Baked Curried Paella with Turnips

paella outside the box.

Baked Curried Paella with Turnips and Greens

This might just be the prettiest thing I've ever made. Except for pie.
Nothing's prettier than pie.

Yes, the curry is a little on the non traditional side. As is the cooking method. And a few of the ingredients. The whole thing is outside the box, really. But when something tastes and looks this good, who cares? Aside from a wee bit of chopping and stirring, the labor on this dish is minimal. And the wow factor? Absolutely through the roof. Crack open a bottle of wine, bring this beautiful sizzling plate to the table and your dinner guests will be begging for their next invite. There you go.
 I crown thee Dinner Party Master.
Wield your newfound power carefully, my friend. 

Recipe notes:
The cooking process moves from stove top, to oven and back to stove top.
Make sure you use a pan that is both stove top and oven safe.
This could be as simple as a large saute pan or, my preferred method,
a shallow enameled cast iron pot.
You can use bomba, traditional Spanish paella rice, but arborio is significantly cheaper and works just as well.
You can, of course, roast the red peppers yourself, but for convenience sake,
the jarred ones work beautifully.
I have used young red turnips, which do not need to be peeled, for this recipe.
If using the tougher, more traditional turnips be sure to peel them before cooking.
If your turnips do not come with greens attached another cooking green can be used; arugula and spinach both work well with the flavor profiles in this dish.
This paella keeps and reheats spectacularly well.
Simply store it covered in the pan it was cooked in and reheat on the stove top, adding a couple teaspoons of water.

Baked and crisped to perfection, ready to serve.

Baked Curried Paella
(serves 4)

1c arborio rice
3c unsalted vegetable stock
2tsp curry powder
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2tbsp olive oil
1c cooked chickpeas,
canned or dried
1c roasted red peppers, sliced into 1/4" strips
3 small red turnips, skin on, scrubbed and diced
1 bunch turnip greens, washed, stems removed and chopped



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Over medium heat, add olive oil to a large saucepan or enameled cast iron pot.
Add onions and garlic, saute for 1-2 minutes.
Sprinkle in curry powder and salt, stir and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add rice, chickpeas, red peppers and turnips, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour in broth slowly and bring to a gentle boil.

Now that's an impressive plate of food.

Reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
The rice should be slightly swelled and the mixture still slightly liquid-y.
Taste liquid and salt as needed.
Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Rice should be al dente when done.
Remove from oven, scatter greens over the top and cover, with foil or a pot lid.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Remove cover and return to stove top.
Cook over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes to crisp the bottom.
Serve straight out of the pan, making sure to scrape up the crisp bits from the bottom-
it's one of the best parts.

Homemade Curry Powder

a well stocked spice rack is a magical thing.

DIY Spice Mixes: Homemade Curry Powder

Coriander in the mortar and pestle, turmeric and whole cardamom pods. 

So... store bought curry blends are ok, if you splurge for the fancy-pants kind they can even be pretty tasty. But having a well stocked spice rack and the ability to throw together a complex, from scratch, homemade curry at the drop of a hat?That's something special. As a bonus, every individual spice required for this curry powder has endless other applications. Why limit yourself to a pre-blended curry powder when you can stock up on gorgeous fresh spices that can be used in a million other recipes? Turmeric, for example, has an indescribably earthy flavor and is a know anti-inflamatory, a flavorful addition to soups, stews, rice dishes and can even be made into tea. Cumin is a heavily used spice in Latin American dishes. Cardamom can be used in a variety of Indian dishes, is a key ingredient in Chai and is also wonderful paired with many different fruits. With the exception of the turmeric and chili powder, which are infinitely easier to find ground, I highly recommend splurging for whole spices. While a bit more expensive than ground, they stay fresh significantly longer and absolutely nothing compares to the taste/aroma of freshly ground spices. Bulk whole spices are sometimes available at food co-ops and are a great value. Indian/Asian markets are also a reliable spot to seek out less expensive spices. Whole spices can be easily ground by hand with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, blender or even electric coffee grinder. When using fresh cardamom, pinch the pod until it splits and peel away the exterior green shell, using only the interior seeds. The shell can be reserved and used to make cardamom sugar. Simply bundle the shells in a bit of cheesecloth, tie closed and toss into a small jar of sugar.
 Let sit for a week or so and you'll have fragrant cardamom scented sugar,
a lovely addition to baked goods, tea, coffee or even mixed drinks.


Homemade Curry Powder

4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, exterior pods removed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Place all spices in a mortar and pestle
or spice grinder.
Grind into a fine powder.
Store in an airtight container.
Keep in a cool dry place.

Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

put some curry on it...
On the Cheap: Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

Finished vegan curried split pea soup, hot off the stove and ready to eat. 

Split pea soup is something I'd always WANTED to like. The concept of it always appealed to me, but I was never able to find a vegan version that was more than just a big bowl of ok. The heat and eat cans served their purpose but were somewhat pricey and pretty lacking in the flavor department. Then there's the glop factor. Bad split pea soup can have a texture/taste somewhat comparable to that of unseasoned dehydrated mashed potatoes. Yuck.
So after years of fruitless searching, and a lot of mediocre soup,
I set out to perfect a recipe of my own.

Soup ingredients still life: carrots, onion, split peas and curry powder.

