about 8 inches in diameter. Line the bottom with the paneer cubes. Layer the wilted spinach on top of the paneer. Pour the tomato sauce all over. Next, pour the white sauce. Arrange the mushrooms and pasta on top of the white sauce.

Optional step: sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese on top. Meena didnt use cheese in this recipe.

Place the bake in a 400 f oven and bake for 15 minutes or till the sauce is bubbling. If you are baking this in the oven without cheese, you need to pour the white sauce on top of the pasta, so that the pasta doesnt dry out in the oven.

Alternatively, microwave the bake on full power for 5-8 minutes or till the sauce bubbles. Microwave ovens vary.

Serve warm with a green salad.

I am vacationing in India right now and enjoying some fabulous home cooked food. Every time I visit India, I ask my mother’s friend Veena aunty to teach me her amazing recipes. Veena aunty has such a love for cooking, you can taste the passion in her food. This time she showed me how to make her paneer paratha recipe. Paneer parathas are Indian flat bread stuffed with cottage cheese. You wont be disappointed with this paneer paratha recipe!

Paneer Paratha Recipe (Cottage Cheese Stuffed Flat bread)

makes 6-8 parathas

for the paratha dough

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/3 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup water (you may not need all of it)

Method

1. Combine the wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt and oil in a large bowl

2. Sprinkle a little water at a time till the dough binds together

3. Knead the dough, sprinkling water, until it forms a soft, elastic ball

4. Make sure the dough isn’t too wet. If it gets too wet or sticky, add more flour

5. Knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic (think pizza dough)

6. Drizzle a few drops of oil over the dough ball, and spread it all over the surface

7. Cover the dough with a damp towel

8. Let it rest for 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, make the paneer filling

for the paneer filling

Ingredients
7 oz paneer, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups when grated)
1 small onion, minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, optional
1 green chili finely chopped or according to taste
salt

Method

1. Combine all paneer filling ingredients in a bowl

2. Taste the filling and adjust salt and seasonings if needed. If you like it spicier, you can add more minced chilis or garam masala at this point

Make the paneer parathas

1. Keep a small bowl of wheat flour near you

2. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it a few times

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. If you don’t have much experience making parathas, divide the dough into 8 parts, so each paratha is smaller, and therefore easier to make.

4. Take one piece of the divided dough and form it into a ball

5. Dip the dough ball in wheat flour

6. Place it on a clean, flat surface for rolling

7. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a round using a light touch

8. Turn the paratha 1/4ths of a turn each time you roll it. This will keep it round.

9. Sprinkle a little flour as and when needed.

10. When the paratha is thin and even (see picture above), stop rolling, and spread 6 drops of oil

11. Sprinkle a little flour on the oiled side, dust off the excess flour

12. Place 2 tablespoons of the paneer filling in the center

13. Gather the edges of the paratha and bring them up, and pleat them over the filling, to form a parcel. If you feel the parcel can hold more paneer filling, add a little more now

14. Pinch the top to seal the paratha

15. Dip it in flour, flatten it a little, and gently roll it using a rolling pin

16. Roll gently till the paratha is about 1/4 inch thick

17. Heat a tava, or cast iron skillet on medium heat

18. Place the paratha on the skillet. Cook on medium heat till pale brown spots appear on the under side

19. Then flip the paratha and let pale brown spots appear on the other side

20. Then increase heat to medium-high and drizzle about 1/4th teaspoon of vegetable oil (you can use less oil or oil spray)

21. Cook paratha on both sides till the dough is cooked and lightly browned (but not too dark)

Serve paneer parathas with yogurt or my grandmother’s multi colored raita and my apple pickle.

Paratha making tips

- add enough water to the dough so that it is soft (but not sticky)

- sprinkle wateron the flour a little at a time, this way you are more in control of the final result

- a hard dough will make your parathas stiff

- when kneading, aim for a soft, smooth, elastic dough that is not sticky

- it important to cover and rest the paratha dough for atleast 15 minutes before rolling

- when rolling parathas use a gentle touch

- make sure you chop the filling ingredients very fine. For paneer parathas, the paneer must be grated finely, and the onions and cilantro must be minced. For aloo parathas, the potato must be mashed with no lumps. If you leave large pieces in your filling, it will tear the dough when you are rolling out the parathas.

- when stuffing parathas, you need to use about equal amounts of dough and filling. So if you are using a lime size ball of dough, use about a lime sized mound of filling. However, if you are new to paratha making, lesser amounts of filling may be easier to deal with it, but you will compromise on taste.

- the more you practice making parathas, the better you will get!

Here is a vegetarian grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers recipe that even meat lovers will go crazy for. This is perfect for weekend and holiday grilling.

