Studio of Good Living

Attend a cooking class at Studio of Good Living in San Francisco and you’ll soon discover a new world full of culinary adventures. More than just a cooking school, the Studio of Good Living shares the art of living well with all its students!

Studio of Good Living offers exceptional cooking classes and events in the Bay Area and Beyond. Want to learn how to cook or brush up on your cooking skills? Take a class with us! Escape to San Francisco for a Taste of San Francisco or indulge yourself with Cook, Shop, Spa. Burned out? Drop into Live Well, Eat Well for yoga lovers. Continue the journey with the Art of Dinner Blog and view our video classes for new ideas to spice up your dinner table. . Need a change of scenery? Join us for a total culinary and lifestyle retreat in beautiful Maine. Discover the possibilities with Chef Phoebe Schilla and the Studio of Good Living. Life is Beautiful by Design.

About Studio of Good Living

SGLcircleThe Studio of Good Living was designed for today’s lifestyle savvy client. Our mission and purpose is to create a life in balance through healthy, delicious food that enhances the lives of our clients. The art of family dinner time has been lost in our communities due to the advancement of technology. “Fast and rush” have become the new vocabulary of the mainstream.

Spanish Chickpea Soup

Posted under: Soups

spanish_chickpea_soupMake this! I just rediscovered this soup this past week.  Every time I remake it I fall in love all over again. It is infused with rosemary and perfumed with orange zest. (That’s what makes it special.)  You get the aromatics of the rosemary and the exotic flavor of the orange zest combined with the nuttiness of the chick peas for a truly haunting flavor. This is a very healthy soup. Chick peas are high in protein, fiber and folic acid.   It’s one of my favorite soups to make at home. I can put it together, prep to table in 30 minutes.   It’s a very simple soup, inspired by a Chez Panisse recipe and a recipe that was part of the curriculum at the Culinary Institute of America.  It’s a extremely basic—all you need is a can of chickpeas, a couple of carrots, a couple stalks of celery, maybe an onion if you have one around and a high quality olive oil to finish the soup.   *This soup is extremely lean without the olive oil used to finish it at the end.  The richness of the olive oil will add a lush quality to the soup and contribute mouthfeel. So don’t skimp on the olive oil!  This is the recipe to pull out that expensive tiny bottle at the back of your pantry gathering dust.

Spanish Chickpea Soup

Very loosely adapted from Chez Panisse’s Chickpea and Farro Stew

2 Tablespoons everyday olive oil

1 small onion or shallot, small dice

2 carrots, small dice

2 or 3 stalks of celery, small dice

1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp. of Orange Zest or more to taste

1 sprig or fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried

4 cups chicken stock or water

4 Tablespoons high quality olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Warm the everyday olive oil in a heavy bottomed stock pot.  Slowly sweat the onion, carrot and celery until the onions are translucent.  Add the chick peas, stock or water, orange zest and rosemary to the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove the sprig of rosemary if you are using an entire sprig.  Pulse the soup in a blender until it is coarsely pureed.  If you prefer, you may puree this soup until smooth, but I like this particular soup with a little bit of texture. Pour the soup back into the soup pot and stir in the olive oil.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!  I like this soup with a simple salad of mixed greens, served with toasted bread and a mild cheese such as Manchego.  Delicious with Rose wine.

Family Classics Colonial Cup Custard

Posted under: Dessert

200903-r-custardMy mom made custard all the time when I was a kid.  It was a simple baked egg custard, just eggs, milk, vanilla, a little sugar to sweeten it up and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.  I loved it and it was one of the first things I learned to make by myself.  The secret to making exceptional baked custard is to cook them in a low oven (325F) and in a water bath to ensure even cooking.  (The first time I was taught to make custard in culinary school, in France, the instructor said that when the custard is finished cooking it should jiggle like a young woman’s breast. Not a very pc thing to say, but I’ve never forgotten it.)  It wasn’t until recently that I realized what a great, healthy snack this is.  You get protein from the eggs and calcium from the milk.  You can use whole milk or low fat milk if you prefer.  You can also make a dairy free version with almond milk, soy or rice milk.  (Personally I like a blend of 50% soy and 50% rice)  Baked custard will keep in the fridge for about 5 days, give or take, if they last that long.  I like mine for breakfast with fresh fruit or as a mid afternoon pick me up.

