Homemade Fusilli Pasta with Faux Chicken (Albacore Tuna) and Cauliflower in a Mustard Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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The fusilli require THIS amazing Kitchenaid pasta press and the stand mixer.  If you do not have these things, dry pasta is fine or make a homemade pasta of a different shape.

The sauce is a lighter take on one of my favorite sauces that really consists of little more than a nice Dijon & lots of heavy cream heated in a pan.  This one is made without the cream but with yogurt, instead.  It is naturally tangier than it would be with cream and, honestly, I prefer the heavy cream but I also prefer fitting into my pants, so – we do what we have to.

The faux chicken is really just frozen albacore that I buy at Trader Joe’s.  It looks like this raw

These two pieces weighed .85 pounds and cost $5.35.  I am not a huge fan of this inexpensive fish cooked the way albacore should be cooked (nor am I a fan of most of Trader Joe’s frozen seafood as I find it tends to cook up fishy) but when this fish is overcooked it replicates chicken breast pretty incredibly with no fishy element whatsoever.  This dish could be made with actual chicken or shrimp or with only the cauliflower – if you do not eat meat or seafood.

I added a ton of cauliflower, too, because 1) I like cauliflower and 2) it is a guiltless filler in a pasta dish that might get sorta rich (especially if you use heavy cream).

Finally, I used a store brand Dijon & was woefully aware it wasn’t Grey Poupon (or other higher end mustard).  In a mustard based sauce – it is kind of important to start with a quality mustard.

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Homemade Fusilli Pasta with Faux Chicken (Albacore) and Cauliflower in a Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the pasta

400 grams (or 1 3/4 cups) flour

4 eggs

pinch nutmeg

1 tsp salt

OR – 1 lb dry pasta of your choice

For the mustard sauce

2 albacore steaks (or chicken breast or 1 lb shrimp)

1 small head cauliflower – leaves removed & cut in half

1 medium onion – diced

2 cloves of garlic – diced

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS fresh thyme – chopped

1 cup stock (or water)

10 TBS high quality Dijon mustard

1 1/3 cups plain yogurt

S&P to taste

Fresh parsley – chopped for garnish

Tomatoes – diced for garnish

Parmesan for garnish

DIRECTIONS

For the pasta

Homemade pasta directions HERE

Or use dry pasta.

For the faux chicken & cauliflower in mustard sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Cook the albacore several minutes on each side until cooked through.  Or – do the same for your real chicken or shrimp.

When cooked, remove from pan & cube it up.  You cannot really overcook this albacore & if you undercook it – it will cook through when you heat it in the sauce.  Chicken & shrimp CAN be overcooked – so be more careful with those – if you are using them.

Add onions & garlic to the pan (add more oil if you need to) & saute until the onions begin to brown.  Add the stock, mustard, yogurt & thyme and stir until smooth.  Add the cooked “meat” and S&P to taste.   Heat through.  Simmer it to thicken or add more water to thin it out.

Boil the water to cook the pasta.  Add the halved cauliflower & boil until tender.   Remove with a slotted spoon & cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cook your dry pasta according to directions adding the cooked cauliflower in the last minute to reheat.  Or – add the cooked cauliflower to the pot with homemade pasta & drain when done.

Top the pasta & cauliflower with the mustard sauce & garnish with diced tomato, parsley & Parmesan ((f using).  Add lots of fresh cracked pepper.

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Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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Holy crap!  I could live on this mashed cauliflower dish!  I added 1/2 cup heavy cream to this but I do not think that is necessary.  Butter or a little milk (even plain soy milk) would likely be cool.  And wowza!  Are they easy.  I added caramelized fennel just to get fancy & it added a really nice flavor but caramelized onions or roasted garlic or goat cheese or any number of additions could take this dish in a multitude of directions.

As to the albacore – I buy it like this at Trader Joe’s.

Two decent sized slabs of tuna for just over $5.  Can’t beat that!  The problem is, I find this to sometimes be a tad fishy so I intentionally cook the bejesus out of it.  I cook it until the fat bubbles out of it.  At that point – it is virtually indistinguishable from some dry chicken breast.  At least – for me – it is because I haven’t eaten actual chicken breast in like 25 years.  Dry chicken might not sound appealing to you but I gave up meat to avoid giving my money to factory farms (and savage, MASS cruelty), not because I don’t like it.  I miss things like the awesome hotdogs at Costco, chicken piccata, rare steak and bacon.  So – I eat veggie dogs and Bacos in a jar & I try to make chicken piccata from this overcooked fish thing.  I used it here to simulate a glazed chicken dish & it works for me.  You might want to use actual chicken or salmon, if this albacore isn’t available to you – or if my description above was a bit on the soft sell side.

These flavors worked really well together & it was a very filling while still pretty healthy dinner.  But, whether you make the funky chicken albacore or not – TRY THE MASHED CAULIFLOWER!

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Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

INGREDIENTS

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

2 pieces of albacore (or chicken breasts or salmon)

2 TBS butter

juice & zest of 2 oranges

2 TBS honey

2 TBS Dijon

2 tsp (or to taste) crushed red pepper

S&P to taste

For the cauliflower mashed potatoes with caramelized fennel

1 head cauliflower – cut into florets

1 bulb fennel – shaved very thin

2 TBS butter

1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk or soy milk)

1 TBS horseradish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For the Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel 

Boil water & add the cauliflower & cook until soft.  Maybe 15 minutes.  Turn off heat & let cauliflower sit in the hot water.

Slice the fennel very thinly – reserving the dilly tops for garnish.  Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Saute the fennel, stirring constantly over medium heat – just until it begins to brown.  Remove from heat.

Drain the cauliflower & put it, the heavy cream, horseradish, and 1/2 of the caramelized fennel in a food processor & puree until smooth.  Add a little water to thin them if you desire.  Reserve some caramelized fennel for garnish.

Taste & add S&P to taste.

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Add the orange juice & zest, honey, Dijon & crushed red pepper & saute over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon.  Add S&P to taste.

Coat the top of the fish with the glaze – reserving a little extra for garnish.  Bake the fish for about 20 minutes or until done.  I then turned the broiler on & put the fish near the flame for several seconds, watching VERY closely, until the glaze bubbled & boiled.

To serve – put a generous helping of the cauliflower puree on two plates.  Top with the cooked fish & then garnish with the reserved orange glaze, caramelized fennel and maybe some of the chopped dilly tops of the fennel and lots of freshly cracked pepper.

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Tikka Masala

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

This is SUCH an easy dish to make – I cannot recommend highly enough that you try it.  This was my first ever effort at a Tikka Masala and the only warning I will give about making this dish is that you either wear an apron or some old painting clothes while you cook it.  Like with a pen leaking ink – no matter how careful you think you are being – you end up covered in the stuff.  This recipe uses red food coloring & it WILL get on you.  You will splash or touch or bump or smear & it will ruin whatever you have on.  Another option is cooking this nude but then you run the risk of scalding or searing your naughty bits or your pendulous lower abdomen (fine – maybe YOURS isn’t pendulous) or even your low slung lady parts.  That isn’t nice.  So – just wear an apron.

I made this with a package of frozen albacore from Trader Joe’s.  I just defrosted it & cut it into big chunks.  If this doesn’t appeal to you – feel free to use chicken or shrimp or a few substantial vegetables – like potato and cauliflower – or tofu.  Whatever.  There isn’t any real limit on how you can reinvent this dish – because it is really all about the fiery red gravy.  So – if you own a food processor – this is one simple meal to create.  This recipe will EASILY feed 6 people – likely with much left over.

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Tikka Masala

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs (or so) of: fresh seafood or chicken or tofu or mixed vegetables of your choice – cut into chunks

1 large onion

1 28 oz can of tomatoes and their juices

8 garlic cloves

1 3″ piece fresh ginger or 4-5 heaping TBS jarred minced ginger

2 jalapenos

1 TBS turmeric

2 TBS garam masala

1 tsp red food coloring (BE CAREFUL & don’t get it everywhere!)

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

salt to taste

5 TBS butter

1 tsp coriander SEEDS (not ground)

1 tsp cumin SEEDS (not ground)

1 TBS paprika

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 lb bag frozen peas (or FRESH if you can get them!)

8-10 carrots – chopped

Cilantro – for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In the food processor, chop (puree almost) the onion very fine.  Set aside.  Then – puree the turmeric, garam masala, red food coloring, garlic, ginger & jalapenos with 1/2 cup water.  Pour into a bowl & set aside.  Without cleaning the processor bowl – puree the tomatoes.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, blend the yogurt, salt and 3 TBS of the red puree and then add either your fish or chicken or tofu.  Marinate this for half an hour or more.  If you are going all veggies with this dish – you can skip the marinating.

If you are using fish or chicken – cook it now on your stove top.   I used a round grill pan – but any frying pan or cast iron thing works.  Once it is cooked through, set it aside.

Melt the butter in a LARGE saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the cumin & coriander seeds & fry for 3-4 minutes.  Be careful NOT to burn the butter.  Add the onion & paprika.  Cook until onions soften & begin to change color – 5-6 minutes.  Add the red puree & blend well.  Add the tomatoes and blend well.  Add the cream & a cup of water.  Blend well.  Add all the vegetables you are using – including the peas & carrots.  Simmer this until your crunchiest vegetables are cooked to your liking.  Add water if the gravy starts getting too thick.  Once you feel the vegetables are cooked – add the COOKED fish or chicken (if using).  Stir it in.  Let this simmer another few minutes & add salt to taste.

Serve over basmati rice with chopped cilantro for garnish.

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BASMATI RICE

INGREDIENTS

3 cups basmati rice – rinsed several times in a colander

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp salt

20 green cardamom pods (if you can get them)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a pan.  Once hot – add the cumin seeds & the cardamom pods – again being wary of their popping & spitting.  I used 20 cardamom pods because mine were a bit old.  You might want to use fewer if yours are fresh & really pungent.  After a minute – add the rice & stir until it is all covered in oil & the spices are well blended.  Add 3 3/4 cups of water (or whatever ratio of rice to water your package suggests) & bring to a boil.  Use less water for firmer rice.  Once boiling – reduce heat to low & simmer, covered, for however long the rice package instructs you.  Remove from heat.  Fluff with a fork.