Halloumi is one of my favorite cheeses. This salty, dense cheese is from Cyprus and is great for grilling. You can substitute halloumi with mozzarella, feta or paneer, but it just wont be the same :(

But if you do use any of the substitutions, remember that you don’t have to grill the mozzarella or feta. If using paneer, sprinkle it with salt after grilling.

The eggplant and halloumi won’t stick if your grill is hot and well-seasoned. If you are doubtful, spray some nonstick spray on the grill grates before starting it up.

Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi and Pesto Burgers Recipe

Makes 4 burgers

1 medium eggplant, weighing about 1 lb.
3/4 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4^th teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 oz halloumi cheese

To assemble the grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers
4 medium sized burger buns
4 teaspoons pesto
Mayonnaise, according to taste. Optional.
2 leaves of lettuce, cut in half
1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices

Cut the eggplant into ½ inch thick rounds, at its widest part. Save the remaining eggplant for another dish. Place the sliced eggplant in a shallow dish.

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning salt and pepper together. When adding salt, keep in mind that the halloumi is an already salty cheese. Pour the whisked ingredients over the eggplant rounds, and toss well to coat.

Slice the halloumi into ½ inch thick slices.

Heat a grill on medium-high heat. You can use an outdoor grill or a cast iron stove top grill like I did.

When the grill is hot, arrange the eggplant slices on the grill, and cook for about 6 minutes on each side or till the eggplant is cooked.

Then grill the halloumi slices on both sides till golden grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.

If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the eggplant and halloumi in batches on a large skillet.

You are now ready to assemble the burgers.

Spread some mayonnaise, if using, on 2 halves of a burger bun. Take one half of a bun, and stack the grilled eggplant, halloumi and spread 1 teaspoon of pesto. Top it with tomato and lettuce. Place the other half of the burger bun on top.

Serve with fries or a chilled cucumber salad tossed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

These burgers will go great with my blueberry lemonade or jalapeno lemonade.

A quesadilla recipe doesnt get simpler than this. Only 10 minutes and 4 ingredients, and I promise you will love this easy cheesy quesadilla!

Taleggio is a soft, Italian cows milk cheese. It has a strong fruity smell, but a wonderful mild flavor. You can substitute taleggio with fontina or brie. Since this recipe is simple, and uses very few ingredients, I like to use a “special” cheese like taleggio, where its flavor and creaminess can shine through.

I also like to use asparagus instead of spinach in this recipe. Asparagus and taleggio cheese were made for each other!

Sea salt is a beautiful thing. It has a coarser grain than table salt, and gives you a pleasant burst of saltiness. Because sea salt is more granular it is perfect for sprinkling over food, or using it in quick recipes, where it doesnt have a chance to dissolve. I used a beautiful bag of salt crystals from the Trapani Saltpans of Italy that I picked up at Eataly in New York.

Easy Spinach and Taleggio Cheese Quesadilla Recipe

makes 1 quesadilla

1 eight inch flour or wheat tortillas
1 oz taleggio cheese (substitute with fontina or brie)
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves loosely packed
1/4  teaspoon olive oil
Sea sat

Lay out a tortilla on a work surface. Trim away the rind of the cheese, and cut into into small pieces. Put the cheese pieces all over one half of the quesadilla. Place spinach leaves on top of the cheese. Fold over the other half to form a half moon shaped quesadilla.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat, drizzle a little oil. Place the folded quesadillas in the pan, and cook on medium heat for 1 minute or till the tortilla is light brown and cheese is just about to melt. Turn the quesadilla over and lightly brown the other side, about 45 seconds. Dont over cook the tortillas, the cheese will get oily.

Cut into wedges and sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt on top. Serve with a lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad and your favorite salad dressing.

When Marx Foods sent me a packet of Marrow beans to sample, I was eager to use them along with crispy fried artichokes. This recipe is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for fried artichoke hearts with fava beans (broad beans). If you havent read Ottolenghi’s new vegetarian cookbook, Plenty, you absolutely must buy it. Its my new favorite vegetarian cook book.

Lets talk about Marrow beans. Theyre also called Marrowfat beans. They are earthy, creamy beans that are great when mashed or pureed. They have a meaty flavor somewhat like pork/bacon. These heirloom beans are used in the Mediterranean and were popular in America in the 1800s. You need to soak these beans over night, then change the water and boil them till tender. Marrow beans will also be great in bean dips, stews or soups.

Ottolenghi’s recipe is based on the Roman Jewish style of cooking artichokes – deep frying them in olive oil. Ottolenghi uses panko bread crumbs; I used Italian flavored bread crumbs because thats what I had on hand. He then serves the fried artichokes with crushed fava beans or broad beans. I serve mine with mashed marrow beans. I think mashed chickpeas or cannellini beans will also be nice. If you dont care for the mashed beans part of this dish, you can serve up these fried artichokes just with some garlic mayonnaise.