This is the recipe that I like to use.

Colonial Cup Custard

Classic Home Desserts, by Richard Sax (out of print, but you can still find copies of this wonderful cookbook on Amazon.)

5 or 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 325F

2 cups of milk (whole, low fat, rice, soy etc.)

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

¼ cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

A few sprinkles of fresh nutmeg

Beat the eggs, egg yolk and sugar together until well blended. Pour in the milk and mix to combine.  Add the vanilla extract and stir.   

Optional step:  Sieve at this point for an extra silky smooth result.

Tips for maneuvering custard into the oven.

  1. Heat water for your water bath. (I use my tea kettle.) This will shorten the cooking time. 
  2. Pour the custard into your custard cups, sprinkle the tops with nutmeg and have them ready next to the stove.  
  3. Pull out the oven rack slightly and place your baking pan on the rack. 
  4. Fill with pre heated hot water.
  5. Place the custard cups in the water bath.
  6. Close the oven door and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Once the custard has finished cooking, let it cool to at least room temperature before devouring.  I like mine chilled, but I’ve eaten it warm too.

Mock Porchetta for a Birthday Dinner

Posted July 19, 2009 under: Pork Recipes

mpI was thrilled with the results for Mock Porchetta from the Zuni Café cookbook.  The leftovers were fabulous!! A real porchetta is a seasoned, roasted whole pig—a daunting project that I am unwilling to undertake, probably ever, but this version is made with a very manageable and inexpensive 2 ½# shoulder butt roast.  The secret lies in seasoning the roast 2 or 3 days ahead of time and slow roasting the day of the party, leaving you and me plenty of time to have a glass of champagne.   I followed the recipe almost exactly.  The results were delightful—everyone raved about it and asked for the recipe, a sure sign of success.

Mock Porchetta

Zuni Café Cookbook

4-6 servings

One 2 ½# to 3# boneless pork shoulder butt roast

Salt

1Tbsp caper, rinsed, pressed dry and barely chopped

1tsp. lemon zest

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

About 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped (about 1 ½ tsp.)

2 tsp. rosemary leaves, chopped

2 tsp. fennel seeds, barely crushed (I subbed 2 tsp. ground fennel)

1 1/2tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1-2# prepared vegetables of your choice: chunks of peeled carrot, onions, quartered fennel bulb, chunks of celery root, turnips, rutabagas, unpeeled garlic cloves.  Be creative and use what you have on hand.

A little mild tasting olive oil

About 2/3 c. pork stock, chicken stock or water.  (I used water)

Trimming, seasoning and tying up the pork (1-3 days in advance)

Chef Judy Rodgers gives a detailed explanation on how to season the pork thoroughly.   The bottom line is that you want to stuff as much seasoning inside the roast as possible.  To do this, “study the seams between the muscles on each side of the meat.  Choose one that runs the length of and close to the center of any face.  Use the tip of a knife to gingerly separate the muscles along that seam, gradually exposing more seams, which you should then separate as well…..salt the splayed piece of pork evenly all over.”  She recommends using ½ tsp. per pound of meat.

Combine the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, fennel and black pepper. Set aside a Tablespoon or two to rub on the outside of the meat.  Rub this mixture all over the insides of the pork butt making sure you get some in all of the crevices that you have created. Reform the pork butt into it’s natural shape and tie tightly—about 4 or 5 strings around the circumference of the pork at evenly spaced intervals should do the trick.   Cover the pork and place in the fridge.

