I always maintain that we never cook the same dish the same way, all the time. We always do something different with the same recipe. Maybe it's because we don't have all the ingredients, so we substitute, or we need to experiment with a different twist on the recipe, or maybe we think that a new way of cooking the same recipe might give us better results, or, simply, we forget all the details of the original recipe, so we improvise. Mostly this tweaking happens when you have a rather new recipe, you want to experiment to see if by tweaking it, the recipe will be better, or if you make some substitutions you'll have a perfect dish. To tell you the truth, old recipes also often get tweaked in my kitchen. This happens mostly when I am tired, or lazy to follow the recipe step by step, or when I am in an adventurous mood and start questioning tradition. This is basically how I got to make my own improved version of melokheya. No one would dare to tweak such a recipe, it has probably been around since the days of the Pharaohs, but one day when I felt lazy and adventurous, I changed the way of cooking it and got a better result. This doesn't mean of course that all tweaking will yield better results, sometimes it creates disasters, so be careful, and try to work within certain limits, meaning, be creative with the spices you use for example, but don't go overboard with the creativity. My sister once used some strong oriental spices in a tomato sauce we were going to use with pasta, and we ended up having the pasta with just some butter and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Lately I didn't put many posts simply because I was repeating many of my usual recipes. I wouldn't call it a rut because we had many friends over for dinner many times, and two of my best friends came for a prolonged visit and stayed with us. We went out all the time doing all things tourists do, shopped a lot, but also had many dinners at home. This is the main reason that made me think about this post today. I realized that although I was cooking from my usual repertoire, I always managed to make something new. This is also why I made a point of taking pictures of these old recipes that I tweaked. So here are some tweaked recipes. You might find them more interesting than the original.
CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN
We had a big dinner party to celebrate the first day of Ramadan. I made the dishes that everyone expects to have after a day of fasting, also with a twist: I didn't serve chicken, but rabbit. Usually on these occasions people serve some kind of meat and another protein dish, usually chicken, but I went another way. Also people expected some kind of old fashioned rice dish, but were surprised to have lasagna. We had soup as a starter and two kinds of vegetables. This one was particularly appreciated. That made me really happy because I always make a point of taking care of my vegetarian guests so that they don't feel left out. In such occasions and menus, vegetables are usually treated as garnish, or as an after thought, nobody cares about them and they are the last dishes to be picked or served. But I always have some vegetarian friends in my parties and I want them to feel included, that their dishes took as much care and preparation as all the others. So I decided to make my cauliflower au gratin. I didn't go back to my recipe, you remember that I had made it only once, tweaking it from a recipe we found in the NY Times. It is very easy. I made two heads of cauliflower, and added to it slices of carrot in a quantity that creates a balance between the colors white and orange. So it's up to you to decide how much carrots you'll add. I sliced one can of pitted black olives, and added 3 tsp of capers.
I didn't have any parsley, so I used cilantro. It turned out to be an excellent idea. It gave the dish a new layer of flavor, especially when I added the takleya (finely chopped garlic cooked with coriander, salt and pepper in a drop of oil until browned and fragrant). This is what gives the dish the "oriental" flavor. So start by boiling the carrots and cauliflower in salted water, adding a pinch of cumin. When the vegetables are tender, after about 4 to 5 minutes max, drain them and transfer to the baking dish. Add the olives and capers, toss with the takleya, making sure that you don't break the florets. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Make a simple roux by dissolving about 4 tbsp flour in 2 cups of milk, I used skim, and cooking it over medium heat stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add grated cheese to the thickened roux. Use what you have available or what you like most. Just don't use a cheese that would overwhelm your veggies. How much? Start by melting a cup of shredded cheese, and add another 1/2 cup, stirring to melt. Add the sauce to the dish, and with a spoon, push the veggies so that the sauce is evenly distributed in the dish. sprinkle some more cheese on top, and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown.
The picture is taken before adding the sauce.