For a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean an artichoke heart, see this post.

Crispy Fried Artichoke Hearts with Garlic Mashed Marrow Beans

adapted from this recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi
serves 3-4 as an appetizer

for mashed marrow beans
1/2 cup marrow beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or basil (Ottolenghi uses mint and dill)
salt and pepper

for fried artichokes
2 jumbo or 4 regular sized artichokes
1 egg
1/2 cup italian flavored bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano cheese (or parmesan or grana padano)
extra virgin olive oil for shallow frying
salt

Drain and rinse the marrow beans that have been soaking over night. Place beans and thyme sprigs in a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer, place a lid on the pot and let the beans simmer till they are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Drain when done.

While beans are cooking, work on the artichokes. Trim and prepare the artichokes hearts; see this post for a tutorial. Place fresh artichoke hearts in a pot full of boiling water, turn down to a simmer and cook artichoke hearts till they are fork tender, about 7 minutes. Make sure artichokes are not mushy; they must be cooked but still firm. Removed to a kitchen towel and pat dry. If using canned or frozen artichoke hearts, skip the boiling; but pat them dry.

Whisk the egg in a bowl. In a plate, combine the breadcrumbs and pecorino romano. Heat a small skillet with olive oil, about half way up.

Dip artichoke hearts in the egg and coat well.  Then dredge them in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breadcrumbs to the artichoke hearts. Shallow fry the artichokes, a few at a time, till they are golden on all sides. Make sure oil is very hot. Remove fried artichokes to a paper towel and sprinkle some salt over them. When you salt the artichokes, keep in mind that the breadcrumbs and cheese are already salty.

Once the beans are cooked, drain them, remove and discard the thyme sprigs and place the hot beans back in the pot. Add all other ingredients for the beans. Mash using a potato masher.

To serve, spread some mashed beans on a platter and arrange fried artichokes on top. Serve with lemon wedges.

I’d been dealing with a cranky client all week and was exhausted. I wanted a nice gourmet meal, but at the same time I didnt want to leave the house (ever felt that way?). So I used what I had on hand to make this gourmet tasting, gourmet looking, cheesy tart…just what I needed after a stressful day! The gorgeous wedge of french comte cheese Sanjeev picked up a few days ago was simply spectacular in this savory tart.

Comte is a Gruyere type French cheese made from cows milk. Comte is made only with spring and summer milk. I absolutely love this cheese. Actually, I love all cheeses, but I have extra love for Comte. Its slightly sweet, somewhat soft, and melts beautifully.

If you dont like or cant find Comte cheese..

Substitutes for Comte cheese: use Gruyere or fontina instead of Comte. Or if you want to spend less, try a mix of mozzarella and parmesan.

The tarts smelled sooo good in the oven, we were getting hungry quickly! We snacked on the ingredients while waiting for the tarts to bake.

This is a rather heavy, cheesy tart, so I made it in individual mini tart/pie pans. A mini tart along with a salad was a good portion size. If you dont have mini tart/pie tins, you can make this as one large tart and cut it into wedges.

We absolutely loved the saltine cracker crust – it was easy, smelled heavenly, and very yummy!

Broccoli, Baby Potato and Comte (Gruyere) Cheese Tarts in Saltine Cracker Crust: Recipe

makes 6 mini tarts

4oz or 5 small baby potatoes (or use a medium baking potato instead)
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3/4 cup comte or gruyere cheese, cut into tiny cubes
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley
salt and pepper (keep in mind the cheese, mustard, saltines are all already salty!)

for saltine cracker crust

4oz or 1 sleeve of saltine crackers
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2-3/4 cup hot water

Pre-heat oven to 375f.

Wrap the potatoes in a paper towel and micrrowave for 2 minutes or till half cooked. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the milk, flour, and dijon mustard. Then add the cheese, broccoli florets, potatoes, parsley, salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix well.

To make the saltine cracker crust, place the saltine crackers in a food processor and crush them to a powder. You should get about 1 1/2 cups of crushed saltines. Place this in a bowl, add melted butter and hot water and stir till it comes together like a dough. Now press the saltine cracker crust dough into a non-stick pie or tart pan. Press down on the crust to compact it and also push it up the edges of the pan.

Pour the cheese, broccoli and potato mixture into the tart/pie pan with the saltine crust. Place the pan on a foil lined baking sheet and bake on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or just till the top of the tart starts to turn golden. Cool tarts a little, then gently lift them off the mould using a knife. Serve tart warm with a salad of your choice.

I wanted to make a comforting, hot dish for those chilly, rainy evenings we’ve had recently. I used a beautiful bundle of asparagus (which is is season now) to make some risotto. Fresh peas would also be great in this dish. You can pretty much use any vegetable you like in this risotto, but my favorites are asparagus, peas or wild mushrooms. I also like to stir in some arugula to my risottos. The fresh, peppery arugula is a nice contrast to the creamy arborio rice.

