The Cookbook Challenge Week 38 - Spice - Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry - 2 - $ - V - (!)

This week's catch-up Cookbook Challenge was an epic fail! It had nothing to do with the recipe mind you. Well I'm assuming it was my fault due to my rather large deviation from the ingredients. It all started so well too, with good intentions of maximising today's vegetable intake and providing lunch for my colleagues tomorrow.

Never mind, cook and learn. And what I learned today was not to use the coconut version of evaporated milk thinking it will behave like proper coconut milk because it WON'T. It curdles and should only ever be added at the last minute on a low heat due to having barely any fat content. Of course I know this NOW. Which is a real shame because the curry looked and smelled great before it all went wrong.
I think you should give the recipe a try and follow the ingredients to the letter because I'm going to have another go and I promise to do as Curtis Stone asks in Issue 4 of the MasterChef magazine which is where it comes from.


Ingredients - serves 4

100gm dried chickpeas or 1 x 400gm tin - if using dried cover in boiling water and soak for 40 minutes or until water goes cold
2tbs olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2cm piece of ginger, grated
2 long green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 long red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
400gm butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 3cm pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 3cm pieces
2tsp garam masala
2tsp ground coriander
2tsp caraway seeds, toasted
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp ground turmeric
juice of 1 lime
1tbs brown sugar
2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk - use the real deal!
1/4 cup coriander, roughly chopped and extra to serve
steamed rice

Sort out your chickpeas if using dried ones or drain the tinned ones and rinse well.
Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat and cook off the onion, ginger, garlic and half the chillies for about 4 minutes or until soft.
Add pumpkin, carrot, chickpeas and spices and cook stir for another 3 minutes. Add the lime juice and sugar and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add 250ml water and the coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Season and stir in the chopped coriander.
Serve with rice and garnish with remaining chillies and extra coriander.

Enjoy!

Reader Recipe - Cin's Famous Roast Veg Salad - 2 - $ - V

I should be doing the dishes, but instead I bring you a reader recipe. Trumpets please!

This recipe comes from the lovely Cindy. Cindy is a great cook and she's hot with a capital H.
Like this: Hot!

I've been hanging on to to this recipe for a while now, waiting for just the right moment to share it because it's one that suits a change of season. The kind of salad that you can eat in cooler climes, to either farewell summer or welcome spring.

Thanks for sharing Cin! The amounts below will easily serve 4 smoking mamas.


Ingredients

Salad
4 fresh beetroots, peeled and cut into quarters
half a butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into similar size chunks
12 small potatoes cut into quarters
2 swedes or any other root veggies available
3 biggish handfuls of baby spinach
250gm creamy feta

Dressing
1/2 cup of good, whole egg mayonnaise
splash of balsamic vinegar
dash of olive oil
salt and pepper

Parboil all the veggies separately until just tender.
Roast the veggies at 180C degrees until they are a little bit crunchy.
While the roasted veg are still hot, pour over the dressing ingredients and gently toss to coat each piece, set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Wash the baby spinach and dry off with a clean tea towel or salad spinner. Make a bed of spinach on a pretty serving dish and spread the cooked veggies on top.
Crumble the feta over the top and season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin & Zucchini Pie - 1 - $ - V

Huzzah! A new reader recipe!

Thanks to the lovely Sandi for sending in another one of her special dishes. I had the good fortune to taste this pie and it is absolutely delicious. It can be served hot or cold and is perfect for a picnic or in a lunchbox.

Remember readers, if you use one of the recipes found here, it would be great if you sent one of your faves to wotsfortea@gmail.com to complete the Kulinary Karma chain.

Ingredients

1 large zucchini, grated

500gm pumpkin (Sandi uses butternut), grated

1/2 brown onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

1tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

150gm feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

3 eggs, lightly beaten

filo pastry, fresh or frozen is fine, whichever is a better fit for you baking dish

salt & pepper to season

melted butter, to brush the pastry with

Preheat oven to 180C degrees and grease a baking dish, approximately 23 x 23cms.
Squeeze the grated pumpkin & zucchini to remove excess liquid, then mix together with the all the cheese and herbs.

Saute the onion and garlic and add to the above mixture. Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well.

In your baking dish, lay down a filo sheet, brush with melted butter and repeat with another four sheets of pastry.

Spread about a third of the filling mixture on top of the pastry.

Add another four sheets of filo and repeat until you have three layers of filling. Top with the last four sheets of pastry, brush the top sheet with butter and fold over the ends to make a an edge but tucking the sheets in.

Score into serving size squares on top and bake for around 35 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!