Artichoke and Jalapeño Savory Pie

Gluten-free pasta pie, a savory and delicious frittata style dish.

Happy first weekend in March! Spring is in the air. To celebrate, here's an eggy, savory pie for the coming greening season, spiked with the kicked-up heat of jalapeños. It's a hybrid of traditional kugel, quiche, and pasta frittata. Kinda postmodern eggilicious. And the best part is, it's a super easy recipe. Perfect for a light brunch, a weeknight supper, or any time you crave huevos. Which is less fraught with guilt, now that the Powers That Be have decided eggs are not the enemy they once touted. Especially if you use organic eggs from humanely raised, vegetarian fed free-range chickens. Happier eggs contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamins A, D and E, it turns out. Which makes this frittata pie idea a nutritious way to use up leftover gluten-free spaghetti. 

Your mother's pasta frittata, this isn't. Your mother didn't make you pasta frittata? Babycakes! 

What are you waiting for?

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Plantains for Your Membranes – Fried Sweet Plantains for the Winter Blues

According to my sources deep inside the online health community, eating plantains can help fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), or as it's more commonly called, the "winter blues." 

I don't really have issues with S.A.D., and when I do, I usually fight it with beer, but it is nice to have another option.

It may be the tryptophan, a natural mood enhancer, or the high levels of vitamins C, B6, B12, or maybe it's just all that fiber, but whatever it is, I can report anecdotally that I felt pretty happy after eating these golden-browned beauties.

Above and beyond the purported health benefits, I have an even better reason to try plantains: meatless boredom. I like to mix in the occasional meatless meal, but tend to repeat the same old standbys. Plantains are perfect for breaking up that routine. Besides, I bet that some of your have never even tried them before, and that's just not right.

If you live near any kind of large city, especially one with a Latin-American community, you should find these fairly easily. As I mention in the video, you've probably looked at them many times at the store, but were unsure of exactly what they were, or what you should do with them.

I think when paired with a simple plate of black beans and rice, you're talking about a super simple, very frugal, and quite delicious dinner. I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Fried sweet plantains ingredients for about 4 portions:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 ripe plantains (peel should be mostly black),

salt to taste

lime wedges, optional

Curried Spinach Dip Recipe

This recipe for Curried Spinach Dip is very easy to make. If you like North Indian cuisine you will really like this dish as it uses many of the classic Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, and curry powder.

Curried Spinach works as a stand alone dip served with pita chips or you can use it for filling to make a Brazilian - Indian fusion appetizer called a Curried Spinach Pastéis.

Ingredients:
2 tspn olive oil
1 tspn cumin seeds, ground
1 tspn curry powder
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 10 oz. box frozen spinach
1/3 package of Philadelphia brand cream cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek Gods brand)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Thaw the spinach and squeeze it to remove most of the moisture. Pull the spinach apart and put it into a small bowl to use later.
   
2. In a small bowl, mix the cumin, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper and set aside.
3. In another bowl, dissolve the bouillon cube in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil.
5. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until it is clear and translucent, about 4 minutes.
6. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for another 3 minutes.
   
7. Add the bowl of spices to the skillet along with the spinach.
8. Stir the spices and the spinach well, then pour in the vegetable bouillon.
9. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until you have cooked off most of the moisture, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
   
10. Mix the spinach together with the cream cheese and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve with pita chips or use as a filler for this Pastéis recipe.

Related Posts / Recipes:
Pastéis Recipe

Other Appetizers:
Olio Verde
Irish Nachos
Sago Pagoda

India

A Fried Plantain Tease and a New Video Recipe Friend

Inspired by my recent trip to Miami, I will be posting a brand new video tomorrow for fried sweet plantains. In the meantime, to whet your appetite I've posted a video below from my new friend, Lillian, from the blog Lillian's Test Kitchen, making ripe plantains three different ways. I've just discovered Lillian's work and really like her style and delivery. Don't be surprised if you see more of her here on Food Wishes. Enjoy!

Click here to see Lillian's original blog post, where you find the recipes and ingredient amounts!

Help! I've Been Wikipedia'd!

I never cared about having a Wikipedia page, until I had a Wikipedia page. If fact, even though it's my go-to source for the little bit of research I actually do, I've never really thought about having my own page.

The problem is, I'm so busy with work right now, I'm afraid I don’t have time to figure out how this whole thing works. I can't even figure out who nominated the page in the first place. I see that the page is up for deletion unless they can verify it's a legit entry, or something to that effect.

So I'm asking for a little help from you all. Do you know how this works? Are any of you active editors of Wikipedia? Is that even the right terminology? Can you edit and add info for me (like the awards and honors we've won)?

You can see the page in question here. Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance you can provide!

Canning 101

Rules:

1. Use jars made specifically for canning. Make sure they are not chipped or cracked.
2. For canning, use new flat metal lids with rubber seals.
3. Use new rings that twist around the top of the jars.
4. Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Then place them in plain hot (but not boiling) water until you are ready to use them.

Recommended Equipment:
tongs for handling jars in boiling water
water canner



Canning Process:

1. Fill the canner half full with water and place it over high heat. In a different pan, heat more water (1-2 quarts) and add the clean jars to sterilize them. Boil briefly. In a small saucepan, heat (but do not boil) the lids.
2. Prepare the food to be canned.
3. Remove the jars from the hot water and pour out any excess water.
4. Place these on a folded dish towel on the counter. Fill the jars with the prepared food, leaving 1/4 inch headspace for jams, jellies, and fruit sauces and a 1/2 inch space for tomatoes, salsas, and pickles.
   
5. Clean the rims and threads of the jars with a clean, damp cloth.
6. Place a hot lid on each jar top, then twist on a metal ring.
7. Place the jars onto the wire rack in the canner. Be sure the jars are not touching each other or the bottom or sides of the pot.
8. Add the boiling water to the canner until the tops of the jars are covered with 1 to 2 inches of water.
9. When the water returns to a full rolling boil, begin timing. Processing time differs according to what is being canned. Be sure the jars are covered with water at all times.
10. When the processing is finished, remove the jars and place them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool.
11. When the jars are cool, check to make sure they are sealed. If the lid does not move when pressed in, this indicates a proper seal. You must have a proper seal on your canned goods or else they will spoil.
    

Courtesy of Laura C. Martin from her Green Market Baking Book [review]

Pineapple Rava Kesari Recipe

Pineapple Rava Kesari is popular in Sri Lanka as well as the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is often associated with weddings and other special occasions.

This Pineapple Rava Kesari has a consistency of thick porridge. It is slightly sweet with a subtle pineapple flavor. The dried cherries provide a tart contrast.

Most recipes for Kesari include ghee (a type of clarified butter) however I substituted canola oil instead. Different types of nuts can also be added to the Pineapple Rava Kesari for added flavor and texture.

Ingredients:
1 cup Rava (semolina flour)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tspn saffron
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 tspn cardamom powder
dried cherries for garnish

Preparation:

1. Finely dice 1 cup of fresh pineapple.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium until it is warm, then dissolve the saffron into the milk. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Cook the Rava until it is golden brown, stirring continuously.
4. In a large pot, add the water and the pineapple. Bring to a boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Gradually add the fried Rava to the water and pineapple. Stir the mixture continuously so that no lumps form.
6. Add the saffron and milk mixture, cardamom, and the sugar and stir until all of the ingredients have combined. The mixture should have the consistency of a thick porridge.
7. Serve warm and garnish with dried cherries.
   

Sri Lanka