Roasting the porchetta (2 ¼ -2 ½ hours)

Preheat the oven to 350F

Toss the vegetables in a minimum of olive oil, barely coating the surfaces.  Add a little salt and toss again.

Heat a 12 or 14-inch ovenproof skillet, depending on how many veggies you are roasting, over medium heat.  Place the pork roast in the pan; it should sizzle. Surround with the vegetables. Place in the oven.  The roast should begin to color at 45 minutes; if not, turn the heat up to 375F until it does, then turn the heat back down.  At 1 hour, turn the roast over and roll the vegetables in the rendered fat.  Turn the roast again at 2 hours and add about 1/3 c. stock or water.   Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes to about 185F.  The pork should smell amazing and be a gorgeous golden brown color.  Transfer the meat to a platter and let rest for 20 minutes or so.  Place the veggies on a separate plate.  At this point the book gives instructions for a pan sauce, but I didn’t feel the need to make one.

After resting, slice and serve the pork with the roasted vegetables.

Enjoy!  Perfect with Pinot Noir.

Salt and Sugar Cured Shrimp

Posted under: Seafood Recipes

cured-shrimpShrimp must be one of the food world’s great luxuries. It cooks quickly, absorbs flavors well, is low fat and is a good source of protein. There are a couple of different varieties of shrimp, but I divide them into two main categories. Cocktail Shrimp and Salad Shrimp, or Big and Small. Frequently, Cocktail shrimp are bland, rubbery and less than appealing.  Haven’t you ever gone to a restaurant and been disappointed with the quality of the shrimp? I knew that they had the potential to be tender, flavorful and delicious, but I wasn’t quite sure how to get that end result. It took some searching and recipe testing, but I finally came up with a system to cook tasty big shrimp consistently. The secret lies in curing the shrimp briefly with salt and sugar. This was inspired by a recipe found in Sunset magazine, but I have also seen similar recipes in Cook’s Illustrated.

Phoebe’s Salt and Sugar Cured Shrimp
1tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 # peeled and deveined Shrimp, tails on
In our search for a more sustainable way of living it is important to purchase food that supports our long term goals for the future. When purchasing shrimp, try to avoid buying imported, farm raised shrimp, such as Tiger Prawns or Black Tiger Prawns. Instead, look for wild caught shrimp from the U.S Gulf of Mexico and U.S South Atlantic, called white or pink shrimp. U.S. farmed shrimp called ‘Pacific White Shrimp’ or ‘West Coast White Shrimp’ is also a good choice. (The Monterey Bay Aquarium website www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch has a terrific guide to sustainable and safe seafood. Check it out for more information.) If you have questions while shopping your fish market should be able to advise you.

Optional Flavorings
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. lemon zest (about 1 lemon’s worth)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. chopped herbs–Parsley is good and adds a nice note of color while accentuating the lemon and garlic flavor. I have also experimented with basil successfully and a variety of spice rubs, so be creative.

Rinse the shrimp in a colander under cold running water. Next, toss the shrimp with the sugar and salt. Let the shrimp sit in the cure for as little as 20 minutes and up to an hour while you prepare the rest of dinner. I use this time to start cooking rice and set up the steamer for steamed vegetables. Once I have the rest of dinner underway I proceed with the shrimp recipe.
Mince the garlic and zest the lemon. Set aside. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry between two sets of paper towels. Drying the shrimp is important–it will help the shrimp to sear and seal in juices instead of steaming, so don’t skip this step. Toss the shrimp with the lemon zest, garlic, herbs and olive oil.
These shrimp are equally as good when they are pan seared, grilled or roasted in an oven. Whatever cooking method you decide upon the most important thing is to have a hot surface to cook the shrimp quickly. If you are cooking in the oven, pre heat to 425 or 450F and cook for about 5 minutes or so on at pre heated sheet pan. However, I prefer to cook these shrimp on a grill or seared in a saute pan. Heat your pan over a medium high heat and place the shrimp in a single layer in the hot pan. They should start to curl and turn pink almost immediately. The flesh will sear to a light golden brown where it has had direct contact with the pan. Turn the shrimp and sear on the second side. Remove from the pan and serve. Leftovers make a great addition to a lunchtime salad. I also like to toss leftover shrimp with a thin pasta such as angel hair. Serve with a bright, vivacious white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

Easy, Grilled, Stuffed Tenderloin

Posted under: Beef Recipes

beef-tenderloin-sl-520744-lI admit it. I am a total cooking magazine junkie—I get almost all of them–and I try to make one recipe from each magazine that I receive every month.  It keeps me stimulated, my clients happy, and I really love to try new recipes out.  This month, I was thrilled to see a recipe for grilled,stuffed flank steak in the July 2009 issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

I’ve always loved the idea of grilled stuffed flank steak.   However, I’ve always been disappointed the end result.  Too often they are like a pizza with meat for a crust.  Ah! The perfect meal for anyone on the Atkins diet!  There is either too much cheese, the steak is chewy and tough or just plainly difficult to cook evenly.   This recipe required butterflying, then pounding the flank steak to tenderize it before spreading it with herbs and seasonings and then layering prosciutto and provolone cheese.   I tried the recipe as written and loved the flavors.  The key is not to put too much stuffing in.  However I found the flank steak to be tough, even after pounding it and it was challenging to roll.  I didn’t want to give up so I switched the flank steak for small  (4oz) beef tenderloin pieces, pounded thin.  The result—Delicious, tender, cheesy, melt in your mouth goodness. 

Grilled, Stuffed Tenderloin, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, July 2009

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. minced shallot

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage, or substitute 1 tsp dried

4 (4oz) pieces of beef filet (You can ask your butcher to cut a larger piece of filet in a half, or you can do it yourself.)

4 oz thinly sliced provolone cheese  *other cheeses that would be a good choice include cheddar, havarti, Monterey jack or mozzarella.

4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto *thinly sliced ham would work too.

Salt and pepper

4 skewers *I recommend purchasing metal skewers if you don’t have them already.  Not only will you be able to use them indefinitely, they won’t catch fire and burn like the wooden skewers.

Instructions

1.      Combine the garlic, shallot and sage in a small bowl and set aside.

2.      Pound the filet to 1/8” thick rounds. It’s best to pound any meat between two pieces of parchment paper or waxed paper to prevent tearing.  I use the butcher paper that the meat comes wrapped in, and that works perfectly and prevents excess waste.

3.      Have all of your ingredients lined up and ready to go.

4.      Salt and pepper the beef.  Remember that the prosciutto will add salt, so go easy!

5.      Sprinkle the beef equally with the sage, garlic and shallot mixture.  Rub it in so that it sticks a little.

6.      Layer the beef rounds equally with the prosciutto and cheese. Don’t cover the beef entirely with the filling.  Leave about a ¼” border

7.      Starting with the long side nearest to you, roll the beef up.  Tuck the sides in and cut the roll into 1 ½” rounds.

8.      Thread the beef rounds onto your skewer, stacking 4 or 5 rolls together on a single skewer. Make sure to leave a little ‘breathing room’ between each round so that they cook evenly.  Repeat with the remaining beef.

9.      Grill about 3-4 minutes per side, until they are well browned.  I prefer grilling outside, over charcoal or gas, but I have also successfully used a grill pan indoors.

Bon Appetit!  I steamed some artichokes and made a rice pilaf to round out the meal.  This is a great dish to make for company, not only because it tastes great, but you can make the rolls ahead of time and grill  to order when the guests arrive.  This would be terrific with any number of full bodied red wines,  including cabernet sauvignon, merlot or red zinfandel.

