Ingredients

Butter for the casserole dish
1 onion, diced
10 oz frozen chopped spinach
8 eggs
1 lb of chorizo (uncooked)
2 cups of cheese, shredded

Method

Fry the chorizo and onions together till done. It's hard to tell visually when chorizo is done, but fry it for about ten minutes. Chop and drain the thawed spinach. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter the casserole dish. Mix chorizo, onions, spinach together. Let cool till you can mix them with eggs and cheese without the eggs immediately cooking. Beat ingredients together. Put in buttered 8x8 casserole. Cook 55 minutes without opening the oven, remove, let sit 15 minutes.

Very tasty. This can now be a standard recipe, I think.

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2014-04-30: here is my fourth variation. This time I used beef chorizo, skipped the onion, used eight eggs. Initial cooking time 55 minuytes without interruption, then let it sit 15 minutes. Turned out great. I have now concluded these 8-egg recipes are good at 55 minutes, whereas the 5 egg recipes are good at 40 minutes. I also concluded that if you have bought frozen spinach, you really don't need to boil it before putting it in the mix. Just be sure it is at room temperature and squeeze excess water out, then chop it up fine.

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Reheating of one slice (1/4 of the quiche) in my microwave works well over 4 minutes at power level 4.

Once again I'm returning to a recipe I found at Simply Recipes. Here's today's variation.

Ingredients

• One 27-oz can of canned whole tomatillos
• Garlic, 8 cloves
• Pork shoulder, 2 lbs. (Food City's carnitas meat is fine.)
• Olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• Water, 2.5 cups, boiling
• 3 serranos, chopped. (You could probably substituted 2-3 raw jalapenos or 2 whole anaheims)
• 1.5 tsp of oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Procedure

1. Cut pork into chunks. Brown in small batches in Dutch oven with olive oil. Put aside. If you are browning the meat in the Dutch oven, only the barest amount of oil is needed; you aren't deep frying them.
2. Broil five unpeeled cloves of garlic. Remove from oven. Peel.
3. Put chopped onions, three cloves of raw garlic and chopped serranos in frying pan. Fry till soft.
4. Drain the can of tomatillos. Put tomatillos through blender with broiled garlic. Pour into Dutch oven.
5. Add meat, water, oregano, green chiles, pepper, nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so that it simmers/slow boils uncovered for three hours or until pork is fork tender. Stir occasionally, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Lower temperature occasionally if it looks like it is boiling too hard. A constant simmer should be fine. Do not skip the scraping step, otherwise the sauce will thicken too much on the bottom of the Dutch oven and eventually burn, which will spoil the taste.
6. As necessary, add hot water to Dutch oven to maintain liquid. Use the microwave to bring it to boiling temp before adding.

This turned out great. I now consider my green chile recipe perfected.

Notes

• On one attempt I added the fried onions, serranos and garlic to the tomatillos in the blender and liquefied them. Turned out okay, but I think I like the texture of the stew better without doing that. Don't bother in the future.
• When frying the meat I didn't add pepper since I've read that frying the pepper makes it bitter. Better to add it with the tomatillos.
• I didn't add salt since the tomatillos are already pickled.
• If you need to add water to the stew, heat it up in the microwave first to avoid increasing cooking time.
• One could use chicken stock instead of water to make the flavor richer. That would doubtless work, but I think the flavor with just water is good.
• It is essential to use canned tomatillos. The canning process adds, I think, some vinegar and acid that is essential to the bright taste of the recipe. Sure, you can roast and process your own, but it really won't be the same.

Ingredients

Cooking oil/butter
1 onion, diced
10 oz frozen chopped spinach
8 eggs
Some fried chorizo (probably about 1 1/4 cups)
2 cups of cheese, shredded

Method

Boil the spinach for 2-3 minutes; drain. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter the casserole dish. Put oil/butter in frying pan. Add onions, fry till translucent. Add chorizo and spinach to onions. Cool spinach mixture. Beat eggs in a bowl, add shredded cheese and mix together. Add spinach mixture. Place in greased/buttered casserole dish. Bake until top of quiche begins to brown, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Comments:

• This time I forgot to add the cheese, and I didn't notice it until cooking was half done. So at 40 minutes I added to the top 1 cup of shredded cheese, and then I let it cook another twenty minutes. That actually worked great.

Ingredients

Cooking oil/butter
1 onion, diced
12 oz frozen chopped spinach
8 eggs
Some fried chorizo (probably about 1 1/4 cups)
2 cups of cheese, shredded

Method

Boil the spinach for 2-3 minutes; drain. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter the casserole dish. Put oil/butter in frying pan. Add onions, fry till translucent. Add chorizo and spinach to onions. Cool spinach mixture. Beat eggs in a bowl, add shredded cheese and mix together. Add spinach mixture. Place in greased/buttered casserole dish. Bake until top of quiche begins to brown, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Comments:

• This turned out well, but I was just a touch concerned about how moist the center still was. Next time give it 60 minutes in the oven, and then let it sit for 15 minutes.

I'm continuing my experiments with palak paneer; this time I didn't do so well. Here is what I did this time. If this is your first time trying the recipe, use the experiment 2 link.

Ingredients

12 oz frozen chopped spinach
2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tbsp of ground cumin (better version is 1 tsp)
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (I forgot the garlic)
1 serrano, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander (I didnt' have a tbsp, which would have been better)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
regular salt to taste (I forgot the salt)
1 cup of yogurt (I forgot the yogurt and used Half & Half instead)
10 oz of queso panela
1 lemon (I forgot the lemon)

Method

Boil a big pot of water. Put the spinach in. Once it starts boiling again, boil the spinach for three minutes. Drain. Put the spinach in the blender with 1/2 cup of half & half. Make a paste.

Heat the oil. Add the onions and serranos. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add spices and 1/2 cup of half & half. Mix. Cook until somewhat thickened. Add the spinach puree. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Result

This turned out adequately. Next time around I should actually read the recipe instead of trying to simply remember it.

Ingredients

Cooking oil/butter
1 onion, diced
2 cups of spinach, shredded
5 eggs
2 cups of cheese, shredded

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray (or butter). Put oil/butter in frying pan. Add onions, fry till translucent. Add spinach, fry till wilted and excess moisture has evaporated. Cool spinach mixture. Beat eggs in a bowl, add shredded cheese and mix together. Add to spinach mixture. Place in greased/buttered casserole dish. Bake until top of quiche is golden brown.

Comments:

• On my first attempt I used 12oz of frozen spinach. That was probably too much; you don't get much of the quiche-y/custardy effect. Next time I'll use half the amount.
• It took about 40 minutes to cook, but I opened the oven three times, so I could probably eliminate 5 minutes if that didn't happen.
• I chopped a single serrano in with the frying onions. That added some nice heat without being overwhelming.
• I bet this would be great if you added a teaspoon of cumin toward the end of cooking the onions.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odtIX8dGMgQ

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2014-03-23: I tried this recipe again from memory. Misremembered the number of eggs and used 8 instead of 5. That meant it took 60 minutes to bake, but that was with opening the oven a couple times. 55 minutes would probably work next time.

This is a recipe adapted from recipesecrets.net.

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 cups chopped cabbage

Melt butter in large, nonstick pan, add onion and celery, saute over medium heat until translucent. Add cabbage and saute over medium heat until the cabbage is somewhat soft. Add cherries, pecans, thyme, marjoram, pepper. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is soft.

This turned out fine. I'll make it again.

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm. Comments

• First off, this stuff is massively better than steamed cauliflower.
• Be careful not to cut the florets too big, otherwise they are a bit tougher than you want.
• This recipe might have a bit too much salt. I think I tried a tbsp instead of tsp. Double check next time.
• Instead of just drizzling the dressing over it, it would probably be better to mix it in a bowl and then toss the cauliflower in it. Then drizzle the extra over it.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oven-roasted-cauliflower-with-garlic-olive-oil-and-lemon-juice-recipe/index.html

Update: 2014-09-16 I made this again this evening. The 1 tsp of salt is a good amount, although may 3/4 tsp would be better, but maybe not. I was out of lemon juice, so I used 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Worked well. If there is only a tiny bit of carmelization on the bigger chunks, you might want to add 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Definitely mix the marinade in a bowel first and toss all the cauliflower so that it is all evenly coated. I'm now of the opinion that this is about the best way ever to serve cauliflower. I'll never steam it again.

