Recipes Discovered

Kaddo Borawni Recipe

I recently saw this picture on a website, and, for whatever reason, I needed to eat whatever the picture was of. At that point, I had no idea what it was, although it appeared to be pumpkin covered in some type of sauce. The picture just looked so good, or maybe I was just that hungry, that I printed the recipe, bought the ingredients, and made it for dinner.

What the picture turned out to be is Kaddo Borawni, or Afghani pumpkin. It’s served as an appetizer at a very popular Afghan restaurant in Baltimore called The Helmond, and basically it’s pumpkin with yogurt and meat sauce. I know, it doesn’t sound good, but trust me (or even ask Seth), this dish is phenomenal. Sadly, I couldn’t find a sugar pumpkin at the store. I’m told they are available mostly during the fall, around Thanksgiving, and are baby pumpkins used mostly for making pies. I wasn’t sure how a butternut squash or an acorn squash would, so I ended up using a carnival squash, which has a dense, sweet flesh. It’s also very difficult to peel because of it’s shape, and by the time I was done, I didn’t have a lot of flesh left. Two and a half pounds of pumpkin turned out to be just enough for Seth and I. >> Read more

Fried Rice with Scallion, Edamame, and Tofu Recipe

We have a lot of Chinese restaurants in town, but I don’t think any of them can make great fried rice. There is always something I would change – less salt, more flavor, less dry – and the list goes on and on. I’m not saying this is the greatest fried rice ever, but it’s fairly versatile and it tastes great.

First, heat oil in a large skillet or wok, and then add some garlic, scallions, and ginger. Saute it for a minute, or until it smells outstanding, and then add rice, peppers, edamame, carrot, and tofu. Anything can really be added at this point. The original recipe called for red pepper and corn, but traditional fried rice has peas and carrots. Shrimp would be great in place of the tofu. I really like the edamame, which, in it’s shell looks similar to a pea pod and out of it’s shell looks kind of like a lima bean. It’s actually a soybean, and it’s quite tasty. I’ve seem them whole in the produce section of the grocery store, but I found a bag in the frozen food section that were already shelled. Anyway, after adding the rice and veggies, stir-fry everything until it’s hot, and then make a well in the center of the pan. Add some more oil and then eggs. Cook them until they are almost set and then stir them into the rice. Season everything with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and some sesame oil, and it’s ready to be served. It’s quite and easy, but like I said, it’s better than any fried rice I can get around here.

Fried Rice with Scallion, Edamame, and Tofu Recipe

Shrimp with Basil-Mint Pesto Recipe

Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper Recipe

Having a large bunch of basil in the refrigerator that needed to be used, the first that came to my mind was to make pesto. The first recipe I came across was a recipe for shrimp with a basil mint pesto, which sounded really good and was really easy. Just combine basil, mint, toasted pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor (don’t try to use a blender, it doesn’t work), and drizzle in olive oil. To make the pesto a little lighter, I used half olive oil and half chicken stock. Once everything was worked into a thick paste, I transferred it to a bowl and mixed in grated Parmesan cheese. Apparently putting the Parmesan in the food processor changes the taste because of the heat from the blades. I don’t know how much or if it actually changes the taste, but I mixed the cheese in afterwards. Once the pesto was made, I sauted shrimp in some olive oil and garlic until they were pink and then tossed them in the bowl with the pesto. I was going to use the pesto as the sauce for linguine as well, but after reading some reviews that said the pesto was very potent, I decided to toss the hot linguine with butter, grated pecorino cheese, and black pepper. I used some of the pasta water to make a sauce, and then added chopped arugula. Although I really liked the pesto sauce on the shrimp, I am glad I didn’t use it for the pasta sauce since it did have a very strong flavor. It worked well on the shrimp though. And the linguine was so simple, yet so good. I used whole wheat linguine, which I think taste so much better than regular pasta. I thought the black pepper would be overpowering, but it went was balanced by the saltiness of the cheese. The arugula gave the pasta some color, but I don’t think it added much flavor. I could take it or leave it next time. Overall though, it was an easy meal that packed a major flavor punch. Seth liked it so much, he asked me to make it again tomorrow!

Shrimp with Basil-Mint Pesto Recipe

Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper Recipe

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Rice Soup Recipe

When it’s really cold outside, I love to have a nice, hot bowl of soup. This recipe for butternut squash soup is great because it includes sausage and rice, so it’s a complete meal in a bowl.

First, I peeled, seeded, and chopped a large butternut squash into 1 inch cubes. Then I roasted it with a little olive oil for about 45 minutes, until it was really tender. Once it cooled a little bit, I put it in the blender with enough chicken broth to puree it, about a cup. While the squash was roasting, I cooked some brown rice in chicken broth with some onions. That also took about 45 minutes, so it was done the same time as the squash.

After the squash and rice were cooked, I added some olive oil and the sausage to my dutch oven. Once sausage was browned, I added the rest of the onions and the corn. I was really uncertain about the corn in this recipe, but in the end I was glad I added it. It adds a difference sweetness and texture to the soup. When the onion was soft, I added the squash puree and chicken broth. I added 3 cups of chicken broth, but I like a fairly thick soup. Add as much as you like, and remember, more can always be added later. I covered my pot and let everything simmer for 20 minutes before add the rice and cooking for another 10 minutes. At that point, I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper and served the soup with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

To me, the soup was perfect. It was very thick and creamy, plus it was sweet from the squash, smokey from the sausage, and had a nice texture with the rice and corn. Seth even agreed with me, and he generally isn’t that into soup. I wish I had made more because I hear it’s going to be cold for quite awhile.

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Rice Soup Recipe

Breakfast (Bacon) Cookies Recipe

After all of the cookies that Seth took to work with him, one of his co-workers decided that the only cookie missing was one with bacon. I thought Seth was crazy until he actually e-mailed this recipe, and asked me to make them. Raisins, multi grain flakes, and, of course, bacon are mixed into a standard cookie dough to create a sweet and savory cookie. It’s a very strange combination, but it has a lot of components of breakfast, hence the name breakfast cookies. I cooked the bacon in the microwave, which I find it the least messy cooking method. I used 6 slices of thick bacon, and ended up cooking them for 10 minutes to get them really crisp. After stirring the dough together, I used my cookie scooper to place the cookies on cookie sheets, and then baked them 10 or 11 minutes, just until the edges of the cookies were brown. I then transferred the cookies to wire racks and let them cool. Although I’m not a huge fan of bacon, I was very curious about these cookies. After tasting one (or two), I have to admit, they are really good. They are crisp from the flakes, but still a little bit chewy. And while the bacon flavor definitely comes through, it’s not the dominate flavor. The raisins give the cookies a little sweetness, which balances the saltiness. It’s a unusual cookie, but, as Seth tells me, everything is better with bacon! I just like an excuse to eat cookies for breakfast.
Breakfast (Bacon) Cookies Recipe