 

Family Classics Chicken Piccata

Posted July 12, 2009 under: Chicken Recipes

Chicken-PiccataChicken Piccata is one of those old fashioned homey Italian dishes that is ready for a comeback.  It’s basically a sautéed chicken cutlet with a pan sauce, so you can have dinner on the table from start to finish in 40 minutes.  A Piccata is typically made with chicken or veal cutlets, although you could make a similar sauce for halibut or other firm fleshed white fish.  It is a bright and lively lemon-y sauce that is garnished with capers and shallots.   If you take an extra step and garnish the final dish with some chopped parsley you can present a restaurant style dish in the comfort of your own home. I like serving this dish with pasta—plain fettuccine is nice, but I am partial to cheese tortellini.  For a vegetable, try sautéed swiss chard or spinach with garlic and a little butter.  Pop open a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, sit back and enjoy!

 

 

Chicken Piccata

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

½ cup all purpose flour

2# of boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced crosswise into thin cutlets.

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup chicken broth

½ large lemon, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed *This is important to remove extra salt.

3 Tbsp. butter, cut into 3 pieces and chilled

2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (optional)

 

  1. Pat the cutlets dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Dredge through the flour to coat and shake off the excess.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add ½ of the cutlets—make sure not to crowd the pan—you want a little bit of space in between the chicken cutlets so that they can brown properly.  Cook the chicken cutlets until they are golden brown on both sides.  Transfer to a plate and repeat the sautéing process with the remaining cutlets.
  3. Add the shallot and garlic to the oil left in the skillet and cook over medium heat until they are softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the broth and lemon slices, scraping up any browned bits and simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, 8 minutes.
  4. Stir in the lemon zest, capers and any accumulated chicken juice.  Remove the lemon slices from the pan sauce. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time.  Off of the heat, stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
  5. Add the chicken back to the pan sauce to reheat. 

Mussel Gratin

Posted under: Seafood Recipes

Picture011I adore this recipe for mussel gratin since.  I found it a few years ago on epicurious.com while I was doing research for cooking class for a client.  Aside from cooking and cleaning the mussels, this is a very quick dish and oh so perfect for summer with the use of basil and tomatoes.

*Tips for cooking with mussels.  First of all, purchase mussels from a reputable seafood market, one with a high turnover of perishable seafood.  Mussels can survive up to a week out of water, but start to degrade within a few days.  Once you arrive home, rinse the mussels off in a colander in the sink and discard any mussels that will not close or have broken shells. De-beard and prepare to steam.  To cook the mussels, I warm a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a stock pot and toss in a couple of cloves of crushed garlic.  When the garlic starts to sizzle and become aromatic, I toss in the mussels and add 1/2c. white wine.  Cover and steam just until the shells open.   If the mussel shell doesn’t open, toss it.  With shellfish, I follow a ‘better safe than sorry’ rule.  No one likes being sick—so when in doubt, throw it out.

*Mussels are not only a sustainable source of seafood—they are also a heart healthy, low fat source of protein, with twice the amount of iron found in beef and have high levels of omega 3’s and vitamin B 12.

 

Mussel Gratin (Gourmet Magazine)

Serves 4

 

4 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned and steamed, then shucked
2 lb plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 oz)
2 large garlic cloves, 1 minced and 1 halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
15 (1/3-inch-thick) slices from a baguette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss together mussels, tomatoes, basil, crème fraîche, cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in an oiled 3-quart (about 13- by 9 1/2- by 2-inch) baking dish.

Rub 1 cut side of each bread slice with halved garlic and arrange bread, garlic side up, over mussel mixture in baking dish. Brush tops of bread with oil.

Bake gratin in middle of oven until bread is golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

Serve mussels spooned over garlic toasts.

