Ricotta Dumplings with Best Ever Mushroom Sauce

My special friend Fenris was hankering for dumplings as they reminded him of his childhood, so I invited him over for an afternoon of cooking. Though my dumplings were not as traditional as the ones his mom used to make, these are very filling and just plain comfort food. I served them up with my best ever mushroom sauce, which is always better than I remember. Seriously, I could just eat this sauce all on its own. Mushroom fiends like myself must try this. Easy, and oh so tempting. I have served this sauce with plenty of foods, including Scalloped Potatoes, Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes and fresh pasta. It is one of my favorite staple sauces and a big hit with everyone who has tried it.


To make Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1b. white mushrooms,
a cup or so of creminis, sliced
1 cup yogurt
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
a dash of paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour (optional)
fresh ground black pepper
a few teaspoons of fresh chives, or a tablespoon of dried chives
a few more tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

For the dumplings:

1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup of unbleached white flour
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
1/3

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Thai Tempeh Patties with a Red Chili Dipping Sauce

Though I have always enjoyed Thai cuisine, it has only been recently that I started to get passionate about it in my own kitchen. Armed with some wonderful Thai cookbooks, and of course the internet, I have recently made Hot and Sour Mushroom Soup, Homemade Massaman Curry Paste, and Massaman Curry.

Tempeh is a fermented soy product and the only soy foods you should consume are those that are fermented, such as tamari and miso. This means avoiding or at least seriously limiting your intake of tofu, soybeans and soy milk. Soybeans are by themselves a very detrimental source of proteins and nutrition due to a very high content of enzyme inhibitors and phytic acids that block the absorption of essential minerals and cause potential intestinal problems — however, thorough fermentation in the production of tempeh, miso and soy sauce removes both the inhibitors and phytates.

For further information on the dangers of unfermented soy products, see this article by Sally Fallon.

Now to the recipe ...



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Chickpea Flour Dumplings in a Spicy Yogurt Sauce

My dear friend Jacqueline recently sent me a most elegant and beautifully presented Indian vegetarian cookbook entitled "Pure and Simple" by Vidhu Mittal. I've already bookmarked lots of recipes to try, but this recipe for immediately got my attention and so this was my first experiment with this lovely book. I certainly was not disappointed. Delightful dumplings smothered in a creamy yogurt gravy. How could I resist?

This cookbook comes highly recommended from my kitchen already. Ms. Vidhu presents an extensive collection of traditional and contemporary recipes inspired by her native province of Uttar Pradesh. Each recipe is accompanied by stunning colour photos, step by step images, helpful hints, often along with serving suggestions. This is a great resource for both novice and experienced cooks. You will find lots of tempting and straight forward recipes for drinks, appetizers and snacks, soups and salads, rice, breads and desserts. The meal menus and reference guide to spices and kitchen tools essential to Indian cooking are also a nice addition.


Adapted from "Pure and Simple"

To make the chickpea flour dumplings:

1 1/4 cups of chickpea flour (gram / besan)
2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup of water
peanut oil for frying

To make the yogurt curry:

2 cups of yogurt
1/2 cup of chickpea flour (gram / besan)
3 cups of water

Seasoning:

1 tablespoon of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida powder (hing)
1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
3/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
small handful of dried red chilies, broken into bits
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/4 cup of fresh fenugreek leaves
dash of cayenne

For Tempering:

1 tablespoon of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley or cilantro

To make the chickpea flour dumplings, combine the flour and water and stir to combine. Add the green chilies and ginger and beat until light and fluffy. Heat roughly 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, drop small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and fry until golden brown, flipping occasionally. Transfer to a bowl of salted water (roughly 4 cups of water with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt). Remove and set aside.

To make the yogurt curry, in a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, gram flour and 3 cups of water. Set aside.

For the seasoning, heat the ghee (or butter and oil) in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the asafetida, fenugreek seeds and leaves, cumin seeds, red chilies, turmeric, chili powder and cayenne. Stir and fry for a minute or two.

Now add the yogurt curry, sea salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chickpea dumplings to the pan. Simmer, uncovered, for roughly 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary to achieve your desired consistency.

Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat the ghee (or mixture of butter and oil) in a small frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the asafetida, cumin seeds, red chili powder and parsley (or cilantro). Stir and fry for a minute and add to the chickpea dumpling, yogurt mixture.

Serve hot with rice.

Yields roughly 6 servings.



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Mushroom Marinara Sauce

I've always wanted to make my own marinara sauce and when I recently found some quinoa pasta, I was inspired to come up with my own version. As tomatoes are rather pricey right now, I sort of cheated and used canned tomatoes instead of the fresh ones that I usually use. Easy to make and a good idea to serve with vegetables, your favorite pasta, tempeh, and of course Northeast African Millet Patties and just plain good enough to eat by the spoonful. Your friends and family will thank you. There is really no comparison between store bought sauces and homemade ones.

This one is going off to Ruth's popular Presto Pasta Event.



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Review: Baked Bananas with Tamarind Sauce

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Tamarind is one of my favorite fruits. Not too many people are familiar wit it or use it, but it is quite handy.

It is very sour and usually will be found sweetened. People of India and Indonesia add chili pepper or cayenne with it, making it sweet yet hot. We enjoyed this recipe from recipezaar last weekend. It only took a little adaptation to be vegan using vegan margarine rather than butter. I did add cayenne to the sauce as well.