Tag Archives: arugula

Curried Tempeh Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango Chutney

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12

This is more an idea than a recipe. Once you learn how to marinate and cook the curried tempeh, you can vary this grilled cheese sandwich however you like.  If you are in hurry, see the shortcut method in the recipe below. Serve with a salad and my Indian spiced potato chips, and this is an easy, tasty meal any time of the day!

You can marinate and saute the tempeh for extra flavor like on the left. Or if you are in a rush, just toss the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and make the sandwich like the picture on the right.

I like to marinate the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder, so that the tempeh soaks up some of the flavors. I used Frontier Indian curry powder. It contains turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon peel, black pepper, lemon powder, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic and cayenne. Its mild, the lemon peel gives it a fresh pop, and it works well for the curried tempeh.

Remember, curry powders vary vastly in taste depending on the brand. So use my recipe as a guideline. Make a single grilled cheese sandwich, taste it, and adjust the curry powder accordingly.

A weight on top of the grilled cheese (panini style)- like a garden brick or cast iron skillet covered with foil – will ensure even cooking, and melt the cheese quickly. Use medium heat and a weight on top of the sandwich and you will have perfectly golden grilled cheeses every time! 

Love grilled cheese and paninis? Check out my friend Kathy’s fun panini blog!

Curried Tempeh Grilled Cheese with Mango Chutney Recipe

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
For curried tempeh
Half an 8 oz package of tempeh
¼-½ teaspoon curry powder*
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon oil

For the sandwich
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 tablespoon or to taste sweet mango chutney. Substitute with apricot preserves
4 slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese
Handful of fresh arugula or baby spinach leaves or kale leaves, torn
1 teaspoon butter
*curry powders vary greatly in their poteny and spiciness. So I really cant give you an exact amount.

Method
For the curried tempeh
1.Slice the tempeh lengthwise into ¼ inch thin pieces. You will need 6-8 slices, about 4 oz
2.Whisk together the curry powder, soy sauce and water in a bowl. Add tempeh to the bowl and gently toss so the marinade is coated well on the tempeh.
3.Cover and marinate the tempeh in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
4. Heat oil in a medium skillet and add the marinated tempeh. Also add any remaining marinating liquid. Cook on medium heat, flipping the tempeh occasionally, till all the liquid has boiled away and the tempeh is brown on both sides.
Now proceed with making the grilled cheese.

Shortcut curried tempeh: If you are in a hurry, skip the marinating and cooking of the tempeh. Leave out the water and oil. Simply toss tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and continue with the recipe below.

For the grilled cheese
1.Use a small cast iron skillet or a garden brick as the weight for the grilled cheese. Cover the cast iron skillet or bricks with aluminum foil
2. Take 2 slices of bread and slather about 1/2 teaspoon (or more) mango chutney on both the bread slices
3. Place one slice of cheese on top of the mango chutney. Top it with 3-4 slices of curried tempeh and 6-8 leaves of arugula or baby spinach or kale
4. Cover with another slice of cheese, and the other slice of bread, chutney side down
5. Heat ¼ teaspoon butter in a non stick skillet on medium heat. Place the sandwich on the skillet
6. Put the foil covered weight (cast iron skillet or brick) on top of the sandwich. Make sure it is balanced sitting on the sandwich. Let the sandwich with the weight on top cook on medium heat  till the bottom side is golden, about 2 minutes
7. Then remove the grilled cheese sandwich using a wide spatula, add 1/4th teaspoon more butter to the pan. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side, with the weight on top, till it is golden.

Serve immediately with a salad and Indian spiced potato chips.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Arugula

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28

I wanted to make a comforting, hot dish for those chilly, rainy evenings we’ve had recently. I used a beautiful bundle of asparagus (which is is season now) to make some risotto. Fresh peas would also be great in this dish. You can pretty much use any vegetable you like in this risotto, but my favorites are asparagus, peas or wild mushrooms. I also like to stir in some arugula to my risottos. The fresh, peppery arugula is a nice contrast to the creamy arborio rice.

I used a crisp, dry, Gavi white wine in the risotto. I then served the same wine with the risotto.

Below: check out the cute dishes I picked up at the local thrift store! They were perfect for serving risotto. I’m not sure what the spout is meant for, but it works well as a spoon rest. Next time, I think I’ll use these dishes for baked eggs.

Perfect Risotto Tips

- use a short grain risotto rice like arborio, carnaroli or violone
- take care not to brown the rice while cooking it in butter
- always use simmering hot stock, not cold stock
- make sure you only add one ladle full (about 1/2 cup) of stock at a time
- use a good quality dry white wine. I used a Gavi; a crisp, dry white wine from Italy.
- the wine must be at room temperature. Don’t add cold wine to risotto!
- don’t stir the risotto too much while its cooking (but do stir occasionaly!)
- risotto is done when it looks creamy, but the rice is still slightly al-dente
- for a creamier risotto stir in a little butter or cream at the end

Note: I dont like soupy risotto, so I cooked mine very aldente as you can see in the photo above. But the recipe below will give you a creamier, more moist risotto, which is how traditional risotto should be.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Arugula Recipe
serves about 4

10 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups arborio or carnaroli or vialone rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup arugula leaves, shredded
1/4 cup or more grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt

Place vegetable stock on a large pot and bring to a gentle boil. Place the chopped asparagus in the stock and blanch for about a minute. Asparagus should be bright green and still crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus from the stock and keep aside. Reduce heat and keep the stock on simmer.

In a skillet, heat the butter and add arborio rice. Stir the rice on medium heat for about 2 minutes, or till it is fragrant (but don’t let the rice brown). Add wine to the rice and let is bubble away. When most the wine has evaporated, add one ladle of the simmering stock to the rice. Cook on medium-high heat. When the rice has absorbed most the stock, add another ladle full of stock. Repeat this process till the rice has cooked through (you may not use up all the stock).  Check the rice for doneness as you go. When the rice is done, stir in arugula, parmesan, lemon juice, zest and salt.

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