BAKED PASTA
This is my classic baked ziti or penne with three cheeses. But this time it's a bit different. I served it the day we had invited a young couple who just got married and were just coming back from their honeymoon. I wanted to make it special, but that day I had to go to work, so I had to think of an easy way to make that special. I found the easiest solution in a traditional concept: Add meat to a dish and it will be special. I had, as usual, some browned ground beef in my freezer. This is the solution. I'll add it to the pasta. I made one whole box of penne. Cook it according to the package instructions. In a pan heat the browned ground beef, then add a can of tomato sauce, rinse it with 1/2 a can of water, and add it to the pan, plus a sprinkle of crushed oregano. Cook the sauce until thickened. Transfer the pasta to a large deep baking dish, and add the sauce. Toss. Add 1 cup of ricotta cheese and toss. You may add another 1/2 cup, then 1 cup grated parmigiano. Stir to combine all. Add shredded mozzarella on top and bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted. It was a great success. They expected some kind of bechamel sauce in the dish, but were surprised to know that this creamy texture came from cheese.
We had a big dinner party to celebrate the first day of Ramadan. I made the dishes that everyone expects to have after a day of fasting, also with a twist: I didn't serve chicken, but rabbit. Usually on these occasions people serve some kind of meat and another protein dish, usually chicken, but I went another way. Also people expected some kind of old fashioned rice dish, but were surprised to have lasagna. We had soup as a starter and two kinds of vegetables. This one was particularly appreciated. That made me really happy because I always make a point of taking care of my vegetarian guests so that they don't feel left out. In such occasions and menus, vegetables are usually treated as garnish, or as an after thought, nobody cares about them and they are the last dishes to be picked or served. But I always have some vegetarian friends in my parties and I want them to feel included, that their dishes took as much care and preparation as all the others. So I decided to make my cauliflower au gratin. I didn't go back to my recipe, you remember that I had made it only once, tweaking it from a recipe we found in the NY Times. It is very easy. I made two heads of cauliflower, and added to it slices of carrot in a quantity that creates a balance between the colors white and orange. So it's up to you to decide how much carrots you'll add. I sliced one can of pitted black olives, and added 3 tsp of capers.
I didn't have any parsley, so I used cilantro. It turned out to be an excellent idea. It gave the dish a new layer of flavor, especially when I added the takleya (finely chopped garlic cooked with coriander, salt and pepper in a drop of oil until browned and fragrant). This is what gives the dish the "oriental" flavor. So start by boiling the carrots and cauliflower in salted water, adding a pinch of cumin. When the vegetables are tender, after about 4 to 5 minutes max, drain them and transfer to the baking dish. Add the olives and capers, toss with the takleya, making sure that you don't break the florets. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Make a simple roux by dissolving about 4 tbsp flour in 2 cups of milk, I used skim, and cooking it over medium heat stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add grated cheese to the thickened roux. Use what you have available or what you like most. Just don't use a cheese that would overwhelm your veggies. How much? Start by melting a cup of shredded cheese, and add another 1/2 cup, stirring to melt. Add the sauce to the dish, and with a spoon, push the veggies so that the sauce is evenly distributed in the dish. sprinkle some more cheese on top, and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown.
The picture is taken before adding the sauce.
BAKED PASTA
This is my classic baked ziti or penne with three cheeses. But this time it's a bit different. I served it the day we had invited a young couple who just got married and were just coming back from their honeymoon. I wanted to make it special, but that day I had to go to work, so I had to think of an easy way to make that special. I found the easiest solution in a traditional concept: Add meat to a dish and it will be special. I had, as usual, some browned ground beef in my freezer. This is the solution. I'll add it to the pasta. I made one whole box of penne. Cook it according to the package instructions. In a pan heat the browned ground beef, then add a can of tomato sauce, rinse it with 1/2 a can of water, and add it to the pan, plus a sprinkle of crushed oregano. Cook the sauce until thickened. Transfer the pasta to a large deep baking dish, and add the sauce. Toss. Add 1 cup of ricotta cheese and toss. You may add another 1/2 cup, then 1 cup grated parmigiano. Stir to combine all. Add shredded mozzarella on top and bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted. It was a great success. They expected some kind of bechamel sauce in the dish, but were surprised to know that this creamy texture came from cheese.