I used a crisp, dry, Gavi white wine in the risotto. I then served the same wine with the risotto.

Below: check out the cute dishes I picked up at the local thrift store! They were perfect for serving risotto. I’m not sure what the spout is meant for, but it works well as a spoon rest. Next time, I think I’ll use these dishes for baked eggs.

Perfect Risotto Tips

- use a short grain risotto rice like arborio, carnaroli or violone
- take care not to brown the rice while cooking it in butter
- always use simmering hot stock, not cold stock
- make sure you only add one ladle full (about 1/2 cup) of stock at a time
- use a good quality dry white wine. I used a Gavi; a crisp, dry white wine from Italy.
- the wine must be at room temperature. Don’t add cold wine to risotto!
- don’t stir the risotto too much while its cooking (but do stir occasionaly!)
- risotto is done when it looks creamy, but the rice is still slightly al-dente
- for a creamier risotto stir in a little butter or cream at the end

Note: I dont like soupy risotto, so I cooked mine very aldente as you can see in the photo above. But the recipe below will give you a creamier, more moist risotto, which is how traditional risotto should be.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Arugula Recipe
serves about 4

10 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups arborio or carnaroli or vialone rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup arugula leaves, shredded
1/4 cup or more grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt

Place vegetable stock on a large pot and bring to a gentle boil. Place the chopped asparagus in the stock and blanch for about a minute. Asparagus should be bright green and still crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus from the stock and keep aside. Reduce heat and keep the stock on simmer.

In a skillet, heat the butter and add arborio rice. Stir the rice on medium heat for about 2 minutes, or till it is fragrant (but don’t let the rice brown). Add wine to the rice and let is bubble away. When most the wine has evaporated, add one ladle of the simmering stock to the rice. Cook on medium-high heat. When the rice has absorbed most the stock, add another ladle full of stock. Repeat this process till the rice has cooked through (you may not use up all the stock).  Check the rice for doneness as you go. When the rice is done, stir in arugula, parmesan, lemon juice, zest and salt.

There is a proper way to eat fondue – dont double dip, the fondue fork shouldnt touch your mouth, transfer dipped food from the fondue fork to a plate and eat it with another fork, dont drop stuff into the fondue pot…

Then there is our ‘throw-all-the-rules-out’ method of eating fondue. We dont have a fondue set, so we put the fondue in a soup bowl and used bamboo skewers. We double dipped like crazy. Several apple cubes were lost in the fondue pot/soup bowl. At the end we wiped the bowl clean with our fingers. So much fun! 

The best part – 5 minutes is all it takes to make this fondue – easy and fuss free.

 Here are some fondue dipper/dunker ideas for you..

What to dip in fondue

• lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus (pat them try before serving, if the veggies are wet, fondue wont stick to them)
• lightly grilled eggplant or zucchini (my favorite)
• roasted fingerling potatoes
• button mushrooms
• crusty bread
• cubed apple, tossed in a little lemon juice to prevent browning
• sliced fresh figs
• pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, pita chips
• cooked (al dente) tortellini, patted dry

Easy 5-Minute Mozzarella Fondue Recipe
serves 1-2

1 garlic pod minced
1/4 cup white wine 
a pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup Alouette cheese spread (recommended: garlic and herb or savory vegetable). Scroll down to see how you can win Alouette cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
anything from the “what to dip” list above to serve with fondue

Heat a small, deep non-stick pot. Add garlic and wine and bring wine to a simmer on medium heat. Once the wine begins to bubble, whisk in nutmeg and Alouette cheese spread and let it melt. Then add mozzarella cheese. Keep stirring with a whisk till the mozzarella melts, about 1 minute. If the fondue is too thick, add milk (one tablespoon at a time) while whisking on medium heat till desired consistency is reached. 

Serve fondue with cubes of crusty bread, apples, steamed vegetables or anything from the “what to dip” list above. To reheat fondue, return it to a non stick pot on medium heat, whisk in a little milk if needed.

Like this recipe? Want to win the Alouette cheese I used in this fondue or two other cheese?

A cheesy giveaway! Win a free coupon for one of these cheeses!

1.Soft spreadable cheese (used in the fondue recipe above)2.Baby Brie3.Crumbles

How to enter

You can do one of three things to enter this giveaway:

-Leave a comment. Tell me what is your favorite cheese and how you like to eat it
-Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to this post
-Tweet about this giveaway

Do all 3 of the above and you will be counted 3 times!

Contest will close at 11.30pm EST on Friday, Oct 2nd ’09. Three winners will be announced on Saturday, Oct 3rd ’09.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE.