Cooking recipes

Im sure youve all seen Rocco DiSpirito on one talk show or another recently.  Hes been everywhere promoting his new book, Now Eat This, 150 of Americas Favorite Comfort Foods all under 350 Calories.  Not that I mind, Rocco is pretty easy on the eyes as Im sure you would agree.  Anyway, when Steve and I watched him promote his new healthy cookbook on Rachael Ray, Steve commented on these onion rings and said that I should try them.  They looked great and since they were healthy they sounded like the perfect addition to my not very healthy Steakhouse themed dinner. 

My review of this recipe is completely honest so please read through to the very end.  The recipe isnt hard to make at all and had I not been rushing I think they would have come out better.  First let me just say that finding whole wheat panko is not easy.  I found one small package and paid about $4 for it.  Seems like a lot for breadcrumbs.  That being said, I will try them with regular panko bread crumbs because I think they will still be healthy.  They are baked not fried, made with egg whites instead of whole eggs, and whole wheat flour is used over white.  Correct me if Im wrong but wont regular white panko bread crumbs be just as good?  Ive even seen seasoned panko and I think that would really up the flavor here.  The onion rings definitely had crunch and texture which is what I really liked.  I didnt like the dryness of all that wheat.  Maybe its my fault, maybe I overcooked them, it certainly wouldnt be the first time I messed up.  I know the other problem was that I completely forgot to spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  That was a huge mistake because the outside had no taste at all.  Thats what happens when youre chit chatting , running late, and trying to cook a new recipe at the same time.  The next day I experimented with the leftovers and sprayed them with cooking spray and seasoned them with salt.  To be honest, they werent bad for leftovers.  These arent the kind of things that are better the next day but they were so much more edible with that little bit of oil and salt.  So, I think that when I try it again (and I will), I will use seasoned panko, spray them with oil and make sure I dont forget the salt.



Sorry this is post is so long, Ill try to wrap it up.  Roccos seasoned mayo called for liquid smoke.  I didnt feel compelled to buy it for this recipe so I added, smoked paprika, bbq spice, salt and hot sauce to a little mayo.  It was tasty and it had to have been better than Roccos because smoked paprika has a ton of flavor and the color made it very appealing.

So even though I had some issues I would try this again.  If you try them let me know what you think and if you follow the recipe exactly or with any changes.



Rocco DiSpiritos Faux Onion Rings with Smoky Mayonnaise
as seen here on Rachael Rays Daytime show.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large Vidalia onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 cups skim milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
4 large egg whites
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup Rocco’s Magnificent Mayonnaise or store- bought reduced- fat mayonnaise such as Hellmann’s Low- Fat Mayonnaise Dressing
1 tablespoon liquid smoke, such as Stubs’s
Tabasco sauce

Directions:

Separate the onions into individual rings. Use only the larger rings for this recipe; reserve the smaller rings for another use. You should have 20 rings total. Lay the rings in a single layer in a large rectangular baking dish. Pour the milk over the rings and allow them to soak for about 20 minutes, turning them once so that all surfaces of the onion rings have been exposed to the milk.


Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place wire baking racks on each of two foil- lined baking sheets, and set them aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in a small dish.In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks.

Working in batches, remove the onion rings from the milk and dredge them in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the rings to the egg whites and toss to coat completely. Add the rings, a few pieces at a time, to the panko and coat completely.

Spread the onion rings out on the wire racks. Season the rings generously with salt and pepper, and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Bake until the panko is golden brown and crispy and the onions are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and the liquid smoke. Season to taste with Tabasco.

Serve the onion rings with the mayonnaise for dipping.


Click here for a printable recipe for Roccos Faux Onion Rings.

Spring onions or as some may call green onions or Scallions are an interesting vegetable. Mainly used for garnishing/ salads or in Chinese soups, noodles and sauces, I have never tried to use them as a main ingredient in my cooking.

Its available in Bombay vegetable markets almost all year round. They are sold in bunches, one bunch having upto 8-10 sprigs. I have noticed that the smaller the onion bulb, the fresher the leaves are.

You cant store this one for too long as it starts wilting in a 2-3 days.This time a vegetable vendor managed to sell me a really huge bunch. Just using them for garnishing would have resulted in rotten onions in a couple of days and hence this recipe struck. Sometimes, one just starts of chopping a vegetable without having a definite plan in mind and as one keeps adding ingredients intuitively, a new dish is born.

In Maharashtrian cooking, there is something called a zunka-which is basically a cooked gram flour paste. The curry turned out something akin to a Zunka at the end of my cooking adventure.

Ingredients:

1 big bunch of Spring onions-Washed thoroughly and chopped finely
(Rinse the onions thoroughly as dirt may be lodged between the leaves. Trim any wilted parts and the tip of the pink root.)
1 cup gram flour (besan)
2 cups water

2 green chillies-finely chopped
1 dried red chilli crumbled
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 stick of curry leaves
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida powder
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Method:

1.Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, chopped chillies, ginger, garlic. Saute for a few seconds.

2.Add the finely chopped spring onions and a pinch of salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes. These onions cook in no time at all.

3.Meanwhile, make a thin paste of the gram flour in 2 cups water with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste. Once the spring onions are sauted, pour the gram flour paste into the pan and keep stirring constantly on a medium flame. In 5-6 minutes the gram flour will get cooked as the curry thickens.

4. Taste and check if gram flour is cooked. (It shouldnt stick to the tongue ) Remove from flame into a serving bowl. Serve hot with Phulkas / Chapatis.

This curry is very flavourful from the mild spring onions and tastes rich too. Its something you can make in a hurry without any prior preparations. Just make sure you have gram flour in your pantry at all times. In one of my posts, I shall tell you why...



Notes:

You will find gram flour in any of the Indian grocery stores.

Spring onions are very rich in Iron, Calcium and Vitamin A, Gram flour has a very low Glycaemic Index and high in protein, which makes this an extremely healthy recipe for weight watchers as well as Diabetics. Read this to know more about how chana dal /Bengal gram benefits diabetics.



Check out:

Nupur of One hot stove gives us the run-down about this traditional delicacy here.

And see what our Bachelor chef has been doing with Ivy gourd. And to think I saw this one only after I had made this dish for Tuesday night dinner.