With a little experimentation and a dash of curry powder, this recipe was born. Holding true to the "on the cheap" header of the post, dried split peas can easily be found for about a dollar per pound at your local grocery store. Store bought vegetable stock is relatively inexpensive or you can do homemade with leftover veggie scraps. The priciest ingredient will be the curry powder. If there is a co-op in your neighborhood you may be able to purchase it in bulk there.

If not, an Asian/ Indian grocery is a good place to seek out less expensive spices. If neither of these options are available to you just grab the curry powder from the grocery store. At about $5-6 per jar it won't break the bank, gives you a lot of bang for your buck flavor wise, and is worth having in your spice drawer for future recipes. 

Local carrots, peeled, sliced into discs and ready to be added to soup mix. 

When buying in bulk and using homemade stock, this recipe can be put together for between $3.50 and $5.00. Not too shabby for a pot of soup that serves 8-10.

*Note that this is an unblended soup. While a number of split pea soup recipes call for blending in the final step, I've found that if the peas are cooked properly they break down beautifully on their own, eliminating the 

need for blending.

Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

(serves 8-10)

11b (about 2c) of dried green split peas 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of carrots (about 8-10) 

peeled and sliced into 1/4' discs

1 onion diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

6 cups of low sodium vegan vegetable stock

1/2c water

2tsp kosher or sea salt

1tbsp madras curry powder

1 1/2tsp ground cumin

More salt and pepper to taste

Onions, garlic, carrots, peas and spices, ready for stock to be added. 

Rinse dried split peas until the water runs clear and pick over for any stones.

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become translucent.

Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes,

continuing to stir frequently.

Add carrots, curry powder, cumin and 2tsp of salt cooking for an additional minute

until mix becomes aromatic, stirring frequently.

Add in rinsed split peas, stirring to combine and cook for an additional 30 seconds. 

Add in the vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once soup is boiling reduce heat to low, 

cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1hr, stirring occasionally. 

Once the peas are no longer holding their shape and the mixture

has thickened the soup is ready.

If you find the mixture to be a bit too thick, 

add additional water or stock 1/3c at a time. 

Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 

Local carrot line-up. Just because. 

Vegan Curry Rice Noodles

spicy coco-nutty deliciousness:

Thai Red Curry Coconut Rice Noodles

Medium vermicelli rice stick.

Thai basil, lime and red curry paste.

I'm not going to pretend to have made my own red curry paste here or anything. That's a culinary line I have yet to cross. Soon, but not yet. What I am going to do is tell you that I've found a brand of fantastic Thai curry pastes that DO NOT CONTAIN SHRIMP PASTE. If you're vegetarian or vegan and have ever shopped for curry paste you'll understand what a big deal this is. The brand is MaeSri; they make a variety of Thai curry pastes, including Red, Green and Massaman, all of which are vegan friendly. The cans are small at 4oz, but a little bit goes a very long way; this recipe only calls for 1tbsp. 

Simply keep the remaining paste refrigerated in a sealed glass jar for future use: it will keep for at least 6 months. The Red curry paste, my favorite, contains only chili, garlic, shallots, salt, sugar, lemongrass, kaffir lime and spices. It seems to be a fairly popular brand, I've seen it in a number of Asian groceries in my area. If you're lucky enough to have an Asian grocery close by you'll want to hit it up for this recipe. Trust me when I say it will be your best and cheapest option for ingredients like rice stick, ginger root, sesame oil, limes, coconut milk, Thai basil and of course curry paste.  

If you're unable to find this brand locally, you can purchase it online here: 

MaeSri Red Curry Paste on Amazon.

This recipe makes a rich and flavorful coconut based curry; the rice noodles are the delivery system. I like mine topped with a healthy handful of Thai basil and a wedge of lime. I enjoy this as a straight-up noodle dish, but occasionally add in whatever vegetables are on hand. If you do decide to add veggies make sure they are cut small enough to cook quickly and mix easily into the curry and noodles.

MaeSri Red Curry Paste. 

Vegan Thai Red Curry Coconut Rice Noodles:
serves 4

You will need:

1tbsp sesame oil or canola oil

1 tsp freshly grated ginger root

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

1 lime, half juiced and half reserved for garnish

1 tbsp red curry paste

1 15oz can unsweetened light coconut milk 

(You can use full fat instead, I just prefer the light)

1lb rice stick noodles, I recommend medium to thick rice stick.

1 - 1 1/2 cup of vegetables such as thinly sliced carrots, broccoli or cabbage (optional)

Thai basil for garnish (optional)

Red curry rice noodles topped with Thai basil and a lime wedge. 

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to instructions.

*Drain and set aside when finished, keeping covered so noodles do not clump and stick.

If adding vegetables to your curry have them washed cut and ready to go.

In a large saute pan heat the sesame oil over medium heat. 

Add diced onion, cook for 2-3 minutes , stirring frequently, 

until they begin to become translucent.

Add minced garlic and ginger, stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes more. 

Add curry paste, stirring to combine, and cook for one minute more. 

Add in coconut milk, using a whisk to incorporate all ingredients.

optional: Add vegetables to coconut milk mixture and cook for 5 minutes more.

Turn off heat.

Add lime juice.

Add cooked noodles to your pan, tossing until all ingredients are combined 

and noodles are well coated.

Serve with Thai basil and a lime wedge.