Update 2014-10-09 I made this again this evening. Cooked it for 20 minutes this time, which was too long because some pieces burned on the bottom. I also used green cauliflower, but I don't think that tasted as good as plain. Next time, just use 15 minutes but make sure all the pieces are small enough.

Update 2020-03-14 Today I was a bit lazy. Instead of mixing all those ingredients, I just used one cup of ubercheap Italian dressing. It was a really big head of cauliflower. I put it in the oven at 500 degrees for 17 minutes. Then I took it out, pushed it around a bit, and put it back in for three minutes. Tastewise this entirely worked. I would serve it to guests, although it's not a professional offering. The big issue is cutting the pieces small enough to cook decently. It may take you two or three times to figure it out. Okay, this was actually awesome. The cauliflower had enough resistance to be enjoyable chewing, and it was soft enough not to be annoying. My skills are improving.

Update 2023-03-30: today I made the recipe using broccoli instead of cauliflower. Broccoli is less dense, so I checked after 10 minutes, then let it sit in the often with the heat off for three more minutes. I only used 3/4 tsp of salt, which was still too much.  Alas, this version with broccoli doesn't seem as good as the cauliflower version.

Update:  I've come to the conclusion that the salt should be left out of the recipe completely because the parmesan cheese has more than enough salt in it.

I'm continuing my experiments with palak paneer. Here is what I did this time. If this is your first time trying the recipe, use the youtube link below for your first-time recipe.

Ingredients

12 oz frozen chopped spinach
2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tsp of ground cumin
10 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 serranos, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 heaping tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
regular salt to taste
1 cup of yogurt
10 oz of queso panela
1 lemon

Method

Boil a big pot of water. Put the spinach in. Once it starts boiling again, boil the spinach for three minutes. Drain. Save 1 cup of the water in which the spinach was boiled. Cool the rest of the spinach in cold/ice water. Drain. Put the spinach in the blender with enough reserved spinach water to turn it into a paste.

Heat the oil. Add the garlic, onions and serranos. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add yogurt and spices. Mix. Cook until somewhat thickened. Add the spinach puree. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice over the spinach dish.

Result

This turned out quite well, and it was within my range of spice tolerance, although barely.

Discussion

• Last time I made this, I used mozarella, but for this recipe you really want a non-melting cheese. The queso panela worked better than the mozzarella, so that could be repeated. Really I want queso blanco. Next time I'll try queso fresco if I can't find real queso blanco. Since I live in Arizona, paneer is not available everywhere, which is why I think of substituting Mexican cheeses. Farmer's cheese or any other non-melting cheese should probably work as well.
• Three serranos were too much, most likely, for most house guests. Next time try one (two max). Since the tiny green chiles one finds in Asian stores are not generally available in AZ, I wanted to substitute serranos.
• The purpose of the cold water bath is to preserve the color of the spinach. Ideally, this dish is intensely green.
• In the long run I may want a slightly more complex dish. Maybe add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYsLWpcbWqU

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Third attempt:

• I accidentally used a tbsp instead of a tsp of cumin. Still worked fine.
• Used two serranos instead of three. Still good. For guests probably one serrano would be fine.
• Used queso fresco. Seemed too tender, started to break apart. Queso panela is better.

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2019-01-19: This is my fifth attempt I think. Turned out quite well. Details:

• Used 10 oz of frozen spinach.
• Used queso Panela instead of paneer. This worked great. I'll do it henceforth.
• Use one large, deseeded jalapeno instead of three serranos. I think this is the perfect heat for guests.
• I didn't have garlic/ginger paste, so I used half the amount of prechopped garlic in a jar, and half the amount of pureed ginger from a tube.

This turned out well. Definitely a repeater. Next time I think I would chop the garlic finer. That said, I think I liked the taste of Anita Chawla's palak paneer better. I'll have to email her.

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds
20 cloves of garlic, chopped
4-5 chopped green chiles (the skinny, tiny ones)
2 small onions, chopped
1 heaping tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp black salt (can skip)
regular salt to taste
1 cup of yogurt
2 cups of pureed spinach
1 pound of paneer, cubed

Method

Heat the oil. Chop the garlic. Add cumin to the oil. Add the garlic, cook over medium heat till slightly gold. Add onions, cook till translucent (limp not brown). Add yogurt, coriander, turmeric, black salt, regular salt. Let it simmer for some time. Add the spinach. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYsLWpcbWqU

This turned out decent the first time.