Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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KitchenKatalog: Blog 299
Friday, December 14, 2012, 08:13 PM
I made carrot pudding again. I am trying to work on the recipe. I actually made two batches where one was with half beets, half carrots. I am starting to get a feel for the recipe. The beet one tasted a bit metallic I think I put too much baking powder in so I cut it a lot for the next. I also did half sugar and half splenda. That made the carrot one (and maybe the beet) extra caramelized. I wonder if I could now cut back on the sugar a bit more. Interestingly, the carrot one was much wetter out of the pressure cooker.
Anyway, below is the latest iteration of the recipe. This is what I did for the carrots which were better. The only changes for the beets were I forgot the ginger, did 1 tbsp baking_soda_and obviously half beets.
The texture was still a bit of mush which I do not think I am going to be able to avoid without taking too much time. I do not mind it being mushy, but it is less authentic.
Carrot Pudding
Put the milk and the smart balance in the pressure cooker. Grate the carrots. Mix all the dry ingredients separately then add them to the carrots. Stir and then pressure cook on setting 2 for 15 minutes (that timing starts when the regulator starts venting).
Release the pressure quickly (just with the gauge). Then cook on medium to reduce until it is the desired consistency
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2902, 2012-12-14_201354
Thursday, December 13, 2012, 08:08 PM
I wanted something quick and easy and I already had chicken thighs. I just baked them in the oven like 2012-11-29. I did one with a mix of rosemary, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder. The other one was Old Bay. The Old Bay was better.
I also sautéd spinach with garlic and minced onion
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2899, 2012-12-13_200856
Monday, December 10, 2012, 09:27 PM
I am writing this a bit after the fact so I do not recall everything. I made the standard empanada dough. I do not think I followed all of the timing on the recipe, but it came out okay. I again steamed the beans for a bit like last time which made them easy to mash. I do not recall if I put Dave's Insanity in, but I think I did. I remember them being very spicy.
They were good but not all too notable but it was good. I always forget how much of a pain-in-the-ass it was to make empanadas but it was good.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2887, 2012-12-10_212710
Sunday, December 09, 2012, 08:02 PM
I made sloppy joes based off my normal recipe but I added a bunch of seasonings. I also used splenda instead of sugar. I also adjusted down to about 2/3 of a lbs for the beef. I let it simmer for a long time (which I think is extremely important). I also added Dave's Insanity which made it pretty hot. It was extremely good. I also put spinach on it to get some extra nutrients.
I also made zucchini latkes for chanuka. I followed the recipe (but I corrected the mistake with the flour on it) and with dried minced onion instead of real. I intended to make this earlier but didn't have everything so the zucchini got extra time to dry out. So, I do not know if that is why, but they were really dry (the onion probably didn't help either). I also think I over-cooked them a little. Oh well, I know for next time
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2890, 2012-12-09_200205
Sunday, December 09, 2012, 10:13 AM
I made the carrot pudding again. I didn't have enough carrots so I cut it and kept most of the other stuff. Again, below is a list of what I did and maybe I'll add some more notes on the way.
For the most part, it was good, but I do not think it was as good as last time. Maybe I was just less excited about it. I think that next time, I may use half sugar and half splenda to give it a more real feel. I also used less butter. I think that is okay, but it is a bit less rich. Maybe I 'll try about 45 grams next time. I originally cut the splenda, but I added two more packets (back to a total of 18)..
I am not sure if I taste the other spices. I will probably keep them to see if I get the same flavors. I tried to cut the milk, but I chickened out as the carrots absorbed it all immediately and I was worried about it burning
Also, I had a good idea: I want to try half beets and half carrots. It should work fine or even better as beets have a lot of natural sugar too.
Oh, and I combined all of the spices first then added them (Except the baking powder which I forgot and added after the others).
Anyway
Cook for 15 minutes (of VENTING, not total). Then do a quick (not water) release
Then cook on medium for 10 minutes. (I timed it to a good texture)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2880, 2012-12-09_101319
Friday, December 07, 2012, 07:46 PM
I steamed about half a pound of shrimp and did the microwave thing with shirataki noodles. I added a wedge of laughing cow, some parm cheese and garlic powder. Nobody can say that shirataki noodles can take the place of real pasta nor it is that good, but it did the job. So it ended up being a pretty big but low point meal. Again, not the greatest meal, but it was easy and fast.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2873, 2012-12-07_194623
Thursday, December 06, 2012, 09:35 PM
I had bought these 100 calorie "Flatoush Wraps" things and decided they were better than tortillas both in health and size for an easy pizza. I also bought some cheap cans of tomato sauce. So I made really easy pizza. The pepperoni was low-fat turkey pepperoni and certainty tasted like it. Meh.
So, anyway, this was pretty easy, fast and tasted okay. Not amazing, but okay.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2870, 2012-12-06_213515
Wednesday, December 05, 2012, 09:34 PM
I finally made the gajar halwa I have been thinking about for a while. It is very good but it is remarkably unhealthy when you follow the normal recipes. I read a few recipes, most notably this one and with using the pressure cooker and baking powder as suggested in the Modernist Cuisine for soup.
It was very good. Not as good as stuff I have had previously but better than some restaurants. According to my indian friend, if he had it and wasn't told it was made healthier, he would have believed it, but he also agreed it isn't as good as the traditional versions he has had.
I took notes on exactly what I did and they are below. But, in the future, this is not the way I will do it. The biggest changes are I will use less salt (it was way too salty), a bit more cardamom, and much less liquid. I ended up having to keep it cooking without the lid for a while to cook off the excess. I do not know if I can reduce the butter but I may try. I also may try adding some cinnamon and nutmeg. Not much but a little.
Here are my notes. They are not exactly as I took them since I consolidated amounts (adding more cooking time or more seasonings). Also, I took the notes fast. I think I forgot to record some things which I have since corrected.
Some additional notes: A lot of recipes talk about not letting it turn to mush. I personally like it a bit mushy. It is more pudding like in my opinion. To each his own I guess. Also, some recipes talk about a hint of cardamom. I like cardamom so I do not mind piling it on. And I may try a bit of ginger powder too. Finally, I am not a huge fan of raisins in things so I cut that, but I would consider some cashews next time.
Pressure Cooker Healthier Gajar Halwa (aka Carrot Pudding)
Again, these are my notes of what I did, with notes on what I'll do next time.
In the pressure cooker, combine
Put in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Note, the lock when on quickly, but steam only started to escape after 5 minutes for 10 minutes at pressure. I'll increase this by 3-5 minutes next time.
Release the pressure and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it is at the desired consistency. I kept went a total of 19 minutes simmering.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2867, 2012-12-05_213408