That's precisely what I was thinking as I savored each bite of this incredible creation that Derek whipped up from some ingredients that I had picked up at the store. My goal for the night, or my "inspiration ingredient" I should say was...zucchini. We had a lot of it and I read that we are about to get more in our next shipment of fruits and veggies, so it was time to use them!! I was thinking of throwing together some kind of moroccan stew over couscous or else some kind of fresh cold zucchini/israeli couscous salad - I wandered around Berkeley Bowl with only slight direction in search of the key ingredients for the meal. To my surprise, I came across whole wheat israel couscous...score! I'm a big fan of israeli couscous (a more pasta-like grain traditionally made of semolina) so I was set on picking that up and using that as the base of whatever would be made.
Then somewhere between the time I got off work and got home I lost all inspiration to make anything remotely unique or interesting...or really to make anything at all. That's when my prince charming comes in and offers to make dinner with the ingredients that I bought. Saving grace. Not only did I get off the hook for chef-duty (OK I did make the couscous but that was so minor), I was treated to an incredible meal that was completely worthy of being on a restaurant menu. Thank you Chef Derek.
Best part of it all? He actually contributed to this blog in that he wrote down the ingredients AND instructions (this is big).
So straight from the mind of Derek:
Homemade Curry Roasted Vegetables with Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous
Part 1: Roasting the vegetables
4 small summer squashes (sliced 1/4 inch thick) Optional: peel some of the skin off the end slices
2 small red bell peppers (cut into 1 inch strips)
1/2 medium red onion (split vertically and cut into chunks)
6-7 small carrots (peeled) OR 2-3 medium carrots (peeled but cut vertically in half so they can roast easily)
10 or a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1. Heat oven to 425. Lightly coat vegetables in olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay out vegetables on foil covered baking sheets as needed. Bake for 25 minutes (they will start to shrink and brown depending on the vegetable). Begin making the curry powder now!
Part 2: Making the dry curry powder
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
3/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1-2 hot dried red chilies, crumbled (I used dried chile de arbol; seeds removed)
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. The recipe said, "When it gets hot, add coriander, cumin, peppercorns, mustard seeds, cloves and chilies".* Keep moving the pan constantly, to make sure the spices do not burn, the spices will begin to begin to get toasted and become fragrant. Keep moving the pan over the heat until they begin to darken slightly in color. Add tumeric and fenugreek and stir constantly for 10-15 seconds.
2. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool. Once cool, place into a spice grinder and grind until fine. Store in an air tight container.
* Notice it also included mustard seeds and the spices it is referring to are all supposed to be whole. If you have whole spices, use those over the ground and add some extra, as air will take up more space while measuring then in the ground spices. I just threw in all my spices to the pan, however, I would recommend toasting the whole spices first then adding the ground spices, as the ground will toast up faster.
Part 3: Saffron Scented Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous
1 T. EVOO
1 glove of garlic
3/4 cup whole wheat israeli couscous
2/3 cup water or vegetable broth (I did a mix) - add more if necessary
6 strands of saffron
1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped
salt
pepper
1. Heat the EVOO in a saucepan/pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to infuse the flavor.
2. Add the dry couscous and stir to coat with the oil. Toast for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the liquid and saffron, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add golden raisins and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Part 4: Making the curry dish
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
cilantro, for garnish
1. Over medium-high heat, in another medium saucepan put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped garlic and let it sweat for a minute. Then add the curry powder and cinnamon. Heat for 3 minutes.
2. Remove the vegetables and let cool a few minutes. Roughly chop the squash and peppers. Chop the carrots and onions a bit more then the squash and peppers so they are smaller.
3. Add the roasted vegetable, squeeze and roughly break up the tomatoes, and toss everything in with the sauce until coated. Serve over couscous. Top with cilantro
Derek's few critiques of this dish, and I am in agreement, is that perhaps it could have used a little less oil. It was no where near "oily" per se, especially in comparison to restaurant meals, but with oil in each component of the dish, it was certaintly present. I didn't have any problem with it but again, you could cut it down a bit. Derek said he drizzled the vegetables with oil when roasting them and I reminded him that we have a "misto" and that is the perfect use for it. The misto evenly sprays EVOO in a light coating so that it doesn't get too concentrated in one spot and you end up using less. We will "misto" the veggies prior to roasting next time.
Other than that, it was really truly incredible. We had just eaten at an Indian/Mexican (odd, I know) restaurant that has a whole bunch of different curry flavors. I think this has inspired Derek to make his own because there is so much variation that can be brought into a dish by straying from the traditional packaged yellow curry. While that is delicious, you could really tell the incredible depth and layers of flavor that this dish had. There was a perfect level of spice so that it lingered but did not inhibit any consumption. The sweetness of the golden raisins was a great touch. The roasted vegetables were jam-packed with flavor (even before putting it in the curry) and they were transformed to an almost stew-like medley when mixed all together.
Truly impressive. The only thing I wish is that there were leftovers!!!!!!
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