Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
If it feels like one too many steps to roast the vegetables before adding them to the soup, try it once. Caramelized (it means the sugars in the vegetables were intensified, just like, well, caramel) vegetables plus the browned bits stuck to the sheet pan all translate to big flavor. If meat is a must for you, some cooked sausage would work well with this dish.
RECIPE:
Ingredients
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 2 large tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges or 4 or 5 slices
- 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cups or more of vegetable broth
- 4 cups of finely chopped kale
- 3 large fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15 oz can of Great Northern white beans, drained
Special Equipment
- Food processor
Method
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Roast the carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash, garlic
Rub rimmed baking sheet with a thin coat of olive oil. Place carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little more olive oil and salt and pepper. Rub the oil over all of the vegetables so that they are well coated.
Roast vegetables about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are cooked through and nicely browned.
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Further cut the squash and carrots
Remove the roasted squash and carrots from the pan to a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
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Purée the roasted garlic, tomatoes, onions
Remove the roasted garlic from their peelings and place in a food processor. Add the roasted tomatoes and onions. Pulse in the processor until almost smooth.
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Deglaze the roasting pan
Add a little water or broth to the baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits.
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Start soup with browned bits, broth, puréed vegetables
Add the browned bits, the broth, and the puréed vegetables to a large pot. Add the chopped kale, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot. Heat on high to bring to a boil, lower the heat to reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered until the kale is tender, about 30 minutes.
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Add roasted carrots, squash, beans
Add the roasted carrots and squash to the soup. Add the drained white beans to the soup. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes and add more broth or water to the soup if it needs thinning.
Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Can be made a day ahead.
Pressure Cooker Saag Tofu (Indian Spinach and Tofu)
Our very own instant pot expert, Coco Morante, created this garam masala-spiced spinach and tofu dish that only requires 10 minutes of prep. I’ve used curry powder in a cinch instead of garam masala and it’s still delicious. The saag will be bright yellow because curry powder has turmeric and garam masala doesn’t.
RECIPE:
When shopping for frozen spinach, look for the chopped loosely-packed variety that comes in a bag. If all you can find is spinach frozen in a solid block, make sure to defrost it before adding it to the pot.
Stovetop Instructions: Prepare the tofu as instructed in the recipe. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the tofu for six minutes, flipping once during cooking. Transfer the tofu to a plate, add the rest of the oil to the pan, and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for another two minutes, then stir in the seared tofu, tomatoes, water, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt, taking care not to break up the tofu. Add in the frozen spinach and stir once more. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Uncover, stir in the coconut milk and garam masala, and serve.
Ingredients
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1 pound extra-firm tofu
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5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided (I use avocado oil)
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1 medium yellow onion, diced
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1-inch (1/2 ounce) piece ginger, minced
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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1 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes and their liquid
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1/4 cup water
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon cayenne
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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16 ounces chopped spinach (see Recipe Note)
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2 teaspoons garam masala
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1/4 cup coconut milk
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Cooked rice or warm naan bread, to serve
Method
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Prepare the tofu:
Press the block of tofu between paper towels to squeeze out some of its moisture. Slice the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
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Sauté the onions in the pressure cooker:
Select the “Sauté” setting on your electric pressure cooker and adjust it to its highest setting. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in the pressure cooker until it shimmers and glides easily, then add the diced onion. Sauté the onions until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
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While the onions are browning, sear the tofu in a nonstick skillet:
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering and hot, add the tofu, being careful of the hot, spattering oil. Let the tofu sear for three minutes on one side, then shake the pan or use a spatula to flip the pieces over.
Sear the tofu for another three minutes or so, flipping occasionally. The cubes should have golden brown spots, but it’s fine if some pieces don’t get browned on all sides. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.
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Combine ingredients in the pressure cooker:
Once the onions have browned, add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another two minutes, until fragrant.
Use a spoon or spatula to gently stir in the seared tofu, tomatoes, water, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt, taking care not to break up the tofu. Add in the frozen spinach and stir once more. (Reserve the garam masala and coconut milk.)
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Cook the saag tofu:
Place the lid on the pressure cooker and move the sealing valve to its “Sealing” position. Cancel the “Sauté” program, then select the “Manual” setting and set the cooking time to 5 minutes at high pressure. (The pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure, and then the cooking program will start.)
When the cooking program ends, you can either perform a quick release by moving the sealing valve to its “Venting” position, or let the pressure release naturally. (If you're using an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker with a "warm" setting, it's fine for this recipe to stay on the warm setting for a few hours.)
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Open the pot, stir in the spice blend and coconut milk, and serve:
After the pressure has fully released, open the pot. Stir in the garam masala and coconut milk, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Serve the saag tofu over rice or with naan.
Weekend Baker: Orange Bread
Loaf cakes are my favorite category of dessert because they are unfussy. Often made in one bowl using pantry ingredients, it can be whipped up without advanced planning. Use lemons, tangerines, limes, or grapefruit instead (or in addition to!) oranges.
RECIPE:
Ingredients
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1/3 cup butter
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3/4 cup sugar
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2 eggs
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1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest (or more for intense orange flavor)
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
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1 cup plain yogurt
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1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped
Optional Glaze:
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1 teaspoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon orange juice
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1/3 cup powdered sugar
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Seville orange juice or sour orange juice (can replace the lemon juice), optional
Method
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan. To make it easier to remove the loaf from the pan, you may want to lay down a wide strip of parchment paper along the length of the bottom of the loaf pan, and up the narrow sides. Butter this as well.
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Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, zest:
Beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on high in an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated after each addition. Beat in the orange zest.
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Whisk the dry ingredients:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
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Add the yogurt and dry ingredients to butter sugar mixture:
Add the yogurt and dry ingredients in thirds, starting with the yogurt, and alternating the additions. Beat only until just incorporated. Mix in the golden raisins.
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Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake:
Immediately pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place in middle rack of 350°F oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Simple Tip!
If you are using a 5x9 loaf pan, the loaf will be done earlier. Check at 40 minutes. You can also use this recipe for muffins, in which case the cooking time should be 20 to 25 minutes.
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Cool:
Cool on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and cool for another 10 to 15 minutes.
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Prepare glaze:
While loaf is cooling, prepare optional glaze if using. Whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, and powdered sugar until smooth and there are no lumps. Place loaf on a serving plate. Use a toothpick or skinny skewer to poke holes in the top of the loaf and drizzle the glaze over the loaf.