Chocolate Panna Cotta

Posted under: Dessert

mpcotta3My version of paradise would be one in which desserts doubled as health food.  That’s why I was so excited to see a revamped ‘healthy’ version of one of my favorite desserts –panna cotta—in the July 2009 issue of Sunset magazine.  Panna Cotta (means cooked cream) is a gorgeous Italian dessert made with milk and heavy cream set to a quiver point with gelatin. It is sometimes varied with sour cream, crème fraiche or buttermilk, but is always rich and decadent—a treat I have once or twice a year.   So you can imagine my delight when I saw a chocolate version made with low fat milk and low fat Greek yogurt.  Between the antioxidants from the chocolate and the calcium from the milk and yogurt this could qualify as health food! 

I made this recipe in about 25 minutes after getting home from work and put it in the fridge to set overnight.  It did not disappoint.  It is absolutely delicious and a great addition to the ‘Live Well, Eat Well’ recipe collection.

 

Here is the recipe.  I followed it exactly.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Panna Cotta (Sunset Magazine, July 2009)

 

2 tsp. unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)

2 cups low fat milk, divided

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 2/3 cups plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over ½ cup milk. Let stand 1 minute, then stir and let stand about 10 more minutes for the gelatin to soften.
  2. In a medium saucepan, whisk remaining 1 ½ cups milk, the sugar, semisweet chocolate and cocoa over medium high heat until steaming.  Add the gelatin mixture and whisk gently until it dissolves.  Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt with vanilla until smooth.  Pour and stir chocolate mixture through a fine strainer into the yogurt, then whisk mixtures together.
  4. Oil 8 ramekins (2/3 cup size). Chill, covered until set, 4 ½ hours and up to 2 days. 
  5. Run a small metal spatula between panna cottas and sides of ramekins to loosen.  Immerse ramekins 1 at a time to just below rim in hot water until edges of the dessert soften, 20 to 30 seconds; lift out and dry bottom of ramekin.  Invert a small plate over each. Hold plate and ramekin together and give a firm shake to release panna cotta, easing it out gently with the spatula if needed.*

*You may also serve the panna cotta in the ramekins garnished with a little whipped cream and fresh berries.

A Simple Indian Dinner

Posted July 4, 2009 under: Indian Recipes

indian1_methi_chickenI’ve been on an Indian food kick for a while now and I love Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking cookbook—it’s a small book, not terribly impressive looking, but it has some really great recipes in it, like this one for silken chicken. It is aromatic, tender from marinating in lemon juice, and exotic from garam masala. You can spice it up if you want or leave the cayenne out completely for a milder dish.

I’ve simplified the recipe a little bit. Here is my version:
Silken Chicken (adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking)
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2#
Juice of 1 small lemon mixed with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Make three diagonal slashes in the chicken breast and prick the breast with a fork. Pour the lemon juice and salt mixture over the chicken, making sure to rub the lemon juice into the flesh, especially the slits. Set the chicken aside to marinate while you complete the 2nd half of the marinade.

Combine:

1/4 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. garam masala (Indian spice blend available at most major supermarkets.)

1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 clove of garlic, grated or put through a garlic press

1 tsp. of finely grated fresh ginger, or 1 tsp. dry ginger

Stir well and pour the cream marinade over the chicken breasts, again rubbing the marinade into the flesh and let marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Turn the oven on to 400F and line a baking sheet with tinfoil for a quick clean up. Remove the chicken from the marinade (most of the marinade will cling to the chicken) and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the chicken with a little bit of paprika for color. Bake the chicken for about 15minutes and serve immediately with steamed rice or potatoes and a vegetable.

If you have the time, I really like the Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce, also adapted from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. (Matar Makhani) Talk about yum-o! (take that Rachel Ray) Made with frozen peas, you can make it while the chicken is cooking. Steam some rice and buy some Naan from the grocery store and you have put together an impressive dinner in under an hour.

Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce (adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking)

1 10oz package of frozen peas

In a glass measuring cup combine:

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Mix the above ingredients together, then add enough cream to make 2/3 c.

additional ingredients for sauteing: 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in a sauce pan, then toss in the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the peas to the pan and pour the spiced cream mixture over. Cover and let simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Taste, season and serve.

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