Eye for a Recipe

This paneer recipe from NYT Cooking is a great vegetarian main dish. Marinate paneer, peppers and onion and then bake on a sheet pan for about 8 minutes. Brush with melted butter and broil a few minutes to brown the paneer. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with flatbread.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Tre Stella paneer and Astro Balkan-style yogurt are additive-free. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Use freshly grated ginger and garlic. Look for butter that contains only cream and use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Sheet-pan paneer tikka

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds (680 g) paneer (fresh or store-bought), cut into 1-inch (2.54-cm) cubes

3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral oil

3 tablespoons (45 ml) full-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) ginger paste or finely grated ginger (from about a 2 inch piece)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) garlic paste or finely grated garlic (from about 6 cloves)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) coriander powder

1 tablespoon (15 ml) garam masala

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Kashmiri or other red chile powder

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) turmeric powder

Salt

2 medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch (2.54-cm) pieces

1 medium red onion, quartered and each quarter cut into halves

2 tablespoons (30 ml) melted ghee or butter for basting

½ lemon, juiced (about 4 teaspoons/20 ml)

Roti and chutney, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

If using store-bought paneer, soak it in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Arrange one oven rack in the center of the oven and a second one closest to the broiler heating element. Heat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C). Line a large sheet pan with foil and brush it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the rest of the oil with yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala, red chile powder, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt to make the marinade.

Add paneer, bell peppers and onion to the bowl with the marinade and mix until evenly coated. (If you have the time, marinate the paneer and vegetables for 20 minutes and up to 2 hours for even more flavour.)

On the prepared sheet pan, evenly spread out the marinated paneer and vegetables, and bake on the middle oven rack until the paneer edges start to turn golden, about 8 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven and brush the paneer with melted ghee. Turn the oven to broil, place the paneer and vegetables on the top rack and broil on high until the paneer turns golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Take the paneer and vegetables out of the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice and additional salt, if desired. Serve with roti and chutney or by itself. Serves 4-6.

From NYT Cooking

This recipe from Canadian Living is quick, spicy and delicious. Make chicken meatballs and bake. Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, ginger and spices in melted butter. Add cream, broth and passata and bring to a boil. Add cooked meatballs to sauce and cook for a few minutes to heat them through. Serve with chopped cilantro and naan bread.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Use butter that contains only cream, no colour. I used Better Than Bouillon for the stock, Paese Mio passata and Suraj naan—all are additive-free.

Bake the chicken meatballs

Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce to heat through

Serve meatballs and sauce with rice and naan

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb (454 g) ground chicken

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder

Salt and pepper

Sauce

3 tbsp (45 ml) unsalted butter or ghee

½ small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp (15 ml) curry powder

1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

½ tsp (2.5 ml) chili powder

1 ¼ cup (312 ml) 35% whipping cream

1/3 cup (83 ml) chicken broth

1 cup (250 ml) passata

Salt and pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro

Naan bread (optional)

Preparation:

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In bowl, mix chicken with garlic, ginger and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Using hands, form 12 meatballs; place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake until meatballs are cooked, about 15-20 minutes.

Sauce

Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add curry powder, cumin, coriander and chili powder; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Stir in cream, broth and passata. Bring to boil; cook, stirring often, until sauce has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes Add meatballs; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with naan bread if desired. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

This delicious recipe from NYT Cooking is a hearty one-pot meal that is ready in less than an hour. Brown sausage meat, add tomatoes and simmer. Add dry pasta, water and fresh mozzarella. Top with more mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan. Bake for about 25 minutes, run under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the cheese, top with fresh basil and serve.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Free From hot Italian sausages, Blue Menu whole tomatoes, Mutti strained tomatoes and Tre Stelle mozzarella and ricotta. All are additive-free. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Genuine Parmesan is free of additives – look for the name stamped on the rind.

Brown the sausage meat

Stir in tomatoes and bay leaves

Stir in pasta and water, fold in mozzarella, top with remaining mozzarella, the ricotta and Parmesan and bake

Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese, top with fresh basil and serve

Ingredients:

¾ pound (340 g) bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

1 (28-ounce/796-ml) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

1 (14-ounce/398 ml) can crushed or strained tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt

12 ounces (340 g) dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta

8 ounces (227 g) fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

6 ounces (170 g) whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup/180 ml)

⅓ cup (83 ml) grated Parmesan

¼ cup (60 ml) basil leaves

Black pepper, for serving

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Heat oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Stir in pasta and 1 cup (250 ml) water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking

This recipe from NYT Cooking is quick, easy and delicious. Brown chicken skin side down, flip, add sliced a sliced chile and continue cooking until the chicken in cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Off heat, add honey and vinegar to the chicken fat in the skillet and combine. Dress torn greens with some of the sauce and serve the rest over the chicken.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use pure honey. Allen’s apple cider vinegar is additive-free.

Skillet hot honey chicken with hearty greens

Ingredients:

2 pounds (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)

Kosher salt and pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 small hot chile, thinly sliced (such as jalapeño, Fresno or serrano), or to taste

1 large bunch or head of hearty greens, such as escarole, mustard greens or kale (about 6 ounces/170 g)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey

1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet, then add the chicken thighs skin side down.

Set over medium heat and cook, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. If you can’t stand leaving the chicken untouched for this long, use your tongs to press the chicken down into the pan, which promotes even browning.

Flip the thighs over and swirl the chile into the rendered chicken fat. Cook until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stem and tear the hearty greens into big bite-size pieces. In a big bowl, toss them with salt and pepper.

Transfer the chicken to serving plates, leaving the fat in the pan. Off the heat, stir the honey and vinegar into the fat until the honey’s melted and everything’s combined. Dress the greens with enough of the sauce to lightly coat, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (Feel free to eat the chile peppers or leave them behind.) Serve the chicken with the salad, spooning more sauce over the chicken and salad as desired. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking